1,000 miles

I have this uncanny ability to create a challenge out of anything. It is both a blessing and a curse.

Let me fill you in. A few weeks ago I found myself on a hike with my dog. It was a blustery and cold winter day, and I was reveling in the quiet stillness of the woods. To be honest it was pure bliss. No distractions. No to-do list. No one talking at me. Just me, Keuka, and the silence of nature.

As I was basking in the peacefulness, I found myself thinking “I need to do this more often. For my mind, my body and my soul. Being in the woods and moving makes me happy.”

No sooner had that thought left my mind, another one entered. “ I should try and hike 1,000 miles this year.” What?!? I’m not a hiker. Where did this crazy idea come from? I have no clue. I mean, 1,000 is a nice round number. Easily divisible.

So I started doing the math backward. If I want to hike 1,000 miles this year, how many miles do I have to hike each week? I arrived at 20 miles each week, allowing myself time off for vacations as any normal employer would.

Ok, 20 miles per week. That seems reasonable. If I commit to hiking 5 miles per day, 4 days per week I can achieve that. Sure.

Here’s the kicker: I’m not a hiker. In the last 20 years I can say that I have maybe gone hiking 10 times. If we’re being completely honest, I have barely exercised in the last 20 years. Sure, I’ve done the New Year’s resolutions every now and then like everyone else. But to stick to a consist habit of exercising? Nope. I’ve been busy having and raising babies while my husband has been building a business, which allowed little time for much else. Specifically anything that involved much time alone.

So what on earth possessed me to set this insanely lofty goal for myself? Why on earth would I think this was even close to achievable? That, my friend, is the million dollar question I find myself asking on a regular basis about many of my decisions.

Most people, when they find themselves in a similar situation, would think “I should start hiking more.” Period. End of story. They would figure out a way to incorporate it into their weekly or monthly life. Not me. Nope. Let’s go from zero to sixty baby.

Well here we are, 6 weeks later, and I can tell you that I have not even come close to hiking 20 miles every week. I can honestly say I’ve only achieved my goal one week out of the last 6. I know, shocking.

I’m guessing you are not entirely surprised by this outcome. Well, I kind of am. I just assumed if I decided to do it, it would work out. As with many things in my life. Idea, action, result. Well, minus the things that don’t. Because if we’re laying it on the table, I’ve had plenty of idea, action, result situations where the result is not quite what I had hoped for, even with the idea and action being implemented. Some may call those ‘failures’, but I choose to call them ‘learning experiences’.

So what happened? How did I miss the mark by so much? Well for starters, do you have any idea how long it takes to hike 5 miles? On a trail through the woods? Roughly an hour and a half if you allow your dog to sniff every tree and mole hole. Then you add on the fact that we live in the middle of nowhere, and need to drive to most trails. It’s safe to assume I need to block out 3 hours of time to allow for driving and hiking. And I need to do this 4 days a week. Mmmhmm…are you starting to see the error in my ways? Do you have 12 free hours of time each week? I sure as hell don’t.

So here we are. I’ve seen the impossibility of my quest. What do I do at this juncture? Should I accept defeat and move on? Damn that sounds lame. Every fiber in my being wants to make up the miles that I’ve lost, and continue trekking toward my goal. But holy hell that’s a lot of distance to recover. Maybe if I plan a few extended trips throughout the rest of the year? Knock out 20-30 miles over the course of a few weekends in addition to my weekly 20 miles? Yikes, that sounds a bit intimidating with 3 kids, 3 houses, a husband and a dog.

Clearly I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’m just not quite ready to succumb to defeat just yet. So the 1000 mile quest shall continue…for now :)