Metrics and Management

You can't manage what you don't measure. It is an old management adage that is accurate today. Unless you measure something you don't know if it is getting better or worse. You can't manage for improvement if you don't measure to see what is getting better and what isn't. 

Training tools:

• Strava w/Premium Account ($6 a month)
• Zephyr Heart Rate Monitor (Bluetooth) ($45)
• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman (ANT+ smartphone) w/32gb SD card ($50 on ebay)
• ipBike - http://www.iforpowell.com ($7)
• Powertap ANT+ wireless speed and cadence sensor ($35)

With the amount of indoor training I do, I needed a system that measured heart rate against time or hopefully distance. ipBike on a cheap Sony Ericsson smartphone does more than a Garmin Edge 500/800 does and cheaper too!  This setup allows me to track my HR, time, and distance for indoor running (treadmill or track) as well as HR, speed, cadence, and distance for indoor bike time on the trainer.  It also has a solid setup for calculating power on the bike without the need for a costly power meter.  For the level I'm training at and competing at, this is close enough to what a $1500 power meter provides.  

Remember, the management of improvement comes during training, not during racing. So there's no need to use a costly power meter during a race.  I'll just push myself by how my body feels for the swim, bike, and run with an extra eye on my cadence during the bike.

Also, I needed an online database to store everything and review later.   While some people look down on Strava, as a training tool, it's great.  There are plenty of options out there on the webber-nets, but make sure you can upload to it from your work outs and capture as much data as you can.

The Sony Ericsson has the bonus of holding a SD card for mp3s and a builtin FM radio.  This makes runs much more enjoyable while not having to carry 2 devices to track the workout and play music.  Show me a Garmin that can do that! Load a high tempo and low tempo playlist on there.

In the end, you need a tool combo that you're comfortable with.  I can geek out on IT based solutions and programs like ipBike.  But if that's not your forte or comfort level, go with something like the Garmin ForeRunner line.

As that barista said to me last week when I ordered the Red Eye at 6AM, "go knock it out!"