Just a minor correction, but every time you mentioned your HRV score you were talking about the 7 day average, not the overnight average. If you redo your analysis focusing on the overnight readings, everything makes much more sense. For example, your HRV the night after your marathon was 72ms (not 88ms) - big drop from your average of 93ms. Day 2 after your marathon your HRV was 99 ms (not 89ms), so it was a huge improvement compared to the 1ms change from the 7 day average score. Day 3 was 100ms (not 91ms). So don't read too much into the 'unbalanced' or 'balanced' reading because it always lags behind (it's why it took a week to jump back up to balanced). The overnight averages are far more useful for day-to-day changes. You had a great recovery when looking at HRV that way, so well done!
Yep, that's also why the hrv "crept down" ok days 4 and 5 eventhough the hrv values for those days were above the average. This is because the hrv was better on the days 7 days before day 4 and day 5, hence lowering the moving average, all still thanks to that very low HRV day directly after the marathon. BUT to be fair, the values were still lower than the week before and hence the interpretation that recovery is still ongoing is still correct. Nevertheless the propagation of the recovery is definitely not as described in the video and it would be advisable to redo the entire analysis as OP suggested.
If your HRV looks off, don't panic but do check it out. I'm in my early 40s and my HRV, at least according to my watch has been at 30 ms for over 2 years, mid 20s when stressed. Googling would suggest I'm deeply troubled. My doctor said not to worry about it. For reference resting heart rate is mid 50s, run just under 3:30 marathon, tend to run at least 20 mpw year round, 50+ in peak training.
Well if you're doing 3h30min marathons I wouldn't be worried about it. :) I'm in my 50s, my HRV is 38 on a good day, in the low 40s on exceptional days (after long 10+hr sleep). My marathon time is nowhere near yours. But I don't think I'll die. Her 95 HRV seems astronomical to me. I got super sick earlier this year and my HRV got to 16 ! But I didn't need the watch to tell me I was sick.
@@acasualviewer5861 This tracks with my experience too. I'm 51, previously quite a fit ultrarunner and got Covid last August. Good days were 35-40 pre-illness, then in a 6-week period from September to November it was 'Unbalanced or' 'Low' (15-20). I'm mostly Balanced now (around 25) and just beginning to do some light exercise, 9 months on, having been diagnosed with long Covid. But I agree - Sarah's score of 95 seems crazy. So it was a very useful point that she made about it being a highly individual score.
This post makes me feel so much better with my HRV of 42. Gotta love 2 little kids and chaotic sleep due to a toddler who likes to crawl into bed with us at all hours of the night.
One of the most useful features on my watch: consistently indicates a developing illness, lack of sleep, etc. I use it to make sure that my body is ready for a harder workout.
So many training programs recommend training for 7 days, but this HRV shows that its more important to listen to your body rather than stick to a plan you're not ready for.
I'm obsessed with HRV. It's been great for letting me know if I'm ok to train and has even detected that I'm falling ill a few hours before I've felt it
The numbers you are looking at, are your 7 days average, not the HRV off your last night. You had a high HRV the whole week, but because of your lower HRV before and the day after the marathon. It can be helpfull to focus more on the daily HRV, for instance at 3:46, your HRV was 84, but your 7d Avg was still 93.
I’ve been checking my HRV for years! So fascinating that it’s not just effected by physical stress but also by mental stress… My HRV takes a bigger hit from stressful days at a desk job then it does from a hard workout
I'm not gonna lie. The HRV feature is something I never bother with on my Garmin Forerunner. When I first got my watch, it was just another new feature that I did not know the point of. Your video did a great job explaining it.
Note that the "Balanced" status depends on an internal trend analysis (the grey band on the chart) and that trend adapts based on the recent run of HRV values. If, for some reason, your nightly average HRV has been low for a while, it may show as balanced because the trend has moved to match the lower state.
Amazing effort in London Sarah! What an achievement! I reckon your HRV after the marathon was lowered to unbalanced (lower orange zone) not quite the red zone though. I'm currently training for a the Leamington Spa Half marathon in June and I'm aiming for a 1:38:00. The Running Channel podcast has been so great to listen to on my long runs during this training block. Keep it up team!😀🏃
I've used HRV for about 4 years now. 3 years using the Whoop strap. Powerful metric and definitely allows you to understand what works and what doesn't from a training and lifestyle perspective. Main take aways, don't drink alcohol, sleep hygiene is key, avoid exercising at night, avoid eating late, balance training (hard day followed by an easy day), take lots of holidays (HRV shoots up when you don't have to deal with the day to day of parenting, work, commute etc. 😂). HRV is individualised, but hopefully this helps.
I guessed an even larger drop than down to 88, so I'm actually impressed at your recovery rate, Sarah! Great training to be able to come back to a balanced place in just a few days after that kind of intensity.
