Stick to the Plan

.... and the plan will stick to you. That was the mantra on the Ohio and Erie Canal towpath yesterday. Stick to the Plan, Stick to the Plan, Stick to the Plan - the chant that echoed in my increasingly empty head. The rhythm of the 4mph walking reinforced my determination to stick to the plan - it's so easy to veer off the original intent - this day the plan was 12 miles fast walking to compensate for the lack of time for anything else. The beauty of an out-and-back walk, compared with laps around a track is a greater incentive to "Stick to the Plan" - and you can always come home faster than you went out. The plan is rarely made until arrival at the start - but the big rule is to stick to it once it's made - At 40 Corners three women were girding their loins for a run - almost daring each other to set off, and so they did about the same time I did. With three it's easier to stick to the plan, no-one dares to cry off as a lone wolf can easily do. The women's slow jog, an estimated 5mph, contrasted with my rapid walk - 4+mph and meant they stayed in sight for some time on the long straights and large curves of the towpath, but eventually they disappeared and just acorn-laden squirrels and the resident blue heron accompanied me - no cyclists on this still, almost drizzling morning - plenty of time for the mantra - "Stick to the Plan and it will Stick to You" - four strides worth of wisdom which we have heard throughout our lives. Keep Your Eye on the Goal; No Looking Back etc - and the plan - as regular readers will know - is enormous; to walk from Key West in Florida to the top of Maine  in 100 days to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association - the plan is unfolding, we just need to stick to it. Fitness is the first thing we have found - the 30 day walk under the belt now we just need to maintain - organization comes next and that is well underway with the launch of Feet of Memory Inc. on March 24 in the Jackson Library, Canton and a winetasting at Maize Valley, Hartville, on November 17.
That's the Plan and we are Sticking to it