Tag: Training

Online exercise logs – what’s your poison?

After I got hold of my Garmin Forerunner 305, I tried to check out the best tools to retrieve and analyze all that recorded data. There are tons of websites and standalone tools for creating/importing your exercise logs. Every tool has a few plus and minus points. Some of the tools have great support for some of the popular devices out there for importing training data – like the Garmin or Polar watches, as well as the iPhones.

I am listing some of the popular tools/websites below:

  1. DailyMile
    Nice clean look. Connect with friends and read their updates Facebook style. Nike+ integration, but no Garmin support. Send workout notes to twitter.
  2. RunningAhead
    Nice, simple interface, great integration with Garmin. Weekly/monthly stats, log shoe mileage, etc. Great google map integration for routes. Highly recommended in the running community. Trying it out currently. 
  3. MotionBased
    Garmin integration, has free and paid memberships. Integrates weather data along with other run metrics. Since Garmin acquired MotionBased, they are migrating the technology to a new platform – Garmin Connect. So, will soon be phased out (Garmin uploads stop June 30, 2009).
  4. SportTracks
    Standalone tool – highly recommended by runners. Garmin support. Has interesting plugins for things like elevation correction, etc. Equipment tracking. Yet to try.
  5. MapMyRun
    good with maps, not the greatest with exercise logs. Interface bit cluttered with ads. Has Garmin integration, GPS data import, etc.
  6. Garmin Training Center
    Standalone tool, for Garmin users. Not very impressed using it. Has Mac support too. Seems to be slow as well updating screens. Has to core stuff though, distance, pace, HR, elevation, splits, etc.
  7. Garmin Connect
    Garmin’s website based tool, derived from MotionBased. Interesting features include a ‘Replay Activity’ using which you can play back your run. Has also got ‘goal tracking’ and report generation.

All these tools and websites can be used for recording your exercise data, either directly, or from a supported device, so even if you do not have a Polar or a Garmin, it makes great sense to put the data there. Do you use any of the tools to store your training logs? What’s your favorite, and what makes it stand out? I think we can all learn from our experiences here, do share.

You can check out a bigger list of tools at larry’s blog, maybe your favorite one is hiding there.

Comrades 2010 Training: May 2009

This was my first month of training for Comrades 2010. I am following Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Spring training program. The target monthly mileage for the month was 151 KM, and mileage achieved was 119 KM. So, I was short by about 20% in this first month. The schedule called for 6 days of running a week, and I sort of struggled a bit to get that done, mostly getting 5 run days. This month also had a lot of travelling, which resulted in a few missed runs too. I tried to compensate for some of the missed runs by combining mileage for a couple of runs into one.

Summary: Monthly Mileage
Target: 151 KM
Achieved: 119 KM

Key intermediate targets achieved were a couple of 10K runs where target pace of sub 6:00/km and sub 5:45/km were comfortable achieved. Also, tempo runs in the range of 5:15/km to 5:10/km were also done. Just managed one 200m interval run (repeats) in about 50sec range.

Overall assessment: Pretty satisfied with the entire effort, a good first month. Getting in the groove of getting up early. More regularity now once those travels are done with. From fitness point of view, no injuries or concerns, so going good on that front too.

Next month: More of the same, June and July will just continue on the lines of May, with slightly increased mileage. More 10K target pace runs will be run, at slightly faster paces. Meeting the tempo run, interval and 10K target run pace will be an indication of how I am shaping up. It is less than a year to go for Comrades now (actually 360 days from today).

Lake to Lake run in Nainital

Last few days were spent in a nice little resort located in Naukuchiatal, the lake with nine corners. Its not too far from the hill town of Nainital, and just under 4 kms from Bhimtal, another one of the many lakes around (the other big one being Sattal). What better opportunity for a runner than to find some good routes to run in those great, serene, peaceful surroundings and the hills.




