aw basics

Keeping a TRAINING LOG

Diaries are useful, but especially in athletics as they pinpoint highs and lows in performance

ALMOST every top athlete keeps a training diary. Maintaining such a log helps chart progress and can assist in identifying the cause of injuries or dips in form.

Some athletes keep diaries over a number of years and, while they are very useful and often motivating during your competitive period in the sport, they can also provide an enjoyable read when you hang up your spikes and prove valuable if you decide to move into coaching.

No two athletes train the same and everyone’s training regimen is one big experiment. Given this, a training diary is the equivalent of a scientist’s notebook. And whereas the only details logged by athletes used to be details of the session, weather conditions and how the athlete felt, today it is increasingly popular to make a note of heart rate readings and the exact speed and distance of running sessions thanks to GPS devices.

Without a training diary you will be an ill-informed athlete, wandering aimlessly through your athletics career. Alternatively, keeping a detailed log will allow you to analyse what has gone right – or wrong – and why, which sessions worked, which sessions didn’t, which sessions you have improved in, which you haven’t – and so on.

The most important pieces of information to log in your diary are:

• Date

• Venue

• Training route or nature of session

• Time for run or session or the distance covered

• Weather conditions

• Training partners

• Feelings – how hard or easy was it? What kind of effort rating was involved (see sidebar) and are there any pains or niggles to report?

• How enjoyable was it? If you consistently underscore on, say, a 0-10 rating, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your training, or maybe you are overtraining

• Useful measurements to take in the morning include pulse rate on waking, hours slept, and also your weight. If you heart rate is higher than usual (by about five beats per minute or more) then consider having an easy day

• Women should record their menstrual cycles to see if their performance is influenced by these

• A training log can also be used to make a log of what you eat too

► SIMPLE training diaries are available from Neuff Equipment
(see www.neuff.demon.co.uk ) or you can produce your own by modifying a normal personal or office-type diary.

TRAVEL PARTNERS