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The Digital Athletic Log

1 Background

I created the Digital Athletic Log to keep track of my marathon and triathlon training progress. None of the logging software available had the all the features I wanted. I also needed a solution that would work across many platforms (I regularly use: OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, and alas even Windows). The Digital Athletic Log offers the following features:

A Web Interface:

This allows access to the training log from any computer with an internet connection and just about any operating system. See Appendix E for more information on browser compatibility.

Calendar View:

In addition to a tabular view and a journal view of the log, the log can be displayed as a monthly calendar.

Advanced Graphing and Analysis Tools:

I was not happy with the analysis tools in the other packages. See Section 9 for more information.

An Email Interface:

Entries can be made by email. This allows entries to be made from a cell phone, blackberry, or any environment with text only email access, but no web access (like when at sea). See Section 12.2 for more information.

Goal and Progress Tracking:

I wanted to specify a goal and have the log keep track of my progress towards meeting it. See Section 8 for more information.

High Quality Printed Output:

The only really reliable long term storage for information is on paper. Hopefully people will still be able to read in 15 years when the internet crashes. The Digital Athletic Log can export any portion of the log as a high quality hardcopy. See Section 10 for more information.

Import Data from a Spreadsheet:

You can upload multiple entries and goals to the Digital Athletic Log at once from a spreadsheet. See Section 11 for more information.

Share Your Log:

You can share your log with a few friends or the whole world, so they can see your recent training entries and goals. See Section 12.6 for more information.

Optional RSS Feeds:

With sharing enabled there is an RSS feed which displays a summary of your recent workouts. Allowing you and your friends/coaches to follow your training in their favorite RSS/News Reader. Many blogs can also take RSS feeds. This is a good way of displaying a summary of your training on your blog. See Section 12.6.1 for more information.

Automated Backup:

The Digital Athletic Log is backed up nightly to at least one other computer. While I'm not about to offer any sort of data reliability guarantee, I personally have hundreds of entries in the Digital Athletic Log, and don't want to lose my data either.

Appendix C has many examples of ways in which I use the Digital Athletic Log to help me train. Additionally, my training routine is heavily based on SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes by Rob Sleamaker and Ray Browning (Reference [3]). The Digital Athletic Log has several features to help manage a training plan using the SERIOUS method. These include:

• A worksheet (Excel) for calculating the weekly training hours and intensity levels.

• Digital Athletic Log calculates and displays the training zones that correspond to the different levels in the SERIOUS method.

• Goals that sum the time spent in zones by sports (see the `keyword sum by sport' goal type in Section 8).

See Appendix D for how I use the Digital Athletic Log with the SERIOUS method.