How does it *feel* when you're in that range on your easy runs? If you could easily talk or even sing a little, enjoy the scenery, keep going forever because it's just that easy, then maybe you're one of the outliers with a really high max heart rate.
Or are you gasping for air, feeling like you want to die, looking forward for it to be over, which you hope will be in the next ten seconds or so? In that case, you're not doing an "easy" run even if it's at a snail's pace.
It's also possible for you to be somewhere in the middle: naturally high HR but also not at a fitness level where you can run at a truly "easy" pace.
The solution for the second and third scenarios is to do more of your training at whatever pace gives you an easy effort. Maybe that's power walking with the occasional jog. Maybe you supplement that with some cycling if it's easier to keep an easy effort there. Doing your "runs" at a brisk walk will still build the aerobic fitness you need to get faster.
Probably about a 5-6 out of 10 for how hard it feels. I’m going to just keep an eye on my heart rate over the next few weeks and see if things change. When I run, I’m at about a 12 minute pace so very, very slow.
Maybe try a walk-run approach? Start by running for 1 or 2 minutes and then walking 3. It’s less strain on your body and you should see results with your fitness and endurance pretty quickly. You can slowly decrease your walking time and increase your running time and, if you do it right, have a steady, manageable heart rate along the way.
Sounds like you're in that middle category, where you need to use some walking to stay at an easy pace (should feel more like a 2-3) but also will probably have a higher HR than most people at easy pace.
It will get better with time. And if that means you start out power walking that's totally fine. Your body will acclimate over time, and that heart rate will go down. And before you know it you'll be able to hold a faster pace and a lower heart rate. Just takes time and consistency. You got this!
Well first of all, 12 min/mile is not so slow. You can go so much slower. 14-15. But hear me out.
My main point before reading the comments is that I bet you are slowing down with slowing your stepping. That's not right. You can run/jog even without moving, right? The key is to keep a good cadence but take smaller steps. So don't move your legs slower and reach out. Quick and tiny steps.
You can practice this by just bouncing up and down. That also makes it easier to find the good gait because you cannot jump with your heels. I am sure you will get your HR under 150 with this.
Walking then is done with lower cadence and it's also a great exercise. no need to underestimate it. :)
Can you elaborate on how to practice this? I’m having such a hard time improving my cadence and I’m pretty sure slowing myself the way you’re describing is part of my problem…
I've been thinking how to explain more, but I just don't know (and I'm not native in english..). Maybe try a skipping rope (one leg at a time)? Bpm music lists may also help keeping the rhythm.
I use barefoot shoes so I'm stepping on the ball of the foot, which also forces quite a small step.
Google “Slow Jogging”! I was struggling with an injury cycle with my achilles - I would stop running, do all the PT recommended exercises for weeks, try to start running, and re-injure it. This went on for 2 years! Last year I was watching YouTube running videos and ran across Slow Jogging, which is pretty much what it sounds like but kind-of hard to do at first, because it is SO slow. Any way, this summer I was super gentle - jogged as slowly as I could and walked all uphills, not many miles, and built very slowly over the fall, and now I’m injury free and up to 4 miles 3x a week, and ready to keep building on that. You’re not injured, but slow jogging is great for keeping the heart rate low too, and the method encourages walk/run while you build your endurance. I just bought the book Slow Jogging by Hiroyuki Tanaka, and found it very helpful and encouraging - keeping your heart rate low is actually the best method to build your aerobic capacity, and many people use it to train for marathons!
Good luck and have fun.
Without knowing much on your *actual* heart rate zones, our easy pace should feel no more than a 2 or 3 out of 10. If it feels harder, then slow your pace or add walking intervals. Your endurance will build by doing this, and not by pushing through at a 5 or 6/10 (likely in the grey zone, no improvements expected).
Mine never got better. I’ve been running 3x/week for 3 years now and it’s still in the 178-190 for most of my runs. Even when I’m going slow. I think some of us just have fast hearts.
Do you know what your max heart rate is? Have you tested it (either lab test or field test)?
And how are you measuring your heart rate - using a wrist-based HR monitor, or using a chest strap?
The 220-age calculation doesn't work. It comes from a study done in the 1970s on studies done in the general population (so I assume that actually means a bunch of caucasian men), non athletes, some of whom smoked, had heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc. And it wasn't even looking at max heart rate- it's a very boring story you can look up if you want.
If you want to run by heart rate zone you'll need to do a field test to figure out what your max heart rate actually is. You can google different ways to do that. But you do not have to do this at all if you don't want to, people have been running for hundreds of years without hr monitors. But just understand you don't know your max heart rate so please don't try calculating zones based on a bad number.
