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Training Logs and the point of them

  • 18-12-2009 04:15PM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,051 ✭✭✭


    Right something sparked this off for me this morning so I figured I'd throw it out there. Training Logs, all a very personal thing and we have all levels up there, sad when they finish ie Tunguska, Seres, Abhainn etc.... Anyhoo..

    As the logger
    How do you feel about logs? Could anything be improved about them? What benefit do you get from keeping a log of your training and/or racing? What made you start one up?

    As the reader
    What draws you to the logs? Is there anything particular you notice about them? Do you think they are too detailed/not detailed enough? If you have been considering starting one but haven't, whats stopping you? If you keep a blog elsewhere whats the difference


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭shels4ever


    MCOS wrote: »
    Right something sparked this off for me this morning so I figured I'd throw it out there. Training Logs, all a very personal thing and we have all levels up there, sad when they finish ie Tunguska, Seres, Abhainn etc.... Anyhoo..

    As the logger
    How do you feel about logs? Could anything be improved about them? What benefit do you get from keeping a log of your training and/or racing? What made you start one up?

    As the reader
    What draws you to the logs? Is there anything particular you notice about them? Do you think they are too detailed/not detailed enough? If you have been considering starting one but haven't, whats stopping you? If you keep a blog elsewhere whats the difference

    My view is that if you put a log in you invite people to comment on it, sometimes you will like whats said and sometimes you wont, if the logs were all slap on the backs and well done then their would be no point, we all kno were gret already.

    what was on your log was neither of the above and a bit mad.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,915 ✭✭✭✭menoscemo


    I mainly keep a log for motivational purposes.
    I found as a novice training for the Dublin Marathon that keeping a log got me out for runs when maybe I wouldn't have done without one. In that will I/won't I moment before going out for a run, I would actually think that the whole world will see I am not putting the training in. Similarly if I was lagging in an LSR and thinking of quitting half way through, i would feel embarassed about having to go back and report my failure and at times that would be motivation enough to persevere.
    Nowadays I am still recording my progress post marathon, I have no big goal so the log makes me keep on ticking over....I like to make big predictions for races and this motivates me to achieve a time that will look good to others.
    In saying all this i have been a complete lazy b*****d this week :pac:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,377 ✭✭✭pgibbo


    MCOS wrote: »
    As the reader
    What draws you to the logs? Is there anything particular you notice about them? Do you think they are too detailed/not detailed enough? If you have been considering starting one but haven't, whats stopping you? If you keep a blog elsewhere whats the difference

    This is the category I fall in to. Personally I am drawn to logs that are frequently updated and ones that detail training methods and sessions. I'm fascinated by the approaches people take and what works for people. Also, the comments that people leave and the discussion points they trigger are excellent too. It's a general curiosity I have. I would love to see a detailed log for tunney, hunneymonster, Brian McC, et al. They would be very interesting reads! :) Slight bias towards tri I suppose but I do enjoy the running logs also, even if I don't comment on them.

    Regarding too detailed/not detailed enough it's hard to generalise. Some people have lots of good meaty detail in there and that appeals to me but may not appeal to some people. Then there are ones with just highlights, etc.

    Why don't I have a log - good question. I haven't really considered it but I think it would be worthwhile to get some feedback on my training. This is especially true for running and biking but as interested pointed out on another thread, it's hard to comment on someones swim sets without having seen them swimming first. Perhaps I will bite the bullet in 2010. Maybe I'm afraid of criticism! :D Or worse still, find out that for the effort I'm putting in I should be seeing better performances??? :o We'll find out in 2010 I think......


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,008 ✭✭✭mitresize5


    I'm a part time contributer but full time lurker on this site and really enjoy the logs - yours as much as anyones.

    I was genuinly sad to see the passing of the two other logs I followed (the mad marathon man who was taking the Foresst Gump training plan i.e. Keep on running. really loved the way he threw convention out the window and I hope he does well. Also the Office man to Iron Man guy)

    Anyway I'm rambling - I like the logs as each one is very different I find. Yours is quite technical which gives the rest of us an indication of the level and dedication you're at and what we need to be doing if we every want to represent Ireland!!!

    Marathon mans was very interesting and entertaining as he was sticking two fingers at conventional wisdom which seemed to bother a lot of people here. He's (virtual) passing has made this place a bit duller.

