While the event is still some way off the training has kicked in with the first Spring ride taking place on January 29. It’s a great chance for participants to get to know each other and get some base miles in as preparation for the main event in June.

With training now the main priority we thought it would be helpful to showcase how you can use Map My Tracks in the run up to the event to help get yourself in good shape. Here are a couple of the ways that you can stay motivated and keep in touch with fellow riders between each formal training ride.

Spring training rides

Each Spring training ride has been added to the HotChillee Training Ride event on Map My Tracks. The event is open to join and after each training ride it will feature a replay that lets participants compare their performance against others.

To include your ride in the replay first join the event and then upload your ride data to Map My Tracks. It’s possible to upload data from Garmin devices or from the one of the Map My Tracks apps.

General training rides

If you missed the training rider and you venturing out on your own then these too can be added to the L2P2012 hub on Map My Tracks. The L2P2012 Hub is a great way to share your rides, find other nearby riders. Best of all - the Hall of Fame will tally up your training miles!

To include your ride on the L2P2012 Hub simply upload your ride data to Map My Tracks and tag it with ‘L2P2012’. All tagged activities will appear on the hub and be included in the Hall of Fame that tallies each person’s total mileage.

With the event none only five months away it will be important to get the base training in place now so we hope to see some of those miles on Map My Tracks.

If you’re new to Map My Tracks and want upload your rides then register first. Once registered you can upload recorded ride data direct from Garmin devices or as GPX, TCX, FIT CRS and SRM files. If you want to stream, or record, your ride data with a mobile then you can use the Map My Tracks iPhone app OutFront or one of the apps available for other models.

Map My Tracks Event Tracker works in conjunction with a range of supported mobile apps for sports tracking. During an event the Map My Tracks iPhone app, OutFront, captures and streams live data from each participant and broadcasts it live to the event tracker for spectators to follow, both online and via the app itself. As the tracking device is a mobile phone is makes using Map My Tracks Event Tracker the only viable tracking solution for mass participations sports events like sportives, marathons and regattas. There’s no need for specialist tracking devices, just a mobile phone with a compatible app from Map My Tracks. Cycling, running or sailing event organisers now have a way of showcasing their event live online while it takes place for online spectators around the world to follow.

Map My Tracks is a social network for sports enthusiasts where people share their training and workouts. As with all of its features there is a strong social theme to the Event Tracker. It’s an open system where event organisers can add their event and races themselves and participants opt in to be a part of the live event. It is as good to use in at professional event like the Tour Down Under or simply for a weekend run or training ride out with friends.

The Map My Tracks team have drawn on their experience of providing custom tracking solutions for Team Sky and sports events like the HotChillee London to Paris and the Cracknell - Walters E2E Record Attempt to provide an online experience that is an asset to participants, event organisers and online spectators.

Live tracking is just one side of it the Event Tracker. Each event can be replayed to provide second-by-second analysis of the action. Detailed statistics of an individual’s performance can be assessed and shared with friends, family or coaches.

The launch of the Event Tracker is timed to coincide with the start of the 2012 cycling, running and sailing season providing sportive, marathon and regatta organisers with a live tracking system that can include all of their participants, not just the elite athletes.

The pro cycling team, GreenEDGE,  will be one of the first to use the Map My Tracks Event Tracker in the Tour Down Under. Live tracking is available to watch online during the event from January 17 to January 22. Each race starts at 11:00 local time and a replay of the day’s action is available any time after the race finish.

For more information about the Map My Tracks Event Tracker, or custom event tracking solutions, contact the events team.

The introduction of these features make is easy to link to friend’s on Map My Tracks and group activities together from events or training sessions.

They are as easy to use as they are on services like Twitter and work in just the same way. For example the hashtag of #marchmiles links through to a hub featuring all the activities using the tag and also include a distance tally from any user using the tag. Likewise @Nick links through to Nick’s profile page.

At the moment this is only available on the website but the next release of OutFront will include this as well.

It’s a simple but powerful addition to Map My Tracks and one that we hope you like.

“ERROR 1062: Duplicate entry ‘2147483647’ for key 1”

At 6am on Christmas Day 2011, we recorded our 2 billion, 147 million 483 thousand 647th data item. A second later, the 2,147,483,648th data item was received, and the database table charged with storing it was unable to do so. This was because the datatype of the table’s primary key was unable to represent numbers bigger than 2,147,483,647. It was a seemingly minor oversight, made over a year ago, but was to have major ramifications.

A victim of our own success

We strive to offer the best sports tracking service in the marketplace, no matter if it’s lunchtime on a normal business day, or the early hours of Christmas morning. We believe that in order to offer the best tracking service, activities should be recorded as accurately and as granularly as possible. To that end, an activity recorded with Map My Tracks has a granularity of up to 2 seconds and can consist 8 separate metrics. All this data, from our hundreds of thousands of users, adds up to billions of records.

Are my activities lost?

During this outage any activity uploaded to Map My Tracks will not have been stored correctly. If you have tracked using OutFront, then your activity data has been stored locally on your iPhone. You can sync your activities from your phone to the website again to view them online. To do this, navigate to the Activities->History section and tap the (…) button immediately below the activity you want to sync. You will then see an option to “Sync with website”.

If you have uploaded from a Garmin device or GPX file then we recommend that you upload the activity again and delete the old one.

Once again, we are very sorry for any inconvenience caused. Having made the changes to get the system back online we can confirm that it’s now good for another 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 data items…

Map My Tracks OutFront 2.2 extends the range of ANT+ enabled devices that it is compatible with and adds power in the mix, as well as heart rate, cadence and speed to give cyclists a full set of metrics to monitor and broadcast live on the web.

As the iPhone doesn’t come bundled with its own ANT+ sensors you’ll need to use third-party hardware like the Wahoo Fitness sensors that makes the bridge between the devices on the bike and the iPhone. Once set up they make monitoring the extra data a breeze. If you have not already looked into using heart rate, cadence or power in your workouts then now is a good time to start.

Also bundled into this version of the app are some new features for all users to benefit from. They include:

• Distribution zones for speed, heart rate, cadence and power
• Extended support for ANT+ enabled power devices
• Custom primary display option
• OS map option for user in Britain
• Various iOS5 updates to improve the app

Distribution zones

Available on all speed, heart rate, cadence and power data the distribution zones show your workout intensity.

To view the zones first open all the workout data then tap the side arrow on speed, cadence, heart rate or power data cell and choose distribution.

ANT+ compatibility

ANT+ power devices has been added to the family of third-party hardware that OutFront is compatible with. To connect with ANT+ enabled devices first get hold of the Wahoo Fitness sensors then through the setting pages connect each one to the app. Once it’s done the app stores the connect so you don’t have to do it again.

iOS5 users have the added benefit of the ANT+ sensors continuing to work while the app is running in the background. That’s new to iOS5 so if you are not running that version please remember to keep the app active. It’s fine to out the phone to sleep but make sure the app is not in the background.

Custom primary display

We know it’s handy to be able to scroll through the workout stats during an activity. It’s been possible to do this on the secondary data bar for a while so we added a scroll to the primary display as well. You can set the default to suit your workout in the setting section and then scroll through to other data during the activity.

OS map option

Our users in Britain will be able to switch to OS map tiles. That’s handy when off-road and the detail on the other map options is not as detailed as you’d like. It you’re not in the UK you won’t have that option but you can still switch between street and satellite maps.

Various other fixes and improvements are also included in this release so if you haven’t yet upgraded please do so now. The update is free to existing users.

We hope you like the new features and as ever, please let us know what you think of the update.

Download or update Map My Tracks OutFront for iPhone from the App Store.

During the event online spectators around the world can follow the rider’s progress as they attempt to break not only the End to End record but also the 12 hour, 24 hour and 1000 miles records.

The Rocket 2 E2E event tracker features live statistics highlighting the riders’ progress with minute by minute updates, tweets and comments by supporters. As with any activity on Map My Tracks the event can be followed live on the Map My Tracks mobile apps.

If you’d prefer to follow their progress by mobile then you can keep up to date with the progress each group by downloading the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app. With this app the riders’ progress can be followed live. Here’s how to get set up to follow their progress from an iPhone.

Follow the Rocket 2 E2E record attempt live on an iPhone

First download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store and create a free user account via the app.

Then tap ‘Activities’ then tap the cog icon in the bottom right corner.

Then in the search bar type and search for ‘rocket2’.

This will display a column of all the rider’s activities. To save the column tap the cog in the top right.

Then finally tap ‘Add to Wall’ to include this on the Activity Wall in the app.

Once added tap back twice and you’ll have a new option to quickly browse all the Rocket2 tagged activities.

From here you can follow the progress of the rider live on the iPhone.

To get started and set up download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store.

The milestone comes after a busy month in August when users from around the world have uploaded a total of 10 million kilometres of activities. Over the last twelve months Map My Tracks’ registered user base has grown by over 120% with users logging on average 7 activities each. The number of registered users is currently growing at a rate of over 12% each month.

Since its inception in 2008, Map My Tracks has pioneered the use of mobile phone apps to track, log and share fitness workouts in real-time. Through Map My Tracks’ app for iPhone, called Outfront, users can share in real-time their cycle rides, runs or hikes with friends and family. Online spectators can follow the action live at http://www.MapMyTracks.com or through the iPhone app OutFront.

Map My Tracks goes beyond a simple fitness tracking app. It is a social fitness app with Twitter-like following of friends making it easy to discover nearby routes and cheer on other users while they train.

“We’re thrilled to have reached the 250,000 user milestone”, says Nick Tatt, CEO of Map My Tracks. “Each day hundreds of users register and upload their activities to Map My Tracks which means everyone benefits from new routes to explore and train on.”

Garmin’s Edge 800, Edge 500 have been added to the devices supported through the Garmin Communicator plugin. For those of you not familiar with the Garmin Comminicator plugin it lets our service read files directly from the devices. This means that there is no need to export the raw files from a Garmin device to then upload to Map My Tracks. Now when a Garmin Edge is connected to your computer the files can be uploaded to your Map My Tracks profile within a few clicks.

Another great addition to the upload process through the Communicator plugin is that it’s now possible to select more than one activity at a time. It’s now a breeze to upload your full history of workouts from your Garmin device. It’s a great way to start out on Map My Tracks as once all the activities are uploaded they are available to review, share and analyze in more detail.

Using the Garmin upload

Uploading activities through the Communicator plugin is easy.

Step 1. Install the Garmin Communicator Plugin
Download and install this Internet browser plugin to transfer data from your device to Map My Tracks. Download Garmin Communicator Plugin

Step 2. Upload activities
1. Login to Map My Tracks or sign up for a free account.
2. Go to My profile > Upload activities > Garmin activity.
3. Connect your device to the computer with a USB cable or use the ANT+ wireless connection.
4. Once connected the Communicator will detect your device. Once detected click ‘Select device’.
5. Select the activities you want to upload and click ‘Select activity’.
6. Add extra information to the activity then click ‘Upload activity’.
7. The activity will take a moment to upload to your account.

Once uploaded the activities are online to replay, share or analyse.

We hope you enjoy using this new feature on Map My Tracks. Our thanks go out to all the people that have helped to improve this feature. The sample files and test upload were invaluable.

This is a great addition to Map My Tracks and one that we’re really pleased to add. Now there is no need to worry if you didn’t have your mobile phone with you when out training. Simply keep a note of the distance and duration and add it to your profile.

All the stats become part of your profile for you to review.

As ever, we hope you like the new feature and hope it helps to keep you motivated.

Uploading files is easy. You can upload files from My Activities, by email to your dropbox or through the profile section. First choose the file upload option.

Then attached the file, set the activity type, let everyone know how you got on and tag it if needed.

As with all activities you can choose who can see it. Public activities mean everyone can see how you got on but if want to keep it private then set it to for your eyes only.

We’ve added these file types by popular request so if you’d like us to add other file types then email support@mapmytracks.com and let us know. Send us some sample files and we’ll do our best to add them into the mix of supported files.

Hope you enjoy the new feature.

Among many updates is a new sharing option with Tribesports. This is in addition to sharing with Facebook and Twitter and of course Map My Tracks. This means that Tribesports users can now use their iphone to log their activities with Map My Tracks OutFront and sync them directly to their Tribesports profile.

To set up sharing with Tribesports go to the app’s Settings > Sharing settings > Tribesports. Enter your Tribesports username and password. Tribesports sharing is only available in the pro app.

Other updates made in the latest release include:

• Cadence / footpod sensor support.
• Heart rate, cadence and power data available on track review.
• Tribesports activity sharing.
• Improved elevation accuracy.
• Sea kayaking, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding activities.
• Improved Dutch language.
• Various features optimized and improved.

Find out more about OutFront or download it from the App Store.

We’re thrilled to announce that we have now added support to import, read and analyze SRM data files here on Map My Tracks. Power, cadence, speed, elevation, heart rate and pace are available to analyze and just like any other activity the data can be examined in detail for any ascent, descent or time period throughout the session.

Uploading an SRM file is simple

First connect the SRM PowerControl unit with your computer to download the data. The files are saved in the directory you have designated but the default directory is: C:\Program Files\SRM Training System\_DATA.SRM.

Then either email the files to your personal Map My Tracks email dropbox or use the upload options in your profile to add the SRM file to your profile. There are also upload options in the My Activities section. As with all activities a public one is available for everyone to see and private ones are for your eyes only. If you’re part of a team on Map My Tracks the public activities will be added to the team for team members to review.

Analyzing SRM data

Once uploaded the SRM data is available to analyze within your profile or training room.

To help better analyze the data each data type can be switched on or off.

Any segment of the activity can be examined in more detail. Simply click into the chart and choose the period to examine in more detail.

View the data on any device

As with all activities on Map My Tracks they can be reviewed via desktop, tablet and mobile browsers. The forthcoming update of the Map My Tracks iPhone app, OutFront, can also be used to review, analyze and share SRM data files.

This is just the start of what we have planned for SRM data files. We’ll be modifying the dropbox to let you upload SRM files by email as well as increasing the range reports on the data.

As ever, we’d love to hear from you to find out what you’d like to see added. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy using the new tools.

The progress of each group is being tracked live by Map My Tracks and available for spectators to follow as the riders pedal their way to Paris.

The L2P tracker features a range of statistics highlighting the achievements by each group and just like a standard Map My Tracks Hub any rider joining them for the ride can also include their progress by using one of the Map My Tracks apps and tagging their activity with ‘L2P’.

If you’d prefer to follow their progress by mobile then you can keep up to date with the progress each group by downloading the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app. With this app each rider’s progress can be followed live. Here’s how to get set up to follow their progress from an iPhone.

Follow the L2P live on an iPhone

First download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store and create a free user account via the app.

Then tap ‘Activities’ then tap the cog icon in the bottom right corner.

Then in the search bar type and search for ‘l2p’.

This will display a column of all the rider’s activities. To save the column tap the cog in the top right.

Then finally tap ‘Add to Wall’ to include this on the Activity Wall in the app.

Once added tap back twice and you’ll have a new option to quickly browse all the L2P tagged activities. During the event the live progress of each group will be listed here each day.

From here you can follow the progress of each group live on the iPhone.

To get started and set up download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store.

The Cisco Riders Hub features a range of statistics highlighting the achievements by each rider and just like a standard Map My Tracks Hub any rider joining them for the day can also include their progress by using one of the Map My Tracks apps and tagging their activity with ‘ciscoriders’.

For those not able to stay in front of your PC during the event they can keep up to date with the progress of riders by downloading the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app. With this app each rider’s progress can be followed live. Here’s how to get set up to follow their progress with OutFront.

Follow the Cisco Riders live on an iPhone

First download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store and create a free user account via the app.

Then tap ‘Activities’ then tap the cog icon in the bottom right corner.

Then in the search bar type and search for ‘ciscoriders’.

This will display a column of all the rider’s activities. To save the column tap the cog in the top right.

Then finally tap ‘Add to Wall’ to include this on the Activity Wall in the app. Once saved to the Activity Wall it’s easy to keep track of each rider and follow their progress live on the iPhone.

Download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store to get started.

Step 1. Open app and tap ‘Settings’ then ‘Sharing settings’.

Step 2. Tap ‘Connect with Facebook’ and log into Facebook. Once the Facebook login is complete tap on ‘Settings’ to return to the main settings page.

So far this is normal behavior but the bug is stopping the changes from being saved so we need to force the page to save the changes. If you do not see a ‘Save’ button in the top right corner you will need to adjust another setting to force this onscreen. To do this follow the next steps.

Step 3. Tap the weight settings then make an adjustment on the weight and then tap ‘Settings’ to return to the main page. This will force the ‘Save’ button to appear in the top corner.

Step 4. Tap ‘Save’ to store the changes to the settings. This will also save the Facebook sharing settings as well.

We sorry we didn’t spot this problem in the app but by following these simple steps you can successfully save the Facebook sharing option and then be able to post your activities on Facebook.

The next release will have a fix for this. If you continue to have trouble please email support [at] mapmytracks.com where we can provide direct assistance.

Map My Tracks Endurance is a light-weight, low-power app that is designed to make long distance live tracking possible with an iPhone. Capable of tracking live for over 24 hours on one charge, Map My Tracks Endurance reduces the battery drain that can be experienced from other iPhone tracking apps. With this app it’s easy for friends, family or sponsors to follow your progress online throughout long distance events like sportives, gran fondos or marathons.

As with our other iPhone apps, Endurance seamlessly connects with your MapMyTracks.com profile to let spectators follow your progress online from around the world. And just like OutFront, when multiple riders use the same tag their activities can be followed live on an event hub. With the Map My Tracks Endurance app sports event organisers have a viable live tracking solution that all their participants can use.

The app will get its first outing in the the Ride Across Britain where the team of riders from Cisco will be using Map My Tracks Endurance throughout the nine day event. Their progress will be followed live on the Cisco Riders event hub on MapMyTracks.com by sponsors, friends and Cisco work colleagues around the world.

Map My Tracks Endurance is free to download from the App Store and is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS & iPhone 4 and as usual unlimited live tracking is available to all Map My Tracks account holders.

Using Endurance

Endurance couldn’t be simpler to use when out riding or running. Once logged into the app set the update frequency, add a tag, then tap start. It’s that simple.

Endurance has been designed with long distance live tracking in mind. In order to extend the battery life the app is optimised to use GPS only when needed. More frequent updates use more power and in turn reduces the overall tracking time. So adjust the update frequency to suit the activity session. In tests carried out on an iPhone 4 at two minute updates the battery life was extended to over 10 hours.

As Map My Tracks Endurance is a light-weight tracking app is does not provide a breakdown of your performance within the app (for that we suggest you use OutFront). However, since each activity is live there is full breakdown of the activity stats online in your profile.

Map My Tracks OutFront 2.0 is true multi-sport high performance GPS computer that’s the perfect companion to use on bike rides, runs or walks as well as just about any other outdoor pursuit. OutFront 2.0 includes all the great features from the original app along with some major improvements and new features to help keep you motivated to get outdoors and keep fit.

The all new Map My Tracks OutFront 2.0 lets you:

• Measure your performance and track your speed, pace, heart rate, calories burned, duration, elevation gain/loss and much more for each activity you do.
• Share your activities on Facebook and Twitter including auto tweets when starting and stopping activities.
• Follow friends, comment on their performance and help keep them motivated.
• Broadcast your activities live streaming on http://www.mapmytracks.com for friends and family to follow your progress during training or in races to cheer you on.
• Easily send activities to MapMyTracks.com where your online Training Room keeps a log of your activities and lets you: better understand your training, keep motivated; and improve your performance.
• Customise and organise your activities with notes, comments, tags and titles.
• Discover new nearby routes from the rest of the Map My Tracks community.
• Connect ANT+ sensors to monitor heart rate during activities (cadence, strid rate and power support coming soon).

Download the app

Map My Tracks OutFront 2.0 is now available to download from the App Store and there is a try-before-you-buy free app to give a go as well. The free version is limited to saving only one activity at at time and carries adverts so if you need to record more activities the the pro app will serve you best.

Help, support and feedback

Behind the scenes the Map My Tracks team has been working hard on this version to make sure that it reflects how you use Map My Tracks and that it provides you with all the features you’ve been asking for. There’s more work to do but with this version we have the platform for build some great new tools with. This app is the result of the comments, feedback and support from the Map My Tracks community and we thank you all for letting us know what’s important to you. Your help has been invaluable and we can’t wait to hear what you think and see all your activities. Keep the comments flowing and we’ll do our best to develop the app even further.

If you experience any problems contact us by email at support@mapmytracks.com or on the forums where the community can also help.

Feature review

Track you rides, runs or walks
Clear, concise stats of your current activity as well as a grand total of your effort with a log of all the activities carried out and recorded. Speed, pace, calories, heart rate, distance and much more give you all the stats you need to measure your performance and progress.

Review and analyse activity data
A detailed breakdown of your activity lets you analyse and review how you got on. The activity replay provides second by second stats of your activity to better judge your effort.

View charts and 3D maps of routes
Charts of the route profile, heart rate and speed provide more information to compare how you got on. When watching live activities by other Map My Tracks the 3D map mode give a sense of what they are doing along with live telemetry including their current speed, distance and the elevation they are covering.

Comment, share and like activities
Read and comment on your friend’s activities and help keep them motivated and if you don’t feel like commented then tap the like button to show that you’re impressed. Facebook and Twitter sharing, along with email exporting, let you keep your social networks up to date with your activities. Auto tweets when starting and stopping an activity let you broadcast your activity live on Twitter for your friends to follow as you’re out and about.

Browse and follow friends activities
Start following your friend’s activities and have them display on your Home Wall so you don’t miss out on any action. Public profiles showcase your activities along with who’s following you and who you are following. The Activity Wall can be configured to show streams of activities by type, user, location, tag or all of the latest activities.  The Activity Wall is kept in sync with your website profile so if you add a stream on your phone you’ll find it in your online Explore Wall as well.

As with all training rooms you can browse the activities by activity type across this month, year or since the team started. The training room dashboard summaries the team’s total distances, durations, calories and activities.

There are individual totals for each statistic along with options to filter any tagged activities.

We’ll be adding more tools into the personal and team training rooms over the next few weeks so keep a watch on the training rooms to see what’s next.

We hope you enjoy sharing your activities with your team members.

Collectively, there has been 18387 kilometres ridden with the winner riding an impressive 1766 kilometres alone. That’s over 1000 miles in a month! In the end, two riders reached that milestone with everyone contributing to a great total.

Huge congratulations go to all of the participants for the impressive effort involved in completing so many miles.

Roystien has taken the win and the jersey of Lars-Petter Nordhaug of Team Sky. The jersey is signed by fellow team mates including Bradley Wiggins, Alex Dowsett, Peter Kennaugh, Rigoberto Uran, Xabier Zandio, Juan Antonio Flecha, Christian Knees, Davide Appollonio, Dario David Cioni, Rusell Downing, Jeremy Hunt, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Lars-Petter Nordhaug himself.

The official March Miles Cycle Challenge hall of fame, after one month of cycling, in March is:

• 1. Roystien (1766 km) wins the signed Team Sky jersey plus a Map My Tracks jersey
• 2. jontabb (1747 km) wins a Map My Tracks jersey
• 3. flashjackson (1457 km) wins a Map My Tracks jersey

Everyone that has participated also receives a March Miles badge for their profile to remind them of the miles ridden in all weathers.

We can’t thank you all enough for taking part in what is the first of many challenges we have planned. It’s been fascinating to watch the challenge unfold through March and we hope that everyone has enjoyed putting in some early season miles and made some friends along the way.

We’ll be giving you a rest through April but if you are up for another challenge it won’t be long until May is here.

Well done to all that took part. Keep safe on the roads.

As we found the training room so useful ourselves we have decided launch them a little sooner than planned. There are plenty more features planned for the training room but even as it stands it great tool to help understand, organise and monitor how you’re getting on.

You can find your own training room from your ‘My activities’ pages. The sidebar has links into the training room which starts by showing all your activities for the current month.

The training room dashboard features a breakdown of the core statistics from your activities this month together with a range of options to browse previous months and years. A summary display the data for each time period so now it’s easy to see how many miles you did in 2010 or the amount of calories burned last month plus much more.

With many more features planned we aim to make the training room even more useful. If there is a feature, stats or tool that you would find useful just let us know and we’ll see what we can do about adding it. Email support [at] mapmytracks.com with your suggestions.

We hope you enjoy using the training room as much as we have while building it.