I have a 72 resting pulse!!!!

Question

I took a physical and found my resting pulse to be a 72. I'm in pretty decent shape right now and can probably go 36 minutes in a 10k. Am i just one of those runners like the great Jim Ryun who no matter how much training our heart beats at when resting are not in the 30's or 40's like other training runners?

Answer 1

Your times are very fast. While 72 is a "normal" heart rate, I would expect yours to be a little lower (although there's no reason to expect it to ever go to the 30's or low 40's necessarily). Your pulse very likely means one of a few things. It was checked on a "bad day". (As in you weren't feeling well). You were nervous (look up "white coat syndrome"). Or, you are over-training. A higher than expected resting heart rate is a very common sign of over training in good athletes.

Answer 2

A resting pulse rate of 72 is kind of on the normal side. When I ran and was in really good shape, I would wake up in the morning and take my pulse and it was between 45-48. Even doing normal activities during the day, it barely got above 60. One guy on our cross country team had a resting rate of 38.

Answer 3

My resting pulse rate was 50.  Just before I suffered a heart attack in 2004.  Blood pressure is what counts.

Answer 4

You did 10.5 miles in an hour?.............that is enough to be a top runner in your area for sure.  What is your 5K time??  

My resting heart rate in the mornings is anywhere between 38-42, but I've been training and running for many years.