Before making the 1996 Olympic team in the 1500m, my coach worked with a sports psychologist who told her to put a hair tie in her gym bag after every practice.
“At first I thought it was stupid,” she told me. “Like I really have to walk around with this bag full of hair ties?”
But as the season went on and the Olympic trials drew near, it started to click for my coach. The giant wad of hair ties that grew bigger and bigger each day represented all of the positive things she had done throughout the season. A reminder of all the hard work, of how she showed up every day, of why she belonged on the Olympic team. It wasn’t a burden to carry; it was her superpower.
And that’s exactly what your training data can be when you use it the right way: a visible, compounding record of the work you’ve done. Your own personal bag of hair ties, but with a lot more information that’s conveniently stored in your pocket instead (thanks, technology!).
The Psychology Behind Visualization
When I worked with a sports psychologist myself, I had to do a similar exercise to my coach. But instead of hair ties, I had to write down three things I did every day that contributed to my training. It’s no coincidence that later that year, I finally ended my five-year PR drought by dropping my 1500m time from 4:12 to 4:07 (which is a lot for a middle distance runner!).
The idea that seeing your work helps you perform better isn’t just anecdotal. Research across neuroscience and sport science suggests our brains process visual information especially efficiently, which makes it easier to recognize patterns and make decisions (like whether you’re building fitness or digging yourself into a hole).
In sport-specific research, self-monitoring has been linked to better training. One study in competitive cyclists found that a self-monitoring approach improved training behaviors and “intensity precision.” Basically, athletes got better at executing workouts correctly.
There’s also evidence that visual performance feedback (like seeing pace/power/HR against a target) helps athletes regulate effort and pacing more accurately, especially when fatigue would usually pull you off script.
Using Technology to Take It a Step Further
While bagging hair ties and writing notes can help you see all the work you’ve done, apps like TrainingPeaks can make visualization even more impactful.
Instead of relying on memory or how you felt, your training becomes something you can actually point to: what you planned vs. what you completed, how your weeks are stacking, and whether you’re making gains or digging yourself into a hole.
For example, TrainingPeaks’ Performance Insights uses Fitness, Form, and Fatigue to visualize training trends.
When progress is visible, it’s easier to interpret, and it’s easier to believe. Here are some of my favorite ways to visualize workout data to build belief in myself.
1. Notice Habits That Work for & Against You
Not every workout can be a home run. Sometimes they go exceptionally well, and other times they go overwhelmingly, well… not good.
In the past, I used to chalk a poor workout “due to a lot of things” and not think too much about what caused it. But once I started syncing the data on my WHOOP to my training data in TrainingPeaks, things became incredibly clear.
For example, if I had a glass or two of wine the night before a workout, my HRV was much lower, and my workout didn’t feel as easy as it should have. Of course I knew that drinking wine the night before a workout isn’t ideal, but actually seeing its effects in TrainingPeaks Health Insights really hammered it into my brain.
Essentially, seeing how my habits directly impacted my training made me much more likely to change or keep them.
Training Tip → A lot of third-party apps and software sync with TrainingPeaks, making it easy to see your recovery side-by-side with your training.
A quick note on “bad” workouts
My sports psychologist gave me a very helpful tip to never think of workouts as “good” or “bad.” A workout is simply information. Use it and learn from it. That’s exactly how you should interpret your training data, too.
2. Hold You Accountable on Hard AND Easy Days
We’ve all fallen into that trap: faster = better, and more = more.
But fitness doesn’t always come from trying harder or doing more. It comes from applying the right stimulus.
Clear, visual targets help you keep the easy days easy and ensure you’re training at your true threshold. On the flip side, it helps control pacing on hard workout days so you don’t blow up, and holds you accountable to the paces when you start to feel sorry for yourself.
This is especially helpful for beginners or when you’re trying a new sport type. For example, when I was injured and bound to the bike, structured workouts in TrainingPeaks Virtual helped me learn to control my pacing. It also reduced the mental effort of bike workouts (and possibly even made them fun?), and it helped me execute the workout much better when I got tired.
3. Shows Your Work Paying Off
Toward the end of my track season, I got excited about writing down three more things I did each day that contributed to my training. It just felt good to check it off – like I was adding more and more structure to a scaffolding of fitness.
Your TrainingPeaks Calendar does the same thing. Every time you execute a workout or check off an exercise, you’re building that scaffolding a little bit taller. It’s especially helpful because it’s color-coded. Before a race, I like to scroll through my calendar and see months and months of “green” workouts. TrainingPeaks also includes strength training, so I can see all of my training in one spot. It’s incredibly empowering.
These are just a few of my favorite ways to visualize workout data, but there is no “one size fits all”. Whether it’s collecting hair ties or using one of the many other charts TrainingPeaks has to offer, one thing is clear: visual evidence builds belief.
So if you’ve ever struggled to trust the process, don’t just tell yourself to trust it. Make it visible. Because sometimes, seeing really is believing.
