SportTracks is all about options: want to run with a Garmin and track rides with a Wahoo bike computer? No problem. All of your workouts will seamlessly be logged in one place. We're happy to annouce that this freedom now applies to HRV tracking apps as well. SportTracks is now integrated with EliteHRV, a mobile app for Android and iPhone.

We already offer a similar solution with the HRV4Training app, which can test your HRV using just the camera on your smartphone. However, HRV4Training is a premium $9.99 USD app. EliteHRV is free for individual users, but enabling the automatic-sync integration with SportTracks requires a $4.99 USD in-app purchase. 

To get it running, download the EliteHRV app and create an account. Then select the three horizontal dots on the right side of its bottom navigation menu:

After that, tap "Link Other Apps or Services" from the menu. You'll see the option to add premium integrations, which, when enabled, will send Heart Rate and HRV data to SportTracks, as well as send your exercise data to EliteHRV. This HR and HRV data will be available for analysis on charts you can easily add to your fully-customizable Health page.

EliteHRV requires that you use a compatible heart-rate monitor. They are currently running a Kickstarter campagin to launch their own hardware heart-rate montior called CorSense. Until that product is available, choose from one of the following HRMs:

• Polar H10
• Polar H7
• Wahoo TICKR (use it in Bluetooth mode)
• BlueLeza HRM Blue
• 4iiii Viiiiva
• Zephyr HxM (the Bluetooth 4.0 version, not 2.0)
• Cardiosport TP3
• Suunto Smart Belt
• R1 Blue Sigma Sport
• Garmin Premium (for ANT+ compatible Android phones/tablets only)
• Garmin HRM Tri (for ANT+ compatible Android phones/tablets only)

What is HRV?

If you're not familiar with HRV, it stands for Heart Rate Variability. When you use a smartphone app to measure your HRV, you are measuring the amount of time between heart beats. The slight differences in time between your beats can tell you a lot about how well you've recovered from your last workout. 

The general idea is to measure your HRV once a day, preferably in the morning. That's why smartphones are great tools for measurement, because people typically keep them at their bedside, and they're usually the first thing they grab after waking up. When you measure your HRV first thing in the morning, the data can be used to gauge how intense of a workout to have that day, or even to have a rest day instead.

You can learn all about using HRV data for endurance sports in our How to Train with HRV blog post. We hope you enjoy our new integration with EliteHRV, and that you take full advantage of having as many training options as possible!

Until very recently, the GPS and workout data from Apple Watch was not sharable with outside platforms. Thanks to a new software update from Apple, that limitation no longer exists. This article explains how you can easily sync and analyze your Apple Watch workouts with SportTracks!

There are several ways to get this fitness data into SportTracks:

Exporting with RunGap

If you use the default "Workout" app on Apple Watch, you can easily send these activities to SportTracks using an iPhone app called RunGap. The app is free, but in order to send these workouts to SportTracks you need to make an in-app purchase. This costs $1.99 USD and lasts for three months, so it's basically $8 USD a year.

To get it running, you need to have iOS 11 on your iPhone, and watchOS 4 on your Apple Watch. You also need to have RunGap installed on your iPhone, and you need to have purchased a Swag Bag (the in-app purchase). You also have to enable the sync between RunGap and SportTracks.

How to send Apple Watch workouts to SportTracks:

1. Complete a workout with your Apple Watch
2. Launch RunGap on your iPhone
3. Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper left corner of RunGap
4. Tap "Activities" from the menu
5. Swipe down on the screen to "refresh" it with your latest workouts
6. Tap the hamburger menu and then tap on "Share and Export"
7. Tap the SportTracks logo

After you complete these steps, your Apple Watch workouts will appear on your SportTracks Dashboard, ready for comparison and analysis!

Exporting with HealthFit

The workout files you create when you use the default "Workout" app on Apple Watch are stored in the Apple Health app on your phone. An iPhone app called called HealthFit (a one-time purchase of $1.99 USD) enables you to either export these .FIT files, or send them directly to SportTracks. This is a particularly good solution for analyzing indoor swim workouts, as all of the stroke and pool length data is included. This is how you do it...

First you need to set up HealthFit so you can access your workouts:

1. Download and install HealthFit on your iPhone
2. Open Apple's Health app on your iPhone
3. Tap "Sources" on the bottom left of the screen
4. Tap "HealthFit," then tap "Turn All Categories On"

Now you can send a workout to SportTracks:

1. Launch HealthFit on your iPhone
2. Tap "Select" in the top right corner
3. Tap the workout that you want to send to SportTracks
4. Tap the SportTracks logo in the bottom right corner

That's it! Your workout will appear on your SportTracks Dashboard. The very first time you do this, you will need to authorize the request, but after that, you just tap the logo and you're done.

Using the iSmoothRun app on Apple Watch

iSmoothRun was already one of the most impressive workout tracking apps for iPhone — but a recent update to its companion Apple Watch app makes it possible to record your activities while leaving the phone at home. In order to easily send these workouts to SportTracks, be sure to enable auto-sync first. This is how to get iSmoothRun Apple Watch workouts into SportTracks...

First you need to record a workout on Apple Watch:

1. Launch the iSmoothRun app on your Apple Watch
2. Force touch on the screen and tap the "Start" button that appears
3. If an option on the next screen is "Watch + iPhone," tap it to change it to "Watch Only"
4. Tap the activity type and select the sport you're about to do (Running, Cycling, etc.)
5. Tap the green "Start" button at the bottom
6. When you're finished, force touch the screen and tap the "Pause" button that appears
7. Force touch again and tap the "Stop & Save" button that appears

Next you need to send the workout to SportTracks:

1. Open the iSmoothRun app on your iPhone
2. On the "Log" screen, tap the workout you want to send to SportTracks
3. Tap the 'Export" button at the bottom
4. Tap SportTracks.mobi to give it a checkmark, then tap "Export"

Your iSmoothRun Apple Watch workout will now appear on your SportTracks Dashboard! Plus, if you ran with a Stryd power meter, its data will be recorded and accessible for analysis.

Using the Stryd app on Apple Watch

This solution only applies to running workouts when using a Stryd power meter and an Apple Watch (Series 2 or 3 only). Stryd released a dedicated app for tracking runs on Apple Watch. Workouts executed with this app can be downloaded from the Stryd PowerCenter and loaded to SportTracks. This is how to do it...

1. Complete and save a workout with the Stryd Apple Watch app
2. Log into your Stryd PowerCenter account and scroll down to the calendar
3. Find the date of your workout, hover over it and click the "Download FIT" button that appears
4. In SportTracks, select the "Add workout" button in the upper right corner
5. On the next screen, select the import workout button: 
6. Select "Choose File," navigate to the Stryd .FIT file, select "Open," then select "Import"

Since this is a brand new capability for Apple Watch, it seems likely that many more apps, integrations, and tracking platforms will emerge to provide new ways to send these workouts to SportTracks. But even with the options that exist today, there are already plenty of ways to sync your runs, rides, swims, and more. If you're curious about Apple Watch, it's an interesting time to give it a spin.

Ellen Moss is an experienced and impressively fast endurance runner, in addition to being a long-time member of Team SportTracks. However, in her prolific running career, one race has always eluded her: the New York City Marathon.

2017 is the third year Ellen has signed up, but she has yet to cross the starting line. In 2012 she was in the city with an official race packet in hand when Hurricane Sandy swept through, leading to the cancellation of the event. In 2014 her fitness was strong — thanks to the rigor of the Hansons training method. Unfortunately, her distaste for that training style (in addition to other non-running forces) led her to not compete.

Giving up on a dream isn't in Ellen's DNA. She is currently in prime shape to finally crush this race, and hopefully PR with a goal time of 3:20! But she's isn't just running to outdo herself. Ellen raised over $3500 USD for The V-Foundation for Cancer Research (you can contribute to her fundraiser here).

We thought it would be fun to share her marathon adventure, so we'll be sending out updates on our social media channels before, during, and after the race. You can keep up with them by following the #EllenRunsNYC hashtag. We kicked things off in early October with a Facebook live video:

We caught up with Ellen again two weeks later in a Twitter live video and talked about the longest run of her training plan. Here's what the Workout Detail page looked like from her 22 mile (35.5 k) run:

You can find Ellen's race reports and other writings on her I'm Doing it! I'm Not Sucking! blog, and her occasional contributions to the SportTracks blog (like the humorous review of the Hansons Marathon Training Method book).

Race day is rapidly approaching. Help us cheer on someone who is both a teammate and a reliable source of inspiration. Go Ellen! :)

If you've already spent time on a traditional bike trainer, or if you're completely new to indoor cycling, you should be aware of a piece a gear called a Smart Trainer. They transform your indoor workouts into dynamic, fun, and data-rich experiences. However, it's time-consuming to figure out which models deliver the best value — especially on a budget. That's where this article comes in.

This is a list of smart trainers in order of good, better, and best. It starts with the least expensive (yet capable) option, and ends with a model that rivals the performance of best trainers available — yet with a substantially lower price. Whether you're training for a triathlon, Gran Fondo, or you just want to stay fit, read on to learn about the best bang-for-the-buck smart trainers out there.

