A friend suggested I do a virtual running challenge with him where you cover the distance between two iconic California locations: Tahoe and Malibu. Unfortunately we didn’t get signed up for the same wave of the race, so I missed the camaraderie.

Over six months from mid-September 2020 to mid-March 2021, I logged 877 total miles – 505 of them running and 372 walking. I finished 6th out of 248, but I think that is just because I continued logging miles beyond the target 700 – most of the time I was around 50th place.

I wouldn’t say it motivated me to increase my mileage or speed, but the built-in accountability of recording results was just what I needed to keep moving throughout the colder, darker months.