Running on plenty

Training and race tips:Running coach MARTIN BOHANE's tips for picking a running watch

As a keen but middle of the pack runner and triathlete I am always looking at ways of improving and tracking my progress. I am also a personal trainer so doing fitness tests and tracking progress is important.

Luckily, I work part-time in The Edge sports shop in Cork, which gives me access to the best of equipment.

What I find very useful is a good sports running watch. The basic features I am looking for are speed, distance and heartrate. When it comes to running, heartrate is invaluable. The most common protocol is to calculate your maximum heartrate. The equation 220 minus your age will give you this figure. There are more accurate tests but this equation will do for most people. You then calculate your training zones, which are percentages of this figure.

It is best explained with an example. For a marathon or long triathlon, I know that if I keep my heartrate between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of my maximum heart rate I know I can run or cycle for four to six hours.

If I let it go above this number, I could “bonk” or run out of energy within the hour.

I also know that in January when I start serious training I will be doing a nine-minute mile at that heartrate. As I get fitter, I will be doing an eight-minute mile for the same heartrate. For the same effort I am going faster. Likewise, if I am doing a 5km race I want to be 90 per cent and over so I know I am doing the best I can.

The Polar Ft1 (1, €57) is a basic heartrate monitor and stopwatch without speed or distance. You could run a measured loop at a set heartrate and get an indication of fitness. You could also combine this with a Nike plus Sports Band (€52) which will give you speed and distance via a footpod, which is attached to your shoe if you don’t mind having two watches on your wrist.

The next step up is to go GPS for tracking speed and distance. There is a Soleus GPS (2),watch that does speed and distance but not heartrate and is more accurate than the Nike plus, for €130.

If you want GPS and heartrate and also the option of downloading your data, consider the Garmin Forerunner (3) series. The starting watch for this is the Forerunner 110 which has speed, distance and heartrate all on the screen. This model is very user friendly and costs €220, including a heartrate strap.

The Forerunner 210 has more options for interval training and costs €275. There are several watches in this series going up to the Forerunner 610. These also have the option to use a footpod to count your steps per minute or foot cadence. By keeping this high (ie 90 plus) you can decrease your ground contact time and therefore the impact.

If you are a triathlete who wants to monitor everything in the swim, bike and run, then there is the Garmin 910xt (4). This can monitor everything from your stroke rate in the swim, speed and distance in all disciplines and elevation on the bike and run. It is also capable of doing cadence on the bike (pedal revolutions per minute) and cadence on the run (footstrikes per minute).

All this information is downloadable and can be charted to study and see where progress can be made. It starts at €435. This would be for the serious triathlete who likes recording and analysing data. It is a serious bit of kit with a price tag to match but I have not meet anyone who has one who has not been blown away by its features.

theedge-sports.com

Bank holiday events

It’s a busy week, with plenty going on. By the time you read this, you might already have done this morning’s Bay 10km in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. The week then continues with races of contrasting difficulty.

The second Midlands Half Marathon takes place in Portlaoise at 10am on Sunday morning, and this year there is a 5km too. Registration has closed, but for more information see midlandshalfmarathon.com.

On a whole other order of magnitude is the Connemara 100, going from Clifden through Letterfrack, the Inagh Valley, Roundstone, Ballyconneely and back to Clifden. There is, though, a 30-hour limit on finishing it. At a €90 entry, it’s not for newbies.

connemara100.com

Medal of honour: The runny nose

What

Whether you have a cold or not, your nose will often like to run just as much as you do. There’s nothing as attractive as having to constantly use the back of your hand to wipe away the evidence.

How

It’s not a runny nose, it’s “exercise-induced rhinitis”, and it’s a result of increased blood flow and air flow, stimulating mucous production. While those with allergies tend to be more prone to it, even those who are not are susceptible.

Fix it

There are various suggestions, including sinus sprays, decongestants and the ubiquitous “keep hydrated”. But if it’s not a major problem, then it’s one of the things that you, and the back of your hand, just have soldier on through.

Ready, set, tunnel

Focus Ireland’s 10km through the Dublin Port Tunnel on Sunday, August 12th is the second race to take place in the tunnel. Fans will cool the air in advance, while water will be plentiful on the route.

Entries will be accepted until Thursday, August 9th, with entry €30. focusireland.ie