Software for your Heart Rate Monitor and GPS

To some of us geeky MAMILS (middle aged men in Lycra), one of the biggest pleasures, next to the ride or run itself, is quantifying the vast amount of data available to us about our performance.  The prevalence of GPS based and downloadable cycling computers, combined with various websites and programs have made it possible to catalog, view and analyze mountains of data; metrics from average pace to peak wattage vs. peak heart rate are now at your fingertips.  Here’s a quick overview of a couple of the more common sites and programs out there.

 STRAVA

 

my new favourite after a while playing with Endo … (see next)

Strava.com is the relative new kid on the block in terms of ride analysis.  Offering both free and frankly too expensive subscription services ($6 per month or $59 per year) will allow riders to directly upload rides from their GPS devices and track their performance.  Displaying a GPS track of the route you rode, along with an elevation profile and metrics such as distance, elevation gain, moving time, speed (max and average), average speed, average cadence and average power, you get a mass of information to sift through and analyse.

The coolest thing about Strava and it is something that Endomondo also does is social connection ….  You can link Strava to your Facebook page and twitter account and you can even challenge friends (or strangers for that matter) to competitions.  Strava has a unique feature that allows you to designate segments of your ride and run (climbs, TTs, crazy descents) that you can measure against every other person on Strava that has covered that route (or just a section) before and uploaded their ride.  It’s an excellent idea that promotes competition and growth amongst different riders all riding in the same area.

Here is a section of the Arran ride that someone has made into sections … woo hoo I did well without even knowing it.

For example, imagine your club has a friendly “climbing competition” up a particularly long, steep, or otherwise nasty climb.  Anyone who is a member of Strava who uploads a ride containing that climb will be ranked based upon speed, power, time and VAM (Vertical Ascent Meters) along with everyone else who has ridden that climb.  The best part of the whole thing is that once the climb is designated on Strava, the site software automatically finds that segment of your ride and analyzes it, compares it to everyone else, and posts it in ranking of fastest to slowest.  It’s an excellent tool to use to compare both your form compared to others around you, and to chart your own progress by comparing to your previous attempts.

PROS: Great community based concepts.  ”Segments” option for competing with your friends.  Excellent data presentation and layout. Standalone free iPhone app if you don’t have a dedicated gps hrm

CONS: Pay site is yet another expense (free site only 5 rides/month allowance)

ENDOMONDO

My old favourite social exercise site – allowed you to see your friends workouts and comment on them. Again it allows analysis of the ride or run and also keep a note of your PB’s.

The social interaction may be slightly better on Endo although I prefer the slightly better analysis on Strava …. Again there is a dedicated app for iPhone so you can use that on commutes when your gps or hem is at home. Both these sites are better with Garmin products and that is more to do with the disinterest on the part of Polar and suunto more than the development of either of these two platforms. At the moment I import the gpx track from file although this loses the hrm info from the exercise. At the moment you can import the average and max readings into the endo workout but it is not a true graph.

Alternatives for Me

Movescount for Suunto users

Good analysis but lacking social connections as there is no app and your friends can’t compare to you.

Polar Personal Trainer for Polar HRM users

Better analysis but even less social connections.

e-paper watch for running, cycling and more

this watch looks very cool – not sure if it will record but might be a great interface for an endomondo or running app on my iPhone ….

THEIR SITE HERE

Customize Your Perfect Watch. It’s as Easy as Downloading an App.

Pebble is the first watch built for the 21st century. It’s infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watchfaces and useful internet-connected apps. Pebble connects to iPhone and Android smartphones using Bluetooth, alerting you with a silent vibration to incoming calls, emails and messages. While designing Pebble, we strove to create a minimalist yet fashionable product that seamlessly blends into everyday life.

CUSTOMIZE WITH APPS

Apps bring Pebble to life. We’re building some amazing apps for Pebble. Cyclists can use Pebble as a bike computer, accessing the GPS on your smartphone to display speed, distance and pace data. Runners get a similar set of data displayed on their wrist. Use the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on your phone with the touch of a button. If you’re a golfer, feel free to bring Pebble onto the course. We’re working with Freecaddie to create a great golf rangefinder app for Pebble that works on over 25,000 courses world-wide. Instead of using your phone, view your current distance to the green right on your wrist. These apps will be the first, with more in the works!

CUSTOMIZE WITH WATCHFACES

Pebble can change instantly, thanks to its brilliant, outdoor-readable electronic-paper (e-paper) display. We’ve designed tons of watchfaces already, with more coming every day. Choose your favourite watchfaces using Pebble’s iPhone or Android app. Then as the day progresses, effortlessly switch to the one that matches your mood, activity or outfit.

CUSTOMIZE WITH NOTIFICATIONS

If you need to stay on top of things, Pebble can help with vibrating notifications, messages and alerts. Dismiss a notification with a shake of your wrist. Don’t worry, it’s easy to disable all notifications.

• Incoming Caller ID
• Email (Gmail or any IMAP email account)
• Calendar Alerts
• Facebook Messages
• Twitter
• Weather Alerts
• Silent vibrating alarm and timer

Android users can also receive Text Messages (SMS) on their Pebble. Unfortunately iPhone does not expose this data. Have any suggestions for other notification types? Leave us a message in the comments!

Trouble shooting – weird Heart Rate spikes, dropouts and how to eliminate them

For those who train with heart rate monitors, you have probably encountered a session where your HR graph just doesn’t make sense. With my garmin it used to start fine then my HR would skyrocket up to the 180′s 190′s and I would be dead if I was there 200′s. With my Suunto – sometimes I would get no reading before it kicked into life …

Suunto no record then suddenly pop into life ...

After you finish your activity and get back to your computer, you’ll probably see something like this – a major HR spike a dropout or even a level no read situation, followed by more normal HR activity: Below is my reading from the Alloa Half Marathon on the weekend with flouro yellow highlights of bits that don’t make sense ….

Frustrated, you wonder if the battery needs changing but then the next time it is fine so you forget about it …but here is a reason why this might be happening.

I presume everyone can put their strap on correctly – that is the right way up and against the skin just under the ribcage …

So assuming that you’ve got it fitted right then let’s look at what typically causes the spike or dropout in HR

1) Are you wet yet?

During the winter months and in the case of Alloa on Sunday the air is often fairly cold, and fairly dry.  This means that you’re less likely to have moist perspiration on your skin (from heat) and even less likely to be generating any sweat right from the start of the workout.  This in turns lowers your belt’s conductivity ability to read your heart rate beats …..   Simply introducing any moisture at all will usually remedy the situation – at least until you begin sweating enough to let sweat do its job.

