Strava tells me I’ve run about 6500 and cycled about 10000 miles since I’ve been using that app. Most of those miles are right around my house with my driveway being the start and end point.
Those are circular miles. I start at the end of my driveway, and somewhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours later, I’m right back where I started. Just looking at the routes on a flat map doesn’t reveal much. Didn’t really get anywhere.
Yet the actual route I took makes all the difference. I’ve got 5-mile running routes with 100 ft of elevation gain, and some with 1000 ft of elevation gain. I’ve got 20-mile cycle routes with 300 ft of elevation, and some with 2500 ft.
The effect on me, my fitness, and my success in an event I’m training for is directly coupled to the routes, even though the endpoints are the same. There’s no way to get better, go faster, or be stronger without going directly up the hill or through muck. I can get there a different way, but it won’t help me nearly as much.
Where are you trying to get to? Are you trying to build a company? Learn a new skill? Make an impact in your community or the world?
The route you take will make all the difference.
