Heart Rates

[darrenb]

Hi,

I have recently bought a Garmin Forerunner so my Timex Ironman Triathalon watch was 'redundant'
After re-calibrating the watch for her weight my partner tried my HRM watch on for the first time last week. The zones automatically adjusted theirselves. The run that we did was totally flat so thought her monitor would keep a constant reading, I suggested around 150bpm and keep it at that.
Her monitor kept fluctuating between 140bpm and 210bpm. I know that her age (41) would mean a suggested female max heart rate of about 170 so obviously was puzzled/worried re the 210bpm. At the time i said to her the watch must have been faulty.
Our pace wasn't too demanding 7min/km and she pretty active.
She has a slight health concern that she has a leaky heart valve.
So my two questions are :-
1) should i be worried about her running, regarding her leaky valve;
2) would the watch more likely to be wrong, as i have used it for about a year and its likely its not 'registered' the new details.

Hoping you can help, I'm concerned but trying not to unduly worry her.

Darren

[IanDarkpeak]

Hi,

I have recently bought a Garmin Forerunner so my Timex Ironman Triathalon watch was 'redundant'
After re-calibrating the watch for her weight my partner tried my HRM watch on for the first time last week. The zones automatically adjusted theirselves. The run that we did was totally flat so thought her monitor would keep a constant reading, I suggested around 150bpm and keep it at that.
Her monitor kept fluctuating between 140bpm and 210bpm. I know that her age (41) would mean a suggested female max heart rate of about 170 so obviously was puzzled/worried re the 210bpm. At the time i said to her the watch must have been faulty.
Our pace wasn't too demanding 7min/km and she pretty active.
She has a slight health concern that she has a leaky heart valve.
So my two questions are :-
1) should i be worried about her running, regarding her leaky valve;
2) would the watch more likely to be wrong, as i have used it for about a year and its likely its not 'registered' the new details.

Hoping you can help, I'm concerned but trying not to unduly worry her.

Darren

If it was a genuine 210 I think she would have known about it, More likely is that it was picking up your HRM as well as her own. Get her to try it on a solo run?

[Lola]

Darren,

The figure of 210 might be reassuring as that was the default figure used in earlier generation heartrate algorithms; a default reading that kicked in when there was a signal corruption caused by poor reception or interference, traditionally overhead powerlines but there are many sources. The anomoly can be reduced by ensuring that unit batteries are in good nick, that connections are good and that transmission distances are kept to a minimum.

Hope that helps.

[Stagger]

I use one all the time and sometimes have the same problem.
It is one of 3 things, either the contact area is not wet enough to take a reading, or the contact area required cleaning due to regular use or the chest band needs tightening.

Hope this helps Darren

[darrenb]

Thank you for your quick replies. Your info helps put my mind at rest for the time being.
I will suggest to her a solo run and thoroughly wetting the contact strip for the chest strap. Chest band seemed tight enough, so will see how it goes.
I wasn't aware that her chest band would get interference from my chest band GPS based watch.

Darren

[dogruf]

own garmin 305, learnt not to take too much notice of HR for first mile or so,first used it at holme moss fell race last year,it was reading 178 just before start of race ,wondered if my days were numbered till i ask guy next to me who had one and he said they were very eratic to start with.

[darrenb]

My garmin 305 is spot on, it is her watch (Timex) one thats giving questionable readings.
I do find that mine gives accurate readings as soon as i start, cant fault it so far.

[Pilgrim]

own garmin 305, learnt not to take too much notice of HR for first mile or so,first used it at holme moss fell race last year,it was reading 178 just before start of race ,wondered if my days were numbered till i ask guy next to me who had one and he said they were very eratic to start with.

Don't use them now but both Garmin and Polar used to show me maintaining 177 for several hours at a time... not bad considering my supposed maximum at the time was 179.

[Mark G]

There was a similar thread a few weeks ago - seems to be a common problem with a lot of HRMs. If you believed some of the max readings a lot of us seem to get on them you would think we were all five or six years old - but mine does seem to settle down after 30 minutes or so when I've got a bit sweatier.