A new week begins.

There are still more than 200 weeks before I step foot on the Appalachian Trail, but every day I get a little closer.

This week, my goal is 12,000 steps a day. For me, that is a little more than six miles every day. There was a time when I never would have believed that was possible.

It is amazing how things can change.

I did have a small stumble yesterday. Literally.

Because of my drop foot, my right foot hangs when I walk. Yesterday, it caught on a lip in the path, and down I went. It was a reminder that I have to remain diligent with every step.

No matter how hard I train or how strong I become, the drop foot will always be there—an unwelcome companion on this journey.

But I am alive. I am walking. And compared to the alternative, it is a small inconvenience.

So I got back up, and I kept moving forward.

Because forward still counts.