














			Running Works 
			Version 2.0

			User's Guide




Quick Start

Here's the fastest way to get started with  Running WORKS :

Install Running WORKS .
From the Program Manager, select File, then Run. 
Type 'a:install'.

Use the example 'John Doe' training log to get started.
Many of the capabilities in Running WORKS are easier to see  by playing with  a training log that already has some entries.  Doubleclick the Running WORKS icon after installation to start the program.  Select File, then Open, then select the  'JOHNDOE.RNR'  file to load the John Doe Training Log.  John Doe has training entries for the month of March, and training plans defined for the Crescent City 10k in April and a June marathon.  Look back at some of his training to see some typical log entries.  Use the review function to search through his training.  Use the Coach function to examine his training plans, and see if he's on target for his goals.  Return to the  main menu, and doubleclick on the Race Director to look at some national races.  Return to the main menu, and look at the information available in the Trainer and Research sections.

Open your own training log.
Once you're done exploring using  John Doe's training, start  your own training log.  Return to the main menu and select New.  Double click on the Training Log.  Enter your name, and you're ready to go.


  		Welcome to Running WORKS !



Technical Support

If you need help, there is on-line help available throughout Running WORKS .  Sometimes, though, that's not enough.  Please contact dazzles!  on-line though  the Internet(DazzleSoft@aol.com), or by mail at:  dazzles! , Box 6030, Huntsville, AL 35824.

How  Running WORKS  Works

Running WORKS   is a set of five tools to support runners in training and racing.  

 	 The Training Log helps you track your training.
  	The Coach helps you establish training plans, and monitor your training to 		see if you're on track to meet your racing goals.
  	The Trainer gives advice on technical topics.
  	The Race Director lets you preview  your performance for races across 			the country.
  	Research gives you an on-line runner's reference library.

Running WORKS  is a loose integration of several separate programs.  The Training Log and Coach work together on a single file with an extension of .RNR (e.g. JOHNDOE.RNR).  This file holds the training records for a single runner.  When you initiate Running WORKS , the last training file is opened and ready to be used.  To work with the training records for another runner, open his training file using the Open command under the File menu.  Use the New command to start a new log. 

The Race Director has his own file (DATA.GRC) which contains data on races and profiles of runners.  

Research has a file (TITLES.LIB) which contains titles and filenames for training articles.


Requirements

Running WORKS  will run on any PC running Windows 3.1 or later.  Running WORKS  requires about 1M of hard drive space.






Main Menu

The main menu lets you open training logs and select functions.  Running WORKS  automatically opens the last training log used.  To change to another log, select Open from the File menu, or select the log from the list of most recently used files under the File menu.  Select New under the File menu to create a new training log.

The Save command under the File menu saves the open log with it's original name.  The Save As command saves the open log, and let's you  give the log a new name.

The Merge Data command under the File menu allows you to merge training plans and races from a disk, rather than building them manually.  This gives coaches a powerful tool for creating individual training plans and race information for their atheletes.

The Help menu on the main menu is a good starting place for help with Running WORKS .  Tech Specifications under Help will show  you how much room you have in your databases, and also defines the file format of the training log.







Training Log

The Training Log helps you keep track of your workouts.  You can enter up to four workouts a day.  You can select up to 20 favorite courses.  You can track your workouts as Long, Easy, Tempo, Speed, Race or Crosstraining.

The Training Log opens to today's date.  You can change the date by entering a new date, or using the scrollbar.  To enter a workout, select a type for your workout.  You can select a course if you wish, or add a new course by 
selecting Add, or you can leave the course blank.  Enter the distance (Cross workouts don't require a distance), and either the total time or the pace.  Perceived effort is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a maximum effort. 
The heart rate, perceived effort, and notes entries are optional. 

After you are satisfied with your entries for the day, click OK to add your days entries to the Training Log.  Click Cancel or change to a new  day without clicking OK to exit without saving your entries.


 Reviewing Training


You can search  the training log to review your training.

You can see all your workouts for the current week, you can see a weekly summary for the complete log, or you can find all runs that match specific conditions which you set.  You can search based on the workout type, date, course, distance, time, pace, heart rate or effort.  Once you have selected your search conditions, click OK  and the workouts that match those conditions will be displayed.  As an example, you can look at all your long runs with a 
pace faster than 9 minutes per mile.

After you've set the search conditions, you can view your races either as text, or as a graph.  





