Benefits of Record Keeping

Guest Blog Author: Sarah Vargas, Team TWENTY24 Junior Development Team, Age 11

It is always good to know when you have bad and good days. After my rides, I used to write down my experience of the ride in my journal. Doing this, I would know the reasons on days that I didn’t perform as well as others. Keeping my data managed in TrainingPeaks is helping me improve my progress on and off the bike. 

TrainingPeaks has allowed me to share my metrics and my comments with my coach. When I finish my rides, I like to keep track of how I was feeling and how I performed. Keeping track of my data from ride to ride can tell me what I might do or have done differently to improve the result of the ride. Certain foods or amount of training prior to the activity can affect my fatigue on the ride. Keeping track of how I feel doesn’t seem like a big deal, but in the long run it can have a major impact. I schedule my events in the TrainingPeaks calendar so my coach can see what I am preparing for. Knowing my limitations and how much effort could be put in on certain days is important. I can also see my peak performances and compare them to different days. Keeping a record of activities that I know I will do again can help me notice what I have improved since the last time I did it. 

Data can be amazing in ways for coaching and improvement, and TrainingPeaks delivers by providing the perfect amount of it for a cyclist with or without a coach. I believe that keeping my information updated can really help me, but it can be different with everyone. Overall, recording everything keeps me prepared from easy rides to the hardest races.