Towards Chicago, in 2020

According to Google Maps, the start line to the 2020 Chicago Marathon is 2,635 klicks from the front door of my house. I found out I was running that marathon on December 12, 2019. Let's see how close we can get.

Setting a Mega-Goal into Motion

February 13, 2020

I used to think about my mega-goals all the time.

I ran (on paper) to Vancouver. I ran (on paper) towards the east coast. I would track these abstract destinations and my progress towards them measured in day-by-day running tallies added onto the total goal distance.

Why? The fake tracking made it real. So much more real. Not just for me, either. To tell friends that I had run the equivalent of some real distance that they could measure on a map, or in time-in-vehicle that they may even have driven, it was a brilliant approach to helping others understand the quantity of foot-time I was putting in.

Running towards Chicago is a long haul mega-goal. I admit I'm unlikely to make 2600+ klicks in the next 8 months. That's massive. But were I to get close I could easily see how that would contribute in a meaningful way to my overall fitness. Even half-way would be impressive.

Between the infamous Congrats email and the end of 2019 I was resting and ran a piddling 29 klicks, so nevermind that.

Since the start of the year I've been mellowing and have run an equally dismal 91 klicks.

But what if I take a broader approach? Not just counting steps but looping in my cross training, Strava also helps me track klicks on Ride. In 2020 so far I've tracked 185 klicks on a (spin) bike, meaning between both running and riding I'm sitting around 276 klicks (out of 2635) or a little more than 10% of the way there, roughly approaching Marsden, Saskatchewan via Highway 14.

So, starting today I'm clocking my total distance towards Chicago as a combo of both running and riding distance --intending to reach it on paper, at least-- and I've got a long way to go.