Running log?

Quoted message said:

amh said:

Route, time, mileage. Nice to see the numbers go up. I log how I felt,
the weather and which shoes. Anything that comes to mind at that
moment that I feel is important. Heartrate when I feel like it.

Piggybacking onto your post here, but how do people track weather?
Just look it up online or use weather devices at home or...?

Weather.com works for me for 10-day forcasts and hourly forcasts. For
current conditions weather.lycos.com works. The readings are more current
at Lycos.

Phil M.

Phil M. said:

Weather.com works for me for 10-day forcasts and hourly forcasts. For
current conditions weather.lycos.com works. The readings are more current
at Lycos.

The problem I see with using online readings is they are
not always valid. It would depend on how far you live from
the "official" weather station. Just to give you an example,
two days ago, weather.com told me it was raining in my
city. I couldn't see it in my area. Apparently, it was
raining indeed a few miles away.

Also, I'm not sure (anyone care to enlighten me?) about the
temperature that online sites report - is it the temperature
in the shade or under the sun? I would think it's in the shade.
Last week, I measured 118F under the sun using a weather thermometer
but when I went back and checked online, it was only in the high 90's.

So, if I were to do a run on the road, which would presumably be
under the sun, I would be wrong if I went by the online reading.

jobs

Quoted message said:

Phil M. said:

Weather.com works for me for 10-day forcasts and hourly forcasts. For
current conditions weather.lycos.com works. The readings are more
current at Lycos.

The problem I see with using online readings is they are
not always valid. It would depend on how far you live from
the "official" weather station. Just to give you an example,
two days ago, weather.com told me it was raining in my
city. I couldn't see it in my area. Apparently, it was
raining indeed a few miles away.

Also, I'm not sure (anyone care to enlighten me?) about the
temperature that online sites report - is it the temperature
in the shade or under the sun? I would think it's in the shade.
Last week, I measured 118F under the sun using a weather thermometer
but when I went back and checked online, it was only in the high 90's.

So, if I were to do a run on the road, which would presumably be
under the sun, I would be wrong if I went by the online reading.

It's close enough for me.

Phil M.

Quoted message said:

Phil M. said:

Weather.com works for me for 10-day forcasts and hourly forcasts. For
current conditions weather.lycos.com works. The readings are more current
at Lycos.

The problem I see with using online readings is they are
not always valid.

They're probably valid for the station location.

It would depend on how far you live from

Quoted message said:

the "official" weather station.

But, as you point out, it may not be valid for where you are running.

FWIW, depending on where I'm running, I use either thermometer at my
house, lab, or center of town and/or weatherunderground.com (seems to
coincide with Weather Service). I use the local weather location as well
as some of the surrounding ones, esp. the one upstream (where the wind
storms and rapidly increasing temperatures usually come from). There are
gradients among the various locations that may be small or large,
depending on the weather pattern. I just kinda guesstimate within that.
I've got one of those zipper thermometers, but rarely use it. Weather
can vary over a couple hour run, esp. if going from fields to forest and
back again - so I've just been picking a number that seems to represent
the run and make additional comments in my comments section.

I used to fly, so for wind, I use "official" wind velocity values plus
observations on flags, trees, and herbaceous vegetation for guesstimates
where I am - and it varies across the time and space variation of my run.

Just to give you an example,

Quoted message said:

two days ago, weather.com told me it was raining in my
city. I couldn't see it in my area. Apparently, it was
raining indeed a few miles away.

Not unusual. I'll spare the details, but my town is near the junction of
2 glacial valleys (yes, they still have glaciers upstream). Winds blow
out of the one in winter, and the other in summer, and sometimes both.
Windsocks at different ends of the airport at junction show different
directions, and the grass may indicate a different direction still - all
within a mile. Abrupt changes in weather are not unusual around here.

Quoted message said:

Also, I'm not sure (anyone care to enlighten me?) about the
temperature that online sites report - is it the temperature
in the shade or under the sun?

Official weather stations are usually housed in white shelter at a
certain height - so it should approach that of the shade. I'm sure
there's a bunch of specs associated with official weather stations but
they didn't pop up with a quick google.
http://www.novalynx.com/fireweather.html
http://i4weather.net/wxpic8.jpg

I would think it's in the shade.

Quoted message said:

Last week, I measured 118F under the sun using a weather thermometer
but when I went back and checked online, it was only in the high 90's.

So, if I were to do a run on the road, which would presumably be
under the sun, I would be wrong if I went by the online reading.

Actually, you might look at "real feel" temperatures of Accuweather.com
http://www.accuweather.com/iwxpage/adc/help/pr_realfeel_pr.htm
(I think I've got a better link somewhere but it hasn't reappeared since
I switched computers)
While it sounded hoaky to me originally, as I understand it, it takes
into account (proprietary formula) wind, humidity (or dew point, can't
remember which), direct sun, etc, so may have some validity for running
(the better link has a better description and inspired a little more
confidence). For instance, I find 0F to feel colder in dark than in
daylight - no sun on me. Bob G. may have some comments.

