Tuesday, May 5, 2009

May - Tracking My Distance

I'm not really a competitive runner. I just like the way running feels, the way it clears my head and the way it leaves me feeling strong. I enjoy races, but haven't been one to push myself toward any goals since having the kiddos. But all that is about to change!

Now that I'm back in my running shoes 4-6 times/week, I'm curious about how much distance I'm actually covering. Before now I think the statistics would have frustrated me since I really couldn't get in more running. But NOW I'm in a groove and I think the statistics will help me build up my distance and encourage me to consider building speed as we approach the summer months and some fun 5K & 10K races.

I know there are fancy things I can do to track my runs (heck, I can do so on my Garmin, right?!), but for starters I've been recording my distances by hand on our family calendar. There's something satisfying about hand writing the numbers. Perhaps June will be the month that I learn to utilize the high tech tools I have - when I'm really getting outside more for my runs and gearing-up for some races.

I look forward to reporting my total for May at the end of the month!

How about YOU? What motivates you to go the distance or pick up your pace? Take a second and leave a comment!

Have a great week . . . and happy running!

8 comments:

teacherwoman said...

Having a race to "train" for always helps motivate me. I love following a schedule! :)

Unknown said...

I used to be motivated by races. Now I'm motivated by being healthy.

oh - and i like to hand write my numbers in my little notebook too. much more satisfying than that way. :-)

Nitmos said...

I'm still motivated by a race on the calendar. I'm a competitive person so if I know a race is coming up, it keeps me working hard.

P.O.M. said...

I also need a race to train for or I just get plain lazy :)

Pavement Runner said...

I adore my Garmin 305 so it helps me track my daily distance. I also mark it on my MARVEL wall calendar. Right now for the month of May it is Hulk and Thor. I think if I skip a run, they may get upset.

Writing it on a visible calendar helps me track my weekly distance to see that I dont increase my weekly milage by more than 10%. Plus it's nice to see what you have accomplished week by week.

Black Knight said...

I have always logged the daily distances and the log-book helps me to improve and understand why a problem arrived.
Moreover it is important to plan a race.
I use the Garmin even if I'd not need it because I know all the distances around my house.

Running Mommy said...

I run for the feeling afterwards and the pleasant knowledge I did something good.

I really don't like crowds very much, so I've never raced before...

Running Mommy said...

I've just bought a nike chip which is going to tell me how far I've gone and everything.

I'm still learning how to use it, but I have high expectations!