Huh…
I just finished another pair of shoes (500+ miles), which meant that in addition to starting the new pair, I saved and exported the old pair’s mileage from my iPod so that I could start the count anew with the fresh pair.
As mentioned somewhere previously on this blog, I’m not actively going for a new mileage record this year (which has been incredibly demotivating), mainly because I’m pretty sure my entire family would want to throw me in the river if I were to obsess over mileage even an iota more than I did last year.
So when I checked my mileage progress for this year so far as I entered the new miles in my little spreadsheet, imagine my surprise when I found this:
- Cumulative miles from January 1 to May 2 in 2023 (my record year so far): 2040.27
- Cumulative miles from January 1 to May 2 in 2024: 2125.24
UM.
But then I realized that 1) I had not yet bumped up my daily mileage to 18 miles in 2023 by this point in the year, and 2) I had not yet run a marathon distance in 2023 by this point in the year, whereas I’ve done multiple marathons, multiple 50 Ks, and a 60 K so far this year.
Still, though, I was not expecting the mileage to be that close and for 2024 to be (even a little bit) higher.
I’m going to have to try really hard not to use this as a sign from the universe to go for a new mileage record.
Really, really, really hard.
Also, I’ve taken over 101 million (recorded) steps since I moved to Calgary, which is pretty sweet.
A Vehicle for Death
Important.
There was a Tweet I read not so long ago about a guy who got into a car accident in his big-ass SUV and was saying how grateful he was that he had a big-ass SUV to “protect himself and his family.” Never mind the other guy whose car got totally wasted by said big-ass SUV…or any pedestrians that may get caught up in its grill and chewed up and spit out because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ugh.
It’s Not Even a Contest Anymore
It’s time for that racing chart of my cumulative walking/running miles from year-to-year.’
Where’s the glitz? Where’s the glamor? Where’s the excitement?!
It’s not there. 2023 trumps all.
2024 will (likely) not eclipse 2023, so there may be some excitement next year.
But since it’s tradition, here it is.
Walk da Walk, Run da Run (2023 Edition)
Is it walking/running stats time yet?
YES??
WOOOO!!!!
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
Total number of days walked/ran: 365
Total mileage: 6,515.09
Total number of steps: 14,228,321
Total calories burned: 479,577
Total walking/running time (minutes): 95,233.67 [that’s about 66.13 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk/run: 4.55
6,515.09 miles is approximately the great circle distance between San Diego, California and Naples, Italy or between Helsinki, Finland and Cape Town, South Africa.
I beat last year’s mileage by almost 1,000 miles. Almost. I should have tried harder.
Anyway.
I’m pretty sure Nate will divorce me if I keep ramping this up, so I took the preventative measure of only walking 16 miles today, as the first day of the year basically sets the precedent for the rest of the year.
Edit: the fact that I’m not going to be breaking an old record this year has taken away a big portion of my already very tiny will to live. So that’s fun.
6×1000
Bros, I hit 6,000 walking/running miles today!
Remember back when 5,000 miles was my goal and how much work that was? Yeah, add another 1,000 miles on top of that.
Now I just need to do about 200 more to hit my ultimate goal of 10,000 kilometers for the year. And assuming I don’t die, I should be able to do that in the last month of the year!
Woo.
Flashback
Today I did something that I have not done since 2019: I walked to Westbrook Mall.
More specifically, I walked the route that used to be my absolute favorite walking route. I’d go out into Bowness and then come back, pass the bottom of our hill, and then walk on to 14th street. I’d then walk down 14th street to 17th avenue and head up towards Westbrook Mall. From there (usually after some shopping at the Walmart and/or Safeway) I’d take the #9 bus either home or to campus, depending on what I was doing the rest of the day.
Because of my class schedule in Winter 2020, I didn’t get a chance to do that walk before Covid hit.
And then Covid hit, which meant malls and buses were FORBIDDEN for quite a while.
But today, I finally got the chance (and courage) to give that walk another shot. Made sure I had my N99 for the bus back (plus like ten backup masks because I’m a weirdo like that) and headed up there.
It was a GREAT walk. I LOVE that walk.
And taking the bus back (to campus) wasn’t that bad, either. I was afraid I’d get motion sick because it has been so long since I’ve ridden a bus, but I was fine.
WOO!
Mileage Update:
I have reached 5,000 miles for the year!
This is WAY earlier than I usually hit that mark, haha, and it means that 6,000 and even 6,200 are within reach by the end of the year.
Let’s blow it out of the water!
BLEGH
Today was a sucky walk. It started out okay, but by mile three it had started to rain. Fortunately, I’d brought my raincoat and my little backpack rain shield thingy, so after stopping to equip both of those, I kept walking.
It rained.
The whole.
Time.
FIFTEEN out of my eighteen miles were in the rain.
By the end I was completely soaking wet (despite the raincoat) and VERY cold.
Then I had to go home and give a review for the stats test this coming week.
