First up – I don’t really come in the back of the pack as my intro says. I looked at my marathon results last year and found that my age grade is 47%. What is this Age Grade scoring? It is a WAVA thing that compares you to other runners like yourself which really beats the hell out of comparing myself to a super star Kenyan runner.

What is Age-Graded Scoring?
Basically, Age-Graded Scoring allows all individuals within a race to be "scored" against each other. That is done by first comparing the individual's finish time at that particular race distance to an "ideal" or best time (not necessarily the "world record") achievable for that individual's age and gender.
Age-Graded Scoring utilizes statistical tables to compare the performances of individual athletes at different distances, between different events, or against other athletes of either gender and/or of any age. Confusing? Perhaps looking at how Age-Graded Scoring applies to road racing may help clear things up.

I got the 47% grade both last year and this year and since I came in 12 minutes slower this year it must have been either a tougher day to run or a wimpier crowd. Whatever.

I have results from all of the sanctioned runs I’ve ever done and someday I’ll share them. I really wish I could remember where I found it. If you know please remind me. I copied the results into a Word doc but now I can’t remember what the website was.

—- Next —
Rice cookers rule! I love my rice cooker because it knows when the rice is done cooking and sets itself from ‘cook’ to ‘warm’. It is important to add enough water, though because if you put brown rice in there and only add double the water (i.e. 1 cup rice and 2 cups water) it is still a little crunchy when it’s “done”. I do love being able to run to the store for a quart of Ben And Jerry’s some more tofu while the rice is cooking, and not have to worry about burning it.

—-Dark Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure! ———

I learned something really interesting and wonderful the other day. For me it is even better than the ‘red wine is good for your heart’ legend because I don’t care all that much for red wine. Dark Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure! Isn’t that fabulous.? Of course my blood pressure typically runs about 60 over 90 but still – a health nugget is a health nugget, right? I have no idea about daily quantities and frankly I’d like to stay in the dark on that count. The headline was good enough for me!

———–BUT MOST IMPORTANT ————

I’m looking for some input on which triathlon I should do. I have 2 choices. One of them is an all women’s teeny tri – 500 yd swim, 11 mile bike and 3.1 mile run on Sept 30.

The other is the same one I did last time which is 700 yd swim 18 mile bike and 4 mile run. I came in 4th to last in a miserable 2:31:05. I was on a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed that I had ridden 3 times just before the event and those were my first 3 rides in 15 years. I had not been running much at all. There is a very good chance I could improve my time in this event.

What would you do?

Here’s to getting to the short side of the work week!