    Office Man to Iron Man was interesting as I was keen to see how a guy who started as being unable to swim and with a hectic life outside of sport was going to tie it all together ... he couldnt in the end but it was a good story.

    What I'm kind of saying is in their own way they are a distraction during the day and interesting/entertaining in their own right.

    I wouldn't read to much into the guy on your log this morning if I were you - he seemed to be playing the man rather than the ball and came across as being slightly jealous TBH. If I were you I'd make no apologies for your log. Keep it up


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,608 ✭✭✭donothoponpop


    I keep my log for purely selfish reasons. I can look back over last years log and remember how I felt on each run, and how I felt while training for a marathon, something I find very useful to compare to now. I just have garmin data figures for previous years training, and that's no comparison to looking back over a written log.

    Also like to follow other peoples logs who are doing something similar. Krusty's log is great, in that he came back from injury, and is in great shape now, something I aspire to copy.

    I light a candle each night for Abhainn's dear departed log...;)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,725 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    I keep my log for purely selfish reasons. I can look back over last years log and remember how I felt on each run,

    +1, sums up exactly my reason.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭MrCreosote


    Kept a log myself for the DCM, and I'm a folllower (and sometimes poster) of a few others.

    As a logger I did it to keep track of the training over the summer. It's a motivation in its own right. I'd agree that posting it on boards instead of in a notebook at home is to allow comments to be posted. As long as the comments are about the training it doesn't matter if they're criticism or a pat on the back. Criticism is necessary to pick out the faults in any training plan anyway and it can be hard yourself to spot them sometimes. Looking back over the log was great to see where mistakes were made leading up to and in the marathon itself. And it brings you right back to some of the more memorable training sessions very quickly as well.

    As a reader I'm a bit biased towards to tri logs, but spending more time on the running ones now too. Personally I like the ones with lots of data crunching, frequently updated and with a race target not too far away. A good race report is the business too.

    I'm a big fan of your own log MCOS. What was up on it today was a bit bizarre. Made me splutter on my double shot semi-skin soy latte I can tell you! Good reply from your good self though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,492 ✭✭✭Woddle


    Hi MCOS, I missed all of what went on in your log due to xmas shopping

    I keep a log so as I don't slack off, I also keep a log as I've no one else to really talk about running to, my wife has no interest and as well as being runners I'd imagine alot of us like talking about running.

    The logs are useful for feedback and there also great for keeping a close eye on those of similar abilities, some are both inspiring and motivating, Abhainns log and also RainbowKirby and many others.

    Simple it's the best form of a diary ever as others get involved in your own personal journey or quest to improve at running.

    It's a shame more don't have them as some people have alot to teach us, so I suppose the fact that I learn alot from other peoples log is another point scored for keeping logs. As regards what logs I read, well pretty much all of them.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,725 ✭✭✭kennyb3


    Woddle wrote: »
    As regards what logs I read, well pretty much all of them.

    lol, classic. with the amount on the go now i cant keep up


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2 williamwallace9


    This is hilarious!!
    My log this morning had nothing to do with why you log and what you get back from it! The intention was to bring to light the fact that someone has put a lot of effort into your coaching you then go and display it on a publicly view website. Essentially you are taking bread from his table!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,051 ✭✭✭MCOS


    And if you pay for that bread?

    Also, if you check closely there is no public view of my training programme. Its in a file on my PC here. What you commented on was a training log, not a training programme.

    You made a blatant attack on me and I have asked you to contact me directly. Still waiting....

    You claim to have written programmes yourself, are you a Coach? If so start a thread on Coaching as it is off topic here. I'll put my own Coaching hat on and have a listen to waht you have to say.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,830 ✭✭✭catweazle


    I hope you keep posting Wallace, even your font comes out angrier looking than the others posting, super stuff.

    I did the log to keep me honest, I enjoyed reading a few while lurking last year and I swore I would try one this year. Plus I always liked to write anyways so its not a chore so far.

    It does come in handy I found a nice little excel training sheet from connie c i think, and because of keeping the log I was able to go back and fill in the gaps.

    The logs I follow closely all tended to be a bit quirky, I cant keep the interest up on eg monday 5 miles 40 minutes, tuesday 8 miles 60 minutes, wednesday 10 miles 80 minutes....cold, thursday 20 miles 3 hours....not so cold!. I like to hear whether they were difficult, something funny, what exactly they did etc etc.

