I’m a statistics nerd – I love analyzing my past races, workout splits, turning points and so on. It allows me to take a real look at where my strengths and weaknesses are and to make informed decisions about how to achieve my goals, something I wasn’t always able to do.

Right now, with my daughter just a couple months old and having had a C-section I’m preparing for issues associated with being both postpartum and post-surgery, as well as having taken a nice long break from running. The good news is that taking a real look at where I am with running will be easy! Coming back from baby, burnout, injury, or any other break is an obvious time to take a running inventory, and it’s a much more objective task to assess your running performance when you haven’t been running. It’s easier to admit if you’re not in great shape or not where you want to be. It’s easier to admit that a workout felt harder when you know you haven’t been building your fitness up. It’s easier to face reality in a time when we have a great excuse!

What isn’t as easy is the far more subjective process of assessing your running ability when you aren’t starting from scratch. And it’s not even just about the numbers! There are things you can’t tell from analyzing stats and splits and there are things a coach can’t assess. But the worst part is that a really good running inventory will require an honesty with yourself that can be downright brutal. Read more >>