In the past I have used a heart monitor to assist me with my training.  Heart monitors (HRM) are very effective to helping you train at the right level, monitor your recovery and conditioning, and target specific training needs.  So, I pulled out the heart monitor, strapped it on, and ran 4.2 miles at the church’s asphalt track.

I had a little bit of trouble staying within my zone (Zone 3 for all you HRM fans) and had to slow down several times.  It’s kinda cool because the HRM functions as my coach while I’m running.  I was supposed to have an easy run, so the monitor scolded me with an irritating beep whenever my heart rate was too high.  Under the supervision of the HRM, I finished in 46 minutes.

The other advantage of the monitor is measuring your heart rate recovery.  Knowing how quickly your heart rate drops after exercise is one way to measure your fitness/conditioning.  Your heart rate recovery number is the difference between your heart rate at the moment you end your exercise and your heart rate one minute after ending (some folks use 2 minutes or some other amount of time).  So, if you end with a HR of 146 and your HR one minute later is 122, you have a heart rate recovery (HRR) of 24.  I’m just learning more about this, but my understanding of the fitness community consensus is that a HRR of less than 14 is unhealthy, 15-25 is okay, 26-50 is good and over 50 is excellent.  Mine was 26 today; the bottom of the good level.  Okay, we have plenty of room for improvement.

By the way, did I mention that I have an obsession with numbers?  Yeah, it’s kinda weird…and can be dangerous for my training.  I have to be careful to use the numbers as motivators, but not to become discouraged or allow myself to put all my focus on improving some statistic.  For now I’m happy just counting things and seeing where they lead.  But I’m watching out for an obsession that becomes a hindrance.