What is a smart trainer?  

Let's cover the basics...

Indoor trainers (which are referred to as "turbos" in England) attach to the rear of a bike and enable you to ride without moving, so you can do cycling workouts indoors, protected from the weather and dangers of the road.

There's a misconception that all smart trainers are exorbitantly expensive...

Smart trainers have sensors that capture and transmit your workout data via ANT+ and/or Bluetooth. You can then view and record this data with a bike computer, sports watch, smartphone, tablet, or computer.

The benefits truly pay off when you use a cycling program like TrainerRoad or Zwift. In these cases, not only is the smart trainer providing data like power and cadence, it's also electronically adjusting the resistance of the trainer to match the cycling software on your screen. This is what makes it worth the price of admission; instead of tedium, training becomes immersive and engaging.

The best entry-level smart trainer:

The Elite QUBO Digital Smart B+

There's a misconception that all smart trainers are exorbitantly expensive. For example, one of the most popular traditional trainers, or "dumb trainers", is the CycleOps Fluid2 which sells for $299 USD. The Elite QUBO Digital Smart B+ is a full-featured smart trainer with electronic resistance, and it costs $150 more. Not a trivial difference in price, but close enough to be within reach. 

Note: pricing on these trainers can vary considerably in different parts of the world.

While the Digital Smart B+ is impressive for its price, your expectations must be realistic. There are drawbacks: inaccurate power, cadence, and distance data, cumbersome included software, etc. Plus, this model is a couple years old, so you're not getting the latest and greatest. But at this price, it's still an attractive option. Simply put: it's the most inexpensive smart trainer that gets good reviews from reliable sources.

The Elite QUBO Digital Smart B+ is a "wheel-on" trainer, which means the back wheel of your bike is mounted to the unit. You don't have to fuss with removing a wheel, but it will add wear to your tire, and it won't have as realistic of a ride feel. The other kind of trainers (direct-drive) more accurately recreate the feeling of inertia, whereas wheel-on trainers slow down much faster when you stop pedaling.

When shopping for the Elite QUBO Digital Smart B+, be sure to confirm that the product name is an exact match. Elite has several models with very similar names, which can create confusion. In the event that this model isn't available, unfortunately, there isn't another option near its price worthy of recommendation. If this is the case, we suggest jumping up to a mid-level trainer.

The best mid-level smart trainer:

The Wahoo KICKR SNAP

While there are other great options in the mid-level smart trainer market, the robust build-quality, accuracy, and easy set-up process makes the Wahoo KICKR SNAP the one we like best. Wahoo manufactures the popular ELEMNT and ELEMNT Bolt bike computers, making the SNAP the only mid-level option with tightly-integrated hardware companions. Plus, all Wahoo bike computers come with automatic SportTracks sync built-in.

Like the Elite QUBO Digital Smart B+, the KICKR SNAP is a wheel-on trainer, so it shares the same downside of tire wear. However, it's far more accurate, providing that you perform a short calibration test every time you ride. Power readings can be altered by tire pressure and how snuggly the SNAP is attached to your bike. The calibration routine corrects these inaccuracies.

Wheel-on trainers tend to be noisy, but the sound that the KICKR SNAP creates isn't terribly loud. With a maximum wattage of 1500 watts, it has ample headroom to handle the vast majority of riders. A fun perk of the KICKR SNAP is that it's compatible with Wahoo's upcoming KICKR CLIMB accessory, which brings virtual hill climbing to life by physically lifting and lowering the front fork of your bike.

The best affordable high-end smart trainer:

The Elite Direto

With sleek Italian styling and a name that reeks of Nacho cheese, the Elite Direto is a smart trainer that provides the accuracy, feel, and performance of models that cost several hundred dollars more. In fact, the Direto is considered one of the most accurate smart trainers available, which is beyond impressive for such a competitively-priced trainer.

This is a direct-drive trainer, which means you remove your rear wheel and mount your bike directly to the unit. This provides a quieter ride, better road feel, and more accurate data. You won't add unnecessary wear to your rear tire and wheel, and you also won't need to calibrate the Direto as often (once a month as opposed to every ride with the KICKR SNAP).  

Be aware that the Direto doesn't come with a rear cassette, so it's something you definitely need to purchase and install. If you find a discounted price on the Wahoo KICKR (which is also a high-end, direct-drive smart trainer), consider getting that instead. The KICKR comes with a rear cassette, plus it has better inertia, and higher maximum power and grade simulation.

Wrapping up...

The vast number of smart trainers that are available add layers of complexity to an already confusing space. But please, don't be intimidated! Smart trainers are an excellent and safe way to improve your fitness in the comfort of your own home. Pick out the model that best suits your needs and get riding!

Lastly, be sure to always track your indoor trainer workouts. All of your activities impact your fitness. The only way to get the big picture is to log every workout (rides, runs, swims, etc.) on one platform. That's where SportTracks comes in (start a free, no-risk 45-day trial here). SportTracks features automatic workout sync with TrainerRoad, PeriPedal, Wahoo ELEMNT, Garmin Connect, and more. It acts as the control center of your training, and helps you truly achieve your best.

Today we are excited to announce our new goal tracking feature. If you want to track progress to your training goals, but aren’t committed to filling out a full training plan, goals are a wonderful new tool you can use.

Touring the new goals page

The first thing you will notice is a new top level Goals tab. The goals page is your command center for setting high level goals, tracking current progress, looking at what goals are coming up and reviewing your past accomplishments.

Click the Add goal button to create a new goal.

The most important parts of your goal are the start and end date, the goal type and the goal target. If you like you can limit your goal to a specific sport by clicking the sport icon. You can even pick a sub-sport such as a particular type of workout. You may also want to enter a useful name.

There are six different target types you can choose from. All targets are accumulated from the sum total of workouts that match the sport type (if selected) and date range: distance, effort, elevation gain, calories, total time, and number of workouts.

Once you have created a goal for the current time period you can track progress using the goal cards.

Several tools in the goal card visualization can tell you whether you are on target to achieve the goal by the end of the time period.

1. At a glance, the color coding system shows you whether a goal is on target (green), nearly on target (blue), or at risk of failure (red). Ideally, all of your goals should be green or blue after the time period has begun, especially by the half-way point.
2. For short term (week/month) goals, you can compare the target remaining and days remaining numerical values to give you a feel for whether the required training volume is achievable based on what you know about your upcoming schedule.
3. Compare the “today” indicator line to the goal completed value meter to see how far ahead or behind you are in the target time period.

Future and past goals

Below the current goals section you will see future and past goals listed.

You can review the start/end dates and targets of your future goals to see what is coming up. If you’re at the end of your training season, the future goals section can be used for planning next season. If you’re in the middle of your season future goals allow you to plan your training schedule.

The past goals section shows you how well you did on your targets. If you see a lot of red here, it means you’re setting your goals too high, or something is interfering with your training. If you see green with a lot of targets above 100% you may want to set higher goals in the future.

If you need to edit or remove a goal, simply click the goal card or table row to show a goal detail dialog.

Dashboard integration

Keen observers of SportTracks probably noticed another change this week – your dashboard now has a new section showing current or upcoming goals. If you have one goal active you will see the detailed goal card displayed:

Otherwise you will see a list of current or future goals:

If you’ve completed a goal recently you will also see a message telling you how you did.

You can also add goals straight from the dashboard.

Calendar and email report integration

We have a few more changes coming up for goals including integration into your planning calendar and email reports. Keep an eye out for future updates and until then… enjoy!
 

It seems like you were just training for spring 2017 races just yesterday, but now the year is done. A lot has happened in sports technology over the past twelve months, so we thought it would be fun to identify the most significant trends, and peer into the future to see where things are going... 

#1 - Fitness tech is still a big deal

The SportTracks community is filled with people who are serious about endurance sports, so it goes without saying that fitness tech is popular with this crowd. Zooming out, it appears that activity tracking and wellness remain popular with the masses. What originally looked like a fad three or four years ago has blossomed into a bonafide trend — and it may be here to stay.

While some fitness tech products struggled in 2017, overall interest and engagement among the general public grew. A great example of this is the Apple Watch Series 3, which debuted with an ever-tighter focus on fitness. Its hallmark feature — an LTE radio for phone calls and music streaming — directly targeted casual athletes in its marketing. All told, interest in using tech to track fitness is bigger than ever, and it seems like it will only expand in 2018.

#2 - The proliferation of Running Power

Power is a brand-new metric for gauging your effort in running, and it requires specific hardware to record and monitor it. At the start of 2017, the Stryd footpod was just beginning to ship to customers, and by the end of the year Garmin was offering a running power solution of their own. There are now several running power meter manufacturers actively shipping products, and it shows no signs of stopping. A clear explanation of the benefits of using power in running can be found here.

While it's still in its infancy, many athletes and coaches are seeing impressive results utilizing run power data. One current drawback is that you get dramatically different wattage numbers on the same efforts if you use multiple power meters on the same run. But even with these teething pains, running power was a hot topic in 2017, and its popularity will likely spread in 2018.

