I just finished Week 9 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 5/14/2020–4.01 miles
• 5/15/2020–3.45 miles
• 5/16/2020–2.57 miles
• 5/17/2020–7.49 miles
• 5/18/2020–3.0 miles
• 5/19/2020–2.22 miles
• 5/20/2020–2.1 miles

Total for the Week--24.84 miles    
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--283.19 miles 

I guess the biggest news that I have this week is that after walking 283.19 miles over 63 days straight, I’ve lost 20 pounds! Yes, I’m quite pleased!

Spring has sprung, and I’ve enjoyed being a silent observer each day that I walk. This week I walked around town, at the 3rd Winchester Battlefield, and on the C&O Canal.

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I just finished Week 8 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 5/7/2020–4.1 miles
• 5/8/2020–5.05 miles
• 5/9/2020–4.5 miles
• 5/10/2020–5.13 miles
• 5/11/2020–4.4 miles
• 5/12/2020–4.1 miles
• 5/13/2020–2.62 miles

Total for the Week--29.09 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--258.35 miles 

I had another good week of walking, but my exciting news is that I passed the halfway point on my Camino! Another way to say it is that I’m 8.35 miles beyond the middle of my challenge! Yeah!

Every day hasn’t been easy, but once I set a goal for myself, I tend to stick to it. Several times when it’s been raining or cold, I’ve sang this song to get myself motivated, and guess what? It works! Do you remember this song from the 1970 Christmas special, ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town?”

Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking out the door
You never will get where you're going
If you never get up on your feet
Come on, there's a good tail wind blowing
A fast walking man is hard to beat
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking out the door
If you want to change your direction
If your time of life is at hand
Well don't be the rule, be the exception
A good way to start is to stand
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you'll be walking out the door

5/8/2020– This was one of those days that I had to force myself out the door. I had finished working at 3:30 p.m. and I was tired, but the real kicker was that it was pouring. Not drizzling lightly–pouring! I sang my little song, and pulled on my rain gear–raincoat, rain pants, a rain hat, and waterproof boots. I was covered from head-to-toe, but I was still dreading my walk.

After walking about for about 10 minutes, I realized that the rain was a blessing in disguise. The streets were practically empty and other than the sound of the rain falling, everything was peaceful and quiet. I ended up walking slightly over 5 miles!

"I'm singing in the rain...."

5/9/2020–Today was the yin to yesterday’s yang. It was windy and on the cold side, but the sun was shining brightly, and no rain! It was a glorious day to be outdoors! My friend Debbie works part-time at a vineyard in Virginia. She hadn’t worked for awhile because of the Coronavirus, so she wanted to head down to buy some wine, since they were open for pick-up. She invited me to tag along and she enticed me with a promise of a walk around the property.

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I wonder if that’s my problem…maybe I’m suffering from Novinophobia! LOL!

The sun really tricked us–we went from hot, to cold, to comfortable, and then back to cold. At one point, we found ourselves in a short snow squall! We had a great walk and the views at the vineyard were incredible. I went home with three bottles of wine, and Debbie bought six. I think we’re set for awhile!

I just finished Week 7 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 4/30/2020–5.19
• 5/1/2020–7.12
• 5/2/2020–4.52
• 5/3/2020–4.01
• 5/4/2020–2.01
• 5/5/2020–2.57
• 5/6/2020–3.59

Total for the Week--29.01 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--228.45 miles 
Check out Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5,& Week 6

4/30/2020–

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I just finished Week 6 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 4/23/2020–3.59 miles
• 4/24/2020–3.02 miles
• 4/25/2020–3.65 miles
• 4/26/2020–4.50 miles
• 4/27/2020–4.55 miles
• 4/28/2020–6.30 miles
• 4/29/2020–5.25 miles

Total for the Week--30.86 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--199.44 miles 
Check out Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, & Week 5

I guess the big question for the week might be..why didn’t you walk just a tad bit more so you could hit the 200 mile mark this week? The answer is easy–this isn’t a race, and I’ll hit 200 miles tomorrow! I like keeping goal oriented, and it’s nice to know that I can control at least one thing during these crazy times! I’ve walked in the rain, wind, cold, heat…I just open the door and start walking! 500 miles–here I come!

I just finished Week 5 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 4/16/2020–2.0 miles
• 4/17/2020–2.05 miles
• 4/18/2020–8.38 miles
• 4/19/2020–4.34 miles
• 4/20/2020–3.23 miles
• 4/21/2020–8.2 miles
• 4/22/2020–6.26 miles

Total for the Week--34.46 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--168.58 miles
Check out Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, & Week 4

Sorry, this is a boring week post-wise--I worked and I walked! 35 days of walking going strong!
 

