It would be wonderful if we never had to write anything down. In this magic world you could rely upon your brain to track and retain everything you do, and sort it constantly to prepare you for the next few activities. Then, moments before you were scheduled to do something, a brain transmission would arrive, telling you exactly what to do, where to do it, the materials you need, and the deadline. And while we’re dreaming, this would be done with complete consistency, hour after hour, day after day.

Since we don’t operate in a perfect world, with a perfect brain, a journal allows us to plan the future, track our behaviors, learn from our mistakes, and chart our progress in a consistent direction. With a simple logbook format that each of us chooses, we can see what to do, usually within a few minutes, and make the adjustments necessary. Journals give us control over our future while they allow us to learn from our past.

I’m not suggesting that everything be scheduled in advance. Some of the most inspiring moments, and memorable actions sneak up on us, unexpectedly. In your journal you can trap these and relive the positive feelings. But by using your journal to plan ahead, you’re programming the brain to continuously steer towards interesting opportunities that arise, as you fine-tune the training and the goal. You don’t even have to have a time goal to benefit from a journal. Journals are extremely helpful in ensuring that you schedule and record the enjoyable components while avoiding the stressful trends that produce injury.

Of all the activities that surround running, it is the writing and review of your journal that gives the greatest control over the direction of your running so you can make adjustments. It only takes a few minutes, every other day to record the key information. Looking back through your entries will provide laughs and enjoyment. You’ll revisit the interesting things you saw during the last week, the crazy thoughts, the people you met and the fun. This process can inspire the right brain to produce more entertainment, as you schedule runs that promote its activity.

Journal keepers are more likely to be lifelong runners

Many beginning runners tell me that the writing of each day’s mileage in the journal was their greatest motivation—simple but satisfying. After a few weeks, many runners learn the empowerment of organizing runs in the journal. By the time 6 months have passed, you’ll discover the satisfaction of looking ahead several months to schedule races, the training needed for them, while ensuring that there are fun events along the way. I hear from several runners every month who use their journal as a diary, noting the other significant activities, the kid’s soccer scores, and PTA notes.

Whatever format you choose, you’ll find that by scheduling that very important time for yourself (the run time) in the journal, that you actually run more times per week. The journal becomes the steering wheel that keeps you on the road of positive progress. As you hold tight and use the wheel, you feel an empowering sense of making progress.

Restoring order

One runner told me “When my wife died, and my life seemed to be in chaos, I felt a simple and powerful sense of security in documenting the distance that I covered each day. No one could take that away from me.” Another runner commented: “As a young executive and a young Mom I felt that I had no control over my life until I started using a training journal. It started with writing distance, then temperature, pace and route. My journal writing time was the only part of my day when I felt I had control. It was wonderful!”

A simple reward can pull you out of the dumps

We all feel better and enjoy our activities when we feel rewarded. The simple act of recording the distance you cover each day will give you a genuine sense of accomplishment that is felt internally. When you string together a series of runs on days you didn’t feel like running, you feel so good inside. Even the most upbeat people have periods of low motivation, and have told me that their journals got them re-focused on the down days.

This is your book

Yes, you are writing a book. At the most basic, you will have an outline of your running life during the next few months. No one tells you what goes into this book. As runners record their entries in the log, they realize that they can use the same journal to organize other areas of life. Even runners who are not fired up about the process at first, are usually impressed at how many benefits flow from this tool. Since you don’t need to show anyone your journal, you can let your feelings go as you write. Upon review, your emotional response to a given workout can be very interesting months or years later.

Can you capture the fleeting thoughts of the right brain?

One of the interesting challenges, and great rewards of journaling, is noting the creative and sometime crazy images that emerge from the right side of our head. On some days you won’t get any of these, and on others. . .the faucet opens up. Often the thoughts come out of nowhere. Other times, you will be suddenly hit with a solution to a problem you’ve been working on for months. If you have your journal available at the place where you return from your run – car, office desk, kitchen countertop – you can quickly jot some key words to describe the images or craziness.

