Should You Train With a Heart Rate Monitor?

Quantitative athletes, on the other hand, are able to see real-time validation of their hard work, and the progress that results. Naturally quantitative athletes do not see this type of training as lacking in freedom, but as defining purpose. They know exactly what they are supposed to do each and every day, and most importantly, why. Many find a great deal of solace in that.

I'm sure you guessed that I'm a quantitative guy. After years and years of tracking athlete data, I have found that it is the most efficient and accurate way to ensure long-term progress and accelerate the race day learning curve. When all is said and done, training tools such as a HR monitors and/or pace and power meters can greatly enhance your ability to feel your effort on race day.

Many talented professionals and age-groupers toe the starting line in Kona each year only to realize a result that in no way represents their fitness, because they do not yet know the feel of the proper pace. At the same time, there are others who know exactly what the race should feel like, but learned it as the result of several failed attempts. They know what it feels like to overheat, to suffer dehydration, or to over pace the early portion of the bike, and they know exactly what to do when this occurs. They know these things because they have lived them. Had these same athletes been a bit more quantitative in their training and racing early on, they may have more quickly developed the feel in training, and suffered fewer racing tribulations.  

Time is of the essence in the sport of triathlon, and anything that can be done to speed the learning curve should be taken very seriously. I am a big advocate of using metrics, very early in an athlete's career, as teaching tools. This allows the athlete to learn quickly, and then use their own sense as they gain experience. Many beginner athletes see very experienced and successful professionals not using metrics in their training and racing, and believe that this is the way to go. What they don't see is the road that it took to get there.

At the very least, it is a great idea to record race day data. This allows you to review and learn from your efforts, opening a very clear lens on exactly what went well and what could have been better. What was executed perfectly, and what was executed poorly. This learning experience helps the athlete to approach the next event with a more accurate feel for the race. It doesn't take too many iterations of this, and the increasingly well-informed athlete can begin to hone in on their feel. Once this is accomplished, feel becomes a metric just as valuable as any power meter or heart rate monitor.

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Jesse Kropelnicki is an elite-level triathlon coach who founded QT2 Systems, a leading provider of personal triathlon coaching; TheCoreDiet.com, a leading provider of sports nutrition; and Your 26.2, a leading provider or marathon training programs. He coaches professional athletes Caitlin Snow, Jacqui Gordon, Ethan Brown and Tim Snow among others. He coaches professional triathletes using quantitative training and nutrition protocols. Find more coaching comments and ideas at kropelnicki.com.

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