In my last post about the Honeycomb Hangers for the Conqueror Challenge, I talked about finishing another walking challenge within a few days. The truth is I didn’t know if I could do it. I had set the timeframe to finish the Ring of Kerry walking challenge on December 31st, 2021.
On December 30th, I had over 40,000 steps to go in two days, and that’s not something I do often. I’m not a hiker. My work doesn’t call for walking. And, I don’t have time to walk long periods of time and get all my work done.
Moreover, we have been in a cold snap for weeks, with temperatures hovering around -35 degrees Celsius, and walking outside for long periods of time was (and still is) simply out of the question for me. (This is part of why I fell behind with my walking challenge in the first place!)
It seemed impossible to finish my walking challenge and I felt pretty bad about myself.
We had decided to go to a local mall on December 30th so that I could try to walk around it a bunch of times, but it snowed, and the roads were not good, and I didn’t want to risk an accident just for the sake of getting my steps in.
So, I had to do it in my home, and the thought of it wasn’t pleasing. I don’t like walking on the treadmill for long periods of time and there’s only so much walking you can do around the house before you get called to one of your hobbies or, better still, the bed for a nap.
But, I did it.
In two days, I walked over 40,000 steps around my house. I just kept moving. I listened to an audiobook from HayHouse and walked until I got a stitch in my side. At that point, I still had over 20,000 steps to go and thought I was doomed. I couldn’t get rid of the stitch, and I couldn’t walk with it. It was too painful.
But it went away in the middle of December 31st, and I started stepping again. My feet and calves were hurting, but as long as that side stitch stayed away, I could keep stepping.
I kept picturing that episode on Modern Family where Phil Dunphy is trying to finish his ‘walk to Canada’ on his elliptical and pushes himself on that last day to do it. That’s what I felt like. It felt hard, yet I kept going.
I managed to finish my steps by about 7:20 p.m. on December 31st, and it felt good.
It was a great way to ring in the New Year!
For the next two days, I couldn’t walk well. It felt like my calves were made of concrete and going up and down the stairs wasn’t fun. In fact, walking anywhere wasn’t fun.
But I was proud of myself for finishing my walking challenge. It felt like I put in a lot of effort to accomplish something, which is always a good feeling and not something I’ve had a lot throughout 2021.
When I get my medal and hang it on the wall, it will be a symbol of endurance and capability that hopefully will push me to work my calves off in many other areas of my life this year.
My point: If you can push yourself this year to finish something you want to accomplish, do it. It will feel damn good and be motivating.
