My Training & My Training Gear

Hi all - hope everyone is safe and getting fitter with Apple Watch :)

How my training has gone this week

I thought it might be useful to show my training each week and the apps and technology I have used to manage and log it. For me this can vary as I try out new apps or tech - I am a complete sucker for trying new stuff (some may say a complete idiot), but I actually find some motivation for getting out and doing training when I have something new to play with, be it an app, some new tech, or something new to wear!

For this week I am going through all the essential gear I use and the training I completed this week with it.

Here’s my schedule from this week (also available via Strava)

In case you are not familiar, this is from Training Peaks, which is still the de-facto software to plan and monitor training, especially when you have a coach as I do.

Anything in green has been completed within 20% or the duration that my coach (Ade Bungay) has set.

Anything dark grey is extra and unplanned (like the two walks on Monday, to the pub and back with my wife Steph), or other data (like the nutrition log I have just started with MyFitnessPal because I think I need to balance my protein and carb intake better so am monitoring it closely.

The light grey item (just todays Stretch and Mobility in this weeks plan) is planned but not logged as yet - I’ll be doing that after finishing writing this newsletter!

You can also get orange (completed but not within 20% of planned duration) and red (not logged) so this week I’m all green which is great! I’m actually pretty adept now at deducting or adding 20% time of the planned amount in my mind when in a session, so I can be sure I stay in the green zone (“25min run, that’s 2.5 mins for 10% or 5min for 20% so I can do anything from 20 to 30 mins to stay green” was exactly what I did this morning the the run straight off the bike)

Training is going great so far - here are my trends as calculated by Training Peaks after 4 weeks of training with Ade. My target “A” event this year is the Hever Castle Gauntlet 70.3 September 26

Here’s the equipment and apps I have used this week - I will provide updates as I change things in future newsletters.

Indoor Training on the Bike

I am currently using a Wahoo Kickr Smart Bike - I bought this fairly recently and sold my old 1st gen Tacx Neo.

Why would I do that?

I was intrigued by the idea of the integrated grade simulation - the Hever Guantlet course is a hilly one, so I reasoned that training at the correct inclines in theory stresses different muscles and thus makes you better prepared for the event. And it works great on Zwift, Rouvy or RGT Cycling courses, including the one I created on RGT by uploading the Hever GPX and creating what they call a “Magic road” from that. Here’s my Strava log from that ride.

One surprise, though it makes sense when you think about it, is that the bike does not change incline when you are in Erg mode and following a training session, no matter what course you are on. This is because the apps do not broadcast gradient when in Erg mode, they just broadcast target power to your Smart bike/turbo which makes you output said power (it’s harsh but fair), and then the app calculates the speed you are doing on the virtual course based on the power and other metrics such as your weight or virtual bike. Contrast that to a “free ride” on the apps where the app broadcasts gradient and your smart bike/turbo uses that to determine how much resistance to apply and you then vary your power as you see fit, which is sent back to the app which in turn determines how fast you are going. This could only be different if Wahoo and the app developers liaise on a new standard for broadcasting gradient in Erg mode.

The other benefit of the Smart Bike compared to a Smart Turbo is the easy adjustment for fitting, meaning that my son and wife can also use it with Apple Fitness+ without me worrying they are messing up my actually bike fit.

This also makes it easy for me to simulate different bikes - my gravel vs my Tri bike for example, including setting gear ratios via the Wahoo app, without having to mess about with cassettes, thru-axels, and the like on the turbo.

So far I am impressed with it.

As far as other setup for my “Pain Cave” - I have an Apple TV HD connected to a projector with a wall mounted screen and an original HomePod. Apple TV has all the apps I use mentioned above so it’s great, and it’s also really useful for Apple Fitness+ in the same room for Yoga or cool downs.

Outdoor Cycling

I am continuing to take out my Canyon Speedmax though I really have not nailed the fit yet, and am struggling to maintain the TT position for more than a few minutes at a time. This could be just be about getting used to the more aggressive position, but I have a pro fitting booked with Phil Burt 18th May which I am really looking forward to.

It is encouraging how fast this bike is though, Lap 14 of my ride today for example, 31.2 kph on a small incline at 69% of my current FTP.

My standard setup for outdoor cycling is a Wahoo Elemnt Roam computer (I prefer the bigger screen compared to the Bolt - better for my ageing eyes!) and I use the excellent little HeartBeatz device from North Pole Engineering to broadcast my Heart Rate from Apple Watch to the Elemnt Roam. It’s a robust little device, I have even left it in my jacket pocket and put it through the washing machine and it is still going strong and the recently updated Apple Watch App makes it a perfect little tool.

Indoor/Outdoor Running

I’m a fan of the Stryd foot pod and Stryd Apple Watch app - I use it indoors and out. On my treadmill I either run to power and set the speed to whatever on the treadmill, or I connect Stryd to Zwift and run in a virtual world. Both work pretty well for me.

Stryd also can either pull down workouts from Training Peaks and provide guidance within the app, or you can use Stryd’s own workout creator. I will write about the state of workout creators sometime in the future, it’s a tricky area that really requires a lot of forethought, and begs for a simple, elegant UI - not something that many apps have really achieved. However both Stryd and TP are pretty good in this respect, though TP is more flexible at this point (though is web based only, you can’t create a workout in the app; conversely Stryd is app only).

I like guided running because in any session of any complexity I easily get lost where I am, or at least, I prefer to concentrate on the running or the podcast I am listening to, so having the Stryd Apple Watch app tell me what to do is a huge help. For example this Monghetti Run Set I did with my daughter last weekend would have been a complete mess without any guidance I am sure.

Since I had an ear infection last year (I think from open water swimming in a lake), I have avoided putting anything in my ears - this includes AirPods, and has meant I now wear AirPods Max at home but what about running? I used to be a huge fan of AirPods for running, but my new favourite is Bose Tempo Frames - these are sport specific and stay better on my head than the previous Bose Rondo Frames I had.

They feel great, connect to Apple Watch easily and because they are not actually covering your ears you hear everything that is going on around you, like the road traffic, or that dog that’s chasing you. The sound is surprisingly good for both music and speech - again this has improved from the Rondo’s and the Tempo frames are now my first choice for running (I have bought a full set of lenses so I can use them in various lighting conditions)

Pool Swimming

(No outdoor swimming for me yet - lakes are still only 10deg C in Kent, UK!)

I have continued to use the Swim.Com app for my swimming logging this week, it’s worked pretty well over a variety of sets, though there are issues which I will be detailing when comparing to the other main competitor MySwimPro app, which I am going to use for the next couple of weeks. I’m not sure if it’s me but both feel to me like they are not ideal, with quirky areas that I find frustrating. Maybe it’s the way I use them?

Showering (!)

Just wanted to sneak this one in because I have added a Sonos Roam to my shower at home. It’s supports Airplay 2, is waterproof, and battery driven so it means I can easily connect iPhone to it to listen the end of the podcast I had on during my run, or some soothing music after some other activity.

Let me know if you have any questions

I hope this was of use - let me know if you have any questions via ian@betoli.com, twitter, or any other method you come across.

I’m still finding my cadence and feeling my way for content of this newsletter. It’s meant to be more transient than my blog and I aim to tell the story of my training up to and including IronMan Barcelona in 2022 (and beyond?) and the tech and apps I am using. I aim to include real world tips and guidance, and I hope it will be both entertaining and useful.

Don’t forget to let others know if you think they would enjoy it:

Cheers!

Ian