2) Synthetic quick dry shirts:

At Alloa I was wearing a synthetic shirt as opposed to my ‘normal’ nicer smelling Merino. An unfortunate side effect of synthetics is that they can dry out the body and the skin’s sweat making the belt so dry that it can’t ‘read’ the skin. Another issue is that synthetic material can build up static which can cause electrical interference with the HR belt.

3) Your mum is a gorilla:

I have heard some people of the hirsute variety have more errors ….. you need to be very hairy for this to affect the HR belt but if you are this way inclined … a) shave or groom b) stay swinging in the trees instead of running c) if female remain indoors and plait that hairy back …..

How to lick the problem:

It is pretty easy to fix

1) Sweat it: This first one is a bit obvious – but will explain why the problem often goes away after just a few minutes of activity.  Once you start sweating it improves conductivity.  This in turn makes the HR strap work …. but you still have the earlier misread ….

2) Lick it: This is the simplest option and what I do all the time. I just give the sensors a good gobbing – but hold onto your bogeys for the run.

HR gel

3) Heart Rate Gel: If you suck at licking, then you can instead use electrode gel to improve conductivity.  This is what’s typically used in medical environs for scans and using TENS machines …. it just ensures a good contact moisture seal between belt and skin. They are cheap as chips – about £5 for a big tube that will last years … If it is a dry very cold day and I remember then I use gel on the belt before heading out.

4) Shift the strap:

If you spot a dodgy reading then adjust the strap – a quick shift up and down normally gets the belt to rub against some sweat and the belt normal corrects pretty quickly. Some people shift the strap so it is half on back and front or even all on the back … i have not tried but it seems to work as an option.

5) Replace the batteries:

Finally, it could be as simple as old depleted batteries – most belts use CR2032 batteries so i always make sure I have a handful around ….

Polar RCX5 review

The Polar HRM arrived nearly a month ago now and I have had a good chance to use it in various sports.

Firstly unboxing showed a nice little box and neat packaging. When you first switch on RCX it asks you to input basic things like sex, age, height, weight as well as the amount you exercise per week. I fall into a higher (amateur) category of roughly 5-7 hrs / week.

The RCX typically comes in 3 configurations … a gps setup which includes the excellent G5 gps. This is a very nice waterproof unit which holds charge for 20 hrs which is far from what i have had the pleasure of exceeding. The unit comes with an armband although I must confess that one month later i have yet to use it. The unit is very wee and fits into the small key pocket at the front of my running shorts as well as the back pocket of my running tights. I even used it the other day on a ride and had it jammed into a small front pocket of my jacket pocket. Being hunched over I expected the reception and subsequent track to be slightly skittish but coming back i compared the track to the one recorded by my Garmin Edge 305 which is on my stem with an uninterupted view of the sky. The comparison revealed that the Garmin recorded the ride as 51.42km and the edge at 51.62km … that is a 200m discrepancy over a huge distance. thinks it something like 0.4% (better get my calculator out) I am sure a shoulder mount or bar mount would make it perfect (that is me judging the Edge to be perfect …)

Other configurations are the Run pack which comes with the S3+ stride sensor. I have not used this but have seen side by side comparisons to the Garmin unit and from what I gather they are pretty compareable. The Polar unti is much bigger and does everything the Garmin does … the only feature useful to me would be the stride count … but then i am a slight Chi runner and my footfall stride is roughly 83-85/min.

The other configuration i have seen is the bike pack which has a cadence and Speed Censor … the cadence sensor would be the most useful to me … if you have the GPS sensor then i think you dont need the speed sensor.
One point I would say is that it is a shame that it is not the one unit like many of the competitors now do. Times and Garmin do their combined ones. I still use my Garmin unit along with the edge indoors when on the turbo trainer and having this placed on the back wheel makes it very practical.

I think that all the above configurations come with a heart rate belt although it is also possible to buy the RCX5 unit as a standalone piece which is probably only something that athletes that already own a polar belt (although not all older belts can be seen by the RCX5) On the heart Belt itself – amazingly comfortable and using Garmin and Suunto for the past few years I must confess that Polar know what they are doing when they make the belts … so comfy and you never get a strange spike or weird reading that you sometimes get with the Garmin HR belts.
Polar also do sports bras for women which have the HR receiver built into them which should make them more comfy than a standard setup for some.

what works with what POLAR

Back to the RCX unit. There are two colours to choose from a black and a red … I chose red because everyone knows that red is faster.

The square design has been criticised by some but I think it is great … it is slightly larger than a normal watch but once exercising the display is clear and very easy to use.
You can customise the display to show what you want to see .. I have gone into this before HERE

Using the Unit
Strapping the RCX on I immediately noticed how comfortable the watch was – in fact the whole construction oozes class not something i have noticed in the build of any previous Polar, Garmin or Suunto with the possible exception of my Suunto Core

Going outside for a run you can leave the gps on a wall whilst you pre-stretch – and then it latches onto the signal very quickly – the chipset inside the unit is a SIRF6 which allows for quicker lock on. the given wisdom is that cold fixing (in an area you have not been in before) will take around a minute, and hot fixes (starting in an area where you finished your last run / ride) will take 10-20 sec. From experience this seem to hold true. Of course this is a gps so switching it on when inside your house will not be good … but a sky above you should be good enough for the fix.
A tip I learnt for cold or rainy weather is to switch on the gps and leave it in your window whilst you put shoes on and it is generally ready to go when you are.

The unit when setting it up can be set to auto-lap – this is something I use when running having the watch perform every 1km … i find this more useful as a pace guide and a very good nudge to the brain when i need to speed up.
the watch can be set to either follow a programme (which can be configured on polar personal trainer and downloaded) say if you were doing intervals with a 5min warm up, 10 min tempo and 3 fartleks then arm down. The watch also has a great audible warning which can be set to pace or HR. This can either be set to Loud, quieter or off. I find this more useful when doing a fat-burn ride or run when my natural instinct is to speed up and defeat the very purpose of the training.

Post exercise the RCX5 stores your last exercise in the data section fro you to review. By itself the RCX5 gives a good breakdown and review of data. You can look at individual training sessions or see a summary of the week which is useful if you need a motivator to get out the door for a run or cycle. One of the good features is that there is a very good heart rate zone breakdown as well as a neat thing were you can see what percentage of calories was in fat burn.

