Originally Posted by Bud Bent

This thread does a nice job of showing how differently we all use numbers, and how different their meanings are to us. Heart rate is one that hasn't been mentioned. It can give you information that you can use to gage your effort, much better that just using perceived effort. That can become important during some kinds of rides. The same can be said of power meters, although most of us here probably don't have a need for anything like that. I've never used one myself.

Tracking mileage has been a good way for me to motivate myself to put in enough time on the bike to keep my fitness level where I want it; there always seems to be something tugging at my time, trying to keep me off the bike. This year, I also gave myself a goal of riding more than I drove, so I tracked my driving mileage, too.

But I don't obsess about stats. I round off miles, and never post elevation or any other data. My lack of obsession about distance ridden was actually a bit embarrassing at the two Lone Star Randonneur Christmas parties I attended (I probably wouldn't have even gone to those, but had been nominated for an award, then the next year, was asked to be the presenter of that award, as last year's winner). At those parties, everyone who had ridden over a certain amount of rando kilometers was asked to stand, then sit back down as higher kilometers completed were called out. Both years, I didn't know my kilometer total, so didn't know when to stand and sit.

But I really don't understand the bashing or belittling of someone else's stats, and believe I have made it plain that if you want to rile me, that will do it.