I have walked 5000 miles...and I will walk 5000 more!

What a whirlwind of June was!!! Went back to work part-time, and life has changed. Moving into the new season and creating a new balance...again! But that is a blog for another day! Today I have to share a considerable accomplishment. I officially hit 5000 miles walked, danced...moved from March 2016 to June 2020.



It is crazy to think when I started my virtual race journey in March of 2016, and it took me 6 weeks to crush 26.2 miles that I would carry it on. I am now at over 100 completed virtual races and at 5000 miles!!! So what is next...well 100 more races and another 5000 miles! I am also still working towards my goal of walking 26.2 miles in a day. So how does a busy college mom who works, raises a mini-me, takes care of a husband, and runs a household while dealing with chronic conditions make this happen??? One step, one day, and one mile at a time!!

Honestly, there is a bigger secret to this...90% of those miles were walked in place. I am a huge TV and pop culture fan...I mean, I own Friends, Glee, How I met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory in their entirety on DVD. I also love my streaming services...so how did I find the time? Easy...I binge walked!! Wait what???

I pick a show, turn it on...and I walk in place for a few episodes! It is climate controlled, can be done anytime, and I enjoy my time. The habit started out of necessity. See, when hubby was in the Army, his schedule was unpredictable, and my conditions don't like too hot or too cold weather. So instead of fighting them...I embraced my limitations and found a way that worked for me. In the past 4ish years I have walked my way through Sons of Anarchy, Psych, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice,  Big Bang, Blue Bloods, a rewatch of NCIS, and NCIS New Orleans to name a few. Sometimes I don't use TV...I dance/walk it out for a bit with music and personal development books.

In the past few months, there has been a shift in my focus. I am learning more and more about living in harmony with these conditions. Depression is a big one for me...binge walking and dancing it out help hack my happiness. I also learned that I can't ignore my issues, nor can I binge walk or dance them away. So to hit 5000 miles was a huge accomplishment for me. That averages 1250 miles a year. This year I set a goal of 2020 miles... I am currently at 520 and have a decision to make.

I am standing at a fork in the road...I can push for 8.5 miles a day for the next 179 days and hit the goal, or I can keep moving my average of 3 miles a day and miss the target. So what do I do?? I give it my all...I know I can level up and do more than 3. I know I have to work up to 8.5. So for the next week, I am focusing on hitting 4.5 miles. Just a mile and half more a day-just 3750 more steps a day!




So here is how we are gonna work in harmony this body and I over the next 30 days as I prepare for a much needed and overdue vacation. In the next 3 weeks, I will keep adding a mile and a half to the daily goal. On vacation, I am going to live and enjoy my time with my BFF. Then when I return home...I will pick back up my marathon training. I want my 26.2-mile day this year as this is the year I turn 40, and I celebrate 5 years of recovery from a food addiction! I also will be utilizing a super-secret tool that I have been asked to help out with-more about that later!

Whew...putting this down and getting it out of my head has helped me find some clarity. And as my excellent coach has said action will lead to more clarity...time to put this to work!!! After I put this down on paper in my pretty planner with stickers and all the pens. The reminder the more beautiful on paper we make this..., the messier the action will be!! So it is time to get messier...





I mean, I am the girl who walked 5000 miles to walk 5000 more to be the healthiest version of me!

Till next time-
Audie