PUBLISHED 10/10/2005
The simplicity of running is part of its addiction. No high-tech equipment needed (okay, aside from a good pair of running shoes and comfortable performance wear). But when it comes to knowledge and motivation, two critical elements to better running, technology can be miraculously helpful. That's because runners--the enterprising, social creatures that they are--can gain both more easily by sharing their running lives with others.
Since 1999, free and easy-to-use computer software has enabled people to keep Web logs--online journals with dated entries--better known as blogs. Instead of detailing workouts in a private training diary, runners are now logging their workouts on the Web for friends, teammates, and long-distance training partners to read and respond to. Alison Wade, a 29-year-old, 3:09:45 marathoner in Massachusetts, is one of a growing network of running bloggers. Starting in April 2004, Wade found that sitting down in front of her computer--yes, a sedentary act--transformed her running in fabulous ways. "I wanted to become more focused in my training," says Wade, a former assistant high school cross-country coach. "Since starting my blog, I have done some of my best training ever."
Blogging has helped Wade stick to her training goals. "If I take an extra day off, I have to admit it to a couple hundred people," she says. Typically Wade writes in her blog (eliterunning.com/alison/) for 15 minutes after she runs or before she goes to sleep. She records her workout details, how she feels, and what she learns from her training. The feedback she gets is invaluable. After a DNF at the 2005 Boston Marathon, Wade got back more than 20 e-mails and blog comments. "I don't even have that many friends in real life," she wrote in her blog. "While it's hard to fail publicly, it's also nice to have a whole crew of people who are so understanding." Wade has found regular running partners through her blog, and has even stayed with a blogging friend during her travels to California.
Different Continent, Same Goals
Individual runners like Wade aren't the only ones blogging these days. Marathon training groups also have begun utilizing blogs, connecting runners from all over the planet who are training for the same race. Australian marathoner David Bray gets regular feedback on his running blog (davebray.blogspot.com) from a number of runners in the United States. "We have a good network of bloggers and a lot are training for the same events," he says. "It's good to see how others progress toward a common goal."
For former Olympian and current elite masters runner Joan Nesbit Mabe, having a blog is less about tracking mileage and more about "getting inspiration electronically." Mabe says a lot of runners are isolated. This is one reason she wrote in her blog (www.runningland.com) on November 22, 2004, about running a 5:03 mile at the age of 42. She wanted to inspire other women her age.
Theresa Bianco, Ph.D., whose research focuses on the role of social support in injury recovery, says isolated runners may have an unrealistic perspective on how they are doing in their training. "Training is very much up and down both physically and mentally," she says. "If you feel that you are the only one encountering problems, it will have a negative impact on your training and performance."
