This year, for the first time ever, I recorded at least one exercise activity every single day. On a couple of occasions, that activity was only a 1-mile walk. And perhaps on those occasions that 1-mile walk was done simply to keep the streak alive. But I kept the streak alive. That’s the important thing. I plan to keep the streak going in 2026: at least 1 mile of walking expressly for exercise, every day. Since May 19, I have hit 10,000 steps every day. I intend to continue that streak into the new year as well, which will force me to walk more than 1 mile per day as it has for the last 227 days of this year. All of this walking resulted in a personal record of 1,141 miles in 2025, which obliterated my old PR of 554 miles, set in 2024. I’m setting no exact goal for walking mileage in 2026, but getting at least 10,000 steps per day should ensure that I finish with something like 1,000 miles again.
If it seems strange that I’m leading with my walking statistics instead of my cycling statistics, then my explanation is that my walking statistics were remarkable while my cycling statistics were – if you can forgive the pun – pedestrian. I rode outside 122 times for a grand total of 3,246 miles, an average of 26.6 miles per ride. My longest ride in terms of both distance and duration was only 47 miles in 3:11:35. None of this is breathtaking stuff, but at least I beat my target of 3,161 miles. Here’s the month-by-month breakdown:
My outdoor mileage goal for the new year is 3,075. That will get me to 100,000 lifetime miles. To be ready for the outdoor season, I plan to spend 50 hours on the trainer before May 1. There will be some outdoor riding before May 1, of course, but the indoor sessions will be more important until then. And I will be looking for at least 25 hours of mountain biking in 2026, after doing none this year.
Aside from walking mileage, there was one other personal record this year. It came from a statistical category I never really tracked before: total exercise volume from all sources. I started tracking bike ride distance way back in 2004, but I didn’t start tracking bike ride time until 2013. In 2020, I added walking/hiking/rucking. Earlier this year, I added strength training and floor climbing. This comprehensive recording of all my activities yielded a massive 669 hours, 50 minutes in 2025, far outpacing my previous PR of 421:50 in 2021. And this matters because no activity type by itself, not even cycling, is enough to give me the kind of fitness and longevity that I want to enjoy. I realize that an hour of easy walking and an hour of intense cycling are very different efforts, but rewarding myself for every effort motivates me to do a healthy mix of things.
No comments:
Post a Comment