Resting heart rate

[Sasha Pachev]

Does it for an active person?

[Benn Griffin]

Yes, Sasha. Not sure if you meant resting or active rate. From what I learned in jogging class at school, your max rate decreases with age. From what I was told:

Max Heart Rate =  220bpm - chronological age = max rate (ex. I am 23 so 220 - 23 = 197 max bpm)

Resting heart rate I believe will go up with both age and inactivity. You have to remember that the heart is a muscle and even if it is used on a regular basis, you won't have the same output when you are 60 or 70 as when 20 or 30. Also once you get that old you are not running the 100+ mile weeks so that will impact heart rate too. Just what I remember.

[Sasha Pachev]

Benn:

Take that formula with a big grain salt. According to that formula in between 2000 and 2004 I got 20 years older, and then have not been getting any older since :-) All while my PRs improved on every distance from the mile to the marathon.

And, according to it, the unnamed runner that Jack Daniels mentions in Running Formula who had max HR of 148 would have had to be 72 years old, yet I would guess he could run no slower than 29:00 in the 10 K. In fact, I would not be surprised if that runner was Gerri Lindgren. Does anybody know for sure?

As far as resting HR, mine has not changed since the age of 16.

[Chris M]

I remember reading the guy who Daniels mentioned as running some *very* high mileage was Lindgren (don't have the book to hand but it was high!) and Daniels did coach Lindgren

[Sasha Pachev]

Yes - once Lidgren came to Salt Lake and I talked to him at the expo of the Salt Lake Marathon. He confirmed that he indeed was that runner.

[Charles]

Mine is 48-50.