YOU are going to Walk Across Iowa!

We are going to walk across the state of Iowa, beginning on January 1, 2012. For our health, for the fun of it, for the sense of accomplishment of it, and mostly just because it is there.

There are multiple challenges to actually, physically walking across Iowa. Time, safe walking trails, appropriate weather, talent, motivation, accountability . . . all of these things are more than enough to generally keep me sitting on the couch watching Dan Kaercher's Taste of the Midwest on IPTV, while sipping wine or hot chocolate. Or wine and hot chocolate. Or margaritas. I'm not really picky. But let 2012 be the year we overcome these challenges!

Let's take a nice walk across Iowa without leaving our own immediate environs. We can do it together, at home, on a virtual adventure. Even if you live in Missouri. Welcome back to the Midwest, Stacie!

Here's the plan. Each of us will commit to walking every week in their own workout space and recording the amount of mileage achieved in an online spreadsheet. Walk on your treadmill, at the gym, in your neighborhood, whatever. Record your mileage. I will then plot that amount of mileage for each person on a predetermined state wide walking route and send updates to people as to where in the state we would be if we actually were out walking the highways and byways.

Wikipedia, the fount of all generic knowledge, claims that the average human walks about 3 miles per hour. From river to river at the widest point, Iowa is generally measured at 310 miles. Google maps seems to think that if one walked continuously, a person could cross the state in four to five days. If one walked 8 hours a day, it could be done in 13 days, roughly. Well, I haven't got the kind of time or inclination that permits me to walk constantly. So instead, we are going to break up our stroll through the state into manageable chunks of time spread out over the course of the entire year. We are also going to take a somewhat longer route in order to visit several of our own hometown areas and to avoid the Interstate 80 blahs. The planned route is approximate 331.5 miles, as mapped out through Google maps. Our ideal time line will bring us across the state from Keokuk, Iowa in the southeast up to Des Moines and then across to Harlan and down to Council Bluffs in the course of 52 weeks.

That is approximately 6.5 miles per week for the year. That's the "pace car" time. We'll each be walking at our own pace, in our own preferred manner. So if you want to walk 7 miles at one go once a week, or 1 mile a day for 7 days or 3 miles twice a week, it will still get you 331 miles in 52 weeks--if you can average 6.5 miles a week. If you need to walk 12 miles over the course of one week and none the week after, that can get you there too. Since we are walking together, but separately, we don't all have to be in the same place at the same time on the map.

It is entirely possible, we'll get there faster than that. We may find that we like to walk 12 miles a week. . . . it could happen . . . really. If so, good for us, when we get to Omaha with time to spare we'll just walk back. Or go on to Denver, or something. We’ll worry about the next 300 miles AFTER we get through the first 330, shall we?

What counts as walking? For myself, I am not going to count my general pedometer for the day reading. Just the amount in dedicated walking sessions, on the treadmill/track/sidewalks. If you want to count your all day pedometer reading, go right ahead. Whatever motivates and has meaning to you. I am not the pedometer police. If it takes you an hour to walk a mile, fine. If you walk 5 miles an hour, fine. Again, space out your walk into whatever time frames are best for you personally.

Recording your walks is the important thing. On Google docs, I have created a spreadsheet that everyone can access online. You will not need a password, just a link. I will send that link to each person via FACE BOOK. On the spreadsheet, find your two columns for recording. Every Sunday night in 2012, enter your weekly miles in the per week column under your name. The total column should total itself, if my formulas were correct.

Then during that next week, I will take your weekly total and move your "push pin" on the map, so to speak. I have plotted out a state route and can definitely give you the location of your totals. With the satellite street views and the photographs available on the Internet, I believe I can give us all a nice virtual look at Iowa, without having to leave the house in 20 degree or 95 degree weather. So break out good walking shoes and think about your plan! I will send you the link to the Google docs spread sheet. January 1, 2012 is this coming Sunday and YOU are going to walk across Iowa!