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Mile 520, July 2.  Tortoise changed it up a little this Saturday from the rest of his week, and slowly walked in the quite warm evening a small loop of La Verkin.   This was the closest he has come in several months to breaking his consecutive walking streak, as he woke up feeling the effects of some virus that left him weak, dizzy, and alternating between hot and cold spells.  His solution:  Drink a lot of water, take more vitamins and minerals than usual, and spend the morning in bed.  As the afternoon progressed, he thankfully started feeling a little better.   The walking thought this day was provided by Don Clarke ...

Cheerio!

Today's walk was 3.24 miles, done in 1:06:08 hours at an average pace of 20:25 minutes per mile. This route had an average tortoise rating of 5.5, earned by climbing 93 feet in the 1.62 mile uphill portion.  Average elevation was 3236.

Here are the overall stats so far for 2016:

520.04 miles walked, compared with Lou's goal for this date of 503.18.

35,486 total feet climbed so far in 2016, compared to a year-to-date goal of 30,968.  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 per day average in 2015.  So far in 2016, Tortoise's walks have averaged 58:16 minutes each.

His average pace so far in 2016 has been 17:42 minutes per mile, compared with his 18:25 minute per mile pace in 2015.

Lou has walked 359 consecutive non-Sundays since his 8 missed days May 2-11, 2015.  Overall he has walked on 462 of the 471 non-Sundays in 2015-16, a 98.089% consistency rating.

One step at a time can lead to great things!

And now for today's walking thought ...

"When I was a teenager, Brother Jacob, my teacher, asked that I write down on a card what I had thought about during the sacrament.  I took my card and began to write.  First on the list was a basketball game we had won the night before.  And then came a date after the game, and so went the list.  Far removed and certainly not in bold letters was the name of Jesus Christ.

"Each Sunday the card was filled out.  For a young Aaronic Priesthood holder, the sacrament and sacrament meeting took on a new, expanded, and spiritual meaning.  I anxiously looked forward to Sundays and to the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, as understanding the Savior's Atonement was changing me." 

-- Don R. Clarke, "Blessings of the Sacrament, October 2012 LDS General Conference

Bless dear Brother Jacob, and the many loving teachers like him who find ways to help those in their tutelage to internalize their learning by doing.  You influence more lives than you will ever realize.

The tortoise is smiling!