I use weatherunderground most of the time since it seems to coincide
with the weather service most of the time, not that that makes it any
more "right" - just that I'm pretty sure I know where the official
stations are locally, but not sure where accuweather gets theirs, so
I've got a better feeling for the value of the data.

Hey, you asked 😉

Dot
who learned quickly when the reporting station for an airport is
sheltered so it doesn't reflect the wind on the airport

Tony said:

Dot wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

Tony said:

Ahem... Dot are you a scientist?

Ahhh, yes - an experimental one, not a modeler. What makes you ask? 😉

Dot
I really do use the information and never kept a log for the first 20
yrs of running - until I started at r.r and using a hrm.

Nothing, just looks like a rather rigorous data collection.

I guess I should've said "rhetorical" instead of using a "😉"

Quoted message said:

I sometimes
wish i had the patience to log all that,

Actually it's pretty quick to fill out the form. I've got most of my
standard foods, clothes, etc in pick lists with the most common ones at
the top (just type first couple letters) - much faster than manually
recording info. Now if the S625 has a decent download, I might be able
to link to that file or write a macro to bring the data into the db
(start time, duration, avg hr, maybe even distance, change in elevation,
and time in zones - I can dream).

Actually, some people log a lot more than this, at least for some runs -
things like weight before and after to estimate sweat rate, etc. Layne
Wallace (who hasn't posted in a long time and hope he's ok) had a really
comprehensive log and was doing some of the same kinds of learning as I
was at the same time, so I was somewhat influenced by him.

Dot

"Dot" <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Layne
Wallace (who hasn't posted in a long time and hope he's ok) had a really
comprehensive log and was doing some of the same kinds of learning as I
was at the same time

Don't flatter yourself. Neither of you were 'learning'. You were simply
collectors of spurious data that may - or, more likely, may not - have had
some undefined purpose at some unspecified time in the future.

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

amh said:

Route, time, mileage. Nice to see the numbers go up. I log how I felt,
the weather and which shoes. Anything that comes to mind at that
moment that I feel is important. Heartrate when I feel like it.

Piggybacking onto your post here, but how do people track weather?
Just look it up online or use weather devices at home or...?

jobs

Temperature within 10 degrees F. I'm not a weather almanac. Any other
conditions that affect how I would run. IE. Freezing! WINDY! *#&(%(@$
WINDY! Too Hot and Humid. SNOW!

Andy

Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote:
.....

Quoted message said:

Not unusual. I'll spare the details, but my town is near the junction of
2 glacial valleys (yes, they still have glaciers upstream). Winds blow
out of the one in winter, and the other in summer, and sometimes both.
Windsocks at different ends of the airport at junction show different
directions, and the grass may indicate a different direction still - all
within a mile. Abrupt changes in weather are not unusual around here.

Absolutely. That's why I said the if you go solely by an online reading,
it might not be valid.

Quoted message said:

Official weather stations are usually housed in white shelter at a
certain height - so it should approach that of the shade. I'm sure
there's a bunch of specs associated with official weather stations but
they didn't pop up with a quick google.
http://www.novalynx.com/fireweather.html
http://i4weather.net/wxpic8.jpg

Cool. Thanks Dot. I'll check these out.

Again, that brings out my point, if you go by an online reading (which
gives you the temperature in the shade), it might be different from the
temperature that you are subject to when you are out running in the sun.

Quoted message said:

Actually, you might look at "real feel" temperatures of Accuweather.com
http://www.accuweather.com/iwxpage/adc/help/pr_realfeel_pr.htm

Cool, I'll check this out too.

Quoted message said:

For instance, I find 0F to feel colder in dark than in
daylight - no sun on me. Bob G. may have some comments.

I think I've experienced that too. I like to think it's mainly in the mind.
Humans usually link dark and cold as in "... on a cold, dark moonless night,
the howl of a wolf split the silence, sending a shiver down the spine..."

Quoted message said:

Hey, you asked 😉

Thanks and I really appreciate it.

jobs

Dot said:

Queries (Access db) provide pace and distance / time on shoes as well as
summaries by any number of days (rolling 7, 30, 365) to track progress /
volume.

I like the rolling totals/averages. I tend to not run according to a
monday this, tuesday that, wednesday always those kind of schedule. I
just keep an eye on the weather and the way I feel and sometimes I end
up accumulating a lot of miles that stradle two weeks, that otherwise
wouldn't show up as being difficult. I used to keep a 4, 7 and 10 day
rolling total and average. I don't now because I guess I can handle
more, and because I got tired of spending so much time adding it all up.
If I were literate on the 'puter I guess I could make it easy.

