- Feb 3, 2022

Workout Assignments

Coaches can help athletes continually improve, stay injury-free, and reach their goals using Flats or Spikes' new system for Workout Assignments - a team-based simple approach to individualizing workouts for even the largest distance running teams.

Workout Assignments lets coaches easily assign workouts to groups of athletes on their team. Athletes can view upcoming workouts, mark them complete, and add notes or adjustments to let coaches know how the workout went. Start assigning workouts today by updating to the latest version of the Flats or Spikes app, then visiting the Workouts tab.

Illustration of running workouts for today and tomorrow with pictures of people who have completed their assignment.

Creating Assignments

Coaches can create an assignment by tapping the “plus” icon in the Workouts tab. From there you can define the due date, type, time or distance, athletes to assign, and the target pace for each athlete.

Screenshot of the workouts tab with the add workout button highlighted.

Workout Types

When creating an assignment you can choose from a list of workout types. These types tell your athletes how they should pace themselves on the run. For example, you can set the workout to be a 45 minute base run or a 2 mile recovery run. Tap the “info” icon to learn the definition for each type.

Repeats / Intervals

If you select the workout type Repeats / Intervals you can build complex multi-set workouts for interval training. You can build and combine several sets, each with a different number of reps, volume (distance or time), and rest period. For example, using the Repeats / Intervals workout type, you could build the following workout:

Set 1: 4 × 200 meter (rest 30 seconds)
Set 2: 2 × 400 meter (rest 60 seconds)
Set 3: 2 × 800 meter (rest 2 minute)

Screenshot of the Workout Sets screen which lets coaches add sets. Shows a distance or time toggle. Sets added are 4 by 200 meters, 2 by 400 meters, and 2 by 800 meters. At the bottom is an Add Set button.

Choose Athletes

After defining the workout you can say who it should be assigned to. You can search and select specific athletes or use Groups to quickly assign a workout to multiple athletes. For example, you could define groups based on skill (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) and build assignments for those groups.

Pro Tip: You can manage groups by going to the People tab, tapping the “dots,” then Manage Groups. Athletes can live in multiple groups so feel free to create as many groups as you’d like! Taking a few moments to set up a few groups will save you a ton of time in the future.

Screenshot of the context menu in the People tab highlighting the Manage Groups feature.

Target Pace

Once you select one or more athletes, you can choose to set a target pace for each athlete to personalize each workout. This step is optional and you do not need to set a target pace for everyone. You could choose to assign a fast pace for a couple star athlete, or set a slow pace for athletes recovering from an injury.

Notifying Your Team

Before making workout assignments, we recommend telling your team to start checking the Flats or Spikes app regularly to see their assignments. The app currently does not notify athletes about upcoming workouts — they will need to check the Workouts tab on their own. You can use the Message feature in the People tab to send an email or text to everyone.

Viewing Assignments

Overview

You can see who has completed each of your assignments by exploring the Workouts tab. On the main screen coaches will see all of today and tomorrow’s assignments for the team. This can be a useful reminder to create more assignments if one of these sections is empty.

Screenshot of the horizontal scrolling list of assigned workouts for today on the main Workouts tab. Shows a long run, repeats, tempo run, and base run assigned to various athletes. Each workout shows how many athletes have completed it.

Checking Progress

You can tap an assignment to see the details of the workout and who has completed it. From there you can tap someone’s name to view notes or adjustments left by the athlete.

Screenshot of the overview screen of a workout, where you can see that 3 of 7 assigned athletes have completed the 6 mile long run.

All Assignments

On the initial Workouts view you can tap "Show More" to see all assignments. The Date picker lets you view past or upcoming workouts. The Athlete picker lets you see assignments for specific people.

Screenshot of the list of assignments across the team. The month and athlete filters at the top of the screen are highlighted. Below is a list of workouts.

For Athletes

Check Upcoming Assignments

You’ll see your workout assignments for today and tomorrow on the main view of the Workouts tab. Tap to view the details of the workout. After completing the workout you can mark the assignment as complete, add notes, or add adjustments.

Screenshot of the main Workouts tab for athletes. They have an assigned workout for today that is marked completed. Their workout for tomorrow is not done yet.

Notes

You can add notes to your assignment at any time. For example, add a note if you didn’t complete the workout because you were injured. Notes help your coach know how a run felt so they can set up your next assignment and avoid injury.

Adjustments

After marking a workout as complete, athletes will see a “completed workout” section. If the assignment was distance based (ex. Run 3 miles) you can enter your total time and the app will calculate your pace. Make an adjustment if you ran more or less than the assignment.

Screenshot of the details screen for a 6 mile workout assignment. This workout has been marked as complete so the "completed workout" details are exposed, which allows athletes to make adjustments.

Questions?

We’d love to hear from you! If you have questions or want help, let us know what you think by emailing support@flatsorspikes.comm or message us with the app by tapping Help and Support under Settings.