by zippetydude » Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:19 pm
Hi Walt.
First, I would agree with that guy - I've felt for some time now that Perry was either a mutant or an alien. (Sorry Perry.)
About the HR monitors. There are, in my experience, 3 basic kinds.
1. Beginner models. These generally display your heart rate while you run, and give you an average and max number when you're done. They're relatively cheap ($50+ on sale) and easy to use.
Some don't require a chest strap, but then they only display your HR when you stop and press a certain button. This seems a little impractical to me.
One quirky side to the chest strap type is that, since it's generally pretty warm out there on the trail, I usually end up taking my shirt off at some point. This has given me a tan line, and my daughters tell me with much embarrassment "Dad, it looks like you have a tan from a bra strap!" When I point out that very few girls wear just a bra out in the sun, they respond that it could also be a bathing suit top, but that "boys shouldn't have a tan line like that". So, I get to embarrass my kids - a worthwhile cause if I ever heard one.
2. Advanced models - These generally keep a running record of your heart rate, then you can download the data and see a graph of your run on your computer at home. My favorite of this type is the Polar S625i. It's just as easy to use as the beginner models, a lot more fun, and it keeps a record for you in the computer of every workout you do, what your HR was, the date, time, duration ... I love it. That's what I had on when you saw me. Cost is around $200.
3. Advanced models with GPS - The Garmin 305 Forerunner does what the above models do, and adds in GPS. Real cool, and I love the fact that the GPS isn't a big clunky thing - it's worn like a watch, so you can always see your elevation, distance, speed, HR, etc. I have one of these too, but it's not as practical for most uses, since the battery works for 10 hours, then needs recharging, whereas the Polar battery works for about 3 years. Cost of these is $350 in the store, but I got one brand new online for $248.
Once you get one and fiddle around a little bit, I would also really recommend you get a book on HR training to zero in on how to train effectively. I've been using a specific method for a few weeks now, and it's made a huge difference. Last Saturday, I beat my previous best time (even including our brief chat) by one minute and, upon reviewing the HR data, found that the training has made my heart more efficient. To give you some idea how much it has helped, my previous ascent had required almost 35000 heart beats, Saturday took only a little over 30,000. That's over 4000 fewer beats than it had taken on the previous ascent. Put simply, it really made it feel easier. Apparently the guy who wrote the book I'm using is considerably smarter than me!
Incidentally, Perry's experience with intervals is backed by studies - you can learn all about how to use various types of training (including interval training that will actually help) if you read up on it.
Hope this helps.
z