If comparing your pace and distance to other people's makes you feel slow or discouraged, you don't have to stop tracking. You can change what and how you track.
When starting out, it's normal to not be able to achieve great distances, or to feel out of breath after a few minutes. Beginner runners can log effort, mood, energy, tracking small wins for each run. This builds a record of progress that doesn't depend on metrics. And if you like putting pen to paper, the Runner's Journal by Kineia Journals is a fully designed and guided tool for this specific purpose.
Why do running stats feel overwhelming when you're a beginner?
Digital apps or smartwatches are excellent at what they do: measuring pace, distance, heart rate, and elevation. But as a beginner, three things tend to happen:
- You compare yourself to people who've been running for years. It makes no sense to compare with someone who has a different starting point.
- You judge each run by its numbers. A slow or short run feels like a "bad" run, even if you showed up on a day you didn't want to. Walking starts to seem like the wrong thing to do, when in reality it's totally okay to stop or walk in between your runs.
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You might push yourself too hard. Trying to copy and keep up with other people's training schedule might not be healthy for you. Everyone has their own training goals, and not all training plans apply to all of us.
This might make you feel embarrassed, self-conscious or discouraged. And this is not meant to be the point of running.
Should you stop using your running app?
Not necessarily. If you want automatic data insights or a training plan, the apps might be for you.
However, many runners use both: the digital apps or smartwatches give you the objective data, while a physical or digital journal gives you the private and personal context.
The point is to stop focusing only on the metrics and start looking at the overall picture. Stop comparing to others and start noticing your own consistency!
What should beginners track instead of metrics?
Here are five things you can writing down after each run. It takes only a few minutes, and it helps you reflect on your experience from a more mindful perspective.
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Effort: Did today's run feel easy, medium or heavy? Over time, you might notice that what used to feel heavy starts becoming lighter.
- Mood before the run: Notice if you're feeling stressed or tired, what thoughts are going through your head.
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Mood after the run: Reflect if moving your body helped clear your head. Does your mind feel calmer?
- Energy: How's your body feeling? Do you have any pain? Did you sleep and eat properly? Have you drank enough water? If you have a menstrual cycle, in what phase are you? These notes might help you notice patterns over time.
- One win: Smal or big, something that makes you want to keep going.
Where does the Runner's Journal fit in my running routine?
We designed the Runner's Journal for runners who want a private space and a record-keeping for each run. It has a simple and prompted structure to support reflection, without staring at a blank page. When you re-read and go over your own notes, you might start picking up on patterns and start noticing the real effect of running on your mental state, your energy levels and your mood.
- What it is: a guided, physical running journal with pre-written prompts.
- What's inside: goal setting, a running calendar, training notes, a distance tracker, prompted pre- and post-run notes, monthly review pages, and a personal-bests page.
- Capacity: one Runner's Journal can hold and keep your memories for over 35 runs, a yearly calendar, and personal-bests for up to 3 distances of your own choosing.
- How long does journaling a run take? A few minutes before and/or after the run. We also encourage monthly reflections, where you go over your runs from the past month and try to notice what went well, what can be improved, and any training patterns worth highlighting.