Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Pulse Rate-Hiking Vs Running

I did Mt. Whitney last Friday. Just a curious note on somthing I discovered. My running pulse is 142 when I'm really sprinting and above 10,000 feet my pulse was exactly the same. So the altitude makes your body work as hard walking as it would running on the flat. thisis for you folks concerned about your heart rates. I took my pulse from the neck artery, count each beat for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. I had an EKG earlier. Even though that's a fast pulse, it's normal for me.

Also for you folks plagued by Restless Leg Syndrome where your legs **** and kick while you try to sleep after a hard activity. My doctor recommended 800 mgs of vitamin E. I put several in the Advil bottle and took 2 (400mgs) before sleeping. It stops the muscle spasms and for some reason sends me off into a quick sleep.

Hi "Area 51",

Heart rates (HR) and EKGs interest me. Thanks for the info. I plan to run the Whitney Trail round-trip on Aug-17 (my annual birthday run). I am 43 this year (used to race ultras), and my HR is ~160bpm when I train on local (SF Bay Area) trails, and ~170-180bpm when I target altitude conditioning. To avoid the need to acclimate, I target the Whitney HR (~170bpm) at sea level; and of course this requires a much faster pace than the Whitney-equivalent. As a result, on the Whitney trail I maintain the sea-level HR and breathing While I "downshift" the leg pace, so I still run fairly comfortably for the 5+ hour roundtrip. In summary, my rule is to train hard (and I mean REALLY hard), and race easy. --Adam

AdamR..
Completely off topic I know...but what type of shoes do you wear when running Whitney? I'm really considering going the trail running shoe route over my heavy hiking boots, but I can't decide which brand/model to buy.
Thanks

Hi "ouchmyfeet",

BTW, I like your ID.

I use Nike "Air Pegasus" for its multi-use (road, trail) performance. Not the best for either, but capable on both. Its tread (when new) is adequate on trails. Over the years, I tired of maintaining a collection of shoes specific for trail-training, trail-racing, road-training, road-racing, and so on. In terms of durability, I replace the "Air Pegasus" about every 4 weeks or ~300mi. For Whitney, I use a one-week old pair to ensure break-in and adequate support.--Adam

Thanks for the info on restless legs. I get them and occasional thigh cramps (charleyhorses), especially after unusually strenuous hiking. I use to take quinine capsules, which worked very well, but they were taken off the shelf a few years ago due to potential side effects (which I never experienced). I'm going to try the Vitamin E and see if it helps.

I've got a similar pattern as AdamR. I'm 48, have raced ultras for the last ten-eleven years and road racing before that. Resting pulse is normally around 44-46 here at my home (440'). When I ran Whitney last week I had remembered your inquiry and took my pulse right around the 14K' point. We walked the last bit since the snow was a bit slippery that day. It was at 160 or so right when I stopped. I know it slowed way down as I stood around for ten minutes on top but I forgot to retake it to check recovery rates because I was freezing my *** off in the snow.