heart rate monitors - part 2

Someone asked me about using a Garmin 305 indoors on a treadmill or spin bike.  Doesn't the Garmin only work outdoors?

Yep, the GPS function of the Garmin only works outdoors.  But the heart rate monitor function and chest strap work just fine wherever.  Except maybe the pool. ;-) There are other accessories - foot pod for treadmill, cadence sensor for cycling.  Not many folks use those accessories, I have noticed.

Maybe a better option for all around heart rate monitoring without the chest strap is the simple watch.  The tech has been around for years.  Chest strap more accurate, but watch is 'good enough.'  Polar is the premiere brand, but Timex isn't too bad IMHO.

99% of the time, I go on 'perceived level of effort,' or 'how hard is it to talk'?  See heart rate zones below from 'Running for Fitness,' a reference I respect.  I put myself in the calculator. 50 bpm resting, 200 max. In a nutshell...

Long run, deep water run, long bike - 60-75% of max heart rate. Complete sentences, but pause between for breath.
Track, spin  - 75-90% of max heart rate. Simple thoughts - like Arnold. "I'll be back." "Are you Sarah Connor?" "That's my weak arm."
5k or High Intensity Intervals - 90%+ of max heart rate. No talk. Dig. Pray for this to end.

-Larry

wildcat den december 2009

Ran in the still falling snow at dawn.  Came a cross a wild creature with, ice and snow in its hair. We shared the path for a while, then parted ways.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Robert Frost is over used, but there is some meaning for me during the shortest days of the year. The final lines have been a occasional mantra to help get through the final miles of an endurance event, as you are reduced to your basic components plus pain.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost - Miles to Go Before I Sleep.

Enjoy the winter solistice.

-Larry

heart rate zones

More winter time experimentation.  Running and spinning this week with heart rate monitor attached to Garmin 305. Looking for confirmation of pace and fitness for an upcoming marathon.  Never done this before.

Estimated a maximum heart rate on the order of 200 based on 4 mile run and 5k PR's a while back.  Yes, it's higher than formulas would estimate.  Consulted medical advice.  Normal?  Said to be within normal variation range.  Higher end max heart rate.
Heart rate of around 182-185 in a 'go like hell' spin class exercise this week. Thanks D! Resting rate of around 49-50. Marathon pace heart rate around 155-160 for 13 miles with training partner today.  Plug -n- chug into Marathon Guide heart rate calc. Results follow.

Marathon pace puts me in the middle of Zone 3 Aerobic Zone 70-80% of max.  So what's that mean?

Some references from Marathon Guide and from Running Times. (Thanks for subscription B!)

Heart rate of 160 puts me at about 70-75% of max, in the middle of  burning more fat and less glycogen. Hopefully where I can run a decent race. Seems to confirm thinking about fitness.

We shall see come race day.

-Larry

A Device to De-Stress Your Workout

If you don't clench your teeth, or wear a mouthguard to prevent biting down, better breathing and performance.  Interesting, Several thousand dollars investment. Yikes. You can sell amateur endurance athletes a lot, some of which is snake oil.  This seems logical, but if you find a training partner who can hold up a conversation for several hours, it seems teeth clench might be avoided without the expense. Somewhat more enjoyably to boot.

-Larry

How to prevent stress fractures...

From the NY Times.   Stength training magic preventer..“It does seem as if strengthening the calf muscles may be a very easy way” to reduce fracture risk, says Moira Petit, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and an author of the study. In addition, she said, “our data suggest that you don’t have to strengthen the muscle by much.” A small increase of bulk, achievable by, for instance, rising up on to your toes and sinking back to the floor 10 or 12 times every day, might be enough. Adding even a small amount of calf muscle “serves two purposes,” Ms. Petit says. First, “the strength of the bone will usually increase” in response to the added muscle. And, as a bonus, the new muscle “can absorb more” of the forces generated when you run. So even as the tibia strengthens in response to the new muscle, it also is subjected to less shock. “Really, there’s no downside to this,” Ms. Petit says.

Or increase your turnover...The researchers determined that reducing stride length by about 10 percent seemed to reduce the stress on the tibia enough to lower the risk of a stress fracture.

-Larry

50 Kilometer Run. No fees. No awards. No Wimps. All welcome.

Took me a while to find them, but Bob Rehn is once again putting on Illinois Fat A$$ 50k in McNabb, IL on Sunday, January 10, 2010, 10 am. One mile out and back followed by up to three 10 mile loops on a paved township road, scenic with rolling hills.

My training partner is heading for a much warmer climate for her marathon on the same day.  So as not to waste all those long runs, I am planning on going.  Get your name published in "Ultrarunning Magazine" if you finish all 3 loops.

If anyone cares to carpool, email lsandhaas@hotmail.com, or comment here or on Facebook.

-Larry