You’re getting some extra days this week for the Dog Walk Challenge because as of Monday, we are done with Year 2 of the challenge! That’s right, for two years, we’ve taken at least one walk of a mile or more each day. For Year 2, our goal was to average two miles a day. So, how did we do?
First, we achieved the main goal, which is a walk of one mile or more each day. As of Monday, that means we have taken a walk of a mile every day for 730 straight days over the course of two years. If you had told me when we began what was supposed to be a 30-day challenge that we would ever reach this point, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are!
Second, our goal for Year 2 was to average two miles of walking each day. Some days we walked less, some days we walked more. Drum roll, please, for the final daily average for Year 2:
2.5 miles per day!
That’s a lot of walking – 919.6 miles over the course of the year total on walks. Some of those walks were less pleasant than others (see: April snow), but overall they have been wonderful.
As an added bonus, the walks (and portion control on her meals) have really made a difference for Choppy. Last year, our vet told us she should lose about 10 pounds to get to an ideal weight. Choppy, the overachiever, dropped 14 pounds this last year. She now weighs the same as she did at her lowest adult weight. Hopefully, this will help give us as much time as possible with her – and it can’t hurt.
So what is in store for Year 3? I think we’ll be doing the same as Year 2 – doing at least a mile walk each day and averaging two miles a day overall. This seems right for us; it’s still a challenge many days, but it works with my schedule. And, as always, we’ll have our weekly posts to let you know how things are going.
As always, you can see our stats below. And tomorrow, almost all the numbers reset back to zero. And from there, there is no place to go but up!
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Choppy: Ready to get going on Year 3.
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The Walks:
Day 722/358 (April 22 – Home) – Total Mileage: 3.9 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 723/359 (April 23 – Home) – Total Mileage: 3.4 Miles (2 Walks)
Day 724/360 (April 24 – Home) – Total Mileage: 2.1 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 725/361 (April 25 – Home) – Total Mileage: 2.1 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 726/362 (April 26 – Home) – Total Mileage: 3.4 Miles (2 Walks)
Day 727/363 (April 27 – Home) – Total Mileage: 2.1 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 728/364 (April 28 – Illinois Beach State Park) – Total Mileage: 2.3 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 729/365 (April 29 – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin) – Total Mileage: 3.0 Miles (1 Walk)
Day 730/366 (April 30 – Home) – Total Mileage: 3.4 Miles (2 Walks)
The Stats:
Weekly Mileage Total: 25.7 Miles (Average: 2.8 Miles/Day)
Year 2 Mileage Total: 919.6 Miles (Average: 2.5 Miles/Day)
Wow! Good going for both of you. You’ve never looked better, Choppy.
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Thanks! And I think Choppy feels even better than she looks with all this walking.
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Im sure she does feel good!
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Congrats on your commitment and on the pawsitive stats. Way to go!
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Thanks! It’s definitely been a great way to get exercise in every day.
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Agreed. I’m not fit to be around if I don’t get my walks in. 😇
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That’s damn impressive Sarah!
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Thanks! I do enjoy seeing those miles rack up – though resetting this morning to 0 miles for the year was not the best (I just have to pay attention to the overall day I’m on, which still looks great).
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Yeah! That’s great that you were able to do that and that Choppy is back to her ideal weight. I know how hard that can be to do. Way to go, Choppy! I did a run/walk challenge for myself to raise money for Relay For Life last month. I barely managed to get in 50 miles, which was my goal. I had 7 days I didn’t walk, but on one of those I did play tennis. I don’t know how you manage to walk every single day.
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Well, I do have to wake up at 5:00 AM to get the walks in – I realized very early in Year 1 that if I wait until the end of the day to walk, it’s much harder for me. Better to get a couple miles in before everyone else is awake and not worry about having to get my miles in later in the day.
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I am NOT a morning person, so that would be hard for me. I have found that I am okay with walking/running on the treadmill while I watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, but I’m not always home at that time of day. My schedule is so varied, I really think that plays a part. Some of the shifts at daycare start at 6:30 and some at 10:45. So, there is no consistency and I sure couldn’t get up early enough to exercise AND be at work at 6:30. LOL
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It turns out, for me, once I started getting up early, I loved it (but, then again, I don’t have to be somewhere at 6:30 – I can roll in whenever most days).
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It’s nice when you have a flexible schedule. I am curious as to what you use to measure your distances. Do you have a sports watch of some sort?
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I have a Fitbit – though I know how long our two normal walks are, which means on about 90% of our weekly walks I don’t even need it.
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I was wondering what you used when you traveled. I had a Garmin sports watch a few years back. It died on me and I need to get something else. I’ll probably get another Garmin, just now sure which model I want.
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The Fitbit I have now isn’t one of the watch ones – it straps to clothing. I don’t think they make anything similar now, so I am hoping this lasts forever. I’m not sure I want a watch-like one.
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I hate it when things I like a lot tear up and there is no similar replacement. Here’s to hoping it lasts forever.
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Super duper totally awesome! Congratulations! And Choppy lost weight eating bacon!
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She did! Even better, she didn’t have to cut down on any treats other than bacon, either – we just exercised more and she has portion control on her regular meals. That seemed to do the trick.
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Good job! Congrats Choppy on your weight loss, wish I could do the same.
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She does make it look easy!
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brilliant! Way to go Choppy!
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Many thanks!
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Congratulations! That is impressive mileage and every mile adds longevity for sure. Choppy is looking quite svelte!
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I’m happy to do almost anything that will add any amount of time to the amount I get to have Choppy here. I should really look for some good comparison pics of her pre- and post-weight loss. It’s definitely noticeable!
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I do remember seeing and commenting even (!) before you started walking. I’m a believer that lean means longer life. My lab lived 15 years, not common for the breed. A comparison post would be a testament to both of your efforts!
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Wow two years have passed so quickly! Good job!
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I know! I feel like I just started.
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So exciting that you have been doing it for so long!
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Super-sleek Choppy, looking good!
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Thanks! She definitely looks much better than she did a year ago.
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You two rock
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Thanks!
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you for the reblog!
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Great! Seems Choppy is ready for her first travel to the Mars. 😉
Where is Schooner? I think he sleeps and is dreaming about well fed squirrels in Sauce Hollandaise. LOL Michael
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He only wishes he could go outside and make those dreams come true by catching a squirrel!
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