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Sunday, March 06, 2011

G3 Nerdy Stats


After 3 races of the G3 Series 10 k, here are the promised Nerdy Statistics.

Obviously, as a not-very-dedicated middling plodder, I'm not going to win, so it's more appropriate to see where I am with respect to the distribution. Rather than chart the whole field, I've chosen to compare my time and position with the leader and median (i.e. half way down the field) for the overall result and my category Veteran Man. Finding the median is easier than computing the mean (average), as I can just look up the half way point in the listing. These are my times for each of the three races (not an identical course, but similar).

Data laid out as follows.
  • Number of runners in each of the four categories, then the total
  • My time hh:mm:ss
  • Overall: leader's time, median time, my position overall
  • Vet Man: leader's time, median time, my position in this category
  • Overall: my time ratio vs leading time; vs median. Lower is better (Note 1)
  • Vet Man: my time ratio vs leading time; vs median in this category
  • My position as a percentage of the Overall field (Note 2)
  • My position as a percentage of Category
Encouraging to see an improvement in each of the metrics. Goes with my general trajectory of improving (restoring fitness?) since I switched the running back on in December. Sort of confirms what I thought about progress and how you feel competing.

Note 1: The winner would score 1.000 here, and someone running at half the speed would be 2.000. So I take 50% longer than the leader, but in terms of time I'm within a few percent of the middle.

Note 2: The winner would be about 0.3% (1 divided by the number of runners) on position, whereas the last runner would score 100%. The median runner scores 50% by definition. The results show that the distribution isn't symmetric (there are more people towards the front; the average is quicker than the median). It's taken me 3 goes to work towards the better half of the field, and I'm not quite there yet, whereas on time I'm not doing so bad.

Saturday, March 05, 2011

G3 Part 3

Up early again for another 10 k on the Downs. D and I both felt odd (hot, queasy) during the night : a bug? some food not right?

I continued with the queasy sensation during the run, but no emergencies of any kind. A much simpler route than 1 or 2, characterised by long flat sections, tracking along the contours of the North Downs, and equally long steep bits at right angles. I started well, moving forward in the bunch in the first km, then lost places when my shoelaces unravelled. As usual, the steep southern approach to St Martha's is amusing in the extreme. A walking family looked on us stumbling up the past aghast - had we been running all the way from Canterbury perhaps? No just 35 minutes around those fields. "We're having fun, honest!"

It occurred to me that in these sorts of distances, that there's nowhere to hide. You have to concentrate continually to keep your footing, so turning off mentally is not an option. Physically, the pace is pushing all the time, at what atherletes like to call the Lactate Threshold. For me, that's three steps per breathing cycle, as opposed to the four steps of a half-M or Sunday run.

Likewise, progress in gaining speed endurance fitness isn't accompanied by any less discomfort. You feel crap if you're doing well or badly, just that if you can go faster for the same amount of crap feeling you'll place higher. Assuming you're competing consistently.

Similar time to last couple of outings 10 km = 1 h 08 m.

Ghastly photo and nerdy stats to follow.

Monday, January 31, 2011

G3 10k - part 1


Coldest. Start. Ever! Not used to 8:30 runs, but when my fingers stopped freezing I could admire the North Downs, ups, downs and ups again.

First of the G3 series of local (Guildford) 10k races.

Generally tough, though not mega-tough (e.g. ground ok to run on, no excessive laundry bill afterwards). Quickly realised that walking was a pretty decent idea on the steep stretches. Hefty walking steps are almost as fast as a pathetic running action after a certain gradient. The downs are a puzzle as well; too fast down and you spend more energy controlling the descent, whereas you really need to be taking a breather for the next climb.

The route, having descended from Newland's Corner, took in St Martha's (approached from the eastern ridge) and over the other side, and then back up again.

I placed about two-thirds down the field, at 1:07 or so. I've got a file of all the times and places, and might do some nerdy stats after next time. The veteran man category was noticeably more competitive than the bulk of the field, which probably says something about how the various age groups use running, not that the 50's and 60's bred a race of supermen.

Look for runner 275 in the photos.