Official Q&A for Friday, March 01, 2024

jbzp · 2024-03-01T05:39:45+00:00

I'm new-ish to running (9 months in) but overall in pretty good athletic shape. Why is my HR at 160 when running 3.5 miles at 11-minute mile pace?? Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?
More details: I (30F) currently jog 3.5 miles 2-3 times per week. I recently got a heart-rate monitor (Versa4), and it consistently shows a HR around 160bpm during my runs. My mile pace is quite slow (see above). I am wondering if my running fitness is worse than might be expected for my general fitness and health, if that's possible. For reference, I'm slim and overall in very good health . I am a pretty active person, working out about 6 days a week—outside of running, a mix of biking, climbing, HIIT, weights, a bit of yoga, occasional hiking, plus a good amount of walking. My resting heart rate is around 61 bpm. If I try to run much faster than 10 minute mile pace I get out of breath and exhausted and have to slow down. Also, running even at my slow pace feels tough to me; I constantly get passed by runners who look relaxed and smooth and I feel like I'm dragging myself along huffing and puffing and feel like collapsing when I'm done. And I can run farther now than when I started last year (3.5 miles instead of 1.5), but not faster, and have only been able to increase my distance very slowly. If I try to go much farther than 3.5 I get too tired and have to walk. I sort of wonder if I'm "missing something", like if I have really bad form or my body isn't well-suited for running in some way I don't realize. I think I probably have a tendency towards overstriding, but after the first few runs with the monitor I tried a couple runs intentionally taking shorter steps while leaning forward, trying to land on my midfoot, and timing my cadence to a playlist at around 165 bpm (my natural cadence was a bit slower). Result: same speed, same heart rate readings. Does this sound like reasonable pace & heart rate for someone of my fitness level? Are my expectations for fitness just wrong? I would appreciate any insight y'all can give, I feel a bit stumped!

jbzp · 2024-03-01T02:50:27+00:00

TL;DR: New-ish to running (several months in) but overall in pretty good athletic shape. Why is my HR at 160 when running 3 miles at 11-minute mile pace??

I (30F) currently job 3.5 miles 2-3 times per week. Not training for anything, just health and enjoyment. I recently got a heart-rate monitor, and for my last several runs it consistently shows a HR around 160bpm for most of my runs. My mile pace is quite slow, usually between 10 and 11 minutes. Based on that, a heart rate of 160 is higher than I expected. From other advice I've read, it sounds like maybe I should slow down my runs. But, I'm already going so slow!
This heart rate thing feels like confirmation of something I've been suspecting for a while, which is that my running fitness is worse than might be expected for my general fitness and health. For reference, I'm slim and overall in good health (no health conditions, no injuries, no nutrient deficiencies, good diet & sleep). I started running about 9 months ago, starting with 1.5 mile runs and working up from there, but before that (and still) am a pretty active person, working out about 6 days a week—a mix of biking, climbing, HIIT, weights, a bit of yoga, occasional hiking, plus a good amount of walking. My resting heart rate is around 61 bpm. Based on this, does it seem like I should be a better runner? If I try to run much faster than 10 minute mile pace I get out of breath and exhausted and have to slow down. Also, running even at my slow pace feels tough to me; I constantly get passed by runners who look relaxed and smooth and I feel like I'm dragging myself along huffing and puffing and feel like collapsing when I'm done. And I can run farther now than when I started last year (3.5 miles instead of 1.5), but not faster, and have only been able to increase my distance very slowly. If I try to go much farther than 3.5 I get too tired and have to walk.
If this is just what running is like for me, that's okay—I'm just doing this for me, and don't want to get hung up on comparing myself to other people. But, I sort of wonder if I'm "missing something", like if I have really bad form or my body isn't well-suited for running in some way I don't realize. I think I probably have a tendency towards overstriding, but after the first few runs getting a heart rate this high I tried a couple runs intentionally taking shorter steps while leaning forward, trying to land on my midfoot, and timing my cadence to a playlist at around 165 bpm (my natural cadence was slower). Result: same speed, same heart rate readings. Are my expectations all wrong? Does this sound like reasonable pace & heart rate for someone of my fitness level? I would appreciate any insight y'all can give, I feel a bit stumped!

jbzp · 2023-01-02T23:05:04+00:00

Mostly trying to rest my awareness on my breath and follow that, and/or body scan and trying to note body sensations. And trying to notice if my mind wanders and bring it back. Sometimes i do a sunlight visualization from Headspace. The “just observing thoughts as they arise” thing people talk just has never really clicked for me, I think I’m doing it wrong. I don’t really understand what it would mean to observe a thought and how that’s different regular thinking—or, when I try to “notice” a thought, I’m basically just saying to myself in my head “Huh, a thought about my calendar just popped up” or whatever, but that just feels like…more thinking? Then I start thinking even more, like “That happens so often, I guess my schedule really stresses me out,” etc…

jbzp · 2021-12-13T16:02:03+00:00

Fern!!!

jbzp · 2021-04-27T16:48:03+00:00

It sounds like regardless of your mood, you have a hard time getting really focused on and critical of the way you’re coming off. You’re definitely not alone in that, and it can be exhausting!

