It goes all the way back to fourth grade math class. My earliest recollection of not “getting it.” I don’t remember the exact concepts that earned me a ticket on the math struggle bus, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with trains arriving at different times and the rate at which bathtubs would fill equally. Now that I’m thinking about it, word problems really were my demise:
“Irene consumed 10 energy gels during her race. She had 2 more chocolate than peanut butter and two-thirds that number in salted caramel. How many of each flavor did she consume ?
“Irene spent $40 on energy gels. She paid using $10, $5, and $1 bills. If she gave the salesperson ten bills in all, how many of each bill did she use?”
That whole guess-and-check strategy for solving problems always seemed counter intuitive. And throwing in WORDS? Math was supposed to just be about numbers.
My dad is the exact opposite of me. He’s a numbers guy. A retired engineer and former stock market enthusiast. Measure twice, cut once type. Oil change exactly as the odometer hits the next 3,000 mark. If I tell him it’s a warm day with a high of 85, he’ll respond “Naw, I’d say 83.” Or if I’m supposed to be at his house at 5:30, my phone will ring at 5:31 as I’m turning into his driveway. He’s also the one who, after a long days work, sat for hours at the kitchen table with me months before my SAT’s helping me with – what else – math. He was convinced that if we put in the time and effort my math score would go up 100 points which he had researched as being the minimum necessary number for me to get into my dream school.
Funny thing, my math SAT score did improve by exactly 100 points from my previous attempt. Thanks to my dad and his help conquering my math nemesis, I did get into my dream school: UCLA! GO BRUINS! Good thing, since I only applied to one college. What are the odds?! That blows my mind as I’ve heard my own kids tell me about friends who applied to thirty or more schools as well as reading this in sources such as forbes.com. If you’re into numbers, I found this clip in prepscholar.com:
“The standard thinking from counselors has been that the average college-bound student should apply to about 6-8 colleges: 2-3 reach colleges, 2-3 target colleges, and 2 safety schools. Reach schools are colleges that are unlikely to offer you admission (less than a 30% chance), target schools are colleges that you have a decent chance of gaining admission to (a 30%-80% chance), and safety schools are colleges to which you’re almost guaranteed of admission based on your qualifications (greater than a 80% chance).”
Mind blowing, right?!
Oddly enough, when I taught third grade, math was one of my favorite subjects to teach. As a runner, I loved using run-related object lessons. Like this lesson on decimals and place value:
“If John ran his 5k in 33:01 and Judy ran her’s in 33:10, who finished faster?”
Or when students gave me grief about how it looked like I ate candy bars all the time when really they were disgusting protein bars. One day during a lesson on multiplication arrays, I decided to dispel this third grade myth once and for all. I unwrapped one of my more unpleasant tasting high protein bars and proceeded to cut it into four rows of six under the document camera for all 24 students to see. Then I evenly distributed one piece to each student to sample. As I predicted, 99% of the 24 were now convinced their teacher was not eating candy bars all day. Of that 99%, one third experienced gag reflex. And of that one third, two rushed for the trash can. Standard deviation of +/-1. Because there’s always that one kid.
Who says I’m not a numbers person?
Most recently I made the decision to be more intentional about numbers. I used to be more diligent about logging mile splits and all training run stats. If I’m being 100% honest, I simply got complacent the last couple of years. I became content with “just finishing” a run. I didn’t wear my Garmin most of the time and just guesstimated how I did. Don’t get me wrong, there’s value in just getting out there and running without the pressure of time and performance. But when I’ve made it the norm rather than the exception and still have hopes of improving race times, something doesn’t equate.
Whether you’re an avid runner or not, common sense tells you that pacing and practicing the speed you hope to race are things you need to do on a regular basis. Well, I kind of threw common sense along with number sense out the window the last couple of years. With this being the start of 2018 and God using some life-changing circumstances this month to shake me up out of my complacency, I am happy to report that I’ve made progression and speed training a priority again as well as logging all my stats for analysis and accountability. And yes, becoming more of a numbers person.
Perhaps I have swung way over to the other direction with this numbers thing, but hey, when your average mile pace just happens to be 10:10 reminding you of that verse in John about God’s overflowing abundant plans for your life AND a runner friend brings up precisely the same verse that day, it’s not just a good thing – it’s a God thing.
“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” AMP
God often takes a completely discouraging, even devastating, anxiety-ridden day and turns it around in the least expected ways. He did so on January 8th at a Warriors home game by reminding me of this Word for solving problems:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” NIV
This verse from Philippians 4:6 was prominently displayed on the iPhone home screen of the Steph Curry fan sitting in front of me. I immediately felt the tension of the day disappear almost as quickly as my bowl of Slam Dunk Nachos. The words DO NOT BE ANXIOUS kept playing in my head for the rest of the game.
I might’ve cheered extra loudly for Steph, Klay (aka Splash Brothers) and Green (season high 23 points/10 assists) that night as their performances did not disappoint, but maybe it was also the fact that God was letting me know “THE REAL GAME” is in His hands.
I went home that night and tried to re-create my own version of Philippians 4:6 for my iPhone home screen. I found a peaceful, scenic trail photo which reminded me of the many times during races that Jesus has shown me I can trust Him because He alone knows what’s around the next turn and up the next climb.
As for those progression runs, so far I’ve been hitting 3% to 10% faster times on each of my laps around the Lafayette Reservoir. I know it’s statistically improbable and practically impossible to hit exact numbers in running all the time. But one thing is 100% possible, 24/7/365, with no standard deviation and no guessing: God’s abundant peace.
