Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The First 400 Miles

Every year I have walked at least 100 miles. Last year I finished my 400th mile.

A lot of people ask how I track this. As I have said on this blog before, it is decidedly low tech, mostly because I have not found anything that tracks what I am doing. Most apps track distance and what I do involves a lot of doubling back, especially on dead-end streets.

So, what I do involves a paper map (actually two) and a magic marker to make sure I do not repeat streets (though this has happened, probably too often), Google Maps to measure distance (disclaimer, I do own Google stock, but not enough for this plug to make a difference), and a simple spreadsheet to track the miles, totals and street names.

I have not shared this spreadsheet so far, for logistic reasons. This spring I converted this to a Google Spreadsheet and now I am making the log of my first 400 miles public. By the end of this year I will update with up to 500 miles!

All of this is for the MS Society. MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system. It affects many people in many different ways. If you do one thing after reading this message find out more about MS. If you do two things, tell someone else about it and share a link to this blog. If you do three things, and it is within your means, make a donation.  I am registered as a virtual rider for the MS 150 bike ride, even though I am walking instead of riding. If you donate through the rider site, the donation total will be reflected on the site. If you donate directly to the MS Society, please just let me know with a comment on this site.

So if you live north of Fulton street in Grand Rapids, look for your street in the spreadsheet of my first 400 miles.

If you know me, ask for a few business cards to share with friends!

And most of all, thanks for listening!

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