Well Connected

There was a time when I used to be a pretty serious runner (you may have heard me go on about it in the past) and it’s crazy to think back on how I went about analysing and recording my training. You see, the thing is, well…I didn’t.

I didn’t keep a training diary, much to the annoyance of my coach. It was just one effort-step too far after a hard track session or a long run, to write down what I’d done and how it felt. I occasionally tried to rectify the situation and would keep a diary for about a week, then I’d forget and return to my usual non-record keeping ways.

I didn’t even wear a watch! I know!! It’s mad now I think back on it. But, when I was training at the track, my coach would shout my times at me as I ran past. The cool thing was how accurately I could pace myself, everything from a 200m rep upward, I could run through the line bang on target almost every time, based purely on feel.

No watch! Pure happy though.

If I was off out for a longer run, I’d check the clock on the wall at home, head out of the door on a route I approximately knew the length of and would check the clock when I got back home. I didn’t carry a phone (e.g. Nokia 3210) either, so the usual conversation as I left was:

Mum: “How long should I leave it before I get worried?”

Me: “Expect me back in an hour, start wondering where I’ve got to in 90 mins and call the police if I’m not back in 2 hours.”

Ahhhh, such simple times.

Fast forward a few years and a change in sport, and I’m writing a blog post about the myriad training apps and gadgets that accompany my every pedal stroke.

So, here goes!

Strava

Every. Single. Thing. I do gets uploaded to Strava. Pretty much immediately. It happens automagically, once I complete some kind of activity, and zings straight out of my watch or bike computer and into the ether. I then have to quickly name the thing (because you can’t possibly leave it as Morning Ride, no siree) and assess whether I’ve achieved any crowns, trophies, or little medals. Not going to lie, I don’t care for the medals, but those symbols of trophies and gold crowns under an activity got me like:

I mainly like Strava. It’s a fun, stalker-ish way of seeing what your mates are up to and, if I’m in the right frame of mind, appeals to my competitive nature with its segments and rewards. I must admit though, if I’m ill or injured or not exercising for some reason, I don’t go on Strava. I do naaat want to see everyone’s activities because I get jealous!

Want to be Strava friends? Find me here.

Training Peaks

This is fully Bizzniss. Some serious shit goes on in here, most of which I don’t understand. There are a lot of graphs, calendars, scales, boxes, sections… Coach Ken has access to this app too and this is how he sets my training for me. I can see all the things I’ve done and how well (or not well) I did them and look ahead to what I’ve got coming up. The combo of data from my heart rate monitor (which I MUST wear at ALL times) and power meter, as well as the individual comments I input after every ride all inform Coach K of how I’m progressing and allow him to make decisions on what comes next. This is purely personal, there’s no community aspect. No one can give me a thumbs-up or follow my progress, it’s just me and coach and lots and lots of SCIENCE.

Komoot

This is my route planning app of choice. I’m not a great route planner. It’s an art. A skill I don’t really possess. I’m a bit too slapdash so, when I used to route plan with Strava, often found myself riding along less than ideal roads wondering if there really needed to be this many cars along with me. However, since Komoot came into my life (and my phone) things have significantly improved. It’s very much centred around adventure and exploration, encouraging users to share Highlights, with pictures and descriptions of wonderful roads and tracks they’ve found. Then, people like me can just click click click and join together all these Highlights to create an epic ride.

Wahoo

This is part app part hardware. For those that may not know, Wahoo is a brand of little bike computers. I got mine about two and a half years ago and onto it I can load routes, so I know where to go! It’ll also show me lots of numbers (SCIENCE) to make sure I ride hard enough or not too hard and, if I brave a training session outside, I can get it to beep at me when I need to do intervals. Magic. The app on my phone is how I tell it what to do. It also stores my zones (HR and power), as well as my age, weight and various other metrics, which enables it to work out calories burned and whatnot. Essentially it knows everything. It’s all very clever and is a far cry from my watchless days of years gone by.

Zwift

Okay, Zwift is an app I use more than I’d like. At the moment, it’s where I do most of my training during the week. From the comfort (well, I mean, I’m still sat on a saddle) of my own home I can ride around in imaginary worlds ‘with’ other cyclists who are also sat at home too. You can have little chats (although I still haven’t really joined in), organise group rides (like the NGNM Women’s Ride every Wednesday evening plug plug), climb Alpe d’Huez (Alpe du Zwift) and generally turn what can be a bit of a boring stationary bike ride, into a mildly enjoyable, sort of sociable experience. If I lived somewhere perpetually warm and sunny, I probably wouldn’t need Zwift, but I don’t, so I do.

FitrWoman

The more I read the (very small amount of) research around women’s physiology and the specific ways we can enhance our training (and lives) by harnessing the natural advantages afforded to us by our menstrual cycle, the more I want to track it alongside my activities and feelings. The FitrWoman app allows you to input your period, add any symptoms, such as bloating, sore boobs, foul mood, and all that other fun stuff, and advises you on what type of training you should focus on (endurance, high intensity, weight training) and how best to fuel and recover (fats vs. carbs vs. protein). It will also synch with Strava so you can see how you’re affected by your menstrual cycle. I won’t try to explain it here, because it’d take pages and pages and I wouldn’t do it justice, but if you have periods, definitely check this app out! It’s free and so SO interesting.

It does feel slightly excessive, as I write all this out, but this app accumulation has happened gradually over time, to the point where I didn’t really realise how many different ones I was relying on. There’s definitely something to be said for exercising… naked, as it were, without a watch or monitor of any kind. Learning to perceive your effort and pace, and locate yourself within the surroundings.

But at the moment I think all these platforms add value to what I’m trying to achieve on my bike. Part of me would like to be less connected, to spend more time thinking about what I saw and experienced rather than what speed I rode or whether I got a Peak Power. But the sports scientist in me likes to see data.

And the very bad navigator in me needs maps.

Perhaps once I’ve completed The Big Challenge in Summer, I’ll switch off my apps and shun the technology. In the meantime…Does anyone else use five billion apps? Do you use any that I’ve not included here? Let me know – although, I’m not sure I should be encouraged to get anymore…

J x