Wrong Question

I get asked all the time, "How many miles do you run a day?" 

Chances are you have asked someone that question yourself. 

Stop it. 

Stop now. 

I mean it. Stop.

I know you mean well, but it's the wrong question. That is why your inquiry is always met with a confused look and a bit of stammering. Let me educate you a bit. This won't take long.

First, most runners don't run per day, that is we don't run everyday. Even God took a day off and none of us are that good. So when someone asks, "How many miles do you run a day?" I try to get the mental calculator going and divide my weekly miles by, well, by what? Do I divide by the number of days I ran or by seven. I'm confused.

Second, runners don't run the same distance every day. We have long days, medium days, and recover days further complicating the question. Right now my long run is eleven miles and my recovery runs are a single mile and a half. That is quite a spread further complicating the question of how many miles.

Third, runners are always changing. How many miles I run this week will not likely be how many miles I run next week or how many I ran last week. We always want more so we are always building which is one reason we are often injured.

So I hope you see that the question of how many miles do you run per day is totally inappropriate. What do I ask then? I'm glad you bothered to inquire. A much better question is "How many miles do you run per week?" You will get an answer if you ask that. Likely, however, the answer will be "Last week I ran twenty three."

An even better question is "How many miles are you averaging per week lately?" That inquiry takes into account the fact that a runners mileage is constantly shifting. He or she may be coming off an injury and running only a little but building quickly.

You might even want to ask, "How many miles do you run per week when you are in peak training?" But beware, if you ask that one, you will see the runners eyes light up and he or she will begin to tell you about the buildup, the goal races, the long runs, the tempo runs, the cross training, and . . . . 

Maybe you just want to skip the question. Wait, I have an idea. If you are ever curious about how many miles I run a day, just read my blog. You don't even have to read it everyday. Just take a peak on Mondays and get the rundown on the previous weeks' running, swimming, cycling, and lifting. With me at least, it is really that easy. And maybe, just maybe the numbers will inspire you to get out and walk, lift a barbell, ride a bicycle. All of us are meant to move. That is the way God made us, "fearfully and wonderfully" His word says. So do more than ask, do. Do something. It doesn't have to be much. A little bit is a million times better than nothing.

Thank you, Jesus.