The Zen of HR

I was just replying to a client about how to use a HR monitor and thought it would make for a useful blog post.  I know there's lots more to HR than just this, but I've found it to be good guidelines to most people.

Using a HRM (heart rate monitor) is like looking in a funny mirror. It's a reflection of work, but not a true estimate of the work itself. (Zen's finger pointing at the moon kind of stuff.). It's a measure of your body's reaction to work.

Ok, so knowing this, a HRM is actually useful. The wrong thing to do is to force yourself to work out and follow the HRM like a religion. People get in a nasty habit of saying, "I'm going to run and stay at 135 bpm no matter what!" That's bad. You're body's reaction to that workout can vary wildly on lots of factors, most of which I'll describe in a bit.

What's good is knowing that "Easy" is around 135 bpm (for you) and looking at your HRM on occasion to confirm that you are around and about that number. This takes quite a bit of working out to get a feel of what HR "Easy" and "Hard" should feel like and discover your normally corresponding HR values. This is called "perceived exertion" or "PE".

Now, when you go out for an easy run and your HR is strangely high, this could mean that you're just plain fatigued and need a rest day. If you go out for a hard run and your HR is strangely low and you don't feel right, that means that you are bonking or dehydrated. See? You don't use your HRM to dictate your workout. You simply use it to tell you if things are right or wrong. You should already have a plan for your workout as far as how hard to go using PE.

I would enjoy more input on this.  Simple methods and ideas are best.

Workoutlog.com Adds Uploading from Files

All I can say is, "It's about time!"  One of the best workout logging programs out there has needed this for a long time.  Now let's see support for Suunto and Polar!

Supported Devices:
Forerunner 201, 205, 301, 305, 405; Edge 205, 305, 605, 705
Browsers:
Firefox 2.0+, IE 7.0+ (sorry, the Garmin software does not work with Safari...not our fault!)

How to Lose 10 pounds in One Week

I lost 10 lbs. this week!  Here's how you too can simulate your own dessication:

Step 1. Crush your willpower.  Go run 50 miles nonstop.  If you live, you'll be sobbing in the corner like The Crying Game.

Step 2. Bloat up.  You'll be craving food so bad, you can eat an entire platter of bacon-covered fajitas.  Don't skimp on the guacomole! (196.8 lbs. on Sunday)

Step 3.  Eat normally. Ok, you don't want to crash diet too fast and your willpower is starting to return.  Just eat like a normal person would.  (192 lbs. by Thurs.)

Step 4.  Eat like you should.  Stop eating when you start feeling full.  Use your returned willpower to push that plate away.  Eat fruits and veggies instead of junk.  The weight starts coming off fast! (186.8 by Sunday.)

So that's it.  Some people may say Step 4.'s "Eat like you should" is a little extreme, way more so than Step 1.'s "Run 50 miles at once", but this is America.  Toughen up!

Anton Krupika Spotted in the Wild

Ultrarunning's own favorite half-shaved cheetah just popped up as the leading image for the Greenland 50k.  Ok, so maybe it's an old image, and maybe he's still not posting much on his blog, but we'll take what we can get.

The best part is that it's classic Krupika.  Look at the horror in the face of the guy behind him.  He's thinking, "It's 20 degrees out here and I just got passed by some hippie wearing a t-shirt about baked buns.  FTW?"

ANYTHING about Anton is good stuff.  The best is when he posts things like, "I was on mile 70 of my morning jog and felt a little tired, so I ate some wild berries."  Let's hope he keeps appearing online!

Thanks to Speedgoat on the Twitters for the heads up!

Cool Green Phone Coming from Samsung

Zen is big on nature.  You should be in harmony with your surroundings, so it's easy to see how destructive and wasteful some of our habits are.  Also, Zen is big on tech.  The Dalai Lama is a huge fan of sci-tech and loves seeing new ways science helps us learn more about ourselves.

I love green tech and especially green tech that can be tied into athletics.  Expect to see a lot more posts on this type of stuff here.

Ok, with the whole explanation out of the way, CHECK OUT THIS PHONE!  I often look at that big black fat back panel on my iPhone and wonder why there's not a solar panel on that battery-sucking hoss.  Samsung makes some decent hardware, too. 

There's a question about "When would I put it in the sun to charge?"  I for one would put it on the dash of my car while driving and also on my window sill at work while slogging away for The Man.

If you don't have access to sunlight during your day, you should switch careers.  Seriously, cave cricket.

Full story HERE.