How to make your CURRENT mile time into your PR using Math.

Recently, I was chatting with Rick Cleary, NETT's resident mathemetician, mostly lamenting about my mile time. He was talking about a recent math meeting he attended and I jokingly suggested that with all that brainpower, they could figure out a way to turn my latest, extremlely sub-par mile time of 5:06, into a respectable PR. Here's Rick's surprisingly lucid and realistic reply:

"This is easy, in fact I've already solved it using the famous ClearNote (TM) system, short for Cleary Notation.

Here's how clear note could work for you:

First, and most importantly, rephrase 5:06 as 4:66. Just tell a couple of people you did a mile in 4:66 without saying it too coyly.

Second, in a later conversation with one of these people remind them that you recently ran "Four something."

Third, as word of your four something makes its way through the running community, start to call it "Four and change."

Fourth and finally, tell people "My PR is 4 and change, I just ran that time again the other day."

Voila.