I collected all the data I could spot, and compiled a Google Sheet in an attempt to compare the results as fairly as possible. The spreadsheet is linked to below, and above is a screenshot of it.
I calculated each individual's pace in minutes/km, and from those I derived the weekly change in pace in seconds/km. I generated a graph of those data. I produced a weekly leaderboard, with the final week shown in the screenshot. I also made an overall "best improvement" leaderboard in recognition of the fact that an improvement was not necessarily seen every week - on the main data table I have also indicated in which week these "bests" were achieved. People were running different distances, and I have not attempted to correct the data for this (didn't have time!), so do bear that in mind when looking at the results. On some days some people ran distances slightly different from those originally stated (e.g. 8.04 km instead of 8), so I corrected their results to reflect this.
As you can see on the graph, folk got off to a storming start! Especially Lordi , misswobble , and Ajs07 - you lot kick ass!! We then had people unfortunately having to leave the challenge - ju-ju- and Madge50 I hope you are feeling much better by now. Macmac found that he was not able to run his proposed route as planned, so asked me to add a couple of results from a hilly parkrun instead, hence he appears twice in the table (but I have just included his parkrun result in the graph).
In the following weeks it appears that some of the challengers were somewhat hoist by their own petards, as they failed to conquer the stellar heights of the first week. DiveMonkey , let me know if you have any more results to add, although I suspect your amazing racing programme has been taking precedence! Lordi, you too.
Miss Wobble deserves a special mention here for being the only challenger to report a result each week, well done MW you are hardcore!! No-one else has shared a result for Week 3, which makes the graph look a little sad, but that's life I suppose
In the Week 4 I think you'll all agree that that the final four all finished strongly!
But: Who is the winner I hear you cry!? Well, and feel free to argue with me in the comments, but we feel that - although Miss Wobble had an amazing first week, where I do believe she smashed her actual PB - Whatsapp just takes the crown. Although he missed Week 3, he is the only one to show consistent improvement across the challenge, and his Week 4 result is impressive.
So WELL DONE WHATSAPP!!! 🎉🎉🥂
I hope you all enjoyed the challenge - and I would like tentatively to propose that we try it all over again soon? Please discuss
p.s. We're working on ideas for a suitable (preferably virtual) prize... Please forgive us we are a bit new to all this!
I did not manage to run my route again until last night due to me being in PE and upping my KM for last week with a number of races...
I am pleased to add that I have improved my time since I last ran the route - this time adding a little extra distance as I ran back to drag my friends up one of the hills on the route!
According to my Garmin I ran 5.45km in 34:21 with average pace of 6:18
Hope to improve some more in the future and would love to join the next challenge!
Have a great weekend everyone and good luck with all the races!
Well done roseabi - great analysis! 🙂👏🏻. I look forward to the next one and am looking forward to getting back to my home parkrun tomorrow - first time since March due to the weather but looking fine for this week 👍. A big well done to whatsapp and misswobble for their consistent improvement! 😀
Wow, that’s brilliant, abi, you’re a smart cookie!
Bottom of the class me, mind you, it wasn’t for want of trying, on seeking advice in my favourite independent run shop - they have a sports clinic too - I have a groin/hip strain from trying to do to much to quickly on intervals (same old, same old - should know better by now....🙄) so have got to continue with and perhaps up my glute strengthening work......and take it more slowly.....
I’d be in again definitely, I’ve just got to approach it a bit differently....😉🏃♀️....
Well done roseabi for a great spreadsheet. And well done everyone. I had started to get frustrated with myself for getting slower over the winter, so this challenge was well timed. I will keep doing that run as my fast run and hopefully continue to improve. In the meantime I will try to take that momentum into my 10k tomorrow. 🏃
Great idea roseabi. According to my printout from the Marathon 2weeks ago I was 1st male in 70+ age group covered 19:6 miles in 5:32:02 oveall time. Average pace 07:52 min/km. Still considered a failure by myself. But love that time for min/km. Must try harder.
Just wanted to say well done everyone who took part, congratulations to all those who made gainz across the month: the point of the exercise, as well as being goid fun, was to to put a bit of pep in your training plans and hopefully the improvements in pace over the month will have translated into long term increases in performance. I think we as distance runners tend to get to set in a LISS mindset and it is good to shake things up a bit every now and then.
Bigger congratulations to Whatsapp for being Topp, and misswobble for a close second place.
Special thanks also to roseabi for collecting and collating all the data and doing all the spreadsheetiness. All three of you deserve prizes, just as soon as we have decided what that should be.
As mentioned the May Challenge is already up and running (and jumping down to do pushups every 1k), and you can jump in at any point with that. As it stands only @misswobble has joined up so far, so not much need for a spreadsheet to see who's winning this month. I would urge you all to do so. The purpose of it is to make you better runners after all.
Great work Roseabi! I forgot to post my runs after the first one! Didn't improve on my 58min 10k but have been jogging mostly in prep for my first HM on 19th May.
Edit
01:01:28 10k on 30 April was closest I got to the first 10k time I posted.
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