HR zone breakdown

Speaking of features there is something missing and that is a proper barometric altimeter. Most of the course I do aren’t that hilly and I put bike tracks into bikewithgps or other tracking websites which recomputes gps info and produces a ride profile. For those running in hilly location this lack of altimeter might be a problem but for me it is not a deal breaker.

I think the beauty of the Polar RCX5 is in the heart rate monitoring … a lot of people like myself would look at the lack of ANT+ support and the very annoying lack of integration with other platforms like map my run, bikely,endomondo and others and decide not to go with polar BUT (and it’s a big butt) polar does and has always done great heart rate monitors. The analysis that you can do post exercise is way better than polar and a bit better than the hrm software that my old suunto t6 used with movescount.

Once you have done the exercise you can upload the data using polar weblink which is a free download from their site. One word of advice make sure you click the RCX5 for PPT option as I inadvertently clicked the other option when downloading the update then tore my hair out trying to figure out what i had done)
With the Polar Personal Trainer software you can create programs as well as seeing very easily how your training load is…. This prevents you overtraining (however rare this is in my case)

Finally I would say that polar, although not integrating as well as Garmin does with ANT+, weblink does allow you to access the RCX5 and download the .hrm files and .gpx files (gps track) – it’s a shame it doesn’t use the .tcx format but i think that is a garmin proprietary format.

I may have highlighted some weaknesses in this review but I am happy with the unit and wouldn’t change it.

Suunto ambit – new gps hrm from Suunto

There is a new watch on the block ….

Suunto, the brand leader in functional outdoor instruments, announces the launch of the AMBIT*, the first true GPS watch for Explorers.

The Suunto AMBIT is what every backcountry skier, hiker, trail runner and mountain climber has been eagerly waiting for — a watch that combines a GPS navigation system, altimeter, 3D compass with advanced heart rate monitoring into a robust instrument for mountain and everyday use.

 

 is an awesome product that should be on the wrist of anyone who heads into the outdoors,” comments Greg Hill, the recordbreaking extreme ski mountaineer, who in 2010, ascended two million vertical feet. “The AMBIT is a potentially life-saving survival tool thanks to its full GPS capability and altimeter. It’s also invaluable for anyone who, like me, wants to record their tracks and log their vertical ascents and descents. And it looks great too.”

Specific Outdoor Functionality
With AMBIT’s full-featured GPS the user can choose waypoints to navigate with and see their location in multiple coordinate systems. The AMBIT boasts a host of other features including temperature, track logging, unique 3D Compass and barometric sensor. All these keep you informed of your location, altitude and weather conditions on your adventures.

Advanced Training Functionality
The AMBIT also offers functions for the serious mountain athlete. The patent pending accelometer fused GPS gives highly responsive speed and pace with Suunto FusedSpeedTM. Heart rate monitoring with Peak Training Effect will keep you within your optimimum training zone and Recovery Time will tell you when you’re fully recovered for your next adventure. And after a hard session in the hills, the GPS will guide you home where you can upload your data for analysis on Movescount.com.

Mountain and Everyday Exploration
The AMBIT is housed in a robust BuiltToLast casing and has an enhanced battery lifetime of up to 50hrs in GPS mode. True to Suunto’s heritage in dive instruments, it is water resistant to 100m. Upgrades are available through Movescount.com.

Comments Jonathan Wyatt, six-time world mountain running champion:

”As a trail runner and mountain athlete, what I need in a watch is a heart rate monitor, speed & distance, and altimeter. The AMBIT has all these features in one unit which is really exciting. One of the main problems for endurance athletes is battery life of conventional GPS sports watches so the promise of 50hrs is a big step forward.”

“Fused speed technology also gives a more accurate pace which is vital for anyone serious about their running. Being able to pair it and use it with all the existing PODs and comfort belts is another big plus point for me. This means one watch can be used for all my activities like mountain biking, road cycling, trail and mountain running, cross country skiing and ski mountaineering.”

“Knowing that the AMBIT is built for the mountains and will survive whatever I or the elements throw at it also sets it apart. Being able to personalise the displays of the watch, download updates and analyse the data on Movescount.com all help to make the AMBIT an awesome product for mountain athletes.”

”The AMBIT is everything the outdoor athlete could want in a watch,” comments Jari Ikäheimonen, brand manager at Suunto. ”It’s a unit you can trust. With its GPS and superior functions, the Ambit takes outdoor instruments to a new level. It’s a serious watch packed within a sleek but robust casing. It is the GPS for Explorers.”

Took the Plunge and went for a new Polar HRM

The RCX5 with GPS. The truth is I love Polar HRM and like their analysing software. The things I used to hate was their lack of ANT+ and the fact that using a MAC used to be a no go.

They have changed slowly and although the RCX5 is not as good as the RS800 – it has a look I prefer. I was umping and aching over the new Garmin 910xt and the 610 but I find them ugly (although this is a completely subjective fashionista statement)… I guess I am a square (fan).

Anyway review to come I am sure.

I love this Garmin Video

Virtual Partner:

Today’s record is tomorrow’s motivation

Virtual Partner™ can turn any training session into a virtual matchup. Letting you race your previous bests or challenge any activities uploaded to Garmin Connect™.

Train with Christophe Le Mevel this winter with pre-planned training activities available for download at garmin.com/wintertraining.

Watch this video from Timmelsjoch in Austria as Team Garmin’s Christophe Le Mével climbs using the Edge 800 cycling GPS.

http://www.garmin.com/wintertraining

 

the cramping route….

Here’s the endomondo workout from todays ride:

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/25963761

Subsy

A new Heart Rate Monitor GPS for multisports: Garmin 910XT

Garmin has launched a new model in its sport GPS range, the Garmin Forerunner 910XT. It promises to be the ideal solution for those that want a multisport watch even though it’s intended purchaser is the tri-athlete.

Major plus points for me

1. Large display
2. gps
3. ANT+
4. waterproof
5. map display
6. Better Training Effect courtesy of Training Peaks.

 

Building on the success of Garmin‘s previous multisport GPS units, the Forerunner 910XT adds swim features including swim distance, stroke count, swim efficiency and pace.

The Garmin Forerunner 910XT can track a whole Ironman race

It also calculates a SWOLF score – the sum of the time taken to swim one length plus the number of strokes for that length (the lower the score, the better your swimming). Like the Forerunner 310XT, it also measures distance in open water using its GPS tracking feature. The shape of the unit has been designed to be sleeker and smaller, so it will fit under a wetsuit more easily and won’t hamper your progress going into T1.