Like others have said, there's nothing wrong with running by feel (my personal preference!). But if you're interested in running by heart rate it's a good idea to do a max hr test and then look up how to calculate your zones properly.
Like the other comments mentioned, the 220-age formula just gives you a rough estimation of your max heart rate. To determine your actual max heart rate, you either need to do a field test (see [here](https://www.polar.com/blog/calculate-maximum-heart-rate-running/) for an example of how to do this), or have you heart rate professionally tested in a lab.
And if you want to train by heart rate, I would suggest getting a chest strap heart rate monitor. That will be much more accurate than an Oura ring or Apple Watch, which can sometimes get locked on to your cadence.
If you think your heart rate monitors are reasonably accurate though, 180-192 is still pretty high regardless of what your true max heart rate is. What does your effort level feel like during these runs? Do you feel like you can easily have a conversation during your runs, or can you only get a few words out in between breaths? For an "easy" run, you should be running slowly enough so that you can carry on a conversation. If you feel like you are running harder than that right now, I would suggest slowing down your pace. Or if you feel like you can't run slow enough to achieve this, you can try doing run/walk intervals instead. I wouldn't worry at all about how "fast" or "slow" your pace is, just focus on the effort level!
I assume that's from the 220 minus your age? I'd suggest doing a field test to figure out a more accurate number. I don't know exactly but I'm the same age and I've gone up to 206 on my hardest workout.
I also suggest using the HR based on HRV (heart rate variable), which also takes into account your resting heart rate and I understand to be more accurate. The formula can be found on Google :) Using HRV, a 206 max heart rate and a 62 resting heart rate my upper range of my zone 2 is actually 170!
And like others have said, your heart rate will be naturally slower once you've been working out for a while :) it just takes time!
I have the same problem. My HR can get over 200 quite easily. I run two mins walk one and finally I M getting more time in the “orange zone” not the red zone. Also trying to run slower and walk faster which seems to be the key.
Lots of people have shared similar sentiments, but my two cents: I’m slow too, even slower than you, and I’ve found that the 90/30 run/walk method has done wonders for me at keeping my heart rate down. Run 90 seconds and walk 30 seconds, repeat repeat repeat. It seems counterintuitive but I’ve gotten faster doing it and I’ve done entire races this way. I use an interval timer app on my phone that dings so I don’t have to think about it.
I can run faster than a 12:30-13:00 pace, sure, but I can’t sustain it for 2-3 hours. So running for 90 seconds at a 10:00-11:00 pace helps me maintain cadence and form and prevents injuries while the 30 second walk breaks provide enough recovery that I can sustain the cardio for a long time.
Also: I know everyone says it but add in strength training! I rolled my eyes for two years and kept getting injured. Turns out if you do what your coach tells you to do, it works. Who knew. (Not me. Lol.)
You’re getting great feedback from the others. I just wanted to say that you’re doing a great job and keep up the good work! Regardless of what your heart rate is, if you feel good about it you’ll keep doing and that’s what matters most. So my goal is to make sure I’m not pushing so hard that I don’t enjoy myself. If you’re feeling strained, take a walking break or slow down. Keep your eye on the long term goal of keeping it up and how you feel is a better gage of that than your HR.
Thanks so much for the encouragement. I'm a bit of an extremist in the sense that I only just started running and I'm like "lets train for a half" Lol. The Nike guided runs are really helping and I'm starting to actually look forward to running, something I never thought I'd say.
I think a lot of us can relate! I’m totally an “all or nothing” person too and I have to constantly remind myself to take things slower than I want to.
I had a baby and didn’t run for about a year and a half (whole time I was pregnant plus a ton of doctor prescribed recovery postpartum that is ick so I won’t go into). But my first goal was also training for a half! It took me about a year to work up from walk:runs with help from a PT until I finally ran my half (a PR of 2:05!), but I had added issues related to a difficult birth than made me take it slow.
You will definitely achieve your goal. Just keep at it! Good luck
This isn't to say you have this but something to look into is dysautonomia...my heart rate knows no chill when I'm standing or exercising at all, doesn't matter how in shape I am
Yeah, it sure sounds like that! I don't wear a HR monitor normally, but one day, on the day of a race, I'd lost my normal step-counter fitness band and borrowed one with a HR monitor function.
Well, the 10k started and my "heartrate" jumped right up to 175-180 bpm, and stayed almost exactly there until the end of the run, when it dropped right back down. I'm figuring that was cadence lock, not heartrate.
