Keep a running journal

How a journal can help you plot your best running performance

A FEW SENTENCES about your best workout. Fifteen minutes jotting down your goals and concerns regarding the next day’s run. A chronicle of good days and bad, disappointments and successes. Could these simple acts of writing mean the difference between a PB and a sub-par performance? Runner Megan Vaccaro finds that getting her thoughts down on paper helps her stick to her race plan. Ernesto Ramirez, a 1:13 half marathoner, says that his prerace writing helps him strategise in more depth. Lauren Fleshman, a two-time US champion at 5000m, knows that when she puts things down in a journal she sleeps a lot better the night before her race. These three athletes have added an effective strategy to their repertoire – writing in a journal.