Runners are a group who love their milestones. Most runners can happily recall when they ran their first mile, their first 5k, first 10k, the first time they went 10 miles. They remember their first half and full marathons as if it was yesterday.

They are also a group that do not subscribe to the “round it up” math method. 3.86 miles is NOT four miles, and nothing you can tell a runner will change that. If they are honest, they will admit to circling their neighborhood until their Garmin registered the full mile. I know I’ve done it, and there are cartoons describing it, so that leads me to think that I’m probably not the only one. Somewhere, out there, a kindred spirit is passing by his driveway for the third time, cursing their Garmin because it seems to be stuck on 9.98 miles!

So, with this little bit of knowledge I tell you about my long run today. It was great in the fact that my dear friend and training partner Kara ran her first 20 miler. My friend Doug also ran his first 20. For myself, it was the second weekend with a 20 mile run, something that I never thought I could accomplish! But now I know that I can do longer runs closer together without fear of failure.

But did I run 20? While everyone else’s Garmin showed the big 20, mine was stuck on 19.02! It seems that while we waited to cross traffic several times during the run, I paused my Garmin and then forgot to restart it! This happened at least four times and for a loss of distance of nearly a mile!

Right away, my friends reassured me that I ran with them, that they ran 20, so I did too. But all I could do was point at my watch and say “but that’s not what it says.” They gently reminded me that I ran twenty last week, and to get out here and to do it again was amazing and not to worry about what the Garmin says.

For a long time, I considered running one more mile to make it legit, but my friends told me that was crazy. But they also told me I was nuts for running 20’s back to back, and I did that. But, I succumbed to pier pressure and accepted the fact that I ran 20 miles.

But my Garmin only says 19.02

Maybe a really short run is in order tonight …

Live healthy, be happy!

Travis