One of the key advantages of running is that it’s a sport that requires very little equipment to get started. A decent pair of trainers, and, if you’re female, a sturdy sports bra, and you’re good to go. There’s a certain satisfaction in just being able to grab these things, open your door and get on with it and that applies whether you are a novice runner, just taking it up and enjoying the achievement of a 5k run, or if you’re a more experienced runner, who’s been running for years and now focuses on beating your own PB or going slightly further…
Having said that, as we head towards the start of our inaugural 12 Weeks to Transform Your Running program (commencing on the 15th of February), there is another piece of equipment that we highly recommend, and that’s a heart rate monitor.
When you’re running it can be very hard to perceive your level of effort and intensity. You can try and grade it on your breathing, and whether or not you can hold a conversation, but with a heart rate monitor you can find out exactly how hard or not, you are working, based on your heart rate.
When you use a heart rate monitor whilst training, you can work out the different heart rate zones and intensities so that you train appropriately – ensuring that the level of training is correct for fat burning, aerobic fitness, endurance, or whatever the particular focus of your session is.
Within the 12 Weeks To Transform Your Running we will guide you on how to use your heart rate monitor, what range you should be training within and what to be aiming for.
In the meantime, if you are just starting out (this is likely to be the athletes currently running 5k in over 30 minutes) then we have done some research in the market place, and put together a list of basic heart rate monitors that you might want to take a look at, here. These are fairly standard heart rate monitors with a build in stopwatch, and start for around £10 through to around £40.00.
If you are a more advanced runner (in the below 30 minutes for a 5k group) then you may already be familiar with running tech and might be looking for something a little more advanced. If you have a running watch that not only covers heart rate but also GPS and pace, then this can start to help you shave minutes off your run time and ultimately become a better runner.
We have also looked at these more advanced heart rate monitors. Remember, these aren’t essential pieces of kit, but if you are in the market for some run tech then do take a look here, where we’ve looked at a selection on the market for £60.00 through to £295.00.
thetrilife.com are not sponsored by any of the mentioned brands, nor are we endorsing any of these products. Our findings are based on researching the market and the information is purely supplied to give an overview of what is available. We strongly recommend that you select a product that suits your own needs and budget.
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