I had looked over the array of devices currently available and narrowed it down to the Garmin or the Wahoo Element Bolt. Both are similar in features but as I am a Strava, TrainingPeaks, and Garmin Forerunner 735XT user it made sense to stick with the Garmin ecosystem.
The device is fairly straightforward to set up, my Wahoo Tickr HR paired no bother using Ant+ and after putting some charge into it set off for a ride.
The initial setup of data fields is okay but did not have HR on the screen and sorry but who cares what calories you may have used (its a finger in the air at best) so when I got home managed to set the fields I wanted and the layout.
Like the Forerunner, you have start an activity then use the top right button to get into the options.
I also got into the Auto Features to enable splits/laps every mile, the common ethos is that cycling would be 5-mile splits but I like to be more granular like with running.
So hopefully next time out the screen will look right and get my mile splits!
The ride started well and got onto Rochdale Canal, you would not know there is a pandemic the way people are behaving, so lots of ringing the bell and shouting get out of the way as I went on my way, I reached 5 miles and the original plan was to come back the same way but was fed up of the great unwashed on the canal towpath so headed back on the roads.
I am well used to using my buff when running it came useful as ever on the roads filtering out some of the road fumes. The roads are definitely getting busy as people start to return to some sort of normality.
Tuesday I was back on the road for a run and used the Royton Trail route, this session I tried to keep the heart rate low, in Training peaks you should use the Activity Builder to set your session,
i.e 5 minutes at 70% maxHR, the 1hr at 82-90% for your main session, 5 mins back at 70%.
Then it can either estimate your pace or for me, I prefer to use a recent activity to estimate my "stress score".
Either way, a lower HR was required and I kept to the plan with an average HR of 151
On Wednesday I went to Edale in the High Peak for a walk with my fiance and our puppy. A big hike up to Mam Tor via Hoillns Cross, by evening we were all goosed.
Thursday Morning I did a short ride to test out the Garmin Edge, all the settings worked great and it was a shame I did not have time for a longer ride!
As I had not run for a couple of days I went for a run, again the aim to keep the HR low and just enjoyed myself at the end. The great thing about Strava and Garmin is the automatic sync of "Starred" segments, so when you approach them the watch gives you a heads up with distance to go.
Then when you get to the start it gives the name of the person who is ahead of you, then as you are running a live update of how ahead or behind you are... which is cool and is as close to pushing to beat someone at the end of a race as you can.
I created this segment as it is the end of my run, slightly uphill and gives me good motivation at the end of a run.
"Take me to the bridge"
So I am now 37th, whose name will come up next time!
Well as it happened the next name was Des Thorpe a club mate from years ago, so I gave it a good effort and rewarded with 6th knocking 10 seconds off and completing in 1:20
Also I completed the Strava May climbing challenge of 2000 metres, a first for me with 2 days to spare!
LSR Sunday went well and completed the Strava May Distance challenge which I think is 200km
So that was a great week of training, next week I will blog about the technologies I use to plan and asess my training.
Keep running
Mark
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