2020 ?

What will the new year bring?

A question asked by many as each year draws to a close.

2019 didn’t quite go to plan but the addition of a couple of pooches made the later part interesting!

Highlights of 2019 (apart from Gabby and Misty) included …

• A Coventry Way
• Charnwood Marathon
• Rotary Walk Across Wales
• Country Walking #walk1000miles
• Doing a bit of Running (Cani-Cross with Gabby).

Looking at the above and comparing it with previous years reveals that I didn’t do a great deal this year.

So what have I got planned for next year ?

In 2019, I managed to walk just over one thousand and seven hundred miles. Less than I had planned but I’ll say getting the dog(s) knocked this back a bit.

I thought that getting a walking companion would help me with the miles and for a while this was going in the right direction. However the addition of a second dog changed this.

Firstly, due to family circumstances, I have to walk both dogs. This is not that easy because …

• Misty, although a big dog, is still a puppy who is still growing so cannot take on too much.
• Walking both dogs together is not easy. This should get easier but with different mileage requirements still is not ideal.
• Walking a single dog causes the other (left behind) to whine and at six in the morning wakes my other half. This is slowly getting better.
• Walking the dogs separately takes longer – two walks instead of one. Although this is good for mileage, it does take time especially in the mornings when I have to get ready for work. I used to occasionally walk to / from work but I don’t have the time any more.
• Walking to the pub can still be done but with Sue picking me up, this means that Misty has to be left alone (not too bad, it’s only for a couple of hours at most).
• I’m not getting any long walks in. Long walks are essential training for long challenge walks and I’m hoping to do a few in 2020 (see below)

Just with dog walks, I will be walking around four (and sometimes more) miles a day adding up to around fifteen hundred over the year so I should easily achieve my thousand miles.

I am hoping to take part in the following events …

• Charnwood Marathon
  I really enjoyed this in 2019 so this is a must
• A Coventry Way
  A tad late getting my entry in (as this year) so am on the waiting list. In 2019, I was contacted a week before the event to ask if I still wanted to take part – of course I did!
• Rotary Walk Across Wales (RAWW)
  Hard work and I finished a wreck so I have something to prove this year. Entries open in January (although the entry form is already on line). This should be my ‘Biggie’ for 2020.
• I’m also hoping to take part in some dog specific Cani-Cross events with Gabby (Misty is too young).

I need to get a few things sorted to enable me to do what I’d like in 2020.

• Dog Walking
  I need to get the dog walking sorted perhaps enlist some help with walking Misty so that Gabby and I can clock up a lot of miles.
• Training
  I need to walk a lot more ‘proper’ miles to get ready for the RAWW (my main event in 2020 – so far).
• Time
  With only the same 24 hours each day as this year, I need to manage my time a bit better. Most days, I need to squeeze in …
  • Sleep
  • Dog Walk(s)
  • Work
  • Dog Walk(s)
  • Training Walks (for me)
  • Everything Else