The new toy

So I did get my new toy for Christmas. It is the Suunto t6c, with the heart rate monitor and the GPS Pod. It's a sweet deal!

It does all sorts of cool stuff, but what I like most about it is that Suunto boils my workout down into a single number, 1 through 5, where 1 is not really exercising much and 5 is killing myself I'm pushing so hard. And now, finally, I can plan and execute training runs which are defined levels of hard on a weekly basis, and I can be sure that my workout outcome is not just how I happen to feel at the moment, but based on what my body actually did.

Ok, other interesting things it measures are heart rate (min, max, average, R-R [measuring between the beats]), ventilation, temp, elevation (ascent, descent), EPOC, and a bunch of other things I'm forgetting. EPOC is kind of cool, the basis for the one-number workout results. It indicates how much of an oxygen deficit has been created by the workout. The higher the oxygen deficit, the harder the workout. Of course this is relative - Lance Armstrong and I running the same mile are going to have vastly different results. But then I'm not trying to improve Lance, I'm trying to improve the real me.

So far I've used it on the treadmill. I need to get outside one moderately warm day and test that out.

What sealed the deal for me with the Suunto? Well, a couple of things:
* it has owner-replaceable batteries. The best rechargeables only last for 10 hours, most only 8hrs, and if I am going to run longer on a regular basis I need to be able to use the device for longer.
* It comes with analysis software (Training Manager) which helps to interpret the training results. Others had software also, but most were moving to the web-based approach.
* training results can be downloaded into a CSV file for use in Excel, or in some other way. Polar and Garmin only let you download to their software or their website.
* it captures temperature. Not true ambient temperature when it is on my arm, but then it doesn't always need to be on my arm, it could be in a pouch. Temperature is one of those things that has seemed to kill me and I'd like to have the data points to disprove it or not.
* I can use the Suunto as a...watch! Without the attachments sending in data feeds, the watch itself has a regular-watch battery life. And it looks like a watch. tells time, has an alarm, etc.

Things that didn't matter to me:
* GPS is implemented in a pod. Oh well, half had a pod, half had it incorporated into the watch. It seemed like the pod approach had the capability of being more accurate, since it should be possible to place the pod where it would get more sky exposure than where I can place the watch.

Things that the Suunto didn't have:
* Suunto didn't have the neat Garmin feature of showing breadcrumbs from the GPS and being able to record GPS coordinates. That would have been nifty but I don't usually run out in the wilderness where I might get lost, and I hope I never wish I had breadcrumbs to get home.
* Suunto also has a web site for data analysis, but I haven't been able to get it to work yet.
* Suunto also doesn't let me download the GPS trail for GIS use, which would have been neat. Oh well, it is true that you can't have it all.


Interesting conclusions so far:
* I have been working out too hard. I would train lightly during the week and then go pull a 5-level workout every weekend. My body never got a chance to build itself up before it was slammed, and then spent all its time recovering without building new capability.

My current workout plan is:
Monday - run a 3
Tue, Thu - run a high 4
Wed, Fri - run a low 2
Saturday - run a high 2 or low 3
Sunday - rest

As my body adapts to the workout, my capability will increase, and the definition of any particular level will also adjust itself.

Happy Trails!