Andy Howard

Occupation: Information Technology Consultant
Primary Sports: Triathlon, Cycling, Running

“With ithlete, my sleeping has improved. Which makes ithlete worth its weight in gold!”

I’ve been using a heart-rate monitor for approximately 10 years. I’ve had several Polar monitors but now use a Garmin 310XT.

You might call me an “age-grouper weekend warrior,” though I was very unathletic before I hit my 30s. Mid-life crisis? Perhaps. I now train on average 15 hours per week, with 20 or more during peak periods.

I got my ithlete unit as a Christmas present, and after five months of use, I’m really impressed. I’ve previously gone on resting heart rate and often a higher rate has not corresponded with how I’ve felt.

Using ithlete I have had the slightly high resting heart-rate reading, but with an HRV reading very close to my “norm”, I have trained accordingly. The ithlete has also allowed me to “sneak in” a hard session when I’ve felt good by giving me confidence that everything was going well. I have also used ithlete to confirm to that I wasn’t being a wuss by missing a training session if I didn’t feel right.

The HRV is a good gauge to training response. And I like gadgets. I will often train if ithlete has given a lower reading but cut back on the intensity or distance. My graph or ithlete shows a steady progression upwards and is now fairly constant at 80+ so I’m happy that I’m progressing.

My upcoming goals are to complete Challenge Roth (Germany) Ironman-distance triathlon under 12 hours and run 50 miles in a local ultra.

I used to suffer from irregular sleep patterns when close to overtraining. No trouble getting to sleep, but would wake up at 3 or 4 am. But with ithlete, my sleeping has improved. Which makes ithlete worth its weight in gold!