How to Lower Your Heart Rate When Running

Running with a low heart rate can sound like an impossible task -- especially when the second your running shoe hits the pavement, your heart rate goes through the roof and you're out of breath in an instant. In this article, we'll teach you how to lower your heart rate when running.

But don't you have to run super hard to get faster?  The unequivocal answer is no.  

Countless studies have shown that low heart rate training, often called Zone 2 training, makes you faster, fitter, and fresher than running hard.

Read on, and we'll answer the following questions:

• What is heart rate?
• What is low heart rate running?
• What are the benefits of low heart rate running?
• Why is my heart rate high when running?
• How to lower your heart rate when running
• What is my target heart rate?
• Factors impacting your heart rate while running

If you've never tried low heart rate running as part of a training plan, check out our MOTTIV training app.  We incorporate all of the principles you'll learn in this article into our training plans, which are built for ordinary people looking to do extraordinary things in endurance sports!

Complete Guide to Lower Your Heart Rate When Running

What is Heart Rate?

Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in one full minute; you'll usually see it described in beats per minute or bmp.

Your heart pumps oxygenated blood throughout your body with every beat, circulating oxygen-rich blood to fuel your muscles and organs.

Resting Heart Rate

Resting heart rate (RHR) is the rate your heart beats at when you're resting. Your most accurate RHR number occurs in the middle of the night when you're sleeping because your body is at its most relaxed.

A normal resting heart rate is anywhere from 60–100 bpm (beats per minute). Endurance athletes tend to have slightly lower resting heart rates, often in the range of 50–70 bpm.  

During exercise, your heart rate will rise substantially, sometimes up to 180–200 bpm. For most beginner runners, a "high heart rate while running" will be somewhere around 150–190 bpm, or 80–90% of their maximum heart rate.

What is Low Heart Rate Running?

Low heart rate running is when you run while keeping your heart rate under a certain number, known as your Zone 2 heart rate cap. Your Z2 cap is dictated by your personal heart rate zones, using a heart rate monitor to guide you during your runs.

Low heart rate training means spending 70–85% of your total training time under your Zone 2 heart rate cap. In less technical language, it means doing a majority of your training at a slow pace, making sure your heart rate never rises above a certain number.

Later in this article, we'll give you a calculator to use that will give you your personal training zones based on your HR numbers, which you can use to find your Zone 2 HR.

5 Reasons Why Your Heart Rate is High When Running

Everyone starts out running with a high heart rate, even professional triathletes and elite runners. It's just part of the human condition!

Running is hard on the body but you don't need special equipment or expertise to get good at it.

Before we explain how to lower your heart rate when running, here are a few reasons your HR may be high.  

1. You Naturally Have a "High" Heart Rate

Heart rate is an individual metric that is unique to each person.

About 20% of the population has a naturally higher heart rate than the average. Those people will not benefit from generic heart rate training advice like "keep your heart rate below 145 bpm" or "use 180 minus your age to calculate your Zone 2 HR".

That's why it's important to calculate your Zones based on your own personal metrics, and not to use generic information.

Our heart rate training zone calculator later in this article avoids the pitfalls of other zone calculators by using the Karvonen Method, which accounts for abnormally low OR abnormally high heart rates.  

We cover Heart Rate Training Zones more below, but we also have an entire post here dedicated to heart rate training here that goes further in depth to explain how it all works.

2. You Don't Yet Have the Mitochondrial Density

Let's do a quick science dive for this one. You might have heard that mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells – but what does that mean?

Mitochondria are the energy producers in the body. The stronger and fitter we are, the more mitochondria we have (or in other words, the higher our mitochondrial density will be.)  And that means:

• Unfit/sedentary people: low mitochondrial density
• Fit and active people: higher mitochondrial density

People with low mitochondrial density aren't able to produce as much energy as someone with high density (aka higher fitness), so their heart will beat faster to keep up with their energy expenditure. A runner with high mitochondrial density will have a much lower heart rate running at the same speed as the low density person.

The more mitochondria you have, the fitter you'll be and faster you'll run. Mitochondria are best built by running in Zone 2.

3. You Are Not Yet Metabolically Flexible

Metabolic flexibility refers to your body's ability to use various fuel sources for energy. Here, we're talking about fats and carbohydrates.

The higher your exercise intensity, the higher the number of carbs you will burn compared to fat.

You will burn a higher amount of fat at lower exercise intensities than carbohydrates. Conversely, vigorous activity burns mostly carbohydrates and very little fat.

The best way to improve your endurance is to teach your body to burn fat by running at lower intensities (Zone 2).

