I've been having a great time improving while running with the Red group since Dr. Greg fixed my ITB problem after a few visits to the clinic. All this sort of peaked 2 weeks ago with me being able to hit just right under 10mins/mi pace with an average heart rate of 168 bpm according to my Garmin. I was able to run like that for the weekly runs and the 10 miles that weekend.

Things started to go downhill the following week which was the week leading up to the 30k benchmark. I had to slow down my pace by 30 seconds per mile to sustain 170bpm average heart rate. It became worse during the benchmark when my heart was beating at more than 180bpm after only 45 minutes of running despite being at 10:30 pace.

I felt really bad after the benchmark and decided to catch up on sleep and rest and ended up missing a whole week of running. I started running again yesterday and whoa! 180bpm seems to be the norm while running at 10:30 pace. Same thing again today. The thing is, I only hit 180 bpm near the end of my long runs previously where at the slight upward slope towards the home base for Portland Fit. Now it seems to be what my HRM reports after 5 minutes of an easy run.

I am wondering if it's because of my diet as I have been snacking on junk food at work almost once daily. Another thing is that sometimes when I wake up around the early hours of the day (3/4 a.m.), my heart feels like it's pounding quickly although I have yet to take a heart rate reading.

Awaiting some useful advice/ input from the doctors as well as fellow members here. Thank you!

Mike

Let’s start with some simple basics.

Hydration, not only during your run, but BEFORE...i.e. Daily hydration, is required to maintain a steady HR.

What else can affect HR? Caffeine (soda, coffee, Tea), nicotine (second hand smoke counts), alcohol, high
sodium intake (junk food) and food condiments, overtraining, sleep loss, anxiety, ambient temperature and humidity....and so on.

Medications that treat the heart, kidneys, blood pressure, and antidepressants can affect heart rate as well.

I would be curious to see what your Garmin says when you are not running. Also, borrowing another Garmin to make sure there is consistency between devices may be something to try as well.


Mileages are growing, the need for adequate recovery is growing as well...not just maintaining old habits!! Rest and nutrition are becoming more and more important, and non-negotiable.

Let’s see if any of this pertains to, and helps you.

Dr. Greg

Mike:

Dr Lekas has listed some great items to check.....I would also recommend visiting Dr. Nelson and getting a VO2 test done to make sure that you should be training at 168 bpm for your LSD (long, slow distance) runs. In my experience, working with PDXFit members for the last 10+ years, 168 bpm is a high heart rate to be completing your LSD training runs at. Intervals, maybe at that heart rate, but I would be surprised that your LSD runs would be that high.

If you are completing your training at too high of a heart rate, the damage is cumlative and reversable. The cumulative means that you would start to see yourself having to apply more effort for the same pace or not even able to achieve a previous pace. The reversable means that you would need to start training in your correct heart rate range and pay attention to rest and sleep to allow your body to heal and recover. You will still need to pay attention to all the other items that Dr Lekas listed, too!

A VO2 test will make sure that you are training in your optimum heart rate ranges.

Eric

Hi Eric,

I'm looking for some guidance on how to proceed after the flu. Last Saturday I did the 11 miler and had such an elevated HR that I had to walk/run the last 6.5 miles. Sunday I was not a good girl and did an easy 15 mile bike ride. Monday I came down with a 101.5 fever and the flu. Didn't run on Monday (duh!) and didn't run on Tuesday. Tried to run this morning, even just an easy run but my HR is still 20-25 beats higher than normal so I cut the run short after 17 minutes. I will check my resting HR tomorrow morning and Saturday morning, but what should be my strategy for Saturday if my HR is still elevated? Can I still run but just do walk/run to keep the HR down?

Thanks for your help!

Laura

Thanks Greg and Eric for your responses. I do accept your inputs especially on rest and diet. Have been staying off the junk food for a week and getting 8 hours of sleep each night. I do agree too that 168 bpm is too high an HR for LSD runs. Before getting a VO2max test done, I would like to know all this is pointing to me having an infection or even worse, a heart problem. I felt feverish on Friday evening and skipped the 10mile long run on Saturday. I thought I would be fine by today. Instead, after running on the treadmill for about 8 minutes I started having chest pain. My question is can a VO2max test indicate an underlying heart problem? Thanks.

Laura, hope you get well soon!

I have to say Mike, chest pain is never something to play around with and too potentially serious for me to diagnose via e-mail. VO2 does give an indication of cardiopulmonary function but it is not a diagnosing tool. A VO2 is looking to find your target heart ranges for burning fat vs. glucose. I would recommend seeing your primary care physician. An EKG and blood work at the least should be ordered and possibly a stress test.
Please update me,
Dr. Lindsey

Ok, right now everyone who is able to do so is running/ walking the 21 miler. Go PDX/Vancouver Fit!!! I've gone through an EKG and bloodworks and was scheduled for a stress test + cardio monitor. However, my bloodworks result came back and my doctor told me that I have a hyperactive thyroid. I am now on medication to bring my thyroid activity down. Since it's just the first week, my base heart rate is still high (~90bpm) and brisk walking brings it up to nearly 150bpm. Keeping fingers crossed that the medication will show some results soon so that I can salvage what I can by doing some light training and then walking with occasional jogs in the Portland Marathon.

Mike I'm glad you got some answers and are now being treated. My concern is that many thyroid conditions are somewhat misdiagnosed in the sense that many times there is an underlying auto-immune condition that attacks the thyroid. I would strongly recommend you get a blood test that rules out Graves or Hashimotos. The two tests are Thyroid antithyroglobulin antibody and TPO antibody. I don't mean to sound alarming but in my practice I've seen too often patients misdiagnosed and left not feeling 100% normal.
If you'd like to call me at the office or see me at the Clearwater tent I would be happy to discuss this further,
Dr. Lindsey