Heart rate and ground discomfort correlation

i noticed my hr spiked on

i noticed my hr spiked on more gravely parts of the trail on friday. i also wonder the same thing. is it visual/psychological tension or physical? either way tension happens and the hr jumps. just one more thing to learn to overcome. relaxing all the time.



Mike

Interesting correlation.  I

Interesting correlation. I have wondered about this, but never bothered to measure it.

It could be an additive combination of stress, extra awareness, pain, and change in form to minimize pain.

Cheers

Paleo

I guess in my case, when

I guess in my case, when running on gravel, it forces me to slow down some, which in turn slows my breathing rate and heart rate.

My guess is that you tense

My guess is that you tense up anticipating the pain and are unable to relax causing the heart rate to spike.

I never check my heart rate when running but notice that if the surface is too rough I tend to get tense and focus on the discomfor more than I should but then I go--ok you morron, you know the drill, relax, relax, relax. Once I focus on relaxing the discomfort magicaly disappears.

Its probably a fight

It’s probably a fight or flight response, your eyes detect something that could be painful or potentially damaging and your heart rate increases to prepare for it.

Interesting observations.

Interesting observations. For me, the cardiovascular effort required to run 10:30-11 minutes per mile on chip seal/very rough sidewalk is equal to the effort to run 9 minutes per mile on moderately smooth asphalt which is equal to the effort to run 7:45-8 minutes per mile on smooth concrete. I don't think this is psychological, but physiological. I suspect that running on rougher surfaces requires more physical work -- lifting the feet more quickly or strongly and reacting faster generally (shorter strides might also play a role). Certainly the greater mental focus and the occasional "shock" of a sharp rock could increase heart rate, too, but I think that accounts for less of the effort.

I agree with you, jlubkoll, that running on rough surfaces might be similar to interval/speed training or running hills.

Skedaddle, I think you're right that by looking at rough surfaces we can increase our anxiety and discomfort. There was a great thread a month or two ago about how much easier it is to relax by looking straight ahead (at least 20 meters or more ahead), and not down at the ground in front. By looking ahead, it reduces discomfort, too. At least, it has helped me a lot. For some things, it's better not to think about them, but just to do them.

Last spring/early summer,

Last spring/early summer, when I was just starting out BF, I found my monitor would double as a pace counter because I couldn't get the strap tight enough. My head wasn't bouncing as far as I could tell but my chest was heaving enough to cause the device to misread. It's conceivable that you bounce a little while running on the rougher surfaces. Try pressing it against your chest for 10-20 seconds to see if the heart rate settles down, just to rule out that possibility.

I haven't worn my monitor since but I should try it again to see if it still happens now that I've got 6 months running BF/minimal.