Does anyone remember the little Nike+iPod sensor that you could clip to your shoe? I’ve always enjoyed running but first started tracking my running data after getting one of those sensors for Christmas in 2009. It was laughably inaccurate, and within a few months, I ditched the chip and started using the RunKeeper app on my iPhone 3GS.
I’ve kept track of my miles ever since and at the end of 2022, I posted about how I ran much farther than any year before. I knew that I ran ever farther in 2023, but never took time to review the data, so it seemed like a good time to take a fresh look at my progress.
As it turns out, I ran about 87 more miles in 2023 than I did in 2022, and I kept pushing this year. In 2024 (so far, I’ll update this at the end of December) I logged 574.5 miles over 97 workouts. I typically run every 2-3 days, usually in the morning after the kids leave for school or before they’re up on the weekends. My most common route is a 6.5 mile loop but there were times throughout the year when I tacked on a bit extra and quite a few where I cut it shorter when I wasn’t feeling well, or didn’t have an hour to spend running.
In past years, I registered for a few races to stay motivated but the only race I signed up for in 2024 was a February 5k at my kids’ school. I didn’t feel like I ran more that month, but February ended up being my 2nd highest number of miles. It was interesting to see how much my mileage fluctuated each month, but looking back at my monthly data for the past 3 years, I noticed I went through similar ups and downs in 2023.
Will this upward trend continue in 2025? The only way I see that happening is if I increase my usual distance or frequency. I ran a 10 mile route this morning and could try for longer runs like that on the weekends. I don’t have much interest in running more often though. I’ve found I keep a much better pace when I give myself at least 2 days between runs, so we’ll see!