Keeping a training diary will tell you more than just how many kilometers you’ve covered

It can give you important clues to help you identify injuries and avoid over-training. It’s also an excellent motivational tool.

It can be as simple as logging your kilometers on a calendar or as advanced as detailing heart rates through particular intervals.

The run
Take down details such as the weather and the distance covered. Temperatures above 16 degrees Celsius can slow you down.

Keeping track of race times will provide you with a good measure of your progress, but don’t ignore your training runs.

Writing down the kilometers covered, or time spent running, can be a great motivator as you see your endurance start to build up.

How you feel
If you are trying to lose weight, having a record of your weight loss can be very motivating.

Just keep in mind there are ebbs and flows in body weight and what the scales test is the weight of your whole body, not just body fat. A one kilo deficit in one night is probably more likely due to dehydration than fat loss.

Write down what your mood was before, during and after the run and well as how your body felt physically.

If running starts getting stale or painful, you’ll be able to keep one step ahead by changing up your training.

Extra information
Writing down extra information such as what food you ate, how much sleep you got and how busy you were at work can help identify any potential problems with your training plan.

Maybe you’re taking on too much or perhaps you’re struggling to find the time to run at all.

And do yourself a favour, write down your short term goals. You’ll be so much more likely to achieve them if you do.