Top 10 from 2016 – With Some Surprises!

Recap of 2016 – Mileage

Running

This is it – the end of 2016! I am not really feeling as if we are on the edge of a new year for some reason this year. I know that 2016 was great for me in some ways and a disappointment in others. This year was probably my hardest ever when it comes to running. Part of that is due to 2015 being a huge deal with running: first time running over 2,600 miles in a year, the first time I ran every single day for a year, and I ran 6 marathon distances on 6 continents. Hard to top all of that!

But the other problem was that, for some reason, my asthma problems came back. It left me having to skip one race entirely, having a pretty bad marathon on only a little over 100 miles of training and probably under 800 miles running for the year. I’m really not sure what caused it but I am trying to build back up now for an exciting marathon opportunity in a few months (more on that next week!) so hopefully my lungs will cooperate.

Flying

On the flying end, I still did over 70,000 miles but not really to many of the places I had planned out before the AA devaluation. I had another Australia trip planned, a trip to Hong Kong, and a couple of others but they did not materialize due to a shift in how I am handling such trips now. I tell you what – it really hurts to cancel a 60,000 mile redemption for Etihad First Apartment class when the new cost is 100,000, but it had to be done!

Still, I was able to re qualify for my Aegean Gold status (and therefore Star Alliance Gold) without any trouble at all. I was also able to easily renew my Hyatt Diamond status (unlike last year where I squeezed it out on the last night of the year). We will see where things go with me and Hyatt this year but I’m happy to have re qualified there.

Top 10 Posts of 2016

So, without further ado, here are the top 10 posts of 2016 here on Running with Miles! I have to tell you, there were a few surprises in the mix but it goes to show the diversity of the readership of the blog as well as the fact that, while we all love redeeming miles and points, people love great deals! Also, it helped me to see how huge Flipboard is becoming for a traffic referral with over 30% of blog traffic in my biggest month coming from Flipboard!

1. The Great Southwest $49 Sale – This was a big surprise! Of course, these sales come around every few months but this generated a lot of interest on Flipboard with over 40,000 views on a single day!
2. The Apple Watch Series 2 – Enough to Leave Garmin? – Yet another surprise! This one continues to generate views from search traffic every day (go ahead, search “apple watch garmin” or any variation thereof!). Obviously, there were many runners curious to see if the new Apple Watch Series 2 would replace Garmin running watches. This post was about what I would be looking for and I followed it up a month later with my thoughts on the Apple Watch 2 in comparison to my Garmin Fenix 3.
3. Why You May Want to Upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve – The Chase Sapphire Reserve was easily the best card of 2016. Unfortunately, due to Chase and their 5/24 rule, many of us were excluded from getting the card. But, there was still a case to be made as to why it could make sense to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
4. New Southwest Sale from $49 – For Travel Through May 2017 – And here we go again! Another Southwest sale post making the top 10. This shows that people are interested in traveling on the cheap, even if they have to pay for it.
5. Amazing Deal on a 55″ LG 4K Smart TV – Wait, what?! On a miles and points blog? Yes, it is a deal post found and written by new contributor Dustin. Part of what made it an amazing deal is having certain credit cards and using portals so our hobby provides more than just travel deals!
6. How to Track Your New iPhone 7! – There is no question that people can get antsy waiting for new products. Thanks to how Apple handles their delivery system, it is actually possible (and fun!) to track your iPhone 7 – before they have even told you it has shipped! The sad thing is that this post continues to receive visits – I had really hoped everyone would have received their original orders by now! 🙂
7. Southwest Sale from $49 – Ok, getting the pattern here? People really like their Southwest $49 sales! If you have not bought into one before, you are missing out as they can present some awesome ways to pop around the country and you can cancel for free!
8. Free Sam’s Club Membership – What can I say? People like free! Again, this was possible thanks to American Express credit cards.
9. Comparing the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum – Yes, two premium cards with a lot to offer – so which do you choose if you have to pick one? While the Chase Sapphire Reserve does offer a lot, the American Express Platinum still has a lot going for it (especially with its new 5X points on airfare).
10. Garmin vs the Apple Watch Series 2 – Which is the Better Watch? – And last but not least, we have the post that summarized my feelings about using both the Apple Watch Series 2 and the Garmin Fenix 3. There is a lot to like about both watches for sure! In fact, I am on the fence about going with the Apple Watch Series 1 (no GPS) and the Garmin Forerunner 620 – thinking about it. 🙂

One of the top 10 posts of 2016 was actually my Credit Card Offers page as well but that is a page instead of a post so I left that out. Still, if you are interested in getting a new card (or more!) for the new year, I would greatly appreciate you checking out the offers on those pages as it does go to support the blog if you are approved. Thanks to those of you who did apply through them this year, it really means and helps a lot!

Takeaway on the Top 10 Posts of 2016

So, what is the takeaway when viewing the top 10 posts of 2016 here? I was surprised that (though it was close) posts like my review of the brand new Park Hyatt Mallorca did not make the cut as well as some other posts that I thought had been read a lot. I think this goes to show that when people are looking for deals, it it not always the fantastic redemption in the stunning Etihad First Apartment. Sometimes, it can be that special visit to Washington, DC or to visit the beach or family. Either way, I am glad that so many of you were able to locate these deals here on Running with Miles this year and I hope to bring you many more in 2016!

Well, that is it! 2016 is almost in the books and I am really looking forward to a great 2017! Hope to have you along for the ride. In the meantime, Happy New Year’s (I am only 2 hours away from it right now!) and stay safe!