This is probably going to strike many of you as a silly question, but I am wondering what is the best way to keep track of my running pace, bike speed/cadence, HR etc. during half-IMs and IMs. After racing sprint and Olympic tris for 3 years, I am stepping up to the half-IM distance this year. Pacing is going to become an issue for the first time. What do you recommend? A dedicated HRM and a separate bike computer? Or an integrated system like the Polar s725X (a wrist unit with wireless cadence, speed, and stride sensors)? Or something else? (PowerTap, SRM, and Ergomo are way beyond my budget.) For those of you who have tried out different options, what relative advantages and drawbacks have you encountered? Many thanks for your input.
The longer the race, the more the conditions play a role. You can’t rely on a computer when its 90 and windy.
All you need is a watch or simple bike computer on the bike that will tell you how long its been since you last ate and how much further you have to go until you start your run.
RPE will likely be your best guide on the run. You’ll likely have an appreciation for the level of effort you can sustain for 13.1 miles and you should leverage that for the race. Usually a watch or HRM will only confirm what you’re feeling–that it’s HOT and you’re running slower, or you’re tired and running slower, or it’s HOT and you’re tired and you’re still running well.
Of more import is determining how much you need to eat and drink on the bike and first part of the run in order to finish strong.
Forget about mile splits and other such nonsense–run until you cross the finish line. Triathlon courses are notoriously mismeasured and the variability in the course markers will only mess with your head.
Thanks for the input. Yes, definitely, environment (temperature, altitude, humidity, wind) plays a critical role – in addition to a number of other things, from nutrition to prior physical activity in the run-up to the race. (Among other things I am a SCUBA diver – and it did not even cross my mind what residual nitrogen in my blood would do to my aerobic and anaerobic performance until, shockingly, I found myself gasping for air and with legs filled with lead in a race that I entered the morning after diving.) Anyway, RPE is the best index, and I’ve done plenty half-marathons to develop an appreciation of where my body needs to be (given the conditions etc.). There is such a thing as racing too conservatively, though, and sometimes a HRM can tell the mind that the rest of the organs can work harder. Hence my original question. 
I plan to use my garmin 305 this summer. You get hrm/running pace/bike speed/optional cadence etc…in one unit. Just got mine from Costco for $179. There also a new version coming soon.
I plan to use my garmin 305 this summer. You get hrm/running pace/bike speed/optional cadence etc…in one unit. Just got mine from Costco for $179. There also a new version coming soon.
I love the Garmin 305 and use it all the time for training. However I doubt the battery will last for the bike/run portion of a full IM.
I did’t like my polar because you need to stop and restart it in T1 and T2. Also the wireless cadence sensor is way dodgy. It doesn’t really have enough power to send the signal to the wrist uint although this can be fixed but that costs in terms of battery life.
The problem if you use two different units for bike and run is that if you want the HR data for both then you have to change the strap in T2.
There really isn’t a complete solution out on the market there. We are all waiting for it.
- Long Battery life (15Hours+)
- Wireless
- GPS
- Barometric altimeter
- HRM
- Bike Cadence
- compatibility/receive data from Powertap, SRM or ergomo
- Running speed (GPS)
- Running cadence
- Seamless transition
I believe Garmin are working on a 605 model which will have almost all of this.
I plan to use my garmin 305 this summer. You get hrm/running pace/bike speed/optional cadence etc…in one unit. Just got mine from Costco for $179. There also a new version coming soon.
I love the Garmin 305 and use it all the time for training. However I doubt the battery will last for the bike/run portion of a full IM.
I did’t like my polar because you need to stop and restart it in T1 and T2. Also the wireless cadence sensor is way dodgy. It doesn’t really have enough power to send the signal to the wrist uint although this can be fixed but that costs in terms of battery life.
The problem if you use two different units for bike and run is that if you want the HR data for both then you have to change the strap in T2.
There really isn’t a complete solution out on the market there. We are all waiting for it. DO you have the same 305 I have?
- Long Battery life (15Hours+) - OP said he was moving up to HALF IM. Hopefully, that’s < 15 hours. Garmin.com says 10 hours is typical. I haven’t used mine for more than two hours yet, so I can’t say if that’s accurate. The way I look at it, you use the 305 for the bike, and then at least the majority of the run. (For a FULL) After 10 +hours, and a major portion of the run, most people aren’t too concerend about perfect pacing - they just want to finish the damn run! No biggie if the battery dies at that point. (Bummer, yes, but not a disaster)
- Wireless robust wireless heart rate monitor for optimal performance
- GPS includes a high sensitivity GPS receiver
- Barometric altimeter - NOPE
- HRM robust wireless heart rate monitor for optimal performance
- Bike Cadence Speed/Cadence bike sensor (GSC 10)
- compatibility/receive data from Powertap, SRM or ergomo - NOPE/ but 405 does
- Running speed (GPS) includes a high sensitivity GPS receiver
- Running cadence Train indoors and still track your distance, pace and calories burned with the optional Foot Pod accessory. This wireless sensor attaches to your running shoe and transmits distance and pace data to your Forerunner 305 so you can still use it when GPS reception is unavailable.
- Seamless transition You can also use Forerunner 305 to train for your next duathlon or triathlon with multi-sport workouts, a feature that lets you seamlessly transition between sports without resetting the unit, so you can use it for running, biking and more
I believe Garmin are working on a 605 model which will have almost all of this.
Are you referring to while racing or for training? For biking or running? For racing the bike leg, if you have a powermeter problem mainly solved. If not HR, PRE and avg speed plus a knowledge of what you have been doing in training should give you an indication of what you are capable in racing. For running in the race, a good understanding of what you are capable of prior to going to race would be a good step into the right direction. To know this you need to know your average pace, pre and possible even HR over a few runs that you run often. Again pace, hr pre are good indicators provide symbiotic feedback when used together. That and being smart early in both the bike and run in the half race will not hinder you either.
I agree with Brian and the others. Numbers are good, but part of the key to success in any long distance endurance race is being able to know what’s happening to your body almost minute to minute and the shifting, quickly from plan/goal “A” to plan/goal “B”, or even “C”. I actualy see this as a BIG problem in long distance racing these days with so many newer people in the sport ALL on some form of training racing schedule that is totally numbers based, then three hours into an IM race and things start to go wrong, or the conditions are terrible or any numebr of a large number of variable coming into play . . . then what?? I would assume that more than a few don’t know what to do and blindly stick to Plan/Goal “A”. It’s my arm-chair quarter-back guess as to one of the reasons why we see many strong bike splits, that are not backed up by strong run splits.
I like data and I use a combination of things.
Polar S625x Heart rate throughout the event Swim splits T1/T2 times Bike turnaround splits Run mile splits
Garmnin 201 10-mile splits(better or worse than 30minutes for 10 miles). I have a so-far elusive 20mph average IM bike goal. Mapping the course later and looking at elevation and how it relates to speed
Bike Computer Cadence Current speed
I know the Polar does most of this stuff, but I don’t like the sport-to-sport transition and I have had problem with the speed sensor fitting on my aerotubes and problems even getting the cadence sensor to work.
Now with all those toys I still use RPE to determine my pace. The only exception being of each element I look at heart rate and pace to confirm I am not going out too fast headed for a blow-up.