Last weekend, Kirk and I attended the inaugural Training Peaks University in Boulder. It was a small group of around 20 coaches from around the country, come together to learn how to maximize Training Peaks as a coach, utilize advanced tracking and charts within the tool, and expand our knowledge on Advanced Power & Pacing Metrics from Joe Friel.
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Planning, Tracking, & Analyzing
The first portion of the workshop was focused on best practices for using Training Peaks. Some of the highlights from this section include: recommendations for organizing workout libraries for planning, the most efficient way for athletes to enter their data, using plans, and dashboards for better analysis.
At the end of this section I realized that although I knew a great deal about using Training peaks with my athletes, there was a whole level of functionality that I didn’t even know about! I was able to immediately apply things I learned in this session with an athlete call on Sunday night, which shows how relevant the information really was.
Coaching Business
In the coaching business section, we learned more about tool that Training Peaks provides to support coaches. A key takeaway for me was learning about the library of help videos that are on the Training Peaks YouTube Channel. There are some great resources for both coaches and athletes that I plan to utilize.
We also learned more about the Training Peaks Coaching Certification Program, which qualifies coaches for the Athlete –Coach Matching Program and for Coach-led Webinar opportunities.
Advanced Power & Pacing Metrics
This portion of the workshop was led by Joe Friel, a legend in endurance training & coaching! He has trained endurance athletes since 1980 and has written the definitive training bibles for cycling and triathlon. He’s also recently released a Power Meter Handbook (and I now have a signed copy!), to help simplify training with power. I admit this was the portion of the workshop I was most looking forward to.
The 4 hours we spent on these topics Sunday morning flew by – although we were covering some heavy topics (and LOTS of acronyms). We started with the basics:
Functional Threshold Power (FTP), Normalized Power (NP), and Training Stress Score (TSS). Although I was familiar with the concepts of TSS, Joe did an excellent job of bringing it to life and illustrating real-life applications for coaching with this metric.
We moved on to more advanced concepts including: Intensity Factor (IF), Variability Index (VI), Matches, Peak Power, Efficiency Factor, and Decoupling. The last two concepts really connected with me, convincing me that Heart Rate is still a beneficial metric when used alongside other training measures. I stopped training with Heart Rate years ago, but left this session with an appreciation of how this can help me be a better coach (and athlete!). In fact, I dug out my HR strap on Sunday afternoon for my own workouts – and one of my athletes is now wearing hers again.
I recognized I’ve glazed over these topics, but there’s no way I could do any of these metrics justice in just one post. This is one of those times that you don’t need to understand it all, if you have a coach. :)
Performance Management
Finally, a way to pull all of this data together in a meaningful format for coaching – the performance management graph. This is a tool I admit I didn’t know existed previously, but allows you to chart Fatigue, Fitness, and Form for an athlete using the data they upload for each workout. This reinforces the importance of getting that data every day, so we (as coaches) can monitor progress and indicators as we develop and refine training plans throughout the training cycles.
In summary, this was the best coaching workshop I have attended. The level of interaction and hands-on experience during the session was excellent. I commend the Training Peaks team for developing and hosting such a high caliber workshop from the start (remember this was the inaugural event). The expertise of the presenters, availability of the team to answer questions throughout the weekend, and willingness (and encouragement) to keep in contact for follow-up questions was truly impressive.
And for all BWV athletes – watch out! – we’ve got some great things planned for you based on what I learned this weekend. Just remember to LOG YOUR DATA after every workout, so that you can get the most out of your coaching experience. :)
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While we’re talking about coaching, we just revamped the coaching section to include a new logo, more information, and more coaching options. I’m still refining this section, which will ultimately include a testimonials page, as well. As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments!
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Questions for you:
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When it comes to training, what do you measure: Heart Rate, Pace, Power, Time, Distance, something else?
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What’s the best educational class you’ve ever attended?
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
i only measure pace, time, and distance. i have a heart rate monitor but stopped using it because i don’t do anything with the data. that class sounds awesome – super informative!
Linz @ Itz Linz recently posted..Harmonic Shampoo and Conditioner Giveaway
That’s exactly how I was, never used the HR data! Seems wasteful to measure something you aren’t using, but I’m excited to use it now to better measure fatigue over time. :)
OK, I admit it, you lost me. I AM happy that you enjoyed it so much, and that just proves that you are in the right profession, and I am not destined to be a coach. :)
As for what I measure, if it is something like the elliptical, I measure time. With running, though, it usually helps me to track distance, since my speed can vary SO much. Lately–as I’ve told you–I have been trying to worry less and less about tracking ANYTHING, which has been both good and bad.
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen recently posted..There Were Eggs In The Bed
Sorry – I was worried this wouldn’t make sense for everyone, but I decided to share it anyway. :) If you are already tracking distance, you could just track your total time (which actually equates to average pace anyway).
You already know the reasons I recommend tracking from my post a few weeks ago. :)
I am a heart rate gal first and foremost (for obvious reasons haha)
THIS SOUNDS SO FREAKIN AMAZING PS!
Krysten Siba Bishop (@darwinianfail) recently posted..Resting, Recovery, and Rebuilding
I can certainly understand why you always track HR! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, that must mean your a data geek at heart too – yay! ;)
Wow! This sounds so interesting!! I do wear a heart rate monitor, but I actually focus a bit less on speed/distance than I used to. Guess I’m just getting old, and don’t want to always feel the pressure to be faster. :)
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance recently posted..Let’s Talk About Sardines
Even if you’re not using speed/distance to get faster, there’s a ton of great data you get get on training stress and fatigue levels by monitoring that data too! :)
Good point. I should probably pay better attention then, because I think I could stand to learn a bit about when I’m fatigued (and how to modify/change things as a result).
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance recently posted..Friday’s Five
When I first read this I thought it was Twin Peaks. Which is a Hooters-like chain. Lol!
Glad it was a good one and it didn’t involve wings. ;)
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Haha – I’ve seen Twin Peaks and never knew it was like Hooters. :)
Training peaks is the new go to for training! I love it. So many ways to track progress!
lindsay recently posted..“Welp” Wednesday and Giveaway
You bet – I love TP!! And now even more than I did before, I’m a data geek. :)
we measure ourselves by power and overall feeling of strength in our training. and time would be another tool for us to look at for certain things.
purelytwins recently posted..making veggie leftover pulp omelette
I am a HUGE geek when it comes to data, but tend to kind of obsess about it. So now, when I work out, I don’t wear a HR monitor, pay much attention to time and usually don’t even use an iPod. It’s really FREEING actually.
If I was getting down to business and training for a marathon, it might be different.
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning recently posted..[Super Thick] Shamrock Smoothie
I can see that – really depends on your goals! :)
I was hoping you’d share more on your weekend… sounds like a class I would have LOVED. I’ll have to look into it more. As for tracking, I’m just starting to experiment with heart rate a bit, but usually it’s pace, distance, effort, and time.
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..Thursday Track and Endorphin Bracelet Giveaway
I think you would have loved this class, so practical! They are planning more in the future, including more topic specific shorter offerings.
And if you’re not already using TP, you should check it out. Great way to deliver plans to your clients!
I used to only measure pace, time, and distance when I ran. I can’t wait to get back into racing. Of course, I won’t need to know all this b/c I’ll find me a good coach to train me. ;)
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables recently posted..Tea Time