I used to play a game with my runs.
See, that watch you strap to your arm and track your runs is more than a fancy speedometer. Every couple of seconds it’s recording a data point. Every time you sync it to whatever app you use, it’s sending a file to a networked database.
That data is called a GPX file, and it is a long list of date-stamped coordinates that basically say ‘the watch recorded a location X, Y & ELEVATION at DATE & TIME’ and add it to the list.
Apps like Strava work magic and turn these into cute little maps on a social media feed, and then do a bunch of calculations about all the fun little stats you get listed at the bottom of the activity.
It’s all just math.
I used to play a game where I would use Strava’s mapping tools to overlay hundreds of runs one over the other to figure out how much of the neighbourhood I’d run. Had I, in my decades of running, missed paths or roads? Could I run every single road and path in a neighbourhood?
Using Strava was a bit of a hack, and not easy to explain to most non-technical people.
But like I said, it’s all just data. And one could, say, vibe code an app that slurps all that data into a custom designed database and builds maps and tools to make that game a little easier to play.
…which is exactly what I’ve been working on.
And maybe “used to play games” will soon turn back into a future plan again.
My new piece of software is pretty early days—a beta if you will—but I’m already plotting some upcoming solo runs to mop up missing streets I’ve never ever run, even close to my house.
If you are incredibly nerdy about data like me, the source code is on GitHub.
Definitions
- august
- In the month of August where I live summer peaks and the days are often relatively hot (in the high 20s or low 30s) muggy, smokey and dry. Rain is infrequent, but when it arrives it comes in the form of drenching downpours and epic thunderstorms. We begin our runs earlier in the day because the local marathon runs late in the month and our training distances are maxing.
- september
- The days are noticeably shorter when we realize that September is upon us. The post-summer routine kicks in and people are back to regular work schedules and kids are back in school. It can still be warm, but the hottest days are behind us and most of the biggest races of the year are in the rear view. We savour September knowing winter is too soon to come.
- strava
- I mention this running app and service quite frequently, not as any kind of endorsement but rather just because it happens to be the place where I've been logging my runs for most of my time on the trails and where most of my friends log their runs. We probably will never escape, but it's a love-hate relationship.
