Heart Rate Monitors

Does training with a Heart Rate Monitor really improve performance?

I have been jogging with a monitor for a couple of months now and have found it to be a really interesting and worthwhile training aid. My max heart rate is 185 beats per minute and for building base fitness I need to keep my pulse rate at between 150 & 160. That can be quite a tricky thing to do and I often find that my pulse is up as high as 170 when I'm just out for a light jog.

I went for a light jog this morning however and seemed to struggle to get my pulse up to 150 and then keep it there. I found that I was having to constantly push myself to maintain my pulse in the target range. I went on to record a personal best time for the 6K circuit which I was jogging, which I largely put down to the extra effort I was putting in, in order to try and remain in my target zone.

I definitely believe that training with a Heart Rate Monitor is a great way to monitor the intensity of your training. They provide instant feedback on you intensity levels and provide a motivation to increase the effort when required.

My Heart Rate Monitor is now an essential part of my training and I don't leave home without it.


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8 reasons why you should find a running mate and how it could improve your performance

Sometimes running can be a long and lonely pastime and if you're not feeling on top of it or you're slightly lacking in motivation that's when you can start to skip sessions or take short cuts.

I really enjoy running with others and here's some reasons why I find running with training partners can be a real boost to your training;

1. you will have some company when out pounding the roads.

2. you can challenge each other and therefore push each other to a higher level.

3. you can support and give encouragement to each other if that is needed.

4. it will give you a reason to get out of bed in the cold mornings if you know your mate is waiting for you on the corner.

5. swap ideas on running and what works well for each other.

6. it will likely give you a varied and interesting range of runs.

7. it may help to keep you from getting bored with running.

8. take turns deciding where you will run and what tempo you will be running at. In my group we have turns at being "team leader" and the leader sets the course with often the others having no idea where we will be running or for how long. The anticipation of the run ahead makes for an interesting and fun run. You never know where you might end up!

So get a group of friends or work mates who are keen on running and get out there and challenge each other.

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