Making Sense of the Numbers

I started running with my GPS Nike+ watch on May 14th, and I've got lots of data that gets up loaded into my Nike+ web page after each run. If I could figure out a way to link that web page to this blog, I do it and let you, the reader, look through it all. But since I haven't found a way to do that, I'll try and summarise what's been going on with my running.

First, when I started seriously running, I figured I would try to run 4 times a week. So far, I've been able to keep that up. In May, I ran 5km, 4 times a week.  Then in June I up'd it to 6km, 4 times a week, and for July, I've increased that to 7km. Also, when I started, I was running 5 minutes, walking 1. Then I increased that to running 7 minutes, and walking 1. Now I'm running 10 and walking 1. I think I will stay at the 10 & 1's for a while.

I can tell you right off the bat, without looking at any data, that it's gotten much easier to get out there and run. When I first ran, I could barely reach my 5K, desperately staring at my watch, just waiting for it to go from 4.99km to 5, and I would STOP. Now I can pretty much run without feeling like I'm going to die in the last km or 2. I even ran a full 7km one day non-stop, no 1 minutes rests.

But the watch has given me proof (and hope) that I really am getting better, and faster at running. My first run my pace was 6'33", now I'm running 5'37". As I look at weekly and monthly average paces, it's steadily gets better (with the exception of some slow days). I've run a total of 158 km over 28 runs. Most calories burned was 692, farthest run was 7.19km, longest run was 41:43 minutes, my fastest 1km 4:57 and my fastest 5km was 27:09.

A feature I really like, on my running watch and the Nike website is they can compare my data with other runners (my age and the entire "Nike+ community"). In the last 30 days, I've run a total of 102km, men my age it's only 49.7km, and the entire Nike+ Community is only averaging 38km. My average distance over the past 30 days is 6km, men my age it's 6.4km, and again, the Nike+ Community is falling below the line at 5.6km. Then there is the average pace over the past 30 days, mine is 5'53", men my age is 6'51" and the Nike+Community is 7'13".

Is this all worth it? Is this helping me become a better runner? Well, I think it is. At the very least, there always seems to be some sort of "pat on the back" from Nike as I upload data. I'll tell you, nothing feels better than "Hey Eric, job well done! Great run! Way to go!" even if it's coming from a faceless corporation through my GPS watch. There is only so much of that I can squeeze out of Tamara or Craig. But you know what, it's still me that's out there sweating that data into the watch.

On a much bigger level, it's my decision to try and get my life on track, my health up to what it should be, to start taking these areas of my life much more seriously, and this is just a great tool to help me do this.

I remember I used to have an odometer/speedometer on my bike, tracking how fast I go and how far my rides where, until one day, not too long after my cross Canada bike ride. I was pushing over 10,000kms on my bike for that year, and I just decided one day "yeah, let's just say I bike a lot" and I ripped it off my bike and never put it back on again. Maybe there will be a day when I effortlessly run 10km, 4 times a week, with a 10km time of 45 minutes, and I won't need "the watch"; but I don't think I'm there yet, ask me again at Christmas.