Last year, Julie Sale stopped doing #walk1000miles when she saw how quickly others made it to the target. This year, she’s determined to keep going, knowing it’s her challenge and hers alone.
‘I joined #walk1000miles last year and enjoyed being part of the group, and seeing and hearing about other people’s walks. But quite a few members were posting about having reached the 1000-mile mark when I was still struggling with only a few miles achieved. This demotivated me and although I carried on walking I stopped charting my progress.
During the last two months of the year there were lots of posts from people who had just achieved, or were within striking distance of meeting the target. I wanted to be one of those people. They inspired me to take part again in 2022, as I realise now that I wasn’t alone in walking at my pace.
I don’t know whether I’ll reach 1000 miles this year. What I really want is to walk with purpose more often. I’ll try to celebrate and support all achievements, and enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the final result.‘
Says Country Walking editor Guy: ‘Yes Julie! When you do #walk1000miles the ONLY other competitor is the old you. It really is the race in which we can ALL win gold. A mile is a different thing to every challenger, so well done you for your determination and – in the truest sense – everyone is behind you!’
