Avery the guinea pig guarding the Polar S120
I recently received a heart rate monitor as a gift and I'm very excited for how training with heart rate will elevate my training.
Team TIMEX member and very elite local triathlete Roger Thompson trains with heart rate. That's enough of an endorsement for me, but the box says on it that with a HR monitor I can 'Train Like A Pro' so I do have that going for me.
Until this point in my training, I've always trained by perceived exertion. That is, rather than using my heart rate to quantify what aerobic zone I'm in, I'll go off my own perception of the effort I'm putting out to see if I'm near my anaerobic threshold. It's a convenient, but inexact system, and can of course easily vary with the terrain, conditions, and even mood.
The watch/receiver unit
Heart rate will allow me to train within specific physiological parameters to maximize my training. Or so I hope. For example, if I need to do a tempo workout, I set the alarm on the watch/receiver to a certain heart rate range, so that if I rise or fall outside of this range, it will alert me. I'm hoping that the little guy will keep me honest.
In addition, when combined with your pace in running/swimming or power output in cycling, HR can measure your overall fitness across different workout types.
I'm very excited to see where training (and even racing) with and by Heart Rate will take me. I'm going to research more of the specifics to make the most advantage of this training tool and will report my experience as I go along.
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