Garmin Forerunner 305 HR
3283
Member
1266 days
RV posted 18 weeks ago.
Are you possibly picking up some interference - powerlines or other such things.
Mine has been very stable - no spiking.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
591
Member
737 days
tsilcyc posted 18 weeks ago.
I haven't experienced this problem but maybe the thing to do is to hit LAP when your heart rate settles, then take the average from then on.
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176
Member
204 days
GGehrke posted 18 weeks ago.
I have had problems with the first few minutes of a workout from time to time. I don't know if it is interference of some sort (because my workouts almost always start down the same street) or a problem with the equipment. Often it'll actually start beeping at me telling me my heart rate is too high! It's a very rare occurrence, though, so I've never really done anything about it. If it happens a lot I think my suggestion would be to try to take a few minutes before you even start getting your HR up just a bit. Sometimes when I have trouble picking it up at all at the beginning of a workout I'll do some mountain climbers to get warmed up, using the device to monitor HR but obviously not actually starting the timer until I go.
856
Member
267 days
ChunkyB posted 18 weeks ago.
It sounds like there is either interference, or there isn't good contact with your chest. There usually needs to be a little bit of moisture between your chest and the strap. From what you said, it sounds like it might be too dry at the beginning, and then once you start sweating, it starts to settle down because you've got a little moisture in there. I would try getting some of that HRM jelly or whatever it is, or even wiping some water on your chest before you start. Good luck.
Oh, I forgot, I've never had this problem. My heart rate spikes when I start running, but that's because I'm in terrible shape.
"The melting point of wax means nothing to me": Thrice
398
Member
293 days
Sully800 posted 18 weeks ago.
Agreed with Chunkster. This has happened twice to me, and both times I attributed it to a lack of moisture on the contacts. Before I start I spit on the contacts to get a good connection, but in two instances I waited around for 30+ minutes for others to start my run. Both times my HR started in the 180 range and I'm sure it wasn't actually over 140. Then after 2 or 3 minutes it dropped back down to reasonable numbers.
Also notable: I did a long run last week after a long night of drinking. I didn't feel hungover and got plenty of sleep but my HR was elevated for the entire run. It was actually my best long run of the year so far- I felt great the entire time. But my HR was about 15 bpm higher than normal for a given pace. I just ignored the readings and went by feel which worked fine. You need to know when to rely on HR and when to switch back to RPE and pace.
176
Member
204 days
GGehrke posted 18 weeks ago.
Sully800 wrote:
I attributed it to a lack of moisture on the contacts.
Something that has always freaked me out about HR monitors is this whole "mosture on the contacts" thing. I've never bothered to look into how they DO work, but I know it's not any sort of electrical signal having to do with "contacts." Just look at the thing -- there are no contacts -- it's plastic. And yet, the "moisture" trick works. I just don't get it. Thankfully, thus far I've been able to attribute it to voodoo and get on with my life. Maybe on my next long run I'll ponder the issue for a few miles.
398
Member
293 days
Sully800 posted 18 weeks ago.
"Before a muscle contracts a wave of depolarization sweeps along the muscle
cell. This wave is similar to that which causes nerve conduction and also
causes potential differences outside the cell. A unique feature of the muscle
cells of the heart is that they remain depolarized for around 100 milliseconds.
Therefore, the change in potential outside the cell is much larger than that
for other cells. This change can be detected by electrodes attached to the body
in a similar fashion to detecting potential changes in an electric circuit."
The contacts are indeed electrodes. Basically when your heart beats a small voltage is produced and the HRM picks up the signal.
92
Member
995 days
NotAsFast posted 18 weeks ago.
Sully you nailed it. The moisture, in particular your salty sweat enables the transmission of the signal easier to the plastic and since it is all wet, over a broader area of the strap. With no electrolytes (Salt) the signal is harder for the strap to pick up.
16
Member
158 days
cweder posted 18 weeks ago.
Thanks all... looks like I have some options as to how and solve my problem. I appreciate the input.
379
Member
359 days
stewarba posted 18 weeks ago.
Additionally, I would add that you need to check the strap for appropriate tightness. I keep a cup of salt water in the garage that I use to moisten the contacts and my chest prior to taking off - it works great!
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3283
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1266 days
RV posted 18 weeks ago.
I just spit on mine - seems to woke fine.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
150
Member
307 days
Captain Mal posted 18 weeks ago.
Yeah, I just lick mine. Salty and satisfying.
"Faster would be better!" -Captain Mal, Serenity-
1392
Member
943 days
tri-ac posted 18 weeks ago.
i just got the Polar fabric style strap (BTW it makes my old plastic ones feel like crap)
the contact part of the strap needs to be run under water, as opposed to just licking it
856
Member
267 days
150
Member
307 days
Captain Mal posted 18 weeks ago.
ChunkyB wrote:
I honestly have enough natural sweat all the time. It might be because I have saggy boobs, so it's like having 4 armpits or something.
That post was so, so wrong.
"Faster would be better!" -Captain Mal, Serenity-
I know a lot of us use the Garmin Forerunner 305 and I was wondering if anybody has been having a similar experience with the HR monitor. I am a 23 year old long time runner with a Max HR around 196. When I start out any run I see a drastic spike in my heart rate usually falling somewhere in the 170-175 range. This is a pretty high number that I usually only hit during tempo runs or other threshold type workouts. Anyways, after about a half mile or so my HR will get back down to my normal range for my typical distance runs, 140-150 for the start of my runs. Its strange because it is typically my first half mile that is my slowest and generally used as part of my warmup. It is also annoying when I try and get my ave HR for the run and the first half mile artifitially inflates the number.
Just wondering if anybody has had this happening to them with this equipement?