It’s designed to be used across all three triathlon disciplines and can be moved from wrist to handlebar using a quick-release feature and bike mount. Transitions can be logged and the battery life is a promised 20 hours, so even an Ironman can be recorded from start to finish.

You’ll also get all the training functions that Garmin’s previous Forerunner units performed so well, such as heart-rate tracking, training effect, and the Virtual Racer feature. Forerunner 910XT will be available mid November 2011 with a suggested retail price of £359 without heart-rate monitor and £389 with heart-rate monitor. Look out for a review on triradar.com next month.

Polar RCX5 review (from Pez cycling news)

Polar was the pioneer in portable heart rate monitors for athletes, and continues to set the benchmark for heart rate devices. Their latest launch is the top-shelf RCX5, featuring just about every possible training feature in a sleek unit that is perfectly designed for cyclists on and off the bike

Having been in cycling since the mid-1980s and being a scientific geek for at least as long if not longer, I have personally owned or professionally used nearly every generation of Polar watches. Like collecting hockey cards or comic books, I wish I had kept all of them so that I can set up a museum display in my lab! While old tech has an aura of its own, I’m always happy whenever a new toy lands on my desk. With that in mind, I spent a month putting the new Polar RCX5 through its paces.

The RCX5 comes with everything you need to turn your bike, body, and laptop into a cycling cyborg. The RCX5 package is customizable, and accessories include a handlebar mount, speed and cadence sensors, the s3 Stride sensor, the G5 GPS transmitter, the new Hybrid HR transmitter that can give good signals while swimming, and the data stick for downloading to polarpersonaltrainer.com. 

Loaded with Features
When it comes to heart rate monitors, I’m of the sentiment that there are only two types of market out there. On the one hand, there’s the large majority who simply want to see their heart rate while exercising. These folks likely have no desire to record their heart rate, download their exercise file, or really do any secondary analysis. For this market, a dead simple heart rate monitor that simply tells heart rate is ideal and all that is necessary.

At the other extreme are folks like you reading this review! My theory with this demographic is that, if you’re going to have any kind of bells and whistles beyond the basic reading of heart rate, you might as well go all out and have as much functionality and interactivity as possible. The RCX5 certainly fulfills this goal by having a full slate of heart rate and cycle computer features, with additional expansion capabilities through compatibility with a wide array of optional accessories. You can choose to purchase the RCX5 in Multi, Run, or Bike configurations depending on what accessories you desire.

All the usual cycle computer features, such as speed, distance, trip, and cadence are available. Ditto for recording features such as lap times and time spent in 5 heart rate zones that you can customize. A variety of interval workouts of different work and rest durations can also be set up on the watch as audio and visual reminders and timers. Finally, Polar has integrated a vast array of tests for everything from estimated fitness through to recovery. The possibilities are too extensive to list and review in detail. However, some highlights in terms of functions:

• The famous big red button is now a much more subdued small blue rectangle, It is angled at about 45 degree angle from the main face of the watch, and remains easy to push while riding with fingerless gloves. In my experience, this is the first Polar watch where I haven’t accidentally pressed the red button in everyday use, which can get incredibly aggravating when you find yourself with hours of “ghost” data.

• For recording laps, a great new feature is the Heart Touch, where you can mark a new lap simply by holding the watch next to the transmitter. This is great for training in the winter with gloves or any time you do not want to be fiddling with buttons. You can also customize this Heart Touch to show the time, activate the backlight, change training view, or show training limits.

• The Zone Optimizer feature can take some of the guesswork out of training. Rather than static heart rate zones that do not change day to day regardless of your fitness or fatigue, The Zone Optimizer tracks your heart rate and heart rate variability in the first 5 minutes of your workout, prompting you to ride for 2 min each in your Zones 1 and 2, followed by 1 min in Zone 3. From this, an algorithm adjusts your 5 heart training zones for that workout.

• The RCX5 can display 4 lines of data at a time. Pretty much any data you can think of can be displayed, from the usual speed and distance, lap and total times, through to different heart rate metrics (max, average, current) and energy burned (kcalories). Each of the lines of data have a similar size though, so none necessarily pop out at you. However, the large watch face makes the screen quite easy to view and the display is very readable.

• You can switch easily between up to 6 Training Views, each with 4 lines of customizable data. Furthermore, there are additional settings for 2 bikes, running, swimming, and other sports. The unique aspect of the RCX5 is that, even in the middle of a workout, you can switch between bikes or the multisport settings, permitting you to log a dual workout within the same file.

• The soft fabric Wearlink HR strap from Polar is simply the most comfortable strap I have used. It conforms well to the body, and can therefore be snugged up really tight so there’s no risk of slipping, but yet not restrict breathing or feel uncomfortable at the same time. The RCX5’s new “Hybrid” transmitter is the first from Polar that is designed to provide clean signals while swimming.

Ease of Use
Loads of features are pointless if the unit itself is difficult to navigate or to set. The Polar system shines in this respect, thanks to easy two-way communication with the polarpersonaltrainer.com on-line training log software. You can adjust pretty much everything directly using the watch by itself, but it can be annoying pushing all those watch buttons on a continual basis. I personally found the buttons so well placed on the RCX5 that the watch simple to configure on its own.

Polarpersonaltrainer.com
We will have a more in-depth review of Polar’s online training tracking software, polarpersonaltrainer.com, in another article, because it has been extensively updated and improved. The main thing to note, as it relates to the RCX5, is that data transfer using the data stick is simple to use and foolproof.

Briefly, PolarPersonalTrainer.com can provide nearly every type of heart-rate based training analysis that you can desire. Polarpersonaltrainer.com has added GPS viewing to its features, so each downloaded file includes an integrated view of the ride on Google Maps set to the terrain map view. Start, finish, and each lap are clearly marked, and the entire map can be zoomed in and out. This is a huge improvement over downloading it and then opening it up separately on Google Earth. For someone who’s travelling as much as I will be this coming year, GPS is a perfect way for keeping a scrapbook of great rides in different parts of the world.

Another nice feature of polarpersonaltrainer.com is the algorithm calculating Training Load. This gives each workout a numerical value based on effort and duration, so that you can track your long-term training stress and give some insight into your state of fitness or fatigue.

The optional S3 Stride+ sensor provides information on stride length and cadence, and has also undergone a slimming diet and a more secure attachment design compared to the previous Polar footpod sensors. 

