Why I hate my heart rate monitor

~by Ann Brennan

I hate my heart rate monitor with a burning passion.  I want to throw it against the mirrored wall of our “Pedal Pit” and leave it there for the next know-it-all rider who dares to wear it.  I hate it, not because it doesn’t work or do what it is supposed to do but, because it is telling me I need to work harder – to push myself beyond what I already thought was beyond my comfort zone.

As a marathoner and triathlete, I have rebelled against getting a heart rate monitor choosing instead to rely on perceived effort.  I have run hundreds, even thousands of miles over the years.  I know what I am capable of.  I know when I am at seventy five percent effort.  I know when I am pushing it too hard and becoming anaerobic, right?  Well, apparently, not.

A couple of weeks ago I agreed to start spinning with my daughter as she recovered from a knee injury.  And as with anything that really pushes me athletically, I was hooked.  There was something missing though.  The instructors explained that a heart rate monitor would be helpful.  You could use perceived effort but, the monitor would make a difference.  This was coming from some pretty fit women so I thought I would give it a chance.

I made a special trip to the sporting goods store, bought a middle of the road model and even read the directions and programmed it before my next spinning class but, I was still skeptical.  I was certain I really did know how hard I was working – I was in tune with my body.

I walked into class, clipped my shoes into the pedals and started pedaling.  The goal was to bring my heart rate up to seventy percent before we started a round of intervals.  Ten minutes in I was pouring sweat and my display read fifty four percent.  Twenty minutes in and the puddle of sweat was building and my legs were beginning to burn and I was only up to sixty three percent.  I couldn’t believe it.

I am a competitive person by nature, so here I was sitting on a bike, spinning my legs as fast as I could, adding resistance and ready to cry, not from pain but frustration.  How could I have spent all of these years thinking I was working my butt off only to find out I was working well below what my heart is capable of?   That I wasn’t as in tune to my body as I had imagined myself to be?

The good news, I guess, is that now I know.  I can see it right in front of me and I can kick my butt in my workouts.  So, maybe it is a love/hate relationship.  I hate it for proving me wrong but I have to love that it will now guide me through my fitness training to even better fitness in the long haul.

About Ann Brennan:  I am a writing, running, biking, swimming, weight lifting mom of three kids and I love to share the experience with others.  Come visit me at Annsrunningcommentary.com where you will find posts to inspire you to get out and get fit and to get your children involved in fitness as well.