Have you ever gone out for a run mentally fully motivated, but after a few minutes realized that your legs feel heavy—so it won't be such a good one after all?
Or maybe you’ve had a run scheduled in your calendar, but the time comes and you don't feel like leaving the couch at all. But you go anyway, and afterwards, you feel totally renewed.
Some days are better than we expect; others are not. Sometimes, our body is telling us to take a break, while other times our mind is just blocking us. Running has its ups and downs, and it is all a beautiful, intricate part of the journey.
However, navigating these waves can feel so much harder when you’re just starting out, or when you’ve settled on a bold new challenge. That’s exactly when expectations need to be managed—because your mind and your body are constantly giving you signs. Your progress depends entirely on your willingness to stop, listen, and honor them.
Journaling provides the perfect space to step back, review your progress, and identify patterns. It gets away from the digital noise and comparison to others, and brings you into a personal and private room, where you can be honest with yourself. Of course this goes beyond running, since the practice of journaling can be used for many different applications.
I believe that self-awareness is one key aspect of how journaling and running can come together as one useful tool. By writing down how you feel before and after you step out the door, you build a personal knowledge base of yourself. You will begin to see trends that define your training:
- When does your energy naturally peak during the week or month,
- How relaxed do you feel after certain stressful days as soon as you go for a short run, or
- When does your body give you signs to take a rest.
These and many more questions you can find out about yourself, over time, if you keep the written records and revisit them every once in a while. And it can be done in just a few minutes, after your runs, coupled with your post-workout routine.
Get into self-discovery mode, and learn about yourself!