Well the 88ms was her 7 day average score, her overnight HRV after the marathon was 72ms, so you're right - it was a much larger drop. Her recovery was great because the next night her HRV was 99ms.
Very interesting I didn’t know there was a HRV on my Garmin watch until today. So I guess I better start getting used to sleeping with my watch on. Thank you!
@@runningchannel I will. I thought I could only track my running readiness by the VO2 Rating but now you have mentioned the HRV I shall follow that too. I’m still trying to balance running and powerlifting (and swimming and hiking… mountain climbing too) so it’s hard to know if my body is ready for the next thing. Appreciate your video! Thanks ☺️
I don’t think my watch supports the HRV but I love looking at all data. Sounds like a great way to track how the body is really doing. Congrats again on your marathon! ❤
@@Miss1624 I have a FR745 (the multisport version of your watch) and I don't have it either. The 55 series were the first to have it (255 and 955). I bought mine in 2020.
Love this video! Y'all have taught me so much about this sport. I think Sarah's HRV will go back to balanced within a few days with how much training she has been doing, especially if it is an average!
Super interesting! I would of guessed it would drop more down into the 60's! cool to see how long it took to recover, always been curios about the data your watch gives you. Great vid!
Your post recovery trend correlates with my friend’s HRV after her marathon. She also stresses that recovery after a marathon, is different than recovery after a training run and her corresponding routine and HRV reflects that. Thanks for the post marathon update info.
For me, HRV and RHR are really highly correlated with whether or not I’m in a caloric deficit or surplus. For example, I spent December in a state of caloric surplus; my HRV was 61 MS, and my RHR was 42 BPM. In January, my HRV rose to 70 MS, and my RHR was 38 BPM. That is, at a caloric surplus my RHR rose and my HRV dropped, and vice-versa. I suspect that while I was at a caloric deficit my body was saving energy by (among other things) lowering my resting heart rate, but then it quickly brought my heart rate up when I was doing anything. Also, my HRV was 62 after running a marathon in just under 3:30, so for me personally that doesn’t seem to be a good recovery indicator. In fairness, I was at a caloric surplus in the 48 hours after running a marathon. . .
Great video. My HRV has always been super low (compared to others) but I know it’s highly individualised. Great to see how it affected you after your marathon.
Thanks for another great informative video, I'll definitely be checking out my HRV from now on! I guessed that it would drop a bit post marathon but not that much!
Thanks Sarah, I always look at my HRV but never quite understood it. It's interesting to see that mine went from a c. 51 avg down to a 48 but still balanced after an impromptu 10k and then getting sick after it for a few days. Back up now to 53 so despite a stuffy nose I'll have to get back out running again tomorrow.
What a great video and a great function. Thank you! I'm working on my 5 km and being consistent. I love to see how mutch time you al put in, a real inspiration ❤
I'm gtting back into running after about a decade, before I just got up and ran, now since I'm older I want to approach running with a different mindset, all this info about running and your HRV is really neat! thanks for the info! My guess is that its going to go down after the run
4:37 I suspect, based on training, that a delayed slump is imminent. The reality of life always takes that wee bit longer to kick in if you are better trained than the average t-Rex costume runner. This video has convinced me to subscribe, as I have never seen HRV explained as simply and easily. Thank you!
Just signed up for my first marathon in Brussels next year. Now researching in how to prepare myself as best as possible. I got a collapsed lung 3 months ago but I won't let it stop me to stop sporting and stop training. I am looking into buying a garmin watch at the moment to track my data and make sure i am training as best as possible. I saw that the forerunner is a great watch. If you have any recommendations for me let me know!!
@@runningchannel I am running based on hearth rate but i love the vo2max and sleep function of a garmin. The HRV is also very interested. Working in a sport technology company you really see how much you can do with data like this!
How about a segment on training with afib? I have afib, and unfortunately heart rate date is somewhat meaningless - my easy (and hard) run averages vary from 95 - 145 bpm, and my HRV ranges from 20 - 256 ms. There are essentially no resources on how to train if you have afib, so I’m hopeful you can help with such a discussion.
I can imagine it would take at least a week to get back to normal after a marathon. I’ve never run one but have found HRV interesting to track after illness or jet lag. Thanks for the explanation about what it all means!
I would of thought it would of went down the day off as nerves and less sleep with race night nerves. Well done!! I never knew to look at HRV - I love your videos and learning all these new things! X
I just ran a half marathon race which I definitely gave my all. My Garmin training status went to “overreaching”. Focusing on recovery now before starting to train for my first marathon in early October
Thank you for a nice video, interesting that you recovered relatively quickly:) HRV to me is the most important indicator of my health on a daily basis. Among other things, it taught me quite a bit about the health cost of a busy schedule with travel, alcohol, consumption, lack of sleep. HRV is brilliant, so advanced, and still so simple to use.
