rocket said:
need some help please.I recently bought a F6 polar heart rate monitor. After running i have checked the amount of calories burned but when i compare this to mapmyrun.com the reulsts are very different. For example a half hour run about 2 miles showed 400 calories burned on my HRM but acording to maymyrun.com it was 220 calories. Can some one let me know why this is? Many thanks
Two reasons I can think of: One is I don't think Mapmyrun takes into consideration the amount of ascent and descent along a measured route. A five mile measured route from my home is flat, according to Mapmyrun, but in fact has over 600 ft of ascent that requires considerably more effort, will boost the heart rate and consume more calories. A HRM will register this increased effort and calculate calorie consumption accordingly.
Secondly, Mapmyrun only takes into consideration the age and height of a runner - which gives absolutely no indication of a runners fitness. A fit 74 year old, like me, can perhaps be considerably fitter than a 34 year old smoker. The latter's heart rate might go through the roof, even on a flat five miles, whilst the fitter runner's heart rate will be considerably lower and therefore consume less calories.
I think your new HRM will be considerably more accurate than Mapmyrun. But what does it matter? Unless you're a top class, highly tuned athlete your calorie consumption surely isn't all that important. In twenty years running and racing, I've never given it a thought!
Cheers!