INTRO: This is a simple diary I kept for a Walk This May Challenge I participated in. You’ll see that it started out as an innocent little challenge and morphed into my own million step challenge in 30 days. This was not planned and progressed pretty quickly. At the end of the 30 days I also wrote another more detailed article about this adventure. You can find that post challenge wrap up on this blog.
May, 1, 2024 – Whelp! Now that I’m 61 it’s time to take on some challenges! First up is Walk This May. This is a challenge to see how many steps you can get in a month. There are 107 people in our local challenge. I have never done one of these so I have zero idea of how many steps people try to get in every day. The prize is bragging rights and a new pair of shoes for the individual winner.
Teams win something every week if they are in first place and then there are random drawings as well. Everything is tracked on the Pacer app.
I ended the trial period of the challenge in April in 1st place with 21,000 steps a day. 21,000 isn’t a huge challenge since I’ve been averaging 17,000 steps a day for several years. This contest will be a good start for the half marathon Piper and I are doing in April 2025.
DAY 1
My weight today was 161.8 lbs. My goal is 157 lbs by May 31. My morning goal was 16,000 steps which I made. I then noticed that there were a few participants that were really pushing up the number of steps and it dawned on me that this really was a challenge and there are going to be people trying to win.
I added more afternoon steps by taking a quick 30 minute run and took several breaks from sitting to walk around the backyard. I also had to go film an event and walked a couple of blocks to get there which added some extra steps for the day.
At the very end of the day I noticed participants that had not been in the trial period racking up steps in the evening. One person went until they passed all of the top totals. I ended the day in 2nd place with just over 30,000 steps. Our five person team was in 1st place.
DAY 2
Happy Thursday May Twoth!! Day 2 of the Walk This May Challenge. I’ve been wondering if I could run a half marathon and what my time might be. Well, I unofficially found out this morning. 13.3 miles in about 2.25 hours and 20,000 steps by 8:15am. I weighed this morning and came in at 159.8 lbs. I think it was from lack of fluid.
I’m seeing more people upping their steps and it is only day two. It’s looking like 30,000 steps a day is going to be the minimum to hang in the competition. It will be interesting to see if the the people at the top can sustain for 31 days.
My strategy today was to avoid looking at the app. I’m going to set the number of steps I want to do each day and that will be my limit. I tried to get up every hour and walk for 1,000 steps around the house, studio and yard. These were easy walks and it took about 10 minutes to get the 1,000 steps. The big problem is having a dog with FOMO! He can’t sit still and follows me everywhere!
I’m not liking this strategy. It’s too disruptive in my schedule. Having a standing desk or a desk with a treadmill would solve lots of problems.
This step challenge can be challenging without a treadmill. I think I may wear out my carpet before this is over.
At the end of day 2 I stopped at 34,029 steps putting me in 1st place with 64,054 total. Our team is also in 1st place with 46,884 average steps.
At this stage I’m over 12,000 steps in the lead. This would be a good weekend to build a bigger lead and try to maintain that lead for the month.
DAY 3
Had to hurry this morning so I could be back at 8am. I ran, with no walking, for 1 hour and 50 minutes getting in 19,000 steps. Busy day running around. Added 3,000 steps just going to lunch, the post office and the bank.
After the first day I thought I would need 30,000 steps a day to win the challenge but it might not be that high. We’ll see how the first week pans out.
Grabbed lots of extra steps downtown at First Friday walking around the square. Also did a short walk at home barefooted to give my feet a rest.
Ended the day still in 1st place with 30,117 steps today and 94,171 total for 3 days. Our team is in 1st place with 69,126 average steps.
DAY 4
A crazy morning. Radar showed storms on the way but I decided to go out until they reached town. I was able to get in about 7,000 steps on the trail before the storm hit. Got a great pic of lightning and a rainbow.
Got another 3,000 steps by pacing in the garage. Took a break, fed the dog and grabbed a granola bar. About 20 minutes later the rain passed so I hit the trail again. It turned out to be a beautiful morning with some blue sky on the second trip out.
