Keeping a Running Logbook

Keeping a Running Logbook

by | Aug 17, 2021 | Article, Opinion, Personal, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Maybe because I started running way before personal computers and the internet were ubiquitous. Or because I am a visual person. Or because I am just traditional. I like to keep track of my sporting activities in a written log. For years I handwrote in a 3-ring binder and, as the technology progressed, I set up a spreadsheet that has been constantly changing as I learned more about the wonders of MS Excel.

These days, with Garmin, Strava, TrainingPeaks, RunKeeper, and many, many more, you just forget about it, and someone keeps track for you. And they do so with more parameters than you will ever need, know what to do with, or care for. I do believe it is inevitable that any ā€œseriousā€ runner will end up with a GPS watch and an online account, and that is a good thing. But at the same time I believe that so much data, uploaded up there in the cloud, where you can access but small portions of it at a time, is not necessarily better. Yes, well into the 21st Century, I advocate for a written running log.

Running Logbook

World Record holder Eliud Kipchoge has been keeping a handwritten running log since he turned professional

Eliud Kipchoge, ā€”yes, that Eliud Kipchogeā€” has kept a had written, yearly running log since he became a professional runner. He records in every single workout as detailed as possible, also adding things and thoughts from outside the running world that may help his training. ā€œWhen you write, then you rememberā€, he says. If it works for Kipchoge, maybe you should give some thought.

There are multiple ways to keep track of your activity. You can do it by hand in an appointment book, a 3-ring binder, or a notebook. There are also a variety of journals on sale specifically designed for this purpose. In your computer you can develop an Excel sheet to track what is important to you, or you can just write in your entries in a Word (or equivalent) document. Google has spreadsheets and documents that are accessible in your desktop computer and phone. The options, these days, are limitless.

It is important to take your time to write or type something into your journal, purposefully, so you can internalize it, meditate on it, and visualize. Your GPS watch doesnā€™t record your thoughts.

Your entries can be arranged, based on the platform where you keep them: daily, weekly, or monthly. My personal preference is monthly because it allows me to review a bigger segment of my training in a single glance. Since I developed my Excel sheet, I have added weekly totals, monthly and yearly totals, pace average, heart rate, temperature, humidity, cross training, and much more.

Why do we keep track?

  • Because when we get in a rut (and you will), you can go back to when you were doing great and check what worked for you back then.

  • Because when you are training for your goal race you can glance your entire training without thumbing through hundreds of single entries in Strava or Garmin.

  • Because when you decide to change GPS watch brand, or want to change your online tracking platform, you wonā€™t lose the data in your account.

  • Because when you are looking for a specific piece of data you can flip a page or two instead of combing through thousands upon thousands of data entries that were not designed with your needs in mind.

  • Because you can store it by year, month or whatever parameter works for you so data will be easily accessible when you need to consult it.

  • Because it creates a spectacular database that will become your frame of reference to get you from where you are today to where you want to be, tomorrow.

Running Logbook

Handwritten logbooks or computer spreadsheets can become as elaborate or a simple as your individual needs.

If by any chance I have persuaded you to give a running log a try, start right away. Now! Write down date, mileage, time and specific, detailed notes of each workout. If you did a particular mobility exercise or weightlifting routine that made you feel good, write it down. If you ran with someone who helped you get the best out of your ability, write it down. If the temperature or humidity became a pro or a con on your run, write it down. If you started with a new pair of shoes, write it down. If you feel any parameters become key in every workout, start tracking them.

The key to the usefulness of your log is the quality and trustworthiness of the data. If you fail to do your entries after each training, if you donā€™t keep good notes on why it went great or why you bonked, if you are just guessing your mileage and time, if you are lying to yourself, if you misplace your logs in your home or computer; then you are better off not wasting your time.

Think of all the benefits Iā€™ve enumerated and check for yourself if they have any merits.

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The Case for Urinals at Starting Lines

The Case for Urinals at Starting Lines

by | Aug 10, 2021 | Article, Opinion, Personal, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

I visited The Netherlands for my birthday, a few years ago, and of course I looked for a race. I was going to be in The Hague, and God smiled at me with the Den Haag Marathon on the exact same weekend I planned to arrive. I ran the half. It was an unbelievable experience. The most beautiful course in one of the prettiest and quaintest cities Iā€™ve ever visited.

But one of the memories that has endured from my experience in the Den Haag race is kind of weird. The urinals at the starting area, which was in a public park. Yes, urinals. And not just at the starting line but also in many public places around town and as permanent structures throughout several cities in The Netherlands.

Urinals at starting lines

Public urinal in front of the Department of Justice in Den Haag, The Netherlands.

