Thoughts on Workout Data

Five years ago I was all about the data. Any device I could get I would wear. Sometimes I had a GPS on one wrist, a heart rate monitor on the other and a power meter on the bike. I loved the charts and graphs.

But fairly quickly, maybe in my second season, I found that I didn't like having access to data in races because it held me back. Then I transferred that thinking to training and for a couple years continued to collect data aggressively (data OCD) but I generally didn't use it during the workouts. Near the end of 06, beginning of 07 I started to skip data collection on workouts and not sweat it too much. Big portions of last year are a data vacuum.

I still track basics of time and distance on the blog. That gives me some understanding of what I'm doing. And I plan on continuing to do that for the foreseeable future. And I still use heart rate in iron-distance events... I've just got to have that rational limiter.

Paul posted about his data collection changing lately. Got me thinking a bit. I've been all across the spectrum. I found that the value I was getting out of the data wasn't worth the trouble it took to collect it. Working out is hectic enough without all of the straps, charging and downloading. With two to three workouts a day I often found myself spending 30 minutes just getting all of the gear into the minivan. These days anything I can do to simplify the workout routine is welcome.

I could have gotten a lot more out of my data. I just didn't. Every time I went in and did crazy complex analysis I found that there were too many uncontrollable variables at play. Sure, I could compare heart rate for three climbs up Hogpen. But the temp and wind was different. And what was my body weight? And did I have that 12x27 yet? I could draw conclusions but the numbers were often close and the unknowns took away most authority of the conclusion.

Part of this is just the natural progression too. I would absolutely recommend that new triathletes/runners/cyclists use heart rate/power/cadence, etc. Early on in your career you don't know what various heart rates feel like. You don't know what your limits feel like. The data is a great feedback mechanism. It's like a hint to point you to the answer. But you have to see it as such. Otherwise you get overly dependent on it. Over time you learn many of the lessons that data can offer. You either have to up your data analysis game (which I didn't) or go more by feel. I'm opting to go more by feel as I was past the point of diminishing returns.

One thing that would have helped was a single piece of software to bring it all together. One Ring to Rule Them. WKO+ was supposed to do that but it couldn't talk to some of my Polars... or Garmins. I could use my Polar/Garmin software to download the workout but then I had to manually put it into WKO+. They have mass import but it created dupes. Overall, pita.

Sometimes I miss the data. I look back at the holes and wish that my charts were complete. But that's just nostalgia/OCD.

I think I'll use the data devices more on the benchmarking front from here forward. Controlled treadmill and CompuTrainer workouts that I can do over and over again to compare fitness.

Like my 8mph for 1hr on the treadmill. Been doing that for years. Lots of data points. But there are even problems with that. Each treadmill is calibrated differently. And as I get closer and closer to my personal best capability the margins of performance are tighter and tighter. Which opens the door to a bunch of calibration challenges. Like bringing a foot pod and creating a five minute treadmill calibration routine.

All to serve the data. At the end of the day I'm going by feel much more. I find that the data is/was a crutch. It was supposed to give me comfort that I was progressing. Oddly however, I rarely looked at data and thought "awesome, I'm rocking!" Normally I found I was behind where I expected to be. Or wanted to be.

As the years go by fun is more and more important to me and my fitness. The basics of completing races are no longer motivating. The basics of setting prs aren't either. I mean, I certainly want to set prs. But the force is getting weaker in me. More than anything I just enjoy getting out there and having fun on my bike or in my run shoes. It's a real lifestyle and I enjoy it.

GPS data is nice to have because it does show pace throughout the workout. I like that. And I like the little maps. And I like being able to download a ride to the GPS in case I get dropped. Or race myself on the same route later. There are definitely benefits to some data and I've found that GPS data is lately my favotire. In the past I was all about heart rate. Then power on the bike before I realized the Polar Power Meter was crap.

Data collecting, archival and analysis gets tedious. It's a wonderful tool but I found that I was constantly paying for it and only rarely using it. Like leasing a $4,000 hammer that just sat in my toolbox.

So those are my thoughts on data. And yes, this is pretty much a guarantee that I'll be getting a power meter and a license for SPSS or Mathematica in the coming weeks.

I had no idea I had that many thoughts on workout data when I started this blog post.