We are starting the new year, making new resolutions and setting our targets.
Are you wondering what metrics to track to evaluate your yearly progresses?
It is probably the case that there could be several metrics, and different objectives each year require different metrics.
However, in terms of supporting goals you establish or new year’s resolutions we’d suggest to focus on metrics that reflect process as opposed to outcome.
Track the things that are reasonably under your control like weekly hours of training, weekly time in various training levels, number of sessions of a certain type that match your training plan, weekly kj, etc.
That kind of stuff usually comes down to putting in the time and the effort. Not always of course as we have to allow for getting sick or life’s interruptions but we have far more control over the effort we put in than the results those efforts produce so we’d avoid goals like ‘raising my FTP to 400 watts’ or things like that unless you have very good reason to believe those goals are attainable based on previous history but still it’ll be the process goals that take you towards any outcome goals.
You can improve what you measure! Have a great 2014.