Running at its core is a very simple sport. Getting out the door and moving is the important part, especially for a beginner. And using trackers to gather data is a choice, not a requirement. Any item you choose to use during your runs, from a simple stopwatch to a complex GPS, should enhance your running experience—not detract from it.
But there is one measurement that all runners, from beginners to marathon runners, should pay attention to—your resting heart rate (RHR). To find your resting heart rate, you don’t need much technology, just the ability to find your pulse and access to a timer or clock.
Here is what all runners need to know about resting heart rate.
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What is resting heart rate?
Heart rate refers to the number of times your heart beats in one minute. The number of beats indicates how hard the heart is working to circulate blood through the body. Resting heart rate is a measure of how many times your heart beats in a minute while you are at rest. Knowing your resting heart rate is crucial to getting insight into your cardiovascular health.
In general, a low resting heart rate signifies your ticker is performing its job with relative ease. But if your resting heart rate is too slow (a condition called bradycardia), it could mean there is electrical trouble with your heart, according to Michigan Medicine. If you aren’t a trained athlete and your resting heart rate is below 60 BPM, you should consult with a doctor according to the Mayo Clinic.
On the flip side, a higher resting heart rate (above 90 to 100 BPM) means it is working harder to circulate blood and, in general, indicates a lower health and fitness level. It could also spell trouble such as high blood pressure and risk of early death, research has found.
What impacts your resting heart rate?
Heart rate is influenced by many factors such as genetics, age, weight, medications, mood, sleep, time of day, and caffeine intake. It can also be affected by diet, tobacco use, and hydration status, and exercise, explains Richard Payden, M.D., at UCHealth in Estes Park, Colorado.
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In general, an adult will have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100. Some very active individuals, such as runners, may have resting heart rates that are even down into the 40s. There is no average resting heart rate for a runner.
Because heart rate is influenced by so many of these variables, it’s best to measure it first thing in the morning for a more accurate insight.
How to measure your resting heart rate
For an accurate resting heart rate, you should measure your heart rate when you first wake up in the morning, before sitting up in your bed, Payden says. If you are looking to measure throughout the day, sit or lie down for five minutes first, then measure your heart rate.
To measure, find your pulse in either your radial artery in your wrist or the carotid artery in your neck. Start a timer and count the beats for 30 seconds. Then, multiply that number by two. Wait one minute, do this again and then average the two numbers.
Here’s an example:
Measurement 1: 32 beats in 30 seconds X2 = 64 beats per minute (BPM)
Measurement 2: 33 beats in 30 seconds X2 = 66 BPM.
To average: 66+64 = 130/2 = 65 BPM, giving you a RHR of 65 BPM.
This measurement is important because generally, resting heart rate declines when fitness improves. If you are just starting to train, measuring your resting heart rate now will allow you to track your fitness journey.
Regular aerobic exercise improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the cardiovascular system. All of the physiological adaptations ease the workload on our heart, allowing it to reduce the number of times it beats. Most researchers agree that aerobic exercise can cut the risk of early death.
Heart Rate Trackers
Aliveco KardiaMobile
Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor
How long does it take to see a difference?
This does vary depending on a person’s current activity level, but in general, runners can see changes in their resting heart rate within three to four months. This depends upon how consistent you are and how many days a week you are running, and what your previous activity levels were.
If you were completely sedentary before you started running, you may see a one to two BPM decrease per week in resting heart rate within two to three weeks. But on average, it will take up to three to four months to see a drop in resting heart rate, explains Payden.
Once you know your average resting heart rate, take note when it seems vastly different. For example, if your resting heart rate is 10 beats higher one morning, it’s a clue that something might be going on.
Are you getting sick? Is it stress? Lack of sleep? Overtraining? This information gives you the opportunity to skip or alter a run, knowing you are not at your best. (If you do want to give some new tech a try, some advanced GPS watches are very helpful in monitoring your daily heart rate.)
On the other hand, when you see your resting heart rate decline, this is generally a signal that you are improving your health and fitness.
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Can exercising too much affect your resting heart rate?
There’s a theory that overtraining can initially lead to an increase in your resting heart rate.
“The belief is that this is due to the stress being put on your body and the subsequent inflammation response within your body,” says Payden. “However, if a person reaches a state of overtraining where they can be classified as having overtraining syndrome, they may experience either a slowed RHR or an increased RHR, that would more depend on the type of training they predominately do.”
To be more specific, if cardio is your preferred method of training, you will typically see parasympathetic symptoms of overtraining—depression, fatigue, bradycardia (slow heart rate), and loss of motivation. If you prefer strength training or HIIT, overtraining may appear as insomnia, irritability, agitation, tachycardia (fast heart rate), hypertension (elevated blood pressure), and restlessness, explains Payden. With either, you may see weight loss, anorexia (less desire to eat), lack of concentration, sore muscles that are heavy-feeling, and unrefreshing sleep.
What if my resting heart rate spikes rather than drops?
Did you just start running or working out, and saw an increase in your resting heart rate, instead of a decrease like expected? You may be pushing too hard—try ramping up your training at a more moderate pace.
If you are into heart rate training, start at 60 percent of your maximum heart rate (220 minus your age) for 30 minutes three times per week for the first few weeks before increasing time and intensity, Payden says.
Or consider exercising based on rate of perceived exertion, if you don’t want to measure your heart rate during runs. For example, start out at 60 percent of your perceived maximum effort for 30 minutes three times per week for the first few weeks. (On a scale of 0 to 10, a 0 would be standing in your living room watching TV, and a 10 would be an all-out 5K effort. At a 6, you should be able to talk in five- to seven-word sentences fairly comfortably while exercising.)
One thing to note: If your heart rate is changing in a way that comes with other symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, palpitations (feeling of your heart beating out of your chest), shortness of breath, or nausea, you should stop your exercising and contact your physician.
Susan Paul has coached more than 2,000 runners and is an exercise physiologist and program director for the Orlando Track Shack Foundation. For more information, visit www.trackshack.com.