While waiting for the gun to go off at Den Haag, I saw these weird rigid plastic structures. They were on top of a square shaped base, maybe 4 feet to a side, about 7 feet tall, each side bisected with a wall, which created four ā€œcubiclesā€. Each space had a ā€œVā€ shaped opening at about 3 feet high at the innermost corner. They looked likeā€¦ No!!ā€¦ It canā€™t be!!!… But they were! They were urinals and weirdest of all, men were actually urinating in them, leaving the port-a-potty facilities for those males with ā€œbigger needsā€ and women.

As you may imagine, I did not take pictures of people using these artifacts, but I did take a picture of an exact one, at a later date, this one in a square surrounded by restaurants, bars and located right in front of the Department of Justice (See accompanying image). It was there 24/7 for people (men) visiting their favorite watering holes to ā€œtake care of businessā€ without resorting to the unsanitary and illegal option of going against the walls, cars, trees or bushes. Very pragmatic, like most Dutch solutions.

I know this may be a weird topic for this forum, but I assume we are all adults and we can discuss the issue with some degree of maturity. And, since every runner has at least a handful of port-a-potty horror stories during their racing career, I wanted to make the case in favor of the use of urinals for races in the United States.

THE MATH

Letā€™s set up a case study with a mid-size race of 3000 runners. Letā€™s assume a 50-50 split on the binary genders (1500 each). And letā€™s assume for this example the race director calculated a port-a-potty for each 75 participants, for a total of 40. If 75% of people use the facilities pre-race (2,250) and letā€™s say one third of them (563) are in line at any given time before the gun goes off, this means an average line of 19 people per door. Assuming an average time of 3 minutes per use, the average waiting time is 57 minutes per user. Weā€™ve all been there and if not, we havenā€™t raced enough.

Now, letā€™s say this same race director decides to be pragmatic and exchange just five traditional port-a-potties with 4-corner urinals placed at an appropriate location in the starting area. For this example letā€™s say 75% of the male users (844) are using the facilities only for urination. Then, the overall population of runners using the port-a-potties has been reduced from 2,250 to 1,406, which at 35 doors and the exact parameters of usage as before, the average runner will be waiting in line for 40 minutes. Does it sound like still a long wait? Iā€™ll take it. It is 30% shorter. It is a start.

Ā THE SOLUTION

Urinals at starting lines

There is a solution to this problem. Do we have the maturity to solve it?

I donā€™t assume to be speaking for all male runners, but I believe I am for a vast majority. Letā€™s face it, most of us at some point have found a tree, a bush or a wall to relieve ourselves while waiting at the starting area of a race. And while there, very likely have witnessed females crouching with their shorts half down doing the same and for the same reason as us. And letā€™s come clear here, there is nothing sexy or sexual about adults exposing themselves to take care of business before a race. I havenā€™t experienced the first sexual frenzy in such situation. So letā€™s grow up and find a solution. There is one and it has been in use in Europe for years.

A difference between the Dutch and the Americans is that the former are extremely pragmatic in the solutions to their public issues while the latter are still embarrassedly prudish with anything related to sexual organs, even if they are being used for purposes other than procreation or related fun-driven activities. While the municipality of Amsterdam installed urinals around the bar areas once they figured out a substantial percentage of drowned men in the canals were found drunk and with their fly open, in the USA we would face a ā€œToday Show exclusive investigation on the immorality of urinals in foot racesā€, reported by non-runners, despite the fact that it will ameliorate a big problem within this industry.

The use of port-a-potties is as part of a race as complaining of nagging injuries with your friends. None of them are going away anytime soon. There is a solution out there. Can we grow up and use it? Or are we to prudish to implement it?

Any thoughts?

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It Is Perfectly Fine Not to Go for a PR

It Is Perfectly Fine Not to Go for a PR

by | Jul 20, 2021 | Article, Coaching

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Not going for a PR

The thrill of setting up my 10K PR, back in 2018

As any racing season moves by, you talk to many runners about what they have accomplished and what they want to accomplish. It is not just the natural flow of things among the people that do what we do, but it is also part of the fun. Most of us love to test ourselves on races because, as Dr. George Sheehan brilliantly stated: ā€œRacing is the lovemaking for the runner. It is hard to pass upā€.

PR stands for Personal Record. It can also be stated as PB (Personal Best). There are many variations of it. As we age, some runners reset their PRs every 5 or 10 years. Others live of the former glory when the ran a sub-3 marathon 30 years ago even if they canā€™t make it to a sub-4, now. And that is OK, too. The ā€œPā€ stands for ā€œpersonalā€, so it is what works for you and what makes you happy. They key is to not lose sight of the reason we like to practice our sport. Nobody started their running journey so they can run a sub-20 5K or a sub-2 half marathon. All that came in later, and there is a reason for that.

