RunningAHEAD - Topic: The Death of Running-Log.Com: A Cautionary Tale (page 2)

kcam

posted: 3/4/2008 at 12:44 AM

I have no problem whatsoever using an on-line log as my ONLY log. As long as there's a way to back it up you're golden. CoolRunning had a backup, I used it religiously and I lost no data when the log went away.

JCEntRunner

posted: 3/4/2008 at 9:59 AM

Quote from milkbaby on 3/3/2008 at 9:52 PM:

Ditto... I used the Coolrunning log for many years until Active mangled the site after their takeover. I will never use an online log again, even one as awesome as the RunningAhead log. I use a custom made MS-Excel worksheet that I made myself that keeps track of shoe mileage, does km to mile conversion, calculates pace, and almost everything else I want in a log and keep 3 copies of it: one on flash drive, one on hard disk, one that is paper hard copy.

I think whatever type of log you use, as long as you back it up regularly you'll be fine, but it's also important to make sure your backups are in different physical locations. Your flash drive, hard disk, and hard copy backups won't do much good if they're all in your house and your house burns down. That is one of the advantages of an online log...you can have one copy on a server and download a copy to your copy at your house. That way if your house burns down, your computer gets stolen, or whatever, you still have a copy online that you can create another backup from.

milkbaby

posted: 3/5/2008 at 4:50 PM

Quote from JCEntRunner on 3/4/2008 at 9:59 AM:

I think whatever type of log you use, as long as you back it up regularly you'll be fine, but it's also important to make sure your backups are in different physical locations. Your flash drive, hard disk, and hard copy backups won't do much good if they're all in your house and your house burns down. That is one of the advantages of an online log...you can have one copy on a server and download a copy to your copy at your house. That way if your house burns down, your computer gets stolen, or whatever, you still have a copy online that you can create another backup from.

I agree, that's why the flash drive is on me, the paper copy is at home, and the hard disk copy is somewhere else! This topic reminds me of that one guy in Runner's World who had decades of paper running logs stored in a big fireproof safe. The funny thing is, even though I'm careful about backing up my log, if I lost all copies of it, I guess I'd be upset for a moment, but then I'd have to shrug my shoulders and just start over again! Smile

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi "I have need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice about me to melt." -- William Lloyd Garrison "The marathon is an art; the marathoner is an artist." -- Kiyoshi Nakamura

AaronC

I run for Fried Chicken!

posted: 3/6/2008 at 2:31 AM

Here's a suggestion for everyone that's pretty easy. Download your log at whatever interval you feel comfortable with. Once a week, once a month, etc. Then email it to yourself as at attachment. Email it to multiple people even and ask them to keep a copy of it. It's a small file, it won't take up much space. Then you have multiple backup copies of your log.

Run To Win

#2867

posted: 3/6/2008 at 10:40 AM

Quote from AaronC on 3/6/2008 at 2:31 AM:

Here's a suggestion for everyone that's pretty easy. Download your log at whatever interval you feel comfortable with. Once a week, once a month, etc. Then email it to yourself as at attachment. Email it to multiple people even and ask them to keep a copy of it. It's a small file, it won't take up much space. Then you have multiple backup copies of your log.

For my websites, I have them automatically mail me a daily backup of my databases to a specific GMail account. Every once in a while I do a manual backup at home. I figure that chances are pretty slim that Google and my website both die at the same time, and if they do, I probably won't have much need nor opportunity to put my site back anyway.

Run to Win
25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

milkbaby

posted: 3/6/2008 at 8:15 PM

Quote from Run To Win on 3/6/2008 at 10:40 AM:

I figure that chances are pretty slim that Google and my website both die at the same time, and if they do, I probably won't have much need nor opportunity to put my site back anyway.

We will probably be too busy fighting Skynet and the Terminators at that point...! Smile

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -- Mahatma Gandhi "I have need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice about me to melt." -- William Lloyd Garrison "The marathon is an art; the marathoner is an artist." -- Kiyoshi Nakamura

Teresadfp

One day at a time

posted: 3/7/2008 at 5:38 PM

Quote from milkbaby on 3/6/2008 at 8:15 PM:

We will probably be too busy fighting Skynet and the Terminators at that point...!

But at least then people will be able to use all that food they stockpiled for Y2K! That cracked me up.

Narsi

Man in Tights

posted: 3/8/2008 at 1:30 AM

I've stopped using online logs after the coolrunning/active transition screw up. I have devised my own Excel log that gives me all the stuff I need to know. No fussy bells and whistles like soundness of sleep, mental wellbeing, etc., that frankly don't matter. Cool

. Now I don't worry about sites disappearing, backing up data etc. etc. Life's pretty simple.

Afty

posted: 3/11/2008 at 2:22 PM

I've started keeping my logs in two places, one an online site (first Cool Running, now Running Ahead) and the other in SportTracks on my computer. SportTracks is easy for me because it integrates with my Garmin, and all my info is kept on my PC. So if either my PC goes south or Running Ahead goes away, I still have all my data.

JCEntRunner

posted: 3/11/2008 at 4:13 PM
modified: 3/11/2008 at 4:14 PM

Quote from Afty on 3/11/2008 at 2:22 PM:

I've started keeping my logs in two places, one an online site (first Cool Running, now Running Ahead) and the other in SportTracks on my computer. SportTracks is easy for me because it integrates with my Garmin, and all my info is kept on my PC. So if either my PC goes south or Running Ahead goes away, I still have all my data.

Afty has it right...make sure you have your log in more than one place. This goes for online logs, logs on your computer (in Excel or otherwise), or logs hand-written somewhere. If backing up your online log, burning a cd of your Excel log, or making copies of your hand-written log is too much of a hassle then you should assess whether you could live without your log if it was destroyed. If you can then you just forget the backups. I think Afty's method is one of the safest (and easiest) ways given the vast physical distance between the two logs. If a flood comes through your neighborhood and completely destroys your computer, the backup copy you had in your fireproof safe, and the backup copy you had in your car, you'd still have your online log.

The Death of Running-Log.Com: A Cautionary Tale (Read 1471 times)