Thank you all for more info and discussion than I imagined. I've started
a simple log tracking route, time, mileage, pace and then weekly
averages.

I'd never considered noting the weather or some of the other items -
keeping track of mileage for my shoes is a good secondary use.

Thanks.

Dadathome said:

As a novice runner who has decided in the last 45 days to get a bit
more serious and consistent in my efforts, I'm considering tracking my
routine in a log of some sort. My first priority in running is for the
cardio benefits and therefore just wish to do a minimum 30 mins/day.
My secondary desires are to increase my mileage and speed - meaning:
it'd be nice to see improvements in these areas over time. I've kept
track of the daily times plus the route (mileage).

If you keep a log, what info do you track?

Record distence and time, at least. Notes on the course, weather, etc can
be of interest. You can use any spreadsheet program, like Excel.

Re

--
Bob Burns
Mill Hall PA
[email hidden] distence and time

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For instance, I find 0F to feel colder in dark than in
daylight - no sun on me. Bob G. may have some comments.

I think I've experienced that too. I like to think it's mainly in the
mind. Humans usually link dark and cold as in "... on a cold, dark
moonless night, the howl of a wolf split the silence, sending a shiver
down the spine..."

Given equal temperature and humidity, I believe that the sun (radiant
energy) can cause you to feel warmer.

Here's what I found in Noakes' "Lore of Running":

The body can absorb additional heat from the environment, particularly from
the sun, but also from the hot road. This is because the body temperature
is cooler than that of the sun. Thus, it absorbs the sun's radiant energy.
Obviously, the amount of radiant energy to which the athlete is exposed is
greatest when there is no cloud cover and least when clould cover is
absolute.

Phil M.

There are measures that take the radiant heat into account, but they require
having more detailed information than one is normally going to have. To me,
cold, cool, perfect, warm, hot and "What was I thinking?" serve just as good
for me and require less time and energy to record. I am generally lazy.
"Phil M." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

For instance, I find 0F to feel colder in dark than in
daylight - no sun on me. Bob G. may have some comments.

I think I've experienced that too. I like to think it's mainly in the
mind. Humans usually link dark and cold as in "... on a cold, dark
moonless night, the howl of a wolf split the silence, sending a shiver
down the spine..."

Given equal temperature and humidity, I believe that the sun (radiant
energy) can cause you to feel warmer.

Here's what I found in Noakes' "Lore of Running":

The body can absorb additional heat from the environment, particularly

from

Quoted message said:

the sun, but also from the hot road. This is because the body temperature
is cooler than that of the sun. Thus, it absorbs the sun's radiant energy.
Obviously, the amount of radiant energy to which the athlete is exposed is
greatest when there is no cloud cover and least when clould cover is
absolute.

Phil M.

Quoted message said:

Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote:

Again, that brings out my point, if you go by an online reading (which
gives you the temperature in the shade), it might be different from the
temperature that you are subject to when you are out running in the sun.

Quoted message said:

Actually, you might look at "real feel" temperatures of Accuweather.com
http://www.accuweather.com/iwxpage/adc/help/pr_realfeel_pr.htm

Cool, I'll check this out too.

Quoted message said:

For instance, I find 0F to feel colder in dark than in
daylight - no sun on me. Bob G. may have some comments.

I think I've experienced that too. I like to think it's mainly in the mind.
Humans usually link dark and cold as in "... on a cold, dark moonless night,
the howl of a wolf split the silence, sending a shiver down the spine..."

Partly, but not completely 😉 There is reduced margin for error if
starting a trail run in the evening at subzero F temps. Usually nobody
else is around, whereas on Sat/Sun daylight, other people are or will be
around.

But I do know, if standing in the bright sunshine at 0F, it does feel
warmer than running at 15F in the dark. I don't run fast enough for
windchill to be an issue.

I should have clarified something also when I indicated the variation
between stations could be small or large. When our winter winds pick up,
there can be a variation between 0F, calm winds and +40F, 40-50mph winds
within a mile or so. Depressions can result in 10-20 deg temperature
drops. The difference between 0F and -20F is significant, at least for
me at my level of inexperience. Some of my runs start in open fields
(some wind), then head into woods and hills, then back out again - very
different temperature / wind regimes. This is why I pay attention to the
variations. It means the difference between potential frostbite, frozen
fluids, etc.

Dot
I can dream about having cold temperatures again, can't I, inspite of
record setting heat and fires this summer.

Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote:
....

Quoted message said:

But I do know, if standing in the bright sunshine at 0F, it does feel
warmer than running at 15F in the dark. I don't run fast enough for
windchill to be an issue.

I guess that might have to do with the radiant energy factor that Phil
mentioned in his post.

