To import workouts from your polar heart-rate monitor into TrailRunner, please follow these steps:

1. In TrailRunner Preferences > Synchronize : Select TrackRecord as your Helper App
2. Press the download Button to get TrackRecord from bluecrowbar.com
3. Close Preferences and open your main TrailRunner document.
   You might in advance create routes that reflect the courses of the workouts being imported. To learn how to create routes, first read the QuickGuide Tutorial
4. Press the Import (from heart rate monitor) Button in the upper tool-bar.
5. TrackRecord will start up. Import your workouts and Export the Sessions to your Desktop. (Please make sure that you use the english date format: mm/dd/yy when you export your files)
6. Now drag each exported workout session onto the main TrailRunner window, the import pane on the left will open.
7. Select a matching route and press the add Button.
   A new diary entry will be added combining the information from the selected route and the imported workout

Tags: Polar RS200, import, diary

Heise.de sucht für ein Themen-Special nach den besten Programmen für Mac OS X. Wer mithelfen möchte, dass der TrailRunner mit dabei ist, der kann über ein Online Formular bei Heise für den TrailRunner votieren. Würde mich freuen !

> TrailRunner im Heise Software Archiv dort dann auf die Bewertungsskala klicken (erfordert leider eine Registrierung).

Heise.de is looking for any best Mac software. If you would like to vote for TrailRunner, click the link above and use the rating tool on the listing page. Related to this I would also be happy if you could help pushing votes for TrailRunner on iusethis. Click the badge below (unfortunately requires a registration too)

Today I added a contour layer to background maps. The contour data comes from the same USGS data source as the already known elevation download. But the transparent overlay is something being calculated and provided by Jonathan Stott from www.earthtools.org.
Earthtools is a cool service anyway. Hopefully it will stay free for a long time. As long as it is, enjoy the contours.
The display settings you'll find under Document Settings > Additional Settings > Contour : Show/Hide
The examples above show a region with the contour overlay applied to three background map sources. On the right with satellite imagery and left with openstreetmap.org. As a sidenote I realized that openstreetmap really gets a momentum. I am very pleased for the quality and detail the service now offers. As maps at openstreetmap.org change often, please regularly empty your map cache.
File > Consolidate > Empty Caches
The other news are terrain maps from Google. As you can see in the middle image, also with overlay contours applied.

> www.earthtools.org
> www.openstreetmap.org
> maps.google.com

Tags: Maps

From build 192 on the Polar HRM import will work better but should still be considered as experimental. I now import the [IntTimes] block and then, if a [HRData] block is available, merge the additional data in. What surprises me is that the data in HRM files are very inconsistent. On the one hand in the leading part of the file the workout duration says to be e.g. 0:41:20.0 but the last Interval ends at 0:44:49.5. Also if the recording interval is set to every 5 seconds and you multiply the number of [HRData] sets by 5 you also get more seconds than the given workout duration. Next, the [Trip] duration is totally off any other values one can accumulate. At last, the file doesn't contain calories burned but only your weight and VO₂ max. So I have to calculate the calories myself. All this means that you will never see identical values for the same data.
To retrieve HRM files from your watch, try TrackRecord or use some PC Software. TrailRunner Preferences now has TrackRecord added as a helper application for the import button. Use Import or drag a HRM file onto the TrailRunner dock icon. Anyway the workout import pane will open. To connect the workout with a route, select one in the routes list and add your workout to the diary like shown in the example below.


> TrackRecord - Polar RS200 SonicLink™ for MacOS X

Tags: diary, import, Polar RS200

The new iPod models (nano and touch) have new screen resolutions. So I updated the Library for the new models. To change the export screen dimensions, go to Preferences > iPod and enter the values for your model there. BTW, one feature downgrade requested and build into TrailRunner 1.5 can also be set here: Disable the rotate NanoMap into direction of heading.

About NanoMaps
NanoMaps describe a route in a very compact and portable way to stay on track – without using an expensive GPS-Unit. NanoMaps depict every waypoint on your route with a snap-shot of the map-area around it. Additionally the map is rotated in a way that the direction you are coming from is always at the lower edge of the screen. The orange arrow then shows you the direction you should turn to. The biggest benefit is, that even if you did not put every possible track into your map you can still see that there are other tracks at a crossing.
Because it is not possible to have subfolders in the nano Photo-Library, green squares with a readable route-code in the overview mode help you to find the route you are looking for.

Tags: iPod Nano, NanoMaps

What's new
TrailRunner 1.5 is a heavy rewrite of all core components dealing with maps and geographical coordinate systems. Hopefully resulting in a much simpler user interface but in any case much better for me to maintain as I squirted out some complex crap code that's not needed anymore.
In previous versions of TrailRunner the most complicated thing was to understand what to do next with an empty document in front of you: The solution was calibration and loading of maps. In TrailRunner 1.5, new documents now automatically show a regional background map of an area nearby your current location. That's not patent pending but clever enough to make you feel home. The task following is to zoom in to the exact location and to start creating your personal trail-network.

