Ingress Fitness: A Tale of Two Badges

Ingress is my fitness motivation. I like it because it gives each walk purpose beyond just walking. I can do a mission, or try to complete one of the challenge series that make up Ingress badges. And some of these are harder to get to than others. I've achieved two new milestones in the last few weeks.

This first badge reflects the distance I've walked while playing Ingress since I started playing. I meant to post this shot a week ago, but I had a couple of essays to finish. This is the screen that comes up when you reach the required distance - in this case 1,000 km.

This second shot shows the distances you need to walk to earn each level. Let's just say it will take me a while to get to the next one.

With the Trekker badge, how quickly you reach each level, and earn each badge is limited only by how much you are willing to walk, and by your fitness, which can limit how fast you cover each set of distances. It's achievable, but takes time.

This next badge, is not so easy to achieve, and relies a little bit on you being vigilant about recharging the portal to keep it going, as well as luck, in that you hope an agent from the opposite team doesn't decide to capture the portal, because they've come across it the same way you did. (Yes, there is a badge for capturing new, unique, portals, so it's a reasonable thing to do as part of playing the game.)

This can be one of the most nerve-wracking badges to achieve, because it isn't all down to you; there are factors beyond your control. I am very grateful to the members from my team, who discovered this portal, and made it harder to capture by adding higher-level resonators and more defences (mods) to it. I don't know them; we've never met, but that's the nature of the game.

It's more fun when you help each other out - and you don't have to meet to do that.

Next week, I'll give some tips on finding a 'guardian' portal, but, remember, nothing's guaranteed. You have to plan, but there's a very large element of luck involved.

Now, get out there and play; it's time to move.