I have been on a walking streak since Thanksgiving. The original plan was to end New Year’s Day, but I decided to continue for a total of 50 days ending January 17. Though technically part of the Runner’s World running streak, my friends and I walked instead.

Groups start a streak to encourage people to get out walking/running every single day, even if it is just for 1 mile. Since winter can be so gray and dreary, that seems like a good and doable goal.

I have never completed a streak before. Here are lessons I learned:

1. Sometimes it really is way too cold to go outside or even to drive somewhere to walk inside. Record below zero temps in Ohio were a challenge.
   
2. I can be resourceful. On those super cold days I walked up and down the stairs in my house for 20 min. to approximate 1 mile.
3. Walking in heavy winter boots in the snow is so different from walking in my regular race walk shoes, I had a lot of muscle pain in the beginning. (But it was a good pain.)
4. Because of the streak, I DID walk on days I did not feel like walking.
5. The quality of my miles suffered. The goal of “just 1 mile” made it easy to walk casually for only 1 mile when I really should have been walking farther and harder.
6. My Facebook followers inspired me to keep going. If not for them, I would have quit. There is something about lots of people knowing your plans that makes it much harder to stop.
7. It’s OK to look silly to your family if it is for a good cause. My husband didn’t understand the first couple of times I went out on really cold days. He also laughed at me when I walked up and down the stairs on the subzero days. Ultimately he was supportive.
8. I enjoyed it when people joined me. My adult son and my young nieces and nephews all walked with me more than once.
9. For the most part it was fun, and I will probably do it again!

(2681)