Let's go for a run!
Once you have calibrated the S625X and set all your personal options, it is
time to head out for a run. After using the S625X, you will quickly realize
how much information it can display. This is both good and bad. It is good
because you can display almost anything you could want to see while running.
It is bad because the monitor only has room to display three data
elements, and one of those will only display heart rate data. That leaves
only two spots on the S625X for other data elements. If you want to look at
something that is not currently displayed you need to scroll through all the
available elements to show what you want to see. This can be somewhat
frustrating if you are running hard. The variables that you can display
include distance, altitude, ascent, time of day, lap time, run time, pace,
calories burned, trip distance, speed, average speed, and maximum speed.
Most runners have a preference of viewing either pace, (minutes per mile or
minutes per kilometer) or speed (miles per hour or kilometers per hour).
People rarely need both. If a runners preference could be set, then the Polar
could exclude variables the runner does not care to see.
With all these data elements, you would think that none would be missing,
but some are. Polar should include cumulative pace, cumulative lap pace, lap
distance, and cadence as possible display options.
Polar should also allow the area that currently displays only heart rate data
to display other information. There are times, for example, when a runner might
want to see run distance, pace, and lap time. With the Polar this is not possible,
because although the S625X has a place to display three fields of information,
one of those is locked on to heart rate information.
Rather that providing buttons that cycle through all the various readings, Polar
should allow the user to set up a variety of screens. If the user could define
three or four screens, then they need only cycle through those three screens.
It would be nice, for example, to be able to set up a "now" screen that shows
current HR, current pace, and cumulative distance. A second screen could show
lap distance, lap pace, and lap HR. A third screen could then display altitude,
total time, and time of day. These are just examples of what one runner might
like. Other users should be able to define other screens with the variables
they find useful. The right side buttons could then be used to go back and forth
between screens. This would be much more efficient than the one-way cycling of
variables that is now required and is similar to the well designed system used
by Garmin in their Forerunners.
When you set up your exercise sets you can define three heart rate limits. For
example, you may want to set limits of 145-159 as your range for aerobic training,
160-169 for anaerobic threshold training, and 170-175 for VO2 max training. The
polar allows you to do this. Once you have these ranges set up, you can select
the range in which you want to train and the S625X will tell you if you are within,
above, or below that range. You can start out a run in range 1, move to range 2
for some tempo work, move to range 3 for some VO2 max training, and then back to
range 1 for your cool down. You move from one HR limit to the next by holding
down the upper-right button for a couple of seconds.
You should note, however, that in the Polar environment heart rate limits are
different than heart rate training zones. The former is built into
the S625X receiver and its primary purpose is to
alert users when they are outside defined ranges. The latter is used in
the Polar Precision Performance Software
(PPP) only and can be used to show how much time or how many miles was spent in your
various HR training zones. Many athletes monitor how much time they spend in various
training zones because it helps them understand their workload better than simply
looking at hours or miles run. Unfortunately, this functionality, the tracking of
time spent in various zones, is a feature of the PPP software only. This is
unfortunate since many people may not choose to use the PPP software.
You can simulate the functionality of HR zones in your HRM, without using PPP, by
using the HR limits feature, but this is quite clunky. Polar should build HR zone
functionality into the HRM itself so that runners can track time spent in each zone,
both for the current run and over time, without using PPP.
The signals sent by the WearLink are coded, so your S625X will pick up signals from
only your WearLink. If you have ever run in a group or race where other people are
wearing HRMs and you were not using a coded transmitter and receiver, then you will
know that in such a situation you can not trust the heart rate displayed by your
receiver. The WearLink was tested during the 2005 Boston Marathon (without the
foot pod) and gave reliable heart rate readings throughout the race, even though
many other surrounding people were wearing HR monitors.
Foot pods transmission is not coded, however. This could lead to erroneous readings,
but we were not able to verify this.
One other note about the foot pod. Some runners may find that they do not like its
feel. It is not heavy, but if the top of your foot is bony and you wear shoes with
thin tongues, then you may find the foot pod is uncomfortable. Minimalists runners
who spend much of their training wearing light weight trainers or racing flats may
not be able to wear the foot pod. Barefoot runners...well, nevermind.
[top]
< < Next Page
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Next Page > >
