Setting up metrics - which apps?

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Topic
November 13, 2020 at 3:57 pm #46817

ryan.arash.marsh
Participant

I am a several decades climber but pretty brand new to training more seriously and I am working to get my training plan in shape. I am embarking on the 24 week mountaineering plan and trying to figure out how to get all the data logged appropriately and synced up.I hope this is the right place for this.

I have an apple watch SE and a Polar H10 HR monitor. I am set up in Training Peaks with the fitness plan. Run data tracked with the Apple Activity app syncs just fine across platforms. What I am struggling with is figuring out how to track uphill effort for ski mountaineering efforts. I am in Fairbanks and for the next 6 months most of my training will be backcountry skiing and Nordic Skiing. Any suggestions on apps and settings for tracking these activities?

For instance, if I track my xc-skiing as such in training peaks, I don’t get the Pa:HR metric. I have to change it to running to see that.

If I use Slopes app (free version), to track altitude gain and loss, when skiing, it assumes the uphill is on a lift? Is there a good app for tracking all the work getting up the hill on skis? Or do yo all just track as outdoor walking?

How about inputting Ice climbing and rock climbing workouts in Training Peaks? I don’t see an appropriate field for these.

As I said, I am new. I may be paying attention to the wrong metrics here and could just be tracking all my effort as run or walk or strength, but I feel like I will be less able to remember what I actually did when I look back in the future if I go that route.

Am I just using the wrong technology for my chosen sports? Thanks for the help folks!
Creator

Topic

Posted In: Mountaineering

Participant

Rachel on November 15, 2020 at 12:23 pm #46869

I track my skinning and xc skiing in TP, I classify them as XC-Ski activities. I mark lift-served skiing as Other so I can delete the vert and omit it from certain reports, otherwise it looks like I climbed a lot more vert than I did. If I want Pa:HR metrics I just temporarily switch to Run, then note the numbers in the comments field and switch back to XC-ski.

I don’t climb so I can’t make a recommendation for how to categorize it but I’m sure someone here does! It seems like the Custom field could be used for that.

Participant

ryan.arash.marsh on November 15, 2020 at 1:24 pm #46871

If I want Pa:HR metrics I just temporarily switch to Run, then note the numbers in the comments field and switch back to XC-ski

This is a very helpful beginner tip, thanks!
Yesterday I recorded my skinning up as walking on my watch so that I tracked elevation and HR, and the downhill in Slopes as downhill skiing. In TP, I noted the PA:HR and then switched it from walk to XC, so I think that workflow will work well. THanks!

Participant

jakedev on November 16, 2020 at 1:22 am #46881

For a training platform I switched from TP to Final Surge. Pros and cons to both and it depends on what’s important to you. For me the customizable user friendly interface was better than the million and one metrics which I only use 2 or 3 of. What I mean by that is you can add new categories and subcategories with and customize the colors exactly how you want, and it’s free. I will say the uploading is not as smooth or automatic so you have to check up on it and might be more work with some manual uploads. I tried to attach a screen shot but it was too big.

I use a Coros Apex watch and it has specific activities for XC Ski and Touring. The touring mode tracks the uphill and downhill separately so it’s up to you how you want to do it on the training platform (TP, FS, etc)

I guess I don’t understand all the Pa:HR stuff that is specific to TP. Just lap your watch every 30 minutes and you got your average HR for the each section then divide the first lap avg HR by the second lap avg HR = your HR drift. And if you forget you can go into your workout and create the laps in the analysis section (for both TP and FS). So that need should not hinder you too much.

Participant

John S on November 16, 2020 at 6:35 am #46886

I use Wahoo for recording runs etc but Training Peaks for logging all my training and activities. I categorise ski touring as “Rowing” (credit to Scott Semple for this idea). I wouldn’t use this category otherwise and the paddles kinda look like skis. Just be aware that the distance is in metres/yards rather than km/miles. Nordic skiing I use the XC category but I don’t ski at a resort often enough to have a system for logging it. For climbing I use “Other”.
I don’t geek out too much on Pa:HR (except for a periodic AeT test) so I hadn’t noticed those metrics were not always available. I definitely track TSS, but that is a manual input (for ski touring and climbing) as I am making a guesstimate based on time and activity type because I typically don’t record HR data for those activities.
Note that is that it is possible to choose what information is presented for the different workout categories – time, distance, elevation etc. On the website (not the app) go to “Account Settings”; “Layout”; “Quickviews” to select which metric you want and what display order.

Participant

Rachel on November 16, 2020 at 11:05 am #46894

Rowing for ski touring is an interesting idea. I might have to try it this winter!

Inactive

Anonymous on November 30, 2020 at 2:25 pm #47667

As mentioned, I use Row for ski touring because I don’t row, and (as mentioned) the icon looks like skis. Likewise, I don’t swim, so I use Swim for resort skiing (the waves look like snow drifts).

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Setting up metrics – which apps?