G5 GPS = Goodness
For me, though, the real star of the show is Polar’s new G5 GPS sensor, which is compatible with both the RCX5 and RS800CX watches. I really loved using the previous G3 model, preferring it to the traditional speed sensor. That’s because I can use it with any bike at my disposal, rather than having to buy a separate speed sensor for each bike. 

The G5 marks a major improvement over the G3 in my opinion, due to its ridiculously small and light (46 g including the rechargeable battery, whereas the G3 was ~50 g without the single AA battery) design. It’s about the size of a large USB memory drive and approximately half to a third of the overall size of the G3, being all but unnoticeable when tossed into a jersey pocket or hydration pack. For multisport athletes, the included armband holds the G5 securely. The G5 has a claimed battery life of 20 hours, and I’ve used it for at least 15 h between charges without coming close to running it down.

The G5 GPS sensor take up pretty much no space and doesn’t flop around in your pocket while standing on the bike. I found it insanely reliable, and quickly ditched the actual bike speed sensor in favour of just using the G5 all the time regardless of bike or sport. 

Another improvement with the G5 GPS is that the noticeable time lag I experienced with the G3 seems to have disappeared. With the G3, I found a slight time lag of about 5 s with speed changes before the GPS speed catches up. So you can be at the bottom of a steep roller before the speed reading goes up, and vice versa in that there’s a few seconds lag after you start climbing before the speed drops. I’ve been riding for the past weeks with the G5 GPS right next to my regular PowerTap SL+ hub-based sensor and Joule 2.0 computer, and the speed responds as fast with the G5 as the SL+ hub. Of note of course is that the G5 and RCX5 works as a GPS recorder only, and that it doesn’t provide navigational abilities.

This is usually the point in the review where we’d show a pic of the whole bike computer setup. But since you can just wear the watch on your wrist and stuff the G5 in a pocket, there’s nothing to actually see and you can end up with full functionality with the cleanest look around!

GPS Practical Advantages
In addition to the functionality of GPS itself, the G5 has a whole host of practical advantages:

• For the multisport crowd, the GPS provides a seamless equipment transition between running and biking.

• The GPS also permits a full range of speed and distance tracking for cross-training, from hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, through to kayaking (it’s water-resistant, but keep it in a waterproof pouch regardless!). 

• Having as many bikes as I do, it’s a ridiculous expense to equip each of them with a speed sensor. Having the GPS also gives me extra geek points for tracking speed and distance data for the times when I’m running with the cross bike or portaging the mountain bike, along with my commuting and casual errand biking too.

• The speed sensors have non-replaceable batteries, so they’re dead and done once the batteries wear out and you need to buy a complete new sensor. Therefore, combined with the multiple bikes issue, the higher initial cost of the GPS unit will pay for itself.

• Hands up who actually goes to the full effort of measuring the circumference of each bike’s main wheels, let alone different wheelsets with different tires? I thought so, since I’m a science data geek and I still generally just set all of my bike computers to a default 2096 mm circumference for road tires. With the GPS, there’s no need for calibration between bikes and wheelsets or tires.

Godzilla versus King Kong: RCX5 versus RS800CX
Polar positions the RS800CX as the top model in its line, and the RCX5 slots just below it. Realistically, both are top-flight monitors that are useful for either cyclists or multisport athletes, although the RCX5 seems marketed a bit more for multisport. Brass tacks time though: which are the real deciding points when choosing between these two models?

• First off, if you already own a RS800CX, a RCX5 is largely redundant.

• Both are compatible with the same accessories (G5 GPS, speed and cadence sensors, S3 stride sensor for running), so a wash there. Both can record data at multiple frequencies, from 1 s to 60 s intervals.

• If style above all is your deciding factor and this is going to be your main watch on and off the bike, I think the RS800CX looks a lot better off the bike. The RCX5 looks a bit too much like Polar’s old Accurex model in its utilitarian design. On the plus side, the RCX5’s “big red button” is the first Polar model I’ve ever used where I don’t get accidental pressing of the button in everyday use.

• The RS800CX features altimeter data that is not available on the RCX5.

• Both watches are highly customizable, in terms of what data you want displayed. The larger face of the RCX5 permits 4 lines of data as opposed to the 3 on the RS800CX. 

• The RS800CX can be downloaded to polarpersonaltrainer.com, Polar’s Pro Trainer 5 software, or exported and then opened up in third party software like TrainingPeaks and WKO+. RCX5 can be downloaded to polarpersonaltrainer.com, or then exported to a file on your computer and then opened up in TrainingPeaks and WKO+. Thus, both are equally accessible across multiple software platforms.

• The RCX5 has new features that are major ergonomic improvements. The memory capacity is higher (I logged 20h worth of HR and GPS data with recording set at 2 s intervals), and features like the Zone Optimizer, Race Pace and the Heart Touch can help with your training, pacing, and also makes the watch itself much easier to use.

• The RS800CX has an OwnOptimizer test feature that analyzes your training status in the morning by examining your heart rate variability at rest. The RCX5 does not have this feature, but similar information can be gained using the Zone Optimizer feature during training, or by analyzing the Training Load information on polarpersonaltrainer.com.

• The RCX5 can switch sports/bikes in the middle of a workout or race, which makes it ideally suited to multisport athletes. In contrast, this would require stopping a file, starting another one, and ultimately many more button pushes with the RS800CX.

So at the end of the day, I found the two watches pretty similar in terms of being fully loaded and excellent watches. Your choice between them really comes down to personal preference.

Summary
Is the Polar RCX5 the ultimate training watch? There are other systems out there with close to the same general features for less cost. However, I think it’s fair to say that Polar remains firmly at the head of the pack, thanks to its comprehensive array of features, its compatibility with accessories (GPS, speed, cadence, stride sensor), and the easy two-way interface with the polarpersonaltrainer.com software. If you’re committed to heart-rate based training, the combination of the watch and software gives you everything you need to analyze your training and performance. Put everything together and there really isn’t anything that you would be lacking in terms of cycling computer or heart rate function. 

The new blogger and the Jedburgh Half marathon

So previous post just up is from my twin from another mother Findlay Napier (CLICK THIS to see all his posts) …. when i say twin we share a birthday but are born 9 years apart ….  he is a talented musician, friend, surfer and he writes funnier posts than me so he has now become officially co-opted.

Our most recent joint madness is entering the Jedburgh Half Marathon …. I want to get a unatainable 1h30m finish time and Findlay wants glory whatever the time. Douglas the other male bit from Findlay’s band is also in as is Jolene’s cousin whi is a real runner.

