something was bothering me about the run time posted yesterday, it just seemed to be a little too good. I’d be willing to accept that my natural, base jogging speed had improved, but by 50% or more? hmmm…
so i used google maps and the measuring tape tool to double-check the route of my run. instead of 4.2km, google made it about 2.7km!
a third check was made this morning, driving the car around (more or less) the exact same route – that backed up google rather than mapmyrun’s verdict.
how could mapmyrun get it so wrong?
if you look at the route in map my run, it’s very very squiggly. now I know for a fact that I was not pissed when I did the run, so it is undoubtedly to do with limitations of the GPS tracking system and its accuracy.
the thing about a squiggly course is that if you measure the exact route it will be longer than the straight line equivalent. imagine laying a piece of string in a very squiggly fashion along a section of footpath. if you then stretch the piece of string so it is straight, the length will overshoot the length of the path.
for those of a mathematical or scientific inclination, it’s related to the koch snowflake and its infinite length..
no olympics for me just yet then
reality check number 1 – I actually ran about 2.7km and at a pace of around 8.1 km/h
far more believable – but for a moment at least I experienced what it would feel like to know I was capable of running over 12km/h…
one day!
t’was the season to be lazy
reality check number 2 came at the gym – I jumped on the scales and they basically screamed “you fat lazy bastard!”
with a touch of a cold, aches, pains and smacking my ankle on the shower base THEN the silly season of Christmas / New Year… I have basically spent a month not training, and a good 10 days eating and drinking “badly” (beer, wine, chocolates, roasts, mince pies, christmas cake etc.)
I don’t really feel bad about that – I enjoyed Christmas, I enjoyed getting up “late” (7am / 8am instead of 3am) and I enjoyed just spending time with my family.
by the end of it though I was itching to get back to the gym.
the cold hard verdict of the scales and the treadmill
while my fitness is a million times better than it was 12 months ago, there has been a “price” to pay for taking time off in the past few weeks.
it’s a price I was and am willing to pay (in Britt’s terms, I knew it was a lot of “away from the goal” but proceeded anyway knowing that).
the price was a little higher than expected – I recorded a whopping 124kg this morning, and added 7 minutes to my 4km jog/walk session on the treadmill!
i must be honest, a 5kg gain took me by surprise – I was expecting maybe 2kg – 3 maximum.
it works out at just over 1kg a week and goes to show just how easy it is for the weight to creep back on.
do i look bothered though?
as i say, it doesn’t bother me too much as it was a conscious decision to “take a break”, and the consequences were well known to me.
in fact i’m actually really pleased about it in a way – it gives me clear, unequivocal, measurable evidence of the benefit of maintaining a balanced eating and exercise regime.
the fact that i was itching to get back to the gym was a massive plus too – i’ve never felt that before.
now to get things rolling in the right direction again!