500 Miles

I know I finished this whole process a long time ago, but there was one tiny bit that I'd not gotten to.  Back in December, with one whole day to spare, I ran the final five miles in my goal to run 500 miles on the year.  Perhaps the first goal I've ever set and then gone forward and achieved.  Anyway, over the course of the year, I made videos to update people on my progress and to motivate myself and I guess any others who found them to be motivational.  It was a lot of fun, and a really handy way to keep track of my mileage.

On April 6th, I made it to my first milestone, 100 miles.  I published this video:

And talked about it on this blog post.

I kept running, training for a half-marathon race that I had already paid my fee to participate in.  On May 31st, I made it to my second milestone, 250 miles.  This was halfway.  And It wasn't nearly halfway through the year either.

I published this video:

And I talked about it on this blog post.

Things never quite go as you planned.  After my half marathon, I had a bit of a breakdown when it comes to my resolve for running.  I went an entire month without logging a single mile.  I got back to it, but as things got busy, and we moved into our new house, I missed another long period, almost another full month.  I got back to it, but I found, as the end of the year approached, that I had to really hit the gas if I wanted to make it.

I struggled along, my shin splints aching the whole way, until the final few days came, and I could see that I would make it after all.  And with a day to spare, I crossed the finish line.

I let it lie for the past three months, but now I have finally finished the accompanying video for the final 250 miles.  It was the last piece of the process.

While I was running that last month, I used these Post-it notes to track my progress, and make sure I didn't accidentally run too few miles.

You'll recognize them as the inspiration for the graphics in the video.  So, without further preamble, here's the video for miles 250-500.  It may be my favorite one yet.