HR ON EASY RUNS

Q Why is my heart rate high on easy runs? Stefan Jonas

A To work towards an answer, there are a few key questions that might prove useful here. Is you heart rate higher than normal? If so, then there could be a few explanations.

Illness can often drive-up HR even if you’re unaware that your body is fighting something. Fatigue and a lack of sleep can also mean a higher BPM than normal. As can dehydration and anaemia (more common in female athletes) due to the body working harder to pump blood. By identifying the issue at play, a fairly easy solution is available for each of these factors. However, what if the elevated HR is the norm?

Firstly: is your HR high for you? The equation ‘220 – age’ is still printed on equipment at my local gym as the way to work out max HR and therefore zones. However, this equation doesn’t accurately show what our heart’s capacity is. It also doesn’t change as much as suggested over time. Poor calculations like this might suggest a HR is ‘high’, when in fact your HR simply beats faster than other people’s at a given intensity. Track HR over time at different run paces to know what is normal for you.

Secondly, many athletes run their ‘easy’ runs too hard. In these runs, conversation should be easy, you should be able to breathe only through your nose, and the pace should feel sustainable and no harder than about 4/10. If you think you’re running too hard, then by running slower you’ll become more aerobically efficient over time and your HR at a given pace will fall.

A few other factors could also be at play. If you’re pregnant, have had caffeine, are stressed or over stimulated, or have an overactive thyroid your HR might also be higher than usual.

If you’ve asked these questions and are satisfied that you’re running slowly enough and there are no other factors at play, then maybe you just have a naturally high HR. Joel Enoch