Thursday, December 4, 2008

Keepin' Track

I did some Christmas shopping last night at Nordstroms and got some pretty sick gifts for some lucky people! I love giving gifts, it's my favorite thing to do. Sometimes Mr. R gets annoyed with gifts. (because he's not a gift giver like myself) I've decided that that's how I show my love to others. Anyways, last night my dad came home with a big gift! Our 9 foot tree. (9 feet, seriously dad, that was unnecessary) Here's a picture of the beast and I. Remember, I'm 5'7"!

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Anyways, today's gift is for those who are super organized about their training schedule, like myself. I always am writing down what I need to run, when I need to run, how far, where, and all the details. The following three books are great options to keep track of your running schedule, ways to plan ahead and also give you the ability to look back on your workouts.



First The Complete Runners Day by Day Log 2009 is a great option and I've actually looked at it in person before. It's spiral bound and a running log and calendar. The 2009 edition boasts a fresh, new look that keeps pace with today's runner. (as opposed to looking like you were logging runs from the 1980s) There are tips and all new color photos can be found alongside inspiring quotes. There's special space for tracking mileage, time of run, body weight and plenty of room for daily personal planning or notes. It's great for competiative and non-competative runners alike. It's only $10.39 HERE!



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The next training journal can be one for a more intense trainer it seems like. The Runners World Training Journal has updated facts, motivational quotes, and more than 150 tips based on the latest scientific information. It also has heavyweight smearproof paper that stands up to sweaty hands and a handy spiral binding that guarantees ease of use. (Sweaty hands... Seriously people?) There is also ample space for readers to record facts about each day’s run—including route, distance, time, and cross-training—and to note how they felt at the time. It also includes a Week-at-a-Glance feature that helps runners summarize their weekly training quickly and easily and also has advice for runners on how to analyze their data and set new goals for the next year. It's $10.17 and can be found HERE!


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The last training journal is The Running Log. It again is spiral bound and is written by April Powers who is the head coach for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Northern California chapter of Team in Training. This log is another way to document the details of your training regime. It has space for logging daily and weekly mileage, as well as time, body weight, route, and weather. It's also packed with training tips and will help you set and stay committed to your goals, organize your training program, and calculate your progress. It's $12.95 and can be found here!


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I have found that writing down my running routines works out well especially during training for a specific race or event. It keeps you motivated and also recording everything lets you look back at certain days and you can see that you finished your workouts, and you can also chart your growth as a runner. It's a great tool to see how far you've come.


Keep up the running! It's getting busy with the holidays, and tonight we are decorating the christmas tree! I'm going to go for a light jog before decorating, but I'm not working out too hard this week because of the 5k, and who knows how that will go! :) More gift ideas tomorrow!


xoxo

27 comments:

With Love from New Orleans said...

That is one huge tree... You look so pretty!!

Aron said...

YAY for christmas trees!!!! i LOVE them :) i thought ours was big at 8 feet - yours is huge!

Marcy said...

OMG that thing is HUGE!!! Your teeth are looking as sparkling as ever (GAH! I hate you JK!)

Mojito Maven said...

that is a HUGE tree BUT you look adorable!!!!!!!!!!

Shorty said...

Just found your site! I can't wait to learn from you and your discipline for running. That's about the only workout I do other than rowing, and I've been out of the loop for about three weeks now. My motivation has evaporated. Maybe one of your book recommendations will be just the thing to get me going again and learn to push myself more.

BeachRunner said...

Great gift tips. I'll take one of each please. And dont hurt yourself decorating that enormous tree.

X-Country2 said...

Awww, you look so happy next to that giant tree. :o)

Another great gift suggestion!

Jenn said...

I love workout journals! I've never tried a running specific one, but since I'm doing so much more running these days, I might just have to!

Marlene said...

That is a gorgeous - and huge! - tree! Cute pic.

No Longer Using said...

which one of these do you like best? i'm going to look at the first two i think and i'm leaning toward the first one. i've kept my own binder-notebook combo of sorts, but it'd be cool to have a streamlined book like this. i'm a write-it-down freak!!!! thanks D!

Melissa @ I Pick Pretty said...

Great pic - you look so cute, and the tree looks like it's giving you a bear hug!

Billy said...

holy crap that's a big ass tree..

I do all my tracking online - technology baby!

Cindy said...

you have such nice hair!
And cool tree too :)

Denise said...

I keep track on a stupid calendar I print off from Word...maybe it's time I upgrade to a journal...

Felice Devine said...

Cute pic!

joyRuN said...

You look so daggone cute with that tree monster!

Anonymous said...

First, I love the tree, it is great! Cute picture.

I need to buy myself one of those books. I have tons of calendar sheets with all my workouts on it. Thanks for sharing.

Marci said...

Wow, you are gorgeous! I love those ideas, and that tree rocks, have fun decorating it!

Diana said...

Love the big trees-we too usually get at least a 10ft'r-gotta love cathedral ceilings! Nice ideas for the runner journals-I keep track with BTT on my blog sidebar, but I also keep a workout journal for daily workouts-would be nice to keep a seperate one for running.

Mrs. Nurse said...

Holy moly! That is one huge tree! Can't wait to see the decorations :)

Julianne said...

That is one big tree!! But you sure do look good carrying it! :-)

Hopsy said...

Lucky you!! I LOVE big trees. Oh, and you look so pretty in the photo!

Steve Stenzel said...

Cute photo of you humping that tree!

And I'm a "logger" too, when it comes to workouts.

p.s. I just added you to my bloglist on my side bar. You're too good!

ECrunnergirl said...

Holy huge tree! That picture is great! You look awesome girl! Are you sportin' a tan?? If so, Im jealous :-}} I can't wait to put my tree up!!!

Database Diva said...

My daughter-in-law buys me The Complete Runner's Day-by-Day log every year for Christmas. She is awesome! My son bought me a battery powered thing to scrub the grout in the bathtub. OK, so it needed scrubbing, but not a good gift. Well, not until Mr Diva used it to scrub the tub. Then it was an excellent gift!

Men -- do not give women housecleaning supplies unless you intend to put them to use (or have them removed at the emergency room)

Jess said...

Oh my gosh that tree is huge! You must have some high ceilings in your house!

J said...

I have never had a written running log thingie - i might have to try it.

You look so cute with the tree!