To blog or not to blog? I have come around to the idea that I will keep a blog of my journey. Initially, I thought I would just send a few updates via email to those closest to me however many others have asked if I could let them know how things are going along my trip. So a blog it is. My friend Alex Ramirez has offered to post my updates and pictures. So I can send one email with a few pictures to him periodically on the trip and he will post it up. My friends and family will be able to read about my adventure and post comments as well.
So here is my first blog post....
My Support System
There have been so many people who have helped me prepare over the past year it's hard to thank them all. As many of you know, I joined a Anytime Fitness last October to prepare in earnest for my trip. My trainer Rebecca was there every Monday morning at 6:00 a.m. to help increase my fitness level to one that will endure walking 20-25 km every day. We have completed our final session and for the next few weeks I will work on increasing my distances to 10-12 km per day with my backpack on. My backpack weighs about 15 lbs without water and about 19 lbs with water.
My friends and colleagues have supported me emotionally and they have encouraged me over the past months This has been a huge help for me. When I first really made up my mind about this trip two years ago, even I was not completely sure I was going to make it. Although, I pushed through the doubt and kept planning. Once I bought my ticket, there was no turning back (except I did by travel insurance, just in case).
My boys, Manfred and William, have also been significant supports to me. William offered to watch the pets and my house while I am away. My dog, Avro, did not do so well at the kennel I had chosen. He got into a little spat with another dog and had a few bits that needed the vet's attention. William stepped up and said he would look after Avro while I was away. This is a huge relief for me and I am sure that Avro and Sunshine (my cat) will be much happier in their own home.
Without Avro, I would not be in such great shape. As many of you know, I have a beautiful black lab/border collie cross dog. I call him a puppy but he is 5 years old so he can't be called a puppy any more. He has kept me walking throughout the winter even on the days when I would much rather have stayed home curled up on my couch playing Minecraft. Now, he and I can bang off 5 km in a little less than an hour and we have done several 10-12 km walks in the past few weeks. With 18 days left to go, I would like to do at least a couple 15-17 km walks because my thinking is... "if I can do 15 km, I can do 20 km and if I can do 20 km, I can do 25 km". We will see if this holds true once I get started.
Self- Care
So this terminology may be very familiar to some of you, however for me, it has been a work in progress. Over the past 7 years, it has been like learning to play an instrument. It takes daily practice and you make lots of mistakes along the way, but eventually it becomes second nature and you do it automatically without thinking. Preparing for this trip has taught me so much about what I need to be healthy and to stay healthy.
I don't have any pictures today but I will take a few before I go and post them up.
Thank you for joining my adventure and I am looking forward to sending many updates over the next two months.
Lauralee
