Every Sunday since I started blogging I’ve posted my workouts from the previous week. It was something I noticed a bunch of bloggers did weekly so I thought it was a good segment to add to my rotation. Almost every week since then I’ve had a mental debate before publishing those posts. To post or not to post? Are these beneficial? Self-indulgent? Does anyone care?
I think these workout recaps can be both good and bad, depending on a few factors. Those factors? They boil down to comparison on both sides of the computer: the reader and the blogger. The reader must take some responsibility to not compare their workouts to those of the blogger. The blogger must not think that every week is a competition, that every week must be better or harder or “good” for that matter.
I think a lot of people consider workout recaps to be a source of motivation. Whether the reader or the blogger, reading or writing a recap can provide workout ideas and inspiration to kick up or continue a routine. Those things can be good. We all need some motivation once in a while, right?
However, I believe these posts become a problem when comparison comes into play. Oh, she ran 30 miles this week and I only ran 5…I’m so lazy. She worked out almost every day and I took four rest days…I didn’t do enough. When that starts to happen, these recaps can lead to dangerous behavior and unhealthy mindsets. That is not something that I (the blogger) can control, but it is something I always keep in mind. I’m still unsure how to handle this situation, or if I even can.
Personally, I’ve found writing and reading these recaps to be beneficial for a few reasons.
1) I sometimes need workout inspiration/motivation. Running the same distance/speed or doing the same strength circuit every week can get boring. I often use other people’s recaps (like Jen at Peanut Butter Runner) for strength training ideas. If I’m ever in a running rut, reading about running sometimes spurs my desire to get out there (not that a running rut/break is a bad thing).
2) I use my OWN recaps to gain some perspective. Look, not every week is going to be “good.” But, guess what? Life goes on. Some weeks I feel great and others, like last week, I take more rest/easy days than normal. That balance (I tried not to use that word but it worked) keeps me healthy and happy. Plus, I try to note how I felt during the week to put everything in context for my reflection, if that makes sense.
3) It helps keep track of my mileage and what worked/didn’t work in training. A selfish reason for posting recaps. Also, it can be helpful to read about some tough workouts I had weeks/months ago as proof that I CAN do hard things.
My workout recaps from August – October (marathon training) are much different than they have been in 2015. Some people could view those months as “too much” or “too little” and the same goes for my more recent posts. I personally think variety is healthy, mentally and physically.
Also, a final (random) note: Let’s be honest. Not every workout is good. Even if you “felt the burn” or “pushed through” (my favorite description), some runs/workouts plain ol’ suck. Oh, and rest CAN feel good. Some people say that they were itching to workout on a scheduled rest day, which is fine, but so is the opposite feeling. #endrant
As a reader and a blogger, I see both sides of the issue. I will continue posting my recaps for now but I will always be cautious of what I’m portraying.
I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share them in the comments!
Great post as usual Emily! This is something I think about a lot too in terms of posting my pace and distance and also in terms of yoga selfies… I’m of two minds about it because on the one hand I have my non-comparison yogic values, and on the other hand I love to be motivated by blogs and so as a tool of motivation I think posting that sort of stuff can be awesome. I guess its one of those things that again comes down to balance! I also like to remind myself that if you are pure of intention and you think things through then the rest is not up to you.
Hope you’re having a great Monday! :)
Jessica @ kiwiyogirunner recently posted…The one with bestie weirdness and hill cravings
I think this idea can be applied to selfies (workout or not), food pictures and more. I agree, it comes down to balance and the responsibility of the reader to know what is inspiring for them and what leads to a rabbit hole of comparisons.
Really, I hate them and think they are boring, haha! But a blog is for the blogger as well. When blogs started, bloggers used them as journals to do such things as track their own progress, etc. So really, those posts are fine. They aren’t really for any one BUT the blogger, but that’s okay!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…What To Avoid With A Corn Allergy
Yes, I try to remember that “the blog is for a blogger too.” I think that’s why these posts are so common.
I used to do the whole weekly workout recap posts every Sunday since it was a great motivator for me, but I found myself being very analytical of what I was doing and it sometimes took the fun out of my workouts. I was becoming competitive with myself not because of other blogger’s recaps but because of my own. I would wonder what others would think if I took an extra rest day that week or if I didn’t run much. I ultimately decided to stop doing them besides when I am training for a race, but I do enjoy reading other’s recaps since I always get new workout ideas and I like to see what other people enjoy doing for exercising.
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Running with Pheidippides
Good for you for recognizing that recaps weren’t helpful for you. I personally don’t feel pressured to workout a certain number of times (or at a certain level) because I know the blog world, in general, throws certain things out of proportion. Most people would be so happy with 3 workouts a week! But I totally understand how thinking about it too much can cause stress.
I was going to post on something similar today instead of my race recap. I don’t do workotu recaps because I hate the comparison. My body , my training, my week is different so therefore my workouts are different from everyone else! Only running 3 miles compared to someone’s 8 doesn’t make it less of a workout for me!
Lauren recently posted…Marathon Monday 2015
Yup, when I run 20 miles a week I feel pretty accomplished but that would be considered a HUGE step back for a lot of people.
