What's up with "Up and Away" anyway?

Y'all've seen this guy on the Individual Awards list for some time now (used to be called the "Swingin' Award" back in '08), but I think there are more questions about what this means than any other. So, I thought I'd start a series of posts explaining some of the awards and other stats.

Simply stated, the Up and Away Award is a measure of how far a runner has progressed from their lowest point relative to their goal pace. Simple, yes, but probably not explanation enough!

Each week, I record how many miles above or below each runner is relative to their original goal pace. I keep a record of the minimum and maximum results for each week. Those runners with the highest differences between maximum and minimum results are shown in the award.

If, for example, your goal was 1040 miles for the year and you ran exactly 20 miles every week through 10 weeks, this number would be 0 (zero), because you would be right on pace (1040 miles = 20 MPW for 52 weeks)⁽¹⁾.

Now, suppose you have the same goal, but run the following:
Week 1: 8 miles (12 miles below pace)
Week 2: 20 miles (12 miles below)
Week 3: 22 miles (10 miles below)
Week 4: 22 miles (8 miles below)
Week 5: 20 miles (8 miles below)
Week 6: 22 miles (6 miles below)
Week 7: 22 miles (4 miles below)
Week 8: 20 miles (4 miles below)
Week 9: 20 miles (4 miles below)
Week 10: 24 miles (0 miles - at goal pace)
Total: 200 miles

This would mean that after ten weeks, you're right at your goal pace for that week, just like in the first example. However, since the lowest point you had was 12 miles below pace in the first & second weeks, you're now actually 12 miles above your lowest point relative to goal pace. That is the number I measure for Up and Away.

This graph shows how far above or below a few runners were from their own goal pace for each week of the year so far:

The top two runners (TheHammer and bhbrtn) started above goal pace and have continued to record more than their projected weekly goal miles, with only a couple of exceptions (see the downward dips). Even though TheHammer has recorded more miles above goal pace than bhbrtn (337 vs 323), the difference between his highest and lowest points is less than bhbrtn (288 vs 323).

The other two runners (candichappell and Bob!) show a different progression. Each were below pace for the first four weeks. Then, by week five, they both began running above the goal pace and made up for their earlier deficits. At their lowest points, candichappell was 50 miles below pace; Bob! was 100 miles. At their highest and latest points, candichappel is 149 miles above pace; Bob! is 78 miles. So, their Up and Away scores are the differences between these numbers (199 and 178, respectively).

Additionally, the Up and Away award always looks at a member's progress as of the current week. So, if a member runs below goal pace in the current week, their score will drop.

If you'd ever like to see a chart of your own progress, drop me a line (PM or email) and I'll send you one.

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⁽¹⁾Assumes a full first week.