I’m so ready for this semester to be over.
Mileage Update:
I’m at (approximately) 4,500 miles for the year! At this pace, I’ll hit 5,000 miles way earlier than I usually do and may have a chance at 6,000.
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP
10,000
A’IGHT, BITCHES, GUESS WHAT?
(Aggressively typing because I’m excited)
I just finished a pair of shoes the other day, so I logged all the miles I’ve walked on that pair into my little spreadsheet that contains my yearly distances. Observe a piece of this:
My yearly total mileage right now (or at the end of this pair of shoes) is 3933.83.
If I want to hit 10,000 kilometers for the year (6213.712 miles), I’ll need to walk/run another 2279.885 miles in the remaining 137 days of the year.
That’s an average of 16.6415 miles a day OR an average of 116.4905 miles per week (since I don’t walk/run the same distance every day).
I’ve been averaging about 130 miles a week recently.
SO. If I’m able to keep up that pace (or even a little bit less) per week, I should hit my goal of walking/running 10,000 kilometers this year!
That makes me super happy, yo. I didn’t know if it would even be possible.
But now I HAVE to do it.
It’s LEIBNIZ DAY!
As always, the best day of the year.
Take a moment to pause and reflect on the greatness that was Gottfried Leibniz!
On a completely unrelated note, it’s the halfway point of the year, so let’s check my mileage, shall we?
*looks at spreadsheet*
I’m at 3,085.98, which means that if I keep the same pace as the first half of the year, I’ll get to 6,000 miles by the end of December!
However, I am NOT currently on pace for 10,000 kilometers, so that might be a goal for another year.
I guess we’ll see.
It’s a bold move, Cotton…
As you probably know, I am all about trying to break my own records for things.
This includes my yearly walking/running miles.
Last year I hit my furthest distance of 5,555.55. So this year, of course, I’d like to beat that.
And I don’t know if it’ll be possible, but I’d love to hit 6,000 miles for the year. Hell, 6,200 miles is even better, as that’s (approximately) 10,000 kilometers, which is a nice round number for a goal.
*does calculations*
Okay, 6,000 MIGHT be possible, but I’d really have to push the mileage quite a bit, especially on my weekend long runs. I don’t know if I can do 6,200, though, unfortunately.
Maybe next year?
ACCUMULATE
So here’s that “running total” graph animation that I’ve been doing for the past few years showing my cumulative walking/running miles. Now updated for 2022!
It wasn’t even a contest last year. 2022 was up top like 99% of the time. Hell, 2022’s total surpassed 2015’s END OF THE YEAR total on June 16.
Let’s see what this year does!
OH LAWD, SHE WALKIN’
(Sorry.)
Guess what time of the year it is?
If you guessed Easter, you’re an IDIOT!
If you guessed “the start of the year, which means Claudia’s going to inundate us with a bunch of walking stats that no one cares about,” you’re RIGHT!
LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
Total number of walks: 365
Total mileage: 5,555.55
Total number of steps: 11,912,482
Total calories burned: 418,221
Total walking time (minutes): 80,253.19 [that’s about 55.73 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.72
5,555.55 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Fresno, California and Paris, France or between Toronto, Canada and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Also, this is a new mileage record. Let’s demolish it next year!
5,000 Miles for 2022
I hit 5,000 walking/running miles for the year today!
I’m too lazy to check, but I’m pretty sure this is the earliest I’ve hit that milestone in a year. I think it’s happened in December the last few times I’ve hit it.
So that’s cool.
That’s all, haha.
Suck It, 2015-2020
Remember that “running total” graph I made for my yearly walking mileages? I did one last year and the year before, both showing running total for each year from 2015 up to the current year.
I love repeating my content, so here it is again – now including the running total for 2021.
[Edit: okay, so apparently old versions of this graphic just automatically update with the most recent data I’ve fed it, which is why 2022’s mileage is in there. Just…ignore that for now.]
My cumulative mileage in 2020 was higher than that in 2021 on January 7, but then 2021 dominated until 2017 took over a little while in July (because of my 30-mile days and that one 50-mile day). Then it was 2021 again.
Can I beat 2021’s running total this year? I GUESS WE’LL SEE LOL THERE’S GOT TO BE AN UPPER LIMIT TO THIS NONSENSE BUT I HAVEN’T HIT IT YET
Walk da Walk 2021
Are you ready for walking stats that NO ONE CARES ABOUT??????
Me too!
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
Total number of walks: 363 (I didn’t walk/run on the day Jazzy died and I didn’t walk/run on the day I thought I had COVID.)
Total mileage: 5,315
Total number of steps: 11,604,343
Total calories burned: 382,492
Total walking time (minutes): 78,890.32 [that’s about 54.78 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.71
5,315 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Portland, Oregon to Moscow, Russia or between Lisbon, Portugal and Cape Town, South Africa.
Let’s do better next year!