I would love to see a video of Sarah doing an entire training block for a race with her watch taped, and not looking at the training paces until after the race. I think it could be really interesting to see how it affects the psychological part o preparing for a race and also how it affects the experience during the race!
Another great video.I love the way Garmin presents the HRV data. My Apple Watch justs hows a graph with a number but by clearly showing it the way the Garmin watches do, it's so much easier to track trends and see how to improve. Feel free to pick my name for the watch :P
I reckon the HRV decreases quite abit post marathon. Love this video, super helpful! I'm a new runner and have recently found out I can run LM2025 for charity. This info is so helpful! Great work Sarah 😊👏
I have my 1st marathon in a week and can relate to the nerves. It has been interesting diving into all the stars and learning to apply them to my training cycles
I have watched many good videos explaining HRV but none did it better than Sarah, i like to know the science or logic behind stuff and Sarah did an amazing job with theRunningChannel team, and explained very well how to interpret the data.
Very interesting, had not looked at this before but just checked my Apple and it said my HRV is 36 now, and generally my daily average sits within the 34-45 range, but can fluctuate between 15-70 during the day. Sounds bad compared to Sarah’s 90s. 😱 For reference I’m age 54, and in week 8 of C25K so probably not the fittest person still. Enjoying the channel with so much useful and enjoyable content.
My HRV is balanced at 37. I am 52. I understand that HRV is unique to everyone, but it sometimes feels bad to have such a low HRV compared to everyone else. I console myself by the resting heart rate at 50 and that I am pretty fit (not elite but according to my Garmin my Vo2 max is higher than my age.) It is weird to place so much importance on what a watch says. Anyway, well done Sarah on your marathon.
I was expecting the number to increase after the marathon, which is perhaps a reflection of me not quite understanding it first time around. Definitely something I will be paying attention to more from now on.
Got sick for 2 days and HRV went down from a day before feeling ill until well over a week after feeling ok. I guess a Marathon will bring it down for quite some days!
I am 42 and my HRV is currently showing balanced at 50. It has been higher but then drops dramatically due to overtraining. Pretty happy the balance between the current training and rest
I've just completed my first marathon (Belfast) a week ago and my HRV is still in the low bracket. Although I did spend time gardening two days after then a trip away where I drank and eat a lot of food.
Check my HRV every morning and it seems to really match with how I feel. Biggest insight is how much effect alcohol has on your body. One remark on the video: as HRV is shown as a 7-day average it’s only logical that the low HRV score from marathon day takes a week to be wiped out. But 7 days is arbitrary and only used to indicate a trend as daily figures fluctuate too much
For balance... I am interested in stats and data like this, but have never heard of HRV. Seems like another thing to worry about? Takes me back to a time when I would set out on my bike for my monthly 200km ride with just my Timex watch. Knew exactly where I was at :-) P.S. Fantastic marathon result Sara
Yes, it's a brilliant stat to gauge recovery. It even picked up i was developing covid a couple of days before i got symptoms although i didn't understand it until afterwards!
Great video. I have raced my first half marathon and this channel helped me a lot for good running tips. Also trained with Garmin Coach and it was great.
I look at HRV - but as far as recovery from Marathons go it takes WAAAAY longer to recover than for HRV to return to normal! Rule of thumb of 1 day per mile raced for FULL recovery means its really the best part of a month before your body is back to normal after a hard marathon. That doesn't mean you cant train - but be aware that "peak performance" probably isn't available. I learnt this attempting a 10k race just 2 weeks after a marathon at high altitude. I felt fine - super-human due to no longer being at altitude and having the benefits of that time at 4000+ meters - but when I tried to run at pace the legs had NOTHING there. Usual recovery from marathon looks like this: Day1: walking is a struggle - stairs are a basic nightmare Day2: walking feels odd and hard but no longer impossible to lift legs Day3: walking normally as far as any casual observer can tell ... Day7: Some short light running possible, gradually add volume throughout week ... Day14: Full normal volume - but no speedwork. ... Day21: Full volume and slightly reduced effort speedwork sessions ... Day28: Officially recovered and good to go!
I normally take my watch off overnight but after watching this I think I will have to leave it on to check out my HRV readings. I have just started training for my first marathon. I just need to pluck up the courage to book it. 😬.
Pretty interesting stats when I see your HRV vs my own. My high end of the “balanced” section is 5 points lower than the low end of yours. Cool video explaining it to us.
