I’m going to start collaborating on a training log project. It needs to be designed for triathletes. What would you include?
Some things i have thought of graphs of all three sports, then a graph combining them together - maybe overkill. A place where you schedule is delivered and a spot where you enter what you have done. There will be a place for NP/AP/TSS/IF for the bike section for power users, avg pace for your run. Also time & distance for all three sports. It will be designed so that you have all your weeks easily accesable and flipping through it should be easy. It should also encompass multiple seasons since what done this year is the foundation for next year etc. Most likely will be web based and I would like to include an email function in it somehow.
What would you like to see in the ulitmate training log?
Funny, I was just putting one of these together. All the basics, plus avg HR for the workout, Daily weight (maybe a before and after), and a section for major meals (and maybe calories if I get to it).
Having said that I just use the polar training log and am happy with that - for the moment. Once I make the jump to power I would be looking for something like cyclingpeaks.
I guess it depends on how simple/complex you want to make this, but it would be nice if it could either interface to your training tools (GPS watches, HRMs, etc) or at least could read in the files after you download the data. You mentioned a place for NP/AP/Pace/etc., but I’m not sure if you mean that the user enters it all in by hand or not. I think that’s one of the nice features of TrainingPeaks – you download the power data into CyclingPeaks and hit one button to transfer it to TP. Their Messenger front end does the same thing with other GPS/HR devices.
If you have the user just enter the numbers in by hand, I think you lose some of the geek factor, and when you’re talking about triathletes who are going to log every workout, that might limit your market a bit…
Here are some of the things I like in a training log:
Glossy cover, spiral bound, 104 pages, and 2 Bic pens, in order to write all of my training and racing expolits with. I actually have every year’s trainng log sitting on my book shelf dating back back to my sophomore year in H.S, 1985. Kinda coll to be able to pull a book off the shelf and remember the glory days while sitting on the toliet!
Maybe I need to get in the time machine and move forward!
I really like to keep them in a book. I do not know why, but I have never conformed. Maybe it is the way you can look back and view the enrgy in the penmanship. For example, when I look to OCtober of 1987, everything I write is very sloppy with no excitment. This was my first semester at Univ of Arkansas, when I was free from everything and nobody telling me that I could not drink my x-c season away.
My state of being was identical to my writtings and performances!!!
Set up shoes you use. So when you add a run-session you should automatically get your shoes in a droplist. This way you can easily monitor miles left in your shoes. Same with chain/cassette/tires what ever…
Even though it might be easier to just use a chain wear link…
For real Brian? What are you having trouble with or think should be improved? I seriously curious - don’t have any problems - use it download power, GPS, Polar - there are functions I don’t need for sure, but I just skip those.
For female athletes: a place to record phases of their menstrual cycle. Coaches don’t usually take this into consideration but IMO very useful for training the XX population: use the log to figure out if peak performances or bad days coincided with certain phases of the cycle, then base rest days/weeks to coincide with the ‘off’ days- train when you feel good, get your rest when you don’t.
I use training peaks right now and am less then impressed. It really saves me no time over when I was doing things on excel spreadsheets.
hey brian, maybe it doesn’t save you time but as the athlete who uses the program, it’s wayyyyy better than an exel spreadsheet. maybe worse for the coach, but awesome for the athletes. I love training peaks, i upload from garmin, polar, it graphs everything and puts the number of minutes in each zpnes.
I would improve training peaks by making it muvh easier to manually enter workouts to do and also by recording splits from my watch. other than that, I think it’s great, it does have a complicated nutrition section that I don’t use.