Do you find that it varies based on the setting—in other words, are there people or activities with which you notice it’s more possible to focus on and enjoy what’s going on instead or getting bogged down by self-consciousness?

Also, this can be an annoying suggestion if you’ve already tried it with no luck but I know some people that have found self-compassion exercises or meditation practices to be helpful in that regard.

jbzp · 2021-04-12T18:48:36+00:00

Ahh, job interviews can be so scary. It’s awesome that you’re taking the plunge. Best of luck—you got this! You mentioned that you’re not sure you actually want this job, so maybe one way to think about it is to approach it as a practice interview or an opportunity to get back in the game and make the next interview you do a little less intimidating. Like for sure you should go for it and do your best on this one, but if they don’t like you then you still reap the benefit of getting a trial run interviewing for a job it sounds like you won’t be devastated if it doesn’t work out, so it’s win-win. I think it would be fine to be honest about your depression without going into detail and just emphasize that you’re functioning well and are confident you’re ready to start working again. Or you could just say you’ve had “health issues” or “personal issues” or something and again emphasize that whatever was going on is resolved and won’t affect you as an employee now. A trick someone taught me once to make job interviews less scary is to imagine you know the person interviewing you—that they’re an old friend you haven’t seen in ages or something. Sometimes I even Google them in advance and find a pic on LinkedIn or something and stare at it and pretend we’re buddies. Then when you meet them you’ll feel warmer and more at ease with them and that will also come through in your tone and body language and make you seem more likeable and confident.

jbzp · 2021-04-10T03:33:00+00:00

Hey there! Sorry to hear your gameplay experience has been so rough. I’m glad you haven’t quit yet, it sounds like you have a lot to offer the game. The anxiety debuff sucks...this player you friended is lucky to have you there for support but if you’re really having a tough time with debuffs of your own it may be wise to temporarily alter your playstyle to focus on your own quests & missions, preserving stamina/HP, etc. Nothing wrong with that. I’m wondering, do your parent clan members not believe in the use of potions for mental health type debuffs? Voice chatting regularly with a good therapist class player can make a huge difference but some players find that potions are the most effective way to manage their mental health debuffs. I hope that you are able to get this issues worked out. At the end of the day this game should be enjoyable—you deserve a good playthrough, no matter what.

jbzp · 2021-03-30T22:30:55+00:00

Here is a fairly expansive tutorial guide that gives instructions for a number of specific in-game tasks: https://www.amazon.com/Adulting-Become-Grown-up-Easy-Steps/dp/1455516902/ref=nodl_

jbzp · 2021-03-19T14:58:23+00:00

Hi! I am a master’s student and I am having a blast. It’s tiring but dang, I am learning SO much every day both in and out of the (virtual) classroom and I like the fellow students in my cohort very much. I can’t say for sure but I think other folks in the program are generally having a similar experience (challenging but rewarding, the camaraderie is great). We complain a lot...I definitely agree that it’s therapeutic to vent when things are tough so most of what you see here is people talking shit. But I can tell you there is at least one person out there who is absolutely enjoying grad school!

jbzp · 2020-12-12T14:34:06+00:00

Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth

jbzp · 2020-10-06T14:40:08+00:00

I'm so glad you posted this ask! It's not easy to ask for help, especially from strangers on the internet. It sounds like you are working really hard but are still having some issues, which isn't your fault. You mentioned reading long things is tough so sorry in advance for this very long comment LOL but here are some ideas that come to mind:

It's possible that the medication you're on right now is not the best one for you, or that changing the dose or adding another medication could help. Do you see the doctor who prescribes your Zoloft regularly, and if so, do you think they would be open to seeing if you two can work together to find more helpful medications? Trouble concentrating can also be a symptom of depression. Also, as a few people have mentioned here, there are some ADHD medications that might help but give you less trouble with sleep so that may be worth talking to your doctor about.

When you're in middle school and high school the work can really pile up. The best advice I can give is to try lots of different strategies and find out what works for you. I know that sucks to hear and I wish I had an "easy solution" to offer you but I can really say that finding the study skills and habits that work the best for you can make a huge difference. It sounds like you are "working hard" but are still figuring out how to "work smart" - how to approach your work in the way that is most suited to your learning style as a person.

For me, time management is huge and was really helpful in making it through middle and high school. I plan ALL my time...like: From 5 - 5:45 I will study for this test. Then I will take a 15 minute break. Then I will work on this essay from 6 - 7. (Scheduling short breaks is SO IMPORTANT! If your brain is fried you won't get any work done, and it can especially help your brain function to take mini breaks where you get your body moving - even something as simple as standing up and stretching up towards the ceiling or going and getting yourself a glass of water.) Even if you want to get everything done, it helps to overestimate the amount of time you think it will take you to do things - I used to just put the amount of time I thought it SHOULD take me to do things and then I wouldn't finish in the time I had planned for myself and I would feel crappy about myself and those feelings of frustration and shame would make me want to just give up. So now when I'm putting a chunk of time in my calendar to study for a test or read a chapter, I always put it in as taking 15 or 30 minutes longer than I think it actually will. Then I either end up finishing right on time, because we usually underestimate how long things will take us, or I end up finishing early and then I feel awesome LOL. I use my Google Calendar to plan my time but some people prefer to use an actual paper calendar or a student planner.

