Metrics
Simple quantitative metrics, broadly tracked
Anyone who follows this newsletter knows that I think there are a lot more metrics for success in running than the simple course times and splits. And in earlier posts, I've talked about qualitative metrics to use in addition to the more common quantitative ones. But what are my favorite quantitative metrics? Why? This week, I share four of my favs:
Using interval work to track my progress. Simplicity and replicability are key to really knowing where you are in your training regime. The trick is to understand what this means. If your interval times increase but you're not at the height of your training year, that means you're doing it RIGHT. You're not always peaking, after all. And if they go down as you increase your training, then you're also doing it right. Success is defined by you and where you want to be, not simply as "always faster", after all.
Tracking course completion. It's really simple: I design a course for myself that's challenging in some way: distance, vertical feet, or lengths of straightaways (because I hate them), and I run it until I can (1) complete it and/or (2) complete it easily. It's a super broad quantitative metric, but it's still concrete. Very useful to see improvement without hand-wringing over daily changes.
Tracking your breathing/heart rate. This takes practice, but it is a concrete metric. Controlling for air temperature and humidity, I compare the amount of labor I put into breathing on a given course week over week. I use breathing as my unit of measure because I can count that without a heart rate monitor, but if you wear one, you could use heart rate for this one. The trick is not to get caught up with tiny little changes up and down, so those fancy graphs you can access through your training app are just distractions. As I’ve said before, unless you’re a competitive athlete, tiny changes don’t mean much.
Running outside is such a good way to challenge yourself! Instead, consider your heart rate or breathing across the whole run. My process is to note this in my running log as something like "very challenging"; "getting better"; "easy"; etc. It's not what "normal" metrics look like, but it's really helpful in my practice because I have established my own concrete metric of what “very challenging”, etc means. I can track that across many course runs, and, bonus: this quantitative metric is part of the larger challenge of really getting to know yourself as you run.
Finally, I'll finish up with my most important tool: keeping a running log.
Me and my running log <3 It is a simple calendar where I draw my courses and write notes with a pen. That's because, honestly, it's the fastest way to log my runs without getting hung up on details that aren't useful. This keeps my mind clear from obsessing over splits or where I was a month ago. Through my written log, I can see a long arc of my runs over years, circling back to old workouts I've designed and courses I've mapped and seeing how I've changed as an athlete. Plus, keeping a running log means I’m doing that whole journaling thing people always say is good for your mental health, and was a big part of ancient stoic practice. So hand-written running logs: get into it!
Thanks for reading about my favorite quantitative metrics, and let me know what you think in the comments. What metrics do you find useful and how do you track them? I’ll see you again next week and for today, remember: go run.