Question:As a novice runner who has decided in the last 45 days to get a bit more
serious and consistent in my efforts, I'm considering tracking my
routine in a log of some sort. My first priority in running is for the
cardio benefits and therefore just wish to do a minimum 30 mins/day. My
secondary desires are to increase my mileage and speed - meaning: it'd
be nice to see improvements in these areas over time. I've kept track of
the daily times plus the route (mileage).
If you keep a log, what info do you track?
Answer:
I keep most of my running data on one spreadsheet that dates back to 1995.
On the main worksheet I keep track of date, type of run, distance, time,
pace, average heart rate, temperature, humidity, heat index, time of day,
shoes, weight, comments. I keep weekly, monthly, and yearly totals.
I track miles, aveHR, maxHR, time, weather etc. I also track mileage per
pair of shoes. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/b.wakem/pics/runlog.png
Try this. http://home.blarg.net/~dhays/running/runlog/runlog.html there is a
link at the bottom of the page to download the file. Its an Excel
spreadsheet I like it give it a try.
A logbook is great for keeping you motivated. I use the runner's world
training diary, which is fairly free format, and can be started any week of
the year. I also give this as a gift to many of my friends every Christmas.
I periodically log data into the computer for analysis, but I prefer a paper
logbook. I track my runs and bike rides and hikes in it, and like to keep
it simple. At minimum I record the total time of the workout and average
heart rate if I have that. If I've done speedwork or a long run I give
details. Also if its particularly hot or cold I record that, along with my
general feeling if its notable. I also record PRs for certain courses or
hills. Every week I tally weekly and YTD totals for total exercise time,
running only, and cycling only. The accumulated totals give you a sense of
accomplishment and lead you to think ahead and set goals.
I keep it simple because if I try to get too much information it becomes a
chore and I stop doing it. So I keep:
Mileage
Avg Pace
Total Time
Type of workout (aerobic, recovery, LT, VO2max, race, rest) that is the
focus for that run.
Running route
weather
comments (general about how the run went, etc)
Some people will add things like morning HR, weight, how they slept, etc.
The depth is up to you.
The only time I've ever kept one is when the doctor needed a sample.
The rest, I've flushed.
type of workout, time of day, duration, approximate distance, weather
(temperature, precip, wind), aches/pains, comments on route, shoes worn,
trail conditions, snow conditions, dark or daylight, etc. If I wear my
hrm, then avg hr, max hr, time in zones (sometimes if a harder workout),
Polar calories (measure of volume).
Queries (Access db) provide pace and distance / time on shoes as well as
summaries by any number of days (rolling 7, 30, 365) to track progress /
volume.
Because I'm interested in doing longer runs, I also track fluid usage
(quantity, brand, flavor), food, electrolyte tablets, clothing worn (esp
in Alaska winter or in wind storms), etc.
Anything that impacts my running gets its own column. I have a formula that
will figure the heat index given the temperature and humidity.
I kept a running log for 22 years. It tracked mileage, times, interval
workouts, shoes, weather, mood, race results and latterly hr averages and
'time in zones'. A few years ago I tried to think of one instance when it
served any useful purpose. I couldn't, so now I don't. Keep a log, that
is.
I kept a simple log for several years, recording mileage and location of workouts.
The one good use I found for it was to convince myself that it was O.K.
to take a rest week. Otherwise I would feel like I was wimping out.
Since I had a log, I could look back and see that I had been training at
high capacity for 2 months straight, so I could go ahead and take it
easy without guilt.
Nowadays I don't care if i wimp out or not, but I keep a mileage log so
that I won't forget to buy new shoes.
I really do use the information and never kept a log for the first 20
yrs of running - until I started at r.r and using a hrm.
Route, time, mileage. Nice to see the numbers go up. I log how I felt,
the weather and which shoes. Anything that comes to mind at that
moment that I feel is important. Heartrate when I feel like it.
I also buy a weekly desk calendar since it has more room to write in.
I got bored of the runner's world training log long ago. I usually go
for a cartoon strip calendar.
Nothing, just looks like a rather rigorous data collection. I sometimes
wish i had the patience to log all that, but for me the log is mostly a
reminder to get out there on the days I might skip it otherwise.
Piggybacking onto your post here, but how do people track weather?
Just look it up online or use weather devices at home or...?
Both in my case. I have an Oregon Scientific weather station but I also use
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk as there is an official weather station
about 3 miles away.
Weather.com works for me for 10-day forcasts and hourly forcasts. For
current conditions weather.lycos.com works. The readings are more current
at Lycos.
The problem I see with using online readings is they are
not always valid. It would depend on how far you live from
the "official" weather station. Just to give you an example,
two days ago, weather.com told me it was raining in my
city. I couldn't see it in my area. Apparently, it was
raining indeed a few miles away.
Also, I'm not sure (anyone care to enlighten me?) about the
temperature that online sites report - is it the temperature
in the shade or under the sun? I would think it's in the shade.
Last week, I measured 118F under the sun using a weather thermometer
but when I went back and checked online, it was only in the high 90's.
So, if I were to do a run on the road, which would presumably be
under the sun, I would be wrong if I went by the online reading.