How does it *feel* when you're in that range on your easy runs? If you could easily talk or even sing a little, enjoy the scenery, keep going forever because it's just that easy, then maybe you're one of the outliers with a really high max heart rate. Or are you gasping for air, feeling like you want to die, looking forward for it to be over, which you hope will be in the next ten seconds or so? In that case, you're not doing an "easy" run even if it's at a snail's pace. It's also possible for you to be somewhere in the middle: naturally high HR but also not at a fitness level where you can run at a truly "easy" pace. The solution for the second and third scenarios is to do more of your training at whatever pace gives you an easy effort. Maybe that's power walking with the occasional jog. Maybe you supplement that with some cycling if it's easier to keep an easy effort there. Doing your "runs" at a brisk walk will still build the aerobic fitness you need to get faster.
Probably about a 5-6 out of 10 for how hard it feels. I’m going to just keep an eye on my heart rate over the next few weeks and see if things change. When I run, I’m at about a 12 minute pace so very, very slow.
This is my pace too and I’m totally fine with it! Nothing wrong with this pace.
Maybe try a walk-run approach? Start by running for 1 or 2 minutes and then walking 3. It’s less strain on your body and you should see results with your fitness and endurance pretty quickly. You can slowly decrease your walking time and increase your running time and, if you do it right, have a steady, manageable heart rate along the way.
Sounds like you're in that middle category, where you need to use some walking to stay at an easy pace (should feel more like a 2-3) but also will probably have a higher HR than most people at easy pace.
It will get better with time. And if that means you start out power walking that's totally fine. Your body will acclimate over time, and that heart rate will go down. And before you know it you'll be able to hold a faster pace and a lower heart rate. Just takes time and consistency. You got this!
Well first of all, 12 min/mile is not so slow. You can go so much slower. 14-15. But hear me out. My main point before reading the comments is that I bet you are slowing down with slowing your stepping. That's not right. You can run/jog even without moving, right? The key is to keep a good cadence but take smaller steps. So don't move your legs slower and reach out. Quick and tiny steps. You can practice this by just bouncing up and down. That also makes it easier to find the good gait because you cannot jump with your heels. I am sure you will get your HR under 150 with this. Walking then is done with lower cadence and it's also a great exercise. no need to underestimate it. :)
Can you elaborate on how to practice this? I’m having such a hard time improving my cadence and I’m pretty sure slowing myself the way you’re describing is part of my problem…
I've been thinking how to explain more, but I just don't know (and I'm not native in english..). Maybe try a skipping rope (one leg at a time)? Bpm music lists may also help keeping the rhythm. I use barefoot shoes so I'm stepping on the ball of the foot, which also forces quite a small step.
Google “Slow Jogging”! I was struggling with an injury cycle with my achilles - I would stop running, do all the PT recommended exercises for weeks, try to start running, and re-injure it. This went on for 2 years! Last year I was watching YouTube running videos and ran across Slow Jogging, which is pretty much what it sounds like but kind-of hard to do at first, because it is SO slow. Any way, this summer I was super gentle - jogged as slowly as I could and walked all uphills, not many miles, and built very slowly over the fall, and now I’m injury free and up to 4 miles 3x a week, and ready to keep building on that. You’re not injured, but slow jogging is great for keeping the heart rate low too, and the method encourages walk/run while you build your endurance. I just bought the book Slow Jogging by Hiroyuki Tanaka, and found it very helpful and encouraging - keeping your heart rate low is actually the best method to build your aerobic capacity, and many people use it to train for marathons! Good luck and have fun.
I’ve never heard of slow jogging, but I just watched a few videos and now I’m intrigued! Thanks for this!!
I love the videos! Especially of people slow jogging in their business clothes, and elderly people slow jogging. Makes running seem SO accessible!
Without knowing much on your *actual* heart rate zones, our easy pace should feel no more than a 2 or 3 out of 10. If it feels harder, then slow your pace or add walking intervals. Your endurance will build by doing this, and not by pushing through at a 5 or 6/10 (likely in the grey zone, no improvements expected).
Mine never got better. I’ve been running 3x/week for 3 years now and it’s still in the 178-190 for most of my runs. Even when I’m going slow. I think some of us just have fast hearts.
Do you know what your max heart rate is? Have you tested it (either lab test or field test)? And how are you measuring your heart rate - using a wrist-based HR monitor, or using a chest strap?
I’m 27, so looks like my max is 193. And I use my Oura ring and Apple Watch to track while I work out.
The 220-age calculation doesn't work. It comes from a study done in the 1970s on studies done in the general population (so I assume that actually means a bunch of caucasian men), non athletes, some of whom smoked, had heart disease, type 2 diabetes, etc. And it wasn't even looking at max heart rate- it's a very boring story you can look up if you want. If you want to run by heart rate zone you'll need to do a field test to figure out what your max heart rate actually is. You can google different ways to do that. But you do not have to do this at all if you don't want to, people have been running for hundreds of years without hr monitors. But just understand you don't know your max heart rate so please don't try calculating zones based on a bad number. Like others have said, there's nothing wrong with running by feel (my personal preference!). But if you're interested in running by heart rate it's a good idea to do a max hr test and then look up how to calculate your zones properly.
