Get with the Program
It's usually around mid-June that I revisit the Hal Higdon Web site to print out my Advanced Marathon Training program. It's a straightforward grid that references the daily mileage to the corresponding effort level in which the said distance should be run. It's simple, it gives me structure, and most of all it gives me the satisfaction of crossing off the daily assigned mileage.

However, this year when I went to printout my tried-and-true Hal Higdon schedule, I noticed that I have to now pay for my schedule, which has been expanded to include software and interactive options that promise to vastly enhance my training experience.

Before I dropped about $50 on a mileage guide, I decided to ask around to see how other runners tracked their training. It wasn't long before I realized just how out of the loop I was. Sure, there were some people still using a hard-copy running journal, but the majority of runners were using Internet-based technology to track many aspects of their training.

The Nike+ system seems to be one of the hottest training tools currently available. This partnership between Nike and Apple not only "tunes" your run, but also automatically captures your workout stats and uploads this data to the Internet when you plug in your Nano, presenting you spectacular graphical representations to boot. Eight-time marathoner Amy Bode uses it to track how many calories she burned in each run. The tool also fosters a sense of community as you can connect to (and compete with) other Nike+ users via the NikePlus.com Web site.

I was further amazed at the community and connectivity of Athleticore, www.athleticore.com, a tool used by many of my fellow runners. Athleticore is an online runner community that connects you to other runners and also allows you to capture daily mileage, the course you ran, the temperature and relative humidity for the day, and anything else you can think of that could possibly affect your running. Nike racing team member Brent Alexander loves being able to see how many miles he has run on each pair of shoes. Alexander now knows more precisely when it's time to purchase a new pair, reducing the risk of injury from shoes with insufficient support.

Though the complexity of the information captured by these tools may seem overwhelming, it has led me to an important conclusion: just because you are able to cross off the recommended mileage of every single day for your entire program, there is no guarantee you are headed for your best race. Proper training involves considerations beyond mileage. Athleticore advocate Ryan Whitehead is often at the top of charts for high mileage weeks, but has always said that tracking mileage is one of the least important aspects of his training. He recently told me, "I really think it's about tracking performance versus following a plan. When do you workout well? What workouts lead to best performances? What workouts kill performances? How much rest do you need after certain kinds of workouts? How do weather and sleep affect you? What makes you peak? What makes you stale?"

Put simply, keeping a training log that captures more than just the miles emphasizes the individuality of the sport that we often overlook. Just because an advanced training program that I downloaded from the Internet worked for me last year does not mean it will work for everyone. In fact, it might not even work for me again this year. Recording and analyzing all aspects of your training is crucial to help us find patterns. The training log that international marathoner Dan Weaver has kept since college made him realize that he had his best races three weeks after the end of a three- week period of high mileage and revealed to him that he doesn't race as well immediately after a taper week.

The good news is that technology has come a long way to help us consider all aspects of our training and to find the patterns to our success. As true runners know, though, technology can only carry us so far. It can graph our variations in tempo and tell us when we need to buy new shoes, but when it comes to interpreting and understanding our bodies-as it is with so many other aspects of the sport-it's all up to us.

Kathryn Harb is the co-Captain of Chicago's Fleet Feet club racing team. E-mail her at kathryn.harb@gmail.com.