From Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park to the Path of Lemons on the Amalfi Coast, the trail best taken is on foot. But, until I signed up for my first half marathon, I had no idea how far I was walking. No matter where I was going, I thought it was “about a mile” and would take “around 20 minutes” to get there.1
Then, preparing for races, runners’ training plans had prescriptive distances. Where could I go to clock four miles on a Tuesday evening? What was 10 miles away on a Saturday morning? Were four of those 10 miles going to be the same as Tuesday’s? I got bored quickly. If I couldn’t just meander aimlessly, endlessly, anymore, I wanted the miles to feel like they were adding up to more than just increased endurance.
These routes are the guides I built to entertain myself while exploring the vast miles of the Hudson Valley, primarily. From historic architecture to unique roadside oddities, they also incorporate local breweries, New York’s extensive system of rail trails, and fun tourist attractions to break up the distance.
With a goal of running 1,000 miles in 2025, new routes are being added regularly.
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Personalized Routes
From consultative inspiration to custom maps and turn-by-turn guides, I’d love to help you plan your next exploration.
Living Out of a Backpack
So far I’ve lived in three countries and visited six of the seven continents (Antartica is on hold for environmental reasons). I travel a lot, and I try to save money when I’m traveling so that I can travel more. Also, I try to keep to my training schedule when I’m traveling— even if that means getting up early to run the Las Vegas strip or enduring a snow storm in the Adirondacks. Along the way, I’ve learned some things.
Testimonials
When the author said “From the sculpture garden, it’s just a quick easy walk to center city Oslo and the beautiful pier!” I was NOT expecting it to be a 7 mile hike consisting of many hills. Manda Miles are torture. But her suggestion to stop at Kiwi for coffee was spot on. 10/10 trip recommendation. Pack comfy shoes.” – My brother, who has so far “willingly” clocked hundreds of Manda Miles across Boston, Tokyo, Kyoto, New York City, and Oslo
“The leaves are absolutely gorgeous this time of year! Beacon is a beautiful fall getaway town with great hiking trails and amazing views of the Hudson River Valley. We stopped in to the visitors center when we arrived, and the homeless-looking Barbie working there did a great job of telling us all about the cute little town! But, she did suggest we walk to Cold Springs for even better views. Claimed it was a “quick jaunt” down the river trails. Not sure if I’d consider it quick, but I love the ambitiousness. Overall, 10/10.” – Also, my brother when he learned that I volunteer with Dutchess Tourism and grew concerned for the shoes of unsuspecting visitors.
Latest Routes
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- This misconception included climbing Fushimi Inari’s 12,000 steps. Needless to say, it was a bit more than a mile and took much longer than 20 minutes to complete the loop of gates. ↩︎