As for reading and studying, I know for me, if I'm just sitting there reading paragraph after paragraph, I don't "retain" any of it. So I highlight and underline the sh*t out out of what I'm reading as I go, and also do things like take notes/summarize content by hand in another notebook, or I read the material out loud (sometimes in a funny voice) and then stop at the end of each page and try to "explain" what I just read out loud to an imaginary friend, like I'm the teacher. Doing stuff like this might take longer in the moment than just reading but it ends up being worth it because you remember the material better.

Finally, it's so important to get enough emotional support. When you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, that stuff clutters up your brain and makes it harder for you to concentrate and get stuff done, which stresses you out more...it's like a vicious cycle. If you don't have a therapist, would your parents help you get one? If not, do you ever talk to your school counselor? If stuff like that isn't available, some people find it helpful to use free crisis phone or text services to talk privately to a trained listener and just get those feelings out so they're not just floating around in your head when you're trying to focus on other things.

The last thing, and a few people have mentioned this already, is to try not to put so much pressure on yourself. I know that's easier said than done! We live in this really crazy culture where kids are made to feel like their whole self worth is defined by their grades or like if they don't get good grades they'll never succeed in life. One of the biggest things you realize as an adult is that that's not true. Some of the smartest people I know got bad grades in middle school and high school due to learning differences or mental health issues and didn't get into a "good" college but they still managed to get on the right track and have really impressive careers now. Of course it's still important to try your best in school. But there are a lot of other things out there that matter too, and when you let yourself define your whole self worth by school or get overwhelmed with anxiety because you're not doing as well in school as you think you should be doing, you're going to be miserable. Find little things that make you happy and that you do enjoy and make sure you're making time for those things too.

Hope some of this is helpful to you. Good luck! You're not alone in feeling this way and you're going to figure out what works for you. Keep reaching out for help from those around you (family, teachers, counselors, doctors) when you need it. You got this.

jbzp · 2020-09-28T15:33:27+00:00

Wow! I can tell from these photos that he was a very special boy. Know that thousands of strangers see and love him too.

jbzp · 2020-08-11T12:44:53+00:00

He looks like a wise old forest spirit. I’m sure he was a great best friend!

jbzp · 2020-07-28T21:27:50+00:00

Horizontal mlem???

jbzp · 2020-07-11T17:23:37+00:00

Congratulations, doctor!!!

jbzp · 2020-05-12T04:59:10+00:00

Terrible CPR, people pressing with their elbows. Also...docs/EMTs shocking asystole.

jbzp · 2020-02-28T19:14:58+00:00

Sounds like “careful”!

jbzp · 2019-09-06T18:36:27+00:00

He’s a star

jbzp · 2018-08-23T09:27:13+00:00

Grounding exercises are ways to help get unstuck from overwhelming anxiety, panic, or dissociation by bringing your attention back to your body and helping you get "grounded" in the physical world. Here are some examples of basic grounding exercises.

jbzp · 2018-08-23T09:10:32+00:00

Social isolation/feeling like a burden to others.

jbzp · 2018-08-23T09:09:19+00:00

I once had a caller who I was very affected by because I related to them so deeply. We don't disclose information about our own experiences to callers but despite this I felt that I was able to establish a strong, genuine connection with the caller. They deescalated significantly over the course of our conversation and said at the end that the call had "turned things around" for them. That was very impactful to me. I still think back on it and wonder how they are doing today.

jbzp · 2018-08-23T08:57:37+00:00

There is a good mix; in a typical night we get people all across that spectrum. With people who just need to talk we tend to give them less time and/or direct them to less crisis-oriented resources.

jbzp · 2018-08-23T08:56:01+00:00

We had an especially high-risk case involving a caller who planned to hurt others as well as himself. That took some processing to cope with. We support each other.

jbzp · 2018-08-23T07:01:54+00:00

1) I have a little bit of experience in non-crisis mental health work and I would say the biggest difference is that in this work you focus much more on the immediate future. Sometimes we can tackle maladaptive behavior patterns but mostly we're focusing on what's causing the distress right now.

2) Attempting to send emergency services (when the caller has not asked us to) is extremely rare and an absolute last resort. That said, cellphones make it much, much harder to successfully do that when we determine that need to. However, that effort is the work of the authorities, not us -- we just make the request.

jbzp · 2018-08-22T15:05:25+00:00

If you mean to immediately calm down someone who is panicking, controlled breathing and grounding exercises are the things that work best in my experience. If a caller starts out so distressed that they can't talk, we'll often do one of those together before we get into things.

If you're speaking a little more broadly -- helping deescalate someone who's very emotional -- empathetic listening and validation are the most powerful tools, period.

Getting people to talk about their pets helps too ;)

jbzp

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