Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow...

Actually, sleet will stop me

 

Last year I embarked on the journey of 1000 miles. My goal was to walk 1,000 miles in 2017. I was optimistic, but not entirely confident I would succeed. But I kept walking -- an average of 2.8 miles a day and on December 12 I walked a thousand miles. At the end of the year, last Sunday, I completed 1,039 miles. Was it difficult to do? No. Was it easy to do? No. Am I happy I did it? Yes!

 

Hot days sidetracked me. Sleet and icy days sidetracked me. Having the flu sidetracked me and breaking my shoulder took out some of February. Putting these days aside, there were approximately 300 days when walking was part of my routine. Living in New York makes it relatively easy. I can walk to the library, grocery shopping and the gym. I walked a mile this morning doing small neighborhood errands and wasn't outside more than four blocks at a time. 

 

If I did little else in a day, I was always glad I walked. So glad I walked that I'm doing the journey of 1,000 miles again in 2018 and hoping to surpass my 1,039 miles this year. I'm part of a formal #team1000 group on WeightWatchers Connect and it's great to have "friends" to walk with throughout the country. It's daunting to think of walking 1000 miles, but less daunting to know that I will do this in small increments. I have 996.8 miles to go and I'm excited to see where my sneakers and I will be going this year.  

 

I've been asked about practical details of my walking and here are a few particulars. I wear good sneakers almost all of the time with orthotics. I don't have a Fitbit, but use the Pacer app on my phone. It works well for me and I like the trend features. I note my mileage during the day and if I see I'm at 2.9 miles I've been known to walk an extra block to make it to 3 miles. My goal for every day is 6,000 steps. No, it's not the famed 10,000 steps, but I found this is a realistic goal for me. I'd rather accomplish my goal nine out of ten days, than succeed twice a week.   

   

Is anyone else joining me for the journey of 1,000 miles? I'd love to have company.

 

It's still cold here, but I got out for errands and now I'm enjoying blog time and a cup of tea. If you're in the freezing areas of the country, what are your cold weather activities?  

   

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and keep cozy!

 

104.5 and No Longer Counting

I've captured my purple sneakers on the front porch of Wilder Hall, where I lived my sophomore year in college.

 

 

It's June 1 and the Mile A Day in May Challenge is over. My goal for May was to walk 84 miles, which puts me on track for 1000 miles in 2017. The weather was (mostly) good, I gave myself a push and I am very happy to report that my total is -- drum roll, please -- 104.5 miles. I'm delighted and I feel that I've gotten myself back on the exercise track, after being somewhat slack after breaking my shoulder in February. I'm aiming for 100 miles a month for the summer and fall and feel confident that I will walk over 1,000 miles this year.  

 

I know I've had lots of friends walking with me, both around the country and beyond the United States. If you've walked at least thirty-one miles in May, you are eligible for the giveaway. Entry is easy. Please leave a comment on this post any time in the next week (by midnight Thursday, June 8) and I will post the winner on Friday, June 9. The prize is a surprise, but I am strongly considering a book (or two).

 

The best prize for this Challenge is the benefit to our health. We were up, about and moving and by walking a mile every day, we cultivated a habit of exercise. Thank you all, near and not so near, for being my walking partners.

 

It's been a hectic few days since I've been back from Reunion. Today was the first day of BookExpo America and I am exhausted, but enjoying my day of books, authors, more books and more authors immensely. I'm back tomorrow at nine for another day of books and more books. I hope to be back tomorrow for a recap on some of my favorite moments.

 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care!

 

     

Forty-Five Point One and Counting

 

Last Sunday I had a great walk to The American Museum of Natural History. This was my sight while I enjoyed an al fresco lunch. 

It's time for my weekly update on the Mile A Day in May Challenge. I'm pleased to announce that I'm doing well on my goal of walking at least 21 miles a week. The first week in May I walked 22.7 miles and last week I walked 22.4 miles for a total (so far) of 45.1 miles. I'm on track for a similar amount for this week despite the weather and I'm optimistic that I will be happily surprised by my total tomorrow night. How is everyone else in Buttercupland doing?  

 



This is another view of the museum. I made it my destination to enjoy the farmer's market that takes place there every Sunday.

 

One of my favorite parts of the farmer's market are the plants. I was especially beguiled by the geraniums and captured them in this photograph. I used my new favorite app Snapseed and turned the photograph into a postcard. 

I'm off to a very long awaited event tonight -- will share in my post tomorrow -- and I am beyond excited. Does anyone else have long awaited plans? I know there are lots of graduations going on this weekend and send happy wishes to everyone celebrating.

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend! 

The Journey of 1000 Miles...

Starts with putting on my sneakers!

Have purple sneakers, will walk!

I began 2017 with several goals. The first is walking 1000 miles during the year. For social media purposes I'm calling it The Journey of 1,000 Miles, or in blog shorthand for the future, #1000miles. The premise is pretty simple. I walk an average of 2.8 miles for 365 days -- no days off really -- and I will have walked a thousand miles. Actually, I will have walked 1,022 miles.

In both rain and snow I've been out walking This month I've walked 52.3 miles so far, so I'm right on track for my goal. Some days are daunting and I think this may not work at all. But once I get walking -- and it's not slippery out -- the steps happen pretty easily. I walked a lot in 2016;  846 miles since May when I started tracking -- but I was concerned that I would slack off when it got cold. The #1000miles was a way to reinvigorate my fitness goals for this year.

So far I've done all of my walking in New York City this year, but next month that will change. I'm going to walk in at least one other country and another continent and I'm estimating five or six other states during the year, including one I've never traveled to. I'm two weeks away from my next trip and I'm doing a blog post soon to write about it. The trip will go to warm and cold places, so I'm packing ski mittens and shorts.

It rained today, but I was out to try a new coffee place and walk around the Chelsea neighborhood for my next blog post. Definitely time to get back to coffee tasting again, and it was delicious.

As ever, thanks for visiting. Take care and keep cozy!