Earlier this week, and on a number of occasions before, I have been controlled by the numbers game. Okay, honestly, I let it the numbers control me. I’m okay with that. It keeps me focused.
Those days of running 3.5 miles, when the schedule calls for 4 miles, are gone. I no longer round up. I did once do this – in the beginning. I really did. I figured that it all came out in the wash. I estimated mileage based on a perceived pace. I am sure that my actual pace in those days was perceived as much faster than it really was.
Tom and I would have long discussions where he would do some calculations and tell me that my 4 mile run was only about 3.6 miles. I would tell him that I was pretty sure that I had run 4 miles and I wasn’t going to run any more. Tom, who was also training for the Napa Valley Marathon (it was the 1st marathon for both of us), would then run farther down the railroad tracks with certainty that he was doing the allotted mileage.
My goal was just to finish the marathon. I didn’t worry back then; I was pretty sure that I could finish even if I had to walk the last 6.2 miles. But times have changed. Just finishing is no longer satisfying. I want my BQ!
These days, I have Garminia. She tells it how it is, or at least how she sees it. I, in turn, run until she signals that I have gone the required distance, and not a hundredth of mile short of that. If, when motion based corrects the distance, I have run farther than required, I think of it as a bonus. If motion based shortens the distance, I ignore the new number and log the number that Garminia gave me. * sigh* It’s just how it is with me.
You see, it is all in how you look at things. Take Brendan for example. He is only 6 years old. Brendan’s Mom was worried about Brendan making the adjustment from the short days of kindergarten, to the full days of 1st grade. When she picked him up after school, she asked him how his day was. She braced herself for a meltdown. He hadn’t been too keen on waking up early. He really preferred staying home to going to school. But Brendan’s reply surprised her. He said, “First Grade is GREAT. We did two math problems and had THREE recesses.”
So there you go. It’s all in how you look at the numbers.
That is so my story with Garmin vs. MotionBased but I must say MotionBased NEVER lets me down. It always give me a bonus distance. I love that so much I have become a paying customer.
I had to laugh at the three recesses comment. Reminds me of when our elementary school switched to full-day kindergarten, which amounted to a half day of class and a half day of naps. It’s good you don’t round up now. I have the same tendency, only I handicap based on hills!
This post served to remind me how getting hung up on numbers sometimes drains the joy of running for me…thanks!
I’m a new reader and have been enjoying your posts a lot…and I’m signed up for CIM as well, it will be my 2nd.
Take care!