How to keep the best running log ever

Even though we live in a society of fitness trackers, running databases and chip timing, there is still something to be said for the old-school running log. Keeping a running log is the best way to organize your training and really get a better sense of yourself as a runner.

Make it unique

Have old copies of Canadian Running lying around? Clip out pictures of runners that inspire you or dream running destinations and make the front of your journal a reflection of you as a runner.

Record your thoughts

What was your mental state while you were running? Were you stressed out about something at work? Were you rehashing a fight with a spouse? A running log is like an athletic diary, so there’s no reason it can’t serve a purpose as an emotional outlet.

Do a body scan

Is anything achy or sore? Most running injuries tend to be a result of overuse, which means that they usually begin as nagging pains before turning into fully-fledged problems.

Rate your energy levels

Some runners like to give runs a rating out of five with zero being “I was so tired I couldn’t make it out for my run” and five being “I felt great, could’ve kept going forever.”

Track the stats

Write down how far you ran and how long it took you. You’ll be impressed how much these numbers are attached to the other things you’re recording.

Snack smarter

Keeping a record of what you ate before running may allow you to identify what foods work well with your digestive system, pre-run. Most elite-level runners have a specific amount of time before races that they like to eat, as well as certain foods. Having a nutritional plan can calm race day nerves and prevent GI disaster.

Rain or shine

Write down what the weather was like. Was it humid and hot? Did you get rained on?

Achieve your goals

It has actually been proven that we are more committed to trying to achieve goals when we write them down (well, that and when we share them with other people). One way to do that is unique to the written word is writing a letter to one’s future self, outlining what you hope ‘they’ will have achieved.

Figure out what moves you

Use your running log as a place to record not only information that is relevant to your own runs, but also quotes that resonate with you, recaps of admirable elite efforts or stories of other runners that strike your empathy. Though all the data you record may be useful to helping you achieve your best race results, it is the personal exploration that will remind you what it is that you love about running.

Plan to succeed

Visualization is a pre-race tactic used by countless elite athletes and coaches. Sit down, close your eyes and imagine exactly how your race would go in an ideal world. Then write it down.