My Virtual Walk Around the United States
The start of my Virtual Run Around the United States!
Updated: 1/8/21
It’s appropriate that I post this on the last day in May as the monthly topic in my book Walking Inspiration is on tracking your progress on your way to health and fitness. (See more on the May chapter at the conclusion of the post)
My 16-year virtual run around the United State is a great example of tracking progress!
Keeping a record of your walking miles will provide you with a wealth of information on your fitness progress.
This brings me to my “Virtual Walk Around the United States” and how I’ve tracked my running, now walking miles, since January 1, 2004.
Full disclosure, my virtual walk around the United States began as a virtual run until my back injury 4 years ago stopped me from running and turned me into a full-time walker… and I’m grateful every day for it!
How My Virtual Walk Around the US Began
It all started with a blog called Run the USA by Scott Sehon and Dave Bronfenbrenner. I stumbled on it sometime in the late summer 2003 while Dave and Scott were in the process of running across the United States from Sea Bright, NJ to Florence, Oregon. A total distance of 3,200 miles.
Here was the catch, they would carry all the gear they needed on their backs and have no support team except a friend who served as the webmaster for the blog they hoped to be able to write during the journey. The idea was not to pay for shelter. They would either sleep outdoors or rely on the kindness of strangers.
Crazy plan to say the least and remember this was the days before smartphones and Wifi. The people hosting them mostly had dial-up access to the Internet if any service at all. Every few days the guys would post a write up about their daily run, the families that would host them for the evening, and whatever was on their minds.
This one’s for you Jay!
I was fascinated by the kindness of total strangers who would take the guys in based on a phone call from a friend or relative who had hosted them the evening before. The guys would make arrangements to be picked up somewhere along a local road, then run all morning and early afternoon, covering 20-30 miles per day. Then wait for the stranger to pick them up, drive them to their home. Often leaving the guys alone while they went back to work, telling them the refrigerator is full, help yourselves and when I get back tonight I’m treating you to dinner in town. Truly remarkable!
At some point, the guys bought a jogging stroller to hold the backpacks they had carried the first week. Sore knees and backs will have you thinking creatively. Also, running with a baby stroller along some busy highways got the interest of the local police.
In these times of the supposed divide in this country, it seems most people are kind, considerate, and well-meaning. While this run did take place in 2003, I’m confident people would be just as open and helpful today.
I wonder, is there is as big a divide between us all as some in the media highlight and would like us to believe?
Every few days I’d spend time reading what they guys were up to, where they stayed, how they felt, and I marveled at the great images they posted of their run.
So, how does this all factor into my virtual run, then virtual walk around the US?
Well, I asked myself the question, would I do this? Would I ever run across the United States if I had the time to do it? The answer was a resounding NO! It seemed much too difficult. But, it got me wondering if I plotted my weekly mileage on a map where would it take me?
My Big Virtual Run/Walk Plan
I grew up in Palisades Park, NJ and Route 1 comes across the George Washington Bridge through Palisades Park via Route 46. It continues south at Broad Ave. which is US Route 1 & 9. This road can be driven all the way south to Key West, Florida.
As a kid, my grandfather would tell me about traveling down Route 1 to the Jersey Shore and the trip he took to Florida.
My plan was hatched, I’d track my mileage on a New Jersey map beginning in Palisades Park on January 1, 2004, and I’d “virtually” run to Key West, Florida. I’d mark the map weekly, then monthly, to see where I was along the route.
To make this fun, I would post the maps in my classroom and Photoshop images of myself along the route to goof on my students into believing that every weekend I drove to the last spot I stopped at and ran from there.
I would purchase new maps of the next state I would enter, complete with an image of me at that state's welcome sign. Then if I found something interesting along the route I’d post more images.
August National Golf Club is 2.5 miles away from Route 1.
I Photoshopped myself running in traffic on the Pulaski Skyway in New Jersey, finishing a road race with US Olympian Allen Webb, and outside Augusta National Golf Club with Tiger Woods!
For a laugh, I Photoshopped myself at various landmarks within the states I ran through. I ran the miles… just not physically in those locations… but my students bought the whole running to Key West ruse.
