In a Year's Time: 2,135.86 Miles

One year ago I started walking. 366 days have passed since the day I committed to getting more serious about my health. I transitioned from walking to running on October 1, and have surprising become hooked. In that one year, my feet have carried me 2,135.86 miles. I'm on my fifth pair of shoes. 2,135.86 miles over the course of 366 days is an average of 5.84 miles per day. I feel strong!

::April 3::

A gorgeous spring day that felt more like summer, a packed lunch, and emerald green were just three of the wonderful things we experienced today. We also witnessed teamwork, kindness, and water falls- big and little. Wooden bridges, brave swimmers, and snakes in trees won't be soon forgotten. It was a day for making memories. 9.2 miles hiked in a little over 4 hours left us tired, but happy. And there was ice cream for dessert.

Twilight

Training Lucy to walk on a leash is going well. We generally go between two and three miles a day, split up between two sessions so as not to tax her still-growing bones; one walk mid-morning, and another after supper just as the last light dips below the horizon. It's lovely.

A Snail's Pace

Slowly, my walking has turned to running. I never thought it would happen, but I've discovered I can burn twice as many calories in half the time. The thought of being outside for hours during the winter isn't fun, and so I thought I'd give it a try. You know what? It turns out that 36 degree mornings are perfect for running rather than walking.

I'm using the term running loosely here. The motion is different from walking, to be sure, but I can't say much for the pace. Anna says that "slow running makes you skinny." Really? It's worth a try!

Week in Review

I haven't disappeared entirely. I've been on the go, but I'm still here!

My mornings are filled with walking/jogging as the tally of miles on my sidebar indicates. I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures, and the early autumn rains. Rain makes jogging so much easier, in my opinion.

Sometimes, early in the morning you see some strange sights. Scary, too!

As I approached this bull on the wrong side of the fence my mind raced. I kept thinking, 'I may need to train harder to outrun him'. Thankfully, he didn't feel like running, and was more interested in the ladies inside the fence.

You haven't seen Lucy in awhile. She's cuter than ever and weighs about 29 pounds now. She's four months old, and is losing baby teeth left and right. Thankfully, she's never chewed anything she's not supposed to. We keep a steady supply of bones, and toys around for her.

Do you remember me mentioning that I tried out for a play? We performed it five times, with the last two shows being this past Saturday. I made it! I don't know if I'm over my fear of being in front of people, but this certainly helped.

The above photo cracks me up. I realize I'm short. I can't reach into my cabinets, or the shelves in the grocery store. I have to look up at everyone. But still, I don't ever see myself beside someone else. Verne is to the left of me, and a young friend is to the right. While Ashley is petite, she has nothing on me. This photo makes me look as though you could pick me up and put me in your pocket!

Mac came home for the play which was fitting since it was a murder mystery, and he wrote alternate endings for it so that the audience couldn't have heard from their friends "who-dun-it". It was the first time that we had seen him since he started back to school several weeks ago, and we enjoyed having him home for the weekend.

Especially his giggle and guitar playing.

What have you been up to?

A New Habit

There are varying opinions about how long it takes to form a new habit: 21 days, a month, 6 weeks, 8 weeks? I think it all depends on your personality. In any case, I think I've finally, after years and years of "thinking about it", developed the habit of exercising daily. I've walked 112.4 miles so far in July, and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon.

A Shadow of My Former Self

I wrote about the Lover's Challenge back on June 9th, and had logged 41 miles for the month that day. I'm so excited that we've reached the end of our challenge today, not because I couldn't wait for it to be over, but because I surprised myself at just how far I've come in such a short time.

Each morning, like clockwork, I roll out of bed, weigh myself, grab Violet and hit the road walking. I'm a shadow of my former exercise-hating self.

I made it a goal to go a little every day. The least amount I walked was half a mile, and the farthest I walked was 11.1 miles. After walking about ten days, I thought it would be great if I could walk 150 miles for the month, averaging 5 miles a day.

I exceeded my goal, and finished the month with a total of 203.5 miles! That's an average of 6.78 miles a day!
Not too bad! Did I win, you ask? Why, yes! I did! But Verne did exceptionally well, too, especially given the fact that he's still recovering from an accident and surgery. He logged 165.9 miles for the month.

Now to decide where I want to go for my victory trip!