Blogging Logging

I rode 2.4583 miles on my bike today. It was the same route as yesterday, only this time I went from the bottom to the top (Heartbreak Hill for those who have just joined the thread) without stopping. I can also start a little more consistently, even pointing uphill.

So how do I know I rode 2.4583 miles?

The truth is, I don't have a clue about keeping fit. My exercise routine for years has been on the Nordic Track ski machine. I have been doing this for cardio rather than anything else, and aim to get into the optimal heartrate range and stay there for as long as possible. I just do the workout with my legs, and keep my arms free for playing games on my laptop. I generally play poker for funny money on Pacific Poker (I am up over $100k - but it is only funny money). If I watch TV I last 30 minutes; playing poker I can go an hour or more.

But now I am on a bike, and I have to be serious - how far did I travel today, yesterday, tomorrow, next week?

I hear from friends who are serious worker-outers that they keep logs of their workouts, or runs, or rides, or climbs, or games. This always seemed like hard work to me, but now I am spending as much time blogging as riding my bike, and so it makes sense I should spend some of it keeping track. Hence the title of this post, blogging about logging... "Blogging Logging".

I first set up a spreadsheet to keep track of the date, route, distance and duration of my rides, plus any notes. I imagine there are some websites I can use to do this ... please use the comment form for any suggestions (or send me an email).

Meanwhile, how far did I ride today (or any day)? A quick google of "route length google maps mashup" brings up various options, including (via a WombatNation posting - don't ask me!) to Gmaps Pedometer. This is a mashup over Google Maps that allows you to trace any route on a map from point to point. Once you have dotted the dots, the program calculates the distance travelled, the elevation chart and even calories burned (unlikely to be accurate, but for completeness: 334).

So that's how I know I travelled 2.4583 miles. I think that accuracy to four decimal places is a little unnecessary, but it's nice to know someone cares.

Tomorrow maybe I will ride 2.4584 miles.

You can be sure I will log it, and blog it, and maybe blog logging it.