For those who self-coach and aren’t following a pre-made training plan, what tool/platform do you use in creating your training plan for an upcoming season?
Preferably free options. It seems like both Final Surge and Training Peaks have good options but both are behind premium subscriptions, which isn’t something I’m willing to sign up for just yet.
Spreadsheet?
RunningAHEAD.
It's a free-to-use calendar view training plan creation tool and running log that's super easy to use. You can plan out runs, weight sessions, custom activities, whatever on a per-day basis and break it up into "training plans" throughout the year so you can plan on a per-season basis as well. If you want to use it as a running log it links up with any other device or platform you use for auto-uploads.
I'm not shilling for them or anything but it's probably the best and most usable one I've found that doesn't have any real downsides. I think they run ads on their site but I use an ad-blocker and don't see any, if something like that would bother you.
I stumbled across intervals.icu a while back, and it has the ability you seem to be looking for. It has a option to support the developer, but I don't believe any of the features are behind a subscription.
On a side note, I am pretty sure most of Final Surge is not behind a premium subscription. Creating a training plan is definitely doable as a free user without a subscription. I think you get a few perks including weather, an athlete profile, a few other perks, and some discounts with some of their partners. Training Peaks has pretty basic features for free users and the ability to schedule workouts/create a training plan are behind their paywall as you mentioned.
You get what you pay for.
That said, it's a little clunky, but a basic (free) Final Surge account is very serviceable. You can build workouts/training plans, etc. without a paid subscription.
I have a paid subscription to Trainingpeaks. I found it to be the most user friendly and least buggy of the platforms I've tried.
The thing I like most about Final Surge (basic or paid) and Trainingpeaks premium is the ability to transfer more complicated/complex/longer workouts to my watch. I get really bad at math when fatigued, and it's much easier to keep track of the workout when my watch is spoon feeding it to me.
I can also confirm that Final Surge is free to use and you can plan out as much training as you want in the future, and build structured workouts that sync down to your watch. The paid subscription to Final Surge doesn't limit anything you can do with training. It just gives you additional benefits like weather, discounts from Garmin, Stryd and a few other companies.
Google sheets or excel
tsurf16 wrote:
I can also confirm that Final Surge is free to use and you can plan out as much training as you want in the future, and build structured workouts that sync down to your watch. The paid subscription to Final Surge doesn't limit anything you can do with training. It just gives you additional benefits like weather, discounts from Garmin, Stryd and a few other companies.
Is the training plan builder on Final Surge available on the app, or desktop only? I’ve only tried on the app, and maybe that’s why I just assumed that it required the premium account.
(In the Final Surge app I *am* able to create a planned workout for some day in the future, but I can only specify a distance and average pace, making something like an interval workout impossible.)
I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, honestly - - -
a calendar, lots of reading, experience, and talking to smart coaches and runners.
Spend your money on books, your time talking to others, and some reflection on what has taken you to where you are (what has worked for you).
Pencil with eraser and paper.
kedge wrote:
I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, honestly - - -
a calendar, lots of reading, experience, and talking to smart coaches and runners.Spend your money on books, your time talking to others, and some reflection on what has taken you to where you are (what has worked for you).
I’m not trying to be a smart-ass, honestly… but you totally missed the point of the question
constrained wrote:
You get what you pay for.
That said, it's a little clunky, but a basic (free) Final Surge account is very serviceable. You can build workouts/training plans, etc. without a paid subscription.
I have a paid subscription to Trainingpeaks. I found it to be the most user friendly and least buggy of the platforms I've tried.
The thing I like most about Final Surge (basic or paid) and Trainingpeaks premium is the ability to transfer more complicated/complex/longer workouts to my watch. I get really bad at math when fatigued, and it's much easier to keep track of the workout when my watch is spoon feeding it to me.
I agree with you on the TrainingPeaks. They've led me to my 4th Boston qualification. Pairing it with my Garmin945 that voice commands/leads to my Jabra ear buds is a fantastic combo.
i think i'm missing the point of the question too. the tool doesn't matter (much). the plan does.
do you want something that creates a plan for you? or are you looking for the best way to record, view, augment, etc... the training plan you already have?
The correct answer is just run baby!
The desktop version is pretty good. I like Trainingpeaks maybe a touch better but don't want to pay, and it feels too cycling oriented.
bradley strider wrote:
i think i'm missing the point of the question too. the tool doesn't matter (much). the plan does.
do you want something that creates a plan for you? or are you looking for the best way to record, view, augment, etc... the training plan you already have?
Strictly the latter, not at all the former.
It takes two minutes to go online and find a cookie cutter plan, and it’s really easy to follow it. But one of the things that I particularly enjoy is being my own coach and the entire process start-to-finish of setting a goal, building a plan, executing, adjusting, etc. I’ve already invested the time and money into reading several books and done lots of research online about building training plans and Periodization. I feel like I have a good handle on the methodology of structuring a good plan. Given the fact that I will build my own training plan, my question was focused on what is the best tool/medium to record, view, modify, sync with watch, etc. In past years I’ve used a spreadsheet which has worked fairly well but there are drawbacks, and I was looking to see what alternatives might be out there.
Things like how many miles per week or whether my tempo run should be 15 or 20 minutes or whether I should have 1 day of easy running or 2 in between hard workouts…..all of that is important, much more important than whether my plan is in a spreadsheet or on Final Surge. BUT I have a good enough handle on all of that, and none of it is relevant to my question.
Yes, you can add planned workouts to future dates in both the iOS/Android app and the web platform. But, you cannot create structured workouts in the app yet. That is only available in the web platform. However, if you build all of your workouts in the web platform and save them to your workout library, then you can use the app when planning future training and select from workouts in your library and they will contain the structured workouts already.
I use google sheets. This is the template I made
A pencil and some paper. They are not for free but they are cheap enough.
Write your plan on a piece of paper and tape (that would be another expense) it to the bathroom door.
That's what I am doing.
A Brain
ok, understood.
i've tried most of the tools out there... many have great features, but none are as good as what you fully control. essentially, i use them in tandem with a custom excel. there are a lot of good examples online:
download and modify to your taste. where these lack are the depth of data tracking. this is where garmin connect, strava or training peaks comes into play. the big thing you need to be able to do is adjust your training plan based on how you're reacting to the training, hence why being able to manipulate the excel is critical. training peaks allows you to enter a plan as well, so for ease of use, you might consider that tool. i've just found i need to use both an online tool (for data analysis) and a spreadsheet (for flexibility and planning).
good luck!
