Heart Rate Monitors

I bought an expensive heart rate monitor about 4 years ago, when I started trying to lose weight. It was good when I was walking, as it told me I needed to work harder as I got fitter.

I haven't been using it at all in my training this past year. I put it on yesterday to go for a bike/run brick session. Unfortunately it wasn't working properly on my bike, but I managed to get a maximum heart rate. On the run it worked well. My heart rate bounds up quite fast when running, my resting heart rate is 48. It started off around 145 to 150, then I had to go a little faster for 10 minutes (in hot weather). It got as high as 163 and then settled around 160. Interestingly, it stayed at 160 even when I slowed the pace down.

This is 92% of my maximum heart rate. I went a lot faster than I normally go, but don't think I could sustain that heart rate for a whole 21.1 km run. I might save up for a new heart rate monitor, one that does laps and splits and things that mine doesn't. Now that I'm a bit more experienced and fitter, I can see that it will be a good tool to use to 'push' myself harder. I think I might be a little bit chicken and not pushing myself too hard.