I would imagine your HRV will decrease post marathon and gradually increase with rest and recovery. I don’t monitor my HRV too closely but, after watching this video, I’ll be taking a closer look. Thanks for sharing 👍
I find HRV super interesting to get a reflection of my fatigue. I have chronic pain and fatigue and it's actually really comforting to see when I am having a fatigue flare for example for it to be reflected in my watch data. There's no test to prove to people how I feel and no one can tell me why my body does what it does so the data just helps me feel like it's not "all in my head" (as some would like to believe about a miriad of genuine different health conditions). I can also see when I am heading in the wrong direction and try to control what I can to lessen the overall impact on my day.l like really prioritising rest and recovery.
My guess is that your Hrv will drop to like 84 dip again to 82, 83 the next day and then slowly build back into balance over the next two weeks. I never understood HRV so this is a brilliant video.
I keep an eye on it for sure, it's a useful tool to see where I may need more recovery. The only downside is if I'm in a prolonged asthma flareup, the numbers are depressing. I usually have to not look until I start to feel better again.
I ran my first official marathon in mid-April (first time I've run that distance without ever slowing to a walk), then still ran like 25 miles the next week because I was feeling good and not very sore, then ran like 28 miles the week after, including some short hard sprints on the treadmill. Then did 30 miles the week after, including a (pretty slow) half marathon long run, even though I was starting to feel pretty stiff and sore in the quads and hips and hamstrings, enough that I did take a few days off that week. Then the next week (the one that just ended) I couldn't run at all - in fact, I could barely walk up or down stairs or break into the slightest jog without severe pain in my quads/hamstrings/hips (but walking felt mostly fine, if stiff). My question is, where did I fuck up the most? Was it the not taking a break the week after the marathon even though I felt good? Was it the sprinting (harder than I've done in the past)? Yes, I know it's probably "everything", but what was the stupidest thing and what even happened, why hips and quads. I never have quads/hips issues. Thanks, random internet people who are not medical professionals and don't know me!
I definitely pay attention to HRV and i can tell the difference when it's balanced and unbalanced, i usually switch up my routine to see how it changes.
I'm 2 months post-marathon and still can't run longer than 10k without my heart rate spiking. My current Garmin doesn't measure HRV so I'm going purely by HR. Any advice?
Maybe you've run during an undiagnised virus infection and had a little myocarditis? Let your GP check for typical signs in bloodwork for typical "heart enzymes" markers like Troponine T or creatine kinase which point to muscular damages to heart tissue. Disclaimer: I'm not in the medical field but had myocarditis twice. Bloodworks showed it and my HRV, too. Was down to 40-50 ms with my baseline HRV being 120-130 ms.
Just a minor correction, but every time you mentioned your HRV score you were talking about the 7 day average, not the overnight average. If you redo your analysis focusing on the overnight readings, everything makes much more sense. For example, your HRV the night after your marathon was 72ms (not 88ms) - big drop from your average of 93ms. Day 2 after your marathon your HRV was 99 ms (not 89ms), so it was a huge improvement compared to the 1ms change from the 7 day average score. Day 3 was 100ms (not 91ms). So don't read too much into the 'unbalanced' or 'balanced' reading because it always lags behind (it's why it took a week to jump back up to balanced). The overnight averages are far more useful for day-to-day changes.
You had a great recovery when looking at HRV that way, so well done!
Exactly what I thought 😊 Besides, this just feels like a stress factor to me
Yep, that's also why the hrv "crept down" ok days 4 and 5 eventhough the hrv values for those days were above the average. This is because the hrv was better on the days 7 days before day 4 and day 5, hence lowering the moving average, all still thanks to that very low HRV day directly after the marathon. BUT to be fair, the values were still lower than the week before and hence the interpretation that recovery is still ongoing is still correct. Nevertheless the propagation of the recovery is definitely not as described in the video and it would be advisable to redo the entire analysis as OP suggested.
This is actually a major correction.
If your HRV looks off, don't panic but do check it out. I'm in my early 40s and my HRV, at least according to my watch has been at 30 ms for over 2 years, mid 20s when stressed. Googling would suggest I'm deeply troubled. My doctor said not to worry about it. For reference resting heart rate is mid 50s, run just under 3:30 marathon, tend to run at least 20 mpw year round, 50+ in peak training.
Well if you're doing 3h30min marathons I wouldn't be worried about it. :)
I'm in my 50s, my HRV is 38 on a good day, in the low 40s on exceptional days (after long 10+hr sleep). My marathon time is nowhere near yours. But I don't think I'll die. Her 95 HRV seems astronomical to me.
I got super sick earlier this year and my HRV got to 16 !
But I didn't need the watch to tell me I was sick.
@@acasualviewer5861 This tracks with my experience too. I'm 51, previously quite a fit ultrarunner and got Covid last August. Good days were 35-40 pre-illness, then in a 6-week period from September to November it was 'Unbalanced or' 'Low' (15-20). I'm mostly Balanced now (around 25) and just beginning to do some light exercise, 9 months on, having been diagnosed with long Covid. But I agree - Sarah's score of 95 seems crazy. So it was a very useful point that she made about it being a highly individual score.
