Riitta-Liisa Roponen

I have used Polar training computers already for 15 years. Currently I use the RS800CX and the analyzing software that comes with it. I suppose I'm a somewhat unusual professional athlete to be using a training computer in every training session. The thing is that I’ve really come to rely on it. Leaving it home is not really an option since my training is based on the data it gives, so it's with me pretty much everywhere. It helps me recognize the signs of exertion in my body. Nowadays I can even tell when I’m getting sick even before I actually feel it in my body, just by interpreting the data it gives. The single most important thing I monitor in my training is my heart rate. My training program is planned according to heart rate zones and the training computer helps me stay in between the planned heart rate limits.To many professional athletes it might sound weird but I actually use the training computer even in competitions. Going through competition data in the Polar software can tell me where things went right or wrong – golden info for preparing for any later competitions. This way my coach knows exactly whether I'm on track in my training or if he needs to adjust the plans a bit to get to the goals we’ve set. An altogether invaluable tool.