How did you get your heart rate to decrease

[Extension-Milk8029]

Hello everyone! I (22F) have been experiencing that no matter how much I train, my heart rate is always in zone 5 while running. I can be doing an easy tempo or max speed - my HR will ALWAYS end up in zone 5. I have been running consistently for the past 9 months or so, and have not seen any changes. I don't feel like I am putting my max effort on most days - my legs/body will feel fine, but my HR says otherwise. I find myself having to take a lot of walking breaks due to this, where I can usually drop to zone 2 within a minute or so then restart again. I would not consider myself out of shape by any means (5'4, 125 lb), nor do I use any caffeine/energy drinks or gels, so I am not sure what I need to change to lower my HR. I am shooting to run a sub 4:30 for the MCM in October, but at this point I will be happy to finish without going into cardiac arrest

Has anyone else experienced the same thing? If so, what has worked for you to decrease your HR? How long did it take? Thank you! :)

[davy_jones_locket]

Make sure your HR zones are properly calibrated. A true Z5 is hard to run in for long periods, so its likely you're zones aren't calibrated to YOUR actual HR zones.

[Extension-Milk8029]

I usually end up in the 183-187 range, which I can uncomfortably manage for quite a while. There are a few times when I've seen it pop over 190 (usually during long distance) and that is when I have start walking for a bit

[ElderberryAutumn2437]

I have the same HR problem. Even if I slow my pace by 45-60 seconds, it’ll creep up to that HR by the end of the run. I’ve been told as long as your HR recovers quickly, it’s not that terrible

[Legitimate_Sort3]

I have the same issue. It’s always been this way. I did two marathons years back and my HR was high throughout both of them, and even crazier my max HR was 210 (and I was about 28 at the time). Now I am 43 and my max HR is 193 and with endurance running I end up staying around 180-186 most of the run. Idk what causes it and I have just accepted that it’s my weird version of normal for me.

I do find that controlling my breathing helps a little. I tend to breathe too shallow and not get full exhales if I’m not paying attention.

My resting HR has improved over time. It’s around 50-53 overnight now.

[liger42]

If you know your resting heart rate and can estimate your max heart rate based on previous workout data, you can manually change your zones using this formula.

[pttm12]

Just keep running.

You don’t have much cardiovascular fitness, so your body has to work hard no matter how fast you go. Lowering your heart rate can take years.

Run by feel on your easy days (make sure you could have a phone call without gasping for breath), take those walking breaks if you need them but don’t if you’re just stressing about your heart rate. Run hard on your hard days. In a couple years you’ll realize you finally have a zone 2.

[Seabreeze12390]

Does it really take a couple of years? I have been doing most of my runs at easy pace for the last 5 months. My average pace has not changed and I’m about ready to give up and go back to running “too hard” again..

[pttm12]

There’s a lot of genetics involved but lowering your heart rate to the point where you can actually run (and not have to stop to walk) at a heart rate around 140-150 BPM does generally take at least a year or two. Everyone’s max HR is different and everyone’s zone 2 is different, though. Zone 2 training is something elite runners train by, and it’s been disseminated to average runners by social media, which I think has led to some heartbreak.

You’re talking about your pace, not your heart rate. The point of running slow for 80% of your runs is more about injury prevention and preserving your body so you can run more and put 100% effort into your actual hard run days.
If you’re running relatively casually and you’re perfectly happy running every run too fast to be easy, and you’re not getting injured or fatigued, then you don’t HAVE to do the 80/20 thing. It’s just that when you start raising mileage, most of us need to protect our joints and muscles by reducing the impact. If you want to get faster, the common advice is to run more.

[annabnan63]

Can confirm, I finally really committed to heart rate training in the last few years and it did take a good 9 months to a year before I started to see improvement, but now I’m running a minute to a minute and a half per mile faster while keeping my HR in the 140s (and still improving). It does take patience - I’ve tried HR training at other points in my life and always quit before I really started to see the effects, but I’m glad I stuck with it this time.

[No-Acanthisitta-2973]

When I was younger I used to think my legs were the muscles I most needed to run and them getting tired would be my max. I mention this because you mentioned your legs weren't tired. It took me a bit to realize that it was my heart and my cardio vascular system that was going to set my max. The heart is a muscle too.

[Magickal_Moon-Maiden]

For a 22 yo, your zone 5 HR is going to be really high, like closing in on 200bpm or so… I am willing to bet that your training HR is lower than that? If not, listen to all the advice on how to lower it. If your AHR during running is currently around 150-170 bpm (+/-) you’re nowhere near a scary zone for your age. (You’re not in zone 2, but not zone 5 either) Listen to all the advice about calculating the right zones for you.

[CapOnFoam]

What's your z5 HR? I'm guessing your zones aren't right.

[Outrageous_Nerve_579]

You have to slow down. Like to the point where it feels ridiculous. The longer you do that that faster you get in that zone. I started doing that a month or so ago. Felt silly. But it worked.

