GRADES 8 - 12
MONITORING ENERGY EXPENDITURE

YOUR MISSION: In this activity you will take your own pulse or use a heart rate monitor while you complete a swimming and running test. You will collect your personal data, make some calculations and plot your data. You will use this data in the final activity Training for Three: Triathlon to determine your potential in the different triathlon sports (swimming, cycling and running). (Are you better at one of these sports?) STEPS TO FOLLOW: Review the information in the background section. (The background information for this lesson is only available as a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. You must use MS PowerPoint Version 2002. Early versions will not be able to display the presentation properly.) Print out a copy of the Swim Assessment Form and the Running Assessment Form. Instructions For The Swimming Assessment: Using the heart rate monitor or alternately by taking your pulse, take your resting heart rate and record this on the assessment form. Four stages are used for this test. A heart rate is taken at the end of each stage and recorded on the Swim Assessment Form. You should swim the first stage rather slowly with each stage getting progressively faster. Stage 4 should be an "all out" effort. There is a 90 second rest between stages. The time it took to complete each stage is timed and recorded. Convert the swimming time to swimming velocity. Plot Heart Rate versus swim velocity for each stage. Instructions For The Running Assessment: Using the heart rate monitor or alternately by taking your pulse, take your resting heart rate and record this on the assessment form. Four stages are used for this test. A heart rate is taken at the end of each stage and recorded on the Running Assessment Form. You should run the first stage rather slowly with each stage getting progressively faster. Stage 4 should be an "all out" effort. Each stage is one quarter mile on the track. The time it took to complete each stage is timed and recorded.

MATERIALS: Swim Assessment Form Running Assessment Form Paper Pencil Swimming Pool Swim Suit Appropriate Running Clothes and Footwear Watch With Seconds Heart Rate Monitor (Optional) Multiply the stage time by 4 to obtain a total time for one mile. Divide 60 by the total time from the calculation in the line above to determine MPH pace for each stage. Convert running speed in miles per hour to meters per minute by multiplying by 26.8. Estimate oxygen uptake (ml/kg/min) required for your running pace by multiplying meters/min by 0.2 and then adding 3.5. Multiply oxygen uptake by your body weight in kg and then divide this number by 1000 to determine oxygen uptake in liters/minute. Multiply oxygen uptake in liters/minute by 5 to determine initial power output in kcals per minute. Convert kcals per minute to power output in Watts by multiplying kcals/minute by 69.759. Determine external power output by multiplying Watts by 0.20. Conversions to remember: 6 kg/m/min = 1 Watt 1 kg*m/min = 0.16345 Watts 1 Watt = 0.014335 kcals/min 1 kcal/min = 69.759 Watts 1 liter/min O2 = 5.0 kcals/min 1 mile per hour = 26.8 meters/min 1 pound = 0.4535 kilogram 1 mile = 1760 yards Plot the following graphs for the test Heart Rate versus VO2 (ml/kg/min) for each stage Heart Rate versus WATTS for each stage VO2 versus WATTS for each stage. Determine the Heart Rate breakpoint for this test.

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