I used to use a wristwatch but now I let the head unit keep track of my segment times.

For me I think the Garmin VO2 and Strava fitness and freshness give a good estimation of current fitness and training volume respectively and are calculated automatically (Not so much the numbers themselves but the trends). Ramp/FTP tests, CSS tests and TT's on the track feel like a truer measuring stick of actual improvement.

I user the timer on my watch.

Repeated regular workouts are a great way to track progress. Like your staple z3 weekly long interval workout. You can correlate hr to compensate for any hero type efforts.

I'm self coached and use Strava, TR (my own plans) and TrainingPeaks occasionally. I will occasionally check TP metrics to see that my zone distribution is about where I want it, but don't feel the need to check it very often. Other than that I track progress by perceived effort (and sometimes HR) vs my splits.

Any tool or metric is only going to be as reliable as the data you feed it. Ultimately what this means is that you need to regularly test yourself to track progress. From a cycling perspective, you need to fill out your power curve. Until proven otherwise IMO any attempt to extrapolate on sub-maximal data based on HR vs power or pace is really prone to error. Obviously going all out is extremely taxing, so there's a balance between frequency of testing and fitting things in to a sustainable plan. Personally I like to use rest weeks as an opportunity to test once a month or so.

I just monitor fatigue and whether I'm able to complete the workouts, and look at things subjectively. How do I feel? It's hard to assess progress "during" a training plan, because in many cases any fatigue is built up over a long period and you don't see the fruits of that labour until you shed that fatigue and have a chance to adapt to the training stimulus.

What I really want to be able to do, and I don't have a big enough database to do it yet, is assess, over an extended period, how much time is spent on various energy systems / zones in training and then how that translates to performance. That'll take a few years of power data to build.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I use TP to track workouts. To track progress, my training is set up to have increasing amount of time or decreasing rest for hard intervals, for all 3 disciplines. If I can "pass" that workout, the next week the workout will be harder, and the pattern continues for a specific race block. If I struggle or fail a workout, I try it again the next week. For example, a staple weekly bike workout starts as something like 5x 4 mins ~98% FTP, then 4x 6mins, then 4x 8 mins, then maybe 4x 10 or 5x 8 mins, or reduce rest on the 4x 8 mins. Again, this is the same for swimming and running, just different interval times/intensities. Every few months retest to get new FTP to adjust zones and repeat. Compare HR if you want to get technical but a lot of things can affect HR outside of the workout itself.

Golden Cheetah. Very steep learning curve but so worth it if you want quality data analysis.

Most of my work is done with pen and paper but i use trainingpeaks for my data and comprehensives

I'll usually do all my planning and analysis in my notebook and then gradually transfer it over to TP. It's a lot easier to shorthand everything in a way that I can personally read and understand

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Strava

Thanks for the suggestions on apps (TrainingPeaks, Golden Cheetah, etc.) and old school notebook process. Regardless of the tool you are using (one app, a different app, or pen and paper), what are the metrics you monitor most closely to track your training progress for a fast race day?

1. Heart Rate (time in zones)
2. Power
3. Form (RPE, feeling during efforts)
4. Volume (time per week)
5. Sleep and recovery
6. Weight (Not how low it is, but to see if its in good range)
7. Nutrition (not tracking data but eating well consistently)

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Strava

If I can do 20 quarter miles in 75 seconds with 15 seconds rest between each one, I am ready to go.

How do I analyze my training prgress?

Two methods... a stopwatch and visits to the podium:)