Training journals can be an important part of anyone’s training routine - from pro-athletes right down to the weekend racer. Without a journal, Gale Bernhardt (who contributes to Active.com) points out, it’s difficult to “determine what changes to make in a training routine to improve performance”, and she says a training journal can help “document how your body reacts to a particular pattern of training volume and intensity.” In her article she looks at two riders and how training journals were able to help them identify what they did right and wrong in preparing for race day. In one case a racer was so busy with work, they didn't know how much training they missed six weeks before race day. While the journal didn’t help save the rider’s race in this case, it showed what they would need to do in the future to improve performance. In another example, a rider thought they were not putting in sufficient training time compared to the previous year. After taking a look back at her journal it turned out that she was actually exceeding her previous training levels. In the end, the rider’s journal put her at ease prior to race day and she did quite well.

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