2020 in 2020 Update

Waxing Gibbous Moon

As of the end of January, I was right on schedule for my 2020 in 2020 Challenge with 172 miles in 31 days. I hope you are, too, if you decided to participate. I am finding it to be fun, not too strenuous, and only moderately time-consuming. What is working for me so far is to mix up my routes and do hillier walks on dirt trails in between days of flatter asphalt road walks. I take a lot of pictures with my phone, mostly to keep my mind from wandering too much. Staying in the present is a good hobby.

I can tell that a wider variety, i.e. more changes of scenery, will be necessary to keep the project interesting. However, I also challenged myself to spending only fifty dollars a month on gas this year, so that kind of restricts the number of trips to the mountains and the beach. This year reeks of self-discipline!

Instead of watching the Super Bowl today, I hiked part of the sunny, breezy, and cool afternoon on the Juan Bautista De Anza National Historical Trail a short distance from my camp. From the trail head to the trail crest is 2.7 miles with a pretty decent elevation gain, so round trip is right where I need to be for a daily walk. The Pampas grass (non-native) looks pretty cool on days like this one.

There were only a few other hikers out there, making it Super Silent Sunday, which brought out more animals. I saw one bushy-tailed coyote and seven Cooper's hawks on the way up. The way down was rudely interrupted by two vaqueros on horseback playing oompa music over some very loud speakers while drinking cans of Modelo. Whaaat? So much for the wildlife sightings.

Anyway, the consistent, moderate walking is probably good for me and not that hard on my bum knee. Once the weather warms up, I might mix in some bicycle rides, too, to provide some needed variety. This Exercise Equivalent Chart from the University of Maryland Extension might come in handy if you want to "cross train" 2020 in 2020.

Exercise Equivalents

Walking, stroll (2 mph) 30 minutes = 1 mile
Walking, typical pace (3 mph) 30 minutes = 1.5 miles
Walking, brisk (4 mph) 30 minutes = 2 miles
Running (5.5 mph) 1 mile = 1 mile
Cycling/Biking (13 mph) 7 miles = 1 mile
Spinning 30 minutes = 2 miles
Aerobics (moderate intensity) 30 minutes = 1 mile
Stairmaster (moderate intensity) 15 minutes = 1 mile
Roller Blading 3 miles = 1 mile
Swimming (30 yards/min) 1 mile = 1 mile
Gardening, digging 30 minutes = 2.5 miles
Gardening, push mowing 30 minutes = 2.25 miles
Gardening, raking 30 minutes = 1 mile
Gardening, planting 30 minutes = 1.5 miles
Dancing, moderate to rapid 20 minutes = 1 mile
Any activity/exercise that makes you breathe hard and sweat. 20 minutes = 1 mile
Any activity/exercise that makes you breathe very hard and perspire heavily. 15 minutes = 1 mile


Peace, Love, Play Hard, and Have Fun,
Jim