Ordered myself a Garmin GPS/Smart watch.

One of the fancy ones. Got a deal on Amazon on a refurb unit. Will track a lot of health data, do GPS on bike rides, runs, hikes, skiing, and other stuff. Going to go ahead and get the chest strap heart rate monitor too. It also does sleep monitoring, can record mindfulness time (I guess, have to figure that out) and etc. It has it on the wrist, but for harder work outs your data is better off the chest strap. As I mountain bike, and bike generally a lot, the data collection on rides will be pretty cool, and hopefully motivating. I do not intend on being a complete Strava nerd, but some data is good.

I am no Olympic athlete, but I am thinking that in my 50's collecting the data will help me both keep track, and also motivate working toward improving numbers. I know it worked that way for me with a new office management time tracking system at work. My numbers have improved quite a bit. Hopefully it will work for my health stuff too. I don't want to become too much of a slave to a watch, but getting some data I hope will help with motivation. Anyone else use these things??



 
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Yes, I'm trying to decide on what I should use to track my bicycle training. I took my computer off my bike and stopped wearing a heart rate monitor years ago when I stopped racing. But now I would just like something simple. All my friends are using Strava on their smartphones, and a couple friends use apple watches with their iPhones. If I go beyond my smartphone it would probably be with a Garmin. I'm just not hip to paying for a Strava subscription.
 
Yes, I'm trying to decide on what I should use to track my bicycle training. I took my computer off my bike and stopped wearing a heart rate monitor years ago when I stopped racing. But now I would just like something simple. All my friends are using Strava on their smartphones, and a couple friends use apple watches with their iPhones. If I go beyond my smartphone it would probably be with a Garmin. I'm just not hip to paying for a Strava subscription.

I never did race or track HR before, other than an old school hand count using my fingers at track intervals or fitness class in the 90's. I have typically had a great recovery HR time based on that. But, crawling ever deeper into my 50's, and now having lost my group high intensity night (group MTB ride chasing the really good guys) fell apart, I thought that collecting some data on activities, and HR would be good. I used to just do that ride, which set the tone for the week in order to not be too far off the back of the group, or up in the "peleton" a bit, and listen to my body.

I am using the Garmin Connect software, and have it linked to my free Strava account. Just learning about it and seeing how best to set some goals and track things. If nothing else, hopefully it will help create motivation. I have ridden my fitness and natural strength since my youth, and I am starting to recognize that if I don't stretch more, sleep more, eat better, work out a little better, that those natural gifts will erode faster than I want them too.

Looking for some good suggestions on how best to track this stuff and set some good goals, etc. I am even thinking I will track calories for a while, just to motivate myself not to grab a handful of girl scout cookies like I did last night. My weight is 7 lbs or so higher than I want it at this time of cycling season, and about 10 higher than my goal.

Also, the Garmin tracks my sleep and tells me what I am doing, so I can't fool myself. I have known I need to get to bed earlier, and prepare for sleep better. Will be looking at ways to do that too. Figuring that will be a big thing in improving a lot of things.

So, any suggestions for using Garmin Connect, Strava, MyFitnessPal, or other tools would be appreciated. Appropriate goal setting and workout plan tips would be good too. Or a point toward some good resources in order to do so.
 
Yes, I'm trying to decide on what I should use to track my bicycle training. I took my computer off my bike and stopped wearing a heart rate monitor years ago when I stopped racing. But now I would just like something simple. All my friends are using Strava on their smartphones, and a couple friends use apple watches with their iPhones. If I go beyond my smartphone it would probably be with a Garmin. I'm just not hip to paying for a Strava subscription.
Strava is free. They have a premium level for deeper analysis, but that isn't necessary for just keeping track of your activities.

After a ride, I plug my Garmin into my PC and using their Garmin Express app, upload the data automatically. I then open the Garmin website to look at the data. I have it set to automatically push the same data to Strava.

The Garmin website data, top of the page:
35162189580_23d860a43d_b.jpg


A few sections of the Strava premium analysis page:
34740290003_5bf8751c1c_b.jpg


34707922244_9294ede429_b.jpg
 
Strava is free. They have a premium level for deeper analysis, but that isn't necessary for just keeping track of your activities.

After a ride, I plug my Garmin into my PC and using their Garmin Express app, upload the data automatically. I then open the Garmin website to look at the data. I have it set to automatically push the same data to Strava.

The Garmin website data, top of the page:
35162189580_23d860a43d_b.jpg


A few sections of the Strava premium analysis page:
34740290003_5bf8751c1c_b.jpg


34707922244_9294ede429_b.jpg
Cool. That is exactly what I have just set up. I now have a Strava (free) account under Stephen Thompson, and am tracking data there as well as the Garmin Connect. Now I just need to learn how to use the data to my benefit and progress. Figured out a calorie goal considering working out, at least to start. But we will see how that goes. Normally, if I just change the type of food (no sugar, no refined flours, low simple carbs (some exception for beer, but will limit that), mostly plant based) I lose weight and improve without strict calorie counting. But thought I might try some counting for a bit.
 
