The Week I Missed by 94 Steps
This week marks my 13th week of training.
For 13 weeks, I have been walking.
Recording.
Updating.
Working.
Trying to build something steady enough to carry me all the way to the Appalachian Trail in 2030.
This week was different.
It was the first week I did not update the whole webpage on Monday. Usually, I close out the prior week, update the chart, move the current week forward, and make sure the plan still matches the work.
But this week, life was busy.
Work was busy.
The law office was busy.
The walking continued, but the webpage update waited.
It was not until Thursday that I finally sat down and updated everything.
And that is when I saw it.
Last week, I missed the goal.
By 94 steps.
Ninety-four steps.
After a week where the goal was 94,500 steps, I finished with 93,834.
That means I missed the weekly goal by less than the length of a short walk across a parking lot.
But missed is missed.
The rule in the plan says that if I miss a goal, I should repeat the week.
That rule exists for a reason. The point is not to chase bigger numbers just because the chart says so. The point is to build honestly, recover well, and make sure the foundation is real before moving forward.
But by the time I caught it, I was already almost through the next week.
So I am going to continue forward this time.
Not because the missed goal does not matter.
It does.
But because the lesson is clear.
From now on, I will check the weekly totals on Sunday night before I retire for the evening. That way I know exactly where I stand before the next week begins.
If I need to repeat a week, I will know it before I have already moved on.
This is part of the training too.
Not just the steps.
Not just the miles.
The discipline.
The honesty.
The willingness to look at the numbers and let them tell the truth.
Thirteen weeks in, I have come a long way.
But this week reminded me that the plan only works if I keep checking it.
Forward still counts.
But honest forward counts more.
One step at a time.