Tri Training Log (if you want it??)

DustyBin

Right so
Have prepared an excel training log for to record all the piles & piles of training that I'll be doing this year :rolleyes:

I've done enough with it at this stage to make it fit for my own purposes, and if any of ye think that it might be of use to ye then please feel free to take it and use it whatever way ye want!

For the moment I'm only planning on recording actual KM's covered, but I've also left in the 'actual -v- planned' worksheet if anyone wants to use that instead

The chart is set up to display stacked swim, cycle, run distances per week and is set to pull data from the 'actual only' tab and not the 'actual -v- planned' tab

The way I've intended to use it all distances will be in KM's, so if you do 800 meters in the pool that's 0.8 KM (not really rocket science)

I've left in my data to date so as ye can all see the pathetic effort I've made so far this year!!

tunguska

Cheers Dusty I'll take a look at that.

toomuchdetail

Thanks Dusty appreciate you sharing this , can I ask a couple of things about a training log in general :
Is the main benefit of it the discipline that comes with it ?
Should it be used in conjunction with a plan or after a time does it become the plan ?

New to Tri's last year and while I only compelted in sprints I found my training random to say the least , I basically trained at whatever took my fancy on the day/evening or on what ever particular discipline I was weaker on the previous event .
The log was on my to do list for this season but I am unsure on a plan to follow as I am going to do a couple of half marathons ,GF and Roar and more than likely DCM alnog with 3-5 sprint tris and at least 1 olympic . As you can see some similarities in training but not a lot .

catweazle

Jesus thats a lot of events Toomuch, fair play.

I find keeping the log in the main makes it very easy for me to spot what I am doing very little of, one glance at the one I keep and you will spot i have done almost no cycling over the last two months.

It also keeps me fairly disciplined, for instance I missed a long run this weekend and I am still feeling guilty over it, it sticks out like a sore thumb as usually sundays are my longest training day.

Dustys is a pretty good one though from first viewing, mine is very rudimentry and I have to total the distances myself so i might use his from now on

DustyBin

Hi toomuchdetail

You've pointed out the first flaw alright - I should have called it 'record', not 'log' I suppose
For me, the training log that I keep on boards here is a place that I record details like pace, terrain, HR etc. I also like to record other things like maybe how I felt, had I a target, is there a race coming up, was I on my own or with others - that kind of stuff. Maybe I'll review it at some stage or maybe I'll end up forgetting it?
The excel 'record' up above is somewhere for me to just put down the really basic raw distances, I can then see the training history laid out in what for me is a fairly straightforward summary, and I can smile smugly at a full week, or frown gently at a particularly slow week - either way should provide motivation for the current week.
Also the graph is maybe a better way to compare one week to another.
I don't really have a plan at the moment other than like what you have said there I'm gonna do the Dungarvan 10miler, the MySport 10k, and the Cork Marathon. I'm also gonna do as many Duatlons and Sprint Triathlons as I can, with a target of completing one Olympic Triathlon before the year is out (maybe the Black Sod in Mayo?)

Last year I was using this record for running only, and had a daily training plan (running only) set out which I did find useful - but I'm way too lazy to set out a triathlon training plan and so like you will fairly much take it as it comes.

That probably doesn't really tell you anything useful, but that's just the value I currently see in recording this data. Maybe if I get some more races / seasons under my belt I'll view it differently?

El Director

cool Dusty, I'm going to go with this for a while and see if i can keep it up to date!

toomuchdetail

Jesus thats a lot of events Toomuch.

Probably need to be more picky about doing them as I probably burned out last year but started with Nenagh last year and the summer seemed very long so added a few and then with Ballina/Galway cope/ GF/ROAR and the Westport/Conn/Galway bay halves on my door step its hard to pass them by. Entry fees may mean I will be more selective this year .

Dusty: Thanks again , I wasn't pointing out any flaws : You have confirmed what I was thinking and I find the motivation of the log been in black and white as hard to ignore when gaps are visible .
Most people on here seem so organised so was feeling guilty about making a plan up as I go along , but I do see the benefits of a plan to work on weaknesses.

RedB

DustyBin wrote: »

Last year I was using this record for running only, and had a daily training plan (running only) set out which I did find useful - but I'm way too lazy to set out a triathlon training plan and so like you will fairly much take it as it comes.

I recently set up a weekly training plan template as I needed to schedule my time better. Last year I just sort of made it up as I went along and squeezed in sessions where I could with an overall goal in mind. I've adjusted this plan for various weekly time inputs from 7 - 15 hours depending on what stage of the year it is (2010 year plan is in my training log if you want to see that). I've blanked out areas where I can't train due to work / family / other commitments and totaled the hours and quantity of sessions.

Maybe something like this would help? You could adjust it to suit your own needs.