A year ago, as I was running every single day for an entire calendar year, I thought it might be fun to also run every street in the town where I live – Wyckoff, New Jersey.

The only problem was I didn’t have an efficient or easy way to keep track of every single street and I figured this was something I would probably never do.

The problem is, I don’t believe in never. And I don’t understand the word “impossible.”

And then, over Memorial Day weekend, my son Ryan showed me a website called City Strides that uploads all of your runs from Strava (and others sites) and creates a map of all your logged runs. The site also keeps track, town-by-town, of how many streets you have completed in each municipality.

With this program, I had found exactly what I was looking for. I now had a new running challenge. I had a simple and easy way to assure that I would run every street in my town.

Northern New Jersey is an area unlike most. This area is filled with small towns that grew up in fits and starts mostly in the last half of the 20th century. The towns here always seem to be adding new residential neighborhoods. With these new neighborhoods, of course, also come new roads – and lots of them.

As a municipality, Wyckoff covers only about 6.65 square miles, but to run every street, one actually needs to run hundreds of miles. Somehow, there are 363 streets laid out over those 6.65 square miles. My job was to run them all.

When I first logged into the site, I noted that in my previous runs, I had covered slightly more than half the streets of Wyckoff, 192 out of 363 (52.8%).

I had 171 streets yet to run. These were scattered around town, many in areas I had never traversed on foot, or even by car. Other streets were dead ends off side streets I never bothered with. Many of the streets were in an area atop some steep hills that are simply no fun to run. Street names like Mountain Avenue, Terrace Heights, and Highview Drive might give a good indication of the effort it would take to traverse those roads.

On June 7, I began my quest in earnest. I ran six miles. I crossed off 11 streets.

On June 9, I ran 7.1 miles knocking off 10 more streets.

June 11 brought with it another 7.4 miles and 9 more streets crossed off the list.

I was off to a great start, but each time I’d cross off a bunch of streets, I knew that the runs to come would be more difficult because they’d be further and further away from home. And I hadn’t yet attempted the hilliest portions of town.

My best day, as far as streets covered was June 19. I ran 9 miles that day crossing off 30 more streets.

By this point, I was getting closer and closer to accomplishing my goal. I still hadn’t run the mountains, but I was covering almost everything else.

Each day, I’d look at Strava, Map My Run, and City Strides and create a route that would assure that I would cover more and more roads…

June 22, 9 miles and 16 more streets…

June 27, 7 miles, 12 more streets…

June 30, 7 miles, 10 more streets…

I was now running up and down those tall hills. I had only two sections in town to finish – each were at least two miles from my home and they both were made up of lots of unforgiving hills.

The closer I got, the more I wanted this over with. I enjoyed the experience, but I’m a person who likes to finish what I start, and I wanted this over. I don’t like saying, “I’m almost done.” I like saying, “I did it!”

On July 1, I ran with my son Alex. I had a few scattered streets I had somehow missed that we needed to get. We covered them easily.

The next day, I ran with Ryan. We crossed off 11 more streets. The end seemed near.

BUT!

After the run with Ryan we discovered that one of the roads we covered, a short dead end, is listed on the map as a cul-de-sac. We didn’t get credit for finishing that street. I knew I would have to go back. The problem was it is miles from my house and atop the tallest hills.

To celebrate July 4th, I ran 10 miles. This was a tough run, with some of the most challenging hills. 14 more streets were conquered.

On July 6, I finished another section of town. It was another nine mile, 11 new street effort.

This morning, I went out for a 10.6 mile run. I had a few scattered streets to get to, none of which I was looking forward to. I had to get that cul-de-sac/dead-end. And there was this warehouse section of town, nowhere near anything else that was also, somehow, considered a road even though it’s just a huge parking lot.

These last few days have been hot and humid. The air quality has been poor. It smells of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I sometimes feel like I running inside a Solo Stove. But I’m getting it done.

This morning when I got to the dead-end/supposed cul-de-sac, I saw that it would be impossible for me to cover this. The street ends into the back yards of two homes. To my good fortune as I arrived at that spot, so did the homeowners of one of the houses. I asked if I could quickly run across their back yard because I had to to cover every street. I was granted permission.

With that road now covered, I have one last street to get to. To accomplish this last task, it will take me a little over four miles. Somehow, in this quest, I missed a portion of a street. City Strides says I am 99.72% done with Wyckoff.

99.72% is not 100%.

I need to be at 100%.

We’re in the middle of a thunderstorm, but clear skies are supposed to come in about an hour.

After my 10+ miles earlier, with lots of hills, I don’t really feel like running.

But, I don’t feel like having only one street to go. Once the rain clears, I’m heading out.

Life is comprised of challenges big and small. Some of these challenges are important. Some are meaningless. Some things we do just because we can.

I’m about to finish running every street in Wyckoff.

The challenge was there – and I am about to get it done.

***

UPDATE: 100!