Hadrian's Wall Challenge - why did I do it?

 

So it all started with a TV show.

One Thursday evening, myself and the husband were chilling in front of the television when we spotted a trailer for an upcoming show about Hadrian's Wall. Brilliant, we had not long visited our first Roman Fort on the Wall as we made our way home from our annual visit to Scotland so this would be right up our street.

Therefore, that Thursday evening, and the following Thursday evenings for the proceeding few weeks, we watched Robson Green (yes, him from Soldier Soldier and one half of the crooning actors Robson and Jerome) walk along the Hadrian's Wall national trail. 

Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I know Robson Green is older than me, so when I watched him traverse along this beautiful landscape, I thought "I could do that". Indeed, what made it worse is that my husband also made noises around walking the wall.

However, by the end of the series, my hubby had decided that he wouldn't mind driving along the wall, but walking was a bit too much.

Unfortunately, by this point I had it stuck in my head that I could do this. I could actually walk the national trail, from one side of the country to the other.

It took a few days to broach the subject with my husband. Essentially I was going to tell him that I was going to go away for the week, alone, and spend money on this fanciful idea. And guess what? The husband thought it was a good idea. Why not try something different? If I was determined to do it, then I should. Damn having such a supportive partner 😁

And so the plan was formed. It would take months of planning; transport, accommodation, etc. but eventually I had a date and the basis for my first ever long distance hike. 

I started to practice my walking. Going out over longer and longer distances. I even joined a 1000 mile challenge to encourage me to continue my walking and keep me motivated. It meant that I was determined to get out in all weathers just to keep my mileage up.

It seemed like such a long way away as I had to book everything quite far in advance. It didn't feel quite real until about a week before I started. Then the nerves began to kick in. The self doubt around whether or not I could actually finish this walk. 

The day of my third wedding anniversary rolled around and the next day, I would be off on my first solo walking adventure.

And that's where the next part of my story begins...

Back to the old routine (or any routine)

We are 8 days into a new year. Most people are already back at work, whatever that might look like in the current Covid environment.

After 2 weeks of sleeping in, eating crap and generally just mooching, it was time to get back to normal (whatever that means to different people).

I admit, I thrive on routine, I like planning my day as I'm not great with spontaneity. The new year and new academic term are good reasons for me to start establishing routines that fell away over the festive period. It has even given me an excuse to try and form some new habits.

So, what have I learned during the first week of 2022?

1) I need goals.

During December, I started to get back into reading regularly and I was loving it. I don't know why I stopped but it's a repeated pattern I've experienced over the last few years. Therefore, to ensure that I make time for recreational reading, I've challenged myself to reading 25 books this year. Because of this challenge, I have dedicated at least 30 minutes every evening to reading and it has been a great way to unwind.

Similarly I've set myself the goal of visiting the cinema 50 times in 2022 (I don't need an excuse normally but thought it would be fun anyway). I'm hoping to set a routine of going to see a movie after work once a week.

I have also set myself a fitness (weight) goal. 100 kettlebell swings a day throughout January. It's nothing strenuous but I figured it would be helpful to gain some consistency if I set a goal (something I was clearly lacking by the end of 2021).

Maybe I'm being a little restrictive by setting all these goals and challenges; reading and watching films should be fun experiences. And they still will be as this means that they become set parts of my routine as I know there's a target to reach (eventually). The challenges are my way of making sure I stick to my routine and my routine means I succeed at the challenges.

2) Dear Diary...

OK, so maybe not the kind of diary writing that I would have done back in school, but a quick 5 minute journal of my day.

I bought an A4 size 2022 diary, the kind where each date has a separate page, and just before I turn out the bedroom lights, I spend a few minutes just getting my thoughts and feelings on the paper. 

It has only been a week but so far I have stayed consistent with filling it in. It has become an integral part of my bedtime routine, and so far 🤞 I've been sleeping much better. 

3) Can't have one without the other.

I've realised that my night time routine and my morning routine are linked (I know, bit slow on the uptake there).

What I have been doing at night as helped me to achieve better sleep so far which in turn means I have been able to wake up early enough to workout and get ready for the day ahead. This morning preparedness has then meant that I don't come home feeling harassed and tired and feeling guilty for skipping exercise.

Normally I would focus on one or the other but the new year has given me the opportunity to try something new and rejig both parts of my day.

So, 8 days down, many more to go.

I do worry that I'll get lazy and start to let things slide: skip a journal entry, lay in one morning or swap reading for mindlessly scrolling some more. I just need to remember that so far, so good.