Running with Data

For marathon runners, it’s almost a requirement to track our times and distances as we train for the next big race. We are constantly on the hunt for that new Personal Best (PB) time, and heavily rely on the data we collect while training to help us reach our goals. Many, like myself, use smartwatches such as the Garmin or a fitbit, to help track things such as distance, time, elevation, heart rate, etc. Each of these factors plays a key role in determining how fast we will run, how far we can go, and how difficult the journey to the finish line will be.

 

While I am currently chasing my next PB with the hope to someday qualify for the Boston Marathon, I decided to examine my own performance from when I trained for the 2019 Chicago Marathon. For this project, I will be examining my training data to see if I can predict my Chicago Marathon time. While creating this prediction, I will also be examining the other factors that could play an influence on my performance, such as heart rate and elevation.