Gmaps pedometer

I love to walk, and I hate for something to come up that messes up my walking routine. Here in Florida we have some great thunderstorms, so that can be a hindrance (only sometimes - I have been known to keep walking in the rain). In the summer I have to wait until around 6 pm or so when the temperature has dropped a bit; collapsing from heat exhaustion is not my idea of a good walk.

I have a 2-mile route and a 3-mile route. If you're a walker, you can identify with this - you want to know how far you actually walked that day. How do you measure the distance? Oh sure, you could do the old-fashioned thing - drive your walking route in the car and measure it on the odometer. But that's not absolutely accurate (and don't you know that when you drive your car you are destroying the planet by causing global warming?).

Instead, I use technology (probably not a big surprise there). Almost everyone uses the internet to get directions to an unfamiliar address now (Mapquest, like Google, has become a verb). Now you can use the Google Maps site along with a hack for measuring distance. It is called the Gmaps Pedometer.

First, enter the zip code of the city where you want to walk. Then zoom in so that you can see your walking route. Click the button that says "Start recording", and just double click the starting point of your walk. Double click your way through your entire route, and when you get to the end, you will see the total distance covered.

This week's video shows a little kid having a really good time!