Lunchtime Run: Cross country

in #exhaust5 years ago

I just finished a 7.192km running that lasted about 0hh:43mm:29.0ss !

image

It was a warm one today. I headed for the countryside this time as it is pretty dry, I need some break from hard pavements. Taking the footpath beside the traveller camp was a mistake as it is very overgrown. I was having to work around a lot of brambles and nettles which messed up my first 1km interval. After that it was fine apart from long grass in places. I saw a few people out running and walking, but some of these tracks are not much used.

My routine has four fast stretches and I still had one to complete when I got back under the motorway. It is noisy alongside the main road, so I tried finding a way through an industrial area, but ended up coming back out the same way. That at least filled the remaining time.

The intervals were not too bad after the first one, but I really need to find somewhere reasonably flat to get better times.

I have been pondering again whether I need a fitness watch/tracker. Not sure if I would benefit much from heart rate data. I had a Xiaomi Mi Band 2, but that would only check my pulse when standing still and I have not used it since the strap broke. I looked at the Huawei Band 3 Pro which seems to have good heart rate monitoring as well as GPS, but it looks like you cannot extract the data for something like @exhaust. It is a good price through. I always run with my phone for podcasts, so GPS is not really essential. I also am not that interested in counting steps all day or sleep tracking. The cheaper option is to just get a Bluetooth check strap monitor as they are supported.

I have not worn a watch in ages. There are some smart watches that do heart rate, but they need to talk to Endomondo. I also had a Pebble Watch that did not do heart rate, but you could control audio and fitness apps with it and see your pace. Mine developed a fault and they are not supported since the company was taken over. I do not want to spend hundreds on a fancy watch and do not necessarily need all the 'smart' features. There are lots of cheap models from obscure brands, but I doubt they would fit my requirements.

Any thoughts on running gadgets? My next purchase will be some new shoes as it has been a year since I bought any.

Run free!

The geeky guitarist and facilitator of the 10K Minnows Project.

![image]()

Check out some detailed info at my EXHAUST page
Join me in testing out EXHAUST!

Sort:  

For Heart-rate monitoring; I usually use a chest-strap device like this guy from Polar. I think I recall reading somewhere that these have a better accuracy than the optical / wrist-based sensors.

You can usually get Bluetooth or ANT+ versions. Some phones have ANT+ capabilities, but you'd likely have to pair those with a GPS ANT+ watch.

I have seen some that say they work with Endomondo for about £25. I may invest in one.

I'd recommend it. I think I got mine used for about $50 CAD.. was fine after a good scrub to get all the stranger-salt out of it.

I have a TomTom watch, and although the pairing with some phones is a pain, the watch itself is really cool, and really easy to see your current pace and time, and you can even program it for interval training. There are way cheaper options, I just recommend getting one without a need for chest band for heart rate monitoring, or else you'll probably find yourself skipping the heart rate part at all

Posted using Partiko Android

I'm looking at a few and I think I need pace and heart rate displayed. Lots do the heart via your wrist, but it may not be as accurate as a chest strap.

In this one from tomtom you can choose the displayed info and cycle through the different stats during the run. I've had one before that used a strap, but with all the hassle involved, strap moving and not recording properly, I wouldn't advise anything that hasn't a wrist sensor 😉

Posted using Partiko Android

We are heading into a heatwave here. I am not looking forward to it. It should be pretty toasty this weekend according to the reports. My wife really like her FitBit Alta HR. It is one of the more reasonably priced models in the Fitbit line if you can find a good deal on it. It has integrated really well with Actifit for her, so I am not sure how it will work with Exhaust. It might be worth looking at though. Like I said, especially if you can find a good deal on one.

The Fitbits tend to me more expensive than others, but I guess they are well supported by apps. Will have a look, but I'm not desperate. I can wait for a sale.

They are pretty pricey. We have a store here called Kohl's that occasionally has them on sale.

Posted using Partiko Android

I'm looking into a cheaper watch by Kalenji. That's an own brand for Decathlon sports shops, but looks okay for the price. I may be in there tomorrow buying running shoes.

Maybe they will give you a discount! :)

Maybe, but as they discount stuff anyway they may not give much off.

Maybe, but as they
Discount stuff anyway they
May not give much off.

                 - steevc


I'm a bot. I detect haiku.

Hi, @steevc!

You just got a 4.4% upvote from SteemPlus!
To get higher upvotes, earn more SteemPlus Points (SPP). On your Steemit wallet, check your SPP balance and click on "How to earn SPP?" to find out all the ways to earn.
If you're not using SteemPlus yet, please check our last posts in here to see the many ways in which SteemPlus can improve your Steem experience on Steemit and Busy.

Hi @steevc!

Your post was upvoted by @steem-ua, new Steem dApp, using UserAuthority for algorithmic post curation!
Your UA account score is currently 5.958 which ranks you at #346 across all Steem accounts.
Your rank has improved 1 places in the last three days (old rank 347).

In our last Algorithmic Curation Round, consisting of 173 contributions, your post is ranked at #43.

Evaluation of your UA score:
  • You've built up a nice network.
  • The readers appreciate your great work!
  • Good user engagement!

Feel free to join our @steem-ua Discord server