    I will admit though I am not sitting there with my pen and paper stealing mcos's routines, it seems an outragous overreaction by wallace. I would haphazard a guess that a large percentage of Limerick tri team are on this forum already anyways and besides do I then go to the pool with mcos routines and call myself a coach, I would be blown out of the water straight away. Good coaching comes from a knowledge of the student and an understanding of how to bring out the best in him not a massive repositry of drills and lessons


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,146 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    I've only just started one recently to stop certain people hassling me about not having one. ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,742 ✭✭✭ultraman1


    MCOS wrote: »
    And if you pay for that bread?

    Also, if you check closely there is no public view of my training programme. Its in a file on my PC here. What you commented on was a training log, not a training programme.

    You made a blatant attack on me and I have asked you to contact me directly. Still waiting....

    You claim to have written programmes yourself, are you a Coach? If so start a thread on Coaching as it is off topic here. I'll put my own Coaching hat on and have a listen to waht you have to say.
    wouldnt even answer <snip>


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,146 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    This is hilarious!!
    My log this morning had nothing to do with why you log and what you get back from it! The intention was to bring to light the fact that someone has put a lot of effort into your coaching you then go and display it on a publicly view website. Essentially you are taking bread from his table!

    But if someone has put so much effort into creating a coaching plan for you then what difference does it make if some details of that are then made public. If they are that good at creating the plan for that one person then it is of limited use to someone else other than for general curiosity.

    More likely to put more bread on their table if other than see how good they are at what they do.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,320 ✭✭✭MrCreosote


    robinph wrote: »
    If they are that good at creating the plan for that one person then it is of limited use to someone else other than for general curiosity.

    More likely to put more bread on their table if other than see how good they are at what they do.

    Spot on!

    Anyway it's not like there aren't hundreds of generic training plans freely available online. The point of a coach surely is to design one appropriate to you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,928 ✭✭✭✭rainbow kirby


    I keep a log for a few reasons... to keep me honest, for a bit of motivation, to get some feedback on my training if/when it's needed - pretty much the same as everyone else really! It's also good to see where people of a similar level are at, and to get ideas from what other people are doing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    robinph wrote: »
    But if someone has put so much effort into creating a coaching plan for you then what difference does it make if some details of that are then made public. If they are that good at creating the plan for that one person then it is of limited use to someone else other than for general curiosity.

    More likely to put more bread on their table if other than see how good they are at what they do.

    I'd agree with this too. Programmes should be tailored specifically to the needs of a athlete, if yours is then it doesn't matter if someone else reads it.

    The only thing I won't share is field testing results as that gives too much away.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    I've kept an online training log since late 2002 - I kept one as part of the first TI rookies diary and to be honest its just become habit.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,095 ✭✭✭--amadeus--


    This is hilarious!!
    My log this morning had nothing to do with why you log and what you get back from it! The intention was to bring to light the fact that someone has put a lot of effort into your coaching you then go and display it on a publicly view website. Essentially you are taking bread from his table!

    As you appear to be new here you're currently getting the benefit of the doubt. But one more personal attack and you'll be banned, same as anyone else. By all means argue the point but please don't attack teh poster.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,656 ✭✭✭village runner


    I post so it will motivate me. I try to be as honest as i can. I dont even have a programme and have never had. I can barely plan 1 week ahead.
    long one and two speed sessions are the norm every week.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,441 ✭✭✭Slogger Jogger


    I'm somewhere between village runner and donothoponpop. Keeping a log is a motivator as it writing about the various runs and races and getting feedback from other posters. I love dipping into the other logs from time to time and like to give feedback/encouragement etc Many of the training logs describe a journey from A to B and its great when that happens e.g. the sub3ers or near sub 3ers, the first-time marathoners, the must get faster marathoners as well as the ultra, tri and hill running fraternity. Off for a run now in the crisp morning air.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,377 ✭✭✭pgibbo


    tunney wrote: »
    I've kept an online training log since late 2002 - I kept one as part of the first TI rookies diary and to be honest its just become habit.

    Is that the blog you keep on the tri club site tunney or is it there another log out there? Cheers.

    Hope your knee heals soon and the rest does the trick.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    pgibbo wrote: »
    Is that the blog you keep on the tri club site tunney or is it there another log out there? Cheers.

