What are the best options out there for teams to log their running?
Preferably free or just a start up fee instead of annual fees.
Must be able to handle 100+ runners
Provide room for mileage runs and workouts
Ideally each individual could log on from their personal computers via the internet
THANKS
I have used
for cross-country preseason and in-season for the last couple years. It does cost $25/year, but in the scheme of things that's less than $1/athlete for an entire year.
Upsides:
Communications - I can set up rosters for athletes, parents, support (AD, secretary, etc.) and quickly sent out emails to individuals or groups with simple check off boxes. It also has an on-line file folder that you can store forms, newsletters, etc. to which only your team has access. It also has areas where pictures can be posted for all to see, a messageboard for just the team, and a meet-the-team section where each kid & coach can post a little bio/interests information.
Training Log - It has more functionality than we use. I like the fact that I can see training inputs for the entire team for the last two days (by default) or any length of time by using a pull down menu. I can also create a summary for each athlete for any time interval I want to look at. For high school kids it takes some persuasion to get them to include meaningful comments on a consistent basis. There are a number of settings by which you can control who has access to view your team's training. I set it up so that just members of the team can see our info, but that they can see each other's logs. There is a separate personal log area where they can record more private comments and specifically choose whether to let me see it or not. There is also a lot of cross-training info that can be logged, but we don't use that feature.
Downsides
They have had a lot of problems with their servers over the last couple years which has left the site inaccessible from time to time. They upgraded servers again this fall. I haven't noticed problems recently.
Upgrades occur on the fly. The software is entirely internet based so you don't have the option of refusing an upgrade. Sometimes the upgrades have created minor bugs. The site manager/programmer does pretty good job of addressing concerns within 24 hours and can be reached by phone when there is a problem, however.
Overall
I wouldn't choose this site for an individual runner, but it's a very good team management tool. They are currently doing a major software upgrade so I can't tell you what it will be like in a month...
+1 for running2win
Not only can everyone log their mileage, but you can have team discussions, announcements and pictures. And they will undoubtedly see videos of the elites, which will help motivate them to be great.
Anyone else use this extraxc.com ?
Looks good on the outside but not sure if I want to pay for something if there are just as good free alternatives
hs cc coach wrote:
Anyone else use this extraxc.com ?
Looks good on the outside but not sure if I want to pay for something if there are just as good free alternatives
Not sure about that site, but my college team uses running2win which seems to work extremely well. Again, always plusses and minuses to each site, but there are definitely excellent running logs out there that are free. I would avoid paying unless it is exceptionally good.
Great place wrote:
http://www.running2win.com
I use this one and know kids from other colleges who use it as well...
running2win. Can't imagine using any other type of log.
I like logarun.com, it's in calendar format, has some decent stat programs, allows you to organize users into a team, and allows for expanded/detailed views of someone's training if you click on an individual day. It's free as well, as are most online logs, I believe.
runningahead.com is worth a look. You can see your athletes' logs and set up a private forum for exchanges. You can also send your athletes private messages, if need be.
Field of anuses, dude.
hs cc coach wrote:
Anyone else use this extraxc.com ?
Looks good on the outside but not sure if I want to pay for something if there are just as good free alternatives
We are a D1 program and use extraxc. Although there have been a few server issues in the past, we haven't really experienced any problems with not being able to enter data.
It has been an excellent tool for our coaches and a time saver for our athletes. There are many features that are included, but that we don't use. For $25 per year it is a real bargin.