100 Runs Update

August 21, 2023

With 100 routes completed I figured that it was time to check in and reflect on how things are going on this project.  So far, I’m pretty happy with my progress although I don’t really have a time goal for completion.  I started at the beginning of last January so now, with the summer heat upon me, I can say that I’ve seen some extremes in the weather, with sub-freezing temperatures to the extremely hot.

I do keep a tally of the miles run.  Here’s a summary:

Total number of runs: 100

Total miles covered: 539.5

Average route distance: 5.39 miles

Longest route: 7.82 miles (Route 55)

Shortest route: 1.54 (Route 72)

Total number of unique city street covered: unknown

That last one is tough because routes so frequently require me to run out and back on the same street which does add to the total miles run but those duplicates don’t count for much more than that.  I still haven’t talked to the city about the total number of street miles there are.  Whatever that number is, I don’t think it is as interesting to know as it is the number of miles it takes to cover them all.

I do keep a master map of all the miles covered.  Here’s what it looks like today with all the streets I’ve run marked in orange:

If you are familiar with Billings, you’ll notice that the area to the north, Billings Heights, is not shown.  I am saving that for last and will have a separate map for it.  It’s a pretty large area.  I’m guessing it’s about a 1/3 of what you see here.

I should also mention that I’ve done quite a few runs that had nothing to do with the project, runs that were group runs on streets I’ve already done.  But I’ll have to admit, I get so focused on getting new routes done, those “fun runs” can almost feel like a waste. ;-)

So, that’s it.  100 routes completed and many more to go.  I want to thank Jerry, Shelley, Brad, Marlena, and others who have joined in on these runs that have taken us through parts of the city that we might not have otherwise encountered.