#3 - Heart rate monitors were everywhere

Data from power meters, either from bikes or running sensors, has gotten the most buzz in sports technology for the past few years. But while power has been hogging the limelight, the venerable heart rate monitor has quietly made its way into nearly every fitness tracker and smartwatch that rolls off the assembly line.

Look at Garmin's current lineup of running watches. The Forerunner 220 was once the most popular mid-range running watch, and it was replaced by the equally popular 230. Both lacked HRMs. Today the 230 is no longer listed as an active product (even though you can still buy a new one). In its place is the 235, which is the same watch with a built-in HRM. Garmin released the Vivoactive 3 in 2017, which is an activity tracker with multi-sport modes. This model seems like a quasi-replacement for the 230, and of course, it has an HRM built-in.

#4 - Indoor training was less seasonal

Riding a bicycle on a stationary trainer has traditionally been a tedious chore. Everything cyclists love about the sport: the movement, rushing air, undulating terrain, competition, teamwork, etc. is gone, and all that remains is the monotonous task of grinding away at the cranks. With the advent of smart trainers and engaging cycling programs like TrainerRoad and Zwift, riding indoors has transformed into a rewarding way to improve your fitness at home.

Indoor training used to be an activity conducted primarily during winter months, when it was too cold to properly train outdoors. However, excitement about indoor training never seemed to die down in 2017. It remained top-of-mind deep into the summer months, and on prime-time TV the general population in the USA watched commercials about Peloton, the latest spinning craze. As big as it was in 2017, a far larger number of virtual miles will be cranked out in 2018. 

#5 - SportTracks got some awesome new features!

Okay, we admit that the new features in SportTracks are not among "the biggest fitness trends of 2017", but we're still excited about them! The following fitness tools came to you in 2017...

• Structured Workout Plans (with the ability to export directly to Garmin) 
• Full support for Styrd run power data
• Color-coded map tracks with workout metrics and intensities
• Wireless custom workout sync with Genius Wrist
• Daily and weekly workout Progress Reports
• Automatic data sync with the HRV4Training app on Android
• Automatic data sync with the Concept2 Rower, PainSled, and Rowsandall
• Automatic data sync with the Garmin Index Smart Scale
• Powerful, new workout comparison features
• Automatic data sync with Polar
• New gear-tracking features
• The ability to track workouts with Apple Watch
• Automatic data sync with Elite HRV mobile apps
• Flexible Goal Tracking features

We have many exciting announcements planned for 2018, and we can't wait to share them with you. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2018!

Fitness tracker graphic by Anton Barbarov from Noun Project

Using tech to track swims is unquestionably beneficial for post-workout analysis (for example, you can easily compare workouts to determine if your training is effective). Where it falls short is during the workout itself, because interfacing with a watch can impede your swimming form. Thankfully, this is the exact problem that the Platysens Marlin solves, and now it's seamlessly integrated with SportTracks.

Runners and cyclists have a fairly easy time incorporating tech into their workouts; simply put on a watch or mount a bike computer and you're off to the races. Hardware can be more of a hurdle for swimmers. Bulky watches create drag in hydrodynamics, so the value they add must completely outshine what can be done with a pace-clock.

This is where the Platysens Marlin comes into play. It's a device that primarily hides behind your head, leaving your arms free of obstruction. In addition to giving you actionable feedback during your workout via its bone-conducting speaker, the GPS-enabled version of the Marlin provides real-time navigation for open water swims (its companion app makes it possible to easily create swimming routes).

Utilizing built-in motion sensors, the Marlin automatically detects and records stroke type. You can customize the audio feedback you hear while swimming with the following options:

• Time of the day
• Total swim time
• Distance
• Stroke count
• Report pace in time /100m

In Open Water mode, the speaker can report Average Pace, and you can set it to update you every 50 meters, 100, 200, etc. Another critical feature is the ability to load custom training programs. No more mind-numbing memorization or fiddling with printed plans. Create your workout in the app (including fin, pull buoy, drills and more), and simply have the Marlin tell you the steps as you go.

The Marlin is comprised of two modules: the main unit and a bone-conducting speaker. The main unit rests on the back of your head and the speaker sits in front of your ear, and they both attach to your goggle straps. The rear placement of the main module puts it in the ideal spot to utilize accurate GPS data outdoors. There is also a non-GPS, pool-only version available: the Marlin-P that will save you a couple bucks.

The Marlin app is great for mapping open water routes and creating training programs, but you can automatically send your completed swim workouts to SportTracks to take advantage of its world-class analysis tools. Logging your swims on the same platform that you log other activities is vitally important to accurately determine your overall fitness — and SportTracks makes this easy.

To enable the SportTracks integration, follow these steps:

1. Tap the hamburger menu in the upper left corner of the Marlin app
2. Tap "My Settings" in the menu
3. Tap "Connect" in the next menu
4. Select SportTracks from the list
5. You will need to log into SportTracks to authorize this request
6. Tap the "Yes, I authorize this request" button
7. You're done!

The dedicated swim-analysis charts in SportTracks are widely considered to be the most powerful available. That's why having a seamless link with innovative devices like the Platysens Marlin is a natural fit — if you seek the most performance-focused training tools for the water, you will be better positioned to take advantage of them when they work in harmony.

When it comes to finding a job, people tend to naturally gravitate toward professions that they're best equipped to handle — but what about running races? How do you determine if you're an ultramarathon runner or a 400m sprinter?

You may already be plugging away at a certain type of race, but you might have talents at other distances where you could produce more impressive results. This is how you find your fastest race... 

Listen to your heart

Uncharacteristically, we're not referring to heart rate monitors here. How fast you run at various distances is also about what's in your heart. If you don't enjoy training and racing in a specific type of event, then it isn't the ideal distance for you. Running is a demanding sport that can take a lot out of you, but ultimately it's about doing something rewarding. If you're not getting enough joy from your current training and racing regimen, it's likely time to switch to another distance.  

Compare your training runs

While the environment of a race has vastly different stimulus compared to an average workout, training runs can still be a strong indicator of your abilities. If you feel strong at the tail-end of a long run, lengthier endurance races may be your strong suit. The high-paced intensity of 5K's are attractive to some, and a turn off to others. Identify the distance you enjoy the most in training, and focus on it for your goal race. 

Use a Race Time Predictor

Even if you've only run 1000 meters, you can get a fairly accurate idea how long it would take you to complete a full marathon. This is accomplished with a Race Time Predictor calculator, which are available for free online (we recommend the RunnerSpace calculator). However, don't interpret the results from these calculators as fact. Think of them as a starting point. If the average person with your speed runs a 10 Miler in 1:29:42:8, challenge yourself to match or beat that time.

Find it in the tempo run

A tempo run is a workout where you run at a fast pace for a sustained amount of time. You don't sprint hard and tire quickly, rather, you run at the fastest pace you can maintain for a long duration. They're closely related to lactate threshold runs, which you can determine by yourself with an LTHR test. If you're not utilizing threshold and tempo runs in your training, they're definitely something you should try out. In addition to their proven training benefits, they can help you find your best racing distance.

Track your recovery time from hard workouts

Intense workouts are supposed to hurt, but if the aches and pains continue long after the workout has ended, it could be a sign that you're training for a race that isn't your optimal distance. Keep a log of your recovery time from intense workouts. If you find that it impedes your ability to properly train, consider changing your goal race to a distance where you can be more competitive. Running is all about efficiency, and efficient recovery times are part of the package.  

Make sure you have enough time to train

If you determine that the marathon is the optimal distance for you, make sure you have enough time to properly train for it. Skipping workouts can hurt you on race day, and the likelihood of injury greatly increases as well. When you choose a training plan, make sure you have enough time to execute the entire thing. Hacking a few weeks off a 15-week training plan isn't advised. Train smart, race healthy and fast.

Keep a detailed workout log

The more workout information you record and save, the better equipped you'll be to determine your fastest racing distances. For example, use the Notes feature in SportTracks and describe how a workout felt. In the future you can revisit a list of workouts at that distance, and your notes will remind you how it felt. This is excellent information for zeroing-in on your optimal racing distance.

Enjoy yourself out there & happy racing!

It's amazing that you can easily zero in on the minutia of a workout and identify important fitness indicators — like the moment your heartrate decouples — but if your goal is to achieve optimal performance, you must also zoom out and plot your entire racing season in advance. Many athletes and coaches achieve this with "periodization", the practice of strategically planning a full year. This enables your fitness to peak for a specific race, and it brings razor-sharp focus to every workout you do.

So, what's the best way to arrange your calendar to make the most gains? This topic has been hotly debated since the 1960's with no clear victor. With all of the variables to consider from athlete to athlete, it's easy to understand why. Putting the exact nuts and bolts aside, if you're not currently taking the whole year into consideration, there are benefits to be gained if you start doing so now.

The basics

With periodization, the year is split into blocks called macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles:

• Macrocycle: a 52-week block
• Mesocycle: 3 to 4 week blocks designed to train specific systems
• Microcycle: a 1-week block

Macrocycle

The macrocycle is your longview of the entire year. The idea is to choose your "A Race" (the most important race of the year) well in advance, and then plan to peak for it. You can fill the year with many other races leading up to and following this main event.

