Piling on Challenges

I feel the weight of July resting heavily upon me.

As if the challenges of living under a pandemic isn't enough for all of us, I've somehow layered on more challenges, this year, particularly in July.

There are some fun challenges: the virtual challenges that I've signed up for since January have me artificially visiting some beautiful and fascinating countries, such as Spain, England, Scotland, Germany, and now, Iceland. All while getting real-time exercise. As of Tuesday evening, I have covered more than 3,800 kilometres through walking, cycling, and kayaking.

I have also signed up for three additional virtual challenges: the next, a 503-km trek from Florence, Italy, to Vatican City. I've been to both places before, but it will be interesting to see the countryside at a slower pace, stopping at various towns and cities, and avoiding the freeway.

After finishing this trek, called St. Francis Way, I head to the United States. I've already said that I'll never set foot in that country again, but with this challenge, following Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, I can still see some beautiful scenery, virtually, without having to deal with anyone in reality.

This is a major trek, covering 3,670 kms, and will likely take me into 2022 to complete.

Finally, I'll be virtually returning to the Scottish Highlands, completing an 805K loop that starts and ends in Inverness, and covers much of what I missed when I participated in the LEJOG challenge.

All of these virtual challenges are fun and they have helped stave off the travel bug that has been gnawing at me since DW's and my European vacation was cancelled in 2020. But in doing these virtual challenges, there is a real challenge that causes some stress.

Because I always want to keep moving the needle on these treks forward, I feel pressure in getting on my bike, walking in my neighbourhood, or setting my kayak on a body of water. I enjoy doing all of these activities, but if I think I want to rest for a day, the needle that indicates where I should be in my treks—the pace car—keeps moving forward as well, and I don't like it to get ahead of me. Instead, I'd rather have the pace car chase me than be chasing the pace car, myself.

And so there is pressure to keep moving, to complete the challenges.

A few months ago, I traded my Samsung smartwatch for a Garmin device, and I've loved it. Importantly, it's accurately counted my steps and flights of stairs, and it's been easy to set up cycling, kayaking, and walking activities, and these activities automatically sync with my Conqueror virtual challenges, so that when I've finished an activity, it's automatically logged on the app.

But I've accepted some of the challenges that the Garmin Connect app offers, and they add pressure to keep moving. Sure, I don't have to take on these challenges, but something in the back of my head tells me that by not accepting some of these challenges, I'm not getting the true value out of this watch.

(I know: that's a bit of a 'me' problem.)

July has me taking on some of the biggest challenges, where I'm doing a Dry July: no alcohol, no sugary sweets, no potato chips, and nothing that I don't absolutely need. And so far, this challenge has worked.

In two weeks, I've lost nearly a kilogram. Since starting my virtual challenges, I've lost just over three kilos. I feel better than I've felt in years. And while I haven't really missed the beer that is in my mini fridge, I've felt pangs when I see the home-baked cookies in our cookie jar. I try not to look in the cupboard above our refrigerator, where DW and the kids have several bags of chips.

The toughest time of the day is shortly after lunch, when I'd usually give myself a snack: a bowl of chips or a couple of cookies. DW or the kids would want to head over to Tim Hortons, and I'd ask them to pick up a sour-cream-glazed donut for me.

None of that now.

I take solace in the cans of flavoured sparkling waters that we've picked up for me. I really like the Farm Boy Orange-Vanilla sparkling water and the President's Choice cream-soda-flavoured sparkling water. They allow me to feel that I'm cheating, while having no sugar at all.

Now that I'm halfway through this challenge, I'm wondering if I've piled on too many challenges. I have no problem with taking a hiatus from my beer, but I feel hungry all the time, especially on days where I get on my bike to cover another 40 to 50 kilometres for my virtual challenges.

For example, since last week, into the weekend and at the beginning of this week, I have

• cycled 40K and walked 3.2K on Friday
• kayaked more than 8K and walked 7.5K on Saturday
• kayaked about 8.7K and walked another 8.7K on Sunday
• walked more than 10K on Monday
• cycled 40K and walked 3.6K on Tuesday

That's about 130 kms in five days. And at the end of each day, I'm hungry. I look at those cookies in the jar, think about those chips in the cupboard, and I crave them. I tell myself that I've burned a lot of calories—more than I've taken in—and that I've earned a treat.

But then I say 'no,' tell myself that caving in to these cravings would defeat the purpose of my Dry July challenge. And so, I reach for the flavoured water, instead.

Dry July is tough, but aren't challenges supposed to be?

Still, with the other challenges I've given myself, July can't come to an end soon enough.

Gotta go. Time to hit the bike...