Stephen scullion, men’s Olympic marathoner has a HRV of around 55ms for those of you feeling bad about have a low HRV
Mine is like 40
@@neandrewthal Same here 😅
40's and i run ultras 😅
This post makes me feel so much better with my HRV of 42. Gotta love 2 little kids and chaotic sleep due to a toddler who likes to crawl into bed with us at all hours of the night.
Stephen Scullion is the man!!
One of the most useful features on my watch: consistently indicates a developing illness, lack of sleep, etc. I use it to make sure that my body is ready for a harder workout.
How you can tell you're recovered: you're no longer spending each day eating 6 times the amount of calories you burned doing the marathon 😂
😂 We can all relate to that!
So many training programs recommend training for 7 days, but this HRV shows that its more important to listen to your body rather than stick to a plan you're not ready for.
Great video 😊, very informative!
I'm obsessed with HRV. It's been great for letting me know if I'm ok to train and has even detected that I'm falling ill a few hours before I've felt it
The numbers you are looking at, are your 7 days average, not the HRV off your last night. You had a high HRV the whole week, but because of your lower HRV before and the day after the marathon. It can be helpfull to focus more on the daily HRV, for instance at 3:46, your HRV was 84, but your 7d Avg was still 93.
I’ve been checking my HRV for years! So fascinating that it’s not just effected by physical stress but also by mental stress… My HRV takes a bigger hit from stressful days at a desk job then it does from a hard workout
The thing that makes me nervous, is mine goes from 38-42. Never below or above those numbers. This woman is in her 90's.
I'm not gonna lie. The HRV feature is something I never bother with on my Garmin Forerunner. When I first got my watch, it was just another new feature that I did not know the point of. Your video did a great job explaining it.
Did not realize HRV could be this useful, thanks for the video!
Note that the "Balanced" status depends on an internal trend analysis (the grey band on the chart) and that trend adapts based on the recent run of HRV values. If, for some reason, your nightly average HRV has been low for a while, it may show as balanced because the trend has moved to match the lower state.
and then i go back to how I feel
Amazing effort in London Sarah! What an achievement! I reckon your HRV after the marathon was lowered to unbalanced (lower orange zone) not quite the red zone though. I'm currently training for a the Leamington Spa Half marathon in June and I'm aiming for a 1:38:00. The Running Channel podcast has been so great to listen to on my long runs during this training block. Keep it up team!😀🏃
I've used HRV for about 4 years now. 3 years using the Whoop strap. Powerful metric and definitely allows you to understand what works and what doesn't from a training and lifestyle perspective. Main take aways, don't drink alcohol, sleep hygiene is key, avoid exercising at night, avoid eating late, balance training (hard day followed by an easy day), take lots of holidays (HRV shoots up when you don't have to deal with the day to day of parenting, work, commute etc. 😂). HRV is individualised, but hopefully this helps.
I guessed an even larger drop than down to 88, so I'm actually impressed at your recovery rate, Sarah! Great training to be able to come back to a balanced place in just a few days after that kind of intensity.
Well the 88ms was her 7 day average score, her overnight HRV after the marathon was 72ms, so you're right - it was a much larger drop. Her recovery was great because the next night her HRV was 99ms.
Very interesting I didn’t know there was a HRV on my Garmin watch until today. So I guess I better start getting used to sleeping with my watch on. Thank you!
Oooo do you think you'll track it more now?
@@runningchannel I will. I thought I could only track my running readiness by the VO2 Rating but now you have mentioned the HRV I shall follow that too. I’m still trying to balance running and powerlifting (and swimming and hiking… mountain climbing too) so it’s hard to know if my body is ready for the next thing. Appreciate your video! Thanks ☺️
I don’t think my watch supports the HRV but I love looking at all data. Sounds like a great way to track how the body is really doing. Congrats again on your marathon! ❤
Which watch do you use?
@@runningchannel I have a refurbished 645M which I don’t think they make anymore?
@@Miss1624 I have a FR745 (the multisport version of your watch) and I don't have it either. The 55 series were the first to have it (255 and 955). I bought mine in 2020.
Love this video! Y'all have taught me so much about this sport. I think Sarah's HRV will go back to balanced within a few days with how much training she has been doing, especially if it is an average!
Super interesting! I would of guessed it would drop more down into the 60's! cool to see how long it took to recover, always been curios about the data your watch gives you. Great vid!
Kinda amazing the subtle variation that's being picked up on here and translated into useful information.
Your post recovery trend correlates with my friend’s HRV after her marathon. She also stresses that recovery after a marathon, is different than recovery after a training run and her corresponding routine and HRV reflects that.
Thanks for the post marathon update info.
Definitely going to check hrv now. Thanks for all the info, Sarah!
No problem Connor!