As I mentioned before, while interacting with fellow runners last season, one told me she wasnā€™t feeling that good for an upcoming 10K race so she would have to settle for not going for a PR. This after a few good races in a row where she did set 10K and half-marathon PRs. I reminded her that the body needs to recover in order to maintain itself strong and injury-free. I also asked her to remember the main reason why she started her running journey and finally suggested to go out there and just have some fun. I must have hit something there because she thanked me and said she felt better.

Not going for a PR

Brilliant quote by Dr. George Sheehan

Another runner, this one a closer friend, had registered for a half-marathon a year ago and between this time and the race, a lot had happened, including the grueling training for two full marathon PRs, the last one less than a month prior to the race. I insisted that he should just go an enjoy the race, as it had a beautiful course, but he said: ā€œI know you are right, but when the adrenaline hits me at the starting line it is difficult to contain yourselfā€. In order to shock him I replied: ā€œYes, I understand, but do you want your friends go through that rush while you just cheer for them, injured from the sidelines because you couldnā€™t contain yourself?ā€. At the end, my friend did set a PR, finished strong and felt great, but I firmly believe the advice still applies.

My point with these two stories is that it is imperative to allow our brains to override the adrenaline and the satisfaction of being adulated for our athletic prowess in Facebook and Instagram after a PR. We started to run to get healthier, to lose weight, or fill-in-the-blank-here; and we kept going because we enjoy the freedom of being outside, keeping ourselves in motion, the social aspect of it or fill-in-the-blank-here. So, if you want to keep doing that, be smart and understand that a PR is just a by-product of your running, not your reason.

I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Please leave me a comment, below.

Ā 

Ā 
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Book Review: A Runnerā€™s High

Book Review: A Runnerā€™s High

by | Jul 13, 2021 | Book Review

By Dean Karnazes
Reviewed by: Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Ā Since the unexpected success of his first book, Ultramarathon Man, back in March 2005, Dean Karnnzes has become a running celebrity. His superhuman feats of endurance and adventure have inspired thousands of ex-runners to lace up their shoes once again, and new ones to start pounding the asphalt for the very first time.

A Runner's High

This book is a good investment in time and money

In ā€œA Runners Highā€, Karnazes tells a variety of running stories interlaced with his preparation and participation in the 2019 edition of the Western States Endurance Run. This is a 100-Mile race that has become the Boston Marathon equivalent of the ultrarunning world. It takes place in the California Sierra Nevada during the last weekend of June. It ran for the first time in 1977.

The narrative starts with Karnazes preparing to run the Bishop High Sierra Ultramarathon, a 100K race in preparation for his eventual participation in the Western States, where the narration culminates. In the meantime, there are many first-person accounts and running stories that, even if many runners canā€™t relate, they are told in such a quotidian, non-technical, well described and no aggrandizing way, that if you have run for a few years, you will be able to visualize, identify and even feel the glory and the suffering of the storyteller.

The author also delves into the dynamics of his family and their intersection with his demanding running career and life. His son Nicholas and his parents, as well as their interactions, become important figures in the narration. As a runner, son, and father, I can definitely identify with many of those situations. His wife and daughter also made important appearances, but to a lesser degree.

As the weeks pass by and events take course during the span of a few months, some of Karnazes latest running adventures, the ones that havenā€™t made it to his previous books, make an appearance. His running of the Silk Road through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is the story I liked the best. It shows how running can become part of US diplomacy. It also takes you through some of the roads least traveled by every-day US citizens. His interaction with the locals and their customs is well told though very illustrative anecdotes.

A Runner's High

ā€œWe discover who we are through the movement of our bodiesā€ – Dean Karnazes

Then, of course, it comes Western States, where the whole gamut of human emotions show up at one point or another. Ā From euphoria to misery, and everything in between, take their turn as part of the racing experience. Through these emotions, he masterfully takes the reader through the understanding of the peaks and valleys of ultrarunning, even if he/she has never ventured beyond the thin line that separated ā€œregularā€ running from ultrarunning.

Not sure if it was the vivid description of the misery he went through or that I donā€™t feel like the Western States are in my future, but the one thing I can say about this Karnazes book when comparted to his previous ones (which Iā€™ve read them all), is that after finishing this one I didnā€™t feel the rush to lace up my shoes and go for a long run. Somehow, this experience was not relatable to me, while his other ones, while are not in my future either, were. But that is not a judgment on the bookā€™s value, just a personal assessment.

As usual, Karnazes comes up sometimes with marvelous nuggets of running wisdom that become some of the most quoted in running. This one is the one that blew my mind; thus, I share:

ā€œRunning is a conversation, and education, a revolution, an awakening. We discover who we are through the movement of our bodies, and there are lessons to be learned in running alone much as there are in running large racesā€.