5,000 Miles – 2021 Edition
Today I hit FIVE THOUSAND WALKING/RUNNING miles for the year!
I guess it’s not that big of an accomplishment since I’ve done it twice before, but there it is.
Actually, I think I hit 5,000 earlier this year than I did last year and in 2017. Let’s check…
2017: my 5,000th mile happened on December 22
2020: my 5,000th mile happened on December 20
So that’s kinda cool.
Anyway.
Sigh…
CNN.
Like, I get it. Some people need that “bare minimum” number to strive for due to whatever circumstances they’re dealing with. But should we really be lowering the bar from the “standard” 10,000 daily steps? People are way too inactive as is. I think anything we can do to encourage more activity is great, even if it means sticking with a somewhat arbitrary value that’s a bit higher than what some research is showing as the bare minimum to get health benefits.
Sorry, I just saw this article today and my mind immediately contrasted it with the “vigorous exercise” article a while back, even though walking and vigorous exercise are different things.
Press X to Doubt
So Garmin has these little online challenge thingies that you can do through its app where you’re competing with other people for things like highest monthly step count, most monthly running miles, most miles cycled in a given amount of time, etc. Every once and a while I get in a challenge where someone gets accused of cheating and faking their data.
This week, that someone was me.
So a few things.
1) It should go without saying, but I do not fake my data. Anyone who knows me knows that my walking/running/steps are legit. I’m just putting that out there.
2) There are almost definitely people who fake their data in one way or another. It’s inevitable on something like this (even though the only real “reward” you get from winning these challenges is bragging rights I guess?). However, everyone else I’ve ever seen accused of cheating does not share their individual activities – only their totals (miles, steps, whatev). I share my activities. You can see every walk and run I log and you can even look at the map and see exactly where I went. That would be hard to fake unless I was giving someone else my Garmin and having them do the miles for me.
3) The amount of effort that would be required to fake this data is just not worth it, especially for as long as I’ve had my Garmin (fall 2018 I think?). It’s probably less effort to just do the actual steps, honestly.
I mean, I guess I could be flattered by the fact that people think I’m faking the amount of steps I’m taking, but it’s more annoying than anything.
Anyway.
WALK, FORREST, WALK!
So remember back on June 1st when I made that running total dynamic bar thing that compared how my yearly mileage totals accumulated for each year I’ve lived in Calgary? (This thing?)
Well, I updated it to include 2020 now.
I didn’t even really consider trying to beat 2017’s mileage until about half way through the year. Then it was a push to make it happen – which it did at the very start of November.
Kinda cool!
Walking 2020
Happy New Year!
As always, January 1st is dedicated to reviewing last year’s walking mileage. So let’s get to it! But before we do, a quick disclaimer: I am including my running mileage in all of these totals, too, but I’m just going to refer to everything as walking mileage because it’s easier.
K? K.
ONWARD!
Here are my walking stats for January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
Total number of walks: 347
Total mileage: 5,160
Total number of steps: 11,687,919
Total calories burned: 355,903
Total walking time (minutes): 78,727.87 [that’s about 54.67 days]
Average speed (mph) per walk: 3.80
5,160 miles is approximately the great circle distance between Juneau, AK and Barcelona, Spain or between Naples, Italy and Cape Town, South Africa.
And for anyone who’s keeping track (probably no one), yes, this is a new yearly mileage record. I beat 2017’s record of 5,100 by 60 miles, which isn’t a fantastic jump in distance or anything, but it is a new record.
So yay!
SUCK IT, DOUBTERS
I just surpassed 5,000 walking miles for the year, and I did it one day sooner than I did in 2007, the last (and only) time I hit 5,000 walking miles.
So for everyone who didn’t think I could do it again, take THAT!
I’m also going to likely beat 2007’s total mileage of 5,100, too.
Ha.
Walkie Talkie
Hey NERDS, so up until this point, I’ve walked 4,585.06 miles. At this same time in 2017 (my record walking year), I’d walked 4,573.77 miles. So that means (unless I royally screw up) I’m on pace to beat 2017’s distance of 5,100 miles.
YESSSSSSSSSSS.
(I live for this crap, sorry.)
Around the World in 2,206 Days
Today, I hit a huge walking milestone: since my first walk in Calgary on September 8, 2014, I have now walked a total of 24,901.46 miles. That is equivalent to the circumference of the earth at the equator!
As always, here are some stats:
- Total number of walks: 1,938
- Total steps: 56,171,859
- Total time spent walking: 383,048.87 minutes, or 6,384.15 hours, or 266.00 days
- Average walking distance (when averaged across the 1,938 walks): 12.849 miles
- Average walking distance (if I had spaced out the distance over every single day): 11.29 miles
So that’s pretty cool, eh?
Boxplot of walk distances by year:
Boxplot of walk distances by month:
Boxplot of walk distances by day of the week:
(As if anyone cares)
Let’s start another trip around the world tomorrow!
Eigenblogger 