In August of 2022, I was just starting to feel more like my old self (the one who enjoys pushing himself physically outside, preferably in the mountains woods, and doing so without wanting to take a dirt nap), but still not there yet.
I had yet to kick off the 2022 Comeback Special, find comfortable hiking shoes, quit eating giant deli hoagies for dinner every night, or stop my daily depressive wallows in the Bed of Torment.
I was trying, though! I was still going to the gym several times a week to lift heavy things for no reason and doing cardio on the treadmill with some modest attempts at lumbering outside that quickly showed me that there was much work to be done.
Still, those modest and somewhat painful lumbers set my feet in motion for the next year and slapped me in the face to show me that a $25 annual county parks pass is a better deal than any gym membership out there, and brings me infinite more joy.
There will be more on all that in the coming weeks after I hit the one-year mark of the Comeback Special/Soil The Woods Tour on September 19th, but for now, I hope you will pardon me honking my own platypus because I am happy to look back and see the difference between last August and this August. (NOTE: This August included a week in which I only did 12 miles while trying to heal some plantar fasciitis. Oh, what could have been…).
August 2022
Total Activities: 13 (only 4 activities were woodsy hikes)
Total Distance: 28.06 miles
Average Distance: 2.16 miles per activity (includes treadmill)
Total Activity Calories: 5,452
vs.
August 2023
Total Activities: 17 (ALL were woodsy hikes and lumbers)
Total Distance: 100.24 miles hiked
Average Distance: 5.90 miles per woodsy hike/lumber
Total Activity Calories: 15,227
OK, that’s enough platypus honking; I have lots more to do, including getting out today for a planned 6+ mile lumber to put me over 25 miles for the week and the prospect of two days off my feet to let shit heal.
Later.