Learning : Tools

Training Logs

It all started for me with a good training log. I'd never kept one before, but after just one week I knew I would love to watch the time and miles pile up. Logging the time and mileage became a religion for me. It's one I practice to this very day.I've found 2 great training log sites.

Top Pick : Beginner Triathlete

This log is easy to use and provides just enough functionality to a newbie as to not overwhelm. For a fee, you can turn on the extra functions and features. There is a great support community in the message boards and it was easy to connect with some regional triathletes. I haven't been to a race yet that didn't have a fellow BT'er. The whole site keeps the small community feel. I personally have contacted Ron, who runs the site, on several occasions and received feedback in a matter of hours. Pretty impressive.

Second Pick : TriFuel

This log is a little more advanced. In my opinion, it is more difficult to use and allows for more customization. There are also some great graphs and summaries. Again, I'm into easy to use - but this tool is fantastic for those with a little more time on their hands.

Heart Rate Monitor

I didn't buy a heart rate monitor for a long time. I don't know why I resisted, but I guess I figured I just didn't need one. I was wrong! This is one of the most important tools in my training toolbox.

Why?

Well, that's a good question. Go read a book. Lots of folks love to talk about the use of HRM's. I knew I needed one when I was completely decimated at the end of every week. I wasn't getting faster, more efficient, or having more fun. Everything was stagnant. I picked up the Polar S150 on sale on the web. I thought it would be good to have the bike stuff integrated. I couldn't get it to work.

My opinion : Don't spend the money on the bike accessories for a HRM. There are tons of Bike computers out there that measure speed, distance, cadence and HR a whole lot better than the S150.

There's a bit of research to be done in learning to use your HRM. I took a pretty direct approach and went straight to the American Heart Association. I figured they would know about the heart, right? I also used Google to find a bunch of information on what my target rates should be. Once you have a basic understanding of the HR, you have to mix this into your training. For me this was the change from "working out" to "training".

I started with running. 3 runs a week :

Run #1 - Short : HR 150 - 160
Run #2 - Med : HR not above 150
Run #3 - Long : HR Avg 145

Then I moved on to cycling with a similar plan. I still don't use my HRM in the pool.

Excel

Excel as a traithlon tool? Yes. Yes!

I use 2 Excel spreadsheets for to track a whole bunch of stuff. I'm a geek that way. E-mail me if you want a copy.

• Training Schedule - I use formulas to keep track of my plan by sport, day, week, and month. It's just easier to work with than the online tools for planning.
• Eats - Calorie tracking. All the online tools are too hard to use for quick calorie tracking. I wanted an easy way to drop in the calories I had eaten without having to search for foods or enter the % of vitamin B12... blah blah blah.
  
  I did find to great websites to help in determining calorie intake:
  
  http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/
  http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html
  
• Routes - Some of the online tools will track these for you, but I liked having all this in one spot. I use the Gmap-pedometer to map my routes - you can recall them by saving the URL.
• Gear Checklist - For race day - I obsess.
• Race Day Schedule - I kept notes on my first couple of races to help me figure out what race day would be like. What time to wake up, when to eat based on start time.
• Race Goals / Actuals - I obsess. I admit it. I created a little formula box where I can put in my goal times and estimate my pace to see what my times would be. Yeah, this stuff is on the web too - again, I liked having it all in one place.
• Track my HR zones and descriptions. This helps in planning. I hate having to go back and look this up evry time I start planning.
• Weight, Waist and Neck measurements - This started out as fun. Now it's amazing.

Bike Computer

Ok, this one isn't essential. But it is worth the money. I love being able to see how fast I'm moving. I splurged a bit (Ok is an extra $4 splurging?) and got a Trek Incite 8i wireless model on sale. It's also nice to have the mileage available after a ride. Try sitting in front of the computer mapping out a 40-miler. It ain't fun.