Quoted message said:

I should have clarified something also when I indicated the variation
between stations could be small or large. When our winter winds pick up,
there can be a variation between 0F, calm winds and +40F, 40-50mph winds
within a mile or so. Depressions can result in 10-20 deg temperature
drops.

I think I experienced this once in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
At one point it was warm and within about 2-3 miles it was chilly
and cold and I'm pretty sure we didn't gain/lose any altitude.
But nowhere near the extremes like you mention.

Quoted message said:

The difference between 0F and -20F is significant, at least for
me at my level of inexperience.

My friends who live in colder climates tell me that below 0F it doesn't
matter what it is. But, I think, this is more from the point of view of
inconvenience, as in putting on your gloves to get into the car, etc..

Quoted message said:

Some of my runs start in open fields
(some wind), then head into woods and hills, then back out again - very
different temperature / wind regimes. This is why I pay attention to the
variations. It means the difference between potential frostbite, frozen
fluids, etc.

I guess where you are, it's definitely an issue. Here in Southern
California, it's about how much time do I have before traffic hits.

Quoted message said:

Dot
I can dream about having cold temperatures again, can't I, inspite of
record setting heat and fires this summer.

Fires?! There?! Who would've thought. Hey, global warming 🙂
But be careful of when you use words like "record." Some people can jump
on it -- "It wasn't! The record was way back in the 19th century when the
temperature was actually 2 degrees more."

jobs

Quoted message said:

Dot <dot.h@#duh?att.net> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I can dream about having cold temperatures again, can't I, inspite of
record setting heat and fires this summer.

Fires?! There?! Who would've thought.

Actually, that's a major part of our ecosystem processes up here
(non-coastal environments), esp. in interior. Fires included 5+ million
acres this summer, but may include unburned patches within a fire's
boundaries. The aftermaths that I saw generally went to mineral soil -
including one in a wetland. I think many were pretty hot. They're
finally getting one of the prescribed burns to go - one that's been
scheduled for 20+ years.

Quoted message said:

Hey, global warming 🙂

nah 😉 obstinate high pressure that wouldn't budge 🙁 and our jet
stream was far to the south, I think.

Quoted message said:

But be careful of when you use words like "record." Some people can jump
on it -- "It wasn't! The record was way back in the 19th century when the
temperature was actually 2 degrees more."

Of course, our records may only go back a few decades 😉 But the most
acreage burned goes back to 1957, and the most days over 70F (44) goes
back to 1936. Y'all can stop laughing - +70F melts most Alaskans 😉

But we had our first decent rain that I can remember since about May
last night - hallelujah! We should be having snow on the high peaks by
now, not fire smoke coming down through the valleys. Fairbanks still has
heavy smoke warnings.

Dot

Sam wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

There are measures that take the radiant heat into account, but they

require

Quoted message said:

having more detailed information than one is normally going to have. To

me,

Quoted message said:

cold, cool, perfect, warm, hot and "What was I thinking?" serve just as

good

Quoted message said:

for me and require less time and energy to record. I am generally lazy.

Ditto, but I only record it if its out of the seasonal norm or noteworthy...

- Tony

Dadathome <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

As a novice runner who has decided in the last 45 days to get a bit more
serious and consistent in my efforts, I'm considering tracking my
routine in a log of some sort. My first priority in running is for the
cardio benefits and therefore just wish to do a minimum 30 mins/day. My
secondary desires are to increase my mileage and speed - meaning: it'd
be nice to see improvements in these areas over time. I've kept track of
the daily times plus the route (mileage).

If you keep a log, what info do you track?

I've used this one for four years now:

http://winningstats.com/default.asp

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dadathome said:

As a novice runner who has decided in the last 45 days to get a bit more
serious and consistent in my efforts, I'm considering tracking my
routine in a log of some sort. My first priority in running is for the
cardio benefits and therefore just wish to do a minimum 30 mins/day. My
secondary desires are to increase my mileage and speed - meaning: it'd
be nice to see improvements in these areas over time. I've kept track of
the daily times plus the route (mileage).

If you keep a log, what info do you track?

i've kept a running log since i started running back in 1999 (yes, i'm
pretty tired now 🙂

i jot down things like what i ate prior to the run and how long before,
time of day, time spent running, sometimes the distance (though time
generally tells me how far i went... roughly), weather conditions + what
i wore and how comfortable i was, hills, aches, pains, sights seen
(lovely ladies, wildlife (deer, fox, skunk, rabbit)), problems with
injuries, what sort of run it was (intervals at the track, fartlek,
tempo, distance run, etc). also whether i ran solo or with someone else.

i also note how i felt after... good, bad, with details and how well i
recovered, and what i did and ate (stretch, water, ice, eat, etc).

Cam

Quoted message said:

i've kept a running log since i started running back in 1999 (yes, i'm
pretty tired now 🙂

Damn, he's stealing my one-liners, and delivering them in a pre-emptive humor
strike.