The Importance of a Running Log
What’s a runner without a running log?
As a running coach, one of my first suggestions is to start a running log or journal.
The beginning runner soon learns that a running log is essential for success. Runners love running the numbers and are perfect examples of fastidious record takers.
Liza Howard, an ultrarunner who has won the Leadville 100, tracks the length and location of the run, time of day, her perceived effort and overall energy on a 1 to 5 scale, how she slept the night before, nutrition used on the run, recovery food and any pain or discomfort.
Runners thrive on progress. Each and every one of our runs is grounded in progress — we start with stepping out the door and progress with steps and miles behind us. When we return from the run we have moved forward. To see this progression over the months and years, it’s crucial to keep track with a journal or log.
Keeping track is fun. You’re able relive races and adventurous trail runs. You can compare the times of today with 10 or 15 years ago. It enriches the experience. All runners want to avoid repeating mistakes. Running logs are ideal for spotting trends, as Liza noticed, “it’s so easy for me to miss or ignore trends and problems if I’m not recording something in a log.”
Where to Start
To get started, time and distance are the bare necessities. After this, the course you ran, your pace, the weather, how you felt and who you ran with. If you want to get more specific you can record your weekly weight, your pulse rate, running shoes and clothing. It’s your log, so you can include everything and anything pertaining to the run. In recent years, online logging systems have become more popular and available. The runners I interviewed use Training Peaks, Strava, Strands Fitness and Dailymile.
When keeping track of trail runs there are differences. “When I track trail stuff, I am much more concerned with time vs. distance. For instance, an hour of trail time with a lot of technical stuff will be much less distance than an hour on the road,” says Devon Crosby Helms of San Francisco, who has won races of every distance from marathon to 100 miles. By keeping track of this she says, “it will help you track build up, peak and taper and make sure you are managing your training load effectively.”
Like Devon, many trail runners lean towards recording time over miles. Another added dimension is perceived effort — this is defined differently by everyone. It’s inevitable that on the trail you will meet up with many variables that affect your run: rocks, rivers, hills, water, mud, sand, snow and inclines and declines. Because of these variables, perceived exertion or effort is especially important in the trail runner’s log.
Part of making a running log work for you is revisiting your log. It’s a good habit to review your log weekly, monthly and yearly. When deciding on your next goal, the running log can serve as a reminder of goals. It can be enjoyable to go back and read how hard a route was a year ago and how you zoomed through it yesterday.
In the end, having a well maintained logbook will help out. Liza Howard has found, “it’s hard to know how to improve, if you don’t have an accurate record of what you’ve been doing.”
Successful runners know that a running log is a part of the journey.
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