Turns Out I'm Not Just a Data Geek...

...I'm a cutting edge data geek.

Ever since I started skating I've been somewhat obsessive thorough about collecting data on my workouts. I keep track of the usual data, of course--lap times, race results, what distances I did in inline workouts or what exercises I did in dryland workouts.  (I don't keep track of heart rate at every workout, just do the occasional check; the heart rate monitor is kind of a pain to use).  But  I also  keep track of a lot of other stuff, including climate conditions, my weight (lately not a very entertaining thing to keep track of), my subjective opinion of the workout on a 1-10 scale.  These random bits of data have proved helpful; for example, I discovered, during my "I'm becoming hypothyroid but don't know it and my workouts are suffering" phase, that the colder the weather the worse my workout, which was a surprise because I love cold weather but which totally fit with hypothyroidism's "cold intolerance."  Thus I frequently find myself digging out my 2-inch binders with data from Workouts Past and comparing the information to data from Workouts Present.

Hey, baby...wanna check out my 2-inch binders? 

(and this isn't even all of them)

I keep data on a lot of non-skating stuff, too.  I make data sheets for exercises assigned by my chiropractor or physical therapist; I track diet data when trying to lose weight; I'm currently considering making a data sheet to record the effects of my new supplements on mood swings.  I've tracked headaches and medication doses and carb counts and calorie levels.  So yeah, I'm pretty much a data geek.

Now, I've certainly gotten my fair share of good-natured ribbing about my obsession.  And I always figured that I was, indeed, on the far end of the data-collection spectrum.  But it turns out that I'm not alone...and maybe I'm not as close to the end of the spectrum as I'd imagined.

This morning, while perusing the online version of the local paper, I came upon this article about the "quantified self" movement.  Its followers take data on all sorts of physical parameters including diet, blood sugar, exercise level...there was even one fellow who took daily "poop data" (while his poo chart was vindicated by eventually leading to his diagnosis of Crohn's disease, I still think he was perhaps taking the "movement" a bit too far...).  Anyway, reading about these "quantified self" folks has reassured me that I'm not only not that weird, but that I'm actually at the forefront of a new trend.

Of course, I may have to take more data to confirm that...