So this morning once guests were up and watered I dressed for  the Monsoon’onic weather and left the house. I needed to calibrate the footpod on my new Garmin FR60 so I was also running with a Garmin bike GPS to get a more accurate distance. The info sheet suggests a run of 400-800m to calibrate but I figured that 12km would be REALLY accurate. As it turns out the footpod is about 7% out … so calibrated and hopefully the next run will be accurate and wont give me a despondent 4:55m/km reading for pace …… as it turns out it was 4:46m/km which is better but still slow.

My cold is shifting so looking forward to quicker runs and interval sessions this week.

The route is great – down to the occasional war zone of Glasgow Green then along the river – leaping over the police tape then running until I hit the 6km mark …. then a return.

the stop was me having found a torch on the path trying to give it to one of the rowing coaches that follow the path on their bikes … they are the only other ‘users’ at this time of the day when it is is pissing down with rain …..

Bryton Cardio 30 – A Full Review

I will start this review saying I really really wanted the Bryton Cardio 30 to be a great product. On paper it seemed perfect – a small size, waterproof, gps enabled but I have been sadly let down.

Out of the box it seemed nice presented in a neat case with instructions and lead enclosed.

Physical:

It is smaller and lighter than I thought it would be – the tiny face displaying 3 lines of data. The strap is comfortable which is a major point for me. The waterproof rating is very good and the construction seems robust.

In Action:

This is were I start to well up – it is hopeless as a training HRM. It may pair easily enough with ANT+ coded items and it may acquire a satellite reading in an OK time but it sucks when you want to read any info from it in a run. The display is useless – it always shows distance in the top line of the display and it will show Heart Rate / Time / Calories / Distance(rpt) but what any running watch needs to show is at least HR and Disatnce AND Time …. preferably at the same time.

The second bad point is that although it can be set to autolap at every 1km say it does nothing else … there is no lap time shown / there is no summary to read and no way to gauge how fast your last split was unless you deduct the last km from current and try work out the split …. and when you are pressing on in a training run this is the last thing you can do.

So this leaves it as a GPS tracker with which you can analyse your run when you finish …. but the disaster here is that the GPS is wildly inaccurate. I used it on the MTB marathon in Wales and it was way different from the Garmin Edge 305 I had on the bike (this is a steal these days at £170 ish)

Blue=Bryton Green=Garmin

This was bad enough but did a run on my regular river route and the Bryton came up very short again … you can see the type of track it records … this is an open park with near zero tree cover and NO tall building nearby ….

My Suunto T6 with GPS and the Garmin Edge (as well as sites like WALKJOGRUN) gave the same reading only ever differentiating by about 50m over a 12km run – but the Bryton is bad – it is out by 800m on this run which is an 83.9% accuracy according to a comparison on Sportypal…. so distance wise it was 800m out on this run and 2km out over a 52km ride. Very Very VERY poor

So thankfully Wiggle operates a good return policy and I will be buying something else that is ANT+ compliant (prob a Garmin of some sort)

BOTTOM LINE – Avoid the Bryton Cardio like the plague ….. it is faulty with bad software, bad GPS and terrible interface.

I have since bought myself a polar RCX5 which is just fantastic …. review HERE

Half Marathon: End of Week One

Hard to believe but in one week there has actually been some improvement. My GPS hasn’t been working so on Wednesday I ended up running the one hour ten minutes I’d planned for today. Today I ran a far harder course and managed to squeeze in an extra point four of a mile.

First Hour and Ten

8 miles / 12.874752 kmCreated 09.14.11 by Findlay

2nd Sunday Long Run

8.4 miles / 13.5184896 kmCreated 09.18.11 by Findlay

Surprised to feel my leg muscles really hurting after 50 minutes. I obviously haven’t been running hard enough recently for them to get tired.

The missing piece of the surfing the single fin came to me yesterday via Angus Lyon. He’s got a bet going with the guys in Kilter to do 100 pushups in six weeks using this phone app http://hundredpushups.com/

I’d be happy with 10 pushups at the moment but I guess it’s a chance to aim high… 15 maybe.

[This post originally appeared on Findlay Napier's blog]

Bryton Cardio 30 review (the first few days)

The watch HRM is still new to me but initial thoughts are this. (Update used at Ruthin in MTB race with mixed result see bottom of this page HERE part  …..Was using the Bryton Cardio 30 on the bike as well as the Garmin Edge 305 (which is great and now around £175) and there was quite a large difference in readings. There was a small section in woodland but not enough for this difference…..)

Now done a Full Review where I advise against spending money on this watch.

Good Points

• The watch is small – much smaller than you think – quite a bit smaller than the Garmin 405 which I guess is a direct competitor, and more importantly comfortable on the wrist which the Garmin wasn’t.
• Bryton Bridge seems reliable and the ability to export .gpx files is great for those using other online diaries like endomondo (although giving the protocol to Endomondo would be useful too in case people wanted to import direct)
• Waterproof rated to 30m so I wont hesitate to use this kite surfing.
• Ability to pair with any ANT+ protocol device like HRM straps and power meters / cadence sensor etc

Middle Points

• So far I would say i am still not convinced – initial operation is a bit fiddly – the user interface is more complicated than most GPS units I have used.
• Initial satellite lock is longer than the Garmin 405 and the Suunto GPS pod.
• The displays on the watch are also not as clear or as user friendly useful as some I have seen.
• The USB connector lead is short – for me connecting to the back on an iMac I would say an inch or two too short but others may find it fine. Unusual connection – don’t lose the lead as it isn’t a regular USB. This uniqueness may have something to do with the waterproof features.

Not so good Points

• The display always has distance at the top of screen then main display is set as either km/h, rpm (stride), min/km, HR or calories. I would have liked to see an average pace as GPS reading are so flaky that it isn’t a reliable indicator.
• Display is small and doesn’t have the versatility you would need as runner or biker in monitoring your stats/status.
• A moan would be the lack of auto-lap summary – I have set unit to put in lap marker every 1km but it needs to flash you the last km time to be really useful as a running HRM. The Suunto T6C would flash up a lap time for a few seconds e.g. 4:11 along with ave HR for that lap so then you would know whether to kick in a bit or stay at pace.

Summary:

Still positive but yet to take it for a proper run – will do that one morning this week before work or Saturday morning and hopefully I can report back with an extended update.

Bryton Cardio 30 ordered – to be reviewed soon

Interesting to see how the new upstart compares to others on the market.

Cardio 30

Cardio 30, the smallest GPS sports watch on the market, is for all levels of athletes. By setting goals in our pro-training programs, Cardio 30 can accurately calculate and record your location, speed, distance, pace, stride rate, cadence*, heart rate* and more. Your training results then can be shared and analyzed at brytonsport.com.