Love seeing that balanced HRV in the green! MY HRV went down a solid 3 or 4 points following my recent half marathon in Toronto!
Thank you for explaining the science behind HRV. Was using it for quite a while but never rly understood how it works :)
I have been tracking my HRV ever TRC educated me about it and it has made quite a positive impact. Nice video! :)
You've made a HRV stat tracker out of me. Thank you for the useful information. I never knew how useful it really was. 🤔🙏
Another great video and break down thanks Sarah
As a new runner I really appreciate videos like this. Now I know something else to keep an eye on to keep running in a healthy way.
I am just starting to look at HRV so this was awesome information! Thank you!
Super informative and great video thanks Sarah!
Guessing it goes down! Really interesting just signed up for my first marathon next year!
Really interesting and helpful as a relatively new runner, thank you!
Guessing it drops big time! Great vid, learning a lot!
For me, HRV and RHR are really highly correlated with whether or not I’m in a caloric deficit or surplus. For example, I spent December in a state of caloric surplus; my HRV was 61 MS, and my RHR was 42 BPM. In January, my HRV rose to 70 MS, and my RHR was 38 BPM. That is, at a caloric surplus my RHR rose and my HRV dropped, and vice-versa. I suspect that while I was at a caloric deficit my body was saving energy by (among other things) lowering my resting heart rate, but then it quickly brought my heart rate up when I was doing anything.
Also, my HRV was 62 after running a marathon in just under 3:30, so for me personally that doesn’t seem to be a good recovery indicator. In fairness, I was at a caloric surplus in the 48 hours after running a marathon. . .
Really informative and something to validate how your body's doing. I took forget the stresses!
Great video. My HRV has always been super low (compared to others) but I know it’s highly individualised. Great to see how it affected you after your marathon.
Glad you enjoyed it Lee!
Thanks for another great informative video, I'll definitely be checking out my HRV from now on! I guessed that it would drop a bit post marathon but not that much!
I’ve just recently started tracking HRV, I had a feeling you’d have a few days of low numbers, it’s so interesting to see how the body responds!
Thanks Sarah, I always look at my HRV but never quite understood it. It's interesting to see that mine went from a c. 51 avg down to a 48 but still balanced after an impromptu 10k and then getting sick after it for a few days. Back up now to 53 so despite a stuffy nose I'll have to get back out running again tomorrow.
What a great video and a great function. Thank you!
I'm working on my 5 km and being consistent. I love to see how mutch time you al put in, a real inspiration ❤
Really glad you found it so useful! How is the training going?
My training is scheduled for Friday evening. Husband has been informed, he will take care of the kids, and I just need to go do it 😁
>> Done! 🎉
I'm gtting back into running after about a decade, before I just got up and ran, now since I'm older I want to approach running with a different mindset, all this info about running and your HRV is really neat! thanks for the info! My guess is that its going to go down after the run
I guess it’ll drop a LOT!! Thanks for such an informative and interesting video once again😄
This is interesting. I have an upcoming marathon and I am now curious to see what my HRV may tell me about my recovery post-Marathon.
Make sure you let us know what you find!
Very interesting as a newbie runner I am still learning a lot of things from your channel.
Thanks for clarifying HRV. Great vid!
4:37 I suspect, based on training, that a delayed slump is imminent. The reality of life always takes that wee bit longer to kick in if you are better trained than the average t-Rex costume runner.
This video has convinced me to subscribe, as I have never seen HRV explained as simply and easily. Thank you!
I’m about to run a half marathon and was just thinking about post race recovery. Thanks for the info!
No problem! Which half marathon are you running?
I've never checked my hrv,but after watching the video I'll be keeping an eye on that from now on 😮
Just signed up for my first marathon in Brussels next year. Now researching in how to prepare myself as best as possible. I got a collapsed lung 3 months ago but I won't let it stop me to stop sporting and stop training. I am looking into buying a garmin watch at the moment to track my data and make sure i am training as best as possible. I saw that the forerunner is a great watch. If you have any recommendations for me let me know!!
Good luck in Brussels! We love our Garmins, what do you find you track the most?
@@runningchannel I am running based on hearth rate but i love the vo2max and sleep function of a garmin. The HRV is also very interested. Working in a sport technology company you really see how much you can do with data like this!
How about a segment on training with afib? I have afib, and unfortunately heart rate date is somewhat meaningless - my easy (and hard) run averages vary from 95 - 145 bpm, and my HRV ranges from 20 - 256 ms. There are essentially no resources on how to train if you have afib, so I’m hopeful you can help with such a discussion.
I can imagine it would take at least a week to get back to normal after a marathon. I’ve never run one but have found HRV interesting to track after illness or jet lag. Thanks for the explanation about what it all means!
