I rode about 53 miles this weekend, 32 on Saturday and 21 on Sunday. The Saturday ride sucked, for lack of a better term. There never seemed to be any warm up...we hit the road and next thing I know, we're doing about 17mph, which is a really fast start for me. It was catch up and hang on from that point forward.
The interesting thing is at one point I noticed that my heart rate hit 185. This is a new record, but I'm not really sure what it means. According to my heart rate monitor, that number is 103% of my max HR. In case you're interested, I use a Polar CS300 so my max HR is based on the formula used by their software.
When I started going to the gym about 2 years ago, 174 was about as high as I could go comfortably, and that was for a very short duration. And by comfortably, I mean not throwing up or falling over dead. I have noticed, however, that I'm able to hit higher numbers without dying. My previous high was 182. If I hit 174 on a ride, it doesn't feel like my heart is going to leap out of my chest and I know I have a few more beats in me if I need it. I'll be honest, Dear Reader, when I looked down and saw 185, I got a bit worried. I've never, ever had a number that high...but I'm still here. :-)
So...Can I assume that hitting 185 and not dying means that my heart is getting stronger and/or more efficient?
your max HR has something to do with your age (the older you get, the lower your max HR). There are various formulas, such as subtracting your age from 220, which I think is a bunch of bunk. If you saw 185 and you didn't pop, then your max HR is most likely a bit higher, probably 190 to 195.
Posted at October 1, 2007 04:36 PM185 is a normal part of a Saturday ride for me.....welcome to my world. This just means we can ride harder next Saturday!!! You're being a MB!
Posted at October 5, 2007 09:24 AM