Great Question. In its simplest form, cycling could be, should be, might be just a fun experience to get outside, maybe inside during winter cold snowy days in MN, enjoy a ride, get some fresh air and allow our bodies and brains to relax and rebuild. Time to let go of some of the days stress.
Like anything related to humans, we tend to turn simple into complex and there are plenty of reasons why, with good and bad consequences.
Are you a goal-oriented person? Do you want to enrich your experience on the bike by adding adventures, events, accomplishments? The bike can be the way to work toward and accomplish in some way or another some of your wishes and desires.
If you are that goal person, setting whatever modest to extreme goals, there are methods to help you train and accomplish those goals. Some of those methods are quite basic and some are quite complex. We all know that. We have seen athletes at all levels, from kids sports to Olympians set goals and then set training plans of some sort to facilitate achieving those goals.
That’s where the ‘numbers” come to play. My method of choice, and has been for over 40 years, was in the early days WKO3 and then Training Peaks. Both are closely related to each other. WKO3 has morphed into WKO5, and Training Peaks has grown and expanded over the years since it first came to life back in 1999.
Training Peaks is a way to track what you do, sports wise, aka biking, and create a set of metrics that are useful to help athletes achieve the goals.
Currently there are numerous other Apps to help do the same thing. I won’t list them because I am sure I will miss some, you can find them, you probably already use some of them. There are athletes who just casually track metrics on their own just for satisfaction. Early in my bike career, total mileage for a year was a big metric I liked to track. Maybe, average speed for a ride, maybe tracking how far I could ride for one event/one day. As my interests and goals morphed, I realized I needed more sophisticated tracking methods. Demented as I am about this stuff, I have data going back to 1999. So, yes, I am a data junkie listening to and saving data metrics as I ride. It is part of the ride that I like to do and gives me personal satisfaction. We all are different, thank goodness, so pick the route you want to take in data tracking.
If you use Training Peaks, via phone, tablet or web-based version, there are some basic numbers to watch and monitor as you set goals and then work towards completion. TP’s is very sophisticated and can be a bit intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. There are some quick and easy ways for you to monitor your performance without having to venture down the rabbit hole.
First and most easily accessible via your phone, is a set of 3 numbers that appear immediately after opening the app. They are at the top of the Home page, directly under your profile picture, your name and the days date. They are enclosed in colored boxes and give you a quick picture of where you are in your training plans. They are scores based on how much, how long and how intense your training has been. They are a snap shot of where you are in training on today’s date. It changes daily due to what, if any training you do.
Let’s look at the most common metrics. Find them here or go to the menu at the top right and click on “The Metrics…” https://pjwracingadventures.com/rat-racer-coaching/the-metrics-lets-see-the-list/