Keeping Score

High Performance West and Skechers Performance sponsored middle distance athlete, Eleanor Fulton is all smiles after her first Diamond League experience in 2017, rabbiting the Women's 1500m National Race at the Pre Classic in Eugene, Ore. Her authentic expression of excitement and satisfaction on competition day is one way score is kept within the HPW ranks.

Often, I will ask someone I just met, "How do you keep score?"

Typically, my inquiry returns inquisitive looks. I'll admit, it is an unusual question. 

There are endless ways to keep score and here are some methods often employed: 

Number of miles ran in a week
Splits hit in a workout
Time ran in a race
Victories/honors/awards earned
The prestige of a university
Pace for a run as recorded by a GPS
The logo on clothing worn and gear used to exercise
Relative fame of a coach or training group
Number of followers on social media platforms
Type of vehicles used for transportation
Money in the bank or annually earned
Number of letters behind a last name

It is important to understand that how you elect to keep score may not be how I do. And that is OK. No method of accounting is better or worse than the other. Just different. 

Far too often I made the mistake of assuming my approach matched others. My expectation rendered me out of sync. And the dissonance led to discord resulting in relationships damaged or ended. So now I check. 

What I am really asking is: 
What matters to you? 
What do you measure? 
What are the rules to your game? 
How do you know if you (and others) are winning or losing?
Please let me know so I can play, or choose not to.

How do you keep score? 

Thanks for reading. I'm glad you're here. // jm