While high blood pressure is generally considered to be a health concern and running a health-promoting activity, your blood pressure will indeed rise during your exercise or a competition run. But the increase is short term, and your blood pressure reading will return to normal shortly after you stop running. And in the long term, an exercise program that consists of regular running can help lower your resting blood pressure.
Normal Blood Pressure
According to the American Heart Association, your normal resting blood pressure level should no higher than 120/80 mmHg. These two numbers reflect the pressure within your arteries created by the force of flowing blood and are referred to as the systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
Blood Pressure and Heart Function
The systolic blood pressure reading, which is the first and larger of the two numbers, reflects arterial pressure as the heart beats and pumps blood out into your arteries. As the heart relaxes between beats and blood flows out of your arteries, through your capillaries and into your veins, the arterial pressure declines and this is reflected by the diastolic blood pressure, the second or lower number.
Heart Function as You Run
During your run, as your working muscles require extra amounts of oxygen and nutrients, blood flow is increased to deliver these essential items. This increase in blood flow is due in part to an increase in your heart rate, which should be noticeable as you run. As heart rate increases and the volume of blood flowing through you arteries grows, the pressure within your arteries will rise. When your heart rate and blood flow return to normal levels after your run, so too will your blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Rise During Running
Data from the National Runners' Health Study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory clearly demonstrates that individuals who are regular runners have lower overall blood pressure levels than the general population. The study also confirmed that runners also have much healthier levels of blood lipids and cholesterol.
