Do any of you have a HR monitor? What is your HR and how does it vary on a typical ride?
I recently received an Apple Watch from my kids ... the primary reason was for the "I've fallen and I can't get up feature." They figured it was a good idea since I am now semi-retired and riding alone in the hills more often. Then there was that nasty crash a couple of years ago. lol
One of the side benefits (or curses) is that it keeps track of where I go, how fast I am going, now much climbing I've done, and most importantly for this missive ... my heart rate.
I'm not a data slave and I've never really bothered keeping track of it. I've always just ridden to a perceived level of effort and let it go at that. I'm not an elite athlete. I don't do this for a living. And with few exceptions, I don't really compete or care to. I ride hard when I feel like it and ride easy when I don't.
I recently read someone's report that they try to keep their HR below 130 on rides. I was surprised because while my HR is lower than that on flat ground, it goes way above that on extended climbs. It regularly goes into the 160s, and the highest I have seen so far has been a peak in the low 180s. During those times, my perceived level of effort is typically zone 3 on a long time and occasionally zone 4, but pretty much never zone 5.
Is that safe? Well, supposedly it depends on how that relates to my maximum heart rate. There are different methods for calculating maximum heart rate. There is the old 200-age number. There is another (HR max = 208.609-0.716 x age for males and 209.273-0.804 x age for females ... se below) that results in a higher number, at least for me. But those max heart rate estimates are the result of curve-fitting a population, and not necessarily any individual’s true max heart rate. If the calculation says my max heart rate should be 155, but I ride for long intervals at 160+ without breathing difficulty, doesn’t that mean that the calculation, at least as it applies to me, is off by quite a bit?
I’m obviously going to have a chat with a cardiologist about this, so no ... I am not asking for medical advice here. What I am asking is ... in this group of 50+ers who keep track of such things, what does your HR do on a typical ride, and what is your typical ride like?
Heart Rate Zones: Calculating Them and Using Them Correctly (greatist.com)