Running logs for beginners

A running log is your own record of your running.

What to record in a running log

In a running log, you might record:

how far you ran (distance)

where you ran (locations)

how long you ran (duration)

the time of day you ran (start time)

how you felt (self-inventory)

which shoes/clothes you were wearing

any other special factors

Some people also record the weather conditions, their weight, average and peak heart rate, how much sleep they had, who they ran with, their menstrual cycle, and so on.

Why have a log?

A running log will help you to track your progress, and keep you to your training programme. Over time, it will be a useful source of information to trace the origins of a period of good running, or of injury and boredom. For many runners, keeping a running log is a very important part of their motivation.

Lee Ling's Notes

My running log is also a form of a diary. Not the personal and private type containing secret thoughts, but a record of both my run and what had happened that day. Events like a new job, a change in work load, events at home, and other happenings impact your running. In addition, retro-reading (reading the log at a later date and looking back over time) is more interesting. There might be some semi-private material, especially if you felt the matter impacted your running, such as, “Broke up with Wainani last night, could not focus on my pace today.”

28 July 1999. 1h 41m 45s. Distance and HR unknown. On Saipan for the PREL/PECC Conference. Took off at 0530 in the morning from Chalan Kanoa Aquarius Beach Hotel heading north along the beach path towards Garapan with Ellen and Carol. Carol turned back after about fifteen minutes, Ellen a little while later. In just under an hour I reached the Court of the Flag and Honor and remembered those who had lost their lives in war. Bought a Gatorade in Micro Beach. Conditions were windy, cloudy, grey, and rain fell in splatches and splotches along the route. The air was continously humid but not warm. Some right knee pains, right calf wanted to cramp, but the rain kept me cooled down. Carried my tennis balls, but only joggled up at the Court of Flag and Honor. Ran back south to Chalan Kanoa.

Information Systems

2004-10-13T07:50:39

Information Systems