I bought an iWatch nearly 3 years ago, and one of its many functions is to track steps. The gold standard for daily steps is 10,000, according to most health experts. I’ve had some 25,000+ step days and only a few sub 10,000 days, but overall I’ve been fairly consistent with my daily performance. That means in the last 33 months, I’ve taken at least 10 million steps.

There was a two-week stretch when my Iwatch was not working, and I had I had to return it to the factory for repairs. Other than that, the fewest number of steps I’ve taken in a day was 6,806, followed by 7173, 7347, 7406, 7709, 7796, 8673, 8782, and 8127. This includes my six-hour stay in the ER a few days ago that resulted in the step total highlighted in bold, and prompted this post. Most of these other 8 sub-par performances were the result of long flights and time changes that limited any time on my feet. In over 9,000 days since my watch has been accounting for daily steps, I’ve missed the mark only 9 times! My record appears to be 32,453 steps while we were visiting Paris and seeing the sights on foot.

Prior to the Iwatch, I wore a Nike Fuel Band. It allowed me to set a daily workout goal, but on too many frustrating occasions it failed to track my performance accurately. I liked the fact that it kept a running total of my fuel points, steps, and provided rewards for achieving goals. As it was being phased out, I reluctantly switched to Apple, since the two companies had created a fitness partnership. The Iwatch allows me to also monitor pace, although at my age the results are hardly inspiring.

My running streak has now transcended ten years and a number of different devices to monitor my progress. I think I used just an ordinary watch when I first got started at the age of 57. At that time, a ten-minute mile was my daily pace that would quicken to eight minute miles on race day. In my thirties, it was closer to eight and six respectively, and I could easily get in 8 miles over my lunch hour. Nowadays, that same 8 miles often takes two and a half days at 3.1 miles a crack. I can’t even remember the last time I did eight miles in a non-stop run. Also, a mile now often sadly averages about 12 minutes. It’s the best an old man can do, but I’m lucky to just keep stepping!