Julie Dickson

Very Close Now

Sunday 13th Dec Well, it won't be a sprint to the finish, or a jog or even a brisk walk but I will reach my walking goal of 100 kms tomorrow at my current steady pace. I have set another personal best, however, at 57 minutes with only one rest at the bridge. My $ goal is unfortunately just out of reach but I'm very proud of my supporters and thank them sincerely as well as the anonymous one who may have inadvertently left their name off their donation. Tomorrow, the last 3 kms may be the biggest challenge with very heavy rain predicted. I'd like to think I've established a routine of walking every day (aside from the dog walks) but we'll see. I'd rather swim the distance, but the pool chlorine bombs my thyroid so I always need an afternoon sleep afterwards. Merry Christmas everyone and thanks again, also let's all see this rubbish year off and give 2021 a big welcome hug.
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Record Time

Tuesday 8th Dec Today, I'm very pleased with myself. I walked 4.7 kms in the time of 59 minutes which is a record for me! The first half was completed in 29 minutes. I sat at the bridge for 3 mins and walked home without stopping again in 27 minutes. Brava! I hear you all cry.
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A Few mm of Rain

Monday 7th Dec I only walked 3 kms today because we had a very nice bit of rain just before my walk so I knew that I wouldn't be able to sit and rest at the bridge without getting a wet bum. Yesterday, I didn't walk. It had been a very hot day and it was still over 36 at 6pm. I was concerned about heat stress adding to my other walking stresses so I gave it a miss. There are 9 more days to the Challenge, so I believe I still have time to  reach the 100 kms target. I also only need a few more dollars to reach my $1000 target so if you've been considering a donation, I'd love your support.
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Gel Insoles

Thursday 3rd Dec Today I bought some gel insoles for my cheap walking shoes expecting big things! I thought maybe 'walking on clouds' or 'floating on air', that kind of thing. Bit disappointed because it just felt like my feet were really crammed in the shoes but overall at the end I would say my knees appreciated the change. Perhaps in the coming days, the advantages will become clearer.
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A Weekend Away

Monday 30th Nov Share

Hang Loose, Mother Goose

Wednesday 25th Nov Last night it was a humble 3kms but tonight went quite well and I made it to the bridge and home with the discomfort only really making its self felt in the last half km or maybe a little more. And the difference was...relaxation. It eventually dawned on me that I was anticipating the pain, tensed myself for the whole walk and so experienced the pain....self perpetuating. Tonight, I breathed and worked on relaxing my shoulders, hips, gluts, knees and ankles. With the out breath, I tried to hang loose and I think it worked well for me. I only needed one rest at the bridge and I actually walked past the second rest spot with even registering it because the need wasn't really there.
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In the Zone

Monday 23rd Nov Last night I walked just the 4 kms but tonight I kept going the extra so I could have a sit down at the bridge. I walked through the pain of my left foot and the burning in my right thigh......and made the distance! However, the zone disintegrated  somewhat on the return trip (lol) but I'm chuffed that I'm back on schedule. I have 6 kms to make up the shortfall from the first week but I'm confident that I can achieve that either this week or by the third one. Would appreciate any financial support that you might think is appropriate...maybe $1 per day for the 30 day challenge? The link follows: https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraiser/juliedickson
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Blaming the shoes

Sunday 22nd Nov Another warm day and I'll have to walk a bit earlier this evening so that I'm in time to watch The Block auctions! Friday and Saturday I walked 3 kms each day. Not sure how to play it tonight. I walked more briskly yesterday because I met a couple walking and I tried to match them step for step (at a distance) so don't know if it might be better to take it slow tonight. So unhappy that the walking isn't as comfortable as I expected but maybe I can blame my cheap shoes lol.
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Progress so far

Thursday 19th Nov Sorry everyone, I didn't walk on Tuesday due to an unscheduled trip to hospital. On Wednesday, I only managed 2 kms because I was a bit shin-sore from starting at the top ie doing the whole 4.7 km distance right away. I'll use the rest of this week to build back up to the full distance, maybe doing 2 kms again today and tomorrow then 4 and so on. I hope to be up to speed again on Monday 23/11.
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The Start

Tuesday 17th Nov This is the second time I've started this blog because the first attempt mysteriously disappeared! Anyway, I walked 4.7 kms yesterday (first day of the challenge) and early on realised that I should have measured some milestones like 1km mark and a 2km one so that I could turn back early and still know how far I had got and still register the walk accurately. However, I hadn't done that so I did the whole distance although I had a wee rest at the bridge. It had been quite a warm day but when I set off at 6.25 pm it was cooling with a lovely breeze. It took me 63 minutes by the kitchen clock and I googled the distance to see if I could get an idea of how many steps that would be.....7833 is the number! I'll wear better shoes today but may not get all the way however as the days go on I'll get fitter and quicker and may even manage a bit of a jog towards the end.
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Oh My Goodness

Saturday 14th Nov I was concerned about the fundraising total that I chose. Actually I just left the default one. However, my wonderful friends and family have exceeded my expectations. Thank you so much!!
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Generous friends

Thursday 12th Nov How wonderful! We're over halfway to my fundraising goal already. This response is very heartening and will speed my legs to the bridge and back with even more purpose.
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The plan

Wednesday 11th Nov I hope to walk at least 100 kms over the 30 days. I'll be walking to our bridge and back, daily. The distance is 4.7 kms. I measured it by driving the car. I'm hoping my supporters will consider staking me for $1 a day?
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Bush Heritage

Tuesday 10th Nov I already support this group with a monthly donation but thought I could make a bigger effort and maybe get fit at the same time. I don't have fitbit or anything like it so I guess you may just have to trust me that I'm 'walking the walk'. I'm sure, if you know me, that when I say I'm doing it then I really am.
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