It's getting easier

I want to be able to maintain 20-minute miles on the Walk. I've been able to manage that for increasingly longer stretches of time - I did it for most of the nine miles I did the other day. So this is good.

Today was pouring rain and warm. Miserable. So out came the yoga DVD. Not half-bad, and really good cross-training.

Progress!

Walked almost nine miles yesterday. Took about three hours, and I don't think I've EVER been so glad to see my car in my entire life. But I toughed it out, and I'm really proud of myself. I have to think of this walk in chunks - if I think of it as sixty miles I'll never be able to face it. But everyone I've met that has done this walk before tells me to think of it in three-mile chunks. That's the space between rest points on the actual event. So I just have to think of it as a whole bunch of three-mile walks.

But the progress is great...A few months ago, if I'd tried to walk nine miles I would have been flattened for a week. Now, less than 24 hours after finishing the walk, my knees don't even hurt. How amazingly cool is that?

And my time is improving. I wouldn't have been able to sustain 20-minute miles, not very long ago. I'm aiming to be able to sustain 20-minute miles for the entire walk. If I can do that, I'll be able to walk the whole thing. I know, I know, use the sweep van if I need to, and I will. I am just trying to train enough to not need to. :)

Nine miles. Wow. Nine. Miles.

Is it bad to be this proud of myself? :D