Walking 13.1 miles: Priceless

2009 has been an Abundant journey. I have played more music, looked longer at nature, made contact with more family, started a facebook page, smiled more at work, prayed more for others and enjoyed time with good friends.

In July I vowed to be more serious about my health and nutrition. I began putting one foot in front of the other 3 miles, 3-4 mornings a week and then a longer walk on Saturdays. To make it a game, I set out to train to walk a half-marathon. 13.1 miles. My husband, a runner awakened each morning with me at 5am and walked those miles with me. On Saturdays, a family friend walked the long walks with me as Mike ran nearby. Last Sunday I did it! I walked 13.1 rolling hill miles 3 hours and 34 minutes.

As with any endeavor we do not do it alone. I was nervous since I would have to walk the course without my training partners. I was going to have to depend on my own mental toughness to get through it and I did not know what kind of mental toughness I had inside of me.

My husband ran the half-marathon in 2:02. He ran across the finish line, walked to find me and walk the last leg of the route with me. He wanted to share in my accomplishment.  He walked the final 2 miles cheering me on.

Our family friend who trained with me on Saturdays, texted me throughout the race with words of encouragment.
My sister and brother in law woke up at 6 am on a Sunday morning to take us to the race start so that we would not have to find parking among the 7000 participants.
My boss and a co-worker emailed me before and after the race.
 I also received kind calls and emails after the race to congratulate us on our efforts.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to do the race alone, but the community that I have surrounded myself with was key in achieving this goal. After almost a week, the soreness is gone. I was back on the treadmill today.

What is my new goal you  may ask?

To burn 400 calories per day in exercise, lose 2lbs per week, and maintain my fitness to participate in the Oklahoma Memorial Half-Marathon in April 2010. I have already lost the amount of weight of my small dog and with more pounds gone, that walk in April should have me gliding along! In addition, I won't give up the other list of abundant living tasks that have contributed to my mental well being in 2009. It is only 4 weeks to the end of the year and I will need to choose another word to carry me through 2010. I'll keep you posted!

Abundance is...setting goals and achieving them by putting one foot in front of the other.