164 Days until IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga
Still Looking
No training plan yet for 2020, but getting closer, because an important box was delivered to the house yesterday: a box from Amazon.com.
By the way: Do you suppose young kids these days know that Amazon is also a river and region in South America? Or a culture of warrior women known by the ancient Greeks?. I’m sure they do, but wanted to ask anyway. 
Morning read
So back to that box and more importantly its contents. Inside that box was the best training resource for the self coached athlete: Joe Friel’s “The Triathlete’s Training Bible”. I’ve had the old version since 2006, but this latest one is full of new and sometimes conflicting information compared to the old one… and that’s a good thing.
After a nice and easy 1500y in the pool this morning, it’s time to have a cup-a-java, read a little from the bible and write a little in the blog.
The Big Picture
The thing that’s been on my mind lately is an overall picture of how the little pieces of technology fit together to make training easier, fun, and efficient. I don’t have all the nifty gadgets, but I wouldn’t be against finding a little extra cash to slap down on filling the pain cave with stuff. In this post, there’s no lecturing or philosophizing or educating the reader. I’m just trying to paint a bigger picture of the connected triathlete so I know what cool gadgets I should consider.
The Pieces
If I understand correctly, all we need is to:
Design a workout (from the training plan)
Set up the measuring devices and training aids
Measure key variables during the workout so we can a) stay within the correct zones and b) accumulate data for post workout analysis.
Upload data from measuring devices to some other platform for analyzing data
Summarize data to determine how we’re doing and if we need to rest
Seems simple enough, but what confuses me is all the crap in my inbox that tells me I’m going to be a better triathlete if I use such and such product. I think I’ve sorted it out, but please tell me if I’m on the wrong track here with these products. Thanks.
Design a workout (from the training plan). Clubs, coaches, online training like Endurance Nation, TrainingPeaks, etc.
Set up the measuring devices and training aids. Power meters, turbo trainers like Wahoo KICKR and TACX Neo, smartwatches, Strava, Wahoo TICKR, Zwift?, etc.
Measure key variables during the workout so we can a) stay within the correct zones and b) accumulate data for post workout analysis.
Upload data from measuring devices to some other platform for analyzing data. TrainingPeaks, Strava, Zwift?, etc.
Summarize data to determine how we’re doing and if we need to rest. TrainingPeaks.
I think the only question in there is Zwift. How does that fit in to the equation? I know it interacts with a turbo trainer and makes indoor cycling less boring, but what does it have to do with data (if anything)? Does it accumulate your metrics? Does it analyze it for you? The most important thing I want to know is TSS. Does it do that? Probably not, but I thought I’d ask.
Maybe I’m just making this too complicated.
The Value of Data
I love data. I work with data professionally and I like to be able to drive my decisions with data. That’s why I’m such a lover of gadgets. But don’t get me wrong…
I also love a good bike ride for the sake of being outdoors with a warm breeze in my face. I love it when I get the “feel” of a new technique. There are times when I leave all the gadgets behind and just ride or run or swim. That’s a lot of fun and one of the reasons I love this sport.
For everything else, there’s data.