Running the Numbers

When runners aren't obsessing over their own optimum heart rates, BMIs, miles per week, kcals, and kilowatts, they love to pore over the race stats: splits, pace, time back, time forward, time sideways. They consult big geeky watches as if they were oracles during events, immediately after times are posted they hop on their calculators and average stuff, just for the buzz.

But now I get the fascination. I have one adorable little set of numbers in my roster, and I turn to that web page so often I've gotten it grubby. Want to hear the good parts? Chip time: 2.02; clock time: age group finish: 31 out of 181; overall finish, 1,081 out of 6,096; hey, where you going? It's just getting good: pace: 9:22; age-grade: 62.4%, which I kind of don't understand but I know it's pretty good for a first-timer.

Well, anyway . . .

A neighbor and fellow runner gave me a training log, so now I can start crunching my numbers on a daily basis. Do I know how to have a good time, or what?