A Couple of Milestones

Around the world in 5-1/2 years (or a little over 2,000 days)
Way back in 2004, I started keeping track of how many miles I traveled while exercising on a spreadsheet (no, I wasn't exercising on a spreadsheet, I was keeping track on a spreadsheet). So every time I run or cycle or hike or swim, I record my mileage, total it up at the end of the month, and add it to the spreadsheet. And when I started doing this, I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to make it all the way around the world" (in a virtual, rather than real, sort of way, obviously, because I'm not able to take a boat around the world like that one kid did just recently, which was actually a pretty amazing accomplishment, in my opinion - I mean, I just can't picutre taking a year off from life to do something like that - plus I don't know how to sail). Anyway, I kept plugging away, and lo and behold, when I entered the mileage for last month (June, 2009) I discovered that I'd passed the 25,000 mile mark, which was what I was counting as my "around the world" threshold (not sure how accurate that number is - so feel free to challenge this distance if it pleases you). To get to that grand total, I ran 5,930 miles, cycled 17,627 miles, hiked 1,269 miles, and swam 259 miles. Whew. Just typing that makes me a little bit tired. As a side note, I recently found out that my mom is doing the same thing - guess it runs (and swims, and cycles) in the family.

Kind of random milestone #2
In addition to keeping track of my mileage, I also keep track of every book I read (also on a spreadsheet). I've actually been doing this since September of 1994 (that would be close to 16 years for those of you keeping track). Well, this month, I went over the 1,000 books read mark (which averages out to approximately 64 books per year). My goal is to reach 1,000,000 pages, and I'm almost 1/3 of the way there (326,000 pages read so far). So I figure if I keep going at this pace, it will only take me another 30-35 years to make it, which means I'll be in the 75-80 year old range (assuming I make it that long - and I can still read - and there are still books). Yikes. Talk about a long-term goal. Now I wish I'd started keeping track earlier.

Some bad news from my achilles tendons
On the downside of things, my achilles tendons decided to act up last week, and I haven't been able to run for the past several days. I'm hoping it's just some swelling in the bursa sack that's at the attachment point and not tendonitis, because I've been down that road and it's definitely a long and winding one that I don't want to travel again. I'd much prefer a short and straight road that doesn't spring any surprises and provides an easy exit point in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, I'm still able to cycle and do the elliptical, and I'm running in the pool, so in the grand scheme of things it could probably be much worse. Plus, we're still between seasons, so I have a couple of weeks to heal up before our new group starts practices on August 8.

Speaking of which…
Our new TNT season is getting revved up and we've been holding information meetings over the past few weeks. As always, it's exciting to see so many people sign up and get involved with such a good cause. We'll be training for the next 5 months or so to get ready for the Phoenix Rock 'n' Roll marathon in January. Katie will be participating this season, so you'll probably be hearing from her re. fund-raising in the not-too-distant future.

That's all I've got, so until next time, may your journeys be fruitful, may your fruit by juicy, and may your juice be delicious and nutritious.