You don’t need to know Photoshop to do your virtual run, just free online resources such as g-map pedometer and Google Earth where you can drop pins and make notes on your progress. Use Google Sheets to set up your mileage spreadsheet and you're all set for your virtual adventure!
Key West at last 2/22/2010 - 1550 miles!
After completing my Key West journey, I decided to continue the "adventure" by headed west with the idea of running around the perimeter of the United States. I tried to map out roads closest to the perimeter. Florida was easy, Texas was tougher as I had to zoom in on Google Earth to find what looked like a dirt road along the border with Mexico. California was long, 1215 miles, but the images I found were awesome.
Along the way, I took 2 years off from running when my son was very young. I just didn’t have (make?) the time to run. I always struggled to get out the door and begin running even in the best of times. I also took time off to recover from my back injury in 2016. It was during the recovery process that I switched to walking and haven’t regretted one day of it!
Closing in on the end of my Virtual Walk
As of today 5/31/20, I am in Connecticut, 92 miles from returning to Palisades Park Jr./Sr. High School which was my original start point on 1/1/2004! Unfortunately, due to the Corona Virus shutting down the school, I can't track the final leg of my journey back to PPHS on my wall of maps. But, I have just gotten access to my Google Earth file that was on my school computer and will continue posting on it.
From the beginning, this was a way to track my running progress in a fun way, and to keep me motivated to get out on the days on days I was less than enthusiastic to run.
Once I hurt my back and could no longer run, walking became my choice of fitness exercise until my back was healthy enough to begin running.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to running again and that was I fell in love with walking. While the physical aspect of walking is what drew me to it, ultimately it was the benefits to my mindset that kept me walking!
When I was a runner, I was concerned with getting from point A to the turnaround point of my run and timing it. Run, run, run left no time to think of anything else. How did it compare to my last run? How can I improve? Then the self-doubt would creep in, ‘hey, I’m 10-seconds slower than last week, what happened, running is supposed to make you feel good, isn’t it?
You can listen to music while you run as the beat helps you keep your pace, but to try to listen to a podcast or audiobook, especially one that challenges you to think, becomes impossible with all the huffing and puffing involved with running.
Even when I was healthy as a runner, every time I started a run it felt like the first time I ever ran. I would breathe so heavy in the first 3 or 4 minutes that I’d ask myself, how could it be this difficult after all this time running? And, I was in very good shape.
The Power of Feedback
It wasn’t until I stopped running that I took a good hard look at my running logs and spreadsheet and came to a startling conclusion, running hurts! Well, it hurt me… a lot.
My spreadsheet goes back to 2009, and my training logs go back to the 1990s and when I studied them, the fact that I was hurt so often jumped off the page.
Why didn’t I ever notice this before?
I was so caught up in running, recording time and mileage, and getting hurt that I didn’t see the pattern of every time I increased my mileage I got hurt. Sore knee, sore back, a shin problem that lasted nearly 1 ½ years which severely limited my running time.
Then the back injury, a herniated disc, due in large part to running, improper weight lifting, and improper posture especially post-run. My upcoming book Easily Walk Away from Back Pain goes into greater detail about what to do post-activity. I discovered a little know factor in back pain that is so simple to correct that I could have prevented my 7-months of agony with some minor adjustments to my post-run routine, correct sitting and standing posture, and some simple back exercises.
The Conclusion of My Virtual Run (Updated 1/8/21)
Oh, 2020, what a let-down! The year started as a great year that quickly turned sour with the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and deaths.
The excitement of completing my virtual run wasn't there in June. I was not in my classroom, there were no students to goof on, and my walk finale was not to be.
I planned on walking the last 4-miles from the George Washington Bridge, west down Main St., Fort Lee into Leonia. Take a left onto Glenwood Ave. and follow my team's cross country training route back to Palisades Park high school.
While the route back is not on Rt. 1 because Rt 1 is Rt 46 and is too dangerous to walk on, especially from the bridge to Palisades Park, I liked the fact that I'd be on my team's training route. Over the past 20 years, I've run, walked, or driven this route 100's of times.
