I almost quit on day 23. But I didn’t—and I completed the entire challenge: walking outside for at least 1 miles a day every day in January.

Called Inspire Columbus, the challenge is sponsored by The Columbus Running Company every year. Though it is a challenge to walk outside every day in any January, this year was especially difficult with record snow and record cold temperatures. Despite that, I did it!

The day we received nearly 12 inches of snow, I almost quit. Before the snow stopped—when there was only about 8 inches—I started on the sidewalks in my neighborhood. It was tough since very few people had started to shovel. After about 2/3 of a mile a car drove by and I was able to finish in the tire tracks. That was such a relief!

Though I had to wear my warmest coat and tallest boots, it felt really good to get outside every day. I’m not going to continue the streak (I walked 3 miles on a treadmill today), but I will continue to make it outside as much as I can the rest of this winter.

Here’s what I learned:

1. No matter how cold it is outside, sunshine makes a walk better.
2. I got acclimated faster than I thought I would, even after being in warm Key West for four days and returning to Ohio winter.
3. When you work from home, it is really important to get outside for at least a little bit every day.
4. Scheduling my walk for the warmest part of the day really helped.
5. It’s possible to bundle up too much and sweat. I had to take my gloves off on several walks.
6. This year, I don’t hate winter as much as I thought I did.

If you’re on the fence about trying a walking challenge, I highly recommend it. You might even surprise yourself with you can do, even in the worst weather.

(35)