SportTracks
SportTracks (ST) is a program I have used quite a lot since I got my Forerunner 305. ST offer similar functionality as Training Center (TC) (Garmin's official software for their outdoor GPS devices), it just does it a lot better. For those of you who are unfamiliar with both ST and TC, they are basically training journals that allow you to store a GPS route along with other information such as a heart rate track, notes made by yourself and so on.
Currently there exists two versions that you can download and use: 1.3 which is the stable official version and a 2.0 which is still in the development phases. Even though ST 2 is a beta program, it should not discourage you to use it, while it is stable enough for everyday use; make sure you backup your files regualry though. Besides updating ST 1.3 with a new slick interface, ST 2 also provides a plugable framework that allow other people to contribute to the functionality of ST 2. I have written four plugins that you are welcome to download and try out. If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to contact me; my contact information are at the bottom of the page. My plugins are:
- Accumulated Summary plugin
- The intention of this plugin is simply to allow the user to get some aggregated values of a collection of activities that are selected in the activity report view. The plugin will report combined distance, time, climbs, and more. The idea is that it should give the same type information as the activity view, but for a collection of activities instead.
- High Score plugin
- This plugin calculates various high scores using distance, time, elevation and other paramters. It is highly configurable so it is possible to calculate many types of combinations of these parameters such as min distance per distance, max elevation per time, and more. The results can be seen in a table and in a graph.
- Overlay plugin
- This plugin lets you overlay two or more heart rate, pace, and/or speed tracks, so you can see how your training is progressing.
- Performance Predictor plugin
- This plugin lets you predict your performance on various distances by using well-known methods such as Pete Riegel's model. The plugin works on a single activity, and use the distance and time of that activity to extrapolate how you perform on other distances.
- TRIMP plugin
- Plugin calculates TRIMP values for a single activity in the activity detail view, and for multiple activities in activity report view.
- Unique Routes plugin
- This plugin works on a single activity. It calculates all activities that are on that route. Since the route is defined implicitely it is not straightforward to match to routes against each other. Therefore it is possible to select how big a band around each GPS point you accept the other route to be within and also how many points you accept the other route may be outside your route with bands around all points. Also, it is possible to specify that a route has a direction so the plugin will ignore routes that even though they are on the same route are not in the same direction.
Other plugins for SportTracks
It is not just me who writes plugins for SportTracks. A lot of people do and you can find a list of some of them here: list of plugins for SportTracks. The list is a discussion thread at SportTracks forum where each entry is a description of a plugin and how you obtain it.