World View and Resolution Independence
Additionally the map loading process is now simplified and improved for different zoom levels like in GoogleMaps. Before, TrailRunner loaded only the highest resolution maps available, resulting in heavy memory load for overview zoom levels. The new version just loads the resolution you see and the deeper you zoom in, the more detailed maps are reloaded. As caching was vastly improved, zooming in and out will become undisturbing after a short while.
Also the scroll bars have gone. As a document could now cover almost the whole world, scroll bars didn't make sense anymore. To move the working area around, use the hand tool. While using other tools, use the space bar to temporarily access the hand tool.

The working area is now resolution independed. Tracks, way-points and labels now always stay the same visual size even if you zoom down to the ants. Displayed tracks are now visually compressed representations of the original track meaning the more you zoom in, the more detailed the track will be displayed.

Maps and Locations
A new map source was added. OpenStreetMap is an open source initiative where people like you upload their GPS tracks and cartographers create professional grade maps from these. I was having an eye on the effort for almost two years now and this summer seemed to be full of mapping weekends. So use these maps for free and if you are able to, try to contribute to the project. One important thing with OpenStreetMap is that these maps constantly change and as TrailRunner heavily caches imagery, use File > Consolidate > Empty Cache to reload the current visible maps. Visit the OpenStreetMap project page to learn more.

To manually add maps to TrailRunner, just drag images onto the working area and rotate or scale them to the size they perfectly match the background maps. After the map fits well, just add it to the store by moving it to any of the lower layers in document settings.
Dragging new map tiles into the document will now remember the scale and rotation modifications of the previous tile. This makes it much easier if you drag-copy tiles from web applications into your document and have them rotated and resized like the previously selected tile.

Another new feature is the locations pane. You'll find two lists there. The upper one shows all way-points in your document, sorted by distance to the current location. The list below searches an internet database for locations. If you import a GPX file in locations, only the contained way-points and lap-points will be added to the upper list. Both are meant to give you a fast way to navigate around your trail-network or respectively the world.

Important Compatibility Notes
TrailRunner 1.5 will no longer support documents that where calibrated manually. This is due to the fact that the whole manual calibration was crappy and so I removed it. I know that this will cause a lot of trouble to some of you. But on the other hand it caused even more trouble and unsolvable problems to others. Make the world a better place by using the global coordinate system. It's now more straightforward to use.

Because of fundamental changes: DO NOT OPEN DOCUMENTS SAVED IN 1.5 WITH 1.4! Should you need to, always work with copies!

The central data store now only saves personal maps you've imported manually. Background maps loaded from Internet services WILL BE REMOVED and reloaded in the new format. This might take quite long when you first start up with the new version.
The new background maps are cached under Home/Library/Application Support/TrailRunner/GeoTiles. This cache can become very huge. But if you delete stuff from inside there, TrailRunner won't get harmed.

As TrailRunner will remove data from the central data store, you should better make a Backup of it. It's located in Home/Library/Application Support/TrailRunner/GeoBitmaps2.datastore – just duplicate the file and keep the save copy.

Donation Policy Changes
By the official release of TrailRunner 1.5 the fixed donation was increased to 25 Euro (~ 34 USD). That's mainly because I think that the value of the new Release is worth it. Surely, all previous registrations will stay valid.

Tags: Maps

Walking is a good thing. But the sport industry tries to make you believe that equipment is the most important thing. A funny reading is this article: Walker-Auflauf in der Frittenbude (German)

Partly translated: [...] That even walking brings your fat to melting, is one of these ineradicable myths, which walkers believe. And it sounds so beautiful. You get rid off your fat just with a stroll. [...] But the body doesn't let go the fat without a price. He has learned over a million years on how to save surplus calories in areas like belly, legs and bottom — as a reserve for cold winter days. And it takes you one hour of running to make him let go the fat. Meaning you have to wring out every gram which is laborious. Either because the workout is long and slow or short and fast. What's guaranteed successful is fast and long. What's guaranteed not successful is short and slow. [...]

But TrailRunner can help you... well, you already know the rest.

The internet and the community behind are a great resource. You already know that. But what you might not know yet are the following community sites where you can upload share and download running, hiking or biking courses. This post ist just to to name my favorites:


Bikely helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes.
http://www.bikely.com


WikiLoc is a free web app that lets you share GPS tracklogs and waypoints on the web in an easy way
http://www.wikiloc.com


With GPSies you can view and download tracks which have been recorded by a GPS device. Whether you are searching for running courses or Mountain Bike Tracks, with GPSies you can see what Tracks others have recorded. And you can download all the Tracks and put them onto your GPS device so you won`t lose your way.
http://www.gpsies.com


German: Hier findest du kostenlose Touren mit GPS Tracks zu Outdoor Aktivitäten in beliebten Kategorien wie Mountainbiken, Wandern, Reiten, Ski etc.
http://www.gps-tour.info

TrailRunner 1.4 gets into shape. The biggest change is the new workout analysis chart depicted above. Most importand changes are the following. If you like to joint the Alpha Team, read the Beta app-cast and download the latest version:

http://www.trailrunnerx.com/appcast-beta.xml

Highly requested, finally done. Colorize your tracks with any of the predefined colors. TrailRunner can attribute tracks with soft values like iTunes rating stars, a description text and now color codes. If you mark a track in red because it's dangerous, in orange because it's a hight traffic street or in green because it's a beautiful woods trail ... it's your individual expression.