Do I need to use a heart monitor at age 15?
Unless you have a medical condition, at age 15 you’re probably not at risk of any heart problems brought on by over-exertion. So, from a safety perspective, it’s probably not necessary to wear a heart monitor. However, from a training perspective, the heart rate monitor can provide you with valuable feedback as to your actual effort level versus your perceived effort level (how hard you think you’re working). This can be very useful in race situations, where you don’t have the benefit of a heart monitor, or in many cases, pacing tools. You will know how it “feels”, for instance, to run at 85% of your maximum heart rate, and you’ll know when you can push harder or need to back off to avoid red-lining. More information is always better when training, so if it doesn’t inconvenience you to wear it then I would suggest doing so. With regards to your effort level, it depends on what you’re training goal is. If you’re doing speed workouts to increase your cardiovascular fitness and raise your
