Mileage Junkie

Are you a mileage junkie? I am. I've logged every mile that I've run since 1999. I track the date, time of day, miles, minutes (or hours), conditions (temp, humidity, etc.), and general notes. At various times I'll add data about my weight, blood pressure, heart rate, injuries, new shoes, etc. On an annual basis, I write down the number of runs and miles. Basically, I've created a journal of my running life...a tale of triumph and setbacks.

I'm not really sure why I started logging. But, I'm addicted to tracking the miles. I know that a lot of distance runners worry more about the number of minutes they are running rather than miles. There's definitely logic in that approach, especially if you're already in decent physical condition. I've done this as well. In my opinion, though, the beginning runner gains more positive feedback from logging miles than just the amount of minutes they run. At the same time, I don't want to downplay the number minutes you should workout. Generally, I run at least 30 minutes per workout.