1000 miles or bust

Hi everyone. I have done my 3 miles early today, Here are the Christmas garden ornaments I usually pass in the dark. It's going to be pretty gloomy when everyone takes theirs down for another year. There will be just the street lamps to help me find my way. Mind you, I do it on automatic pilot now, I sometimes reverse it for a change. If I wasn't walking so fast I could do a bit of litter picking along the way, ha ha. 

I'm really chuffed that a few people are ready to take on this walking challenge. There are seven of us up to now. Frugal in the Valley, John Wooldridge, Lisa in Miami, Linda Kennedy, Mrs LH, Hilogene Oltman (a maybe but I'm sure she won't duck out now), and me. As you know I have already started so I will be a month ahead of those who start on the 1st of January. You could start at any time, even delay it until February, but I feel there is no time like the present for getting on with it.

Those taking part need to be able to count up the miles they are walking, either as they do it, or a previously checked route, or after they have been for a walk. There are various ways of doing this, but I am not familiar with the electronic gadgets, so I can't help you there. You might have a pedometer, or a fitbit, or some other programme on your phone. I use a web site called Bike Hike. On the screen you get two maps, the OS one on the right will zoom in to street level. You need to hit the 'toggle map' button to make it bigger, then put in your start place and it will find it. Plot your route out with your mouse, either before or after you have walked. It will add up the distance.

The challenge doesn't specify what type of walking counts, it can be every bit of walking you do during a normal day. If you are a postie person you will soon rack up the miles. If you have a pedometer you can check how much you are doing.

The walks I have been doing up to now are over a route I have already checked, it is the same every day. My aim is to walk as fast as I can. The quicker I do it, the harder my muscles work, and the fitter I become, hopefully. At a brisk pace most people walk at 3mph. My three miles takes me 50 minutes. Walking on tarmac means I don't need to concentrate too much on where I am putting my feet and I can think about my breathing. I wear old walking boots, they are comfortable. Choose your footwear wisely, real walking boots, or trainers. Don't want to injure your feet or twist your ankle.

You might not want to follow the same routine every day, there are many different ways of doing this. You could get out into the countryside and walk across fields a couple of days a week. You could take a whole week off work and walk for seven days, this would condense it into a shorter period of time. If you get the bus to work could you walk instead if it is a couple of miles. If not every day, maybe two or three times a week. You might want to do a one our dog walk every day if you have an energetic dog.

If you think of adding the miles like adding coins to a jar, it's very similar. You might want to save £1000 to pay for next Christmas, drop any spare coins in, or step out of the door with your boots on and clock up a few miles. Don't worry about leaving your comfortable arm chair and going outside in the winter. You will be cold when you first start out, but your body temperature will rise with all the movement going on, especially if you stride along and swing your arms.

To do this for a whole year you need to be enjoying it to keep up your motivation. It goes without saying that the more you walk the better you will feel. If you have any underlying illnesses or medical problems I would advise you to consult your doctor to ask if it could aggravate any problems. Experiment with different types of walking, if you are not enjoying walking up and down hills try flat walking. If you don't like tarmac try walking around a recreation ground on the grass.

Try these for motivation

Country Walking Challenge

Cheryl Strayed's 1000 mile hike

Walking with the wounded, 1000 miles

Kevin's Facebook page for his 2015, 1000 miles

A Facebook page for the 2016 1000 miles

Walking with a donkey

Another 1000 mile challenge 

That's it. I've got a hungry dog waiting and I'm hungry too, so I'd better get us some nosh.
Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon. Toodle pip