So, I've been walking ... have data to prove it

I spent the last week in Istanbul. Incredible experience. Tiring, too. Why? Well, first I was burning the candle at both ends so I could work and play tourist (which meant little sleep). And also I was walking everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE.

Here are some of my data:

This is from the Health app on my phone.

It really does tell the story of my week.

May 8 - flying, walking at home and airport

May 9 - flying, arrive in Istanbul, walk to dinner

May 10 - sleep in, solo touring in local area plus acclimating

May 11/12 - power touring with a local

May 13 - work all morning, light touring in afternoon

May 14 - incomplete data

And here's fitbit data from a single day:

I've actually cross-checked Fitbit and Health, and found that they report similar findings. That suggests they're effectively calibrated with each other. They weren't exact matches on steps, but that would be a bit much to expect. Plus there were probably some steps in my hotel room without the phone in hand. There was one error in the Fitbit data: When I switched the time zone on Fb it got confused and so my Tuesday data shows as Tuesday and then on Wed it recorded Tues + Wed together. I was aware of this, couldn't fix it in the app, but I made the mental calculation to get the data.

And now the bigger question: Who cares? It's data, but is it important? I was actually glad to have the data, and to be able to see the distances I was walking. These distances are meaningful to me since I run half-marathons, but had no way of telling how much walking I was doing. Also, I've been thinking about how I need to up my game when I get home (not enough running -- or walking -- this spring) and the data is motivating me to keep going.