With built-in “G sensor”, no extra foot pod is needed for indoor exercise.

Obviously Garmin (with their patent infringement lawsuit) have their various Forerunners (which I found uncomfortable and too chunky) and Suunto with their T6C and Polar are main competitors … although Suunto/Polar have seperate GPS units which pair.

I wanted a system that worked on ANT+ so that my cycling and running as on one system …..

A review coming which will hopefully give more info and insight than the Bryton website.

Running on automatic

Went for run this morning after 7am and it was already mid 30′s …. decided just to do a nice 8km+ easy run as I was flying later and didnt want to miss out on some exercise today.

I was running around one of the lakes almost on auto plot – the first and last km are on dirt so that slows things down. I looked down as my HRM beeped (I set my Suunto T6 to autolap every km when running on gps) it said a slow 4:52/km so I just relaxed and carried on. When I finished I was washing some kit then looked through my lap times … amazing in that 5 of the km laps are within the second. That really is cruising on automatic … if I tried to do it that steady there is no way I would manage.

look at the laps

Suunto (and Polar) needs to become fully ANT+ soon or be left behind.

Currently there are four major data exchange protocols used by fitness peripherals: Nike+, ANT+ ,Suunto ANT and Polar WindLink. There may be more but these are the ones that I know of.

When it came to Heart Rate Monitoring Polar was the name that everyone wanted to replicate and copy. Polar  had a grand four data transfer standards (Polar Analogue, Polar Coded Analogue, Polar FlowLink and Polar WindLink). Sigma and Suunto where also available but nothing had the software power that polar had.

But then combined GPS running came together and Garmin grew. Other HRM like Timex released early GPS units with separate monitors and GPS units that paired. Then Garmin stole a march with early Foretrex / Forerunner units that allowed you to upload to a PC (the lack of Mac compatibility esp with Suunto and Polar is a reason many chose to desert them)

Then in  2008 Nike introduced Nike+iPod for the Gym. With an semi-open standard (Nike+) it allowed for cardio-equipment (treadmills, bikes, and cross-trainers etc.) to exchange data with the Nike+ and iPod (and now also iPhone). How cool was that? Moreover Nike and Apple provided free assistance for companies on how to integrate their protocol into equipment and suddenly several large manufacturers of cardio-equipment like TechoGym and Star Trac was compatible with an iPod/ iPhone. (cleverly capturing the wanted 17-40 age bracket)

another ANT+ adopter

In the meantime Garmin was on its heels, keeping it’s ANT+ for it’s serious use, and Polar, Sigma, Suunto, and the others did the same. Now the funny thing is that most semi-serious and serious running- and cycling-entusiasts keep at Garmin, Polar, Sigma and Suunto, although there is no free training software that allows input from all of them.

But then Dynastream Innovations Inc (part of Garmin) who controls both the ANT underlying network standard(which is in fact used by both ANT+, Nike+, Suunto ANT and WindLink) and Garmins own ANT+ data transfer standard, created the ANT+ Alliance and opened up the ANT+ protocol. So then ANT+ wasn’t limited to heart rate, GPS and cadence monitoring but a lot of fancy things, and the alliance is now joined by Adidas, CycleOps, iBike, McLaren, Microsoft, Texas Instruments,Timex and Trek amongst others. I wonder what made this happen…

Suunto and Polar are in danger of being left out cold (but being Finnish maybe they like the bracing air) I have Garmin on my Bikes, as well as Suunto T6 for running (with a speed pod on one bike) but they dont talk to each other ….

So what happens next? Well since all these products are using similar hardware the obvious answer would be: They all now change to the complete open ANT+ standard, allowing for exchange between all equipment in every conceivable fashion. I doubt this is ever going to happen, but I think that something is going to happen. Because in the end people want to combine their cardio-watches, treadmills, maybe their music-devices and training managers in their own way. And these should be able to exchange data, and take input from all areas.

Bike Run and Heart Rate Monitoring apps which make the grade

Finally some apps I think are good enough for Heart Rate monitoring and Running and time on the bike.

For this to work you need an ANT+ Heart Rate Belt (garmin, timex, VDO – but not Suunto or Polar YET)

and a wahoo fitness dongle for £70 (to get that data into your iPhone or iPod)

In alphabetical Order

Ascent Mobile $9.99

AscentMobile allows you to record, display, and analyze activities involving movement. Tracks can be recorded on the iPhone using the internal GPS, or downloaded via WiFi from the companion desktop application “Ascent”. Altitude profiles and maps are displayed, as well as various reports and graphs that show your performance over time. Tracks recorded on the iPhone can be sent as an email attachment to your favorite email account for loading into any other compatible program or web site.

BikyCoach $2.99

Your pocket bike computer. Whether you use a mountain bike or a racing bike, Biky Coach is your personal trainer that helps you keep track of your progress and meet your fitness goals. Train yourself with your personal coach while listening to music and sharing your progress with friends, all with Biky Coach’s many features.

*** FEATURED BY APPLE ***

Using the GPS feature of your iPhone, Biky Coach provides real time information of all your race statistics (speed, distance, elevation, calories burned…) and stores them for later review. Biking Coach gives you all the information you would get from a GPS biking computer but for a fraction of the cost !

View your statistics with any of the 15 customizable graphs available. Unlike other applications, there is no need to upload your data to a website to analyze your results so you can quickly track your progress right in the app itself.

Biky Coach will give you personalized vocal updates on race statistics through your earphones! Hear all your stats including distance, speed, calories burned, and amount of time lapsed without slowing your pace or breaking your concentration to check your phone.

Allow your friends to follow your progress on Facebook, Twitter or by mail.

Biky Coach is now compatible with ant+ fisica key and heart rate sensors.

Fiscia / Wahoo Sensor Utility £free

REQUIRES the Wahoo Sensor Key or Wahoo Sensor Case, enabled by ANT+ technology, and compatible fitness sensor. Visit http://www.wahoofitness.com for more information on compatible sensors and more information.

Wahoo Fitness App takes advantage of all of the existing ANT+ sensors in the market including power meters for cyclists. It supports automatic upload of workouts to MapMyFitness, Nike+, TrainingPeaks, Garmin Connect, Strava and also exports files via email for upload and analysis anywhere! We’ve added several new features with V2.0 including importing wirelessly from select Garmin devices and free Live telemetry via MapMyTracks.

iMobileintervals $5.99

iMobileIntervals (iMi) turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a powerful cycling or running computer. iMi is GPS and ANT+ capable with a feature-set to beat any of the leading hardware solutions. Telemetry to webpage-embeddable widget. Optional use of speech technology or tones to guide you through your workout.

