500!!!

I did it.  Today I made my goal to walk 500 miles in 2010.  Actually, today I officially hit my goal.  I know I crossed it prior to today, but if I didn't record the miles I walked with my walking app, they didn't count.  I use an iPhone app called iMapMyRide.  It uses GPS to track the number of miles you walk, run, hike or bike ride.  I've been using the app on and off for about two years now.  At first I was just using it occasionally to see how long the walks I take were.  I also used it when I moved to this neighborhood to go walking without getting lost.  A couple of months ago, I found that the app has a website as well.  The site is a little clunky and awkward to navigate, but I started poking around and found there were things there that the app itself doesn't have access to.  It keeps a running tally of your activity, makes calendars showing how long you walked, how many miles, how many calories you've burned, stuff like that.  And then I found there's a place where you can set goals for yourself.  Most of the walking goals are things like Walk A Marathon In 30 Days.  But I found the Walk 500 Miles In 2010 and decided to give it a try.  I was in the neighborhood of 250 miles or so when I found the goal, so I was already half way done without even trying!  Since then, I've made it a point to record every one of my walks.  It's also given me the push I needed to keep on track with my walking.  If there's one thing you need to know about me, it's that I get obsessed over silly goals.  I set them and then let my OCD take over.  Knowing that I had a goal to work towards also made me take my walking up to the next level.  My normal walking pattern would be to go out and walk for about four miles.  Since setting the goal, I refuse to let myself go for less than five.  The last four weekends I've gone above and beyond the duty.  Three of those Sundays I did 10+ mile walks.  Last Sunday I did nearly 11 1/2 in a single outing.  When I got up this morning, I was 7.92 miles from my goal, so I knew I needed to walk 8.  I did nearly 10 1/2.  I'm so proud of myself for doing this.

I was just playing around with Google Maps and was kind of freaked out to realize that 500 miles from my house is the North Carolina border.  Or it's from my house to just past Cleveland.  Or from my house to Detroit, cutting through Canada. Or from my house to the tip of Maine and then into Canada. Or from my house to Ottawa and then back.  Orlando, FL is about 1200 miles from my house.  That might be my goal next year.  There's just not enough time left in 2010 to hit that goal.