Heart rate info

howiejmidlands

Following on from being as excited as an excited person can be with a degree in being excited from Excited University, i stepped out on my first lone training runs today.

Dear Doctor i am 44 years old, 6ft weighing 126kgs, (apologies for mixing my weights and measures) and my heart rate at rest was 95, i couldnt believe it. OK so out i goes for a straight 5 mile out to the traffic island and 5 mile back. First run this morning my heart rate peaked at 180bpm and averaged 165bpm. Got back in 40 mins.
Had a rest, lunch and first half of the Arsenal game, then out again. Same route and average heart rate was 155bpm with a peak of 170bpm.

I have a sweat on, my breathing was fine, as i have never smoked. But i couldnt get my heart rate down, bloody hell just thinking about the ride takes me to 120bpm.

What sort of heart rates and for how long should i be aiming for without ending up in A&E?

Mike Willcox1

Simple. Don't wear a HRM and then you won't have to worry about it.

howiejmidlands

Now thats why i signed up to this forum for constructive advice.

Bloody good idea, i didnt have one when i was younger, so i will just monitor speed and time.

Thanks

gavintc

I am 50, my heart rate when riding a long day ride is around 150-160. My peak is somewhere in the high 180's. I have seen 186 on a hard steep hill. Don't worry about comparing your heart rate to other cyclists, just have an idea at what high, cruising and resting for you are. I know that I cannot keep above 170 for long, so use that as my 'red' zone. I have not a clue how this relates to other people, but it works for me.

BeaconRuth

I agree wholeheartedly with Mike. Get out there and enjoy yourself. Build up gradually, a little more each week - a little further or a little faster.

One suggestion I'd make, since you're newly returned to riding, is to keep a diary of what you do. Some people find it very satisfying to count up their miles, and as they progress they can see that they're achieving more and more. If you keep at it for several months, the very least you'll be able to do is to look back and reflect on how much progress you've made.

Ruth

SteveR_100Milers

BeaconRuth wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly with Mike. Get out there and enjoy yourself. Build up gradually, a little more each week - a little further or a little faster.

One suggestion I'd make, since you're newly returned to riding, is to keep a diary of what you do. Some people find it very satisfying to count up their miles, and as they progress they can see that they're achieving more and more. If you keep at it for several months, the very least you'll be able to do is to look back and reflect on how much progress you've made.
Ruth

or not... :oops:

howiejmidlands

Ruth

I have a diary where i log each ride, my weight ( as this will certainly drop) my distance, time, avergae time, max speed and notes.

I remember from when i was a pup that my resting heart rate was about 36 to 40 as soon as i woke every morning. I wont get down to that level again, but i do know a good measure of fitness is resting heart rate.
I did 10 miles this morning, had lunch and a rest and did 10 more this afternoon. I will slowly build up and soon be getting good base fitness and stamina in the legs.

What a joy it is to be back out in the fresh air and riding, i am loving it!!

You may be able to tell.

BeaconRuth

howiejmidlands wrote:

Ruth

I have a diary where i log each ride, my weight ( as this will certainly drop) my distance, time, avergae time, max speed and notes.

I remember from when i was a pup that my resting heart rate was about 36 to 40 as soon as i woke every morning. I wont get down to that level again, but i do know a good measure of fitness is resting heart rate.
I did 10 miles this morning, had lunch and a rest and did 10 more this afternoon. I will slowly build up and soon be getting good base fitness and stamina in the legs.

What a joy it is to be back out in the fresh air and riding, i am loving it!!

You may be able to tell.

Don't be so sure that you'll never reach such a good level of fitness again. Patience and consistent training are the keys - you have to see it as a long-term project - but there's no reason why you shouldn't re-find the fitness you had previously. A chap I know returned to cycling when he retired. He was overweight and couldn't keep up with our clubrun to begin with. 7 or 8 years on and he's one of the fastest veteran roadmen in his age group in the country. He's lean, fit and looks fantastically healthy. The other day he delighted in sitting on one of the frisky young'uns wheel up a hill, coolly in the saddle behind him, making it look effortless........... and I just know that he was absolutely loving it!

Massive improvements in health and fitness are possible - work steadily and be patient - it WILL come.

Ruth

howiejmidlands

Ruth

Great respect to your veteran and his abilities.

The sad fact is i think i am still 21, act like 12, and for now ride like 121 year old hehehe.

But next year, watch out for me in the sportives!

How i love to be back doing the sport i loved in my youth, why did i leave??

Can you feel the excitement, its great being my age and truly loving being back in the fold of a great sport .

christ-on-a-bikeǃ

Whoa there Howie!
I'd go a bit easy if I were you, - to go from zilcho to two rides a day is just asking for an injury. Build it up gradually, - as a guide it's generally accepted not to increase your training level by more than 10% a week. I know it's great to get on the bike, and marvellous to hear your enthusiasm, but there's nothing worse than dying for a ride but not been able to get on the bike because of an injury.
Eezy geez...

larmurf

Mike Willcox1 wrote:

Simple. Don't wear a HRM and then you won't have to worry about it.

Now thats why i signed up to this forum for constructive advice.

Bloody good idea, i didnt have one when i was younger, so i will just monitor speed and time.

Thanks

No Howie!! That is far from constructive advice and you would be very wise to ignore it. Going on your stated weight of 126kgs (about 20 stone) you are at least 6 stone overweight depending on your build. You seem to be going off the top board straight away, a sensible diet and slow build up might not be as much fun, but will work outbetter in the long run. (No pun intended)

Anyway the best of luck - I am over 60 and did 190 last week 2 x 45 and a few 20+ but have been cycling all year (with a few pit stops) Have to go for a hip hop in a few weeks and will really miss getting out in the fresh air for a couple of months.

suze

Many of us worry about a peak heart rate, and the search for this. Short of going to a lab and having a test (at expense) Most of us guess what our peak hr is. Mines around 180, and I'm into veteran class

What I tend to do is keep a record of my average heart rate week by week. To check this and keep a record, you could ride a known route at regular intervals, say weeky and noting your average heart rate over that ride. I ride regularly on the track doing similar sessions each week, so I can easily see that I'm getting fitter by the fact that for a similar workout my average heart rate is actually getting lower.

It keeps me motivated because I feel that I'm seeing improvement in my riding.

So don't worry about how far you go, how high you can get your heart rate, by doing short rides and monitoring your average Hr you should begin to see a partern of developing fitness, by gradual build up.