More Miles Than Pounds

Running Makes Everyone A Number Lover

Deep down inside I’m a giant Math Nerd. I love numbers. I love thinking about how they work. I love spreadsheets. I love patterns and even sequences.

You might not think a Math Nerd and a Runner would have any common ground to bond over. It turns out? There are tons of fun numbers to obsess over in running. How do I know that? Because I run with a bunch of engineers. And while they may not admit it – we’re basically all Math Nerds. Even the non-engineers in the group – because it seems like running makes everyone a Math Nerd.

We obsess over the number of miles on our shoes (I usually change out at 300, no more than 350), long run distances, weekly training totals as well as monthly and even program totals. My 50 Mile training plan/spreadsheet was created by one of them for their 50K training and I stole it and inputted my miles in it too. BECAUSE IT’S A GORGEOUS SPREADSHEET. And I totally geek out every time I get to enter a new run in it. It may be my favorite spreadsheet ever.

We’ve even been known to circle a parking lot a few times just so we can end our run on an even number.

Logging Awesomeness

While I adore my spreadsheet – I keep my running log in another way too. I made a resolution at the beginning of the year to run at least 100 miles every month. At that time the only race I was planning on doing was the Oak Barrel Half Marathon, so I thought it would be a little tough to get those 100 miles in. Little did I know that I’d be signing up for marathons and ultra marathons which make the 100 miles a month…child’s play.

When I made the resolution I was just writing my miles in my big planning calendar. Eventually, I ended up buying a small purse month-in-view calendar that is just for my running log. I have various numbers I track in it and it stays with me all the time. I keep track of the miles on my shoes that way by noting which shoes I wear on each run. At the end of the month I write the total on the back of the calendar. This way, if I’m every feeling down on myself I can look at the back of that calendar and say, Hm. Interesting. I’m a badass.

This month has been significant for a few reasons. I ran two 20-mile runs during this month. I ran my first 50-mile week this month. And most importantly? I set a record for miles run in a month. My 50 Mile training started mid-June so this is my first month full into the training. Chances are, this won’t be my highest month for the year.

But the most exciting numerical significance to me is really probably the silliest and the least important. This is the first time that I ran more than I weigh. I was in my mid-140s back in April and May when I hit high numbers last, so those miles didn’t pass what the scale says. Not that it mattered…it’s just one of the many numerical relationships a Math Nerd would ponder.

More Miles Than Pounds

But this month? Not only are my miles 156 but I dropped below 140 pounds for the first time since before Wesley, I think. And while I know I’m ditching the scale in terms of how I measure weight loss, as a Math Nerd it’s still a number I like to know because I just like numbers. And last night, when I wrote down “156” as my monthly total the Number Lover in me was drawing other relationships to that number: That’s almost 40 miles every week! or That’s over 5 miles a day! and then eventually the one that made me smile That’s more miles than pounds on my body!

It’s silly…I know. I’m just really proud of how far I’ve come in so many fitness/health areas in my life. And for some reason, I’m packaging up that pride in a silly correlation between two – mostly unrelated – numbers: More miles than pounds.