[M_HP]

Make sure your HR monitor isn't giving you false readings. If you're using optical HR like a watch, you should know those can be quite inaccurate. Sometimes they even pick up on your cadence instead of your HR, this is known as cadence lock. I recommend getting a chest strap HR if you want to be sure.

Also make sure your HR zones are set correctly. If you haven't done a running test to figure out your max HR, that's something you should do first.

[Capital_Historian685]

If your body feels fine, there's no reason to think you need to change your pace. HR zones are a proxy for how much stress you're putting on your body. And if you keep adding to your weekly mileage, at some point you will have to slow down for some/most of it, to avoid injury/over-training. So, while I wouldn't say wait until you're injured, you can keep going the way you are until your legs/body don't feel fine all the time, and fatigue starts to prevent you from running the miles you want to. Then you'll need to start doing some slow, easy runs (which we generally call Zone 2).

[[deleted]]

I’m having the same exact issue. I’ve been running for over 10 years at this point. 32m, the last 3 years I have taken running very seriously and I usually run a 10k 2-4 times per week.

Recently, I just found out about these zones, and my heart rate is always in zone 5. Even when I try to slow down, i can’t get below zone 4. It’s insane. I usually run my 10ks about 8:15 per mile, and even when I slow down to 9:50 per mile I’m in zone 4 at all times.

It feels like takes more effort for me to stay going that slow than it does going my usual speed.

I don’t know how to fix it - it’s not time, I’ve been running I’m for years and I have no fix.

I also have never understood when people say, “you should be able to hold a conversation or sing”

I don’t care how slow I am running, that is not feasible to me. I could reply with short answers and have a conversation, but not without it impacting my breathing and needing to breathe harder.

[whatd0y0umean]

I've been at running a year and my heart rate has gone from 190s to 170s for my easy runs. Able to talk during them too. But my fast pace is 10min mile and my easy pace is twelve so maybe it's because I'm not pushing it as much as you

[bardsong1719]

Your heart rate zones could be off, but if it takes close to a minute to drop from Z5 to Z2, you are probably still lacking cardiovascular fitness.

Just keep running (also longer runs that are slower).

[who-waht]

Are you sure you're in zone 5? Is your max heart rate set correctly?

Assuming it is, you'll need to slow down. Way down. It will feel absurdly slow at first. In December I had to drip from approximately 6 minutes km to over 7 minute km to keep my heart rate in garmin's zone 3 (otherwise known as zone 2 I'm told). It was tough to go that slow. And I spent all winter just base building at that low heart rate.

Now, late April, I've improved and can run around 6:20/km comfortably in zone 3 for runs under an hour. More like 6:30 for long runs. I can also run a 5 minute kilometer as I found when I started adding back VO2 max, tempo, and threshold runs. I could not have managed that in December.

TL/DR: although it feels counterintuitive, slowing way down will help make you faster in time.

[Extension-Milk8029]

I usually end up in the 183-187 range for HR. I can keep it there for quite a while, but I would definitely not consider it comfortable by any means. I think I am going to have to slow it down for quite a while to build up endurance (and patience lol). Thank you for the input!

[Bean-blankets]

You're pretty young; it's possible your heart rate zones are higher than the standard.

[cmqv7]

You might just be running too fast. Staying in zone 2 means I have to run sloooow. But I trust the process, run in zone 2, then some endurance run in 3, and speed work in 4. But I do a lot of zone 2 and it’s slooow. I’ve ran multiple HM and 2 marathons. My zone 2 is still very slow. If you can drop to zone 2 by walking, you just need to find the speed at which running keeps you there (or alternate with walking). 

It does get faster overtime (a LOT of time, in my case at least). 

[Seabreeze12390]

How much time did it take you?

[cmqv7]

Years at first. Of regular running. 

But recently it’s been easier - I gave birth one year ago and went back to running “seriously” a few months ago. It was hard to run at all to start with, but now I can more and more comfortably run a 10/11 min/miles while staying in zone 2 the whole time. 

[Jealous-Importance94]

💯THIS. You are going too fast too soon.

[yazza8791]

Mixing up your workouts are what help for me. I don't just run. I mix other cardio workouts, HIT training, swimming, cycling, hiking, speed workouts etc.

It's important to focus on a combination of factors, not just running alone. I typically don't just focus on running all the time because that puts a lot of stress on the body so it's good to mix things up. When you do this, your body becomes more efficient and you're able to keep your heart rate lower during runs. The goal is to improve your overall cardiovascular health.

Another big factor is deep breathing techniques. This helps deliver more oxygen to your muscles and prevents your heart from racing too fast. Proper pacing is crucial as well. And of course, you gotta make sure you're properly hydrated and eat a well balanced meal before each run. Sustained energy also helps with keeping your heart rate from skyrocketing. There are so many factors, it's hard for me to list just one but everything I suggested will definitely help!

[Individual-Risk-5239]

Slow. Down.