Reaching My 2020 1-Year Challenge Goal!!

What an incredible experience this year has been! When I began this journey of trying to walk 2,020 miles in 2020, I really had no idea if I would be able to complete it or not, but I knew I wanted to give it a shot. I really didn't do the math or calculations (that was probably a good thing LOL) of what exactly this was going to take in order for me to finish, but I knew it was a fabulous goal to keep me active. 

Little did I know that 2020 would be a crazy year filled with COVID, mask wearing, shutdown of the country, and total isolation for so many! Living in the Pacific Northwest with the beautiful mountains and fabulous walking trails was one of the advantages for me as it gave me an incredible outlet​ to spend time outside walking and talking with God. 

One huge positive in my life this year is my faith as I feel it is stronger than ever, and I continue to spend morning time daily reading my bible and in prayer. I spent more time this year than ever before praying for those so greatly effected and connecting with our Lord. My hope is that many of you have experienced this same growth as we know that spending time with God puts everything else in perspective and the Word comes from God so learning and meditating on it daily is so important for our souls. While there is so much uncertainty in the world, especially today, if we put our hope in God we have no reason for concern. As my new t-shirt says, "Faith over Fear." He provides for me, He protects me, and ultimately I will be with Him for eternity! 

While this year's goal was truly a challenge, I am so thankful for the my loving husband who is my constant support and cheerleader! As I spend many hours walking to get my miles, he constantly  encouraged me to believe in myself and keep going. He even took several hikes with me throughout the year to help me get some extra miles seeing the beautiful countryside . . . all ending with a celebration beer, of course! 

If you want to find an incredible community of runners or walkers, I would definitely recommend looking into Run the Edge and what current challenges they are offering. You can find their information by clicking here to review and sign up should you decide to join. Yes, there will be a 2,021 miles in 2021 that is available to join individually or as a team and split up the miles between your teammates, but they also have shorter challenges throughout the year. With Run the Edge, they also offered a Facebook group just for us walkers to encourage and support each other through our journey. They also have the incredible tracker that helps you determine how many more miles you have to go to complete your goal!

Nowadays, there are many communities online offering different challenges throughout the year. Another virtual walk I did last year that actually got me excited to sign up and start my 1-year Fitness Challenge of 2,020 miles in 2020 was The Winter Challenge. This is a challenge offered by Will Run for Bling and starts again this year on December 27th and runs through March 6th. It is a challenge for ten weeks to walk/run 125 miles. You can check out this challenge by clicking here.

Bottom line, I encourage to find your passion to stay healthy! I am not a runner. I can only ride a bike if it had training wheels on it. And I could swim if I were allowed to have floaties! Walking is my outlet. It is where I find peace in a crazy world . . . a place where I can cry, laugh, scream, or be still. It is where I refresh my soul by listening to what God wants me to hear. There is no better place than in the woods to do that!

If you would like to join me next year to stay healthy, join me in my Baby Steps for a Healthier Lifestyle Facebook group by clicking here where we share inspirational and motivational posts, healthy recipes, exercise suggestions, as well as compete in challenges together. Right now we are about to start our pushup challenge for January by doing 25 pushups a day (doesn't have to been done all at one time if you can't do that yet) in support of the American Cancer Society. If you want more information about this challenge and joining us, let me know!

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