A Virtual Run Across the U.S. in 2013

What better way to track your running this year than by seeing how far across the U.S.A. your accumulated mileage will take you?  I mentioned this before, and it's a great way to see the country without leaving home!       

Though not a substitute for a true running log, this site enables runners to log their daily mileage and then track their progress on a virtual transcontinental trip across the United States.  The site was designed by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to encourage runners (and walkers and cyclists) to keep up with their weekly fitness goals.  And, by taking part, your data will be included in a national health survey.

When you log in and enter your mileage for a particular day, your cumulative total is calculated, and the Web site displays the particular scenery you would observe at that distance -- by means of photographs – as a runner leaving from the starting point in Yorktown, Virginia and continuing west towards the final destination in Florence, Oregon. 

For example, if you ran 4 miles one day, 5 the next day, and 6.2 on the third day, you would see photos of the scenery at 4 miles, 9 miles, and 15.2 miles west of Yorktown on days one, two, and three, respectively. The site also provides maps that chart your progress and the progress of your running partner, if you decide to include a friend. In addition, the site can send you e-mail notification when you don't meet your weekly running goal or when your running partner has a particularly good week and passes you along the route.

And if you do get to Florence, say hello to my aunt who lives there!

 

 

Comments

[chris]

Your race is a great idea and sounds like fun. The virtual run described unfortunately uses just the two endpoints of Yorktown and Florence. I dont' know if you both have GPS available to you -- that could be a way to document and compare where each of you are at certain points, and maybe you can combine that with an Internet map of some sort. In any case, enjoy it and I hope you are keeping a good running log.

[b gier]

Does the run have to be from yorktown, VA to florence, OR? We want to run from Chicago Illinois to california. I have a partner and it's a race. We're already to Des Moines and looking for a way to document and compare how far we are.