January 21, 2021

Walk Streak - Half A Year!

Well, I ended up finishing that book today! (I started The Selection yesterday--here is the post about that.) I haven't been that absorbed in a book in... I don't even know how long. It was REALLY good and I immediately downloaded the second one. I was carrying around my Kindle as I unloaded the dishwasher and cooked dinner and basically every spare moment I could find.

Jerry asked me today how long my five-mile walking streak is up to, and I had to stop and think about it. I started it on July 20th and yesterday was January 20th, so I figured I had to have hit the halfway point of a full year. I added up the days and today was Day 185--so a couple of days ago, I reached half a year of walking five miles a day!

It's actually been really hard to stay motivated to do it this month because I just haven't been able to find any audiobooks that interest me. I love listening to audiobooks while I walk. I've started and stopped SO many this month--I even reached my limit for checkouts at the library. I'm very particular about the narration of audiobooks and if I don't like the voice or tone or accent in the first 30 seconds or so, I just can't get into the book.

The audiobooks have always been what I used to motivate me to get out the door. I only let myself listen to them when I'm walking, so I would look forward to going for walks. This month, with it being so cold and without having a good book to look forward to, I've struggled. I'm still doing it, though, because I can't bear to break the streak!

Today, it was actually sunny outside. It was still cold and windy, but the sun made it seem like a nicer day. Jerry was off work, so I asked if he'd want to walk with me. We headed out with Joey late in the afternoon. 

Apparently, it wasn't a good time of day to go out because there were SO many cars! The first half of the walk was really irritating but once we got into the quieter neighborhoods, we were able to talk without yelling over the noise of cars driving by.

It's nice going for walks together because we have good, in-depth conversations. When we're at home, we're usually distracted by all the stuff going on (pets, kids, electronics, etc). I would've liked for the kids to go with us, but they "don't really like walking that far in the cold" ;) They missed out; we had fun!


After six months of walking every day, I have to say that it feels completely natural and habitual. I would feel weird NOT doing it. This is, by far, the longest exercise streak I've ever done. I'm glad I've maintained the discipline to do it; I may not have the discipline to do other habits that I attempt, but this one is sticking for some reason!

11 comments:

  1. I listened to over 100 audiobooks last year...you really should give the narrator more than 30 seconds. 😊. Sometimes it takes a chapter or 2 to really get into the book and get used to the narrator.

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  2. Congratulations Katie! 😊🏃‍♀️

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  3. Congrats, that is awesome!

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  4. have you tried Moth Radio hour? It's an hour of short stories told by different people. You can find via web and stream or multiple podcast platforms.

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  5. I like comedy, we have radio comedy panel shows in the uk.

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  6. I second podcasts such as The Moth as already suggested. Free so you can try as many as you like! If you haven't already been listening to any then there are some amazing series out there for whatever genre you are into. Quality may vary but established sources like BBC world service, Gimlet, WNYC studios are a good place to start.

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  7. Congratulations! I have been finding every excuse not to walk/run and need to follow your example.

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  8. Just curious - why are you not listening to The Selection books while walking?

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    1. I find that there are some books I prefer to read while others are fine for listening. I'm not sure what the criteria is! I tend to get distracted here and there when I'm walking, so I pick books that I don't mind missing a few details. The books that I'm very interested in are the ones that I like to read.

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  9. Congrats!f Have you read (listened to) The Dutch House? I had a friend recommend it specifically because it is read by Tom Hanks and he has such a great narration. I also read (listened to) The Silent Patient and liked it a great deal though funny enough I read nothing about it ahead of time and was surprised to find out it is a thriller. LOL Anyway - those are two recent good listens that were worth recommending. I listened to Anna Kendrick's new autobiography and I liked her narration and the story was OK - learned a few new things about her journey that were kinda funny and surprising. Currently listening to Gary Sinise's book Grateful American which I am also enjoying. I really prefer when autobiographies are read by the person because I feel like they add the inflection they were envisioning when they wrote it.

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  10. I would suggest the James Lee Burke series about Dave Robicheaux. Will Patton, the narrator, is really good. He has a nice, smooth drawl that really brings out the character. There are 23 of them, so if you enjoy them, you have a long list to choose from! I also like the Robert Crais books about Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, but I haven't listened to any of them, just read them. I can recommend the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab - they are YA books and very well written. And some of my very favorites are the Louise Penny Inspector Gamache series. I would plow my way through the whole series, but force myself to spread them out to 3 or 4 a year to try and make them last. There are 16 of them so far and I'm currently listening to #9. SO good! Hope you find lots of good books to help keep your walking streak going!

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