I just finished Week 4 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 4/9/2020–6.50 miles
• 4/10/2020–3.28 miles
• 4/11/2020–4.51 miles
• 4/12/2020–3.04 miles
• 4/13/2020–5.38 miles
• 4/14/2020–2.83 miles
• 4/15/2020–3.14 miles

Total for the Week--28.68 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'--133.67 miles
Check out Week 1, Week 2, & Week 3 

My good news is that after being without work/income for four weeks, the company that I work for made the leap to virtual trainings. I conducted my very first virtual training this week from Tuesday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Since I was either prepping to train, or training, my walking routine took a bit of a hit mileage wise. With that said, I stuck to my goal of walking at least two miles every day! As of today, I’ve walked for 28 days straight. I’m also happy to report that I’ve lost 14.6 pounds since January 1st. The weight certainly isn’t falling off, but I’m pleased that the number is going in the right direction on the scale!

My “funny” for this week, is that after walking we ordered Chinese take-out on Easter Sunday. We’ve never done that before, but it felt nice to support a local restaurant.

I just finished Week 3 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. There is no rush to finish–I’m just going to do it! This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

Week 3–

• 4/2/2020–4.02 miles
• 4/3/2020–3.17 miles
• 4/4/2020–4.81 miles
• 4/5/2020–7.32 miles
• 4/6/2020–6.05 miles
• 4/7/2020–4.09 miles
• 4/8/2020–2.26 miles

Total for the Week--31.72 miles
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'---104.99 miles 
Check out Week 1 & Week 2!

4/2/2020–

Debbie and I were supposed to leave for London today, so I’m feeling sad and disappointed about missing out on our trip. Because the airline is so backlogged, we haven’t even been given our refund yet. We cancelled, of course, but our request was put into a queue and we still haven’t gotten a response. I’m in a funk about other things, too, so the best way to say it is that I needed to force myself to walk today. I just wasn’t in the mood…but after I got out there….my spirits definitely lifted!

4/3/2020–

Today during my walk, a man purposely coughed in my direction–twice! I almost hate to admit this, but his actions made me feel like I could do something violent. Please read this how I intend it…I wanted to kick him in the crouch. Seriously!

I was walking on the sidewalk and I noticed two people walking shoulder-to-shoulder toward me. When we were about twenty feet apart, it was obvious that they weren’t going to move aside, so I stepped off the sidewalk and continued to walk on the road. My action prompted the man to lean toward his walking partner and whisper something which made them both laugh. He then coughed in my direction, in a long and exaggerated manner. He looked up to gauge my reaction, which apparently they thought was funny because they both laughed deeply. As we passed, with them still on the sidewalk, and me on the street, he turned his head and coughed again, but this time in my direction.

They erupted in laughter and I was left feeling like I was under attack. It was such a bizarre feeling.

4/5/2020–

Today I walked with Tom on the jail trail, and during our trek we noticed a a lone graffiti message scrawled on a perfectly painted white fence which read, “Kill the local rapist.” We briefly talked about the odd message, but then quickly forgot about it.

The path is about 8 feet wide, and keeping social distancing in mind, Tom walked toward one side of the path, while I stayed close to the other side. This left a big gaping hole between us, which allowed bikes to pass easily between.

I had totally forgotten about the graffiti on our return, but Tom saw it and said loudly, “Kill the local rapist,” at the exact moment that a biker zoomed between us. I know the cyclist heard him, because Tom was practically yelling. I started to laugh and I couldn’t stop. I kept thinking about what the biker was thinking as he pedaled past. At very least, he was probably thinking, “I’m outta here–what is this weirdo talking about?”

It still makes me laugh when I think about it!

Later in the afternoon, I met Debbie at Orr’s Farm for another walk.

3/7/2020–

Ugh! The Coronavirus has really been putting me in a funk this week! I was supposed to be in London this week, and that was cancelled, and today I found out that my trip to Svalbard has also been cancelled. I was supposed to be going on an amazing trip to the Arctic Circle at the end of May to see polar bears, walruses, ice floes, icebergs, etc. Ahhhhh! I’m so disappointed! I was expecting it to be cancelled, but when it really happened, it hit me hard!

And what’s the remedy for curing the blues—-taking a walk, of course!

4/8/2020–One of my walking songs today…

I just finished Week 2 of my walking challenge, which I’ve nicknamed, ‘My Coronavirus Camino.’ The rules are simple, I’m going to walk every day for a minimum of two miles until I reach 500 miles. This ‘magic number’ is the length of the Camino Frances in France/Spain.

• 3/26/2020–6.57 miles
• 3/27/2020–4.27 miles
• 3/28/2020–6.69 miles
• 3/29/2020–5.27 miles
• 3/30/2020–2.0 miles
• 3/31/2020–6.47 miles
• 4/1/2020–10.06 miles

Total for the Week--41.33 miles 
Total for 'My Coronavirus Camino'---73.27 miles
Check out week one here!                                                                                                                                               

3/26/2020–

Today’s walk was an interesting one. I walked over to my son’s house, then he walked with me to Debbie’s house. He walked back home and I walked around Debbie’s neighborhood while I waited for her to finish an online meeting for work. When she joined me, we walked back toward my house, and when I felt like I had walked enough, I headed home and she continued on her own to get her full walk in. It worked out so well, and I was able to spend time with both of them!

