Heart rate

Hey,  just to chip in and echo some of the other comments as this has been a focus of me recently.  I'll try and keep it short...

A few months ago I developed a heart defect in the sense that I was randomly dropping beats (not in the good way) and heart was beating from 40bpm to 120bpm within a few seconds, my normal resting heart rate was 60bpm and max was 190bpm so although it was irregular and "not normal" it was in a "nothing to really worry about" zone (these were quotes from the cardiologist).  I'm normally a fit and healthy cyclist, 40 years old, non smoker, very occassional drinker, 5' 9" 70kg.

Anyway... I was given beta blockers which I found gave me a new max heart rate of 158bpm and what I do is ease off whenever I get close to that max, 150 is fine, when I see it go to 155 then I ease off for a few seconds and find a new rhythm that I can keep at about 150.  I'll continue to do this until I can get back to my doc and get the heart issue properly sorted.

The other advice I can offer is that like you I was getting chest pains, and due to the ongoing heart issue, I was, as Rabbie Burns said "shiteing myself", however I worked out that I had GORD/GERD, which is basically acid reflux, which is really symptomatic and feels weird as shit, and if you're prone to anxiety, which I'm not - but this had me worried, it can exacerbate the problem.  I now take Omeprazole in the morning and at night, and what really helps, although only for a short time, is Peptac (or Gaviscon, but just get Boots own, exactly the same), that sorts it out but only lasts a few hours.  Oh, and cut out caffeine or at least limit it to a morning cup.

Of course, don't take mine or anyone elses advice if you're worried, but if the doc has given you the all clear with all those scans, then fingers crossed it's maybe a bit of acid reflux and anxiety.  Long story short, set yourself a new max heart rate that you're happy with and try not to go above that until you're confident that the issues are under control.

Ah I've been here in the past. On reflection, the positive of the whole experience is that I had my heart well and trully investigated and given the all clear, which is a good thing for all of us to have done on occasion.

For me, it all came down to anxiety, the vast majority of which was around the strange chest pain that I was struggling with. What I now understand with the benefit of hindsight is that the situation was compunded by an old rib injury, that meant the chest pain, when it came on was exactly where I would worry it would be if it was a problematic heart. 

What was actually happening was that I was anxious, which in turn caused me to be tense, really tense. That tension was not only mental, I was literally holding myself in constant tension. Even now I can think back on how I could focus on relaxing and feel that physical tension relax... for literally two seconds before I'd tense up again. 

The old rib injury and the muscles around it, was simply the breaking point of that physical tension, the muscles would get so tired from being contracted for long periods that they would ache, or even cramp. 

I didn't know any of this at the time, so I assumed I was having a heart episode, which caused more tension and made things even worse. 

At no point when badgering the doctors did the words stress and anxiety get mentioned. Instead I think the fact that I was athletic blinkered the doctors into thinking it was a physical problem. 

So whilst everyone is individual, I would encourage you to explore and appreciate the mental angle to all this, as well as thinking about any potential injury, either recent or historic, that may be influencing your situation. 

Good luck with it all, and remember, if you've been checked out and given the all clear, you are not having heart related issues! 

I looked into this recently because at this time of year with hayfever I get what I think is sports induced asthma as it's so hard to prove haven't seen a doctor as I'm not a pro and am certainly not applying for a TUE. When I get to around my max heart rate I really struggle and can't sustain for more than a few seconds because my chest tightens any other time of year I'm fine.
The other thing I think related to a relative high heart rate is fatigue if I do a ride at 160 average Vs 150 funnily enough I'm shagged for the rest of the day for very little gain in speed do that day after day and something's got to give. My conclusion is I'm try to hard for my relative fitness.
You can lower your heart rate for the same effort but it takes time (months) and means riding to a much lower heart rate and hence much slower but the body will adapt and the speed will come back.
I did a fun experiment last week for one of my common routes (40 miles) I checked my last average heart rate set that as my max heart rate (@157 start soft pedaling basically) and then set my average target as 147 and stick to it. My average speed was lower but only .3mph and I felt amazing after the ride far less fatigued. It was fun because you had the mental capacity to think about where you could gain free speed eg brake later, more aero etc. I want to do it again because I can gain even more.
I don't want to ride like this for the rest of the summer but will mix it in for 1 or 2 rides a week and then really work on it over the off season. I guess this is essentially traditional base training

It does worry me sometimes - I'm 38 but have hit 193 when pushing as hard as I can up a steep climb, which is way above my theoretical max.

Most of the time a hard ride will see me averaging around 160bpm and a gentler recovery ride around 125. My resting heart rate is around 60.

Heart rate is a personal thing... dependent on many things... temperature, caffeine intake, alertness etc.  For what its worth, over the last few years (now 47) I work on the basis of 150-155ish being 'sweet spot' and where I spend most of my time on a 1-2hr ride, 160 threshold, 130-140 endurance.  120-130 pootling.  I will see 170-180+ on a hard climb, pushing.  Resting HR is around 45. 

I've never once had a 'chest pain' that worried me, other than normal breathing discomfort.  

Cyclists and heart issues go hand in hand. Get tested again, be insistent that they do a diagnosis. GP's are not specialists, you should not have chest discomfort. Go back to your GP and insist on getting referred for more tests until they can be sure what the issue is.

Its quite subjective.

Me & my buddy are similar in size and weight, and speeds etc, but he averages 140bpm, and i average 160bpm odd. I have peaked at 198bpm when giving total beans.

My resting is usually 62bpm

Any chest pain should be concerning!

Any chest pain should be investigated, particularly if it comes and goes with exertion. You should feel breathless but not tight-chested.

If your GP has checked you out recently then the best test is to see how long you take to recover (get your breathing back under control) after a short sharp climb. That's basically what they'd do with a stress test in hospital.

As a chronically overweight and unfit MAMIL I average HR of 140bpm-ish on a typcial ride (10-15 miles), and peak in the high 170s. Resting HR is high 60s. After a hard short climb I can get my breath back reasonably quickly. For me my limiting performance factor is definitely breathing, rather than power or HR.