The date is obvious. The run type describes the category of the run from rest day to workout. Time - some people suggest running for time and others for distance. Each have their pro's and con's, I prefer time, but like to know the distances. The thing with time is that you can't cheat the purpose of your run by running too fast or too slow. Your long run will take you 1 hour no matter your pace, so it removes the need to race yourself. The details column is useful for making note of how I felt. Its handy to be able to see that I always feel like crap on my run after a long day at work, or that my shoes regularly come untied after 45 minutes. Even more useful is seeing how nagging aches and pains wax and wane - I tend to forget when things started to bother me and when they stop. The sore knee I suffered around Christmas (too much mileage trying to keep up with the lady) flaired up once or twice when I ran too fast or too hard, but was gone after 3 weeks of relaxed running. This is paradoxically the most difficult part of the data to analyze, but also some of the most useful.
The other day I realized that I haven't plotted anything yet and I've amassed 3.5 months of daily running data (yes, there are rest days, missing distances and the occasional hike). I don't think it means all that much, but here it is, 7 day running averages of my distance and time:
And for completeness, here is all the individual data with Excel's "Moving Average" trendline using 7 periods:
I don't want to discuss my training plan in too much detail, but I'll outline it briefly. My schedule calls for 5 runs per week, two workouts (sometimes a third being a 5k race), and two rest or cross training days. One run, usually Saturdays, is designated as a long run. Workouts and mileage build on the way towards race date and consist of a sustained tempo run and either hill repeats or 400 or 800 m repeats.
Not sure what the data actually mean, but as long as I've got enough Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS) to keep me from running during this brutally winter like spring week, I figured I'd take a look and see if any insights showed themselves. During January, I was recovering from a sore knee. Yet I was still able to log my highest mileage/times. While my knee stopped bothering me, I got my first tast of MTSS. I cut my running to no more than every other day and my run time to about 20 min. Lo and behold, notes on MTSS dissappear 12 days later.
Lately, I have been running too fast on my normal days and too slow on my hard days. My mileage/time has also crept up to a consistently high value. Perhaps running an appropriate pace for the days schedule and taking a down week will help prevent the onset of injury. Its a tricky balance to stick to your schedule but flex it enough to avoid injury and fit your daily life.