3/27/2020–

I slept in very late this morning, and I didn’t feel very well when I got up–just sinus stuff, but it had a vise-like grip on my head. Several hours later, when I started to feel better, I asked Pierre if he wanted to walk with me. Walking, in his opinion is boring, so he rarely agrees to go…so I was totally surprised when he said yes.

We headed over to Poor House Farm with the goal of walking for about two miles. Right about at the 1-mile mark, we rounded the edge of a field and saw two unleashed dogs bounding towards us. The owner, trying to catch up, yelled, “Don’t worry they’re friendly!”

Friendly or not, it never feels good to have two unknown dogs running straight at you, so we stopped walking and waited for them to approach. The dogs were indeed friendly, and as I reached down to pat the smaller of the two, the bigger dog stopped abruptly in front of Pierre. Just as Pierre reached out to pat the dog’s head, it threw up on his shoe.

Just at that moment, the owner caught up to his dogs. He looked down at Pierre’s feet and said, “I’m sorry…he tends to throw up after drinking from the stream and running around.”

The look on Pierre’s face was hysterical, but I tried desperately to hold back my laugh because I knew that he was annoyed, and rightfully so! He spent the next twenty minutes trying to shake his sneaker clean. Of course, I wanted to laugh each time he wiped his sneaker in the grass or shook his foot, but I held it in. He finally pointed to a sign that said that dogs must be kept on a leash, and we both burst out laughing! I know he wasn’t happy about it, but he was a good sport. Did that dog seriously have to vomit on his shoe the first time that Pierre had agreed to walk with me in ages? I guess the joke was on me!

Later in the afternoon, I headed out for another walk. At one point, I noticed a woman in a wheelchair on the other side of the road waving frantically at me. I recognized her, as I had seen her several times asking for money at various street corners in town. I removed my earphones and asked if she needed help. She replied, “Are you going to Family Dollar?”

“No,” I yelled over the din of the traffic crossing between us.

“Good…don’t! There’s a black man there who has long black hair, and he’ll rob you blind. He’s also kidnapped two children,” she yelled back over to me.

Not knowing what to say, I replied, “Thanks for letting me know! Have a nice day!” She gave me a funny look before rolling away in the opposite direction.

You can’t make stuff like this up, and thinking back, I’m incredulous over my response! Oh boy, is that really what I said? Yup…that’s what I said. What can I say, she completely caught me off guard!

3/28/2020–

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These little frogs tucked away in a garden that I walked past made smile! Today was gray and rainy–thank goodness for all of the flowers and the flowering trees!

3/29/2020–

Today I walked by myself, and then I met Debbie later in the afternoon for another walk. We decided to walk on the Jail Trail, which for those of you wondering, is a trail in our town where the trail head parking lot is next to the county jail…hence the nickname! The trail parallels route 9, and the cacophony of the traffic rushing by makes conversation a bit difficult at times. Debbie and I were trying to keep a good bit of distance between ourselves and were conversing at a near yell.

A car zoomed past on the road and wildly start beeping their horn. We looked up to see a woman hanging half of her body out of the passenger side window. She waved her arms and yelled, “Six feet ladies….SIX FEET!”

I said to Debbie jokingly, “I wanted to yell back to tell her that we were llama distance away from each other!”

3/30/2020–

Today I walked with Tyler for exactly 2.0 miles on the nose. Two miles is my minimum that I’ve allowed myself for my Coronavirus Camino challenge, and I decided that today would be my “rest day.” LOL!

After our walk, Keegan, Tyler, and I sat on their back porch (six feet away from each other) and chatted. Things are stressful in the world right now, but seeing my kids is certainly the silver lining!

3/31/2020–

4/1/2020–

Happy April! Happy Hump Day!

Today I walked slightly over ten miles. For some reason, I woke up in a funk, and I really can’t pinpoint the exact reason. I haven’t slept very well for the last week, so maybe that was a part of it. Walking, for me anyway, is a great way to mange stress…so that’s what I did…I walked!

I listened to the ‘French Cooking Music’ station on Pandora. I know it sounds like a weird thing to listen to, but I loved it! It was a combination of instrumentals songs, songs sung in French, and several sung in English. They all had that ‘Ooh La La’ vibe. I just walked, and walked, and walked and my stress melted away! The only ‘bad’ thing that happened was that it poured for the last mile of my time on the trail, and I was drenched when I got back to my car. Silver lining–It didn’t rain for 10 miles!