Running Journals

I received a running journal as a gift for Christmas. As I opened it, I realized just what I had in front of me. It was to become the "year in review" for 2009. Today the journal is empty. But what possibilities exist for each page! I can't wait to write down each and every training run, cross training session, rest day, or whatever I choose to write about. The running journal takes on a life of its own. Every step that I will take in 2009 will be recorded there for me to look back on and see just what I accomplished and the races that I ran in as well as the gear that I wore each day.

There are so many ways to keep a running journal. There are the written ones like I just got, the computerized program journals, and the journals that are a part of a Garmin or other brand of wrist technology. Whatever the type, the possibilities for analysis are endless. Overwhelming to some, just right for others. The flow of information is only limited by the one putting in the data. No matter if you are a 5K runner or an ultra-marathoner, I think that it is extremely important to keep track of what you do each day. It is also important to keep track of how you felt about your training and what changes you might make. It's difficult to do that if you can't look back at something and see how your run went a few weeks ago or months ago. So what am I going to put in my journal?

Well, here is a list of things that I will try and keep up with:
* Date and Time of training run
* Weather conditions for the day
* Distance for that day's training run (I will also fill out the week in advance so I can see what is coming up.)
* What gear I used that day and how I felt about how it performed
* Where I ran
* If it was a race, how I did and comments about race strategies that I used.
* Who I ran with, if not by myself
* Enter into the journal when I started wearing a new pair of shoes so I can keep track of the mileage. (Also keep track of my two pairs of shoes wear rotation.)
* Weekly and Monthly mile totals
* General comments about how I felt that day

So there you have it. Some ideas about what to write in your running journal. I am sure if you are writing in one you have many ideas too. These work for me. If you don't have one I would suggest you start one just to see the things that you have accomplished. You will be amazed at what you can do!

Forward we go! May your roads and trails be happy and safe!