When
I was 15 I received my first training log for runners. It had training tips,
pace charts, comparison charts, and a place to graph your weekly mileage. Being
a fan of details I recorded everything including the people who ran with me as
well as the animals I saw on my runs. Over the years I’ve gotten away from
recording much of my training to my detriment. It can be as simple as writing
the sets and reps of a strength workout or km run in a notebook to an online
training log.
My first training log
The first benefit of a keeping a training
log is to track progress. Sometimes you have some terrible workouts and it can
get you down, but then you look at your training log and get to see just how
far you’ve come. Also, if your progress comes to a halt your log might indicate
why. Maybe you’ve missed a lot of workouts or you’ve been doing the same
program for too long (or you switch programs too often).
Another
benefit of the training log is that it allows others to give you feedback on
your training. One time a friend of mine felt he was in good shape, but he wasn’t
doing as well in races as he would’ve liked. After examining his training logs
I could see he was doing a lot of things right; he was running solid weekly
mileage, tempos, and race pace intervals. However, he was getting next to no
training at faster than race pace. Considering that it was the end of the
season and speed work was his strength I suggested a few workouts at much
faster than race pace. It was an instant breakthrough. In addition, a coach or
physiotherapist might be able to determine why you were injured. Maybe you progressed
volume too quickly, made a sudden change in intensity or terrain, or changed
shoes recently. Recording the date you bought your shoes can be helpful in this
regard.
You may also find a training log
useful for accountability. It sucks to see a bunch of blank spaces where you
skipped workouts.
I think the most important benefit
of keeping a training log though is that it provides one with accurate
information about past training which can be used for future training. I have a
pretty good memory, but over time performances become inflated. For instance, a
common workout I used to perform for cross-country season was 6x1km (60-90sec)
rest. After a layoff I came back and was disappointed that I was running my
intervals 10sec too slow. The problem wasn’t that I was running too slow, but
rather that I was remembering my all-time best performance as the usual. My
training log revealed that I was right on schedule.
Training logs offer the ability to
track progress, receive feedback from others, hold one accountable, and provide
accurate information about past training.
Stay fit,
Jonathan Pratt
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