Now’s the time to hit the streets and running trails! Whether you’re a novice or in it for the long run, there are two ways to become a faster runner: by moving your legs at a higher cadence or taking longer steps.
Here are some tips to get you started:
The distance between your right and left foot touching the ground is called stride length. As speed increases, so does the stride length. Improve stride length by undertaking specific strength work like running hills, in soft sand, or up steps.
Don’t over-stride! The most efficient stride length is the one that feels most comfortable.
Cadence tells you the number of times your foot hits the ground per minute. To develop it, train your nerve-muscle connection by running regularly. A session of cadence training a week is a good start.
Taller runners will naturally have slightly lower cadences, and the values vary also depending on whether you’re running up- or downhill. Tune in to what feels comfortable for you!
If you’re training for a half marathon or a marathon, work on increasing leg speed at expected race pace to keep your legs from tiring mid-race. Set your M400 to show pace and cadence, and try to shorten your stride and increase cadence while holding the pace.
The Polar Bluetooth® Smart Stride sensor is ideal for keeping track of your stride length and cadence. Whether you’re running on a treadmill or the muddiest trail, you’ll see the information on your M400.
Get the Polar Bluetooth® Smart Stride sensor from the official Polar webstore or a retailer near you.
Tracks your daily activity at different intensity levels, and shows steps, distance and burned calories.
ACTIVITY GOAL
Your daily activity goal and guidance on how to reach it.
ACTIVITY BENEFIT
Feedback about your daily, weekly and monthly activity.
FITNESS TEST
Tells you exactly how your fitness is progressing by measuring your aerobic fitness at rest and evaluating your maximal oxygen uptake.
HEART RATE
When paired up with Polar H7 heart rate sensor, measures your every heartbeat and lets you know if you’re mostly burning fat or improving your fitness. Gives the most accurate calorie burn in heart rate based training.
SMART CALORIES
Shows exactly how many calories you've burned.
INACTIVITY ALERT
Vibrates when you've been sitting still for too long.
SLEEP DURATION AND QUALITY
Automatically tracks your sleep time and quality. See and learn from your sleeping patterns in Polar Flow web service and app.
POLAR FLOW WEB SERVICE AND APP
Free online community and service that helps understand the impact of your activity and see the long term progress you make.
CHANGEABLE WRISTBAND
Vibrantly colored wristbands are easily changed to reflect your mood and style.
SIMPLE CHARGING
Charges conveniently with a simple plug and play USB.
Have you guys heard of Hexoskin? According to their site 'Hexoskin is a smart shirt packed with high precision health and activity sensors. Hexoskin measures your body metrics and gives you insights about your training, your health, and your life on many levels." On top of all of this it is a personal trainer, sleep quality reader, and GPS app and "When you wear the shirt, your health stats are digitized and uploaded in real-time. You can get detailed reports on your training and general health in a web browser on any device.
What a cool idea. I wonder how accurate it is. It is machine washable and "It does a lot more than your old heart rate strap, without the strap. Our dual band sensor technology offers a high-quality ECG signal with RR intervals measurement, and a unique precise breathing volume measurement that uses 2 sensors. This is the most precise way to measure breathing without wearing a mask."
Hopefully someday I can get my hands on one to try and blog about!