Weeks

On Sundays I look at the week and count the days I want to walk, less Sunday if I walked to Starbucks to get the Sunday newspapers, and what days I need to run errands, go to appointments, do stuff around the place, or just work on the Website and photo guide projects.

I look at the calendar on the wall and count 4 or 5 days of walking and then hope I can walk those days if I don't get sick from food (common problem now). When I get to Saturday and look back at the week and realized I walked the days, I feel good that I walked the 32-40 plus miles.

Then I realize I have to do it all over again in the coming week. Yeah. I'm stuck at 8 miles per walk most days with some 8.5-9 mile walks when the body and really the legs feel good which I decide at the halfway mark leaving the cafe.

And I'm stuck at 15-plus lbs in the backpack as 20 lbs hurts the back later that day and often into the next day or two, sometimes three. The goals of 10 miles with 20-25 lbs seems distant and running again even more distant, let along hiking with 30-40 lbs of gear.

But then I realize I started a year ago at 2-3 miles with no backpack. And I realize the higher the goal, the harder and longer it will take to get there as I get older and the Sciatic nerve slowly heals. And all I can do is keep walking as many days as I can.