Anyone use SportTracks

Anyone here use the running log SportTracks? I love the plug in feature called Training Load. It charts your training stress in a couple of different ways. It does require heart rate information.

First it gives each run/workout a TRIMP number. It represents training impulse or intensity. Uses a logarithmic number to your workout based on distance, intensity, pace, calories burned. Your TRIMP number is used to calculate your CTL or CHRONIC TRAINING LOAD. Your CTL represents your current degree of fitness over the last 42 days. Your TRIMP is also used to calculate your ATL or Acute Training Load. Your ATL represents your current degree of "freshness" over the last 10 days.

Next it will subtract ATL from CTL to arrive at your TSB or Training Stress Balance. CTL - STL = TSB. A negative TSB is indicative of a high training load. (Pointing toward over training). It is indicative of when you may need a step back week or a period of rest. A period of taper leading leading up to an event should correspond with an increasing TSB when ATL is reduced relative to your current CTL. Where TSB is positive +1 to +5 there is a strong indication of good performance. Anything over +6 is trending toward staleness. (This has caused me to cut my taper from two weeks to around ten days).





I guess in basic terms - the blue or CTL represents your Base. While the red represents your acute training stress. The gold bars represent the TRIMP of each run.

I think in this chart my ATL is artificially high and my base is artificially low because I didn't run with a HRM from the middle of March until June.

I use to use it all the time. I might start using the free version again. I think there are a lot of great plugins, like the training load one that yo just mentioned. Of late I have just gone back to just a simple running log for all my running. I do believe there a few people here that do use it.

No, I have never used SPortTracks. I just use the online Garmin Connect application to log and analyze my runs.

charles wrote:Anyone here use the running log SportTracks? I love the plug in feature called Training Load. It charts your training stress in a couple of different ways. It does require heart rate information.

First it gives each run/workout a TRIMP number. It represents training impulse or intensity. Uses a logarithmic number to your workout based on distance, intensity, pace, calories burned. Your TRIMP number is used to calculate your CTL or CHRONIC TRAINING LOAD. Your CTL represents your current degree of fitness over the last 42 days. Your TRIMP is also used to calculate your ATL or Acute Training Load. Your ATL represents your current degree of "freshness" over the last 10 days.

Next it will subtract ATL from CTL to arrive at your TSB or Training Stress Balance. CTL - STL = TSB. A negative TSB is indicative of a high training load. (Pointing toward over training). It is indicative of when you may need a step back week or a period of rest. A period of taper leading leading up to an event should correspond with an increasing TSB when ATL is reduced relative to your current CTL. Where TSB is positive +1 to +5 there is a strong indication of good performance. Anything over +6 is trending toward staleness. (This has caused me to cut my taper from two weeks to around ten days).





I guess in basic terms - the blue or CTL represents your Base. While the red represents your acute training stress. The gold bars represent the TRIMP of each run.

I think in this chart my ATL is artificially high and my base is artificially low because I didn't run with a HRM from the middle of March until June.

Say that again! What?

I use Garmin Connect I am already OC doing sports track seems like it will give me a Disorder!

I'm still using the old version, mainly because my entire running history is there. I've played with some plug-ins before, but mostly just use is as a log.

Sounds exactly like WKO+, but I wonder if they're giving Friel credit for it, as I'm pretty sure this concept was brought to fruition by him?

Either way, if TRIMP is the same as TSS, how the hell did you get a day with a value of 650+?!!? Double century bike ride or something? That's crazy.

Here's mine on WKO+; yellow is TSB (freshness), blue is CTL, pink is ATL, black bars are daily workouts. You can see the steady progression at the beginning of the graph and from Dec 2010 to April 2011; those are structured marathon training. The sharper increases in CTL after each marathon are... "Undisciplined."

EDIT: The first big black bar (early October 2010; about 1/4 from the left of the graph) is my first marathon. The second marathon is the tallest black bar on the chart.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Sounds exactly like WKO+, but I wonder if they're giving Friel credit for it, as I'm pretty sure this concept was brought to fruition by him?

This what I found on their support web site: TRIMP is TSS and is licensed to WKO+

Mike MacLellan wrote: how the hell did you get a day with a value of 650+?!!? Double century bike ride or something? That's crazy.

Mike, I'll have to check when I get home. That is an excessively high value. I think it might be the Tupelo Marathon . . . but I'll go double check . . . and there may have been a HRM issue because I don't have EPIC performances!

charles wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:Sounds exactly like WKO+, but I wonder if they're giving Friel credit for it, as I'm pretty sure this concept was brought to fruition by him?

This what I found on their support web site: TRIMP is TSS and is licensed to WKO+

Ah. Interesting that they offer that free (is it free?) on SportTracks but not TP.

Mike MacLellan wrote:

charles wrote:

Mike MacLellan wrote:Sounds exactly like WKO+, but I wonder if they're giving Friel credit for it, as I'm pretty sure this concept was brought to fruition by him?

This what I found on their support web site: TRIMP is TSS and is licensed to WKO+

Ah. Interesting that they offer that free (is it free?) on SportTracks but not TP.

The original SportTracks was free. They have upgraded a couple of times. I believe the founder is a German tri-athlete and a big time road biker as he goes by the handle Old Man Biking. I think I sent him $50.00 for the 3.0 version which was more than he asked for - I was feeling flush at the time. Most of the plug ins are free. The training load plug in is FREE!!!!