I have hit a few challenges though so I know I’m going to need better ways to get over those.

Here’s how its been going:

5 Jan: 3.36 miles locally round the roads near where I live. A reasonable but not exciting walk.

6 Jan: a very short canter round the block of .54 miles it was a rainy day mind you

7 Jan: horrid and rainy all day no walk

So I realised I needed a way to deal with rainy days….I don’t want to go out and get drenched but I want to do some activity even if I don’t count it to my challenge miles. Maybe rainy days are for strength and stretch training….

8 Jan: Nice walk incorporating Wanstead Park, bit muddy underfoot but some sunshine and 5.20 miles.

9 Jan: 4.59 miles across parts of Wanstead Flats and up to the edge of Walthamstow. Again muddy but a nice view to the city.

(the picture doesn’t do the view justice, the teeny buildings in the distance are the city and look so much better in reality)

10 Jan: spurred on by a good weekend I walked to the shops to get a few things needed for dinner a 3.72 mile round trip.

11 &12 Jan: Business meetings meant slotting in walking was hard and I didn’t do any miles. hoped to catch up Thursday and Friday but….

13/14 Jan: Horrid rainy days, no chance for walks.

15 Jan: Grey weather but not raining so a walk out near Ware along the New River aqueduct and the River Lee Navigation, 4.7 miles, again a bit muddy.

So I’m a scary 19.75 miles off track :0

I need a rainy day strategy…I think indoor stretches or strength training or the clonky old exercise bike tho I’m not counting those to the target they will keep me active.

I need a busy day strategy….I’m going to try to find some 1.5 – 2 mile routes from home so I can try to do them when I’m busy as its seems a quick 1/2 hour is so more appealing if I’m busy.

And I must clean the mud off my boots….

I went out to try to capture pictures of them.

But my photography skills weren’t up to it, I just couldn’t get a shot that worked.

Then I saw the lichen on the bench and the mixture of colours and textures appealed.

I’ll have to practice the sparkling water drop shots though

I’d been staring at the screen for too long, Picasa was being a nightmare and Photoshop not much better.

So I decided to stop and take a lttle break.

I strolled to the local library and perused the bookshelves in search of inspiration.

I found a few things then recalled people had been recommending a novel to me…but I couldn’t remember by who or its name.

I tweeted and got an answer pronto. Someone else had already borrowed the book.

Then outside the sound of a heavy downpour and the library sprang to life everyone using it as an excuse to chat.

One lady said summers never used to be like this. The weather was predictable back then she said. Some sort of halcyon childhood summers I think she meant.

The rain stopped. The talking stopped.

I went back to the book shelves and then home contented with my haul.

Libraries are great. And I still have to go back to get the novel when its in.