EVEN IF

I was reading Amanda’s Blog today about running in the rain… guess it is yesterday now…

Her cousin has several cancers, and so she decided to join the race to help support the research and show her support for him.  It was cold and raining, and NORMAL people would have decided not to run.  But she ran anyway.  She didn’t register properly, so she didn’t get credit for the race, and ran 3 miles in less than 1/2 an hour.  That is moving!  I mosey about 1 mile every 1/2 hour.  Which brings me to my point.

I started the 10k step challenge.  Over the weekend, I was in Southern Missouri for a conference, and I did not walk.  According to the challenge set up, you start off at 2500 steps then add 500 steps a day until you reach 10k steps…approximately 5 miles.  I had worked up to 2 1/2 miles, then went to the zoo and maxed out at about 4-5.  Not sure because my gps tracker got lost and transported me into another city.  I had a 1.5 min mile!  Ya, Right.  Since I had done so well at the zoo, I decided to take my next walk on the trail.  I didn’t make it 1 mile before my lower back seized up so badly I couldn’t stand.  This was disconcerting.  The next day, I didn’t take the hill and walked counter clockwise.  If you go clockwise, there are 4 benches in the 1st 1/2 mile, then none for the last 1/2.  I went counter clockwise so the benches would be on the last 1/2 of my walk when I usually start getting stiff in the back.  I made it about 1.2 miles that way.  The next day, my son and his girl friend took me on a walk to the park, about 4 blocks away.  I got down there, walked the track and started back and then seized up to the point where my son had to call my hubby to come pick me up because I could not make it home.  The next day at 0:Dark:30 I left for the conference–8 hours in the car.

I got there about 2 pm, and went to all the meetings and had dinner (chicken 🙂 veggies 🙂 herbed rice :l and chocolate cake :O!!!! )  The next day, I had meetings from 7:30 till about 2:00.  Then I was done until 7:30 that night.  Did I walk?  No, I slept, I read, I watched a tv show about a female Neanderthal and her children that they found in Russia.  OK, that could be my day off, but I’d already had a day off.  Oops.  Sunday, I had meetings from 7:30 to 2:00 again and drove the 8 hours home.  3 days without walking.  Monday I crashed… 4 days without walking.

Back to day 1?  no, back to day -1.  I walked 2000 steps today.  Tomorrow 2500.  It doesn’t matter when I get the 10k steps, it matters that I am taking steps.  I haven’t failed, I have postponed.  What does this have to do with EVEN IF?  Because EVEN IF I don’t get the steps on the schedule I set, I will continue.  EVEN IF the pounds don’t melt off like they say in the magazines and tv ads, I will continue.  “Isn’t that interesting?  I love walking though, so if it has some beneficial consequences, bonus!”  EVEN IF it’s cold and rainy and I don’t feel like it, I will continue.  Thanks Amanda.