I’ve done it! As of last night, I’ve officially completed my #walk1000miles challenge and with one whole month to spare!
At the end of October, I had 922.25 miles in the bag. Let’s take a look at how November 2017 went.
04/11 – 4.5 miles – Wrington, North Somerset
05/11 – 12 miles – The Posset Round, North Somerset
(led by Brunel 20s and 30s)
11/11 – 2 miles – Mynydd Llangorse, Brecon Beacons
12/11 – 5 miles – Swansea Valley, Brecon Beacos
16/11 – 8.5 miles – Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire
(Wales Coast Path)
17/11 – 12 miles – Narberth to Llawharden, Pembrokeshire
(led by Brunel Walking Group)
18/11 – 12.5 miles – Manorbier to St. Florence, Pembrokeshire
(Wales Coast Path – led by Brunel Walking Group)
19/11 – 7.5 miles – Saundersfoot to Tenby, Pembrokeshire
(Wales Coast Path – co-walk leading)
25/11 – 7 miles – River Parrett and Huntspill, Somerset
26/11 – 5 miles – Wrington, North Somerset
28/11 – 1.25 miles – Wrington, North Somerset
30/11 – 1.25 miles – Wrington, North Somerset
Total for November 2017 = 78.5 miles
For a winter month, it’s been a busy one for me! From walk leader training and navigation in the Brecon Beacons, one weekend… To four days of coastal walking with Brunel in Pembrokeshire, the next!
Funny thing is, I had walked an extra 5.25 miles (compared to this year), come the end of November 2016! Yet still, I fell short of my one-thousand mile target, one month later.
Although, I would end that month with a tally of 873.75 miles for the year, which would still have left me with a figurative mountain to climb in December.
Now, of course, I’m free to walk as few or as many miles as I choose! I’m pleased to have completed this challenge one month early, so that I can hopefully relax a little bit and begin to enjoy my walks as I used to.
I’ve found it difficult to complete this challenge, as I’ve been doing it ‘boots on’, as they say in the Facebook group… It’s demanding and requires a lot of commitment every weekend. Working regular hours, five-days a week, I could regularly walk all weekend and no make an allowance for ‘time out’ in between.
Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy regular walking and I’m certainly aware of its benefits. But I have too often been feeling the “need” to walk often, which is why I won’t be undertaking the challenge again in 2018.
I’m sure I’ll still keep a log and record of my miles. But, I’ll be able to ‘decide not to walk’ certain weekends and hopefully not look back on it later, as a missed opportunity to rake in the miles.
If you haven’t already signed up for or attempted the #walk1000miles challenge (or the slightly-more-achieveable #walk500miles), I hope you’ll consider giving it a go. If not then, consider logging your miles and perhaps you’ll be surprised to notice just how far you can walk in a year.
Current total for 2017 = 1,001 miles!!
Thanks for reading.
Walks With Olly 
Well done! That’s a huge achievement. I agree, it can be a bit un-fun to feel that you’re obliged to walk when you’re not so keen. I once did a 2000km in a year challenge, which I found doable mainly because I was studying, which gave me the opportunity to commute by foot to uni (and I was working part-time as well, but I sweat too much to walk to work!). It also helped that I had a 1-2 week walking holiday in there somewhere.
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Thanks, Jonathan. 2000k is very impressive! It is amazing how much we can achieve when we begin to take notice of things. 🙂
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Thanks Olly! I really didn’t mean that to sound like I was showing off – I just wanted to agree with you about how much time it takes to do things like this. I would not be able to walk 1000mi in a year these days without doing some very long weekend walks, because I don’t have much time during the week. Well done, again, on your year! 😀
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Well done on covering this huge distance, I’m glad you managed to get enough walking in during these darker winter months to achieve that milestone. I’ve not measured how far I walk over a year, though I feel I cheat slightly in that I walk to and from work most days (about a mile and a half each way) which means i don’t have to do many other walks to break the 100-mile a month mark. I take a route along a canal towpath most of the way which is quite pleasant though on these darker winter evenings I stick to the lit pavements alongside mostly quiet roads. I’ve found that it takes exactly the same amount of time as taking the bus to and from work once I’ve walked to the bus top and waited (in fact sometimes in the mornings it can be quicker), whilst being free and much more pleasant. It costs £11 a day to park in the town centre, so driving isn’t an option I choose very often!
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Thanks, Jon. I’m pleased to hear you’re able to rack up so many miles on your commute. That canal path sounds ideal.
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Well done! I’ve just started a walk 1000 miles in 2018 challenge, it is quite a daunting task! It looks like you’ve had an amazing time. 🙂
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Hi Heather, I’m glad to hear you’re taking on the challenge.
It can be very daunting in the early days but I found it helpful to develop a routine of walking regularly, even if not very far. Summer months and longer days allow for extra short walks and mileage.
I’m still tracking my mileage this year but without aiming for a target. I just intend to walk regularly, as I think I would struggle without it. 🙂
I wish you all the best in your challenge.
Olly
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