To be a successful endurance athlete (for example, run a marathon, or complete an IRONMAN or 70.3 triathlon) your body needs to burn large amounts of fat and carbohydrates over a long period of time.

4. You Haven't Done Enough Speed Training

This point may seem counterintuitive but bear with us. As you improve your top-end speed, your bottom-end (low speed, Zone 2 pace) will gradually get pulled up with it.

Remember our recommendation from the first part of this post: spend 70–85% of your total training time below your Zone 2 cap, not 100%!  

You need to add a little bit of fast running to your schedule in order to help lower your heart rate during runs.

Training only at low intensities will limit your progression and fitness gains. You can build up a ton of mitochondria with low-intensity training but if you're not teaching it how to work really well via a few targeted high-intensity sessions, then you're not getting all the benefits of a well-designed training plan.

Go back to your heart rate training zones and use our calculator to figure out your Zone 4 and Zone 5 heart rates. Add high-intensity intervals runs into your training program, doing 10–20% of your training time in Zones 4 and 5. ‍

5. You're Running in the Heat or Up Hills

Heat and humidity add a significant amount of stress to your body, increasing your core body temperature and increasing your heart rate.

Running on hills has the same effect on your body. The steeper the hill, the more stress you'll experience, and your heart rate will be higher.

You cannot stick to your usual running pace in hot/humid conditions and expect your heart rate to be the same as a run in cool and comfortable conditions. Nor can you run up a hill and expect your heart rate to stay in Zone 2.

Know and trust your heart rate zones, and stick to them in hot weather or on hilly terrain.  If that means slowing down or even walking to stay in Zone 2, then that's exactly what you need to do!  

How to Lower Your Heart Rate When Running

Running at a low heart rate has a huge variety of benefits. Learning to run at a lower heart rate is about more than just improving performance. By staying below your Zone 2 cap for 70–85% of your total training time, you will be able to run faster, increase your efficiency and run with less effort, and avoid injury and burnout.

And, maybe more importantly, you'll probably also enjoy running more!

Patience is Key

Above all, be patient! Low heart rate running is not something that can be achieved overnight. It can take anywhere from three to six months of structured training before you start to see improvements.  Don't give up!  You're teaching your body something new, and it can be a slow process to get there.

You must build the proper foundation when training in endurance sports, especially running. By following our low heart rate training recommendations, you will be fitter, happier, and faster in the long-run.

Here's how to do it.

Calculate Your Heart Rate Zones

Use our Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator to find your personal run training zones.

You can use the numbers to establish your Zone 2 range, so you can stay below the top of that zone when you do your long and slow run sessions.

Remember: running above your aerobic threshold (Z2), whether you're above it by 2 bpm or 22 bpm, is extremely taxing on the body AND prevents you from getting the desired physiological benefits of the workout.

Spending too much time above your Zone 2 heart rate ceiling can lead to overtraining, injury, and burnout. Plus it will also hamper your ability to perform in your other workouts like speed work or structured interval sessions.

You want to aim for right around the middle of your Z2 range in your training runs, this is your ideal running heart rate.

Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator

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Run a Lot

This might be the most straightforward advice you'll ever hear, but it's true: to get better at something, you need to do it often.

A running coach may help you identify small weaknesses or tweaks that you can make in your form that could have minor effects on your running efficiency. But running frequency has truly been shown to increase your running efficiency significantly.

This doesn't mean you need to run every single day to make progress (in fact, there is such a thing as too much running) but you do need to develop consistency and a regular schedule to get better.

Running Slowly

For a minute, imagine there is no minimum pace for running. As long as you're lifting your feet and moving with more intensity than a walk (even if it's a forward shuffle at a snail's pace), you're running.

And, this is where many people need to start when they try to stay below their Z2 cap: going slower than they thought possible.

But, if you trust the process, over time, you'll be able to run faster while your HR remains underneath your Zone 2 cap.

Take Walk Breaks

A lot of people are scared of needing to walk when they start running. But, part of learning Zone 2 running is learning that sometimes you have to walk!

At the beginning, there will be times when your HR spikes quickly and you have to walk to bring it down. When your HR goes back into your Z2 range, you can begin to jog again.  

Over time, you'll need to walk less often -- and eventually not at all!  That said, even some professional runners and pro triathletes often run/walk as part of their training. Plus, you may find hot or humid conditions lead to an elevated heart rate during your runs. In those situations, you can walk/run to stay in your zone!

Train With Short, Frequent Runs

When you start running, you're not only training your cardiovascular system. You're also training your body structure to withstand the pounding of footfalls on the ground. You'll build up more physical durability over time.

