Besides being fitted for a great pair of running shoes, a runner’s next best piece of equipment is his/her running journal. Many runners fail to understand the true impact a running journal can have on his/her running career, but looking back at the journal that I started several months ago, I am glad I finally decided to do so. I was able to pinpoint a cause I was having with my left knee to my monthly cycle as well as discovering that I usually develop a touch of sciatica after doing hill/incline work on the treadmill.

Not only does a journal allow a runner to keep track of their daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly mileage; it also provides an opportunity for the runner to write down how he/she felt before, during, and after their run and what type of runs she/he did (whether tempo, intervals, hills, LSD, easy, etc) which will provide a better insight and understanding down the road. You can also track how you fueled your runs before, during, and after, your sleep patterns, resting heart rate, even your mileage for your shoes.

Keep in mind this journal does not have to be anything fancy or something that you buy at a running store. A nice spiral notebook filled with information that is important to you as a runner should suffice. But keeping a more precise detail (the more then better) of each of your runs/races will provide you a greater understanding in your future should an issue such as an injury or overtraining arise.

You can even get as specific as writing down how each mile felt (harder, easier then the previous one), how the weather effected your runs, how you felt days after your runs, and even your weight (especially when training for your longer races-1/2 marathon and up). You can even go so far as to plan and write down your run/race goals.

For those who can’t find the time in keeping a written journal, try logging your mileage and how you felt on a wall calendar. This will allow you to go back and revisit any situation that may crop up when you least expect it. And if you happen to own a Garmin, which will allow for you to upload your data onto the computer, this is a great place to add notes needed for down the road.

So get to writing and who knows you may discover more about who you are as a runner and how you are progressing with each and every run/race. It is a great feedback tool and motivator to keep me running even when I don't feel as though I am making progress...more times then not, my running journal will tell me a different story.

HAPPY RUNNING!
Nancy