24,901

I recently added the Consistency in Motion tracker to the site after becoming aware a few months ago of an upcoming milestone of sorts, crossing the cumulative distance of 24,901 miles tracked on Strava since I started using it in November 2020.

I still look back with a slight smile at the original reason for downloading it. A friend had recommended it, convinced I was mixing up miles and kilometres when I told him the distances I was covering. Fast forward just over five years and I’m approaching the equivalent of the earth’s equatorial circumference.

Given the distances I’ve consistently covered over the past couple of decades, it’s not the first time I’ll have passed this point. Still, seeing it tracked cleanly in one place and the number in front of you carries a certain quiet satisfaction.

Despite being aware it was coming; I missed the actual moment of ‘crossing the line’.

It was a busy week and I forgot to check in on the mileage. By the time I did, I was already at 24,960. It’s probably fitting that something as abstract as ‘running around the world’ passed without pause or any real acknowledgement. No celebration, just another run ticked off. Not too dissimilar to my first ‘virtual ultra’, where I stopped in the street after 50 miles around the local area with no one any the wiser to what had just occurred.

I did order the t-shirt in the picture above, more for wearing around the house than anything else. A small nod to the accomplishment, but nothing more.

Ultimately the run that tipped me over the line was no different to the thousands of runs before it, or the ones that will follow.

Which, in a way, is kind of the point, I guess.

The motivation tied to distances fell away a long time ago. There are still events that create short-term focus, but the day to day is something else. More of a required routine than an activity fuelled by motivation.

Just consistency, compounded over time.

I’ve found in life that whilst motivation might get you started; it only carries you so far. Habit, persistence, and a certain level of internal drive take over if you keep going long enough.

The number itself, 24,901, is just that. A number.

Just another marker along the way.