I worked from home this Bank Holiday, so thought how many steps can I fit into 24 hours.
How was your Bank Holiday Monday?
For me, it was all about numbers and hoping they’d go up. Whether it was the brand’s readership or the stubbornly accurate steps on my watch.
The Numbers
First, the headline one, 60,000 steps. A lot of putting one foot in front of the other and at times, in some of the fields, not putting one foot into a hole!
Next, the distance. By midnight, I had walked/ran a total distance of 50.15 kilometres or 31.2 miles. In other words, I ran a very slow marathon and then carried on for a bit like I’d got side-tracked at the finishing line.
How about the total calories I burnt? 4,286 kcal. I won’t pretend to be a nutritionist. All I know is that it’s more than I normally would burn and it is two times the recommended calories an adult man should eat per day.
How did I track all of this? Well, pedometers are rather antiquated, so I opted for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which not only accurately tracked every exhausting step I took, but also made me well aware of the mammoth amount of calories I was burning.
Finally, for the numbers, is the weight I lost. I wasn’t sure if one day would make much of a difference. However. At the start of the day, I weighed 79.4kg by midnight I had got down to 78.0kg. 1.4kg lost, not bad for a day’s work.
10K: The Garden
The first 10K started at 9.40 am required little to no exploration. Just up and down. Up and down. Up and down. My garden. It’s safe to say I looked a little bit like I had lost my mind.
In fact, my rather confused Cockapoo, Ted, can probably verify that my sudden activity was a tad concerning. After a few laps of trying to work out what I was doing, he with all his bundles of energy decided to just sit and watch.
By midday, I had completed my first 10K and I wasn’t particularly tired yet. My feet were still in a good condition that as I’m writing this I miss and I was ready to work.
I updated our socials with my progress and wrote up an article for the website recapping the Great Manchester Run and then got back at it.
20K: Fields and More Fields
1.40pm. Time to take it up a notch. I realised that to get anywhere my brain needed to be stimulated so my feet wouldn’t give in. So, I headed out the front door and on to the fields where I walk Ted.
Until about 2.20pm I ran around the one field until I realised that all I had done was swap a smaller field, my garden for a bigger one owned by a farmer.
So I went up a trail, did some trail and road running around a circular route that would take me back to the original field.
By 3pm, I had conquered 20,000 steps, which is probably the most I’d ever done in a day before the challenge. My feet were becoming a bit more tired. The poor things had no idea what was to come.
To finish off before going back to work around 4pm, I did one more running lap going up the same trail as earlier but turning the other way at the top of the hill. As I was running home I bumped into my cousin and her dog, Lenny who helped me get closer to 30K. You can see him photobombing below.
30K: The Kitchen and The Stairs
At 4pm, I got home to do some work for Nine to Alive as I needed a bit of a rest and more importantly couldn’t let the rest of our hardworking team down.
Around 5pm, I got a call from a friend of mine and that’s when the steps started climbing again. You will be surprised, if you are a pacer like me, how many steps you can get while on the phone.
The phone call in question, may or may not have been the reason that my phone died and therefore I couldn’t post my 30K update. Sorry X and Instagram, my bad! Also, to my mum, sorry if I’ve worn out the kitchen floorboards, a second my bad!
40K: Return of the Fields and On the Road
At this point, I think I may have become my own worst enemy. Why were my feet still going and why was my head saying go for a second run? When I get an answer I’ll let you know.
I headed out the front door for my second exercise of the day ran the same fields, the same trail, turned left at the top but this time kept going. Along the ironically or aptly named ‘Long Lane’.
I was at around 33,000 steps when I left the house and was determined to not return until 40K was achieved.
This leg of the step challenge was where my walking and running got the most sketchy in terms of my safety. The distance between myself and the cars on the top road outside of my town was a little too close to comfort at times. But, every silver lining it did make me speed up.
I reached 40,000 steps by the beautiful scenery of Hartcliffe, where the sun was beginning to lower at 19:30pm. Until I saw the view, I was all but ready to stop but through a mix of the power of nature and the fact I had now walked the furthest I could from home and had no lift. I had to carry on out of necessity as well as will power.
50K: Returning Home
I’ve never loved my front door more. When I unlocked it at 20.30pm, I had made 47,000 steps. Surely enough right? Nah, I wanted that round 50K. So, while I waited for my pizza to cook, I got in some passive steps.
I hit 50K and as is becoming a bit of a trend. My phone died again. Sorry. In it’s defence it had been connected to a watch that had seen three times the amount of action it ever had since I bought it a year ago. Plus, with time to wait until the next social update I kept going as I’m willing to admit I was bored.
Before, I recorded my final video update of the day at 22.00pm, and by the way, I apologise for looking so tired. I had reached around 53,000 steps, a little too close to 60,000 for my liking.
60K: Night-time Steps
At 22.20pm, I think the step counters stubbornness had infected me. 53,000 steps and 60,000 steps are so close right? What’s another 7,000?
So, I put on a film and went about inspecting the structural integrity of more floorboards in my house, this time the living room.
I don’t know if you’ve ever walked from corner to corner in your living room before but it can be an effective step booster. It’s safe to say my feet, now aching on the top of my big toes and on my heels found the cushioning of a carpet very welcoming.
By 23:45pm, I reached 60,000 steps, a goal I hadn’t aimed for, a goal most people told me I’d be mad to aim for, and yet a goal that was staring back at me from my wrist.
So, I finished the day just before midnight taking photos of all the information my watch had recorded. Went upstairs to weigh myself for the second time. When the clock struck midnight I was done, watch off, one more story and one more post sent out. I went to bed.
Conclusions: A lot of little steps for man
60,000 steps. Phew. I’m proud of myself.
I learnt a lot from this challenge about calculating steps and about myself.
First, it is certainly motivating every time you reach a new 10,000 because with each one another goal has been checked off. However, I noticed around the 18,000 step mark that I was getting demoralised. Any other day, the amount of work I’d put in to reach that amount, I’d have been more than happy with. But, looking at the watch and barely seeing the step number move after running for 10 or 15 minutes at a time was mentally exhausting.
To be honest that is my main takeaway. If you feel inspired to try a step challenge please remember to look up and look behind you. Look how far you’ve travelled, how many laps you’ve done. Numbers are impressive. Numbers are rewarding but any time you set aside for your health, for a challenge and to get outdoors. You should be proud of yourself.
At times, I’ve found it hard to step out the front door, walk into the world. As I found yesterday and this morning, exploring on foot will hurt your lower body. Leave you sore. Sure. But, your mind will thank you later.
Check out the journey to 60K on our X and Instagram accounts.
