Estimated training amount 1998-2006 and 2008-2011: 1,650 km

Crossed the Thames so many times via this bridge, 2009-2010.

Training diary in retrospect

In this post, I am assessing what marching I have done besides official events in the periods 1998-2006 and 2008-2011. Pure statistics, really ...



To not "cheat", I only list what would be the minimum I have actually done - based on recollection and written records. E.g. it is highly unlikely that I only trained 160 km when a UN soldier in Eritrea 2000-2001. I have probably never been fitter than in that period, but at least I know that I trained marching twice a week with Staff Sergeant S.V. Jørgensen for at least two months; on top of that a
group of us did a weekend hike up and down a valley, and there was also a road march to a secluded monastery. I have not taken these into account, since I have no idea what the distances were.

About London 2009-2010
In 2009-2010, I have had better opportunities to reconstruct the training amount. Back then I used the online route creation service available at www.runfinder.co.uk to measure some of my trips. On top of that I marched home from central London to Battersea many times, and to and from the embassy every day. That gives me something to calculate on. For sure, I walked MANY more km than what I list here - I used a top-up Oyster card for the Underground, not a monthly one - so this is an estimated minimum. I walked everywhere. Even during working hours I walked, e.g. to Whitehall and back for meetings.

Walking to and from the embassy for 11 months minus seven weeks of leave and vacation
48 weeks minus 7 weeks = 41 weeks of five days = c. 200 days.
2.7 km x 2 = 5.4 km to and back from work
5.4 km x 200 = 1080 km = 1,000 km

Night-walks from central London and home to Battersea, 41 weeks.
Absolute, bare minimum 10 times of a minimum 6 km = 60 km

Recorded Runfinder marches between September 2009 - July 2010
stifindergoblin2 (6.24 miles)
stifindergoblin1 (5.93 miles)
24 JAN museumstur (8.81 miles)
PGR HMS sports PGR (12.31 miles)
PGR HMS Sports (8.66 miles)
PGR IWM HMS Twr (5.81 miles)
PGR Belfast @ IWM (5.22 miles)
PGR til IMPWM (3.57 miles)
PGR Tower Pubvedhjem (13.01 miles)
PGR Tower PGR (13.55 miles)
LPL ST ST (5.51 miles)
Odeon-PGR 6km (3.75 miles)
Amb-Chat 2,6 km (1.59 miles)
PGR-VICT 2,8 (1.74 miles)
24 sep 6.7km (4.17 miles)
Hyde Halv E (2,7km) (1.69 miles)
Hyde East (4km) (2.46 miles)
In all: 105 miles = 168.9 km = 170 km

London 2009-2010 minimum total = 1,230 km

Estimated training amounts 1998-2006, 2008-2011

1998: no realistic assessment possible (NRAP)

1999: NRAP

2000: NRAP

2001: min. 2x10 km weekly Eritrea, as a min. in the period of April-May. 8 weeks x 20 = 160 km

2002: NRAP

2003: min. 2x20 + 40 km = 80 km

2004: min. 2x20 km = 40 km

2005: NRAP

2006: min. 2x20 km = 40 km

2007: (se diary)

2008: 2x20 km in Kabul = 40 km

2009-2010: records and estimates = 1,230 km (se above)

2011: 6 km from the Danish Defence College and home a minimum of 10 times; all other training ignored, which grossly underestimates the amount of training for that year = 60 km

Minimum total of quick-march km training 1998-2006 and 2008-2011:

1998-2006: 320 km

2008-2011: 1,330 km
Total: 1,650 km

Here you can see what that amounts to over-all in my life as a marcher!