POLAR RS400SD Review Part One

Well, there I was planning to do my review of my new Polar RS400SD Heart Monitor and what happened? The thing doesn't work!! I've had to package it up and send it back to Polar...not quite what I had in mind. To be fair, the guys at Polar were pretty good about things and without hesitation gave me all the info and I duly dispatched it to them. I now have to wait between 5-7 days for it to come back, hopefully in tip top condition!!

Improving My 10k Pace

In my quest to complete a sub-50 minute 10k, I've done a couple of 4k training runs at under 5 minute per km and have been pretty whacked by it!! With my new heart monitor, I've been banging on 190 bpm towards the end of it. At one stage I hit 197 bpm and thought my head was going to come off!! It appears to be getting easier and I'm feeling slightly encouraged by that. Let's see how the next run goes (Thurs).

POLAR RS400SD HEART MONITOR & WATCH

I've been looking for a Polar Heart Monitor for the last few months, primarily because as a Pru Health member the Polar watch can monitor my activity and earn me vitality points. I had a good look around and finally selected the POLAR RS400SD which I managed to get for only £135, substantially cheaper than the RRP of almost £300. It arrived on Saturday so I promptly opened it and started setting things up. In the box comes the optional footpad which monitors distance covered along with the USB infrared adaptor which allows you to upload your data from your watch to the PC and training software that comes with the package. It appears to be relatively easy to set up, and I manged a 4km run on Saturday afternoon and successfully recorded my distance but also my heart rate which I guess is what they send to Pru Health. I'll reserve judgement on it so far and will write a more complete review once I've used it a few times.

Training for a Sub-50 Minute 10k

I'm determined to beat 50 minutes for a 10k at some point this year. My personal best is aroun 51 minutes so I know I'm in touching distance. My plan is to run my usual 4km circuit around the streets of Ashford until I'm regularly running 5 minute per 1km....easy peasy it is not!!

I ran my usual 4km today at a pace of just over 5 minutes per km but was pretty wasted afterwards. It was a good work out and good fun, but I've got far more work to do to reach the sub 50 minute mark!!

2009 Staines 10k Results

I hadn't really been looking forward to this years Staines 10k as I haven't been training at all. I've hardly run since pulling out of the London Marathon in February, coupled with the fact that on Saturday I was filling my face at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and drinking a fair amount of wine in the process. Anyway, up I got at around 7am had a cup of coffee and some breakfast and started contemplating the race ahead. The sky was blue, the sun was out and all looked rosy. I made my way down to Staines at around 8.20am and lined up with the rest of them. At this point somebody announced over the PA system that there would be no rain until about midday - great I thought, so I removed my waterproof top and decided to run in my very thin Adidas running top.

The race started at 9am and within about 5 mins, the heavens opened and whilst it wasn't particularly cold we all got very wet. I found the race harder than normal but kept focused and tried as hard as I could. I even managed a little burst at the end for the crowds although in reality nobody noticed. My official time came in at 54:13 slightly slower than my normal time but considering I've done nothing, I was quite happy with that.

Here's the official results:

http://www.sportsystems.net/staines10k/Downloads/ResultsStaines10k09All.pdf

I got the usual free t-shirt and a rather expensive looking medal. Roll on the 2010 Staines 10k - I'm determined to crack 50 minutes then!!

2009 Staines 10k - Preview

Yesterday my entry and race number for the Staines 10k arrived. This year I'll be wearing number 223 and as I haven't been running properly for ages, I thought it a good idea to start today!! So today I got up at 5am, took my eldest son to work and went out for a 2.5 mile run. What a beautiful morning, blue skies, sun shining and not a car on the roads. I'm planning a few more gentle runs this week just to get me up to speed...bit late I know, but better late than never!!