How to Log a Run

Keeping track of your runs is definitely no rocket science. It shouldn't be. As you'll see for yourself, majority of fields are self explanatory, but I have explained each field on this page. And what's even more important, by using Run, logging your runs will take only a few moments of your time.

As you'll quickly notice, there sure are a lot of things you can keep track of and which might come in handy later on. It is definitely better to have more information about your runs than less. And that's precisely around what Run was built: track as much as you can and want and you'll benefit from it later on. Now, you can leave almost all of those fields blank and just enter the date, time and distance. But when you get injured or when you notice that your past training was extremely successful and that you should repeat and improve on it; if you don't keep track of many aspects of your running, there will be plenty of head scratching and thinking 'Why didn't I write that down?'

To log your run click Log a Run link on the Main Run Display page. A new window containing the form for logging your run will open. Below you will find a brief description of what each field in this form means and some hints on how you should fill it out.

Date. Enter the date of your run here. The date should be written in the YYYY-MM-DD format. For example, if you are logging a run for 16th February 2005, you should enter 2005-02-16 in this field.

Time of Day. At what time of that day did you run? Choose the time of day of your run in this drop-down menu. You can choose between the following values: Dawn, Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Evening, Night.

Time. How long did your run last? Enter your time here. Note that you must enter the value in the format HH:MM:SS, including the preceding 0 where value is less than 10. For example, if you ran 1 hour, 42 minutes and 12 seconds, you should enter 01:42:12.

Distance. What was the distance in kilometers covered during that run? You can enter practically any number here (practically any for the purposes of your running).

Run Type. If you have a plan that you are following or have heard at least a little bit about different types of runs that you can do, then you have probably heard of majority of running types that you can choose from in this drop-down menu. Keep in mind that some of these types are very subjective: what is quick for me, might be slow for you. While other types are more defined, but still flexible within that type. Such run is, for instance, interval.

If you are new to running, don't get scared by so many different training, or running types, if you wish. Read about them in the list below where you will find a brief description of each type. If you are looking for more thorough description you should consult running books.

• Slow. This is probably the most common run for non-competitive runners. Speed-wise it would mean that you could last a very long time running at this speed. It definitely falls into aerobic training. You can think of this field also as perceived exertion: if you felt like you ran very easily and could carry on a conversation with you running partner, than choose this option.
• Intermediate. Running at an intermediate speed means that it takes some effort to keep you pace. This means that you are running on the upper side of aerobic scale and you probably wouldn't be able to carry on a normal conversation during such run. You can also think of this field as perceived exertion: if you felt like you put some effort into your running to keep the goal pace, than choose this option.
• Quick. Now, this one is hard. It really means that you not only ran quickly, but also that you during the most of your run you ran above your aerobic capacity and were thus improving your anaerobic capacity. When have I reached beyond aerobic capacity? You'll know because you will feel it as heavy breathing, high heart rate and fatigue in the muscles. Also, most of the runners won't be able to sustain it for a very long time. Again, you can think of this field as perceived exertion: if you felt like you have put a lot of effort and feel fatigue in your leg muscles, than choose this option.
• Fartlek. This is an unstructured way of doing your speed work. Fartleks are runs when you interchange fast bursts and slow running. To add some structure, you can run, for instance, 8 repeats of 2 minutes of slow, and 4 minutes of fast running. But you can also do your fartleks more playfully by spontaneous interchange of slow and fast running. Fartlek should be both hard and fun run to do and it is a great way to improve both your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
• Interval. Intervals are highly structured runs for which you'll most likely have to hit the local track to do. This is because intervals are the kind of runs where you'll have to combine both speed and distance precision. For instance, your interval training might look like this: 5 repeats of 800m each run in 3 minutes, with 400m of easy recovery runs in between. Intervals can be quite hard, but you'll notice what you gained by them fairly quickly. They will improve your speed and endurance.
• Hill Run. It is exactly what it says: it's running up the hill. You don't really have to run fast to gain a lot from the hill runs. These can be hard, but again only as hard as you make them. If you've never done hill runs, do them slowly at first to get the feeling of how hard it is. You'll have plenty of time to experiment with speed, so go slow at first and you'll start to love them. This again is a type of running from which you will gain a lot. Bottom of the line is: hill runs will make you a stronger runner.
• Hill Interval. If hill runs will make you stronger, then hill intervals will literally take the breath of your competitors when you hit even a slightest incline on the course. Hill runs are intervals and hill runs combined. With two major adjustments: (1) they are obviously slower than the regular intervals (because you are running uphill) and (2) you do all your recovery runs going downhill.
• Taper. Tapering is nothing more than just reducing the distance (and speed if you like) of your runs prior to racing. When you start tapering depends on the length of your race: the longer the race, the longer the tapering. Tapering will provide necessary rest for your body so you can perform at your best.
• Tempo. Tempo runs are runs that are begun and completed with a couple of a few kilometers of easy running. However, in between your run should consist of anywhere between 5 and 20 kilometers of steady and challenging pace. This pace should be quite hard, but not too hard because you have to sustain that pace for the whole distance. Tempo runs are great for improving your anaerobic capacity and increasing your lactate threshold (just as are intermediate and quick runs, fartleks, hill runs, hill intervals and intervals).
• Tempo Interval. Tempo intervals use tempo run as a building block that is interchanged with shorter recovery runs. These tempo intervals are thus a great way to learn how to hold a consistent pace over shorted distances and then apply that knowledge and skill to longer distances for either longer tempo runs or even as a preparation for long distance races such as half marathon and marathon.
• Race. A race is a race. Any kind of race.
• Walk. This is plain walking. Use this option if you want to keep track of your walking and if that's how you train. Walking is suitable for all those who either don't like to run or cannot run, yet. Start by walking and first gradually increase your speed and then finally start combining running and walking.
• Walk-Run. A combination of walking and running, or interchange of walking and running during one session. You can think of this as an interval training and treat walking part as recovery from running. This is probably the only way for beginners to start training especially when you do not have any experience with running and your physical condition is low. It is a gradual start.