Your posts are the ones I look forward to most these days. They’re so honest. I could not agree with you more. I post workout recaps because they’re a good way for me to see what I’m doing, what’s working and what isn’t, how I’m feeling, and honestly, now they keep me accountable when I start to do too much. People will start to comment on it and because I preach “2-3 full rest days a week,” if I don’t honor that I’m not being true to myself or to my readers. But I had to stop writing them for a few months awhile back because I did feel that competition, so I definitely see the bad side. It wasn’t until after I stopped writing them that I realized running 50-60 mile weeks is NOT normal. I’m much happier and healthier with less miles and that’s perfectly okay with me. Great post :)
Sarah @pickyrunner recently posted…Weekend Happenings
Well, this comment made my day. Thank you, Sarah :) I think accountability is a great reason for posting recaps. What’s normal is blown out of proportion in the blog world and sometimes it takes writing out my workouts from the past week to realize that. I think even more than workout recaps, people post their workouts on social media. Even if they don’t do a weekly blog post, they are basically just posting them every day. Not necessarily bad, just something I noticed!
Just like everything else in the blogging and social media world you have to be careful to not always compare yourself to others or beat yourself up because you’re not doing or looking like others. I completely agree with everything you have said. And on those days when your workouts are honestly just horrible, I’m just glad it’s over with…I did it…and time to move on. HAHA!
She Rocks Fitness recently posted…Nantucket Yoga Festival 2015
So many things in social media/blogging can lead to the comparison trap. I saw something on the Today Show this morning about young girls growing up and dealing with comparison. I had enough trouble at that age without social media existing! Yup, “I did it,” is how I feel after rough workouts. Sometimes that’s the biggest takeaway.
I love that you talked about this because workout recaps are EVERYWHERE in the blog world. To be honest, I rarely (if ever) read these types of posts. I just don’t find them useful to me in any way, as I never actually use them as motivation for my own life (I know a lot do though!). I find that when I do read them though, they don’t make me compare myself at all, but they used to. In that regard, I actually thing it’s more the responsibility of the reader to choose what they expose themselves to. I know for me it doesn’t affect me negatively to read about others’ workouts because I frankly don’t measure my worth by that, but some girls might do this still and should choose to skip those posts. Interesting debate though!
Hayley @ Full of Life recently posted…Red Carpet
You have such a healthy outlook on this. I agree, I think it’s up to the reader to decide what they expose themselves to. Whether you’re just not interested or it negatively affects you, “mark as read” is always an option.
i’m not a blogger but i do like recaps. it gives motivation/ideas but yes can lead to comparisons. i am also interested in how people break up their workouts like running x times a week or do they do back to back strength training ? and lets be honest what motivates that might not even be anything other than that’s what they had time for that day or the weather. One comment that might help is if you could post the hows/whys. maybe pointing out what didnt work or what did work for you. or that you are training for a marathon, etc that might be a gentle way to remind people that if they are not training for a marathon maybe no need to run 30 miles that week or if doing 4 days of back to back strength work led to a bad run later in the week or whatever….im just making that up. but for me i’m just as interested in what you did as how it worked/didnt work for you and what you would have done differently or if it impacted your appetite for the day or make you feel sluggish or whatever. thanks for considering it though. you seem to really care about the message you are sending out and how people are taking that message to heart.
Thank you for your comment! I think your suggestion of posting the hows/whys/etc is so helpful and is a tactic I will adopt. I think it can put things into context for the reader and for me when I look back later. Hope you have a great evening!
I really loved this post. Definitely got me thinking (which pretty much happens every time I read your blog) – My blog started as basically me sharing my runs and evolved from there. I think you point out two really important aspects of blogging: Blogger’s Responsibility and Reader’s Responsibility. Both go hand in hand, and have to be carefully considered when posting. Especially as blogs evolve from hobbies into things that are bigger. Love that you always think about and ask the tough questions.
Georgie recently posted…Super Berry Smoothie Bowl (Banana Free)
Love that your comments always make ME think. I agree, as blogs grow from hobbies and journals to bigger platforms I think the blogger should take some responsibility for the message they are sending out. But, then again, it’s their blog so they can “technically” do what they want. I can think of a few examples of blogs that fit this category…not that it’s always a bad thing. Just a tricky situation.
For a few different reasons, I don’t like sharing a full workout recap every week. I think it does encourage comparison, and I’d hate to make anyone feel like they weren’t doing “enough.” To some people, especially non-runners, running 40 miles per week would seem overwhelming, and I don’t think it’d be helpful for me to post my mileage (esp. for those days that I have no idea what I’m doing and just make things up as I go), but that’s just my thought.
Plus, I almost always tend to skip over those kinds of posts when I’m reading blogs because they really just aren’t that interesting to me. I do realize that they’re motivational for some people, though, so I definitely don’t think they’re “bad” per say- just not the most interesting to me personally! I don’t mind them as much when they’re kind of embedded in a larger, more interesting post :)
But I think it all comes down to “you do you.” If your readers seem to like them and you get lots of engagement with the posts, and you like them, too, they could definitely be worth posting!
Liv @ Healthy Liv recently posted…Just A Typical Weekend
Thanks for your comment, Liv! What you said about posting mileage is so true. Some of my friends think any distance run is a lot (and it is…any distance is an accomplishment) so double digit mileage would be very overwhelming for them. Like everything, workouts are so individual. Reading/writing recaps can leave a positive or negative effect depending on the person.
Nailed it! I think of that all the time, too. However I have gone back on my posts numerous times to see what I did last year or whatever and find new things to do. It keeps me on my toes, too! I personally love reading other people’s recaps!
Heather @Fit n Cookies recently posted…My changing schedule, again + Half marathon training week 5
Yep, I actually do go back a lot and look at old posts for ideas. I love finding ideas from other people too (like you!)
As much as I’d like to type up my recaps, the comparison factor always plays into why I don’t. I never feel like it’s enough to write about. Oh well. I do enjoy reading others though.
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If that ever happens with me I will most definitely stop them, because the comparison trap is not worth it. I enjoy reading others too.