TrainerRoad running?

TrainerRoad Software
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Is it ever going to happen? I remember the guys talking about it in the 2016-17 Podcast Range. Nate said then, that treadmill manufacturers wouldn’t allow control by 3rd partys and that was kind of the crux regarding the whole thing.

I happend to stumble upon TrainerRoad while rehabbing from a lifting injury. I was immediately hooked but never was able to dial my bike in a 100 %.

As I had no ambition to race, I gave up after changing a lot of parts and 2 bike fits and went back to lifting, running and soccer when a was fully rehabbed.

After moving to a different town I was left without a good place to run in my immediate surrounding. So I bought an assault air runner. As it is Bluetooth enabled, I paired it with Zwift and it was glorious :slight_smile:

Obviously not as good as TR but near the same revelation as I had using TR for the first time on my bike with the NEO.

Before then (on the bike) I also started with Zwift but ended up preferring TR. As I probably would now for running, but sadly that is not an option.

Maybe you could revisit the possibility’s regarding a TR running? On BLE enabled curved treadmill it would be perfect.

But even for dumb treadmills there are now things like the RUNN, footpods like stryd or the GEM RETRO for CSAFE enabled treadmills.

I know for non curved treadmills you would still need to push the speed buttons, but as most running seems to be programmed along 80/20 running, the changes of pace per workout would be a lot less than in the bike plans.

I would encourage you to complete your Office CrossFit setup with an assault air runner and get somebody who is fond of running and just try it with Zwift. :slight_smile:

Maybe you would get a taste for it and since Zwift is in really early stages it could be overtaken in short time.

Then again, I do not know how big the market is for something like TR running. I would subscribe :wink:

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I’m not sure about TrainerRoad running… but TrainerRoad forum in an app would be awesome!

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Foot pod power meters for running have gotten better too. They could design around those.

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If I read this correctly, try the “DiscourseHub” app. Takes you straight to the forum.

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My guess is that they will stick with cycling, as that is their core competency. I can see something like the “training camps” that have been floating around being released, before they venture into a totally new territory.

If it is something TR would be interested in pursuing, I imagine it would take quite a bit of time to roll out.

If it was just a matter of getting existing workouts to sync with a treadmill, I bet they could get something off the ground in a few months. But run training is quite different than bike training. They’d have to completely start from scratch on their workout catalogue, and while coach Chad is a fantastic cycling coach, I’m not sure how extensive his knowledge is on run programming.

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Ah brilliant, didn’t realise that was a thing. Thank you!!

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I too think it could be done relatively quickly. You just have to switch to pace instead of power (offer power for footpods) and start with a few plans.

At this point you don’t need to swing for the fences…there ist zwift and nothing else. And Zwift has no workout creator, the plans are meh and they only supports training peaks workouts based on distance.

At the moment I have to re-edit my time based workouts to distance, matching the timed intervals to meters. And Zwift only allows intervals as a multiple of 200 m. So no fun at all.

But I make do, because there is no alternative.

I’d wager at some point in the future there will be a big enough market for this kind of product. If you could position your company in front of the pack with little effort, this seems to be worthwhile to me. Especially since triathlon is a part of TrainerRoad already. So it’s not really stretch to do something like this.

And in the future smart treadmills will be the norm, not an outliere.

But on the other hand, if it’s not in the plans for TrainerRoad, I hope somebody else will do it.

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Agree but at this point I have been building them in GC and then using them on the F6X watch while Zwift in the background. Zwift is not good as you said with building workouts.

It does help with virtual run app and also I have a True PS800 which the speed module connects to BT.

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There’s something coming for running…

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That’s probably just workout sync from strava like outside rides.

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:cry:

That would suck! Especially given the recent stance from Strava towards paid only. If they add run sync only to people who pay I’ll be saddened.

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Strava wants your money only for the premium features. Storing and displaying your ride data is free. TR just grabs this data. No premium subscription needed.

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Uploading run workouts into TrainerRoad directly is definitely on our roadmap! The only problem with incorporating compatibility with a device like an Assault Air Runner to measure running output is that it would take a LOT of resources for us to do so (or for most manufacturers controlled by 3rf party), for a device that is ultimately pretty scarcely available to most people. :pensive:

This is why instead, device compatibility to import run/swim workouts with more commonly used and accessible devices is on our roadmap!

I think a Feature Request for a running-specific side of TrainerRoad would make more sense when a way to measure and analyze running output becomes more accessible. Lets hope these continue to develop! :crossed_fingers:

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Thanks, Ivy. Foot pods have improved a lot, and they are pretty inexpensive relative to other Tri gear. Training plans are getting designed around them (see Jim Vance’s new book). The idea of TR designing a ramp test for running that is shorter than trying to crush myself over 5k or 10k to get my running FTP sounds pretty pretty nice. :smile:

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Hi Ivy,

thanks for the update. The airrunner does display watts, as it is the same headunit as on the airbike.

Do you think I would be able to use it with TrainerRoad? With the Bluetooth protocol in place there is no need to enable specific devices for TR or am I mistaken?

I don’t really mind if I run to pace or watts. So it would be an ok solution to me. I would have to change the sport afterwards but that’s ok.

Thx in advance

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Thats awesome! So while we don’t officially support the treadmill (nor the airbike IIRC), we can’t guarantee it’ll work with TrainerRoad. That said, if the device uses Bluetooth FTMS (the Bluetooth industry standard for fitness devices), it should be able to pair and broadcast to TR. Though, some other functionality (like calibration) may not work properly, and of course, there wouldn’t be run specific plans for you to use.

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Hi Ivy,

One last question. Is there a cap on ftp in TrainerRoad? I just tested the treadmill for several speeds and 12 km/h would already give me a ftp of 1100 watts. Since that is not a realistic value for cycling I thought I’d ask :smile:

Thx in advance.

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YIKES, that definitely speaks to the fact that running power is not supported by TrainerRoad, those values definitely don’t add up! :rofl:

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Hi Ivy,

I’d think it’s a bit on the high side. :slight_smile: But is there a hard limit in TR which would prevent me from entering a ftp of 1110?

Thx.

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In theory, no, but again, not recommended as the app is not designed for running power metric adaptation yet! :+1: