Combining GPS Files
If you are an endurance athlete that likes to train and embark on adventures that can last an entire day+, you may have come across your GPS device or phone dieing on you long before you're finished. When this happens, you quickly pull out your backup battery or start recording the rest of the workout from your phone or another GPS device. In most cases, this will create multiple workout files to look at and upload instead of just one. This adventure would get many more kudos if you could only just post it as 1 completed workout…I’m sure your coach would also appreciate 1 file as well.
This is where a couple of free utility tools come in to play. One is from GOTOES and the other is from FITFiletools.com. These 2 utility tools will allow you to combine up to 20 files or 20 MB of data. Simply locate and select the files that you want to combine. Hit the upload button and then select the Output File Format (usually a TCX file) and you're all set to upload your new completed workout to your site of choice.
If your multiple files have already been uploaded to sites such as Strava or Training Peaks, you will need to export the TCX files so you can combine them, then delete the originals from these sites once you upload the new file. It’s best to privatize these workouts on Strava, otherwise you will begin getting kudos and comments on workouts that will be deleted soon.
What are TCX and GPX files?
GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is a lightweight xml format for the saving of GPS data (waypoints, routes, and tracks) and exchanging them between devices and applications.
The TCX format gathers GPS data, as well as additional data with each track point (power, heart rate, cadence).
I have used the GOTOES utility on several occasions and it worked well each time. Let me know your experience using this utility and if you have used another utility or application that worked similarly.