The macrocycle is split into three specific phases: preparation, competition, and transition. The most common approach is to use the preparation phase to work on base endurance, the competition phase is often focused on speed work and recovery, and the transition is your off-season, which can last any where from weeks to months.

Mesocycle 

The mesocycle is a block of time that's dedicated to stressing a specific system. If a mesocycle stretches out beyond four weeks in endurance sports, it's often best to split it into two or more specific mesocycles, rather than a single phase. The goal is to make every workout count by avoiding wasted repetition. Over four weeks of the same regimen tends to produce diminishing returns compared to mixing it up. 

Microcycle   

While a microcycle only accounts for seven days (or fewer) of training, it should not be planned without considering the goals of the entire year. Depending on where it lands in your overall plan, a microcycle can be designed to stress a specific system, it could be a combination of stresses and recoveries, it could all be recovery, etc.

It should be noted that various levels of recovery are often included thoughout a plan, and are not reserved for pre-race tapering.

The not-so-basics

Now that you understand the framework of periodization, it's time to consider how to put it into play. This tends to be a rather complex topic that requires research for proper execution. With this in mind, be aware that it's best for your plan to remain somewhat simple at its core.

"Linear periodization" is the most common approach. Many training plans are organized linearly: the first mesocycles focus on building base endurance, then they move into speed and fast-twitch muscle stimulus, and lastly they feature recovery phases before the race. This likely sounds familiar.

"Nonlinear periodization" isn't as neatly separated. The idea is that instead of building up one system then stopping to focus on another, you keep all of them stimulated with consistent attention. This approach doesn't require months of work to arrive at peak fitness, but overtaining and injury become more of a threat. 

There are many ways to approach periodization, with proponents and detractors of each. Spend some time considering what model appeals to you most, and start formulating a plan around it.

Work backwards

Once you've decided on your A Race, the next step is to begin planning your season in reverse. Start with the date of the A Race and fill in the mesocycles and microcycles in the weeks and months leading up to it.

If you're drafting the plan yourself, one option is to find a reputable and non-rushed training plan for your A Race, and adapt it to your SportTracks Calendar with the theories of periodization applied. This way you will be looking at your year on the whole, and you can start thinking about planning for the next year as well. Utilizing the Goal Tracking feature in SportTracks is another way to monitor your weekly, monthly, and annual progress.

SportTracks provides weekly and monthly totals to keep you on target

Planning an entire season is one area where experience truly pays off. While this is something you can do on your own (with the proper amount of research and care), it can more effectively be handled by a professional coach. This plan is going to shape your next 12 months and beyond, so it pays to have it crafted by a pro. Ask for recommendations for coaches from other endurance athletes, or use the Coach Search tool in SportTracks.

Don't ignore your Training Load

No matter who creates your training plan, you will have a solid idea of when your fitness will peak when you utilize the Training Load and Performance charts on your SportTracks Health page. They weigh your workout history against the workouts you have planned, and estimate your fitness and fatigue levels in the future. This way you can actually see when your future peak fitness will occur.

Periodization provides a clear and organized "big picture" plan that helps you stay on track, and more easily adjust in the event of injury and other setbacks. No one plans on catching the flu, but when you encounter a delay like this you can make slight adjustments to your planned workouts as needed, and check your Training Load and Performance charts to make sure you are still on target to peak. 

Closely following a training plan is an excellent way to bring structure and purpose to your racing preparation, but if you don't consider what came before or after it, your fitness won't be as primed as possible. Utilizing the framework of periodization and the powerful tools in SportTracks is an excellent way to stay in top form, year after year.

This week Garmin announced the new Forerunner 645, their most advanced GPS sports watch that was designed specifically for runners. Its marquee feature is the ability to store and playback music, but the question is — are its additional capabilities worth it?

Making the decision to buy a high-end sports watch gets complicated when you consider all of the excellent mid-range options that are available. Garmin's own Forerunner 230 and 235 stand out as much-loved and wildly popular running watches. If music isn't a must-have feature for you, why jump up to the 645?

Here are the main features of the Forerunner 645 with explanations of what they provide:

Garmin Pay - The 645 features the ability to make contactless purchases, essentially turning the watch into a wireless wallet. Before you brush this off as an unnecessary gimmick, just know that this is actually a very convenient way to buy things. The drawback is that Garmin only has a small number of banks on their platform, so this is likely something you won't be able to use immediately.

Running Dynamics - One thing you can't do with mid-range watches is access Garmin's Running Dynamics suite. This records your Vertical Oscillation, Ground Contact Time, Ground Contact Time Balance, Stride Length, and Vertical Ratio. The drawback is that you also need to use a Garmin accessory to capture these metrics, either the RD Pod (which clips to your shorts), or the HRM-Run or HRM-Tri chest straps. On the plus side, these accessories also enable you to use Garmin's new Running Power app with the Forerunner 645.

Wrist-based heart rate monitor - The new 645 is the first 600-series watch from Garmin to feature a built-in heart rate monitor. While it's very desirable to have heart rate incorporated into the watch, the data it gathers isn't as accurate as external chest-strap HR sensors. This is also a feature you find on mid-range GPS watches, namely the Forerunner 235 and vivoactive 3.

Training Load and Recovery stats - This is a feature that first appeared on the fēnix 5 series and Forerunner 935 watches. If you're not familiar with Training Load, it measures your current level of fitness based on recent workouts to give you an idea of how ready you are for a race. However, we're partial to the Training Load and Performance charts in SportTracks. Our platform takes all of your planned workouts into account, so you can see your fitness and fatigue charts stretch into the future. You can also set the chart to display the past week, month, 3 months, year, or all time. Plus, you can click and drag on a section to see the exact workouts they contain.

More notable Forerunner 645 features:

• Lots of activity profiles (indoor and outdoor running and cycling, pool swimming, elliptical, skiing, snowboarding, paddle sports, strength training, walking and many more)
• Built-in VO2 Max and lactate threshold testing
• Courses with breadcrumb navigation
• The latest version of Connect IQ
• Compatible with Bluetooth sensors
• Unlike the Forerunner 610, 620, and 630, the new 645 does not have a touchscreen (which is a good thing)

What's missing:

• It cannot connect to bike power meters
• It does not have proper mapping navigation
• It does not have an Open Water Swim activity profile
• It does not have Multisport mode for triathlon

For those features, you must upgrade to the Forerunner 935 or fēnix 5 series.

Music vs. Non-Music

Listening to music as you run is one subject that divides runners. Some runners love it, others hate it. Wisely, Garmin is offering two versions of the new Forerunner 645: one that has the ability to store and play music, podcasts, and audiobooks, and another that does not. If you want the music version, there is a $50 premium. The Forerunner 645 Music costs $449.99 USD, and the Forerunner 645 Base (non-music version) costs $399.99 USD.

Even if you're the kind of person who never listens to music while running, you should consider that it might be handy to listen to audio content with the watch when you're not running. The Forerunner 645 Music pairs with Bluetooth headphones, but it also can be used with Bluetooth speakers. It has enough storage for around 500 songs, but it does not have streaming capabilities. It works like an old-school MP3 player. You load content onto it when it's connected to your computer with the included charging cable.

The 645 Music does have integrations with Deezer and iHeartRadio, which enables you to sync music from those services to the watch when connected to a computer. Note that the big names in music services are missing, namely Spotify. 

Is this the watch for you?

If you’ve been waiting for Garmin to release a running watch with music capabilities so you can leave your smartphone or MP3 player at home, this is it. The big question is, when will Garmin release a successor to the Forerunner 235, and when they do, will it have music functionality too?

If you're looking for a watch that has music capabilities, there are more options to choose from. The TomTom Spark Cardio has 3GB of music storage and costs significantly less. Every Apple Watch has music storage, and the Series 3 LTE has data connectivity so you can stream Apple Music as you run (and use it as a phone, too). The Polar M600 is another music-ready running watch to consider. 

There's a lot more that the Forerunner 645 can do than what's covered in this post. All told, it's an impressively powerful watch with lots of useful features. We're big fans of the smartwatch features you get in Garmin watches these days, and they're all present in the new 645 as well.

If you want a "next-level" running watch, you can't go wrong with the Forerunner 645. Just know that it may not be long before there's a slightly less expensive option with Garmin Pay and music capabilities. But, you can sleep better at night knowing your 645 has advanced options like Running Dynamics and Running Power that the mid-range watches will likely lack.

Many fitness devices now include built-in heart rate monitors, which means a great number of runners have access to this data for the first time. While it’s interesting to see your BPM as you run, without context the information is useless. This article provides you with context, transforming a novelty into a powerful training tool. 

Here are some popular ways to utilize heart rate data in running:

Basic Usage

The primary way that runners use heart rate is to establish training zones based on their current fitness level, and then to closely follow training plans that were designed around those zones. But if you're not currently following a plan, you can still use your heart rate monitor every time you exercise.

Your heart rate monitor can be used to make sure you're getting a beneficial workout. If you have a tendency to go too easy or too hard, your monitor can tell you when you're in the sweet spot to get a good aerobic workout. This is done by first determining your Max Heart Rate (MHR) which is covered in the next section, and then maintaining specific ranges of it during workouts.

