Runners love data. Sure, tracking your running progress is essential for improvement, motivation, and achieving your goals—but more importantly, it’s just plain neat.
I recently came across StrideSync, a third-party tool that acts as a bridge between your Strava account and Google Sheets. The vision here is beautiful—all your running metrics are automatically populated, and then the data is yours to analyze how you want. Unfortunately, the Reddit post promoting StrideSync was removed by the r/Strava moderators „for failing to address how you plan on using and storing user data collected from Strava once a user gives permission to your tool/integration.“ So, I thought I’d share my own, more manual method for basically doing the same thing.
It doesn’t have the convenience of automatically syncing data straight from your app of choice, but it’s still mighty useful. I’ve done a lot of the legwork with formulas, formatting, and organization—all you need to do is enter your own data.
Why you need to track your running stats in your own spreadsheet
While there’s no shortage of fitness tracking apps, owning your own spreadsheet is extremely useful. You can design your own system to match your specific training needs, create custom charts and graphs to visualize progress, and never fear subscription fees or premium features locked behind paywalls.
This is not the first spreadsheet I’ve shared with my Lifehacker community, but this might be my magnum opus. Here she is. If this whole process has piqued your interest, but you hate my spreadsheet, that’s fine! Let’s take a look at how you can perfect your own DIY running tracker.
How to create your running tracker spreadsheet
Whether you’re training for your first 5K or preparing for a marathon, these are the fundamentals of an effective running tracker.
Essential columns for your running log
Your first tab should have all the basics.
Basic run data:
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Date
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Distance (miles or kilometers)
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Time (duration)
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Pace (per mile/kilometer)
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Route/location
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Weather conditions
Performance metrics:
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Average heart rate
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Max heart rate
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Elevation gain
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Calories burned
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Perceived effort (1-10 scale)
Training specifics:
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Run type (easy, tempo, intervals, long run)
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Training week number
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Weekly mileage total
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Notes/feelings
Equipment tracking:
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Shoes worn
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Shoe mileage tracker
Even more metrics to track
Here are some ideas to take those basic metrics above and make good use of them.
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Goal tracking: Create separate sections for monthly, weekly, and annual mileage goals. Use conditional formatting to highlight when you’re on track or falling behind.
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Personal records: Dedicate columns to track your best times for common distances (5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon).
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Injury prevention: Include columns for rating how you felt before and after runs, noting any discomfort or potential injury concerns.
Must-have formulas and functions for running analytics
This isn’t comprehensive, but here’s the bare minimum to make your spreadsheet a useful tool beyond raw stats.
Calculate weekly and monthly totals
Use SUM functions to automatically calculate weekly and monthly mileage:
=SUMIFS(C:C,A:A,">="&DATE(2024,1,1),A:A,"
Track average pace
Calculate your average pace over time periods:
=AVERAGE(D2:D31)
Progress indicators
Use conditional formatting to color-code runs based on pace, distance, or effort level.
Goal achievement tracking
Create percentage completion formulas for your goals:
=(Current_Mileage/Goal_Mileage)*100
Actually visualize your data
My template is barebones, but I have big dreams for transforming my raw data into gorgeous charts. Here are some thought-starters for you:
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Line Charts: Track mileage progression over time
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Column Charts: Compare monthly totals
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Scatter Plots: Analyze pace vs. distance relationships
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Pie Charts: Visualize run type distribution
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Pace Progression: Scatter plot using your pace over time
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Run Type Distribution: Pie chart using Run Type (tempo, interval, etc.)
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Monthly Comparison: Column chart showing monthly totals
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Effort vs Pace Scatter Plot: Analyze training intensity
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Monthly Mileage Trend: Track yearly progression
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Weather Impact: Compare performance across conditions
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Equipment Usage: Monitor shoe rotation
With these visual representations, you could start really identifying trends, spotting improvements, and generally maintaining motivation throughout your training journey.
The bottom line
Here’s a link to my template one more time. If you’re a runner with more time on your hands to take this spreadsheet to the next level, I’d love to see what you can do. Tracking your running progress in Google Sheets provides a level of insight into your training that you just don’t get with basic running apps. The key is to start simple, remain consistent, and gradually add complexity as your needs evolve.