Do you log your training, in one way or another? Mike and I have slightly different approaches, yet we both share the interest for structure and improvements, as well as simply remembering what was done and when. I’m not the one to track everything with a watch – this tends to cause me stress often – but like to note down what I have done and when in some sort of training log format. Mike always uses a watch, and typically uploads his activities to Strava. At the end of every year, we like to summarize what we have done and compare this to previous years, and find it very useful and also a lot of fun.
And now we have this training log document right here, where you can input your data, view weekly summaries and see corresponding charts for your running distance as well as total training time. As the runners as we are, we are primarily interested in the three components listed under “Weekly Summary” – running distance, the number of sessions and total training time. You can add other activities besides running and input the distance for those as well, but those kilometers won’t count towards the weekly total. The training time, however, will.
Mike developed this (now downloadable) google document for his own sake initially, but then figured there might be others out there interested in a similar tool. Now, you might wonder, why would you use this instead of just Strava? Well, Strava is great – but the free account won’t make it easy to view the total training time for the week, or the number of sessions. It also won’t show you charts of the running distance or training hours, and we find these very useful in getting a quick overview as to our trends. The screenshots below will give you an idea of what it all looks like, and you’ll find more detailed instructions on how to download and use this tool if you scroll down further. That’s all from us! Train happy!
Screenshots from the training log
How to download the training log
- Click on the following link to open the shared Google Sheet: Training Log – English or Träningsdagbok – Svenska.
- If you are not already logged into Google, sign into your Google account in the upper right hand corner.
- Click “File” and then “Make a copy”. A copy of the Google document will now saved in your Google drive for you to edit as you please.
- Take note: This document can be downloaded as an Excel document without signing into Google – however, it’ functionality has not been verified and it’s likely that some features (such as the charts) won’t work properly as this document was designed and created in Google Sheets.
Sign into your google account (left). How to make a copy for your own use (right).
How to use the training log
- Choose activity type from the drop-down menu in column C. Two slots per day are available.
- Enter distance in kilometers in column D. Take note: only running distances are accumulated and shown in the weekly summary and distance chart, but all distances can be put in. (We are runners, after all.)
- Enter duration of activity in column E. Take note: the format should be hh:mm. For example, for 65 minutes, enter 1:05. For a 2 hr 10 minute activity, enter 2:10. For a 30 minute activity, enter 0:30.
- To remove an activity, highlight the cells for the Activity, Distance and Duration, and press delete. Do not delete cells with the average pace – this will be removed automatically.
- If you want to add additional activity types, go to the Instructions tab at the bottom of the document. Under “Activity Types” (column B), type your desired additions in the empty cells at the bottom of the list.
- To view charts for Weekly Running Distance and Weekly Training Hours, click the corresponding tabs at the bottom of the document (på svenska: “Distans löpning per vecka” samt “Träningstid per vecka”). These charts will auto populate as you insert the numbers in the log.
- To view training data for the whole year, scroll down to the bottom of the training log. There you’ll be able to see total kilometers run, number of long runs, number of training sessions, and total training time.
Tip: I’ve downloaded the Google Sheets app for my phone, so then I can access this document without a computer. This way, I can input an activity right into my phone when I get home from a run.