Essentially, if you're working out below 50% of your MHR, you're going too easy. If you're over 85%, you're going too hard. Use these ranges to hit different intensities:

• Moderate: 50 to 70% of MHR
• Intense: 70 to 85% of MHR

Max Heart Rate

The idea behind MHR is simple: you determine the maximum number of beats-per-minute your heart is capable of producing while running, and you use that number as a training guideline. There’s a common misconception that if you exceed your MHR, your heart will explode. Thankfully, this is not the case. It’s simply a guideline.

For decades, an oversimplified method was used to determine MHR, which was to subtract your age from 220. It was so easy you didn’t have to get off the couch to figure it out. The problem is that there are many different types of people, and applying a single formula to determine everyone's MHR produced too many inaccurate results. 

A far more accurate way to determine your MHR is explained in this section of our How to Set Your Heart Rate Zones post. When you have your MHR, be sure to add it to the Training Options section of your SportTracks profile, and edit your heart rate zones based on the following:

• Zone 1 = Up to 60% of MHR
• Zone 2 = 60 to 75% of MHR
• Zone 3 = 75 to 85% of MHR
• Zone 4 = 85 to 95% of MHR
• Zone 5 = 95% of MHR and above

If you're already relatively fit, your MHR likely wont change once you've determined it. And, because it's a theoretical limit, it's possible to occasionally exceed your MHR.

Lactate Threshold Heart Rate

Your heart's job is to pump blood throughout your body, and your blood clears away waste, one of which is lactic acid. Both tasks are being carried out constantly, but when you exercise, your body doesn't rid itself of lactic acid as effectively. As your workout intensity increases, you reach a point where your blood can't remove the lactic acid quickly enough. When lactic acid accumulates, you slow down.

The purpose of Lactate Threshold Hear Rate (LTHR) is to determine the point at which your body produces more lactic acid than it can remove, and to create training zones based on this threshold. When you train to increase your LTHR, you will be able to run faster for longer periods of time, making you a more competitive runner — all based on feedback from your heart rate monitor.

Determining your LTHR requires a strenuous 40+ minute workout. When you preform this test, be sure that the intensity won't disrupt your current training plan (if you're following one). It's also important to be able to maintain a consistent pace for 30 minutes without slowing down. You should test your LTHR every 6 weeks, so your training zones remain up-to-date.

Of all of the training methods described in this article, LTHR is often considered the most effective. You can learn how to test your LTHR in our Determine Your Lactate Threshold post, and learn how to set your LTHR zones in this section of our How to Set Your Heart Rate Zones post.

We hope this article has been helpful. Properly using this kind of technology is an excellent way to stay heathy and achieve all of your fitness goals!

Garmin recently introduced of the Forerunner 645, an advanced running watch with the ability to store and playback music. This made us curious how many other GPS sports watches had music capabilities, and it turns out there's a bunch, and a few can even stream music as you run.

Here's our roundup of music-equipped sports watches that let you leave the phone at home...

Polar M600

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your running watch had all of the capabilities of a full-blown smartwatch? The Polar M600 is exactly that: a powerful GPS sports watch with a built-in heart rate monitor that runs on a powerful smartwatch operating system. One of the big advantages of this is that the M600 can store and playback music.

While it is possible to use this watch if you have an iPhone, it's a lot more capable if you have an Android phone. Namely, the ability to store and playback music isn't available if you use an iPhone. If you're on Android, it can store around 2.5 GB of music, and it pairs with a wide variety of Bluetooth headphones and speakers.

Pros:

• An excellent sports device with full smartwatch capabilities
• Easy auto-sync integration with SportTracks

Cons:

• It's rather large in size
• More useful with an Android device, as opposed to an iPhone

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music

Since this watch was the inspiration for this article, it had to be included. This is the first Garmin with support for the storage and playback of music. It's something that many loyal users wanted for a long time, and it's finally here. We covered the main features of the Garmin Foreunner 645 in a separate post, but it basically boils down to this: it's an advanced running watch with some multi-sport features (such as pool swim tracking), but it's most notable skill is music.

You must load your tunes (or podcasts and audio books) onto the watch when it's attached to your computer via USB. You can then play them back while you're working out and listen on paired Bluetooth headphones. The 645 will remember being paired to multiple sets of headphones, which is a nice feature. It has support for Deezer and iHeartRadio, but it cannot stream music from these services, only sync playlists when connected via wire.

Pros:

• Has advanced running features like Running Dymanics
• Easy auto-sync integration with SportTracks

Cons:

• It's a high-end sports watch with a matching higher price
• No music streaming support

Apple Watch

If a smartwatch is what you're after, then the Apple Watch is definitely worth considering. It's widely considered the best of the breed in smartwatches, and it's decent for sports and activity tracking as well. Every version of this watch features a built-in heart rate monitor and the ability to store and playback music. More advanced versions feature built-in GPS and swim tracking.

The drawbacks of Apple Watch are its limited battery life, its reliance on a touchscreen for operation in sports mode. It lacks a seamless auto-sync solution with SportTracks, but apps like HeathFit make it easy to send workouts to SportTracks. To load music onto the device you either need to subscribe to Apple Music, or have an iTunes music library. If you have the LTE Apple Watch and an Apple Music account, you can stream music without a phone.

Pros:

• Waterproof versions record underwater heart rate, stroke rate, and more
• LTE version can stream music

Cons:

• Limited battery life and touchscreen make it less than ideal for sports
• No auto-sync with SportTracks, but there are many ways to easily use it with our platform

TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music

With its built-in heart rate monitor, easy-to-use operation, 3 GB of music storage, and budget-friendly price, there's a lot to like about the TomTom Spark 3 Cardio + Music GPS watch. On top of that, it features direct auto-sync integration with SportTracks. There are people on our team that use this watch, and they're very happy with it.

TomTom goes as far as including wireless Bluetooth headphones with some bundles of this watch, making it dead simple to get out there running with tunes. Another advantage is that there are two different sizes of this watch available to accommodate different sized wrists.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use operation, budget-friendly price
• Easy auto-sync integration with SportTracks

Cons:

• It's not clear how commited TomTom is to the fitness market 
• Limited to playing only MP3 and AAC files

More options...

Fitbit Ionic - A capable smartwatch with a focus on fitness, and the ability to stream music with some services. It's possible to export workouts from Fitbit and manually upload them to SportTracks, but this isn't the most convenient workflow.

Samsung Gear S3 and Gear Sport -  Both of these smartwatches have access to Spotify (which is currently a Samsung exclusive), but they suffer from poor GPS and pacing accuracy.

New Balance RunIQ - This smartwatch offers music capabilities for Android users, but suffers from poor software implementation and inadequate battery life.

LG Watch Sport - Features built-in LTE (for phone calls and data), NFC (to use Android Pay), GPS, and a heart rate monitor. However, it is excessively large and has stiff, non-replaceable wrist bands. It can stream music, but getting a snug fit is impossibe if your wrists aren't thick enough.

Thanks for checking out this post! If you have any questions, we would love to hear them below...

Power meters are the most compelling new fitness sensors to hit running in years, and some athletes are so convinced by their effectiveness that they stop using heart rate, pace, and other metrics altogether. While it's completely up to you (or your coach) how you train and race, you need to carefully consider everything you're giving up when you run with only a single performance metric — such as using heart rate to validate running power data.

Let's get this out of the way right at the start: If you go all-in with running power and ignore everything else, that's fine. This could be the most effective strategy for you. We are simply highlighting the benefits of using multiple metrics.

Example #1: Interval Recoveries

Interval training offers many benefits: it can help improve your speed, it can provide a more vigorous workout in a shorter amount of time, etc. It's also a great way to measure your efficiency and fitness level when training with running power and heart rate.

A typical power zone interval could have you maintain Zone 5 power for 1 minute, then be followed by a 3 minute recovery interval in a lower zone, and then repeat. As you get more fit, this kind of workout will still feel intense, but you may notice that it becomes easier than it was in the past. Put another way, it will have a lower RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).

It's possible to utilize heart rate data to validate how you feel during your power zone interval workouts. Your heart requires more time to ramp up at the start of an interval (compared to power and pace), and it takes a longer time to settle down afterward. Instead of dismissing this lag as a fault, embrace it for what it is, and gather the useful information it provides.

Using the workout comparison tools in SportTracks, you can directly compare recent and past interval workouts. If you noticed that the active power-zone intervals felt easier than they did in the past, analyze your heart rate data. You may see that the overall BPMs are lower in the workout that felt easier, or that your heart was able to recover more quickly. Both are signs of improved fitness and endurance.  

SIDE NOTE: When workouts feel easier it's a sign that your fitness is improving and that your training zones may need to be updated. This is why you should test your LTHR every six weeks. When you wear a running power meter, this test provides your LTHR, Threshold Pace, and Running FTP. 

Example #2: Decoupling

When you monitor both your running power and heart rate, you will see how the two metrics behave similarly based on the same stimulus, and more importantly, you will see how they react differently and go on separate paths. This is called decoupling, and it provides actionable information when it occurs.