I would of thought it would of went down the day off as nerves and less sleep with race night nerves. Well done!! I never knew to look at HRV - I love your videos and learning all these new things! X
Glad we could help! 😁
I just ran a half marathon race which I definitely gave my all. My Garmin training status went to “overreaching”. Focusing on recovery now before starting to train for my first marathon in early October
Just confirming this is normal and is to be expected after a hard race effort.
That's very normal! Congratulations on running a great half marathon!
Thank you for a nice video, interesting that you recovered relatively quickly:)
HRV to me is the most important indicator of my health on a daily basis. Among other things, it taught me quite a bit about the health cost of a busy schedule with travel, alcohol, consumption, lack of sleep. HRV is brilliant, so advanced, and still so simple to use.
Glad you use it and find it so useful!
I would love to see a video of Sarah doing an entire training block for a race with her watch taped, and not looking at the training paces until after the race. I think it could be really interesting to see how it affects the psychological part o preparing for a race and also how it affects the experience during the race!
We'll see what we can do!
I didn't know about HRV, very interesting video. I'll be checking this now. Thanks 😊
No problem Maria!
Great video definitely looking forward to getting a watch with the ability to use HRV.
Another great video.I love the way Garmin presents the HRV data. My Apple Watch justs hows a graph with a number but by clearly showing it the way the Garmin watches do, it's so much easier to track trends and see how to improve. Feel free to pick my name for the watch :P
I would love a watch to be able to check HRV to see how it's affected as a law student! Great vid
I reckon the HRV decreases quite abit post marathon. Love this video, super helpful! I'm a new runner and have recently found out I can run LM2025 for charity. This info is so helpful! Great work Sarah 😊👏
Sarah's hrv after the marathon likely took a dip from the stress on the body from running the marathon and the associated recovery needed. Thanks
Great insights, thank you for sharing. I clearly need to dedicate more time to recovery.
Your channel is such a wealth of info for me as a brand new runner ❤
So glad you find our content helpful!!
HRV is the most interesting stat on my Garmin. Love it! Great video =D
Glad you find it so useful Mike!
Great video, very useful. My Garmin watch is an older model so it doesn't give me the HRV. But is still helpful to know. Thanks Sarah 😊
I have my 1st marathon in a week and can relate to the nerves. It has been interesting diving into all the stars and learning to apply them to my training cycles
I have watched many good videos explaining HRV but none did it better than Sarah, i like to know the science or logic behind stuff and Sarah did an amazing job with theRunningChannel team, and explained very well how to interpret the data.
Great video, I would look at my hrv but not really understand it until now. Cheers
Very interesting, had not looked at this before but just checked my Apple and it said my HRV is 36 now, and generally my daily average sits within the 34-45 range, but can fluctuate between 15-70 during the day. Sounds bad compared to Sarah’s 90s. 😱
For reference I’m age 54, and in week 8 of C25K so probably not the fittest person still.
Enjoying the channel with so much useful and enjoyable content.
Great video. I do look at my hrv but never really understood it till now
I never looked at my HRV before, but this video is probably going to change that! Thanks for the helpful info.
My HRV is balanced at 37. I am 52. I understand that HRV is unique to everyone, but it sometimes feels bad to have such a low HRV compared to everyone else. I console myself by the resting heart rate at 50 and that I am pretty fit (not elite but according to my Garmin my Vo2 max is higher than my age.) It is weird to place so much importance on what a watch says. Anyway, well done Sarah on your marathon.
I was expecting the number to increase after the marathon, which is perhaps a reflection of me not quite understanding it first time around. Definitely something I will be paying attention to more from now on.
Got sick for 2 days and HRV went down from a day before feeling ill until well over a week after feeling ok. I guess a Marathon will bring it down for quite some days!
I am 42 and my HRV is currently showing balanced at 50. It has been higher but then drops dramatically due to overtraining. Pretty happy the balance between the current training and rest
I've just completed my first marathon (Belfast) a week ago and my HRV is still in the low bracket. Although I did spend time gardening two days after then a trip away where I drank and eat a lot of food.
Congratulations!!
Check my HRV every morning and it seems to really match with how I feel. Biggest insight is how much effect alcohol has on your body.
One remark on the video: as HRV is shown as a 7-day average it’s only logical that the low HRV score from marathon day takes a week to be wiped out. But 7 days is arbitrary and only used to indicate a trend as daily figures fluctuate too much
I look at my HRV almost daily. Thanks for the informative video!
That's a fantastic bit of information! But I think I have an older model (Garmin 235) which doesn't include that! Gutted! 😢
Great vid though!👌
For balance... I am interested in stats and data like this, but have never heard of HRV. Seems like another thing to worry about? Takes me back to a time when I would set out on my bike for my monthly 200km ride with just my Timex watch. Knew exactly where I was at :-) P.S. Fantastic marathon result Sara
Great effort. I’d never heard of HRV until this video
Yes, it's a brilliant stat to gauge recovery. It even picked up i was developing covid a couple of days before i got symptoms although i didn't understand it until afterwards!