Coach

The Coach helps you set up a training plan, and monitor your training to see if your training is adequate to reach your race goal.  You can train for more than one race at a time.  The Coach highlights training in yellow when you're slightly outside of your training plan, and red when you're significantly off your plan.  The Coach will also offer you advice on how realistic your goal is, based on your most recent training.

To use the Coach, select a race from the training plans you've already established.  The last four weeks of your training are displayed and compared to the plan for that race.  If your mileage meets or exceeds your plan, it is 
highlighted in green.  If it is up to 10% less than your plan, it is highlighted in yellow.  If your training mileage for the week is more than 10% below  your plan, it is highlighted in red.  If your pace is within your plan, it is highlighted in green; less than 10% outside of the plan, it is highlighted in yellow; more than 10% outside, it is highlighted in red.  Use the scrollbar to see older training, or to see the training plan for weeks to come.

Click New Plan to set up a training plan for a new race, or Change Plan to modify an existing plan. 

Click Advice for the Coach to offer advice on whether your goal is realistic or not, and what you should concentrate your training on to reach your goal.  The Coach bases his advice on your last four weeks of training.  Because of this,  any advice given with less than four weeks of training enterred is not very meaningful.

Setting Up a Training Plan

You can set up a 16 week training plan, based on the race date, distance, and the finish time you want to achieve.

To set up a new plan, enter the race name, distance, date and desired finish time.  The Coach will propose a distance for your longest training run, and a pace for your long runs.  The maximum weekly mileage for tempo runs (runs slightly slower than your race pace) is proposed, and a pace for your tempo runs.  The maximum weekly speedwork and pace are proposed.  Change any of these as you wish.  You can taper your training (that is, cut down your mileage) for the last week or two before the race, or you can train hard right up to the race itself.  You can schedule every other week or every third week to be a relatively easy week.

Once you're satisfied with these parameters, click OK.  The Coach will generate a 16 week training plan, with weekly goals for your long run, tempo runs and speedwork.  You can view the training plan from the main Coach dialog, and make any changes you wish.




Race Director


The Race Director lets you preview your performance at races across the country, based on your training and the average conditions for the race.

To see your races, select your name from the runner's name box under the runner.  If you're not in the list of runners, select Add to create an entry for yourself.  Enter your hill strength, heat endurance, finish strength, training mileage and training quality.  Enter your recent best times for 5k's, 10k's or marathons - don't worry if you don't have all three, the predictions are based on  your best race.  The box at the top left shows your predicted times for standard distances on flat, fast courses.  The box at the top right shows the last five races you've looked at.  To see a mile-by-mile prediction for any race, double click on the race.  A list of all races is available by selecting the Races command from the menu.

Adding Races

You can add your own races to the Race Director's database, by selecting Races from the menu.

The Help button shows a detailed explanation of each  entry on the screen.  The  important items used to predict your performance are the distance, temperature, and the individual mile parameters.  Under Uphill, enter the feet of climb for each mile.  Under Downhill, enter the feet of descent for the mile.  Use Delay to enter any fixed delay that slows all runners by a fixed number of seconds (e.g. crossing a river on a trail run may cost everyone 30 seconds).  Use Slowdown to enter any delay that slows everyone down by a fixed percentage of their pace (e.g. a dirt trail may make everyone run 10% slower).  Click OK when you're satisfied with all your entries.  Don't worry about getting everything right the first time - you can always go back and edit the race later.





Trainer

The Trainer will help you estimate your VO2Max, calculate your training heart rates, and estimate the effects of weight loss on your racing.


Click on the topic you want to explore. To estimate your VO2Max, enter your PR's for the different requested distances.  If you don't have a time for a 
distance, leave it blank or enter 0 - the Trainer will ignore that entry.  

You can use either of two methods to calculate your training heart rate zones.  If you know your maximum heart rate, enter it and click the second radio button.  If you don't, estimate your maximum heart rate by entering your age, sex and fitness level (anyone who runs more than a couple of miles regularly is fit), and the Trainer will estimate your maximum heart rate.

To estimate the effects of weight loss on your race times, enter your weight and recent race times (your height and sex are only used to calculate your ideal weight).  Enter your target weight to see how your performance might improve.




 Research

Reading articles from Running WORKS Research is easy.

Just select the article you want, then either double-click, or click OK and the article you requested is displayed.  

Click Print to print the article.

To add an article, click on Add an Article.  Enter the title you want to give the article, and the filename of the article.  The filename can either be short (e.g. article.txt) if the article is in the Running WORKS working directory or complete (e.g. c:\directory\article.txt) if the article is somewhere else.  The article must be an ASCII text file (you can create these with Windows Write, MS Word, or most other word processors). 