The first run was done around the Naukuchiatal lake, a loop of around 3.5KM, and a couple of loops made it about 7KM. On the second day, I wanted to explore the hills a bit more, and so I decided to do a lake to lake trip, starting from my resort in Naukuchiatal, going to Bhimtal and around, coming back to Naukuchiatal and doing a round around it too. The total distance covered was about 14KM in 1:40 hrs. I expected the run to be a bit tough on the hills, and there were small, steep sections, but otherwise, the slopes were easy. Managed a pace of about 6:53/KM for both the days. It would be much tougher at Comrades, and I will have to put special effort to work out on hill running, maintaining the right form, developing the right strategies for uphill and downhill sections. All in time.


BTW: Today marks 365 days to go for the 85th Comrades marathon.

Comrades 2010: Training plan and Strategy

I am dividing my training plan for Comrades 2010 into three parts or phases.

Phase 1: Base building phase

This will be the first 3 months of my training, May to July, and will mostly be oriented towards bringing regularity to my running, ensuring that I am running 5-6 days a week, that too in the hot summer months. Another focus area would be to build up speed for Phase 2. I am trying to do most of the running in the mornings, unlike other seasons where it is mostly evenings, and which is a bit disruptive in the daily scheme of things. I am following Hal Higdon’s Spring training programme (Intermediate) for this phase.

Phase 2: Improve pace

The second phase is another 3 months duration, August to October. The focus in this phase would be to improve my pace so that I get a reasonable time at the Comrades. This phase will have a key element, which is to prepare well for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, which happens on Nov 1st. The target time for this would be 1:45. This will also be an incremental step towards getting a good qualifying time for the Comrades marathon (Yes, Comrades does require a sub 5 hours qualifying time, and have different gradings/starting positions for qualifiers based on their times. I would be following Hal Higdon’s Half marathon training plan (Intermediate) for this.

Phase 3: Qualifying for Comrades

This is less of a phase, and more of an intermediate goal from Phase 4. I am targeting qualification with a sub 4:20 marathon time, intending to do this at the Dubai marathon on Jan 22nd, 2010. This will place me in Batch F starters. An alternate / exceeds goal here is to qualify with a sub 4:00 marathon time, which will put me in Batch D, and saving precious minutes waiting to cross the starting line. Why Dubai, and why not Mumbai marathon (which happens on Jan 17th), from the weather statistics I can see Dubai at 15-20 degrees C, while Mumbai can be anything like 25-30 degrees C or beyond, and that I am sure will make one big difference to the qualifying time.

Phase 4: Core Comrades Training

This will be a six to seven months training phase starting November, where each and every run would be oriented towards doing well at Comrades. There are two popular training plans for Comrades available on the web.

  • Don Oliver’s training plan : This is more on the lines of Hal Higdon’s plan, where emphasis is to gradually build up weekly mileage by small increments to the weekly run, and small increments to the one big long run in the weekend. Started in August for 2010.
  • Norrie Williamson’s training plan : This plan is different in philosophy, advocating a variety of runs like hill repeats, track repeats, fartleks, and the load of the one big training run is spread over 2-3 runs, mostly one mid-week, and two long runs over the weekend. 2010 plan awaited.
  • Lindsey Perry’s training plan: Lindsey is the Official Comrades Coach nowdays, and his plans are quite popular on the discussion forums and there is a separate section called ‘Ask the Coach’ there. Lindsey’s plans are for sub-9 hour, sub-11 hour, and a Finishers training program. Started in July for 2010.

I have yet to decide on which one to go for. All above seem to be equally popular with the running community, but I am probably more inclined towards the Don Oliver plans.

Running Log : Feb 8, 2009

Distance: 27 KM
Time: 2:49 hr
Pace: 6:30 min/km
Location: Swarn Jayanti Park, Indirapuram

This was my longest run before the Running and Living Gurgaon marathon on Feb 22nd. I was planning to run 32KM, but after doing 27 KM, I had to stop even though my body was not totally exhausted. This maybe due to the last long run being delayed to Wednesday, or due to the late start at noon.