///////// HIGHLIGHTS //////////

—– Performance Data & Location —–
With the WahooFitness Fisica ANT+ accessory, see your HR, speed, pace, cadence or watts, just like the leading hardware solutions costing hundreds of $$$.
Uses GPS for speed/distance/pace if no ANT+ stride, speed or speed-sending power sensor is detected.
Moving map of athlete’s location.
Telemetry: Send live data, viewable in embeddable widget or custom imobileintervals.com page. Includes a moving map. Not dependent on WahooFitness accessory.
All brands of ANT+ wireless stride sensors, speed sensors and powermeters are supported by the WahooFitness accessory.
Direct upload of data and route to Nike+, including heart rate.
Sync .fit file to your Dropbox (useful for Garmin Connect or WKO+)
TrainingPeaks workout calendar integration, both reading workouts and sending results: Automatically log completed workouts directly to TrainingPeaks, and see your data graphed immediately.
iPhone GPS Location track data logged to TrainingPeaks and Nike+.
Works offline; app saves multiple workout sessions and reports when network becomes available.

Livecycling $12.99 OUCH

You can view the full list of compatible devices on the LiveCycling website.
Your iPhone will turn into an high quality Cycle Computer!

What LiveCycling can do:

• Display the Heart rate and Speed/Cadence data in real-time
• Display the chart of Heart rate and Speed/Cadence data in real-time
• Register multiple bicycles and save each sensor and odometer
• Log Speed, Cadence, Heart rate and GPS
• Display the training log on the MAP
• Display the chart of the training log
• Display KML maps
• Display the total travel distance

not as versatile expensive but a nice bike display

Rubitrack $free

Turn your iPhone 3GS and 3G into a fully fledged activity recorder with rubiTrack Recorder! With rubiTrack Recorder you can record all your outdoor activities like biking, running, walking and hiking.

• Features

The activity recorder displays a live track preview with optional maps background with compass arrow and elevation chart. rubiTrack Recorder lets you lock the device so you can put it in a pocket during the recording. The history lets you quickly review and compare done activities showing their most important data and instant track and elevation charts.

In conjunction with the Fisica dongle by Wahoo Fitness and compatible ANT+ sensors, rubiTrack records and saves sensor data from heart rate, cadence, speed, power and footpod sensors.

rubiTrack Recorder directly uploads to rubiTrack for Mac via Wi-Fi without having to upload your data to an online web service.

Another day at Glentress and another Racing Ralph UST torn

I was filming last week – but schedule was to do so in Peebles and promised an early 4:30pm finish. So a plan was hatched to hit Glentress in the late afternoon for a burn up the hill to the radio mast. I put the Carver Ti Bride (my rohloffed 96er) on the roof of the car.

I had a nagging feeling that I had left something behind as I was driving down the road but had been going through the checklist….

Bike … check

Shoes … check

Helmet … check

Pumps (air and shock) check … you get the idea … then whilst filming I thought of socks and thought Bingo that’s what I forgot … luckily the very excellent BSpoke bikes was a couple of hundred metres away – and the BikeHub at Glentress is also great although I had a fear that it may have closed early …..

So got to the centre paid my £3 parking then set the Garmin 305 onto the ride I did in a pack and in snow in Jan in an effort to see how much quicker summer is.

The route I took (GPX file is here if you want it) in Jan was followed as I was soon so far ahead I couldnt see the little figure that acts as a pace maker when doing Garmin routes ….

The ride is lovely winding up the red and black routes to the radio mast at the top ….

You go over the little wood tricks on the way up – a great way to get your focus balanced before pointing downhill.

Skinny's on the way up

The higher black part of the climb has one or two tricky sections but the idea is to get all the way up without putting your foot down … I did but only for a p*ss break !! (the gpx file for the route up is here)

Radio Mast - all downhill from here

Got to the radio mast in about 1h10min and then I was ready for a smashing downhill. 200m down the road as I was leaving the Fire Road to get onto first singletrack …. Clank ….. Tsssssss. My new Racing Ralph UST was pissing air. Rolling it on side to get sealant to plug was no use … tried adding high volume air and lay on side for gloop to work and no good.

Thought I would have to bite the bullet and put a tube in as the hole / tear was pretty small when it dawned on me … that earlier nagging feeling. I gave my last inner tube to my friend Findlay when he had a puncture and I wasn’t carrying one.

some of the single track I missed

BUT … it was a beautiful night – the air was still and sun was pure delight … I help up the saddle and proceeded to run down the mountain following the escape route. It was just over 13km up and only a 4.7km run down in stiff carbon soled MTB shoes. Still exercise is exercise.

Shame to miss out on the nice singletrack descent and the swooping bermed loveliness but I could have been working or sat on my arse somewhere.

Comparing the routes in Sportypal it was interesting to see my average speed up was higher than my up/down average in a group in the snow in Jan

HRM route reading on the Suunto Movescount site

The question at the end is why Schwalbe one of the biggest and some say best tyre manufacturers has such a problem in their UST department? Having one Racing Ralph rip on a normal groomed made MTB course could be construed as unlucky but to have a second one go so quickly is ridiculous. The terrain is not rough – probably smoother than nearly every XC course I have ridden on. So good riddance to the RR and time to get the Maxis Larsen TT on the bike.

Has anyone else had a problem with Racing Ralph’s?

WordPress 5km run Done and Dusted – around Glasgow Green

wordpress 5k

Tomorrow is my brother in laws wedding and with the amount of relatives coming to stay and general business I wasn’t sure if I could do the WP 5km in time for Sunday. I was going to do a longer run today but thought it made more sense to do this 5km now. The weather is glasgow has been dreich – well actually pissing down the last 2 days. Still a bit of wind about (but I am working instead of at the coast kitesurfing like i would prefer ….

So off for the run – down to Glasgow Green (with an annoying pause at busy road junction see HR drop) and for a wee run around heading back hopefully to make the 5km mark. Running with a Suunto t6c and attached GPS pod so finding distance is pretty good. Well almost good as I overshot the mark and stopped the clock at 5km mark and just cooled down the last 500m.

5km 22min 10sec PACE (slow 4:25/km)

Might do a double on the Sunday – a 10km run to celebrate all those attempting the run.

heartrate