Today was my final long walk before the half marathon I'm registered to walk in Eugene on May 1st. I walked twelve miles today. It felt like a hundred. I kept looking at my walking app, making sure it was really working and hadn't paused itself. I think when I walk these longer distances by myself, the time just goes by slowly compared to walking with a buddy, where I can chat as we walk to pass the time.
On the other hand, it was a gorgeous day. There were only a few menacing clouds and thirty seconds of sprinkles during the entire walk. The temperature was in the mid-fifties, so I couldn't have asked for better conditions. I'm hoping it's exactly the same kind of weather for the half in two weeks.
I've worked hard to reach this point. I've run, I've run/walked and I've walked almost six hundred miles in the past year and a half, training for this goal. I've suffered shin splints and sore knees, and even a blister or two. But I've become more fit in the process and thoroughly enjoy my new pseudo-athletic hobby.
Now that I'm 99% sure that I'll be able to easily finish the half marathon, I have my sights set on walking a full marathon before I turn sixty in two years. I wonder if these old legs can do it?