Instead of one or two 60–90 minute runs per week, some coaches or programs might recommend three or four 30–45 minute runs per week at the start while you get stronger.

Deep Belly Breathing

Breathing and heart rate are very connected, we just never really think about it. Right now, you're probably not breathing hard and your heart rate is probably just above resting. But if you ran a kilometer as fast as possible, your breathing would be rapid, and your HR would be close to your maximum.

Controlled belly breaths, expanding your diaphragm downward rather than just breathing through your chest, can significantly affect your heart rate when running.

We have an entire post dedicated to breathing while running. You can learn more by checking out this article, Learn How to Breathe When Running, on our blog.

Run With Smooth Cadence

Running cadence is how many steps you take each minute, measured in steps per minute (spm).

This study on running cadence found that everyone has their own natural running cadence. As long as it's over 160 steps per minute, you're probably fine and don't need to mess with it.

The best way to improve and increase your cadence is through speed workouts focused on fast foot turnover. As your run training increases, pay attention to your cadence and what feels like the smoothest and most efficient for you.

Check out this article on our blog if you want to do a deep dive into run cadence.

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Run With A Lower Heart Rate Using Two Key Workouts

One strategy we recommend to athletes using our MOTTIV training app is to incorporate running on trails and/or hiking.  There are tons of benefits to heading off-road to do your workouts.

Trail Running

Trails are one of the best places to run at a low heart rate. Thanks to the ups and downs, and the mixed terrain like branches, roots, leaves, and rocks, trail running forces you to slow down.

Your body doesn't know pace when it comes to running training.  So even if you're going slower on a trail but your heart is in Zone 2, that's totally okay! You're still getting the desired training effect on your body.

‍Hiking

Hiking is the same principle as trail running: a hike can get your blood pumping and get your HR up to where it needs to be without the pounding of road running.

It's a great workout for improving balance and strengthening stabilizer muscles in your lower body, as you move on incline and declines, and side to side. The stronger we are, the more we can avoid injuries from exercise!

Other Factors Impacting Your Heart Rate While Running

CAFFEINATED DRINKS:

Caffeine is a huge culprit for inflating heart rate because it's a stimulant. While caffeine affects everyone differently, it can have the effect of increasing your heart rate by 5–10 bpm. This is especially true on race day when you may have had more caffeine than normal.

Caffeine can come in many forms, but the most popular are coffee, tea (black and green have the most caffeine), energy drinks, and soda pop (usually Cola or caffeine-enhanced sodas like Mountain Dew).

If you find your numbers are higher than you expect sometimes, test out having caffeine before running to see if that's the culprit.

SLEEP:

Poor sleep also has a significant effect on your running heart rate. Lack of sleep or poor quality sleep (waking throughout the night) can increase your heart rate because your body is not fully recovered.  If you're not getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night, you aren't getting enough sleep (even if you think you are!)

What Does It Mean If My Heart Rate While Running is Abnormally High?

As long as you follow a consistent training structure, your heart rate while running should be very consistent at specific intensities and conditions. If your heart rate is significantly different -- for example, 12 bpm higher than you usually see in normal conditions -- that could be a sign something is up.

An abnormally high heart rate (during exercise OR during rest) could be a signal of fatigue or illness.

Check in with yourself, and if you're starting to feel under the weather or if your usual motivation to get out and run is gone, that can be a sign to take a day off and just rest.  It's never smart to push through when your body is telling you something is wrong.

Other Heart Health Factors

High blood pressure is associated with an elevated heart rate. While there is no direct link between chest pain and heart rate, chest pain while running could be a sign something else is wrong. If you experience chest pain while running, it is best to stop running and walk home -- and check in with your doctor too.

(Chest pain is not to be confused with a stitch in your side, which is normal and common among newer runners.)

Also, people with a healthy body weight tend to have better heart health, and as such lower resting and exercising heart rates.

And finally, mental stress can lead to a higher heart rate. Whether it's a bad job, working too many hours without a break, family issues, financial problems, not sleeping enough, substance abuse or any number of other stress factors, stress has many negative effects on your body, not just a high heart rate.

Conclusion

Here's a reminder of what low heart rate training (spending 70–85% of your total training time under your Zone 2 heart rate cap) can do for you:

• Improved freshness in training and throughout the day
• Increased metabolic efficiency
• Improved ability to burn fat as fuel
• Increased endurance and aerobic fitness

To maximize your potential, use Zone 2/heart rate training, the best training strategy for runners and endurance athletes.  To take the complication out of it, give the MOTTIV training app a try for free.