|
12-29-2009, 01:58 PM | |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
My virtual run across America, and a business idea.
So I'm getting over my little knee problem and have started running again, and I thought it'd be cool to plot my progress on a map of the U.S., running across the country. I've always thought it would be cool to walk across the U.S., but I can't figure out how to get my work done in that scenario, so this is my fallback.
And then I thought, "Hmm, this is a pretty good idea for a website. If I started a website, could I get enough people to sell some advertising and stuff and maybe make some money?" So I went out looking to see if it's already out there. The concept isn't overly innovative, so I see a fair amount of sites out there that talk about it, but they all seem to be pretty lame. Here's a map, print it, color in your progress with a crayon kind of stuff. What I'd like is a web site where you plot your progress and then see a google maps street view of your location, and then a virtual tour of towns that you walk through, and an atlas so you can pick your route as you go, and an interactive map so you can plot your route. That doesn't exist. Is there money in this? What's the revenue model? Any web designers out there who would want to collaborate on this? In my 15 minutes of looking, I found one web site that's actually kind of close, though it's still basic. http://exercise.lbl.gov/index.html is a federal government site, and they do the street view pictures, which is pretty cool, and the online log. However, they only give you one route, an inexplicable Yorktown, Virginia, to Florence, Oregon, route, and you can't vary from that. Also, you don't get local information along your route as far as I can tell. I signed up for it, though, since it's the best option out there, and am now 11 miles into my journey. I've left Yorktown and am now on this nice road about 2 miles from Williamsburg. Anyone else want to wander along? |
Posts: 142,657
|
01-06-2010, 11:41 AM | #76 |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
Bump, so you guys remember to log your miles. 5 more miles this morning across the antarctic tundra puts me at 36.1 total, and 5.86 mi to Charles City, VA, Charles City County
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-06-2010, 02:10 PM | #77 | |
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: St. Louis :(
Casino cash: $9989900
|
Quote:
I find it hard to motivate myself to get out and run in conditions like that. Last weekend I went up to Shawnee Mission park and ran on the roads. That wasn't bad, but it can get repetitive. |
|
Posts: 2,313
|
01-06-2010, 03:11 PM | #78 | |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
Quote:
|
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-09-2010, 01:21 PM | #79 |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
53.3 miles for me so far... today really helped, 10 mile run followed by 4 mile cool down walk. I am now 53.3 mi - "7.22 mi to Glendale, VA", Charles City County
"Section: 12 Map Name: Chickahominy, 148" Cmon guys, updates.... post some updates. |
Posts: 1,582
|
01-09-2010, 04:22 PM | #80 |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
After an 8.5 mile run today and 2 miles walking afterwards, I'm at 67.6 miles now, and on my way to Mechanicsburg. 35.5 miles running, 32.1 miles walking. I appear to be in a residential neighborhood at the moment, but no one has come out to offer me lemonade. They probably don't realize that I'm running across the nation.
__________________
Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history. Last edited by Rain Man; 01-09-2010 at 04:32 PM.. |
Posts: 142,657
|
01-09-2010, 04:30 PM | #81 |
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: St. Louis :(
Casino cash: $9989900
|
And I'm sitting on the side of the road again.
A bit different situation this time, though. My wife had an emergency c-section last night. Our son joined us about 3 weeks earlier than expected. He's holed up in the NICU at the moment with some respiratory issues, but they're really mild. They really only have him in there so they can keep an eye on him. Momma is doing great! [/threadjack] I'm only about a mile from a 24 hour fitness. I might sneak out there and hit the mill a little later tonight when the wifey is snoozing. She's due for it, she hasn't slept in about 34 hours. If I spend the next three straight days in this hospital room I might snap. |
Posts: 2,313
|
01-09-2010, 04:38 PM | #82 |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
Congratulations! I'm glad to hear they're doing well. What's his name?
__________________
Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history. |
Posts: 142,657
|
01-09-2010, 04:43 PM | #83 |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
wtg rain man. this is pretty country. We will be outta Virgina before you know it. I will be logging the extra walking miles starting this week.
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-09-2010, 04:51 PM | #84 |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
Yeah, it sure seems nice. At the same time, I'm wondering if they'll always have us avoid cities. It would've been nice to go through Richmond to see what it's like. It looks like they're definitely avoiding big cities, but I wonder if we'll end up going through some smaller towns.
__________________
Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history. |
Posts: 142,657
|
01-09-2010, 04:53 PM | #85 |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
Have you figured out any way to see how far it is to different places like, for example, the Kentucky border?
__________________
Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history. |
Posts: 142,657
|
01-09-2010, 05:31 PM | #86 |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
Not using that site. You can use this Google maps toolhttp://www.gmap-pedometer.com/, but it is kind of a pain to match the exact route they have mapped.
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-09-2010, 05:39 PM | #87 |
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: St. Louis :(
Casino cash: $9989900
|
|
Posts: 2,313
|
01-09-2010, 05:44 PM | #88 | |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
Quote:
|
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-11-2010, 02:55 PM | #89 |
mmm sweet lemonade
Join Date: Oct 2008
Casino cash: $10005000
|
So I was checking out the route our 'virtual run' will be taking us on, and figure out that you can drill down to any section of the map you want, just like the one we are on presently in Virginia. Turns out this route actually comes withing about 1 city block of my house. Pretty cool. I will be able to stop in for a hot meal and a soft bed. Virtually of course.
|
Posts: 1,582
|
01-13-2010, 10:28 PM | #90 | |
NFL's #1 Ermines Fan
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: My house
Casino cash: $1808491
VARSITY
|
Quote:
Wow! It seems like the odds of that would be astronomical, or at least ... solarsystemical... particularly since it looks like we don't get routed through bigger cities. I'm at 88.0 miles, and just exited the Richmond metro area if you count getting past the outer loop as leaving. Only 645 more miles and I'm in Kentucky. I'm over 2% of the way to the Pacific! Anyone in the Castlewood Subdivision that I can visit? If not, I'm on my way to Ashland.
__________________
Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history. |
|
Posts: 142,657
|
|
|