All About Tracking Your Miles

Today I’m going to talk about tracking your miles, which is a little different in this challenge. It can be confusing at first, but this should help clear things up.

What kind of miles can I log?

You can track any activity that gets your legs moving and your heart pumping. For example, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing count, but snowmobiling doesn’t. Running, hiking, and mountain biking count, but 4-wheeling doesn’t. The whole goal here is to get our bodies moving.

How do I track my miles?

YOU make the decisions about how to track your miles. Some people count daily steps, some people only count outdoor miles, or intentional miles, or paddling miles or cycling miles. Some people feel that 3 cycling miles = 1 challenge mile, while others count 1=1. That’s all okay. Your only competition here is you! This is NOT a competitive challenge. This is a cooperative challenge where a group of people work separately to encourage and motivate each other to achieve a common goal – to log at least 365 miles over 1 year. The specifics of those miles are all up to you. Design it any way that you like.

Indoors or Outdoors?

We will always suggest that you get as many outdoor miles as possible, but what is unique about this challenge is that you get to customize it to your own goals and needs.

Ice and cold outside? A treadmill is fine!

100 degrees and mid-summer? Feel free to hop in a pool or enjoy an air conditioned gym.

Each person can tailor it to their needs. We’ve had members walk the mall during lunch, hike the trails during the weekends or run around the neighborhood after work.

Challenge yourself and when the road gets rough, we encourage you to adapt and overcome.

How do I record my mileage?

There is more info with links below, however, since everyone uses different tracking tools (our tracking sheet, Endomondo, Strava, Suunto, Garmin, FitBit, Jawbone, Map My Run), we ask that you keep track of your own mileage in whatever way you prefer. This leads to our Mileage Monday posts on our private Facebook group. Every Monday, we’ll add a post called “Mileage Monday”. In the comment section, post your miles for the week and your total miles. This is NOT for comparison. This is how we all motivate and inspire each other – and sometimes ask for support.

Why the honor system?

All our tracking is based off the honor system. The goal of our challenge is to promote healthy living and provide an encouraging environment for like-minded community. No one’s going to check on you – if you tell me at the end of the year that you logged 500 miles, I’ll believe you. You’d only be cheating yourself.

In our challenge, the giveaways and benefits are not based on performance or mileage. You receive these perks just for being a member!

TRACKING DEVICES

Smart Phone

There are a ton of smart phone apps to help you track your mileage. Most are free and simple to use. Here are a few examples:

Fitbit/Step Trackers

Fitbit is currently one of the most popular devices for tracking daily activity including steps taken, sleep, calories, heart rate, and exercise.

GPS Watch (Suunto/Garmin)

If you’re looking for a GPS watch that will accurately track mileage, vertical gain, pace, etc. for a multitude of activities (including swimming, if you get a waterproof option), Garmin and Suunto are two brands that have great options.

Our goal at 365 Mile Challenge is to get participants moving! How you do that is totally up to you. It’s YOUR challenge, it’s YOUR choice. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish this year!