MAP THE JOURNEY

On Wednesday, I began logging my miles in my brand new 2014 logbook. The simple, black book, given to me by a local insurance friend, is seriously low-tech, but it has been my method of keeping track of my running workouts since late 1976.

Today, GPS watches, as well as computer programs, offer concise methods of recording one's mileage. For me, however, there's something about actually writing down my workouts that seems to finalize and memorialize the events.

A running partner for years, and a member of my 'Cast of Characters' chapter in my book, "Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes," www.runningshortsbook.com records his workouts simply, scratching a "6" on a regular wall calendar, to indicate the 6 miles he ran on that day. On the other end of the spectrum, another member of the 'Cast,' Rob Croswell, has, for years, written mini-novels, sometimes running out of space, spilling words into the margin of his logbook.

A daily log of one's running mileage serves as both a map and a history of one's running workouts. It tells you where you have been, and it can direct you to where you are going.

So, you can "go by the book," or you can go high tech. Either way, your running log serves as a valuable tool in your running arsenal.