I have a small patch of wall in my flat that has a lot of Post-its on it. They’re all covered in numbers that might at first glance look like I’m trying to break some sort of enigma code, but which are in fact splits. They’re splits for marathons I’ve done, long runs leading up to them and key interval workouts along the way.

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They’re in a spot that I see every day, and while I don’t look at very closely that often, they act as a reminder. They’re a reminder to myself that, if I’m going to be judging my training and fitness against any bunch of numbers, these are the numbers I should be using. Because these are my numbers, nobody else’s. And anybody else’s numbers should mean nothing to me.

It’s easy to get carried away by what other people are doing. People doing the same races as you and posting their training runs of Twitter or Facebook can make you question what you’re doing. I haven’t run, ridden or swum that far or that fast. Am I doing something wrong? Maybe I need to go faster or harder or longer. Try as I might not to fall into this mental trap, I still do it on occasion.

With running it’s easier to block other people’s training out. I’ve done enough marathons and had enough injuries now to know what works for me – how to stay fit and healthy and tread carefully that line between training well and having a life, or between putting in the mileage and being injured. Four runs a week is my absolute maximum, and mostly I stick to three. But there are days when I look at the mileage others are clocking up and think I’m not doing enough.

When I see a Garmin shot on Twitter or another blog, I try not to relate it to my own training. And while website like Daily Mile are great for keeping track of what you’ve done and encouraging friends, I’ve stayed off them over the past couple of years because it’s too easy to spend hours looking at your own numbers, looking at anyone else’s with more than the slightest of sideways glances is even more futile.

That’s why I have my Post-it notes. I know where they are if I need them, but they’re pretty useless to anyone else.