Strands.com - Online Training Log

When I first started this blog, 411 posts ago, I started it all off with the thought of "Do I need another blog?"  At the time I was posting on Myspace (wow, has that become a digital graveyard), on various running forums and sundry other places.  Since that time I have more or less narrowed it down to here: my one stop shop for running and exercise thoughts.

In that time I have found out that people do enjoy reading what I wrote about - or at the very least they enjoy coming here to look at pictures and click on links, as I can tell how many hits I get each day.  One of the most often received requests I get is for me to share my daily workouts and thoughts.  As I never wanted this blog to be a daily calendar of simple numbers of X distance run in Y amount of time, I held back.  Plus, like when I wondered if it mattered if I had another blog, I wondered if people really cared what my workouts were each day.

As I have learned in the past year of signing books and giving speeches, yes they really do. So, I began to put forth effort to find that site which really seems to meet the criteria I wanted to have in order to properly, efficiently and informatively share my workouts on a daily basis.

I think I have found it on Strands.com.

The best way to describe Strands.com is for me to steal a little bit of language off of their FAQ page:

"Strands is an online training log and social network for runners, cyclists, and multi-sport athletes. Compatible with Garmin and Nike Plus devices, Strands allows athletes to link with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and many other social websites - make it as personal or as social as you like!"

I have been playing with the website since last June, entering in stats here and there and seeing how much it responds to the data I put in there.  You see, the idea around Strands is not just to log your miles but to also take your workouts and tying them all together over time to give you a general prediction of your fitness at the moment.  Pretty cool stuff.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting some of the sponsored Strands athletes at the Miami Marathon a few weekends ago.  These athletes included the female winner of the Marathon (Brett Ely) and Half Marathon (Meghan Armstrong) along with two male Team Strands members who duked it out for the top two places in the half-marathon as well.  Meghan's 1:17 half-marathon win came just two weeks after a PR of 1:13 in Houston (where I was actually on-hand to cheer her on!)

These athletes all take the time to log their miles and workouts so that the rest of us mortals can actually see what goes into making an elite runner.  Without a doubt, talent matters but it takes tons of hard work as well.  And here we can see that hard work on a daily basis.

So while I had already been checking Strands.com out previously, I was honored when they asked me to post my workouts on the website and help get the word out about this one of a kind website.  Strands and I will be working together at a plethora of events this Spring so we can show how beneficial it is to learn from a group, regardless of how much faaster or slower those athletes may be.

 

So, head on over to Strands, create your own profile and follow me along HERE.  I will be posting my workouts and thoughts every single day so you can see what it takes to run 52 Marathons in one year, 204 miles in 2 days or all the other events I have brewing in my mind all the time!