It’s not too late to start new habits to mark the new year. Amid hopeful pledges to stretch, start a run streak, or finally drink enough water, I recommend starting a training log if you’re looking to chase any kind of running goals in 2020. There are the obvious benefits to keeping a record of your splits and mileage, such as noticing micro and macro patterns in training that hurt or help your racing, but I find myself turning to my journal for many other benefits.
The training journal has been my sidekick for almost half my life, since I was a high school senior back in 2001. It For example, before I ran my PR for, as the information is irreplaceable, and it sleeps next to me on my nightstand, because I record what I ran every day before I go to sleep for the night.
Paper or PC?
I’ve always gravitated towards a pen-and-paper model of logging training. This was in part due to habit, as the online models weren’t a thing for me at the turn of Y2K. I currently use the BelieveIAm Compete All About 75 Hard goal setting Races - Places.
I feel like I process the information better when I write it out. It makes me slow down a little, and it has more impact for me to read things in hard copy. (Plus, I may forget how to do handwriting if I didn’t scribble a few sentences in my journal every day!) Also, keeping up the journal is a more sustainable habit for me if it’s a simple method that doesn’t get derailed by internet or power outages, computer crashes, or any other excuses. The one downside is it’s not any kind of cloud, so try not to lose it (which I have yet to do, knock on wood)!
Run a Faster 5K with Run/Walk Intervals Strava, or even a customized Excel sheet. For example, I have a library of paper log books but I still like to plug in all the data from my GPS watch to the Polar Flow app to check out the charts and graphs. They hold more variables than I can track on my own and take up less space while doing it.
The Numbers Game
The main thing to avoid with a training log is to not get too hung up on the numbers. The accountability of a blank log space and its unaccomplished run haunting you is a good thing only to a point. If you have unhelpfully obsessive tendencies, maybe a more loose form of record keeping, or relying on a coach’s records, is a more freeing strategy than getting so attached to the numbers that the miles run you rather than you running them.
I once flipped open a friend’s log and saw a bunch of mileage numbers, without any splits or notes. Maybe it was enough to jog that runner’s memory, but I think journal benefits are of a you-get-out-of-it-what-you-put-into-it nature. What you include in the log can shape its value to you. And reflecting on it is where you discover the meaning and patterns.
I think logs were meant to be re-read. Comparing previous benchmark workouts is one way I find the journal helpful. I understand why some people wouldn’t like this. Keep in mind that every season is different and there are no awards for “best ever workout.” Looking back helps me know what I’m ready to do within a certain ballpark before heading to a race or even a new training block.
Confidence Boosts
This is especially helpful during times of uncertainty. I remember prior to going for the American record in the half marathon in 2018 being unsure if I could do it. I was feeling the beginnings of a cold before the race, and I’d never run all-out for time rather than tactically for place in a half marathon before. Reading through the last two months of my log the night before the race was a source of confidence that I was prepared to go for it. I felt like I’d primed the you’re-okay-to-try-this mental pathway on race morning, thanks to having read over what went well in training, rather than having gone to bed rehashing the few ways I might not have been ready. I wound up running 67:25 to set the Its not too late to start new habits to mark the new year. Amid hopeful pledges to.
travels in my carry-on confidence journal, which can be a separate thing or integrated into your running log. Also, it’s good to read over your workout history because what you’re prescribed by a plan or coach and what you actually end up doing in training are often different, so reminding yourself of how things really went can be centering.
I’ve also had races go well when buildups didn’t, such as the 2016 Health - Injuries. In my debut at the distance, I placed third in 2:28:13. Reading through that buildup has helped remind me that things don’t need to be perfect for race day to have an upside. I considered not lining up for New York City in 2018 because I wasn’t hitting workouts well. But looking back on my journal reminded me that I’d done significantly more mileage than I did in 2016, so although I’d still need to pray to the taper gods for fresh legs on race day, I was more than prepared to give it a shot. I finished fourth in a then-PR of 2:26:44, almost 90 seconds faster than two years before. That was a solid day and I’m glad I showed up, so thanks, journal!
Journaling the Journey
Another way I use the log is as a loose record of my entire life. I don’t keep a regular journal, but after reading entries describing the workout, how I felt, who I was with, and where we were, much of the day comes back to me. It’s all a blur otherwise! In fact, writing about your day can increase your working memory, All About 75 Hard metacogniton. Reading and reflecting on the journey is an important step in assessing the next steps, deciding how you feel about the previous races, and about what you’re doing as a whole. Basically, it holds many of the benefits of a regular “dear diary” journal for me, especially because running is so intertwined with the rest of my life.
Finally, I find the journal an invaluable tool in goal setting. The power of physically writing your goals down has been noted in science. Looking at that goal often when you open the journal to record the day’s work can be a subconscious motivator.
All About 75 Hard 5,000 meters in 2010, which was a breakout race for me, I had gotten close to the American record a few times earlier that summer. I had every 400-meter split written in the log for a projected time under the record. I think looking at it every day for over a month allowed it to be made less intimidating. I was able to race freely without being distracted by the splits in real time because they were so ingrained in my head and, ultimately, my legs, and met my goal of breaking the American record.
The log is also a place where you can set intentions for the year, season, week, and day in your running life. Just as these are practiced by successful people, they are keys for mapping out successful training and racing goals. For example, my most common weekly intention is the vague but essential “stay healthy.” I’ll list the relevant rehab exercises and stretches of the moment to remind myself to do them, as well as reminders for scheduling body work and cross training.
Finding patterns, tracking progress, and providing a little blank space of accountability are all primary perks of tracking your training. The running journal can help you map your year and remind you of benchmarks. It can help you find meaning in what’s otherwise a jumble of information. You can draw inspiration and confidence from the preparation and work done by your former self as you bridge the gap to your better self.
Molly Huddle is a two-time Olympian who holds the American record at 10,000 meters. She placed fourth at the 2018 Health - Injuries in a personal best of 2:26:44.