I got 21,000 steps in total by the time I got home again. Long morning, started at 6am finished at 9am. Added a few steps here and there just walking around the house.
Drove to Edmond for a graduation party and racked up more steps. Drove back to Enid and paced around the house to finish at 30,000 steps for the day.
My 4 day total is 124,700 which is 1st place. Being Saturday there were several bursts of steps by other competitors. 2nd place is currently at 97,002.
Our team total is looking really good at 89,768 average steps which is 1st place. 2nd place is at 66,039 average steps.
Day 4 and my feet are feeling worked out and tired. Might need to find some cushy socks.
DAY 5
I decided today would be a rest day from running. My legs and feet are feeling overused. This means I’ll have to add some extra time to get all of my steps in.
The morning started out with rain so I did not hit the trail. I did some fast pacing in the garage until I reached 10,000 steps. That’s lots of circles and turning around. Almost started felling dizzy.
Walked around while eating my light lunch at home. Watched TV and got in 1,000 steps in 15 minutes just meandering around. If you ever feel like you can’t exercise all you need to do is get up and move around? Every little bit helps!
The sun came out so I hit the trail. Did some speed walking in the sunshine and hit a total of 25,000 steps by the time I got home.
It’s amazing how many steps you can get by working in the yard. I added more planting flowers in the garden and more going to dinner.
I’ll end the day at 30,500 steps and just over 155,000 steps to date. I remain in 1st place with a couple of people surging and our team remains in 1st place with 112,866 average steps from four team members. We lost one member due to her counting device not working properly.
DAY 6
Hit the trail at 6:10am and it was windy, cool, gray and misting. Made it back home in two hours and logged about 18,000 steps with a mix of running and speed walking. Paced around the house while making tea and eating breakfast and stopped at 20,000 steps.
Added more steps at lunch and running errands. Thought about trying for 40,000 steps but decided against it.
Walked around during afternoon breaks and made it to 27,000 steps. Drove out to the edge of town to photograph the storms. Paced back and forth for over an hour and added another 3,000 steps making my 30,000 for the day.
Walked around after dinner and took storm pics outside. Paced a bit in the studio while watching the weather reports. Decided to stop the walking and pacing when I hit 34,000 steps for the day.
Day 6 weigh-in was 159.8 lbs. I remain in 1st place with just over 189,000 steps. I’m currently 49,000 steps ahead of 2nd place. Our team remains in 1st place with 130,745 average steps. 2nd place is at 90,271 average steps.
Feeling the effects of the added steps on the bottom of my feet. A few tender areas on the ball and heel of my foot but my legs are good.
DAY 7
A clear morning and excellent weather on the trail! Recorded 18,000 steps in two hours both running and walking. Added another 1,000 in the driveway.
Paced around the house getting things done and eating breakfast for another 1,000 steps.
Went to lunch and ran errands. walked in the backyard to get some steps and some sun. Got to 27,000 steps.
Reality is setting in that this is going to be a challenge for me to make 30,000 steps a day. There are 25 days left! Yikes!
Ended the day and week at 220,000 steps. The team and I both took 1st place for the first week.
DAY 8
Wednesday, May 8 starts week 2 with everyone back at 0 steps. Each week there’s a reset for a new week but all steps continue to count towards the overall total.
Great weather on the trail for a morning trek. I tried to see if there were more steps in running versus walking but I seem to get around the same no matter what I do. I read that walking a fast pace would be more steps than running but I’m not seeing that.
Both ran and walked the trail for 2 hours and got back to the house with 18,000 steps. Paced around the driveway and in the house while eating a granola bar to get my 20,000 steps before taking a break.
I weighed in at 158.8 which means I’m now trending down in weight. I think I’m officially 2 lbs. down from May 1st.
Showered, got ready, went to eat, ran errands and got back to the house with about 24,000 steps. Walked the backyard while the dog played for an extra 1,000 steps. The afternoon walks around the yard are great for getting a little sun and tan.