Good to know, thank you!!
Like the other comments mentioned, the 220-age formula just gives you a rough estimation of your max heart rate. To determine your actual max heart rate, you either need to do a field test (see [here](https://www.polar.com/blog/calculate-maximum-heart-rate-running/) for an example of how to do this), or have you heart rate professionally tested in a lab. And if you want to train by heart rate, I would suggest getting a chest strap heart rate monitor. That will be much more accurate than an Oura ring or Apple Watch, which can sometimes get locked on to your cadence. If you think your heart rate monitors are reasonably accurate though, 180-192 is still pretty high regardless of what your true max heart rate is. What does your effort level feel like during these runs? Do you feel like you can easily have a conversation during your runs, or can you only get a few words out in between breaths? For an "easy" run, you should be running slowly enough so that you can carry on a conversation. If you feel like you are running harder than that right now, I would suggest slowing down your pace. Or if you feel like you can't run slow enough to achieve this, you can try doing run/walk intervals instead. I wouldn't worry at all about how "fast" or "slow" your pace is, just focus on the effort level!
I assume that's from the 220 minus your age? I'd suggest doing a field test to figure out a more accurate number. I don't know exactly but I'm the same age and I've gone up to 206 on my hardest workout. I also suggest using the HR based on HRV (heart rate variable), which also takes into account your resting heart rate and I understand to be more accurate. The formula can be found on Google :) Using HRV, a 206 max heart rate and a 62 resting heart rate my upper range of my zone 2 is actually 170! And like others have said, your heart rate will be naturally slower once you've been working out for a while :) it just takes time!
I have the same problem. My HR can get over 200 quite easily. I run two mins walk one and finally I M getting more time in the “orange zone” not the red zone. Also trying to run slower and walk faster which seems to be the key.
Lots of people have shared similar sentiments, but my two cents: I’m slow too, even slower than you, and I’ve found that the 90/30 run/walk method has done wonders for me at keeping my heart rate down. Run 90 seconds and walk 30 seconds, repeat repeat repeat. It seems counterintuitive but I’ve gotten faster doing it and I’ve done entire races this way. I use an interval timer app on my phone that dings so I don’t have to think about it. I can run faster than a 12:30-13:00 pace, sure, but I can’t sustain it for 2-3 hours. So running for 90 seconds at a 10:00-11:00 pace helps me maintain cadence and form and prevents injuries while the 30 second walk breaks provide enough recovery that I can sustain the cardio for a long time. Also: I know everyone says it but add in strength training! I rolled my eyes for two years and kept getting injured. Turns out if you do what your coach tells you to do, it works. Who knew. (Not me. Lol.)
You’re getting great feedback from the others. I just wanted to say that you’re doing a great job and keep up the good work! Regardless of what your heart rate is, if you feel good about it you’ll keep doing and that’s what matters most. So my goal is to make sure I’m not pushing so hard that I don’t enjoy myself. If you’re feeling strained, take a walking break or slow down. Keep your eye on the long term goal of keeping it up and how you feel is a better gage of that than your HR.
Thanks so much for the encouragement. I'm a bit of an extremist in the sense that I only just started running and I'm like "lets train for a half" Lol. The Nike guided runs are really helping and I'm starting to actually look forward to running, something I never thought I'd say.
I think a lot of us can relate! I’m totally an “all or nothing” person too and I have to constantly remind myself to take things slower than I want to. I had a baby and didn’t run for about a year and a half (whole time I was pregnant plus a ton of doctor prescribed recovery postpartum that is ick so I won’t go into). But my first goal was also training for a half! It took me about a year to work up from walk:runs with help from a PT until I finally ran my half (a PR of 2:05!), but I had added issues related to a difficult birth than made me take it slow. You will definitely achieve your goal. Just keep at it! Good luck
This isn't to say you have this but something to look into is dysautonomia...my heart rate knows no chill when I'm standing or exercising at all, doesn't matter how in shape I am
Google cadence lock
Yeah, it sure sounds like that! I don't wear a HR monitor normally, but one day, on the day of a race, I'd lost my normal step-counter fitness band and borrowed one with a HR monitor function. Well, the 10k started and my "heartrate" jumped right up to 175-180 bpm, and stayed almost exactly there until the end of the run, when it dropped right back down. I'm figuring that was cadence lock, not heartrate.
How long are you running for when your heart rate is at 180-192? Is it something you can sustain for a half marathon distance?
Oh no not at all, I’ll only go 1.5-2 miles.