The various types of journals

Calendar—facing you on the wall

Many runners start recording their runs on a wall calendar—or one that is posted on the refrigerator. Looking at the miles recorded is empowering. But equally motivating for many is avoiding too many “zeros” on days that should have been running days. If you’re not sure whether you will really get into this journal process, you may find it easiest to start with a calendar.

This is a page from Jeff Galloway’s Training Journal:

An organized running journal

When you use a product that is designed for running, you don’t have to think to record the facts. The spaces on the page ask you for certain info, and you will learn to fill it very quickly. This leaves you time to use some of the open space for the creative thoughts and ideas that pop out during a run. Look at the various journals available and pick one that looks to be easier to use, and to carry with you. I’ve included a sample page of my Jeff Galloway Training Journal as one example.

Notebook

You don’t need to have a commercial product. You can create your own journal by using a basic school notebook of your choice. Find one in a size that works best with your lifestyle (briefcase, purse, etc.) Below you will find the items that I’ve found helpful for most runners to record. But the best journals are those that make it easier for you to collect the data you find interesting, while allowing for creativity. The non-limiting nature of a notebook is a more comfortable format for runners that like to write a lot one day, and not so much another day.

Computer logs

There are a growing number of software products that allow you to sort through information more quickly. In working with a company (PC Coach) to incorporate my training program, I discovered that this format speeds up the search for information you need. As you set up your own codes and sections you can pick data that is important to you, sort it to see trends and plan ahead. Some software (including mine) allows for you to download data from a heart monitor or GPS watch.

The writing process

1.	Capturing the flow from the right brain
	Try to have the log handy so that you can record info after a run. Immediately after a run, you will have fresh perceptions, and will be more likely to record the right brain images and thoughts that tend to fade quickly.

2.	Just the facts
	At first, spend a few seconds and quickly jot down the key info that you want recorded. If you have to think about an item skip it and just fill in the items you can fill in quickly. Here is a list of items that many runners use:

Date:

Morning pulse (see sidebar below)

Time of run:

Distance covered:

Time running:

Weather:

Temperature:

Precipitation:

Humidity:

Comments:

Walk-Run frequency

Any special segments of the run (speed, hills, race, etc.)

Running companion Terrain

How did you feel (1-10)

3.

Go back over the list again and fill in more details—emotional responses, changes in energy or blood sugar level, and location of places where you had aches and pains—even if they went away during the run. You are looking for patterns of items that could indicate injury, blood sugar problems, lingering fatigue, etc.

4.	Helpful additions (usually in a blank section at the bottom of the page)

•	Improvement thoughts

•	Things I should have done differently

•	Interesting happenings

•	Funny things

•	Strange things

•	Stories, right brain crazy thoughts

Are you tired...or just lazy? Your morning pulse may tell

Many people say that they are too tired to run. But after interviewing many who make this claim, I’ve come to believe that most of the reasons for this sensation is laziness (most will admit this), or low blood sugar. One of the best indicators of real fatigue is your resting pulse, taken in the morning. Your journal can track this (although some runners use a piece of graph paper).
Recording morning pulse
1.	As soon as you are conscious—but before you have thought much about anything—count your pulse rate for a minute. Record it before you forget it. If you don’t have your journal by your bed, then keep a piece of paper handy—with a pen.
2.	It is natural for there to be some fluctuation, based upon the time you wake up, how long you have been awake, etc. But after several weeks and months, these will balance themselves out. Try to catch the pulse at the instant that you are awake, before the shock of an alarm clock, thoughts of work stress, etc.
3.	After 2 weeks or so of readings, you can establish a base line morning pulse. Take out the top 2 high readings and then compute an average.
4.	The average is your guide. If the rate is 5% higher than your average, take an easy day. When the rate is 10% higher, and there is no reason for this (you woke up from an exciting dream, medication, infection, etc.) then your muscles may be tired indeed. Take the day off if you have a run scheduled for that day.
5.	If your pulse stays high for more than a week, call your doctor to see if there is a reason for this (medication, infection, hormones, metabolic changes, etc.)