TrainingPeaks WKO+ webinar
It is noon and I am waiting for Hunter Allen, Founder of WKO+, to come online for a special webinar for athletes using Trainingpeaks WKO+ 3.o. I’m hoping that it will be helpful in explaining how best to use the software. Well, it is just starting…
We’re looking now at the TrainingPeaks website while Melissa Schwartz goes through the housekeeping items. We are told that this webinar will be posted on the support site in the future. Of course, the first thing we are encouraged to do is to upgrade. 
Now, for Hunter. He launches both 2.2 and 3.o. His primary point to lead with is that the change to the new site is primarily the navigation framework. Another change is the ability to have not only yourself, but your friends in the system. Basically, athletes now have access to some of the coaching options that used to be separate in the 2.2 version.
Another change I noticed when I upgraded was the ability to chose between two different ways of showing your FTP in the Power Profile. You can now choose between building your chart using 1 hour of data or 95% of 20 minutes to build your FTP.
Now he is showing us how easy it is to create ranges within the graph of a particular ride.
Ah, he moves to the Quadrant Analysis chart. This is what I’ve been wanting to see. In each quadrant you have an amount of time and the data points within each. This gives us the ability to see how you are creating your wattage – do you create the most wattage by doing a big ring at low cadence or medium ring at high cadence? Cool, if you are a visual person (like me) you are going to love this quadrant analysis graph!
Now we are moving to the Scatter Graph. This allows the athlete to measure two sets of data across a Y and X axis. How does power relate to heart rate, for instance. The graphs really do show visually how the data interacts! You can actually see your various gears on the graph when comparing power and cadence.
Hunter shows us how to use the Multi-File Range Analysis. This allows you to compare data from “channels”. For instance, you can build Ranges from your various intervals and then split them out into the various channels that make up the overall event. You can put RPM, MPH, WATTs, etc. above each other and then compare them.
You can also do this comparing Ranges from different events. For instance, you want to compare two different races. You can build a Multi-File Range Analysis that lays the data from the two events “side-by-side.” This would be good to do comparing a training event earlier in a training season with one later. You are able to visually see how the two sessions would compare.
Wow, for a common athlete, this could be a little much. It is fascinating and watching Hunter Allen explain it makes it an obviously powerful tool. However, you need to have some knowledge to help you interpret the graphs. I’m sure you could learn, but the software does not interpret it for you. In other words, the tool is to be used by a knowledgeable coach to help the athlete.
Lots and lots of stuff to play with! The MFRA and its interaction with the new graphs seems to be the heart of the changes in 3.0. Now, Hunter is showing us how to interact between the WKO+ 3.0 and TrainingPeaks.com. You can also save the files outside the WKO+/TrainingPeaks.com.
It is time for the questions. The thing I am gleaning from this portion of the webinar is the fact of “garbage in, garbage out.” You’ve got to start with good data before you can effectively analyze it in WKO+. You have to structure your rides in advance with the goal of analysis in WKO+ afterward.
A final point from the webinar. WKO+ now allows you to install on more than one machine. You can install two instances at a time. You can also turn a license on and off in order to move the software around without getting locked out.
Should you upgrade? Well, before this webinar, I would have said that it might not be worth it. After seeing it in action under than hands of an experienced coach, I can definitely see the advantages. If you are serious about training and have someone with the knowledge to train you to interpret the data, then I say upgrade.
It is going to take a while, but I hope to get to that point. I’m glad I did the upgrade. I wonder if my coach will be?
Learn more at TrainingPeaks.com. Now, I’ve got to get out there and collect some more data!
Tags: Hunter Allen, TrainingPeaks, WKO+
