Before I came to Turkey I walked 2000 kilometers (1240 miles) just to make sure my body was up to the task of walking 2000 kilometers.
I learned a few simple but important lessons from that experience. Here’s one that’s helping me now…
When I would approach a major milestone (500 miles, for example, or 1000 miles) I would find myself feeling that those miles were more difficult than the miles that preceded them. My spirit would drag. I would have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, or I would have to dig unusually deep to finish the day’s walk.
“Why is that?” I started asking myself. Why is mile 999 harder than mile 257, or mile 676, or mile 819?
I found myself answering, “Well, actually, it’s not. Mile 999 is a mile, just like any of those other miles. So I will walk mile 999 just like I did the miles that preceded it.”
I am using that same lesson here in the final week.
Tomorrow’s 30 kilometers (19 miles) will be just like all the other 30 kilometer walks I’ve done. Wednesday’s 30 kilometers will be just like tomorrow’s. Thursday’s 18 kilometers will be just like every other 18 kilometer walk I’ve done, and Friday’s 16 kilometers will be just like every other 16 kilometer walk. And then boom, I’ll be done.
The last mile isn’t the hardest unless I think it is.