    Hope your knee heals soon and the rest does the trick.

    Kept one on the TI site for a year, then on the TI forums for another few years, been around in a few places. Mostly gone now I fear (although relieved really)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,841 ✭✭✭Running Bing


    Two reasons:

    1. Its a convenient way for me to keep a training diary. I'm not going to keep a handwritten one and I like that I can just post my training quick on here.

    2. Feedback, feedback feedback. I love any sort of feedback whether it be positive or absolutely scathing, I love getting different viewpoints on the training Im doing and thats probably the main reason why I post my log here (I got some great advice during the summer on my old log).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,584 ✭✭✭✭tunney


    pgibbo wrote: »
    Is that the blog you keep on the tri club site tunney or is it there another log out there? Cheers.

    Hope your knee heals soon and the rest does the trick.

    Unfortunately I've managed to find year 1 2004, stuck links up on the blog.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,377 ✭✭✭pgibbo


    tunney wrote: »
    Unfortunately I've managed to find year 1 2004, stuck links up on the blog.

    Cheers for that. Read the first one there. Interesting reading. Gives me a bit of hope, especially with the swimming.

    Is the rookie called Rory on the same logs, the same Rory B that's a member of Galway Tri Club or do you know?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,525 ✭✭✭✭Krusty_Clown


    Imagine putting your training plans, goals, successes and failures down on a piece of paper. Now imagine sharing that training information with people with vastly more experience then you. Now imagine that those same people were willing to read your training information and even provide guidance, encouragement and support??!

    That, truly, would be a great thing. That's why I keep a log.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭RedB


    MCOS wrote: »
    As the logger
    How do you feel about logs? Could anything be improved about them? What benefit do you get from keeping a log of your training and/or racing? What made you start one up?

    As the reader
    What draws you to the logs? Is there anything particular you notice about them? Do you think they are too detailed/not detailed enough? If you have been considering starting one but haven't, whats stopping you? If you keep a blog elsewhere whats the difference

    As the logger : I feel better having a log as it helps with the motivation. I'm inclined to let the training slide when outside life makes bigger demands but having the log helps push training back up the priority list. Its probably a small bit like a Coach at the back of my head that I don't want to disappoint. There's that "Mind The Gap" feeling there now that I shouldn't let the training, and by default the log, fall by the wayside.

    In terms of improving my log - highlighting the destination, the journey and the attainment of goals would probably help to avoid my general rambling. Having the 'metrics' or a table of what the plan is and how its turning out is probably a good way of conveying that.

    The benefits include feedback from others and fueling the motivation as you see and feel progress. Its seeing the many small things that are adding up to bigger things. Each session, each week, each event, each log entry - they're all building or maintaining.
    I started one to help me get better as there's a lot to do, over a long period and every little bit helps.

    As the reader - Generally I read other logs for inspiration and to share or help in the journey if possible. If I'm feeling wasted after a hard few days of general life and I see others in the same boat who manage to put in the extra effort, I feel motivated to try and emulate that even if it just means going to bed earlier to try and recover quicker. I'm not going to be able to do all that others can do but I sure as heck can try to manage or control my own stuff better so that those days are minimised and I can bounce back. Seeing other peoples logs is a bit like training in a group. You might all be moving at different speeds and distances but it encourages you to push it on the extra few percent.
    I like the detail in others' logs. I like to know the 'how', the 'why', the 'when'. Its illuminating for me to read what people actually do to get their training in - the early morning runs, the lunchtime swims, the evening turbo sessions, the food, the rest/recovery/sleep, the gear, the logic, the motivation and even more importantly, overcoming the lack of motivation. The dark days, the hard yards, the 'not-so-good' days. It helps me to know that others are overcoming their obstacles and I can overcome mine. There's a lot of honest logs here and a helpful 'community' of boardsies so I usually find it refreshing to take a look at what others are doing whether its the hardcore, elite end of things that blow me away with their dedication or the newbies like myself that are struggling with the basics and getting a 'lift' from the helpful comments along the way.

    Its mainly encouraging stuff so thats why I keep coming back.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,445 ✭✭✭mloc123


    tunney wrote: »
    Unfortunately I've managed to find year 1 2004, stuck links up on the blog.

    Decent times for your first year, DCT time looks very good.


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