That summer I read The Courage to Start by John Bingham, a book that was a HUGE part of my falling in love with running and creating my own identity as a runner. When I read about Bingham's journey from couch-potato-smoker to ("penguin" slow) marathon runner, I was completely inspired and realized for the first time that walk breaks were a-okay and did not make me less than a runner! I wrote the title quote from that book on the first page of my journal, and it truly sums up the journey to become a runner that I captured in its pages. The miracle is that I had the courage to start. For the past two years, I've recorded my workouts, thoughts about training (and injury after injury), and motivational quotes in this journal.
It captured my very first 5K in 2010...
My first half-marathon in 2011...
And most recently my first tri...
It's pretty amazing to look back through this journal and remember that just two years ago I felt like an imposter calling myself a "runner" and was shaking with nerves just lining up at my first 5K. What a journey it's been! After this week, though, my training journal will be FULL. Crazy! Since recording my training on paper has become so special to me, I decided to put some extra TLC into making my next training log even more special than the first. Being a child of two children of the 60s, Mod Podge has always been my absolute favorite craft supply. I would mod podge every piece of furniture in my house if I thought it would be socially acceptable.
I spent an evening paging through copies of Runner's World magazine and cutting out just the right pictures and words, then meticulously arranging them on the notebook I had bought and covering them with layer after layer of mod podge. I absolutely love love love the finished product:
Front cover |
Back cover |
Love love love this quote from Marc Parent's column, "The Newbie Chronicals" |
Inside cover |
Do you keep a training journal?
Great journals!!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! Thanks for sharing!! I used to keep a journal - a friend gave it to me.. now I am wondering where the heck it is... LOL
ReplyDeleteI love journals! I started keeping one a few years ago, and I'm so glad I'm able to go back and see how I've grown over the years.
ReplyDeletei absolutely love this!!! thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou are getting "crafty"!! Wonder where you got those genes?
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