Heart rate spike at start of my runs

jebuz

Hi guys,

I'm not looking for any medical advice here but maybe just personal experiences and opinions from those of you who monitor your heart rate.

I have noticed over the last few weeks when reviewing my heart rate graphs that my bmp spikes at the beginning of my run, usually for about 10 minutes to in and around 180-200bpm and then settles. It is a little worrying as I'm not sure if it's normal or not and obviously any issue with your heart should not be ignored. I've attached a couple of screenshots of my last 3 runs, as you can see the graphs can be quite erratic, but there is a common spike at the start of each run.

The reason I post is because I just read an article on garmin connect here where a guy discovered a serious heart issue due to spikes he noticed in his heart rate analysis using his gamin, not identical to my issue I know but similar.

So to the experienced runners here I pose the question, is this spike at the start of runs normal?

Here are the screenshots, these would all be relatively flat road runs. Thanks in advance.

hot to trot

MIne does that too if I dont have the belt tight enough around my chest or the contact area has got too dry. Make sure it sits FLAT on your chest . It may be that when you sweat by 10 minutes - ensures that there is better transmission of the signal.

tunney

There is a design flaw with Garmin chest straps. They suffer from massive static interference. For some it's only the first 10-20 minutes of a run. For others it's the entire runs. Basically Garmin doesn't do HR.

If you are worried either go see a doctor. Or the cheaper option. Borrow a Polar and go for a run. You won't see any spikes I'd venture a guess.

Krusty_Clown

Dodgy HR monitor. My Garmin has hit 220+ at times, over the first mile (which would be cardiac arrest for me). Can you not tell that your heart rate is normal while running the first mile? If it was 180-200bmp, you'd know all about it.

jebuz

Thanks guys, the consensus seems to be a dodgy heart rate mon which is a bit of a relief but I'll keep an eye on it, if possible I'll try borrow another one.

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Dodgy HR monitor. My Garmin has hit 220+ at times, over the first mile (which would be cardiac arrest for me). Can you not tell that your heart rate is normal while running the first mile? If it was 180-200bmp, you'd know all about it.

Thanks Krusty, yeah it feels normal at the start of the run, I wasn't sure if I would feel any different or not if it was up 180-200, I guess that answers that

tyler71

Try dampening your heart rate monitor with some water before you start and see if it makes a difference - I have the same issues (with both Polars and Garmins) and as Hot to Trot says it doesn't really improve until you start sweating and have good contact. It's easy enough to check your heartrate quickly on the run to confirm, just check the pulse on your neck for six seconds and multiply by ten, should be enough to let you know if you're up at 220 or not.

Krusty_Clown

jebuz wrote: »

Thanks guys, the consensus seems to be a dodgy heart rate mon which is a bit of a relief but I'll keep an eye on it, if possible I'll try borrow another one.

Borrowing another one won't necessarily prove anything, as most of them (Garmin straps) suffer this problem (from my experience anyway (3 different HRMs).

pc11

Moisten the strap before wearing, I usually just give it a lick!

Patrick_K

I have the same issue, I find it helps to wet both the strap and my skin liberally before starting.

jebuz

Thanks for all the replies folks, I usually wet the sensor a little, but I'll be be more liberal next time!!

Burgman

Very interesting. I also have these spikes for the first five minutes too and I had associated them with starting off without a warm-up. Will try more moisture.

hot to trot

I run my strap under the tap. It doesntn need as much wetting as the polar ones.
Btw. I sent my polar watch off to have the battery replaced. Havent heard a dicky bird from them. Has anyone else used the place in the UK for servicing. Im afriad it is gone for good now.

sconhome

If you are having problems with the Garmin premium strap you can use the Polar strap (with the pop buttons) to carry your Garmin transmitter. The Polar strap gives a much better pick up of your heart rate.

tunney

amphkingwest wrote: »

If you are having problems with the Garmin premium strap you can use the Polar strap (with the pop buttons) to carry your Garmin transmitter. The Polar strap gives a much better pick up of your heart rate.

I've been doing this for over a year now. It's Bree but not as good as a proper polar. New polars coming out very soon. Could be good (and mother won't be ant+ as that is Garmin owned)

sconhome

tunney wrote: »

New polars coming out very soon.

Aparently the RS400 is being replaced with a new model which will be compatible with the GPS receiver & accessories, like the RS800.

Schildkroetla

hot to trot wrote: »

I run my strap under the tap. It doesntn need as much wetting as the polar ones.
Btw. I sent my polar watch off to have the battery replaced. Havent heard a dicky bird from them. Has anyone else used the place in the UK for servicing. Im afriad it is gone for good now.

I have recently had my polar watch repaired and the battery replaced in the UK. I was actually well impressed by their customer service. When did you send it off? It took around 4 days for my watch to arrive there and then I immediately got an email quoting my registration number and what type of repair I had asked them to do. Had the watch back in around a week and everything was perfect. They even replaced a faulty strap for free.