A normal resting heart rate for endurance athletes will fall in the 50–70 bpm range. During exercise, your heart rate will rise substantially, sometimes up to 180–200 bpm. For most beginner runners, a "high heart rate while running," will be somewhere around 150–190 bpm, or 80–90% of their maximum heart rate.

The American Heart Association (AHA) advise that people aim to reach between 50% and 85% of their maximum heart rate during exercise. According to their calculations, maximum heart rate is around 220 beats per minute (bpm) minus the person’s age. Therefore, a 20-year-old’s maximum heart rate would be around 200 bpm (220 minus 20 = 200 bpm).