Snuck in an afternoon walk and reached 28,000 steps. Walked around the house while eating dinner and made 31,000 steps for the day. Thought I was done for the evening but got a phone call and decided to walk while talking. Ended the phone conversation at 34,000 steps.
DAY 9
Another great weather morning! Hit the trail for two hours and came back with 19,000 steps. I jogged most of the way with slower, shorter steps. I did a little walking.
Added 1,000 at breakfast and walking around. Weighed in at 158.2 lbs. Looks like I am losing those extra pounds.
Went to lunch and ran errands racking up more steps. Took a few breaks throughout the day to walk for 10 minutes getting about 1,000 steps each time.
Talked on the phone again and got an extra 2,000 steps. Ended the day at 37,000 steps and still in 1st place overall. My average daily steps is 32,500 for the month.
291,600 total steps on Day 9.
DAY 10
Normal run/walk on the trail. Was out for 2 hours and got 19,000 steps. Packed up and went to get gas.
Drove to Fayetteville. Stopped to pick up a trailer in Springdale.
Reached Fayetteville and loaded the trailer. Lots of steps going back and forth from the condo to the trailer.
Drove back to Enid. Walked outside because it was really nice weather. Finished the day with 30,000 steps.
DAY 11
Ran/walked the trail in the morning. Made in home with just over 19,000 steps. Unloaded the trailer and carried stuff inside.
Drove to Norman for graduations. Walked from the parking lot to Loyd Noble twice and also walked around the arena during the ceremonies to stretch my legs.
Spent the night in Norman but reached my 30,000 steps for the day.
DAY 12
Went for a run in Norman. Our AirBNB was about a mile from the OU campus so I decided to go run around the University of Oklahoma. Hit 20,000 steps in 2 hours! Lots of walking around and running errands in Norman.
Drove back to Enid and went for a 45 minute walk on the trail. Stopped with 30,000 steps total.
Added more steps just walking around and going back and forth from my studio to the house. Total for the day was over 32,000 steps.
DAY 13
Back on the Enid trail like normal. Ran/walked for 2 hours and got another 20,000 steps in. Added more steps just getting ready. Weighed in at 158.2 lbs.
Went out to eat and played with the dog for extra steps. Added some pacing in the studio to reach my 30,000 steps for the day.
DAY 14
The end of week 2! Hit the trail at 6:05am and got 20,000 steps by 8:15am. Weighed in at 159.2. Usually add another 3,000 steps getting ready, going to eat lunch and running errands.
Did not get many afternoon steps in. Went to eat dinner and then it was podcasting night. Ended the evening at about 26,000 steps.
Paced around the studio barefooted to add more steps. Ended the day with 35,000 steps.
Our team won 1st place for the second week in a row. I was in 1st place for week 2 as well.
My total for the month after two weeks is 452,496 steps. Our team is at 290,632 average steps.
DAY 15
Woke up and was ready to head out the door at 6am when I noticed storms on the way. Rather than wait I decided to run out to the storms and run back when they got close. I got a about halfway to my furthest point and the lightning started.
I had to book it back to the house to not get wet. Made it to my garage just as it started raining. Had 9,000 steps.
Paced around the garage until the rain stopped and then headed back out on the trail. Walked and ran for over an hour and got back to the house at 9am. 3 hours total workout this morning.
Talked to Gary on the trail and he asked me if I was going to make a million steps. At first I said no. It looked like I was easily on pace to make 900,000 steps for the month. After looking closer at my totals I actually am on track to make 1 million steps!
Ended the morning with 23,000 steps and a new idea. The halfway point of the challenge will be on the 16th at noon. I will have 500,000 steps at that point. So! I’ve decided to up my personal challenge to getting 1 million steps in May.
After some calculating it looks like it will take an average of 32,360 steps a day to reach a million. My average right now is slightly above that so I am on track to make a million!
Weighed in at 159.2 lbs. Went to lunch and ran some errands. Played with the dog and got steps in from going back and forth from the studio to the house.
DAY 16
Today is the official halfway point for this challenge. My goal was to get 500,000 steps by noon which I did. I got 20,000 on my morning trek which put me over the halfway mark to 1 million steps. Weighed in at 159.4 lbs.