For example, if you maintain a consistent power zone on a run and you see that your heart rate is fluctuating, it's a sign that you may need more aerobic base training. On a runs where you maintain a specific power zone for extended periods of time, you can compare identical workouts over time to see if your heart is working harder or more efficiently to maintain the same power zones. Improvement here is an excellent indicator of fitness.

If you maintain a specific heart rate zone for a longer duration of time (a half hour or more), you can look at your watts to determine the state of your endurance. Again, by utilizing workout comparison tools, if your wattage increases over time when maintaining the same heart rate zone, you are getting more efficient and powerful.

Example #3: Easy Days

Most training plans include harder days, easier days, and rest days. In order for the plan to truly be effective, you need to adhere to it as much as possible. This means doing all of the miles on long runs, and making sure your intensity stays high on hard days. However, in order to truly be successful, you need to take rest days and easy days as seriously as the hard work.

On easy days when you're trying to maintain lower power zones, your heart rate data can be invaluable. For example, say your training plan calls for a slow and steady 45 minute run in your Zone 2 power. You execute this workout and dutifully maintain the Zone 2 effort, however, halfway through your heart rate shoots up to Zone 4 or higher. Despite your best intentions, this is no longer an easy workout.

If you don't wear a heart rate monitor on easy days, you won't truly know of you're sticking to your plan. An unexpectedly high heart rate can indicate that you need more rest. It's a clear signal that even an easy workout is too much strain, and that rest would be more beneficial. 

Wrapping up...

So there you have it: three examples of how heart rate can compliment and validate running power data. Remember, neither one is perfect. Running power is still very new and evolving as a metric, and likewise experiencing some teething pains. Heart rate data can be influenced by diet (espresso anyone?), lack of sleep, poor health, excessive heat, and stress levels.

But despite the downsides, both are still useful and informative. And like a good rock band, their sum is greater than their parts. 

If you have any thoughts on this subject, please share them in the Comments section below...

There’s a lot going on in the mechanics of freestyle (forward crawl) swimming: keeping your toes pointed, properly rotating your torso, stretching forward during a pull, etc. Here's one more thing to consider: how far you travel with each stroke. This is a metric called Stroke Distance, and training to optimize it will lower your SWOLF scores and make you a faster, more efficient swimmer.

With all of the measurements involved with swimming, you could easily overlook Stroke Distance completely. But the amount of distance you travel with every stroke is obviously very important. It tells you how much energy you're wasting by just pushing water around — instead of pushing your body forward.

Stroke Distance is also referred to as Distance Per Stroke, or DPS. An important thing to keep in mind is that it varies from person to person. Taller swimmers with longer arms tend to have different numbers compared to shorter swimmers. There isn't a single ideal target to shoot for; it's a personal metric.

How you arrive at your ideal Stroke Distance depends on the type of race you're training for, and the swimming style that best suits you. Some people perform better with more glide time between strokes, while others do not. Ultimately, the most important thing is to figure out what will get you to the finish the fastest.  

While there certainly are exceptions to the rule, advanced swimmers tend to take fewer strokes. Therefore, as you analyze your Stroke Distance, you should also keep an eye on your Stroke Rate (the number of strokes you take per minute). The effectiveness of your kick will be a factor here, as the more efficient it is at propulsion, the number of strokes per minute will be smaller.

Reducing drag is key

When it comes to improvement in the water, the topic of drag reduction invariably comes up. Water is 784 times more dense than air, so getting the most distance out of each stroke relies heavily on minimizing drag. As you work to improve Stroke Distance, anything you can do to keep your body as level as possible (head and butt not popping up, legs not sinking down) will help a great deal. 

It isn't just about perfecting hydrodynamics. Sculling drills should be incorporated into your weekly training routine. This is the practice of moving through the water using just your hands and forearms for propulsion (no shoulder motion is allowed). You can watch a basic tutorial in a video called How to Do Sculling. These drills will make you more aware of how your body interacts with the water, and help you optimize your catch and hand positioning. And even though it has nothing to do with overall drag reduction, sculling will help improve your form.

It's also beneficial to take your hands out of the equation. You should incorporate weekly drills where you lap the pool with closed-fists. This will force you to concentrate on how your forearms can best be used for propulsion. Alternating between these drills will make you an all-around faster and more efficient swimmer, and you should see an improvement in your Stroke Distance as well.

Post-workout analysis and beyond

Analyzing your workouts after the fact is extremely helpful when training to optimize your Stroke Distance. Software tools like SportTracks help you determine if these training drills are being effective over time. With SportTracks, you can easily compare similar workouts to see if you're making gains.

There is more you can do as you're working out to optimize your Stroke Distance. When you're training in a lap pool and maintaining a specified pace (such as a T-Pace workout), it can be helpful to manually count your strokes with each lap. You will get an immediate sense of how much effort you're exerting to cross the pool. Being able to relate pace with stroke count will give you an informed impression of Stroke Distance, so it will no longer be something abstracted from the workout itself.

Another source of propulsion to consider...

You've likely worked on your catch, pull, and release extensively, but have you ever thought about what's happening above the surface of the water? After a stroke, as your arm exits the water and starts making its way forward for the next catch, it creates kinetic energy that adds to your propulsion through the water. You likely don't want to deviate too far from the standard form of having a relaxed, bent elbow. But, this energy source is still something to keep in mind as you optimize.

Stroke Distance isn't a golden key that unlocks your fastest possible speed in the water. You want to strike a balance between gaining maximum distance per stroke, while still swimming quickly and competitively. There are incremental gains to be made by utilizing the specific training drills in this post. You will travel further with each stroke, bringing your SWOLF scores down and covering more distance with less effort.

There's a lot more you can do to improve your cycling performance besides following a solid training plan, doing indoor trainer workouts, riding with challenging groups, working out in the gym, having a healthy diet, and hiring a coach. What follows are key training tips you can easily incorporate into your weekly routine both on and off the bike...

Avoid the path of least resistance

People have a natural tendency to seek the path of least resistance, and this is true in cycling. Opting to only draft in group rides, and never going to the head of the pack to pull. Choosing routes with fewer hills. Spinning in easy gears rather than grinding it out. Modern bikes make it easy to change gears so you don't have to work as hard, but this tendancy is precisely what you should avoid.

When you encounter a climb (either in the real world or in a virtual training platform), don't automatically shift to the easiest gear. Instead, maintain a high cadence in a slightly harder gear. As you get stronger, up the ante by chosing even harder gears while still holding cadence. It's much harder work, but remember, you got on the bike to work out! :)

Headwinds are universally viewed as negative by cyclists, but you should start thinking of them as training enhancements. Use the resistance they provide to increase your power by staying in a harder gear while still maintaining a high cadence. On longer rides into the wind, you may need to break these efforts into intervals with recovery phases. 

Embrace cycling-focused strength training

It's simple math: the more powerful your body is, the more power you'll be able to push into the cranks. That's why year-round strength training is beneficial for cyclists, but it pays to be strategic in the gym.

While there's a place in your training for intense power lifting, it's best to utilize these workouts for cycling-focused exercises, especially during training and racing seasons. Too much attention paid to upper-body iron pumping with short repititions can leave your legs and core lacking.

It's much more advantageous to focus on aerobic strength training with higher repetitions. You want to train the arm, shoulder, and back muscles that work to keep you in aero positions on the bike for hours on end. Planks are an excellent way to do this, as is another key exercise called "renegade rows."

The renegade row

• Use a set of kettleballs or dumbbells
• Start with a lighter weight and build up later
• Position your feet shoulder-distance apart 
• Move the weights in a gentle, controlled motion (don't slam them down)
• Alternate arms, or work one side then the other
• Start with 3 sets of 10 reps, and increase as you get stronger

It's also beneficial to do push-ups while in the renegade row position on the weights. There are many more cycling-specific exercises you can do, such as burpees, mountain climbers, lunges (forward and lateral), deadlifts, running stairs, bicycle kicks, and more.

Don't overdo it with high intensity

As tempting as it can be to push hard on every trainer ride, gym workout, and when you hit the pavement outdoors, remember that you won't be making as many gains as would if you held back quite a bit. The majority of your training should be in the lower zones, under 75% of your FTP.

The slow and steady distance and time you accumulate helps build your endurance. Intense workouts should only account for 25% of your training. Just as it's important to take rest seriously on rest days, your body needs recovery time to gain strength from the stresses of training. The good news is that when it's time for intensity in a workout, it pays dividends to push extra hard.   

Stay on target with data analysis

It doesn't have to be a guessing game to determine how much time you're spending in your various training zones week after week. Since over-training posess such a threat to your goal of improving power, it's best to get a bird's eye view of your effort. If you train with heart rate, you can easily create "cumulative heart rate zone time" charts in SportTracks.

With just a couple of clicks on the SportTracks Analysis page, you can create a chart like the one above (instructions for how to do it are in our Heartrate Zone Goal Monitoring post). As you can see, this athlete is spending too much time in zones 4 and 5 and not nearly enough time in zones 1 and 2. What did your most recent training block look like?

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear them below...

We take the protection of your data and privacy very seriously at SportTracks. We created this post to help you fully understand our approach to these topics, and to remind you that you always retain complete control of your data on our platform.

