Mile 438, June 7. It had cooled down just a touch by 9 pm when Tortoise climbed the hill from his office before driving home. Walking thought was by Larry Echo Hawk ...
Cheerio!
Today's walk was 3.26 miles, done in 58:45 minutes at an average pace of 18:01 minutes per mile. This route had an average tortoise rating of 4.8, earned by climbing 219 feet in the 1.63 mile uphill portion. Average elevation was 3285.
Here are the overall stats so far for 2016:
438.99 miles walked, compared with Lou's goal for this date of 433.12.
30,715 total feet climbed so far in 2016, compared to a year-to-date goal of 26,656. Lou hopes to climb more than the 61,316 feet he climbed in 2015 -- but in less time each day than his 1:07:04 hour average in 2015. So far in 2016 Tortoise's walks have averaged 56:00 minutes each.
His average pace so far in 2016 has been 17:21 minutes per mile, compared with his 18:25 minute per mile pace in 2015.
Lou has walked 337 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11, 2015. Overall he has walked on 440 of the 449 non-Sundays in 2015-16, a 97.996% consistency rating.
One step at a time can lead to great things!
And now for today's walking thought ...
"... After this terrifying introduction, he started at one end of the barracks and confronted each recruit with questions. Without exception, the drill instructor methodically found something about each recruit to ridicule with loud, vulgar language. Down the row he came, with each marine shouting back his answer as commanded: 'Yes' or 'No, Sergeant Instructor.' I could not see exactly what he was doing, because we had been ordered to stand at attention with our eyes looking straight ahead. When it was my turn, I could tell he grabbed my duffel bag and emptied the contents onto my mattress behind me. He looked through my belongings, then walked back to face me. I braced myself for his attack. In his hand was my Book of Mormon. I expected that he would yell at me; instead, he moved close to me and whispered, 'Are you a Mormon?'
"As commanded, I yelled, 'Yes, Sergeant Instructor.'
"Again I expected the worst. Instead, he paused and raised his hand that held my Book of Mormon and in a very quiet voice said, 'Do you believe in this book?'
"Again I shouted, 'Yes, Sergeant Instructor.'
"At this point I was sure he would scream disparaging words about Mormons and the Book of Mormon, but he just stood there in silence. After a moment he walked back to my bunk and carefully laid down my Book of Mormon. He then proceeded to walk by me without stopping and went on to ridicule and disparage with profane language all remaining recruits.
"I have often wondered why that tough Marine Corps sergeant spared me that day. But I am grateful I was able to say without hesitation, 'Yes, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' and 'Yes, I know the Book of Mormon is true.' This testimony is a precious gift given to me through the Holy Ghost with the help of two missionaries and a priests quorum adviser."
You never know who is looking, listening, watching ... or for how long. My experience is that it is sometimes measured over an entire lifetime. But I also know that "this testimony is a precious gift" and a real blessing.
The tortoise is smiling!
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