Over-reliance and over-emphasis on training toys ......

All depends on your perspective. If it hadn't been for my wife buying me that first Timex Bodylink system I very much doubt I'd have kept running after those first few times never mind doing triathlons.

Being able to monitor my pace and HR while running made it fun and interesting for me, rather than painful and frustrating. I was able to actually see some very gradual improvement early on and given that I had no clue whatsoever what it was supposed to feel like when I ran, the HR data was invaluable in keeping me from going too hard and getting burned out or injured.

As in most things, this isn't an either/or situation. I now have a Garmin 305, which I really like, even though I don't use it nearly to it's full capabilities. Sometimes I use it to make sure I complete the specific goal of that day's workout. Other times, I run for the pure enjoyment of it, foregoing the Garmin and just enjoying the feeling of my heart beating and my body being in motion.

And yes, sometimes I track and log data simply because it's available, because I've found that later on it can become very useful. I can now look back at my logs from 3 years ago and compare my training data to my race results. Useful stuff, that.

What are you talking about???? 

Rick, guess what? We agree on something. It's funny because I was going to post something similar. My wife got me an HRM for Christmas. She uses hers religiously and figured I would benefit from having one myself. I am seriously thinking of returning it - I just need to find a discreet way of asking her where she bought it. It's not that I don't believe HR training isn't useful or that an HRM couldn't be a very useful training tool. I just don't feel I need that level of precision in monitoring. At least not yet. I just go by "feel." And if my HR spikes going up a hill, so be it. That's what hills are for, right?

I will say that for running, especially on a treadmill, my iPod is not a toy. It's a necessity.

I just have one and only one thing to contribute to this thread:

Naked Running is by far the most enjoyable run training I have experienced

Even better without shoes on or off the beach

I do have a HRM and wear it on the majority of my workouts and log the info.  But I also don't religiously follow any training zones.  I typically go by pace and now have a sense of where my HR is at that pace (both on the bike and run).  But if I'm sitting at 180 bpm at the end of a run I don't back it off because I'm "out of my zone" for that session.  I merely note to myself the effort level, what part of the run and where my HR is.  I wear it during races to know whether or not I'm where I "should" be, but there are so many other factors that come into play.  An example is that by my HR at IMFL I was pretty much where I "whould" be on the bike and yet I was cramping and having muscular fatigue barely halfway through the bike.  The problem???  I didn't get enough riding time in training.  No amount of toys would have fixed that!

I cannot run with an MP3 player, and even if I could I wouldn't (I like as little stuff as possible on me when I run.  Headphones just make my ears hot and/or aggravate them with chafing/moving).  I used to ride with it, but I stopped that about a year and a half ago for no particular reason other than it was a pain to use sometimes.

I agree with this viewpoint.  There's nothing wrong with the toys/tools/gadgets in, and of, themselves.  They can provide useful information that can help your training and racing.  Anybody's training--not just a selected specuial 2-3% of people.  None of them are necessities.

I do agree that many people don't learn how to use the data they provide and/or focus on the wrong things.  But that's why forums like this are useful.  They can allow people to learn how to use the devices and/or decide whether those devices are useful for their goals.  To not discuss these issues because it might 'scare away' some newbies is ridiculous.

If using any of these devices detracts from enjoyment, then don't use them and ignore the discussions about the details of using them.  Again, they are not necessities.

Yup - fins paddles and a pull buoy.  To be used in very little actual swimming for very specific focused adaptations that a coach pointed out can help my swim.  And never for speed or distance.  There are people who swim ALL THE TIME with those things and log tons of yards in them.  Once again, mis-use and over-emphasis .......

Like I said earlier, each thing has its place, but the over-reliance and over-emphasis is what I'm trying to bring awareness to.

Jedi - 2008-01-07 12:56 PM I am a beginner in triathlons and i do find it a little intimidating. especially knowing i will never be able to afford it all... especially coaching someone posted that if i want to consider a half ironman i would need a tri bike and i only have a second hand road bike makes me consider just wanting to continue running as it seems simpler

You DO NOT need a tri bike to do a half ironman. You will be totally fine on a road bike (although probably better off with clip-on aerobars). I did a half on a road bike and did just fine. I know someone who qualified for Half Ironman World Championships on a road bike with clip-on aerobars. You're fine. No worries. Work towards doing the half and have a blast !

hmmmm? Old school, sounds familiar

Nail on the head for me Rick.

Personally I'd never analyze any of the data if I recorded it anyway. In fact, I don't even record my HR after a workout. Why? Cuz it's over. That and my HRM is about 10 years old, doesn't give ave, high. low laps etc. I want/need to know while I'm doing it.  Sure, occasionally I'll to a MAF Test so I can measure specific progress otherwise no need to record/ anlayze for me.

Get a plan, miss as few workouts as possible. Toe the line and leave it all on the course. KISS! 

You've said this before Rick and I completely disagree.  You were riding too hard and it showed in your HR.  You choose to ignore it.  If you had power, it would have "told" you the same thing.  But you need to understand what you're being "told" and how to react to that information, otherwise it's just noise and you're just as well without it.

Rick,  I agree with you, but also don't see anything wrong with having toys.  For some it is just a way to waste money.  For others it keeps them in touch with what they are doing.  I think most people are not completely dependant on the their toys.

Oh, you forgot one other toy.  Bike computer...  I don't know if this was an intentional omission, but it really is just another toy.

I think that's Rick's point.  The title of the thread is "Over-reliance and Over-emphasis..."

And I think it's a very valid point.  I've run into people who are so caught up in the details that they miss the forest for the trees.  It is perfectly alright to go above MAF, or LT, or whatever the heck we're calling it this week.

I use a HRM to run/bike coz it calculates my caloric output for those activities - doesn't work well in water - so that I can feel good about myself after a workout that e.g. burnt 700 calories.  Over time I realized the HR has something to do with how my body feels.  A higher HR at a slower pace mean I'm not feeling well. 

Also have a basic bike computer to figure out mileage so that I can plan my route and know where/when to turn back.  Staring at the time/meter also helps to pass the time and play mind games when riding on the trainer. 

That's about all the training gadgets I have.  I dont' consider an MP3 player a training device. 

tri is one of my many hobbies and I don't need precise analysis for a hobby. 

My IM ride heartrate was in the 150's most of the time - below my usual effort for that distance.  Didn't choose to ignore anything.

But that's a little bit different discussion that was not really my point.  Everyone (including myself) knows that I simply rode too hard for the amount of training that I had.  That's a mental thing and not a toy thing.  I like to ride fast.  Something I need to work on for IMLP if I want to have a successful run this time.

Good post.

 Just this weekend I picked up my new tri-bike (a gift from a friend) and was talking to a local pro about what gadgets to outfit it with. The pro told me that he doesn't even have a basic cyclocomputer on his bike. It broke several months ago and he never bothered to fix it. In his opinion, the sport is supposed to be fun. If it starts getting to technical, it won't be fun anymore (for him) so he doesn't jack with any of the 'toys' - and he wins all distances frequently.

I still want a basic computer to have an idea of my pace. But other than that, I've ditched the HRM because I wasn't training hard enough when I used it (I have a heart problem so perceived rate of exertion is a better measurement for me - HRM's are inaccurate in judging the amount of work my body is doing). I'm even wavering on if I want a cadence output on my computer. I've got a good idea of what 90 rpm feels like - and all I have to do is count every now and then to make sure I'm on target. I have no interest in knowing my watts, etc. At the end of the day I want my fitness to go up and my times to go down while having fun. If both of those are happening, then my training is working. If not, then some adjustments need to be made.