A guest post from my running buddy

I’ve mentioned a few times that one of the great things about running in 2010 was that I got a running buddy. He asked me to mention the importance of data on my blog so I did the next best thing and gave him the opportunity to do a guest post:

One of the things that has changed/improved my running (aside from hitting the road with Andrew) is tracking my performance. In other words, the use of data/information.

It was ‘simply’ by tracking how much I was eating (calories) and my weight that I managed to lose 28Kg. In tracking calories and weight, I began to make decisions that were better informed. I didn’t deliberately set goals, I just made informed decisions about what I choose to eat. In case your interested what I did was based on the “Hackers Diet“.

Running has been like that for me too. I track my performance and that allows me to make informed decisions. Knowing what I actually can do, and how much I’m doing helps me make informed decisions. That’s how I came to try running with a 5:15 pack at the YMCA … the data suggested that it was a real possibility. That’s how I went and broke my PBs for the 5k and 10k yesterday … the data suggested it was a real possibility. That’s how I know when I can (and cannot) do a 30k run (without injury); because I have the evidence about how I’ve been responding to longer distances.

I think many guides to running suggest keeping a running log, as it provides essential and concrete feedback on how things are going. A that allows realistic decisions to be made.

For me, I track my running using an iPhone app. I’ve a lot of them, and the best I’ve found is RunMeter. It’s outstandingly reliable, and that’s important to me. I hate doing a run and not having any data at the end of it. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Of course I ‘advertise’ my running date through some of the social websites (e.g., DailyMile) but that is primarily for my social network (and the great support one gets from such networks). But my primary log is RunMeter.

You can follow Peter on DailyMile or at his personal blog.