Video Recap Logs

With the '17 year quickly coming to a close, there one other thing that I wanted to share.

Through the years, I have found many ways to maintain my training log. During the early years, paper i.e. a log book was pretty much my only option. Computers came along, and I started logging my miles in a spread sheet. With the onset of the internet, a plethora of online logging sites sprang in to existence so I moved to using one them. Each has its own pros and cons. I could probably argue that any one of them is the best.

Yet, this year I took this logging idea a step up and started doing daily video logs. Each day this year, after my run, I would set down for a couple of minutes and just debrief about my run, my race, and anything else that was going on in my life. At first, I felt awkward. My words seemed to just stumble out of my mouth with no apparent connection.

As the days passed, I kept doing it. Soon, I found that I was better able to organize my thoughts and step through them, and the whole process became easier. Now, 350+ days of video logs later, the words literally flow out.

Actually, this year I kept a written log in addition to my video log.

Looking back over both, my written logs mostly contained the facts while my video logs contained the facts, but they also contained the intangibles. Reading the written word is often cold and unfeeling. Hearing the spoken word allows for another level of connection. The intensity of the sound carries meaning. Add watching my facial expressions and body language, I can nearly recall the exact feelings of the day.

I have not decided if I am going to continue this activity in '18 or if I am going to modify it to just make them on race day. May be I will stop them all together. Although, now that I have started, I do like the idea of making race day video recaps. Being able to listen to myself describe what I did good or bad always out weighs reading about it.

Give video recap logs a try. You might be surprised at how much you really like it.

The Cool Down Runner