Last weekend's races have given me an opportunity to put my hypothesis to the test. I did a duathlon and a half marathon. It gave me a unique way analyze results. And uniquely analyze I did...
Comparison #1- My Time versus the Overall Winner
Duathlon
Me= 1:42.09
Overall Awesome Dude= 1:28.11
Percent Difference= 14%
1/2 Mary
Me= 1:38.43
Overall Awesome Dude= 1:09.46
Percent Difference= 29%
Conclusion 1- I was closer to the overall winner in the Duathlon than the Half Mary. I need only 14 minutes to win the Du. The HM tacks on more than double. Even though the Du was longer in amount of time, the bike aided in my performance and kept the winner closer to me. So far, my hypothesis of being a bad runner versus a multisport guy holds up.
Comparison #2- My Place versus the Total Number of Entrants
Duathlon
Me= 25
Total= 373
Percent Difference= Top 7%
1/2 Mary
Me= 171
Total= 1839
Percent Difference= Top 10%
Conclusion 2- Compared to the total number of entrants, my multisport time was higher on the list based by percentage points. Granted, I was surprised at my percentile. Maybe I'm not as bad a runner as I think I am. Doubtful. I'm aweful. Still more support for my, "I'm a sucky runner" hypothesis.
Comparison #3- My Place versus My Gender
Duathlon
Me= 24th boy
Total Boys= 194
Percent Boys= Top 12% (there were some teams included in the overall results)
1/2 Mary
Me= 144th boy
Total Boys= 813 (Yup, more girls than boys in this event)
Percent Boys= Top 18%
Conclusion 3- Compared to the blokes, my multisport prowess is better than my raw running speed. There were some great runners in this race, my name not on the list. My "Don't make me just run" hypothesis is still un-refuted.
Comparison #4- My Time versus Top Girl
(This is a fair comparison as the girl who won the Du also won the 1/2 Mary. It was her versus me and she won both times.)
Duathlon
Me= 1:42.09
Her= 1:35.26
Percent Difference= 7%
1/2 Mary
Me= 1:38.43
Awesome Chick= 1:23.25
Percent Difference= 16%
Conclusion 4- Even when I focused, I mean really focused, on the woman who won both races, she won. But, my butt spanking was less when you tossed in the bike versus just running.
Results
My hypothesis is rock solid. No matter how you look at the numbers, look at the times, or look at the woman who finished first, I am a better multisport guy than pure runner. Once you add the bike, I get closer to the winner. Imagine what will happen when you add a swim (assuming that I get back in the water, which will inevitably happen). It's possible that, once you add the swim, that I may actually beat the lady who won this weekend. Given a couple of more data points, my hypothesis will become an irrefutable, scientific theory. From there, all I need to do is publish my numbers in a major journal and I'm in the big money (thank goodness as my racing or blogging won't earn me much). If anyone out there has any connections to Science, Nature, or JAMA, please send them the link to my blog. This research is in desperate need of peer review.
