Racing with HR
Lucky
Posts: 137
in General Chat
So tonight see's me in my first proper sprint of 2008 almost exactly a year after my first ever tri, time to find out how the training has gone...
Anyway a simple question, what are your views on racing with an HRM, I train with one all the time and have a Garmin 305, but I'm debating just wearing my swimming watch (Timex Ironman) for the course and just timing myself and ignoring HR data (by not having it) and going on feel. Having done 4 races last year and also one last month I reckon I know how my body will perform and suspect that watching my heart rate go up is slowing me down in a race as the training part of my mind takes over and commands me to slow down / hold back, when clearly in race I should be pushing a lot harder.
Be interested to see what other people think.
Anyway a simple question, what are your views on racing with an HRM, I train with one all the time and have a Garmin 305, but I'm debating just wearing my swimming watch (Timex Ironman) for the course and just timing myself and ignoring HR data (by not having it) and going on feel. Having done 4 races last year and also one last month I reckon I know how my body will perform and suspect that watching my heart rate go up is slowing me down in a race as the training part of my mind takes over and commands me to slow down / hold back, when clearly in race I should be pushing a lot harder.
Be interested to see what other people think.
0
Comments
My thoughts are that for shorter events you're probably wasting time (time might be better spent thinking of technique and feeling as you mentioned) looking at heart rate when it might vary quite alot and should be at a high heart rate. I wear my HR monitor for 10k bike time trials but never look at it cos it's just total effort from start to finish. I've a half ironman in Sept when I intend to use HR as the risk is I wouldn't make it round.
Also interested to hear what others say
I would still train with a heart rate monitor though as if the average rate is decreasing along with your times that is a good indicator of improved fitness.
I probably would agree with transit that in longer endurance races a heart rate monitor maybe more useful however I have not had experience in these events so my opinion is only subjective.
;-)
GOOD LUCK - unless of course you did your race in which case - HOPE IT WENT WELL!!!