How long have you been using it for? 😁
Great video. Thanks for explaining. I don’t have anyway to measure mine but still interesting to have this explained
Great video. I have raced my first half marathon and this channel helped me a lot for good running tips. Also trained with Garmin Coach and it was great.
So glad we could help! A huge congratulations on your first half marathon 🎉
I look at HRV - but as far as recovery from Marathons go it takes WAAAAY longer to recover than for HRV to return to normal! Rule of thumb of 1 day per mile raced for FULL recovery means its really the best part of a month before your body is back to normal after a hard marathon. That doesn't mean you cant train - but be aware that "peak performance" probably isn't available.
I learnt this attempting a 10k race just 2 weeks after a marathon at high altitude. I felt fine - super-human due to no longer being at altitude and having the benefits of that time at 4000+ meters - but when I tried to run at pace the legs had NOTHING there.
Usual recovery from marathon looks like this:
Day1: walking is a struggle - stairs are a basic nightmare
Day2: walking feels odd and hard but no longer impossible to lift legs
Day3: walking normally as far as any casual observer can tell
...
Day7: Some short light running possible, gradually add volume throughout week
...
Day14: Full normal volume - but no speedwork.
...
Day21: Full volume and slightly reduced effort speedwork sessions
...
Day28: Officially recovered and good to go!
Perfect! Just the video I wanted.
My guess is you’L be unbalanced post marathon but fab that you seem to have recovered really well!! Smashing it!
I normally take my watch off overnight but after watching this I think I will have to leave it on to check out my HRV readings. I have just started training for my first marathon. I just need to pluck up the courage to book it. 😬.
Pretty interesting stats when I see your HRV vs my own. My high end of the “balanced” section is 5 points lower than the low end of yours. Cool video explaining it to us.
I would imagine your HRV will decrease post marathon and gradually increase with rest and recovery. I don’t monitor my HRV too closely but, after watching this video, I’ll be taking a closer look. Thanks for sharing 👍
I find HRV super interesting to get a reflection of my fatigue. I have chronic pain and fatigue and it's actually really comforting to see when I am having a fatigue flare for example for it to be reflected in my watch data. There's no test to prove to people how I feel and no one can tell me why my body does what it does so the data just helps me feel like it's not "all in my head" (as some would like to believe about a miriad of genuine different health conditions). I can also see when I am heading in the wrong direction and try to control what I can to lessen the overall impact on my day.l like really prioritising rest and recovery.
Really glad you find it useful! So many people don't know about it
Very interesting video! My guess was post marathon it would have gone the other way, I clearly need to do some more reading up on what HRV is!
My guess is that your Hrv will drop to like 84 dip again to 82, 83 the next day and then slowly build back into balance over the next two weeks. I never understood HRV so this is a brilliant video.
I keep an eye on it for sure, it's a useful tool to see where I may need more recovery. The only downside is if I'm in a prolonged asthma flareup, the numbers are depressing. I usually have to not look until I start to feel better again.
Great video!
Love the running channel
I ran my first official marathon in mid-April (first time I've run that distance without ever slowing to a walk), then still ran like 25 miles the next week because I was feeling good and not very sore, then ran like 28 miles the week after, including some short hard sprints on the treadmill. Then did 30 miles the week after, including a (pretty slow) half marathon long run, even though I was starting to feel pretty stiff and sore in the quads and hips and hamstrings, enough that I did take a few days off that week. Then the next week (the one that just ended) I couldn't run at all - in fact, I could barely walk up or down stairs or break into the slightest jog without severe pain in my quads/hamstrings/hips (but walking felt mostly fine, if stiff). My question is, where did I fuck up the most? Was it the not taking a break the week after the marathon even though I felt good? Was it the sprinting (harder than I've done in the past)? Yes, I know it's probably "everything", but what was the stupidest thing and what even happened, why hips and quads. I never have quads/hips issues.
Thanks, random internet people who are not medical professionals and don't know me!
I definitely pay attention to HRV and i can tell the difference when it's balanced and unbalanced, i usually switch up my routine to see how it changes.
I'm 2 months post-marathon and still can't run longer than 10k without my heart rate spiking. My current Garmin doesn't measure HRV so I'm going purely by HR. Any advice?
Maybe you've run during an undiagnised virus infection and had a little myocarditis? Let your GP check for typical signs in bloodwork for typical "heart enzymes" markers like Troponine T or creatine kinase which point to muscular damages to heart tissue. Disclaimer: I'm not in the medical field but had myocarditis twice. Bloodworks showed it and my HRV, too. Was down to 40-50 ms with my baseline HRV being 120-130 ms.