For Golden Cheetah users:
I have a lot of history in Garmin Training Center, and I can see that I can import the files, and it seems to work on a one-by-one basis. But is there a way to import a mass of those data files, like two years worth ?

GTC will let me export an entire history folder, consisting of numerous rides, but GC hangs up when I try to import that. Is that because GC is limited on that or because I don't know what I am doing ?

THanks

I've used and written code for GC for years but I don't know the answer to this question.

If you don't get an answer here try asking on the GC mailing list.

i have mounted my garmin as a drive and imported years worth of data from fit files without issue. it stalls if the files don't have appropriate times and dates in them, but these can be manually entered.

hmmm.... I can't get GC to see my Garmin at all. I can only "import from File".
And i don't keep much data on the garmin, since I download to GTC and/or "Garmin Connect" soon after each ride, then delete it off the Garmin (Edge 500).

It seems like the only option is to export each activity, one by one, from one of the garmin sources to a tcx file and then import them one-by-one into Golden Cheetah.

Someone should write a utility for this! I can't be the only one who is just starting GC after years of garmin data storage.

sorry, i should have mentioned that - i was using the import from file, not download from device. import from file reads fit files which from memory live in the drive:\garmin\activities folder of your garmin.

just to clarify, i'm still living in the past with GC V2.1, but i'm pretty sure the options are all the same in V3 (or at least very similar)

"Import from File" -> you should get a window that allows you to go to a folder. The big part shows the content of the folder, hopefully a large set of .fit files. You can select them with the mouse (shift left click to select an entire set).
Then hit "Open" and another window should open showing that GC is trying to open/validate/import the files.
Does that work for you?
If yes, "Save" and then "Finish" should get things done.

claus: thank you for eloquently stating what i was trying to say...

worth mentioning, this is a good reason to occasionally backup the fit files from your garmin to a safe place. if you lose the device or if you need to wipe it for whatever reason at least you still have the original files to import in bulk into GC or TP or whatever training management software you use.

OK. I see that the problem is that I have not been saving any ".fit" files. I have been downloading to Garmin Training Center (.tcx files) and or uploading to the Garmin Connect website, and then deleting the .fit files off my Edge 500.

Oh well, maybe I just have to start from scratch with Golden Cheetah. It's new year anyway.

UPDATE: I did try that method on the few .fit files that happen to be on my Edge right now, and it worked perfectly. Thanks.

According to the download window tcx is a supported format.
Give it a try.

I asked Garmin about the possibilities:
According to Garmin Support desk, there is no way to mass download files as .fit or .tcx after they have been uploaded to Garmin connect.
They can be exported one-by-one to .tcx files by visiting each activity's page.
My problem is that I simply haven't been storing them separately and I have been deleting them off my Edge 500 after upload.

Oh well....
Maybe if there were enough others with the same desire Garmin would create that utlity.

Time to just start over with Golden Cheetah!

There is a solution. One I used. It does however require your Garmin Connect password so what they recommend is that you temporarily change it for the mass download and then change it back just for your peace of mind.

http://www.sideburn.org/garmin/

OMFG!!!!
That utility worked so perfectly that I can't believe it! I have never had anything on the computer go so smoothly and as advertized in my life!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
359 files over the last year +

Just for future reference we support import of a GTC export (i.e. a TCX file that contains multiple rides) into GoldenCheetah v3.

We're going through a release cycle now, with RC2 of version 3 coming out this weekend. We expect v3.0 to be released "in April".

Glad the issue was fixed though

Since I started using Golden cheetah, I was continuing to use both Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center just out of force of habit and fear that I might lose something. But seeing as Cheetah gives much more information much easier, I just stopped bothering with the other two,

The "ride playback" feature of Garmin Connect is interesting, but really doesn't give much useful info.
My "training analysis" is pretty much non-existent anyway, though. I like the Critical Power curve of Goldent Cheetah and just compare each ride to the prior maximums.

Great program for my purposes. There is LOTS more in there that I probably should learn how to use, but have been too lazy.