What kind of training data can I track with KULG?

Written By KULG App

Last updated 11 months ago

As runners, we get a lot of data from our sports watches and other wearables. But it is challenging to focus on the metrics that really matter and interpret the findings into training decisions. At KULG, we compare the key training metrics that reveal training progress alongside your personal, subjective feel. This empowers runners to see the big picture and enables them to understand how to balance training with adequate recovery to stay motivated and train consistently.

The ultimate goal for tracking data is to learn to listen to your body and get the basics right. KULG focuses on tracking the type of training data that is directly measured by your devices and that can be considered more reliable. We do not focus on tracking metrics that are based on estimations, which are calculated based on large datasets. Estimated data can miss the individual context and may be inaccurate or irrelevant.

To draw conclusions on your progress, what matters most is that the data is accurate and consistent, tracked according to the same logic. It is also important to consider that there is always a measurement error with devices and, therefore, it is more useful to focus on trends and patterns rather than overemphasising individual metrics.

At KULG you can edit all metrics to ensure that they are correct or add workouts manually to include everything you’ve been doing. We also strongly encourage runners to track subjective feel and recovery data even if it takes an extra moment to think about how an activity felt because that’s often the most important part of the feedback.

Primary metrics that you can track with KULG App:

  • Distance: the length of your activity in kilometres

  • Duration: the time of your activity in hours, minutes and seconds (HH:MM:SS), excluding the breaks

  • Pace (average): the duration divided by distance in minutes per kilometre

  • Average heart rate: the average heart rate of your activity, measured by beats per minute (bpm); for accurate heart rate data, use a chest- or arm-strap heart rate monitor on your runs (→ read more)

Subjective feel that you can track with KULG App:

  • Perceived effort: rate of perceived exertion (RPE), rated on a scale of 1 to 10, measures the intensity of physical activity based on your personal feelings of exertion and fatigue; it is useful for tracking training intensity, providing valuable insights into how the body responds to different exercises, allowing you to adapt workouts to your current fitness level and avoid overtraining

  • Feeling: tracking how the activity feels on the scale of 1 to 5 helps you to understand how your body responds to different workouts, intensities, and conditions; by noting feelings of energy, fatigue or discomfort, you can identify patterns that affect your performance, adjust your training plan accordingly, and prevent overtraining or injury

Additional training data that you can track with KULG App:

  • High intensity: the distance (km) of your activity that you carried out with higher intensity or higher effort (heart rate zone 3 or above or perceived effort 6-10 out of 10)

  • Maximum heart rate: the maximum heart rate of your activity, measured by beats per minute (bpm); useful for determining your heart rate zones

  • Cadence: the number of steps you take per minute (spm) while running; relevant for assessing your running efficiency

  • Elevation gain: total ascent (metres) achieved during your activity; helpful for tracking how elevation changes affect your performance

  • Power: the average amount of work you're doing while running measured in watts (W); it reflects the intensity of your effort and is useful in conditions that affect your pace, such as training in hilly terrain, on trails, or in extreme temperatures like heat, cold, or at high altitude

Other things you can track with KULG App:

  • Accurate running frequency: if you like recording activities separately you can track the no. of runs accurately by marking which of your activities were part of a bigger workout; by default, all activities are marked as separate workouts.

  • Notes: taking notes helps to monitor progress over time, and identify patterns related to effort, terrain, and conditions to make informed adjustments to your training plan, optimise your workouts, and enhance your overall performance; reflecting on your training also deepens understanding and provides valuable insights for your coach

Tips for tracking training data 💡

→ If you forget to stop your watch during breaks or to restart it when resuming your activity, you can update your distance and duration and use the pace as a reference.

→ You can track high intensity km on different types of activities and just define how much of the distance you covered with higher intensity.

Tips for tracking subjective feel 💡

→ Develop an understanding of what different effort levels mean for you; one way of interpreting effort in the context of running is:

  • 1 - 2: light, very easy effort; e.g. a walk-run

  • 3 - 4: easy effort; e.g. easy run

  • 5 - 6: moderate effort between easy and hard; e.g. hill run, interval run

  • 7 - 8: hard effort; e.g. tempo run

  • 9-10: very hard or maximum, all out effort, e.g. a race

Data accuracy ⌚️

→ Heart rate: wrist heart rate is not accurate in the context of running; use a chest- or arm-strap heart rate monitor to track heart rate trends (→ read more)

→ Cadence: watches that combine GPS data with built-in accelerometers often provide more accurate cadence measurements

→ Elevation gain: GPS-only watches are slightly less reliable than those with a barometric altimeter for measuring elevation gain (→ read more)

→ Power: most GPS watches estimate power based on pace, heart rate, and other variables rather than directly measuring it; dedicated power meters are more accurate