One Mile Per Day X 365: We Are Built to Move
Blue Diamond, Nevada
Today is my nine hundred and thirtieth consecutive day spent active outside, but it also marks 365 days since I decided to up the ante and increase my goal to covering at least one human-powered mile per day.
The 1-mile-per-day goal was inspired by run streakers, who tend to use this benchmark as a minimum. (Look up “run streak” if you’ve never heard of the concept—some unbelievable people out accomplishing incredible feats!) But unlike run streakers, I don't participate in just one activity. My Outside 365 journey has confirmed to me that my body operates best when I keep my sports diverse—biking, hiking, snowboarding, paddling, and more. So many days I cover way, way more than just one mile.
While many days I shoot way over the mark, I've found that having a concrete, easy-to-define benchmark for even my shortest days feels incredibly rewarding. When I head out the door, I have a goal that I'm trying to hit, even if it is a small one. I have a concrete measure that I can easily point to. And my body continues to adapt to the stresses I put on it.
Before this new benchmark, my outside days included things like shoveling snow, splitting firewood, shoveling gravel, lawn care, digging holes (there was lots of shoveling), or walking three-quarters of a mile or even just half a mile. But during that time, I found that doing yard work wasn't quite the same as the experience that I wanted to achieve. I wanted to spend at least a little bit of time every single day moving through the world, using my senses to absorb and appreciate nature around me. Digging a hole doesn't have quite the same effect.
One of the reasons that I didn't originally set a minimum benchmark is that some days, I didn't feel like I could even cover a full mile. As I struggled to recover from two rounds of knee surgery and overcome a variety of other physical challenges, some days I could barely hobble a third of a mile down the road before turning around, hunched over and unable to stand up straight, to drag my carcass back to the house.
But something interesting has happened over the past 930 days. I've gotten stronger. I've gotten healthier. My pain has diminished, and my body has grown more and more resilient.
Our bodies evolved for motion. From the dawn of our species, we have been moving, traveling, running, and walking creatures. We've never been satisfied to be sedentary, sitting in one place day after day. We've been on the move, and our musculoskeletal system responds well to the impact of motion and physical activity... eventually.
Slowly, ever so slowly, my body continued to heal. Continued to reconstitute itself. It slowly adapted to the demands that I put on it. And eventually, I reached the point where I no longer have to wonder if I can walk a mile every single day. I just do it.
When you tell yourself that you don't have a choice, that you're going to walk a mile every damn day no matter what... well, I guess you can do two things: You can give up, or you can persevere.
And when you persevere, you'll find that your body, when it doesn't have a choice, will rise to the challenge, will grow stronger to meet it.
One mile per day, every single day.
(Caveat: I never advocate over-training, which is one reason I switch it up with so many sports to utilize different muscle groups. But most physical therapists and trainers don't consider walking a mile as "training." Just be smart out there—don't injure yourself.)