I paced in my studio during another phone call and got 3,000 more steps. Added more steps going to lunch and running errands. Went grocery shopping which added lots of steps.
I had around 28,000 by afternoon and decided to hit the trail and get some sun. Returned in an hour and added a few thousand more steps. Had around 35,000 steps by dinner.
Added 3,000 more steps walking around and pacing in my studio. You can really add steps easily if you just keep moving especially if you’re just watching TV! By early evening I had reached 38,000 steps. I was only 2,000 away from a personal goal of getting 40,000 steps in one day just to say I did.
Whelp! I was so close I decided to go ahead and get my day of 41,000 steps in today! A quick 20 minutes of walking to and from the house and then pacing in the studio put me over the top!
I’ll be ending the day with about 526,800 steps. Only 15 more days to go! The team is at 333,734 average steps. Good night!
DAY 17
It’s Friday! Cruised out on the trail and got back in just over two hours with 21,000 steps. Weighed in at 198 lbs! Met my goal for now!
Gained the regular steps getting ready, going to lunch and running errands.
Added an hour long walk on the trail in the afternoon to get some sun and extra steps. Got back with a total of 30,000 steps.
Had a total of 34,000 steps after dinner and called it a day.
DAY 18
Up at 3am to drive my daughter to the airport. Got in an early 2,000 steps. Back home by 7am.
A tough two hours on the trail. Ended with 18,000 steps at a much slower pace. Walked in the driveway to get in 20,000 before doing some work.
A tired day with my knees feeling all of the steps. No pain, just wear.
Active walking around in the evening and ended the day with around 34,000 steps. About to reach 600,000 total!
DAY 19
Back out on the trail at 6am! Ran slow taking little steps. Made it back home in two hours with 18,000 steps. Great morning to be outdoors.
Walked in the back yard while I updated social media and the dog played. Made it to 20,000 steps before a pause in the day.
Afternoon walk around the backyard and walked a figure eight in the house. Made it to 32,000 steps.
Added a couple thousand steps going to dinner and just doing evening things.
DAY 20
Out on the trail at 6:05am. Jogged taking fast little steps. Made it home at 8am with 19,000 steps. Another 1,000 steps eating granola bars and feeding the dog.
Got another 1,000 steps getting ready. Added more going to lunch and running errands.
Went out for an afternoon walk in the sun. Walked fast for an hour and got 8,000 steps. Made 32,360 steps by 3pm. Everything else today is bonus!
Quick walk in the backyard after dinner for another 3,000 steps.
DAY 21
Day 21 is the end of week 3! Woo Hoo! Feeling good this morning. Out on the trail at 6:10am with lots of wind. Jogged with lots of quick short steps and made 4,000 in 30 minutes.
Cruised back and forth on the trail mostly jogging but also fast walking. Got back home at 8:30am with 22,000 steps. Got another 2,000 steps eating breakfast and moving around.
Weighed in at 159.2 lbs. Went to lunch and ran a few errands getting a few thousand extra steps. Ended up with 28,000 steps before going to podcast.
It was a great evening outdoors so I walked really fast back and forth in the backyard for 30 minutes and got in just over 4,000 more steps making my goal for the day.
Ended the day over 700,000 steps. Leading in the May Challenge by over 200,000 steps. Our team is in 1st place with 428,768 average steps, over 100,000 more than the next closest team.
I’ve set another mini goal! I want to reach a million steps in 30 days rather than a million in May which is 31 days. I’ll be traveling out of town so I’d like to be done. That means sneaking in a few more 40,000 step days.
DAY 22
Up at 6am. Already have 500 steps from going to bed, getting up and letting the dog out. On the trail by 6:10am.
Did a speed walk out to my furthest point and 6500 steps. Decided I needed to jog with short, fast steps to gain more in less time. Made it home in two hours with 19,000 steps.
Added 2,000 easy steps walking around the house while eating a granola bar and feeding the dog. More steps at lunch.
Hit the trail in the afternoon to pad my step total. Made it back after 90 minutes with 32,000 steps.
