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Stay on target with heart-rate monitor

All the casual runner needs to get in on the action is a pair of good shoes and room to run.

But for those with marathon dreams, there’s another piece of gear that can go a long way toward getting you race-ready — a heart-rate monitor.

“The thing about a heart-rate monitor: It doesn’t have an ego,” said Eric Sorensen, an All-America triathlete and endurance athletics coach. “It doesn’t know who’s around you and who you’re racing or anything like that. It doesn’t know any of that stuff that would draw you into doing something incorrectly, [and] it lets you know exactly what you may or may not want to hear.”

A monitor helps keep you in your target heart-rate zones during training — and helps keep you on pace in a race where the adrenaline is surging and you have to fight the urge to break into a sprint at the starting line.

But with prices ranging from $60 to $400, what to buy?

The first step is to look at consumer buying guides to figure out what features you want in a monitor. Publications like Prevention, Consumer Reports, Running Times and Runner’s World regularly review the latest technology. Among the more well-known brands are Polar, Timex and Garmin.

Here’s a look at what you can expect from heart-rate monitors in different price brackets:

• $50 to $100. For a monitor that simply beeps when you’re exceeding or dropping below your desired heart rate, most wristwatch-style devices should do, and can be purchased for as little as $50. Those that double as a stopwatch begin to climb in price, typically reaching the $80 to $90 range.

• $150 to $300. If you’re concerned about pinpoint accuracy, monitors in this range offer other features that can chart everything from heart rate to calorie burn. Some also allow runners to upload their workout data to a home computer.

• $350-plus. Monitors at the high end of the price range are for the serious data junkie; many offer GPS satellite tracking, allowing you to upload and map your running routes on your computer and analyze your performance at different points on your course.

— Christopher Prawdzik