As a long-time log keeper, I think the biggest advantage is simply being able to look back at what you've done in the past, over the years. Sure, one year of data does not tell you much but keep a log for 10 years, then you've got some data. I simply record time and distance for each workout, including times for whatever interval workouts I did that day; at the end of each week, I do a weekly summary of total yds swum, miles biked, and miles run, with my best efforts for each event that week. You can fit 26 wks nicely on an 8.5 by 11" sheet, so you get nice 6-month summary that you can actually hold in your hands and review, and compare over the years.

Also, if you ever decide to "retire" from triathlon competition, which occurs with a very high frequency IME, if you are used to recording your workouts every day, then you will be more likely to continue "recreational training", which is obv good for your long-term health and "wellbeing". If you faithfully record your workouts every day for 5 years, you will prob be in such a habit that you will ALWAYS "do your logbook" for the rest of your life, regardless of whether you actually did any real workout or not. If you did not SBR or row or at least walk, then you will likely feel very guilty and resolve to train the next day, or at least this has been my experience:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Motivation isn't a problem for me.

You said the biggest advantage is just being able to look back over the years. Looks at what exactly?

Just looking at them doesn't make me a faster, less injury prone, happier athlete. It just means I've got a stack full of papers with scribbles of workouts on them.

The more details in a log the better. When you are clearly tracking all aspects of training then when things go right, or go wrong, it becomes clear what things were working and what things weren't. Things I like to track:- sleep, mood, fatigue, nutrition, weather, waking/bedtime HR, session metrics (power/duration usually).

People tend to forget there is more to training than the workout. Success and failure can often come down to the more "subtle" things like sleep and nutrition. If you're not tracking such things then really you're not training, you're just doing stuff.

Looking at your best workouts and best races, and seeing you did before them, and also looking at what happened after your best, i.e. did you have 3 or 4 great races in a row, or did you peak for 1 day and then that was it and your body said time for a bunch of easy weeks. I started my logbook at age 23 but I wish I started it around age 13, since I did a bunch of swimming, biking, and running WOs during those 10 yrs from 13 to 23. While I can remember my best times from HS and college, I only have a foggy recollection of the WOs. I know I swam some 4000-yd backstroke sets, but can't remember what I avgd per 100 or what my leave interval was. Likewise, I know I did a 50-mi run in HS, at age 15, and recall it took around 12 hrs but can't recall what my 25-mi, half-way split was. It would be kind of cool to be able to have those sorts of details, IMO. You may not care but diff strokes:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

The point is to be able to correlate training with race/test results and to allow you to see your training more objectively, which should help you make the right decisions going forward.

You should try this http://training.slowtwitch.com/

And really, you're a triathlete, jotting down two lines a day isn't a major effort or at all time-consuming.

Nope. I do triathlon for fun, keeping track of stuff would it less fun, for me.

often I use my logs to help me understand why I may have an injury/issue. Swollen Achilles, foot pains, ect.

I keep a fairly rudimentary log. I do it mostly to track time and volume. I don't get too much more sophisticated than that. I do really like graphing out time and distance year over year so I can see how I am tracking. It is also a great place to collect notes like race notes, bike maintenance done, when I got new shoes, even what clothing combos worked in certain weather conditions, etc.

And, for me it is very motivating. Just the drive to not let the blank stretch on the Excel sheet get too big is enough to get me out the door on a rough day. And, it is also educational that it always seems I have really good performances after life causes a 3 or 4 day stretch of blank cells or that I tend to really suck after 3-4 weeks straight of hard work without a break. . . . I've learned a lot more about rest than I have about work from my log.

Like the other poster, I did not start logging until well into my athletic endeavors and I really miss being able to go back and see how I was really doing on a day to day basis 25 or 30 years ago. Those numbers would be a lot more fun to look at than today's ;-)

 
So pragmatic examples of training log benefits:

1. you have a half ironman coming up. how many watts to aim for on the bike? Look back at recent races or race pace training sessions. How many watts did you do then, did you run well after? This can guide you to make smart choices for the upcoming race. Same with run pace

2. You have tried a new approach to training this year. Is it working? Are you really doing anything different? With a training log you can check to be sure, and check if you are hitting new power/pace records or not with the new approach

3. How should I taper for this upcoming event? Look at past similar events and how you tapered for them. Do any patterns stand out that you can see things to copy or avoid?

4. Is my training working? Have I set any new PRs in pace or power in the last 6 months? Do I need to add volume, or reduce it? How much volume have I been doing? Do I need to switch up the mix of intensity/volume? If you don't knwo what you ahve been doing, you don't know what to change

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

I've kept one on excel for the past 6yrs. I like to use it to compare to previous years, like leading up to races what or how training has gone in years past and how race performance went. I track shoe mileage, if batteries are changed in HRMs, injuries, weight. I now have one sheet just for results.

Could I live without it, yeah probably. But personally I just like keeping track of my training.

Logs are nearly useless in the short term but very valuable in the aggregate. After a long while of keeping a log, you start to spot trends. Your good races happen after periods of A, B, and C. Your bad races happen after periods of X, Y, Z. So aim for the former and cut out the latter and watch your consistency improve.

Numbers are as important as subjective impressions. Arguably more. It's not enough to know that a workout was hard or easy. You need to know what that translated to in the real world. Write down exactly how far you ran/rode/swam and what the time/HR/power was. However much mind you pay it now, saving it for later is key. It's better if you keep some sort of a log with reporting/graphing functionality. Being able to see, at a glance, what sort of weekly volume, speed, etc you were doing when things worked out well can help you adjust or plan your current training. Then you can go through key weeks and get a picture of how this was making you feel.

It's amazing how selective your memory can become over the years. I can't tell you how many times my recollection has been corrected by a quick glance at my logs.

Another thing to do, if you can, is to record any small unusual thing that happened to you either on the run/ride/swim or on the day. Any small detail can work wonders in helping you to remember a specific day. Something as simple as noting seeing a friend on the run, getting growled at by a dog, helping a friend move later in the day, getting a flat tire, etc etc. Tiny details can can trigger memories about how you were really feeling back then. Treat the log also like a bit of "Dear Diary". You'd be amazed at how much more complete it makes the memories.

That's why devices like Garmins are such a help. Having workouts logged somewhat automatically is a plus. Having a map of the route you ran can add to the recollection which is a plus. And sometimes, after going a week without logging, that map is the only thing that lets me remember what the run in question was...