The Art of Running in the Rain

Yesterday, after my hot yoga class, a girl asked me about my heart rate monitor and it inspired me to write a post about my most beloved fitness tool, my Polar FT7!

I bought it on February 26th and I have used it everyday since (ok ok, except one day when I forgot to bring it to hot yoga)

I thought I wouldn’t like wearing the chest strap because it seemed like it would be cumbersome during runs, tabatas, hot yoga, snowboarding, etc; however, it’s just the contrary, I LOVE wearing it!  The information it provides is so great, and if there was ever any discomfort I got over that very quickly!

Some of my favorite things about the device:

• The heart rate monitor is VERY accurate, and the machines at our apartment building’s gym pick up the transmitter readings!
• The watch is extremely user friendly and doesn’t require much instruction to set up.
• The calorie counter seems accurate.
• I really like the color and how sleek it looks, I feel that it is subtle enough to go with everything I wear.
• I love being able to keep track of whether I’m in my “fitness” zone or “fat burn” zone, and which types of work outs tend to put me in each zone (for example, during hot yoga I tend to spend 80% of the time in ‘fat burn’ where as runs put me in ‘fitness’ for 90% of the time).  My understanding is you’re in the ‘fat burn’ zone when you’re building muscle and getting leaner, and ‘fitness’ when you’re building endurance.  Either way you’re torching calories 🙂

Every good review has some cons, right? Here they are:

• About two weeks in a few of the elastic fibers in the chest strap seemed to fray, which hasn’t disrupted the function, but was disappointing nonetheless.
• I’ve yet to try it while swimming, but I’ve heard that it is not as water proof as it claims to be.

The cons are sooooo much less than the pros, it was the best $115 dollars I’ve spent in a VERY long time.

My week in workouts

• Monday: Active rest – Dave and I took a nice long walk with the dogs, helped our hips and knees feel better after the long run on Sunday
• Tuesday: Twenty minute tempo run + this kettlebell workout http://pumpsandiron.com/2013/03/19/kettlebell-tabata-workout/

• Wednesday: Hot yoga at “Yoga to the People”
• Thursday: Twenty minute tempo run + 4 min. tabata of 10 sec max exertion knee highs, 5 secs rest, followed by 15 weighted squats + 15 burpee push-ups.

• Friday: Five mile run (with a few hills)
• Saturday: Spin class at “Community Fitness”
• Sunday: 10 mile long run

What are you doing this week?