Wednesday, January 23, 2013

How do you track your miles/workouts?

I am always curious to see how different people track their workouts and log their miles. There are so many different tools that you can utilize.

Too name a few:
Journal (this can be a plain old notebook or an actual training journal)
Dailymile
GarminConnect
Nike Plus

I currently use three different methods, which seems like a lot, but it works for me. I use Dailymile, GarminConnect and small journal. Each method has it's pros and cons.

I do a fairly good job with tracking my miles, but I could do better at tracking my overall feeling for how the workout went. I currently use a couple of methods to keep track of my workouts. My main method for tracking everything is Dailymile. I have a love hate relationship with this site, but I can never peel myself away from it. I use DM more frequently because I can track my TM workouts and my cross training workouts. I have only started to recently document my cross training, but I think that it is something I will continue doing. 

Just like anything, DM has it's downsides. I don't like how my Garmin won't always sync to my account. My paces and times are off over half of the time and then I have to manually fix them. I also don't like how it rounds your mileage up or down. If you are into the social aspect of running/fitness than DM is great. I have connected with some pretty talented athletes through this network. 

DM does allow you to keep track of how you feel and write about your workout


I hate how dailymile rounds! Monday was actually 6.29, Tuesday was just from drills and ended up being 1.035- not even close to 2 miles!

If you scroll over each week it will actually give you a break down of your real mileage without rounding

Dailymile does come up with fun facts based off how many miles you ran or workouts your completed. How much gas you burned, pounds you burned etc. 


I like using my GarminConnect account because my watch will upload my workouts to my account without  having to do anything. The downside is, I have to log in my TM workouts manually & tracking cross training workouts is more difficult.

This account does have neat features that I really like to use. My favorite part allows me to create my own workouts and upload them to my watch. This is great for track workouts or my long runs that I are broken up into different paces.

It also has a feature that allows you to create your own courses to run or bike.


Easy to navigate dashboard

Create and upload your own workouts

Make your own course maps


Both DM and GarminConnect are great accounts to use. However, what I am a totally loving right is so simple! I received a Brooks Running training log in my last order. I love how small it is and I can fit it inside of my planner. There is just enough room to track my actual miles. make any notes, note my cross training workouts and set any goals. Nothing fancy, but it has been working out really good. Sometimes simplicity is best!

If I could change one thing about it, I would add more blank space for charting how the actual workouts went and make the calendar a tiny bit bigger. I guess that was two things....

Fits in my planner


Simple, but it gets the job done

Since I haven't been running outside much I haven't used my GarminConnect account recently. I have really used it since Eugene in April, but I anticipate using more this spring. I will still probably keep DM as well because there are features that I like about it. In my "perfect" world I would want a combination of both GarminConnect & Dailymile and just be able to use one account. 

Questions for you:
Do you track your miles ran? Cross training workouts?
How do you track your workouts if you keep track of them?

--Tasha

48 comments:

  1. I usedailymile and my garmin site! Since our work gives money back for your gym membership I have to track it online ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is cool that your work will pay for you membership. I wish that more companies would do that.

      Delete
  2. I use DM but haven't linked my Garmin to it yet. Didn't know you could. I usually don't track my cross training for some reason, not sure why. I also hate it when DM rounds, evnetually .25 miles will add up to a whole one:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I feel like the rounding is cheating- especially when DM rounds up. So annoying. I started to track my cross training workouts when I joined FGF because I wanted to track my progress.

      Delete
  3. I use a notebook. My runs outside are done wearing a Garmin watch, but I record everything on paper. I suspect more younger people do their tracking electronically, but I like to look through my notebook periodically. I also make notes about my runs, temperature, how I felt etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that it would be easier to track everything on paper. The other thing I dislike about DM is that it is hard to compare workouts or go back and check progress. It is easier to do that with garminconnect though.

      Delete
  4. I do daily mile, and also i have a printed calendar at work i write on. I am so high-tech....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I use a spreadsheet- that is high tech, lol :-)

      Delete
  5. Ahhh I have the same gripes about DM but I obsessively track all of my work-outs on it! I also faithfully keep a VERY detailed spreadsheet ;). I love spreadsheets!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love spreadsheets too! I actually have spreadsheets where I compare all of my long runs mile by mile. Not obsessed or anything. :-)

      Delete
  6. I have the exact same feeling about DM. But, for me-- the pros outweight the cons.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True- there are great things about DM. I would just want to tweek a few things and then it would be perfect!

      Delete
  7. I use daily mile to track every workout (except walks) and a google spreadsheet for my 2013 running miles.

    The running in DM drives me nuts too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like using spreadsheets to compare all of my long runs. I like to see mile to mile improvement. :-)

      Delete
  8. I use DM, the rounding doesn't bother me much since I don't often go back and review it anyway (and I've never had a problem with my Garmin syncing). I like it mostly for the ability to easily track which shoe I'm wearing so I know how many miles I've got. I also use plus3network.com which allows you to track all of your activity and it donates money to a charity each time you log a workout.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never used DM to track the miles on my shoes. I just figure about every 2-3 months I need new ones. Or I just look at the tread and figure the shoes are done.

      I have never heard of the plus3network, but I like how it donates money to a charity. I am going to look it up.

