heart rate monitors

Candice,

I wear a polar S150 and it displays beats per minute, % of HR max or current avg.  Allows you to program one workout with HR target zones, stop watch, and a cycling feature for speed and distance.  I use a Garmin 305 for my biking and since i suck at swimming, I try and concentrate on form as of now.  Good luck

Others do more, but I think this is the one you are talking about,  does damn near everything:

http://www.polarusa.com/Products/consumer/S625X.asp

 But retails at $389, but saw on ebay for $299 was the lowest.

I have a Sports Instruments Pro 9 HRM and it works just fine. I don't really use it much though. If I didn't have such a large assortment of gadgets already, I'd probably just get a Garmin 305. I have a Garmin 201, and let me tell you, wearing GPS on one wrist and a HRM on the other makes you feel kind of silly.

As far as the swimming goes, you can just get a cheapie Timex Ironman watch to do your lap times. They are pretty well-built and can handle the chlorine and such just fine.

I use a Polar RS200D for general fitness, swimming and running. It works well.

I use the Garmin 305 for running and biking. I like Jot wish it was waterproof. The only other thing is that it is bulky. 

Candice,

The GPS is what tells you: total time, total distance, time traveled, MPH, elevation and route taken.  Here is a sample of one of mine i downloaded: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6351575

The 305 does have a HR monitor too.  I have the 205 with out the heart rate monitor.  I love it and wouldn't buy any other cycle computer.   I don't know about the forerunners made by garmin, i think they are more geared towards runners.

Hope this helps a little. 

What is the need for a heart rate monitor? I know this is a dumb question but I just don't know why I need one. I have made it all these years without one. I would love to get any info, Thanks.

Cody (Ox)

Someone posted about Sports Instrument Pro 9 HRMs being on sale for $20 at Nashbar. I've seen some Polar HRMs for $40-60 on amazon, too.

GPS really isn't essential. I have a Garmin 201 that I picked up for $99 but I only really use it for trail running. When I run on streets, it's easy to get a pretty close distance/elevation map via a mapping program like BT has. Cycling distance can be calculated the same way, or you can pick up a bike computer for $20-40 or so. 

I'm definitely in the minority amoung triathletes but I have never used a HRM. I have an old Garmin 205 that a friend gave me used and I like it for pace during runs and now I can download straight to this site. I have no idea what my HR is, or my zones. I know my resting HR and thats it!

Here is the "Big Guy" perspective.  I have had a HRM since right before my first Tri - I did not (nor do I now) sync the data like a good geek should. However, since June 1st I have used it on most Bike rides and running.

Why?  In starting the training plan for Ironman AZ it became quite apparent that I "SUCK" at nutrition.  Part of this is that I was not consuming enough calories on the Bike to feed my run, but the biggest part is that I was biking/running in an anaerobic state!  Sure, I had a few quicker miles and felt like I was even starting to get faster, but the truth is that I was setting up for the big BONK fall!

Am I faster now?  Perhaps a little, but not much - however, I can now run or bike pretty long miles without the fatigue factor just by being aware of my HR and trying to keep it below the zone where I burn out my fuel.  I really should move to the next step of having a VO2 max test, but for now, the HRM allows me to focus on a nutrition plan that works instead of wild guessing all the time!

I am not sure of the actual value those doing a sprint/olympic would have - but any century, marathon, HIM or IM plans ussully have HR zones for a reason!