138

138.... was my average hear rate during the 1,500m I swam on Friday night. As a data/gadget junkie, I always felt frustrated about the lack of info on my swimming. My Garmin 405CX takes care of my data needs when running, my Sigma bike computer takes care of my data needs when biking outside, and my good old Polar F6 took care of any other cardio, including spinning classes and the elliptical. Yet, I always missed having some good info on my swimming.

And then... came the Polar FT80. I got it as a replacement for my F6. I collect points through my savings account, and could get it for EUR125 instead of EUR250 (plus EUR10 of administration costs), so it was time for an upgrade. On Thursday, while going through the forums, I discovered I may be able to use it in the pool. So, after a 60 minute ride on the gym bike, I switched to the pool and tool the HRM and the watch along. It took a few minutes for the watch to pick the signal from the HRM, but it worked great after that. It helped that I was able to tuck the HRM strap under my swim top, which helped keep it in place.
So, if like me you are itching to get some HR information during your swim, get yourself a Polar FT80. It looks good, works very well, and you can even pick up a GPS add-on to use it instead of a Garmin.

In other news, training this week is going really well so far, I don't want to jinx anything so I'll wait until tomorrow to post something. We have been in the throes of a huge windstorm since Friday, and while I managed 2.5 miles this morning (running to the gym and back) and 6 miles this evening, I am not sure I'll be able to do my 11 miles tomorrow if the wind does not die down a bit...