      Delete
  9. I started using DM just for tracking my yearly mileage. I have a printout with my training plan I write my mileage on for this plan. I use GC just for my garmin routes, which shares with DM. I downloaded Runkeeper but I can't see the point of using it when I have a garmin & DM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't like runkeeper, but I have used it to create running routes for my running club. I didn't want to make my garmin account public so people could see where I lived. With runkeeper it is public and just shows routes from the taphouse.

      Delete
  10. I use my Garmin. I tried DM for awhile but found it redundant and didn't add anything other then the social aspect but it was just one more thing I had to check on so I dropped it. I like my Garmin and the program and how it tracks everything. I just got the new Garmin 910, I haven't swam with it yet but it is super SWEET!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The garmin 910 looks really cool! I am sure that it will become your new training BFF.

      DM is pretty social. I will admit that I have deleted some people that I didn't even really know who talked about other things than running. I don't think DM should be used to rant about personal issues etc. :-)

      Delete
  11. I use DM but lately have been a little lazy about it. I also write it out in a journal. I keep my other workouts in the journal too, I don't put them on DM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I go through phases of falling off the DM bandwagon. Lately I have been pretty good about logging my workouts. It does get hard to keep track of everything.

      Delete
  12. I just started using Daily Mile this month. To be honest...I've never really worried about logging my miles or my workouts! Even if I was following a training plan, I would just keep in my head where I was at. I wouldn't even check miles off on a printed up training plan. Lazy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What?! You never used to track your miles?! I am obsessed, literally obsessed with tracking mine.

      Delete
  13. I use Dailymile and Garmin Connect! I LOVE data lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too, I am obsessed with data and tracking my miles. :-)

      Delete
  14. I used to use Dailymile but it got to "social" and I couldn't keep up with everyone (Hell, I can't even keep up with my blog :)), but I use Garminconnect, Runlog.com, and trainingpeaks.com. LOVE all the data - charts and graphs make my heart skip a beat! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DM is pretty social. It reminds me of facebook, but for athletes. I like it, but then it annoys me too. I still keep it for some reason even though I always think about deleting it. I have never heard of runlog or trainingpeaks before. There are so many methods out there for us date geeks to keep track of mileage.

      Delete
  15. I pretty much just use runningahead.com. I used to use the runnersworld log, but transferred about 3 years of my log to runningahead after RW started to take too long to load. :)
    Charts and graphs are fun. The online program there allows me to track every kind of run you could imagine. sky's the limit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to use runnersworld too! Never heard of runningahead before. Didn't Brooks use to have an online training log? I remember entering in workouts a couple of years ago and winning free shoes. :-)

      Delete
  16. Funny, I'm half way through a post about Daily Mile. :) I like the way it subtotals everything and it's nice to see hours for the week. As a runner it's easy to just think in terms of miles but when you're doing more than running it's nice to have a way to measure that too. It must be the accountant in me but I love all the charts Daily Mile does too! :) I've enjoyed using it and I enjoy reading about your workouts on it too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is cool to see how many hours your workout. I forgot about that feature! Just out of curiosity I should go back and count up how many hours I spent training for Eugene.

      I like reading your workouts too. It is always fun to follow someone's training journey and read about all of their improvements and what they learned.

      Delete
  17. I only started tracking my cross training workouts this year too, but I have decided I like doing it. I'm also tracking weights work (which I don't do much of!) which is helping up my motivation to do it consistently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By tracking your cross training workouts and weights you can document your improvement better. Good job!

      Delete
  18. I am a loser when it comes to tracking workouts. I know there is so much value in doing it, yet I never do! When I do recovery runs, I just make sure I am getting the mileage in at a super easy pace. For speed work, I pay attention to my splits and then report them back to my coach post workout. And that's about it for my system!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are not a loser Amanda! If your system works for you then it works. :-)

      Delete
  19. I LOVE that raining log, how cool! I use Daily Mile - it's not perfect, but it's habit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is how I feel about DM now too. It's just a habit. :-)

      Delete
  20. I like daily mile for the support from others, like you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww, you are so sweet Nikki! I like reading about your swimming workouts. They always make me tired!

      Delete
  21. I agree, I don't like how DM rounds my mileage - it makes me feel like I am cheating! I didn't know GarminConnect did all those cool things! I'll have to actually plug my watch in and check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think only certain watches have the workout feature. I should have mentioned that. :/ I have the garmin 610.

      Delete
  22. i've pretty much stopped using DM. i was so over it. I'm using my believe i am journal for all of my workouts-but i still upload all my runs to garminconnect too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Garminconnect is actually pretty cool! I started using it more when I got my new garmin and could create my workouts. I only just recently realized you could create running routes in it. I am sure once I can get some miles in outside I will be using that account a lot. :-)

      Delete
  23. Yes, one account would be ideal... I never got in the habit of online tracking (other than Garmin, but that doesn't have everything)... I actually love my handwritten journal. I can't give it up! :) And I don't feel like I have time to deal with two forms of tracking... I'm impressed you can handle three!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the Brooks condensed log just because I can pull it out and see in writing how many miles I have completed for the week. It only has room to document mileage so it takes me 5 seconds to fill it out.

      I wished that I had the patience for an actual journal, but I find after a couple of weeks I stop documenting in it. It really is just me being lazy. :-)

      Delete
  24. When it comes to tracking my runs, I just use Nike plus on my phone..:) I really wish that I had a Garmin!
    The only other way that I do is through my blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A lot of people use Nike plus. I heard that the online community for it is pretty cool too!

      Delete

I love your comments & inspiration