Added more steps at dinner and just walking around the house. Reach 34,000 steps and decided to go for another 40,000. Paced in my studio while watching Survivor and easily made it to 43,250. Overall total is now at 745,450 steps.
DAY 23
Out on the trail at 6:10am. Pushed it to day since there won’t be time for an afternoon trek. Got in 20,000 steps in 2 hours. I don’t think I can get any more than 10,000 steps an hour.
I can add 1,000 steps eating a granola bar at breakfast. Added more steps throughout the day here and there. Ended up with about 24,000 before I had to drive to OKC.
Walked in the backyard in the evening until I reached 33,000 steps.
DAY 24
Hit the trail at 6:10am. Did a speed walk out to the end of the trail and then jogged for the rest of the trek. Racked up 19,000 steps before I made it home.
Added 2,000 more steps walking around the house. Another 1,000 steps added getting ready.
Went to lunch and ran a few errands. Got 24,000 steps in by afternoon. Got a phone call to go storm chasing on Saturday.
Needed to pad my steps for Saturday so I went walking for 90 minutes. Got in a total of 39,000 steps. Added 2,000 at dinner and pacing in the studio.
DAY 25
It’s Saturday, May 25 which is predicted to be a big storm day with possible tornadoes. Out on the trail at 6:05am. Got in 20,000 steps in just over 2 hours. Added more steps eating breakfast.
More steps getting ready and running to lunch. Left to go storm chasing at 1pm with about 24,000 steps.
Added another 4,000 steps storm chasing. Got back home around 10pm. Paced in the studio to get my 32,000 for the day.
DAY 26
Sunday! Up early and back out on the trail. Walked more than ran but still got 19,000 steps in just over 2 hours. Added another 1,000 walking around eating a granola bar.
Went for a long afternoon walk. Got in 10,000 steps and got lots of sun.
Added a few more steps pacing around while watching TV. Ended the day with 34,000 steps.
DAY 27
Today is Memorial Day Monday. A beautiful morning on the trail with almost no wind. Hit 900,000 steps at the halfway point of my morning trek.
Got home in just over 2 hours with 20,000 steps. Added 500 steps walking around the kitchen while eating a granola bar. 910,000 total steps by 8am.
Went out for another afternoon walk and got in another 8,000 steps. Ended the day with 34,000 steps.
DAY 28
On the trail at 6:10am. Jogged quickly with lots of small steps and got in 20,000 steps by 8:15am. Added another 1,000 snacking on a granola bar and feeding the dog.
Paced in the office for another 2,000 steps. Weighed in at 158.6 lbs. Got ready, went to lunch and ran to the grocery store for an additional 2,000 steps.
It was podcasting day so no afternoon trek. Added more steps at dinner and going to podcast.
Got home with about 26,000 steps. Decided I wanted to maintain my 30,000 steps a day goal so I paced in the studio until I reached it.
Ended the day with 956,597 total steps and #1 in the Walk This May Challenge. Next closest total is 684,368. Our team is #1 with 569,656 average steps. The next closest team is 413,841 average steps.
The plan is to get 30,000+ steps on Wednesday so I can get a million steps sometime early Thursday, May 30.
DAY 29
Decided I wanted to take it easy on the trail. Walked more than jogged. Beautiful morning. Got in a 2 hour trek with 18,000 steps. Added another 2,000 snacking and walking in the house.
Went to lunch and ran some errands. Had 24,000 steps by 2pm. Had a total of about 980,000 steps. Went on the trail again for an afternoon walk. Reached 30,000 steps leaving me 12,000 short of one million.
Squeezed 2,000 more steps at home watching the news. Decided to go for it at 4pm!
Went to the driveway and listened to the news while I walked back and forth. Got the last 10,000 steps just after 5pm. One million steps n 29 days!! Challenge accomplished!
I ended up getting over 46,000 steps on Day 29. I plan on walking on the 30th and 31st but only for pleasure.
Read Part 2 HERE.
PODCAST: PART 1
VLOG: PART 1
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