In this age of online everything, many runners track their training digitally by syncing their watches to the cloud. But thanks in part to Instagram and Pinterest, an analog alternative is trending. Why a Bullet Journal Might Be Your Perfect Training Log—the brainchild of a designer from Brooklyn—involves creating your own planner to track whatever matters to you. The “bullets” are different characters used to denote tasks, events, and other items in a list, but you can skip them if they’re not useful—the system’s flexibility is part of its appeal. Also appealing? Having everything in one place. Some runners’ mileage now shares space with to-do lists, food logs, and whatever else they want to record.
“The act of putting pen to paper and writing down your accomplishments cements them in your psyche,” says coach Janet Hamilton of RunningStrong.com. And DIY-ing a log lets you create space for more variables than just time and distance, as RW’s Art Director Erin The 8 Best Wireless Headphones for Running.
This bullet journal tracks: Plans for every distance (and every runner) in 3 easy ways!
Why a Bullet Journal Might Be Your Perfect Training Log. If you have a goal race, start by recording the workouts you intend to do in your BuJo. “By copying a plan over rather than taping it in place, you are delving into the progression,” says coach Hamilton. You’ll get a big-picture view of your training cycle, and you won’t be surprised when it’s time for a tough workout.
Add volume. Whether you run by distance or by time, it’s a good idea to keep track of your weekly volume. “If you need to look back at the log due to an injury, one of the things you want to look at is your base mileage and how quickly you progressed,” says Hamilton.
Monitor mood. Try a smiley face for “felt good,” a frowny face for “felt bad,” and a neutral face for in-between days. Too many sad faces may mean you’re overdoing it. And when you have a “nirvana run” that feels great, Hamilton says, “you want to register that in your brain and remind yourself that this is why you run” by recording it.
Track it all. If you’re trying to make other lifestyle changes that may affect your running, you can incorporate those into your log as well. “If you find that you have a glass of wine the night before your long run and you feel better than if you don’t, that would be worth noting,” Hamilton says. “Finding out what works for you is the reason you’re keeping this journal.”
Ready to #BuJo? San Diego, California.
- Name: Kim Alvarez
- Location: San Jose, California
- This bullet journal tracks: “I simply shade in gray whenever I run. I aim to run every other day, so it ends up looking like a checkerboard, which adds a little fun to the logging process. I want to keep that pattern going.”
- Name: Rosanna Jackson
- Location: DAA Industry Opt Out
- This bullet journal tracks: “This template is just dates and data, and yet it tells a story: The weeklong gaps denote that I was sick, but then I see I started running again the next week, and that makes me feel proud.”
- Name: Ariel Hamilton
- Location: Provo, Utah
- This bullet journal tracks: “I like this format because it gives me the freedom each day to choose which workout I want to do. Instead of assigning a particular number of miles or type of workout to specific days, I give myself the option to choose whatever I am feeling up to.”
- This bullet journal tracks: “I have trouble thinking of what to make for dinner every night—especially when I want an easy, familiar recipe—so I created this log of my favorite go-to dishes. I refer to this page whenever I need last-minute meal ideas.”
RELATED: Track it all
- Name: Kim Job
- Location: Orem, Utah
- This bullet journal tracks: “I color in a square for each mile I run. It’s fun to see the page fill. There is no significance to the colors—they just create a bright pattern. On the right, I record when I complete self-care habits as part of my morning routine.”
- Name: Kyle Scollin
- Location: The Bullet Journal system
- This bullet journal tracks: “By drawing a scene (each tree represents a run), I become excited to see the scene evolve. I find drawing to be meditative, and I want to run more often so I can fill the page. I keep the format simple to avoid putting off logging.”
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- Name: Kristin Saling
- Location: Lorton, Virginia
- This bullet journal tracks: “I’m in the military, and this is one of the notebooks everyone gets; I decorated the front to distinguish it from my others. I put this ‘sweat is magic’ quote on here to remind myself that I’m not running because it’s hard or brutal; I’m doing it because it makes me feel awesome.”
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Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based health and fitness journalist. She’s been freelancing for Runner’s World since 2015 and especially loves to write human interest profiles, in-depth service pieces and stories that explore the intersection of exercise and mental health. Her work has also been published by SELF, Men’s Journal, and Condé Nast Traveler, among other outlets. When she’s not running or writing, Jenny enjoys coaching youth swimming, rereading Harry Potter, and buying too many houseplants.