This is a good running book that most runners will enjoy and somehow relate. Entertaining, well-written, funny at times and deep at others without leaving you gloomy or mentally exhausted. A good investment of time and money.

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The Power of Being Constant

The Power of Being Constant

by | Jul 6, 2021 | Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection

By Anthony Reed *

Editorā€™s Note:Ā  This is a posting from Mr. Reed in our RCAA Coaches Group. I requested, and obtained, his permission to repost it here. I believe it shows the power of remaining constant and relentlessly moving forward towards your lifetime goals and its compounding results.

Life-Long Goal Setting: Maintaining a three miles per day in average.

Ā 
Being Constant

The Great Wall Marathon, China (Photo courtesy of Anthony Reed)

Many runners focus on various goals, such as running 100 miles per month. Today (6/6/21), during a 15-mile run, I finally logged over 47,000 miles over 42 years.

Ā In 1976, I set a lifetime goal to average three miles of running per day as a way of avoiding insulin. My primary goal was to run about 90 miles/month and the secondary goal was at least 100 miles per month. Also, I only wanted to run only three or four days per week. Iā€™m a very firm believer in ā€œeverything in moderationā€.

Ā I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic in 1963 and was told that Iā€™d be on insulin by the 1970ā€™s. I started running as a way to avoid this prediction. In the mid-1970ā€™s, a co-worker lost his sight due to glaucoma, had his foot and leg amputated, and died to complications from diabetes. I donā€™t believe he was more than 50 years old. I was scared to death.

Ā Iā€™ve maintained a handwritten running journal since 1979. The detailed, monthly data is summarized in an Excel workbook. Hereā€™s a brief analysis of 509 months of running.

RUNNING DATA

Ā – Averaged 3.03 miles/day over 509 months.

Being Constant

Antarctica Marathon (Photo courtesy of Anthony Reed)

– Ran 5,359 days (34.6%) out of a possible 15,496 days. As a father and husband, I wanted to keep running simple, fun, flexible, and injury-free. Thus, I felt that running everyday would put undue pressure on me. So, I opted to run only 3 or 4 days a week.

Ā – I was not perfect. I failed to reach my primary monthly goal 40% of the time, including 29 months of not running a single mile. However, I never lost sight of my goal AND my reason for achieving it. I wanted to live past 50, keep my eyesight, not have any limbs amputated, and not be on insulin. The money saved from paying for insulin was used to travel around the world and finish marathons on seven continents (completed in 2007) and fifty States (completed in 2013).

Ā – Longest streak of reaching at least 100 miles per month was 21 months; from June 1985 through February 1987. Averaged 148.7 miles/month.

Ā – Longest streak of not reaching primary goal was 29 months; from August 1990 through December 1992. Averaged 60.74 miles/month.

Ā – Maximum miles in one month: 200.13 in January 1986 over 17 days of running.

RACING DATA

Ā – Fastest races: Marathon – 3:36:45 (1984); 20-Miler ā€“ 2:35:54 (1987); Half marathon ā€“ 1:34:11 (1985); 10K ā€“ 41:31 (1983) [BTW ā€“ These PBā€™s were run while weighing about 195 pounds at six feet tall, which wasnā€™t easy.]

Ā – Completed 226 races between 1979 and 2018 (averaged 5.3 races/year).

Ā – Averaged 2.3 marathons/year between 1982 and 2000. Only one marathon (Chicago) of my first 42 marathons was outside of Texas, which included 15 Cowtown Marathons (Ft. Worth) and 15 Dallas Marathons (formerly White Rock). You have an entire lifetime to run marathons, so take it easy on the racing, especially if you\’re just beginning.

Ā – Completed 131 marathons between 1982 and 2018 (averaged 3.5 marathons/year).

Ā – Longest monthly streak: 15 marathons between February 2012 and January 2013.

Ā By keeping focused on a lifetime AVERAGE, it took the stress off everyday living and goal setting. Next month, Iā€™ll turn 66 and am still not on insulin.

* Anthony Reed is the National Black Marathoners Association Co-Founder & Executive Director. He is the author of the book ā€œFrom the Road Race to the Rat Raceā€ which was published in September 2020.

Ā The National Black Marathonersā€™ Association (NBMA) is the country\’s oldest and largest, not-for-profit organization of Black American distance runners. It is open to everyone, regardless of athletic ability or previous marathon experience. Objectives are to:
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  Encourage Black Americans and others to pursue a healthy lifestyle through long distance running and walking.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  Serve as a vehicle for Black American distance runners across the nation to meet in mass at a single marathon.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  Recognize the accomplishments of Black American distance runners.
Ā·Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  Provide scholarships to deserving high school boy and girl distance runners.

For more information about the National Black Marathonerā€™s Association, you can click here.

Ā 
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