Our approach to privacy

Every page of our site has a link to our Privacy policy at the bottom. It's worth reading, but here's a quick breakdown of some important points:

• Your information will not be sold, exchanged, transferred, or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever...
• We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information...
• All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted...
• After a transaction, your private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) will not be stored on our servers...
• We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information...

In-app privacy settings

SportTracks has an array of privacy settings that you can adjust to your liking. Simply select your profile in the upper left corner, hit the My account button, then select the Privacy tab on the left.

As you can see, I prefer to keep my privacy settings as public as possible, but they default to show new workouts to your friends only, and the other settings are for coach only. New workouts can be changed to private, public, or for just your friends. Personal messages can be open to everyone, or just for your friends and coach.

Using SportTracks in complete privacy is always just a few clicks away. While we certainly encourage you to make friends on the platform and cheer each other on, it's entirely up to you how social you choose to be.

Sharing and bulk editing privacy settings

Individual workouts can be shared publicly while your global setting remains private. In the top right corner of your Workout Detail pages you'll find a Privacy button that lets you alter this setting. It enables you to share big races, epic rides, milestones, or anything you want while still maintaining your overall privacy. The Share button beside it lets you send workouts to friends, via email, or on Facebook. 

The Workouts page in SportTracks offers more ways to control your privacy. You can easily create a column that shows the privacy setting of each workout by clicking the gear icon in the top right corner. You can sort workouts by their privacy setting by clicking the top of the column, and you can use the other controls on the page to filter by sport, date, etc.

If you hit the Select button (to the left of the gear icon in the top right corner of the Workouts page), then click the check-box beside workouts you want to edit, and then select the Edit button, you can change the privacy settings of multiple workouts in bulk.

Do you keep my information?

For tax purposes we are required to retain some basic billing information when you purchase a SportTracks subscription. This data is kept strictly confidential and protected by a secure enclave. Outside of that, you can easily remove all of your personal data.

SportTracks exists because we wanted a more powerful and easy-to-use platform for training and racing in endurance sports. We also strongly value privacy and data protection. We have formidable systems in place in these areas not by accident nor obligation, but because it's what we want for ourselves.

Hi everybody! This is Ellen, the Social Media Manager at SportTracks! I thought it would be inspirational to meet some of our awesome users and share their impressive goals and accomplishments! With Marathon Monday less than a week away, it made sense to kick things off by introducing you to a runner who is gearing up from the grandaddy of them all: The iconic Boston Marathon. It's our pleasure to introduce you to Charlyn Chapal, a veteran of many marathons and fabulous SportTracks user. Check out her story below, and follow her Boston journey on Twitter at @Xaarlin.

I asked Charlyn a few questions about her goals and training for Boston, and what being a part of this special running event means to her. Here's what she had to say...

Ellen: What are your goals for the 2018 Boston Marathon? 

Charlyn: I've been training for a 3:10 — but know that might be a stretch for me. My not-so-current PR of 3:28 is from 2016. I ran a 1:35 half PR in November and decided it would be exciting to chase a 3:10. My #1 goal is always to have fun. A new PR would also be pretty sweet.

Ellen: Have you run Boston before? If so, how many times, and what are the highlights of your previous experiences? 

Charlyn: This will be my 3rd Boston, 2nd as a qualifier. The highlight of my first in 2011 was being able to share the experience with my dad — his first Boston too (I ran on a sponsor bib). Last year when I ran as a qualifier for the first time, I soaked up the experience even more — ran without headphones, chatted with runners along the course, and even kissed a few girls at Wellesley. 

Ellen: How cool to get to share the Boston experience with your dad! I've been fortunate enough to run it a time or two as well, and I agree that it's an experience like no other! You just can't beat chatting it up with 20,000+ of your runner junkie BFFs out on the course, and if you don't smooch a few Wellesley girls, you're most definitely doing it wrong! Do you have a cool "chasing down the Boston Qualifier" story? If so, I'd love to hear it!

Charlyn: My dad has been a runner his whole life and it was his lifelong goal to qualify. Running is something we’ve always bonded over. He missed qualifying in the 80’s with a solid 3:04 at the peak of his running. In 2010 I saw him finally achieve his BQ and decided at that point I needed to get my own BQ. In 2012 I got a 25 min PR for a 3:40 — not enough to qualify. I missed the BQ by less than 5 minutes 3 more times before finally having another breakthrough marathon in 2016 which qualified me for 2017. Last year Boston was very hot and I took it easy. (Mildly disappointing considering all the training). I ended up running my 2nd BQ at the Copenhagen marathon a few weeks later. I attribute my success to drinking some beer just past 13.1 with my run club: Mikkeller Running Club. 

Ellen: Awesome sauce! I know how elusive that BQ can be, and how oh-so-sweet it feels to catch it with a big breakthrough race. (And did you catch that pro-tip from Charlyn, BQ hopefuls out there? BEER may be the only thing standing between you and that qualifying time that you're looking for!) Runners sure do get worked up about the Boston Marathon! Any thoughts on what makes it so cool and special?

Charlyn: I’m sure it’s been said before but Boston is like our Olympics. Having to qualify adds another dimension to the allure of Boston, as well as the long history of the race. When you’re in Boston for marathon weekend it’s overwhelming how the community supports this race. 

Ellen: Give us an overview of a typical training week (both a regular week at home, and a current vacation training week).

Charlyn: I’m self coached, using the Hanson advanced marathon plan. I do have some great friends who will give me honest feedback about training and life which helps a lot. Typical training weeks are 55-60 miles with speed work on Tuesday, tempo on Thursday and double long runs on the weekend (cumulative fatigue!) with easy runs during the week. When I went on vacation a few weeks ago, my training mainly stayed the same. Boston training doesn’t stop for vacation or beer festivals. 

Ellen: Nice! Those Hansons don't play around! (Check out my review of their marathon training method.) I have no doubt that you're dialed in to marathon goal pace like a boss and ready to crush it on race day! Any sage advice you would offer to runners who are tackling Boston for the first time?

Charlyn: Boston is magical. I’d say to first timers (and as a reminder to myself) to just soak up as much as possible marathon weekend. Chat with the guy in the elevator who has on a Boston jacket from 1972, make a new friend on the bus to Hopkinton, and if you’re feeling good Marathon Monday, drink some beer with the kids at Boston College on the course.

Ellen: When did you start incorporating technology into your training, and what aspects of it do you find most valuable? 

Charlyn: In 2012 I decided to finally start logging my miles. Eventually, logging miles wasn’t enough because I love analyzing data and was searching for something better. My friend recommended SportTracks to me over 2 years ago. I find SportTracks to be incredibly useful. The health/performance graphs have correlated to my peak performances and give me extra confidence knowing I’m right where I need to be during training, and especially on race day. (And also give me enough warning if I’m headed towards burnout). SportTracks has been incredibly valuable to my success as a runner.

Ellen: Would you say that the marathon is your ideal race distance, and if so, can you tell us about the process of finding it?

Charlyn: I love the marathon! I love the training, and of course race day. I ran cross country in high school and couldn’t imagine running over 6 miles — which is a huge contrast to today, where my shortest runs are 6 miles. In 2002 I ran my first marathon, NYC completely under trained and it was as awesome and miserable as it sounds. It wasn’t until 2010 that I ran another one: Nike Women’s marathon in San Francisco. I had trained well using Hal Higdons plan and felt great the entire race and took an hour off from my first 26.2. After that I was hooked. I’m obsessed with seeing improvement, love the journey and will continue chasing PRs at the 26.2 distance for as long as I can. Boston 2018 will be my 16th marathon. 

Wrapping up...

Well Charlyn, we sure do appreciate you taking the time to share your Boston Marathon journey with us! May your trip from Hopkinton to Boylston Street be filled cheering crowds, tales glory from other marathons gone by, high-fives from adorable kids, spontaneous dance parties, and plenty of Wellesley smooches! We look forward to reading your sure-to-be-triumphant race report! Best wishes, and thanks for training with us!

Do YOU have an awesome, brag-worthy goal race or story you'd like to share? I would love to hear it and consider it for our series of articles spotlighting SportTracks community members! Please email us at support@sporttracks.mobi and tell us all about it!

Charlyn Chapal has been running for as long as she can remember, she's the founder of the Chicago chapter of the Mikkeller Running Club, and she keeps getting faster. You can keep up with her racing at her blog.

Garmin just announced the new Edge 520 Plus bike computer, which offers a handful of upgrades over the original Edge 520 from 2015. Most notably, it handles turn-by-turn navigation and can automatically update your route if you make a wrong turn. This isn't a show-stopping feature that every cyclist must have, but the 520 Plus is still a compelling new option — especially when you factor in the advantages of Garmin's extensive ecosystem.

The new turn-by-turn navigation functionality has cycling-specific tools that standard vehicle navigation apps lack. A feature called "Trendline Popularity" highlights routes that other cyclists prefer riding. This helps you avoid bike-hostile roads, and maybe see prettier sights along the way. Features like this illustrate how Garmin has leveraged their popularity to your advantage.

