Friday, May 23, 2008

running Index @23May

The Polar RS800sd has an interesting function called "Running Index": basically is kind of indicator of the level of "performance" during a workout, based on the HR and speed.
Higher speed during a run at a lower HR gives you a higher index. It is supposed to mimic a Vo2max level, but I do not take it for granted...
more info on the Polar website.
Anyway in the long term it is a useful indicator of the level of fitness, especially looking at the trend, rather than the actual value of a single workout.
Well, anyway the chart speaks for itself. At the best of my form (January-March) I was around 77-80 for most of the runs. Now I dropped at 70 (at the best), a value similar to the same period of last year.
With index 80, I was running at easy effort at 4'-4'05"/km and the feeling was fantastic. Index 70 is more a kind of struggling already at 4'20" and feeling comfortable at 4'30"...
To restore the right fitness I have anyway a secret weapon ready to be deployed .... (WAIT FOR NEXT POST FOR MORE DETAILS)

8 comments:

Andrea said...

I don't like heart rate monitors, but I'm enjoying using my new Garmin Forerunner 205! ;-)

by7 said...

I would also like to buy a Garmin 205 to get rid of the hassle of changing the setting of calibration whenever I switch shoes .... but...
1) I would hate even more to hang out before the run to wait for the watch to lock the satellite...
2) Once you calibrate it well, the Polar is dramatically precise ... I run several times 20k on a certified course with KM markers and the Polar hit each lap at 1,00km sharp.
Even when you make surges, it shows the exact speed after few steps...

ANDREA, quanto tempo ci vuole in media a acchiappare il segnale del satellite ??

Andrea said...

Meno male che me lo hai chiesto in italiano... ;-)

Dipende da dove ti trovi. In teoria il satellitare dovrebbe essere in grado di prendere il segnale in un lasso di tempo compreso tra i 30 secondi e i due minuti. Io abito, come la maggior parte di persone, in mezzo alle case e dunque non sempre è facile prendere velocemente il segnale. A volte, però, anche in mezzo agli ostacoli è possibile trovare un posto dove prenda (incredibile, sul balcone di casa!!! :-D)

La volta in cui ci ha messo più tempo sono passati ben 10 minuti!!!

Ultimamente, tuttavia, mi metto a correre subito ancor prima che si sia collegato al satellite. Tanto i primi passi sono di riscaldamento. Poi, nel momento in cui vedo che ha preso il segnale, faccio partire un nuovo giro.

Eric said...

Now you're talking! haha.

With the GPS based monitors, I just put them outside for a minute or two before leaving the house. Once I'm ready to leave, I walk out, put on the watch and go. Often, if the sky is clear, I can set the watch on my kitchen table, and it will pick up the satellites indoors.

Maybe that is what Andrea just wrote...=) If so, mi despiache!

by7 said...

Eric,

my only concern is that I live at the 40th floor (yes, it is not a typo ...4 ..0.. th), so if I leave the Garmin on the balcony to lock up the signal, what will happen in the 3-4 minutes that I need from the door to reach the outside of the building ??
Will the signal be lost and I have to start again ?

Eric said...

Good question. In my experience, once you lock up the signal, even if you lose the signal while going down the stairs (all 40 floors! Hill workout!), once you get outside again, the signal will return within 10 seconds.

When my wife goes for a run before I do with my Garmin 305, I can get the signal to lock within a few seconds of turning it on. If the Garmin is turned off and sits overnight, it will take 1-2 minutes to lock signal when it is first turned on.

I hope that answers your question. Cheers!

by7 said...

Eric,

that was exactly the missing piece of information that I needed.
the 40 floors: always by lift ...

Andrea said...

E' vero, io abito al secondo piano di una piccola palazzina. Pertanto in pochi secondi sono già fuori casa. Concordo, comunque, con quanto detto da Eric: mi è capitato infatti una volta di perdere il segnale in casa, ma, appena sceso, in pochi secondi il Garmin è riuscito a riagganciare il satellite. Ciao.