GPS Kids | Ben and his coach tap into the power of ANT+

Garmin-sponsored triathlete Ben Collins shares his training and racing experiences with the Forerunner 310XT and Garmin Connect.

When my coach, Victor, visited me in Colorado Springs for some one-on-one coaching, I found the ANT+ technology of the Garmin watches gave our athlete-coach interaction greater possibility. Victor had a Forerunner 310XT, while I was running with my Forerunner 405CX. He would ride beside me (or behind, or in front, or around me depending on where we were) on a bicycle while I ran up and down the trails. We did a quick rescan for heart rate monitors, and set his watch to receive my heart rate. That way, he could see all my data while I did the workout. If I was supposed to run with heart rate at 160bpm, he would know if I was going too hard (“relax Ben, hold the same pace, but let your heart rate go down”) or not fast enough (“pick it up now, turn the screws!). It allowed him to track and monitor the workout without any unknowns. He could watch my form and make corrections, then instantly see what effect that had on my pace and heart rate.

This method worked so well that we did the same thing for a bike workout. Now, when Victor was racing, we could probably have ridden together without problems. But with me in peak fitness and Victor exploring the world of post-athletic real-life, we were far enough apart to lose a few heart rate data points on his watch, particularly on the uphill sections. What was great about the cycling workouts is that with the Forerunner 310XT, Victor could also see both heart rate and the power data from my ANT+ compatible wireless power meter.

About a week after Victor and I started doing workouts like this, I saw another American athlete do the same thing in a way that ensured his coach could keep up. He was motor pacing (a cycling training technique where you draft off a moped to practice high speed intervals), and his coach (on the moped) had a Garmin Forerunner 305, while the athlete was using the Forerunner 310XT. Both had heart rate and speed, and the coach had no problem staying close.

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