Evan White

With the weather taking a turn for the warmer its time to ditch the treadmill for either the outdoor track or the open road. Now my Polar RS800CX can record the data that the treadmill just tossed when I hit that big red stop button. I get heart rate, pace, altitude, and position, as well as graphs, logs, and editors.  So what do I find out now that I have more data and more precision?  Well, One thing is obvious.

Here’s my confession. I love chart porn.  My problem: I don’t know what or care about what the data has to tell me.

Oh, chart porn does exist because I just googled some. So, its not just me and that comforting to know.  I appreciate the aesthetics, but barely notice the details or even the trends.

So now I have a personal problem because I have a healthy (in my opinion) disdain for the frivolous. While the possibilities are exciting, if I’m not able to put this data to work for me then what is the point? Sure, having data showing accomplishment or improvement is motivating and gives a few warm fuzzies. The data could inform my workout, creating a great closed feedback loop that, when some goals are thrown against it they will stick.

And I do have specific goals in this area:

1. run a sub 20" 5K,
   
2. run a 3'30" marathon.

And more general goals:

• Run a 30 mile race
  
• Run an olympic triathlon 1.5km swim/40km bike/10km run

So, I can take my copy of Hansons Marathon Method and come up with the workouts and the biometrics to keep on track.  I can plan, execute, and hit those times provided that my body/mind/environment cooperate.

IF I follow such a plan, then runs like today’s run wouldn’t happen. Twelve Interval runs followed by an hour of distance running.  I’m not certain but I don’t think the two mix…and while I am not helping myself performance-wise I do like doing things on a whim.  I’m irrational when it comes to pleasure, and rational when it comes to business.  So why am I running?  To check off personal goals or to get out exploring and to do whatever comes natural.  How do these analytics square from a teleological point of view. Is there a downside?

Am I logging data to feel good about myself? Maybe to prove skeptical youths that I was once capable of athletic feats when I am the only one able to remember them or believe that I was once capable? Perhaps to remind myself after I have forgotten? Nope.

There’s not much of a downside to recording this data.  The ritual of grabbing the gear and downloading the data isn’t tiresome.  With a better understanding of the possibilities, maybe I will find ways to enjoy runs more.  So, whether or not I shift my purpose when running or tune my training isn’t any more clear to me now than when I started writing this.  I have no idea what I’m doing.

Something to think about on my next run….