The 520 Plus comes loaded with your region's maps, so it can navigate to a saved course or "saved point" such as your home address without an internet connection. If you're riding in rural areas with no mobile phone reception (as endurance cyclists often do), you can still pull up fresh turn-by-turn navigation instructions from the 520 Plus. This is something that the much-loved Wahoo BOLT cannot do.

Another cool feature you won't find on competing bike computers is the new "Extended Display" mode. If you use a Garmin Fenix 5 or Forerunner 935 watch, you can set the 520 Plus to mirror the metrics your watch is recording. This is ideal for triathletes who want to track races and brick workouts on their watch, instead of creating a separate workout file on their bike computer.

Recording all of your activities on one device also makes Garmin's built-in First Beat training load data accurate. However, this is never something you have to worry about when you use SportTracks, because workouts from any kind of bike computer, sports watch, or mobile tracking app are all sent to the performance charts, so you can easily determine how fit you are for a race.

Connect IQ and Varia Radar

There are two more significant ways that Gamin's rich ecosystem benefit you with the new 520 Plus: Connect IQ apps and Varia radar lights. The unit comes loaded with apps from Yelp and Trailforks. While Yelp may seem like an odd choice for a bike computer, what it does is actually quite useful. You can search for specific businesses and locations, and when you find what you need, you get the typical Yelp information like star-ratings and such, but the app will also send the navigation route to your 520 Plus, so you can immediately start pedaling to the address.

One of the limitations of the 520 Plus is that you cannot search for an address and then command it to navigate you to that address. For that functionality you need to upgrade to the Garmin 820 or 1030. But Connect IQ apps like Yelp can help you get to nearby locations on-the-fly without that functionality.

The 520 Plus is fully compatible with Garmin's Varia radar lights, namely the new RTL510 taillight. This light uses radar to detect cars approaching from the rear, and it can spot them when they're 500 feet (152 meters) behind you. The moment a car is detected, the display of the 520 Plus will show a series of dots (next to your workout metrics). As the dot approaches the top of the screen, the car gets closer and closer until it passes. Several cars can be detected, not just one.

To many people this may sound like an unnecessary luxury. Why not purchase an inexpensive mirror instead? However, the people who buy and use Varia lights have nothing but extremely positive things to say about them. For many people, the Varia light integration is one of the most compelling reasons to choose a Garmin head unit.

If radar lights appeal to you, they're compatible with a good number of older Garmin bike computers as well. They're also compatible with the new Edge 130, a lower-priced yet surprisingly full-featured monochrome head unit. If you don't need detailed navigation features, the ultra-compact Garmin 130 is worth checking out. It has the new Extended Display feature, too.

Bike computers are a growing and competitive market, and there are many options to choose from. If you want one with a big screen and long battery life, you have more than one option. If you want something small and lightweight for racing, you have more than one option. If you want something in-between, you have many options. The new Garmin Edge 520 is definitely not the best bike computer for everyone, but it will likely be the most appealing option to a sizable chunk of cyclists.

Tracking the usage of your workout gear is important because it helps you determine when to replace specific items and avoid unnecessary breakdowns and injuries. Gear tracking isn't something you should do only when you get new equipment, though. SportTracks makes it easy to add old equipment to your workout history in bulk. If you have gear that you never tracked, you can quickly add it to past workouts — and I'll show you how to do it in this post.

Adding gear to your workout history is helpful in many situations. If you own older running shoes that you never tracked, this practice can help you figure out their milage. If you have a bike with components that you never tracked (such as a replacement cassette), you can determine how much use it has gotten. New users of SportTracks that import their workout histories from other platforms can quickly add all of their equipment using this method.

It's easy to do:

1. Go to your Workouts page.
2. Filter the list to the sport type and date range you want to add gear to.
3. In the upper right of the page, hit the Select button.
4. Select the first workout from the list that you want to add gear to. To select multiple workouts, hold down SHIFT and click the last workout in the list to select them all.
5. Click the Edit button in the upper right side of the page.
6. Switch to the Gear tab and select Add.
7. Find the piece of gear that you want to add to the selected workouts and click on it, then press the Save button.
8. Press the Select button again to exit this mode.

The piece of gear will now be added to these workouts in bulk!

PRO TIPS:

The "Replace" button in the "Edit workouts" screen will remove all of the gear used on the selected workouts, and replace it with what you select in that window.

On your Workouts page, if you want to look at a workout to decide if you need to edit the gear, you can use the CTRL-click keyboard shortcut, or use the "open in new tab" option to open it. Then, just click the checkbox to check or uncheck it, and proceed with the bulk update.

When you add a bike, be sure to add every individual part. For example, remember to add two separate wheels (front and rear), two separate tires, separate front and rear brakes, etc. If you only added one of these components in the past, you can go back now and add the others.

We hope this information was useful! If you have any questions about gear tracking or editing gear in bulk, we encourage you to leave a comment below. If you don't see a way to add a comment, you can gain access to it by starting a free SportTracks account here. Thanks!  

We hope you're enjoying balmy spring weather, bonus daylight hours, and fun times training and being active (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere, that is)! Ellen Moss, our Social Media Community Manager, had the pleasure of getting to know SportTracks athlete Jack Rebours this month. Jack is an up-and-coming cyclist who lives and trains in the Bailiwick of Jersey. Join us as we learn a little more about him, his goals and accomplishments, and his training routine!

Ellen: So Jack, let's start at the beginning. How did you get started in cycling, and at what point did you realize that you had a shot at entering major competitions?

Jack: I got into cycling in 2012 aged 16. My first real competition was the 2015 Island Games in Jersey where my best result was 4th in the TT. I travelled to Gotland for the 2017 games and placed 2nd in the same event. From 2016, I started the qualifying process for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. I was riding well in the Knight Classic Series and securing the results I needed to be considered for selection. It wasn’t until mid-way through 2017 that I realized I had a real chance of qualifying.

Ellen: Impressive! It seems that you've earned some very high-level results in a relatively young cycling career! We admire your hard work and talent in the saddle! When did you start using technology in cycling, and did it change your training and racing?

Jack: I started using a power meter after about a year of riding and it transformed my training. I was able to complete specific training sessions and use software to track changes in my power output over time and objectively identify areas for improvement. 

Ellen: Nice! Power meters are all the rage now! The parallels between your performance beginning to take off and the introduction technology and data-driven training are evident as we look at the trajectory of your career thus far! Do any training practices or techniques you've tried stick out as having made a real difference in your performance?

Jack: The training session that really brought me on was strength endurance hill reps. This involves turning a big gear at low cadence up a hill then switching to a lighter gear and pushing on for a few minutes over the top.

Ellen: Yikes! Hill work is always tough (I know I always dread it when it shows up on my training calendar!) but there's no denying that it's an awesome way to build strength and mental toughness to boot! You competed in both the individual time trial and road race at the 2018 Commonwealth games. Do you prefer one event over the other?

Jack: The TT was my preferred event. I didn’t have the opportunity to do many road races in the lead up to the Games so the road race was always going to be more difficult to prepare for.

Ellen:You recently joined a cycling club in London. How will this benefit your training and racing?

Jack: I joined HJL, a London-based race team this year. The team is supported by Steve Coxshall who runs Hampstead Jazz Lounge, and now that the games are done I am looking forward to traveling to the mainland and racing regularly for the team at National B-level where the team has already proved to be successful. 

Ellen: Very cool! There's truly something magical about the camaraderie and accountability that come with the dynamics of a successful, cohesive team. We wish you and them all the best and look forward to following your training and races via SportTracks and otherwise! How does your coach use SportTracks in your training and racing?

Jack: I have found SportTracks extremely useful for tracking my training load and also for comparing efforts and monitoring changes in performance over time. The software also allows for you and your coach to comment on activities which makes communication easy. 

Ellen: Do you do any cross-training, and if so, what other sports do you enjoy the most?

Jack: I enjoy all sports! In the past I played a lot of football. At the moment I focus nearly all my time on cycling. I manage to fit in some core work but with work and recovery between sessions I don’t have enough time to regularly participate in other sports.

If you keep working and stay positive eventually good things happen!

Ellen: Fair enough! We know that it's super-easy to get laser-focused on one particular activity, particularly at your level. Your core work routine is a great reminder to all of that it's important to pay mind to the little things to get the best out of your body for optimal performance. In your opinion, what is the most valuable thing the sport of cycling has taught you about yourself?

Jack: The most important thing that cycling has taught me is to be patient. If you keep working and stay positive eventually good things happen! 

Ellen: Patience, perseverance, and positivity are all very valuable virtues to have as an endurance athlete! It sounds like your head is in the right place, Jack! We're excited to see where your great outlook and perspective will take you next!

Many thanks to you, Jack, for taking time out of your busy life and training schedule to share a little about yourself with our SportTracks community! Keep up with Jack and his training here: (Insert link to Jack's blog, social feeds, etc.) Until next month, keep on trackin', friends!

Do YOU have an awesome, brag-worthy goal race or story you'd like to share? I would love to hear it! Please email us at support@sporttracks.mobi and tell us all about it.

Jack Rebours is a young cyclist from the Channel Islands who competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He's a member of the London-based HJL Race Team, and is coached by Dr. Garry Palmer at Sportstest.

Cycling photo by Michal Lowthorpe Portraits