Tracking training and nutrition

I’ve been using Endomondo for my training for the past eighteen months and I love it. It’s great to be able to view the stats by day, week, month and even year. I can see whether I’m running faster, further or longer. I can see how many calories I’m burning per activity. Plus there’s the added motivation of seeing what friends are doing too not to mention the friendly competitions as to who burns the most calories per month or runs the most kilometres on a global scale. 

Now I’ve also started using My Fitness Pal to track my food intake. While I doubt it’s accuracy it definitely is a great way to at least get an estimate of how many calories I’m eating. To reach my goal I need to stick under 1500 calories per day plus whatever calories I burn through training. At the moment I’m staying under that and I’ve even managed to not eat any sweets all week except for a tiny indulgence today – a chai latte at lunch. Normally I like my coffee and tea black. 

There’s also my Suunto Quest Watch with a heart rate monitor. I’ve been meaning to track my heart rate and I’m sure I’ll get to it before summer. It would be interesting to see the effects of training within different heart rate zones. I love the watch as it has a big face and easy to see when you’re working out and sweating and it’s got a simple black design.  I did try to use it during the GC half marathon but realised the battery had gone flat. So that’s out of action until I replace it.

Now I can’t go anywhere without my Iphone. Whether I’m running or eating, I need to record all the details. It’s fun but also a little obsessive compulsive. Oh, well a bit of OCD can’t hurt to achieve some goals. The downside is getting really annoyed and frustrated when I can’t measure a run or forget to notate a meal. 

I have to admit that tracking all my meals and training makes me much more accountable then just going with the flow and not keeping tabs.

What gadgets / applications do you use to track your training and/or nutrition?