I map out my yearly running plans on an excel sheet. It’s a habit that I have created over the years – something visual to keep me on track.
I use bright colours to highlight months, training blocks and races. It really is a work of art. I like seeing the mileage slowly build up over days, weeks and months. It’s a great confidence booster especially the week leading up to a big race. I can see exactly all the work I have put in over the weeks and months.
Yes Strava logs everything but there’s nothing more fulfilling than inputing in your stats, literally checking a box on your sheet, and tracking your progress. And if you’re like me, you have a love/hate relationship with Strava.
So … I’ve been a little nervous opening up my 2023 training excel sheet. I haven’t been logging consistently. Plus I don’t want to compare this year’s early numbers to last year.
I might freak out because I dialled down my winter running to focus on strength and mobility. My mileage is definitely down year over year. Surprisingly it is not that bad. My elevation is right on track for last year at this time (if not slightly more).
It’s March now – Let’s run
I really need to zero in on my running. Taking it easy has been fun but now it’s time to get back into the training game.
Minotaur is 14 weeks away. I feel good where I am right now for training for that race. But I definitely have to start kicking up my elevation gain and adding in much longer runs.
Dialling down my mileage has been really good for me mentally and physically.
Not running for two or three hours in very cold weather and stupid conditions this winter has kept me sane and inspired. I am really looking forward to getting in those long runs with friends and on my own.
Can you believe it’s March already? How do you track your training? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.