Logging it in

Image by Claire L. Evans via Flickr

What if there was a tool that you could use to predict (and prevent!) injuries, stay in touch with your friends, and improve your PR’s? Well, a tool like this does exist – the humble running log! Whether you record your workouts in a notebook, excel sheet, or web based application, keeping track of your running can help you train smarter. Your log can be as simple or as complex as you like, although the more information you record, the more you can learn. Keeping a running log can also give purpose to your training – no one wants to log a goose egg if you know your training buddies and competitors will be checking up on your progress! And recording a tough workout or long run feels GOOD. It gives you a chance to brag (or vent if the run goes badly…) even if the only one reading the log is you.

Megan: I started keeping a running log about 8 years ago and it’s really cool to be able to look back on my training over the years. When I injured my hamstring and IT band last January I was convinced that it happened after a specific race (Manhattan 1/2 marathon). However, recently I was reviewing the months of training leading up to that injury and realized that my right hamstring/IT band/butt had been bothering me for months prior. My body was definitely sending me signals that injury was imminent, but I just didn’t listen. Now I keep meticulous records about aches and pains and the methods I use to assuage them (foam rolling, yoga, rest). I currently use Running2Win (www.running2win.com) as my training log and I think it’s great. There are dozens of options for recording details such as the weather, time of day, injuries, etc. You can also choose to share your log publicly, with select friends, or not at all.  My former college teammates and I keep tabs on each other’s training (and lives) through our running logs. One of my favorite features of the site is “r-mail”. You can leave encouraging (or heckling!) comments on your friend’s workout entries. Knowing that my running buddies are keeping track of my training really motivates me to complete my planned workouts and long runs. One of the newest training logs to hit the web is Strands (www.strands.com). The site is a running log-social networking hybrid. My running club is very active on the site and it’s been a great way to become familiar with teammates and their training. The site also sponsors elite runners such as Elva Dryer, Kate O’Neill, and Zoila Gomez as part of “Team Strands”. My training logs give me an invaluable record of my running, but also my life for the past 8 years. I always joke that if my house were on fire, my training logs would be one of the first things that I would save!

Matt: Are you sure that’s a joke, Megan?  I’m not so sure…

I use a running log to record all my runs too, and since I started a few years ago, I can’t imagine not recording my runs somewhere!  For me it started out on a paper log, one printed by Runner’s World, that had lots of tips, articles, and inspirational quotes in it.  Eventually I found it easier to just type the details of my runs into a Word document, since that way I could easily search for certain types of runs or keywords in descriptions when looking back to see what kinds of paces I was running during training for previous marathons.

I finally made the leap to using an online log when I started blogging.  I chose the site Daily Mile, mainly because I saw a widget on someone’s blog that allowed readers to see a few details about the blogger’s most recent run.  It turned out that Daily Mile is also a social networking site, where runners “friend” each other and comment on each other’s runs, essentially a Facebook for running geeks.  Daily Mile has several fun features, including online challenges, like “Who can get to 50 miles first this week?”  My favorite part, though, has been meeting new people through the site.  In fact, I have plans to run with a Daily Mile friend who happens to belong to the same running club as I do, but whom I’ve never met in person!  (I don’t have to warn you about being cautious with in-person meetups, do I?)

I defintely have to agree with Megan here: Putting a run in the log book simply feels good, and seeing empty dates is a great motivator to get back out there.  And this holds whether your log is on paper, on your own computer, or off in cyberspace somewhere.