Using my own medical records, and the actual race records from New York Road Runners (“NYRR”) and New York City Runs (“NYCRUNS”), I created a set of data that “showed” significant relationships among:

• 1. Level of cholesterol in my blood
• 2. My body weight
• 3. My pace per mile records for the NYRR and NYCR races I participated.

Limited amount of data (only 24 race samples over the past 6 years, with most data from full year 2024 and first 4 months of 2025 seasons) meant the trends cannot be proven with high statistical confidence, it has helped me to provide a solid incentive to continue my journey of running and making myself healthier. Working on this data visualization assignment have reinforced the joy of linking my old high-school activity (cross-country running) with the recognition that the activity can indeed lead to improved health, 50+ years later.

DATA COLLECTION: IN THIS POST, I USED THE FOLLOWING DATA AND DATA SOURCES:

My weekly weight measure in pounds I record using Tanita weight scale, which provide me with time series records of my weight levels.

• a. Detailed Race Records, including my “official” pace times per mile, and total run times for the race, for the various races organized by NYRR and NYCRUNS.
• b. One of the performance data I am focused on is how fast I run a mile (the average of total time it took me to cross the start and then the finish lines, divided by the race distance) This is because the races I run vary from 5 km (approximately. 3.1 mile) to half-marathon (approximately 13.1 mile, the total running times also differ, making the comparisons of total running times amongst the races difficult.
• c. My quarterly medical blood tests, administered by Mount-Sinai Medical Group, where the data on my blood “bad” cholesterol levels (LDH in mg/dl) are provided.
• d. My weekly weight measure in pounds I record using Tanita weight scale, which provide me with  time series records of my weight levels.

CONTEXT OF MY RESEARCH MY ON AGAIN, OFF AGAIN RELATIONSHIP WITH RUNNING:

• 1970s: as a high school student participating in after-school track and field and cross-country, I have regularly achieved a pace of 6 minutes and 30 seconds per mile when I run in a multi-mile race.
• 1980s-2000s:my “prime” in 20s, 30s and 40s. Unfortunately, I turned into a couch potato. I honestly do not remember undertaking any running activity lasting more than a few minutes.
• 2010-2013: literally following the footsteps of my wife who was and is a running enthusiast, I started to participate in NYRR and NYCRUNS races, but not that actively. My best pace per mile was 8 minute 30 seconds that I recorded in 2013, when I run a 4-mile NYRR race in the Central Park
• 2013-2017: I still run 4-mile races, but perhaps once or twice a year. During the annual physical checkups, I received yellow flags for the high blood sugar and high cholesterol. I also noticed that my running performance has fallen dramatically, achieving only the running pace of 11 to 12 minutes a mile.
• 2018-2023: I still run, but only in 5-km (3.1-mile) races, once or twice a year. During the annual physical checkups, I received ref flags for significant overweight, high blook sugar, and high cholesterol levels.

…THEN A BIG CHANGE IN 2024:

During the early summer of 2024, with the suggestions from doctors and my wife, I started to run regularly by joining a running club and by participating in the official NYRR and NYCR races on a regular basis. I sought to run in almost all the official NYCR races in 2024, and I have been running most of the NYRR and NYCR races starting from Jan 2025. Each separate block in the chart below shows a race, and the numbers in the block indicate the distance of the race.

Yes, I am running longer distances than I used to be.

WHERE ARE THE RACES HELD, BY THE WAY?

In NYC, especially the races that are 5km (3.1 miles), 4 miles, 10km (6.2miles) are held at one of the three places:

• The Central Park (I run 10 races there, 1918-2025)
• Governors Island (8)
• Prospect Park (4)

The graph is the breakdown of the locations of the 24 races that I run over the past several years, with the vast majority during the past year. Some of the longer races, however, sometimes cover wider regions (Borough, or Boroughs) some of the toughest half-marathons races I run are held within the Central Park, however, where the runners had to climb up a break-neck Harlem Hills (350+ feet elevation) twice, or three times, depending on the course setting!

WEIGHT VS CHOLESTEROL VS PACE PER MILE(?)

During the second half of 2024, I started to  I started to notice a remarkable reduction in my own weight levels, as well as noticeable improvements in my cholesterol levels. I thought there had to be a linkage between the improving my medical trends and my renewed interest in running. At the very least, it created a solid incentive for me to continue!

Earlier this year, during my annual medical checkup, I explained to a doctor at Mount Sinai what I thought was a positive feedback loop of running more races and exercising/training for the races leading to improved cholesterol levels. The concept I was trying to explain was shown in the chart, below. (Please note the blue line represents my blood cholesterol in mg/dl, and orange line my body weight in Lbs.

THE RESULTS MAY NOT BE “MEDICALLY PROVEN,” BUT DEFINITELY WORTH THE EFFORT!

While the doctor congratulated me about my renewed interest in running and seemingly improved cholesterol and weight levels, he was somewhat more cautious about the exact causality amongst them. He indicated that the

1. My “data” suffers from limited data points and
2. The data points are from a very short observation period

He thinks it is medically proven that lowering weight can help the person to reduce his/her cholesterol level, and as a runner himself, he has seen many examples of novice runners improving their performances via weight losses. So, only in an indirect way, he could see improving running performances and warned me that continuing loss of my body weight per se may not automatically imply cholesterol reductions to continue and/or improving running performance also to continue, as I am approaching the healthy weights and cholesterol levels for my age. I may have picked most of the low hanging fruits, so to speak. Thus, his wanted me not to hold too optimistic an assessment that the “relationship” like the graphs below, where my race performance in my running pace (top graph, in minutes per mile) is seemingly related to the weight levels (bottom graph in pounds) to continue.

Nevertheless, the doctor said measuring the statistical causality amongst the factors are simply not relevant: he thought I was enjoying the running and found incentives to continue and to improve my race activities, and he thought I should focus on the total benefits.

I WONDER WHERE IT WOULD TAKE ME.

Looking to the next few years, I want to continue to participate in as many races as possible, including half-marathons. I am even hoping that, if I run enough number of races this year, perhaps I could quality for the 2026 New York City Marathons. For now, I am very happy thinking about my chance of running the full marathon, possibly next year, because this person is so very different from who I was a year ago, somebody with a number of serious health issues.

My last chart shows two graphs in one chart, with separate y-axis. What I wanted to show is, however, is that my best running performances are derived for shorter distance (paler circles) of 3 to 4 miles vs half-marathon (circles in dark navy blue). If I were to run for a full marathon, I will definitely have to improve my performances for the longer distance races.