Surface. This field provides options for different surfaces. You can choose between the following surfaces for your runs: Asphalt, Gravel, Roads, Track, Trail, Varied.

Terrain. On what kind of terrain did you run? You can choose between: Downhill, Flat, Rolling Hills, Uphill and Varied.

Weather. This field provides various options for weather in which you ran. You can choose between: Cloud, Clear, Drizzle, Fog, Freezing, Hot, Humid, Partly Cloudy, Rain, Snow, Sun and Wind. You might have noticed that some of the options don't really have to do much with meteorology and are purely subjective instead. That was precisely the point: if you felt like it was extremely humid, or hot, choose that. The same goes for mixed occurrences such as are rain and wind. Choose the one that in you felt most affected your running or was the most dominating.

Weather and temperature fields will be very handy when you'll want to find out if it was the weather that might have influenced your running that day.

Temperature. Enter the temperature in which you were running. Temperature and weather fields will be very handy when you'll want to find out if it was the weather that might have influenced your running that day.

Average HR. If you wore a heart rate monitor chances are good that it can record your average heart rate during the run. Enter it here and keep your eye on how your heart rate drops as your physical condition improves and how the perceived exertion has or will change over longer periods of time. Your subjective view on how much of yourself you gave on each particular run will without a doubt change over time: you'll feel more comfortable during the long runs, your heart rate will drop and your perceived exertion will change as you'll feel more relaxed on runs and distances that were unthinkable not too long ago. These are all signs of gains in physical fitness.

Weight. Keeping track of your weight is not important only for those who are running or exercising just to loose the unwanted kilograms, but is an essential part of training log for every athlete. Your weight can indicate that your food intake might be either too high or too low. As with any other part of running (or any other physical activity, for that matter), use your common sense to know what's best for you.

Shoes. Before you can start using this field, you'll have to add all your active shoes in the Shoe Management.

Keeping track of which shoes you ran in is important for at least two reasons. One is that this is by far the easiest way to keep track of how worn out are your shoes and thus know when to replace them. Chances are that you'll wear them out faster than they'll show on the outside. The other reason is that you should know which shoes you ran in, because if a pair is causing you trouble you'll definitely notice it sooner or later. By tracking in which pair you ran, let's hope that you'll find out sooner.

Besides just keeping track of which shoes you used, use the Notes to add any peculiar or plain unusual feelings. You might not be able to attribute that particular pain in your lower back to your shoes, but when you look back over a period of a week or a month and see that pain recurring, you just might notice that your shoes are too blame.

How I felt. You should definitely pay attention to this one. Don't enter how you wish you felt. Be honest, because that is the only way you'll know a week, a month or a year from now how you really felt. This is more important than it seems at the first glance. Consider that all of a sudden you are feeling bad on your runs. Check when you first started feeling bad and then compare all those runs to see what do they have in common: maybe the weather was too hot and humid, maybe you lost too much weight, or maybe you are just pushing yourself too far too fast.

Notes. This is the most unstructured part of keeping the track of your runs. And it was intentionally made so, because here you should describe your personal feelings and observations. No matter how well planned your running is and how well you keep track of your running sessions in a structured manner, if you do not keep track of your personal and purely subjective observations. Think about what made the greatest impression on that run. You don't have to think big. It is enough if you write down that you felt like you were flying. Whenever you read any such purely personal note, you'll know what it meant back then in an instant. And that's why it's there.

After you have entered all information you wanted to add to your profile in Run, click Submit located below the form. Use Wipe to clear all contents of the form.

Editing Data

If you want to edit an entry, go to the main Run display page and click the date when the activity you'd like to edit took place and Edit an Entry window will open. This window looks exactly the same as a Log a Run window does. The only difference is that in the Edit and Entry all the data is already filled in, so you only have to change or add new information about that run.

After you have edited what you intended to edit, click Submit button to save your changes.

Deleting Data

In case you want to remove a certain entry in Run, go to the main Run display page and click the date of activity you want to remove (just like you would if you'd like to edit that entry) and Edit an Entry window will open. Once that window is opened, locate the Delete This Entry link below the form and click it. A warning window will open asking you to confirm the action. Click OK, and that entry will be removed form the database.

Be careful when deleting data, because you won't be able to recover deleted entries.