Also, the training plans for cycling within the Garmin Connect are not sufficient. There is only a plan for a century. Wondering if Strava has some templates which I can use to build what I want.
 
The ability to make your wrist vibrate 1700 miles away is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
Yes, I will use this watch to increase mindfulness time as well. Too busy monkey mind. Mine can be. Let go, steveluke, use the force!
 
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I've been using the free Strava app since about 2013. I've seen no reason to upgrade. I guess it depends on how gungho you are. I only use my phone so the advanced analysis part wouldn't do much more for me. No HR no cadence and no interest in either. I know if I had a good ride or a hard ride and I don't need anything to tell me if I'm the 200th fastest over a certain stretch of road for my age group. I know I'll never be as fast as the serious guys even at my age.

I do like/want to know how far I've ridden on a given day or year and so the free version is all I need. I thought about getting a Garmin once since the battery would outlast a phone and it might be useful not to kill my phone battery on a long ride. And sometimes it would be nice to know how fast I was going. But the phone will last pretty much as long as I will (I'm not comfortable riding more than about 60 miles in one ride) and if anything I see rides getting shorter not longer so I shelved that idea permanently.
 
https://www.strava.com/premium
Looks like several things, but it may not be worth it for most. I only use it for the advanced analysis part. I'd get more out of this if I had a power meter.

A buddy of mine who I have been cycling and racing with for years, just got himself into incredible shape after slowing down a bit the last 3 years or so. He is 60 and started racing masters again this year with some great results. He's a little secretive about what he did, because his ex told me he went to a spring training camp this year (he hasn't mentioned it at all to me when I ask how he go in such great shape). But the point of the story is he's tracking all of his rides now with Strava premium, which makes me consider getting it myself. I'm making some changes in diet, and putting my wine interests aside for the time being (maybe a glass or two once a week). There's no secret to putting in miles and watching your diet, but monitoring what you're actually doing with Strava might give some direction. Sometimes I really imagine that I've ridden more in the last month than I actually have.
 
Strava is free. They have a premium level for deeper analysis, but that isn't necessary for just keeping track of your activities.

After a ride, I plug my Garmin into my PC and using their Garmin Express app, upload the data automatically. I then open the Garmin website to look at the data. I have it set to automatically push the same data to Strava.

The Garmin website data, top of the page:
35162189580_23d860a43d_b.jpg


A few sections of the Strava premium analysis page:
34740290003_5bf8751c1c_b.jpg


34707922244_9294ede429_b.jpg

Yes, I think it's leveraging your Garmin info. Strava free on the iPhone is kind of lame, unless I'm missing something.
 
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Yes, I think it's leveraging your Garmin info. Strava free on the iPhone is kind of lame, unless I'm missing something.
Exactly. I could never get into it only on my phone. This seems much easier on the fenix with the garmin stuff. I am playing with the stuff on both GC (no, not guitar center), and Strava. I don't have a power meter, and am not sure that would be necessary for my purposes. I think I will play with the free stuff on GC and Strava first, before going whole hog on the premium. The yearly charge for premium buys me a good HRM chest strap.
 
Exactly. I could never get into it only on my phone. This seems much easier on the fenix with the garmin stuff. I am playing with the stuff on both GC (no, not guitar center), and Strava. I don't have a power meter, and am not sure that would be necessary for my purposes. I think I will play with the free stuff on GC and Strava first, before going whole hog on the premium. The yearly charge for premium buys me a good HRM chest strap.

Yes, power meters are the most objective metric you can use to train. But for me not worth the expense. I think all of the other information Garmin collects would work well for me. Comparative performance over the same routes seems invaluable. Heart rate also, cheaper to track than watts.
 
https://www.strava.com/premium
Looks like several things, but it may not be worth it for most. I only use it for the advanced analysis part. I'd get more out of this if I had a power meter.
I will say after looking that the live feedback (less important) and Beacon (safety locator, more important) could be good. I bike and hike/run alone a LOT and having some ability to be located in case of injury or other problem would be good. There was just a guy a week or so ago here who laid below Corral Creek trail after crashing his mountain bike and hurting his hip too badly to walk out in the paper. The local authorities reminded everyone to go with a partner. But that does not always work in a busy work day.

"Suffer Score" and Workout Analysis might also be good for measuring effort and progress. I don't really race so the race features are not a big deal.

Of the above, the "Beacon" thing would be the biggest. We pay about the same amount for Life Flight insurance also. The nearest trauma center is 2.5 hours away from Hailey, so we have always felt that was worth it. I may talk to a local first responder about this.
 
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