Hilariously, I'm writing a post about making time for running during a week where, uh, I have no time really to run. Well, that's not true; it's mostly because I'm a creature of habit and struggle to run when I'm not at home, and this week involves a lot of traveling for me. Lisa Ling goes for runs in the most dangerous of countries when she's on assignment; I don't know about the rest of us, but I personally prefer to not go for five mile runs in the Gaza Strip. I'm just lazy like that.
But if you're struggling to just keep on top of your running schedule, there's a simple way to make sure you stay consistent: keep a running diary. I'm not saying you go out and buy a leather bound journal and scribble down your every waking emotion about running ("Dear Diary, today I thought about my long run and wanted to slowly gouge my eye out with a spork"). If you use the calendar app on your iPhone, you can set a reminder for yourself on the days you plan to run. However, if you're a weirdo like me and like to use an actual desk planner, the physical act of writing down your mileage can be both cathartic and useful. You don't need to spend money on specified "Runner's Journals"; a blank wall calendar is all you really need.
When I started training for my half marathon, I planned out my weekly training schedule, including when I'd go to the gym for weight training. At the end of each week, I'd tally my mileage in the notes column. This was extremely soothing to my inner OCD that loves seeing results on paper. What's more, I was able to go back a month later and see my progress, especially when I started logging my time for my long runs. You will get frustrated and stressed out, but let me assure you: seeing written proof of how your two hour eight mile run has become an hour and fifty minutes is hugely rewarding. And when you see that blank week on the page after a particularly busy period, you know when you need to get back in the game and back on your training schedule.
Not every week is going to be perfect, trust me. I'm still recovering from my half and have yet to get back to my weekly 18-20 miles. But I wrote down my long eight mile Saturday run for the first time in a month today, and it felt fantastic. With my schedule this week, I may not be able to get in eight miles this Saturday, but we'll see; sometimes just knowing my desk planner is waiting for me to make that notation is enough to get my ass outside, even if it's in foreign territory.
So with you on this. When I try to develop better habits (like running regularly) without any sort of records, I invariably fall off the wagon. But if I find a way to hold myself accountable, usually through keeping charts, then I stay with it far longer. Partly because I feel guilty if there's evidence that I didn't exercise (or whatever else), but partly because it is absolutely rewarding to be able to see your improvement.
ReplyDeleteFor folks looking for an online running diary, I've taken to using favoriterun.com for my running records. The way it uses GoogleMaps makes it easy for me to figure out & record specific runs, or find the distance of a run if I was running for a set time instead of distance. And it does all the math for me, which I appreciate.
-Laura (elmcee)