Forums >General Running>High heart rate when running
Hello,
I'm 57 (female) and have been running for about 8 years. This past year I bought an Apple Watch and have been tracking my heart rate while running. I have never done this in the previous years of running. Previous to watching my heart rate my running pace would be anywhere between 9:00-10:15 or so minutes per mile. Since I started using my Apple Watch, I noticed how high my heart rate went. It would jump to 180 when I would run a faster pace. So, I spent some months slowing down and now I'm running much slower at about an 11:30-12:00 pace per mile and even at this pace my heart rate will go into the 150's. If I even try to run a little faster like at 11:00 minutes, my heart rate jumps to over 170.
Are the Apple Watches really reliable? Or should I go mostly by how I feel? I'm perplexed and wondering if I have a heart issue!
not bad for mile 25
The best answer would come from your doctor. Maybe it's nothing to be concerned about, but what do random strangers on the internet know?
If you wonder about your apple watch, just stop running mid-run, and take your own pulse. That will let you know about the accuracy of the device.
Maybe your watch slips into tracking your cadence instead of your heart rate. Happens to me sometimes with my garmin watch.
Jeremy
This is why I gave up on HR monitors, because they register everything but my pulse. Cadence definitely. Sometimes passing trafgic when sitting on my bedside table.
This guy has an extremely detailed review of the Apple Watch. I refer you to the Heart Rate Accuracy section.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/10/apple-watch-series-4-in-depth-review.html
He seems to think the device is pretty accurate after the first few seconds or so. From my own experience, I found the wrist monitors (not apple specifically) to be less accurate than the chest strap.
"Shut up Legs!" Jens Voigt
Carbs and Cabernet
I think some of us just have a higher heart rate. When I first started tracking (Polar with a strap - about 15 years ago), I noticed I got to my alleged maximum heart rate while tying up my laces, way before even going out the door! i have tracked with various devices over the years (Garmin with a strap mostly) and there were numerous times times I went over 200 and did not feel particularly tired. Now, a bit older, I am typically around 180 during typical, slow runs (and all my runs are slow these days). I have not dropped dead in over 20 years of running, so I just don't pay any attention to it any more. And my doctor said of my heart "Good. Better than good". So a higher heart rate is not necessarily a problem.
Thank you everyone for your input.
I think your problem is that you're using (I'm guessing, correct me if I'm wrong) a watch with an optical sensor, in lieu of a chest strap sensor.
From what I gather from watching/reading numerous comparisons on these two types of sensors, is that the chest strap sensors are far more superior to the optical wrist sensors. And it seems that the more jostling that is involved, the less accurate the optical sensors are, but also there seems to be some variance between individuals, i.e. some people seem to show less variance between the two sensors.
I've never used an optical sensor, but I've been using a chest strap for years and never had a problem, other than when it's cold and dry outside -- I have to warm up really well before I get an accurate reading.
P.S. I use to do a lot of spot checks with my HR monitor and it was always very similar to my manual checks of my H/R.
Caffeine-fueled Runner
Can't really speak to the Apple watch and whether it is accurate (or even precise). I started my running experience with a chest strap monitor. Went to wrist-based monitoring in 2016 with a TomTom but cross-checked it with my chest-strap monitor. With the exception of the very beginning of a run, both of them stayed within 1-3 bpm of each other. Both showed an interesting effect in that the first 5 minutes of an intense run showed an elevating HR and then a drop (as if my body dropped into overdrive).
Went to a Garmin Fenix 5X a couple of years ago with the a chest strap using the auxiliary HR IQ widget available from Garmin Connect. Normally, the chest strap HR would override the wrist-based HR, but by not not allowing the watch to pair with the chest-strap normally, the auxiliary HR widget will read both. This allows the Garmin Connect to place both on the same curve for comparison (though the webpage tends to choose different scales for each monitor. The wrist based HR tends to be slightly higher than the chest-strap by an average of about 1-2 bpm. There is a slight lag between the two monitors once warmed up and up to speed and the wrist-based monitor can have some difficulty in finding the pulse to lock into when it is cold (arm warmers tend to eliminate or reduce this issue).
And maybe your HR is naturally higher than the general population. Maybe a quick check with a medical professional is warranted.
PR's--- 5K 24:11, 10K 49:40, 10-Mile 1:26:02, HM 1:56:03, Marathon 4:16:17
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