Heart Rate for 60 minute swim at 9C (48F) in Serps 22 April 2012
One, two, three, four, tell the swimmers what he wore
Wed, 02 May 2012
The reasons for swimming with a heart rate monitor
Lately, I have taken to wearing a heart rate monitor (HRM) whilst swimming in open water. Questions ranged from the mild 'what is that' to the ridiculous... but let's not focus on the ridicule, moi indeed!
I use a heart rate monitor to assess the effort I make when training. I do not want to push my body beyond levels expected of a man in his late 40s, but I do want to know what sort of strain I put my heart under during each swim, especially when swimming in cold water and without a wetsuit naturally. The most important muscle in the body is obviously the heart and I want to understand what happens when I swim. I also want to use technology to check if I am doing too much, or conversely too little. I mostly train on my own, and the HRM helps me keep track of my actual swims rather than my perceived efforts.
I have attached the screengrab of my effort from 22 April in the Serpentine. The water was 9C (48F) and I maintained a steady beat of 57 strokes per minute for in excess of one hour. From my interpretation, the data shows that I worked between moderate and hard intensity. I did not overdo my training which is important. There are people with far more and better knowledge than me regarding how to use a HRM, but I'm learning.
If I played golf, I'd probably have purchased all the equipment, thankfully I'm an open water swimmer.
johntierneyswim AT live DOT com
