My Run Binder

A good motivation page is a must!

One of the things running wise that I get asked a lot is how I keep track of my schedule. I know running two races a month doesn’t seem like much but making sure I don’t double book races and keep up with training is. So today I am going to introduce you all to my Run Binder. Where ever I go, it goes with me. I am not kidding, I made sure the last purse I bought it would fit inside it, it also fits in my run bag and easily slides between my seat and center console in my car for when I'm looking for directions. It’s just a simple ½ inch binder with a set of 12 month tabs and then a print out of each months calendar basically it’s a homemade Dayrunner. I know in this electronic age we all have accounts for Garmin Connect and Map My Run that keep track of our daily distances. Yes, I know  that if you want to get further involved with these apps they will track your full race schedule thru their calendar programs. I find that sort of limiting since I do not carry any mobile electronics other than my gps watch. For shame most people think, you run without your cell phone? OMG! It’s really too much for some ladies I know to handle. They have to have that ability to be in constant contact and personally I find it much too distracting. If my husband were to call me while I was out on a run or worse while I was in the middle of a race, I would lose my shit. My run would become about talking on the phone not paying attention to the run itself. That’s too much for me. In fact the truth is I don’t even have a cell phone, when I am unavailable, I’m truly unavailable.

May's page, stars and all.

I still prefer to be able to physically touch things; there is something in being able to write a race on the calendar or inking in a distance and time on paper, something more real about sticking my “star” on the calendar after a good work out.  I guess I am old school that way. The other thing I like about my binder is that I get instant feedback. I can flip the page and see where I am compared to where I was last year. I can also flip the tabs to see what things I have coming up and if I see a race I like it’s easy to see where it would fit in my schedule without have to login in somewhere and wait for the page to load. I also keep print outs of registration emails (cuz you never know when you’ll come to packet pick up and not be on the actual list, it happens even at the best of races) and hotel confirmations, directions to races and any cool places to see while in the area, all neatly sorted into the month I will be using them. It's also great to have on hand at expos so when I impulse buy races I can check immediately what else I have going on. Only draw back I have right now is that I really should remember to write in birthdays and holidays so I don't book races those days. 

So far for May my page has a few holes. It's been rainy and I have been using that as an excuse to not run. I do get to finish out the month in Texas City at their "Run Fest" which is super hero themed this year. I'm going as the Flash (yes, for the irony of it). Nothing like a 6 mile tempo run to close out a month.