@rbrbrb2 You and I are very similar, it sounds like! The highest I've seen is 207, and when I do a race or other long, all-out effort, my HR will be in the 180's.
If you want some numbers for a gut check: my easy runs are around 140-150. If it's a hot day (heat affects HR) they might get up to 160 by the end. If I'm running at 170+ HR, then that's a tempo run or something else that's higher effort than an easy/z2 run. And if I'm above 180 that's a race or an interval--so definitely not an everyday sustained effort.
@rbrbrb2 I don't run in any particular heart rate zone, but I do 80% of my runs at an easy perceived effort, where I can breathe through my nose and hold a full conversation. Here is a very detailed and thorough (long) article about running form. I share it a lot, because it is the best one I've ever read. I think this could greatly help you with form and calf pain, allowing you to run slower.
@tkm Thank you. I have quite a deviated septum and have always been a bit of a mouth breather haha. I focus a lot on managing my breath when I’m running to not puff and pant, in through the nose out through the mouth etc, but I usually end up doing a double breath in and a single breath out, don’t know if that’s relevant.
@rbrbrb2 I'm going to agree with the run/walk combo to lower your heart rate.
However, I'm just going to also throw out there what made my running better.
Lose the watch. Just go and have fun. If it's an easy run keep an easy pace. If it's a fast run, run fast. I think we place way too much emphasis on these watches.
@dawn16 I need the watch to actually get myself to go. I spent years wanting to run and never actually doing it. I agree that it can cause more anxiety and stress than it’s worth sometimes.
@rbrbrb2 It's not about the anxiety and stress, although if it is causing anxiety or stress I'm going to double down on losing the watch. It's about the fact that we allow these watches to tell us whether or not we had an "easy" run or not. We allow them to tell us when we've run far enough, fast enough or if we're recovered enough to run again. We let them tell us if we've made progress, or if we are as fast as our peers.
It's better to just go and run and decide for yourself if it was easy. You don't need the watch to go. You've been running for a year now, I assume you have a habit built up.
If you prefer to use the watch, by all means, do it. But you do not need it to run. I would encourage you to try a few runs without it now that you have a habit built up and see how you feel with the freedom of being watch less.
@dawn16 I honestly don’t pay much attention to the rest of the stuff, for instance my run on Monday said I needed to 3.5days to recover, but I did stride repeats the next day because I felt fine to do so, I usually self report as fine even though my HR was high, because I do feel fine. I use mine for the training program really.
I guess I’m just paying too much attention to my HR when really it’s fine? Is it really okay to run for hours with a HR of 180?
@rbrbrb2 You can look into other training programs too. There are some built off feel rather than distance and zones. For example run for 30 minutes easy pace instead of run 4 miles in zone 2.
I do think you're paying too much attention to it. How does running for hours with a heart rate of 180 FEEL to you? Are you having fun? Able to sing or chit chat? (Easy breathing). Ready to go again a day or two later? I would just ignore it.
You will make better gains doing mostly easy runs with some speed days worked in. But HR isn't the only way to judge an easy run.
