I used to freak people out by posting average HR graphs along the lines you're quoting. There are a few of us that are just hummingbirds, I'm one of them (my max is only 206, but dude I'm 44). Like you, I can be quite chatty and conversational when in the mid-180s.

One of my regular training partners is one of the Gearlink cat1's in the hood. His max HR is around 160. We're usually 30 beats apart, and he can't even begin to fathom the HR's I put out when I do a TT. Everyone's unique, embrace it.