Last December I reviewed VeloPress’s Believe Training Journal (here). I’ve been using a new edition for the last few weeks. All due respect to the teal cover on my last one, I like this “Boston-inspired blue and gold” much better:

 

 

The souped-up journal comes from Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas. As I noted with the previous edition, this one has:

• a two-page spread for tracking run details each week… there are 54 undated weeks, so use them whenever you want
• each week has a small box for “this week’s focus”… I consistently benefit from thinking through this each week (I otherwise never would on Strava, etc.)
• similarly, each week ends with a few lines for a “rundown,” also the kind of reflection not built in to any activity tracking apps
• quotes from different runners to inspire (this week it was Shalane Flanagan)
• a guided goal-setting section
• pages for logging races
• what most sets this journal apart (and makes it more than just a blank journal): short articles on running-related topics like racing, recovery, community, setbacks, and more

Here are some pictures. You’ll see that I’ve been using the log so far to track my progress in injury recovery (I fractured my ankle in late October). I’d much rather be tracking runs, but right now recovery is my training plan:

 

 

There are “check-in” pages throughout, which has been a great place to record notes from doctor’s visits!

 

 

Here’s an article (this one was in the last journal I used, too):

 

 

As with other Believe journals, this one is undated (a year’s worth of pages) and includes an annual calendar where you could easily see multiple months’ worth of mileage at once.

This cover is “flexi-bound synthetic,” material which is a little stronger than softcover.

If your goal is to log your runs (distance, pace, mindset, weather, etc.), all you need is a blank notebook. Especially being in recovery mode, though, I’ve enjoyed having this journal with its additional reading material to keep me interested. I still appreciate the 6” x 7 ½” size and ribbon marker that keeps my place at the current week.

You can find the journal here, with other options available, as well.

 

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Thanks to the great folks at VeloPress for the review copy.

I’m keeping one now. And it’s fun! The heart and soul of this pre-made journal I’m using is the two-page weekly spread:

 

 

 

It’s the Believe Training Journal from Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan-Dumas. My wife was probably not wrong when she said its teal cover and graphics could have earned it a spot at a junior high girls retreat, but I’m okay with that. The journal itself is great. It’s got:

• the above shown two-page (undated!) spread for tracking run details each week
• “this week’s focus” for each week: such a helpful exercise to think this through before running
• a week-end “rundown”–an act of reflection I haven’t otherwise been doing with my running apps
• quotes from various runners to inspire
• a guided goal-setting section
• race logs
• short articles on various topics throughout: e.g., racing, recovery, community, setbacks, and more

This is easily the best running journal there is, if a pre-made/lightly guided running log is what you’re after. Check out some more of the inside:

 

 

(Click/tap on any of the three below to enlarge)

 

 

There are “check-in” pages throughout:

 

 

Here’s an article:

 

 

The whole thing is undated (a year’s worth of pages) and includes an annual calendar. I was going to start in 2019 but couldn’t wait, so for me this is a November 2018-October 2019 journal.

 

 

The cover is “flexi-bound synthetic,” which is a little stronger than softcover, but still can easily get banged up in a backpack (if you just toss it in, as I have been):

 

 

There certainly are simpler journals on the market, but the articles here have drawn me in, so that this is kind of a souped-up, one-stop shop for my year’s running annals. The size is just about perfect (6″ x 7 ½”), and the included ribbon marker can go in at my current week.

You can find the journal here, with other color options available, as well.

 

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Thanks to the great folks at VeloPress for the review copy.

If you’re into exercising, you should know about VeloPress. If it’s a sport in the triathlon (or associated topics like nutrition), they’ve got you covered. Here’s a short review of Strength Training for Triathletes, 2nd Edition, by Patrick Hagerman.

I have barely seen this book since it arrived, since it has been my spouse’s constant companion for her triathlon training. She doesn’t usually travel with (or need) books for exercise, but this one has gone with her to the gym or pool regularly. That’s a good sign.

Here’s the publisher’s description:

Certified USA Triathlon coach and NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year Patrick Hagerman, EdD, reveals a focused, triathlon-specific strength training program that will enable triathletes to push harder during training and on the racecourse when the effort is hardest. Triathletes who master this progressive strength training program will also become more resistant to injury, meaning fewer missed workouts.

Strength Training for Triathletes features 75 of the most effective strength training exercises for triathlon swimming, cycling, and running plus core strength and general conditioning. Full-color photographs illustrate each simple exercise, and exercises are grouped so athletes can focus on their own individual performance limiters. Hagerman simplifies the science underlying strength training, offering easy-to-follow guidelines on resistance and reps that will make triathletes stronger through every phase of the season.

The exercises themselves are split into seven chapters: one for “core conditioning,” and then one each for upper and lower body for swimming, cycling, and running.

The author asks right away: why train for strength when the triathlon is an endurance sport? Why train muscles and not just cardiovascular?

The short answer is that strength training makes muscles stronger, and stronger muscles can perform longer at higher intensities before they fatigue.

Or, in other words, “When you have more muscle to rely on, it takes longer to wear it out.”

As a runner I found compelling the science behind this that Hagerman unpacks. When I think about working out, I only ever want to run (more miles!), but he makes a convincing case for the value of strength training—not just as its own end, but also as a means to the end of better race endurance (and speed).

As for the exercises themselves, the descriptions are short, easy to follow, and accompanied by pictures so you are clear on what to do.

 

 

 

 

There’s a great accompanying Website for the book, with more exercises and excerpts here.

And if you sign up for VeloPress’s newsletter, you get $10 off an order through their site.

You can find Strength Training for Triathletes, 2nd Edition here (publisher’s page) or here (Amazon).

 

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Thanks to the publisher for the review copy, offered without expectation as to the content of this review.