My virtual run across America, and a business idea.

[Rain Man]

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?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Old Dog

The CO/WY line was at 2492.3, I'm at 2544 now. I probably won't make it in three years (would have to average 120 miles a month in 2014 to do it) but it's possible. I'm guessing that mid-February of 2015 is much more likely).
I'm going to finally attempt a half marathon this coming April though. My daughter mentioned a week or so ago that she was thinking of it and it sounds like a good idea (don't believe I just typed that).
I have NO delusions about "competing", even within my age group, but I figure if I can do it then I may be able to do a full marathon in 2015......as stupid as that may sound, it's always been a "bucket list" kind of thing. Again, not "competitively" but finishing anywhere within the alloted time would be a major win to me.

Are you in your 40s? I'm in that 40s group, and it mostly seems to consist of really good runners who have run their whole life and are good at it, and then a few people like me who are new to the sport and aren't that athletic. My goal is usually to not be in the bottom 20 percent of my age/gender group, and sometimes I accomplish that.

So yeah, don't worry about your age group at all. I prefer to compete against the field as a whole, but mostly I just compete against my own times and try to get better.

[Old Dog]

Yep....40s
And competing against anyone won't be a part of my thoughts. As weak as it may seem, If I can complete it, I'll consider it a success. I enjoy running (again, don't believe I just typed that) but I don't fancy myself a runner.
Hell, before I started this, I literally couldn't go more than a couple of miles at a sub 10 pace. I may still be looking at a time north 2 hours for 13 miles (have never timed more than six), but as sad as it would be to any real runner if I can do it under 2 1/2 hours, I honestly think I'll be OK with it.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Old Dog

Yep....40s
And competing against anyone won't be a part of my thoughts. As weak as it may seem, If I can complete it, I'll consider it a success. I enjoy running (again, don't believe I just typed that) but I don't fancy myself a runner.
Hell, before I started this, I literally couldn't go more than a couple of miles at a sub 10 pace. I may still be looking at a time north 2 hours for 13 miles (have never timed more than six), but as sad as it would be to any real runner if I can do it under 2 1/2 hours, I honestly think I'll be OK with it.

I've only broken two hours once in roughly 30 flat halves (not counting my mountain races), and I think two hours is pretty good. I've been as high as the top 26 percent of runners with a time around two hours.

I hurt my foot a couple of months ago and have barely run at all while healing up, so I'm out of shape and overweight. I try to run one half-marathon every month, so after considerable musing I signed up for one in December just to keep the streak going. It's not going to be pretty.

[Rain Man]

Annnnnnd.....done.

Two years, 11 months, and 27 days - 1,092 days covering 4,070.3 miles, and as of today I have finished my virtual run across the United States. Some stats:

Average Daily Distance: 3.72 miles per day.
Average Weekly Distance: 26.1 miles per week (Equivalent distance of 155 marathons - one per week)

Most Miles in One Month: 175.6 in January 2010 (5.66 miles per day)
Fewest Miles in One Month: 51.1 in July 2010 (1.66 miles per day - minor knee injury and big vacation)

Most Miles in One Week: 51.4 in July 2011 (7.34 miles per day - three-day weekend over July 4th)
Fewest Miles in One Week: 0.0 in July 2010 (knee injury and I was on a boat all week). This is the only week of the run in which I logged zero miles.

Miles By Month:

January – 464.4 (I guess cold weather is my forte.)
February – 316.9
March – 378.0
April – 357.0
May – 332.2
June – 297.5
July – 316.2
August – 292.8
September – 344.7
October – 288.4
November – 312.2
December – 370.0

Total: 2,115.6 miles running, 1,954.7 miles of exercise walking (mostly to work and back).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKKmzmeU5-0

[Old Dog]

Congrats

[Old Dog]

Hit Montana this morning. 1148 miles to go.
Revised goal to try and make it by Christmas. (Will need to average just over 117 miles per month to make it by then.....barring injury I should be able to)

[EagleRob]

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[Old Dog]

LOL

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Annnnnnd.....done.

Two years, 11 months, and 27 days - 1,092 days covering 4,070.3 miles, and as of today I have finished my virtual run across the United States. Some stats:

Average Daily Distance: 3.72 miles per day.
Average Weekly Distance: 26.1 miles per week (Equivalent distance of 155 marathons - one per week)

Most Miles in One Month: 175.6 in January 2010 (5.66 miles per day)
Fewest Miles in One Month: 51.1 in July 2010 (1.66 miles per day - minor knee injury and big vacation)

Most Miles in One Week: 51.4 in July 2011 (7.34 miles per day - three-day weekend over July 4th)
Fewest Miles in One Week: 0.0 in July 2010 (knee injury and I was on a boat all week). This is the only week of the run in which I logged zero miles.

Miles By Month:

January – 464.4 (I guess cold weather is my forte.)
February – 316.9
March – 378.0
April – 357.0
May – 332.2
June – 297.5
July – 316.2
August – 292.8
September – 344.7
October – 288.4
November – 312.2
December – 370.0

Total: 2,115.6 miles running, 1,954.7 miles of exercise walking (mostly to work and back).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKKmzmeU5-0

You have a very active mind.

I think the most impressive statistic not mentioned here is how many ideas or inspirations you may have experienced due to slowing down the pace of your life by just a few minutes a day...