In the end, I finished the last 4 miles on an out and back route walk from my house to a large horse farm (large for North Jersey anyway).
At that time, I was so unmotivated to write about it that I didn't even keep track until months later that June 24th was the day I completed 11,285 miles around the United States perimeter.
In those 16 years I learned that staying in shape can be a lot of fun, persistence is the key to maintaining a fitness routine, and "slow and steady" wins the race.
I enjoyed tracking my miles on physical maps, photoshopping myself in very ordinary places, and setting an example for my students that exercise is vital as they get older.
Whenever we all get back into the classroom, I'll begin my next virtual adventure.
I'm not sure where I'll walk yet but, I am half Italian and 1/4 Irish. Both countries look like great walking places!
What I learned During My Virtual Walk
What my virtual run around the United States has done for me:
Gets me out the door on those less than ideal weather days. I’ve been out on winter evenings in 17-degree weather to get my walking miles in and in 100-degree heat during the dog days of August.
Motivates me to put in that extra mile or two on days when I’m feeling good
I see my progress. Without a record of what you’ve accomplished, how can you measure your progress and growth?
I get to have fun with Photoshop and use Google Earth to explore sites along my walking route
I’ve listened to dozens of audiobooks and podcasts
I dictate notes into my iPhone about topics to write about such as my blog post 29 Things to Do While Walking
Gave me the time to think about creating the Walking for Health and Fitness website!
Lastly, doing this for the past 16 years shows me I have what it take to set a goal, overcome obstacles, revise the plan when needed, and ultimately succeed. Woody Allen once said, “90% of success is just showing up”. I’d say success is just getting out the door!
Walking Inspiration
Below is an excerpt from my book Walking Inspiration, A 12-Month Plan to Inspire your Health and Fitness with 356+ Inspirational Quotes and More.
The Month of May Topic:
Benefits of Logging and Tracking Your Walking Progress
By recording your walking mileage, steps, and the exercises you do during your walks, you will gain a wealth of knowledge about your progress.
Progress is defined as a forward or onward movement towards a destination. May these quotes inspire you to keep making progress in the direction of your dreams.
When I look back over at my walking logs* I get a great overview of the work I’ve put into my fitness. The training log adds a great boost to my motivation when I see, on paper or spreadsheet, just how far my fitness walking has progressed. I clearly see my progress from the time I started recovering from my back injury and could only walk down the block and back to doing long walks of over ten miles!
“A little progress every day adds up to big results.”
- Satya
You’ve put in the work consistently and you’ve developed a routine that is efficient and effective. You can walk more miles per day then you thought you’d ever walk. That is awesome… If I was with you, I’d pat you on the back, but that’s not possible so do the next best thing…
Pat yourself on the back as you see just how much improvement you’ve made to your health and fitness!
“Make measurable progress in reasonable time.”
- Jim Rohn
Tracking Your Bodyweight Fitness Exercises Will Motivate You
Strength workouts compliment your walks and have incredible benefits that will make you a better walker.
Log your workouts by noting how many pushups, squats, lunges, and planks you can do comfortably, and go from there. Are you able to complete two more pushups after a week? Plank for 10 or 20 more seconds? Then write it down and celebrate!
Regularly tracking your workout progress is important for several reasons:
• Makes it more likely to reach and surpass your goal
• Allows you to be more efficient with your time and workouts
• Lends accountability to yourself and your goals
• Allows for easier modifications and shows when and where changes need to be mad
• Can be motivating and reinforcing to remind you why you are doing what you are doing
• Helps to drive the focus and direction of your Fitness program
• Keeps you committed to your plan
• You see your progress!
Your Next Step:
As you develop your strength training routine, keep a log of your progress. Keep the routine simple at first then, as you get stronger, add more elements to your routine.
*Tracking your progress is an important part of your walking routine. The Walking Inspiration resource page has a training log for you to download.
“Small progress is still progress”
-Frank S. Ring
Walk on,
Frank S. Ring
Author: Walking for Health and Fitness, Fitness Walking and Bodyweight Exercises, and Walking Inspiration.
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