Hi Friends!!
Yay…I’m celebrating that this blindman has reached over 350,000 steps!! I’m also trying to calm my aching legs…But i already feel like a battered ‘Group B’ rally car after being thrashed around the rally stages, and i’ve only done a third of the challenge! 
I think i need to break out my old panel beating skills to repair and restore my old classic bodywork. It needs lots of repairs,planishing and some putty filler, lol! 🤣
Getting lost in the woods…😨
As you may know it’s taken me about 2 years to finally create a 2.5 mile lap in my local woods…But as I’m now using my new microsoft soundscape GPS app to navigate me through the woods, i had a bright idea to try and lengthen my trail lap…Bad idea! 🤣
As i was happy the heatwave had stopped and i was much cooler, i could now hear the thunder rolling in the distance. This was great but i was past the point when i could’ve turned round and gone back…But i’d shuffled further in to the woods thinking i could find my furthest audio beacon and create a cool new larger lap! 😨
The path got thinner and thinner until i was being brushed from either side by nettles and brushes, and it was getting much darker with the clouds moving in. The audio in my ears came from the left and told me my nearest beacon was 0.3 miles away at my 9 o’ clock…That’s great but there’s no path going left only forward. 🤔
And just as i was getting to the point of ‘Oh no i shouldn’t have done this’, i checked my surrounding markers on the app and there was one at around 11 O’ clock and it was about 800 feet away…Wow i couldn’t believe it…But then i hit what i thought was a brick wall, it really doesn’t look like the photo from inside my eyes!! 🤣
I fairy stepped up to the barrier thinking i’d have to turn back but knowing turning back was impossible. So i approached it zombie style but also using my feet to touch it, as i didn’t know if it was an electric fence…My imagination really isn’t good at times like these and i wish i could turn it off, lol! 🤣 Then to my amazement it had a gap in the middle and i could get through and walk safely to my audio beacon! I can’t tell you how relieved i was knowing i had returned to my trusty trail lap!! 💪🏼 😀
Wow it would be so much easier with sight…But where is the challenge, fun and yes the terror!! 😨 😀 And every step counts during this ‘one million step challenge’ for Diabetes UK!
Oh by the way…After telling Sarah about this adventure, she almost banned me from walking outside again forever unless i stick to my usual lap! She threatened me with a treadmill at home if i don’t behave! 😨
My Steps So Far…💪🏼
At the time of this post i’m just over 360,000 steps after 18 days, yay! I’m super happy with that amount of steps in 15 days…That’s well on target but there’s been no hospital or doctors appointments yet! 😨
3 donations in 3 days…!!! 😲
You’ll never believe that i’ve received a donation on each of the last 3 days by kind and generous supporters! I can’t tell you how humbling it is to receive all of your support, encouragement and motivational messages, thank you all!
FitBlitz 
Reblogged this on iChristian.
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You’re a third of the way there! And I applaud you for keeping on and not quitting. The challenges the Lord has given you would undermine most–but they’ve made you stronger and more resilient.You are an inspiration, Steve–to many, Espec ially me,
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Awww thanks Dayle!! Well i havn’t got myself injured yet, or i havn’t crashed through anything or anyone so far, lol so all is good. 🤣
I did have to cut my lap short this morning though, as my mind just gave up so my body followed. It was simply too much external stimuli over these last 18 days and it’d caught up with me..No it’s not something i can out run, lol! 🤣 I did a couple of shorter ones this afternoon to maintain the milage though, yay! 🙌
I can’t thank you enough for your constant cheering, encouragement, motivation and support through everything i do, and of course this challenge…It’s such a blessing to have you on my side! 🙏 😀
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My pleasure, my friend.
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Steve you might need a tree branch or one of those wooden hiking sticks to touch possible electric fences next time, the foot test may not be the best option. 😂
I was visualizing you on the new “let me try this” route and then when it started getting darker and the path narrower, my heart started racing.
Thank goodness it wasn’t an electric fence or you would be on treadmill time out for a few years 🤣 Well, of course after a short stay at the hospital.
But hey, at least you tried something new, traveled somewhere you never went, learned some lessons, and got to share an experience with all of us. Thanks for sharing! 🙏🏽
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Hi Natasha! Yes i think the only way my heart stayed in my chest, is because i’m on beta blockers so my heart rate is super slow, lol! 🤣 Otherwise i think it would’ve just exploded…Thankfully i made it through with thanks to my new audio soundscape GPS app. 😀
Thanks for pointing out the poles, i never even thought about the hiking poles and i’m on the trail everyday…I’m now going to search the web to seee if i can get some and attach them to my backpack, thank you for letting me know! 💪🏼
Thank you so much for stopping by and taking time to read and comment, especially giving me good ideas, thanks once again, Steve. 😀
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Thank goodness that all of those variables were working in your favor.
You’re very welcome. I saw the poles when I started dabbling with hiking a few years ago; a few hikers had them and it piqued my interest because I always associated them with hardcore hiking. Heck, they can be lifesavers for casual strollers.
Steve, thank you for inspiring your readers to get out there and explore, to do something different, and it doesn’t have to be aligned with a particular goal. We need to just do it. We don’t know what we’re capable of if we don’t step outside of our comfort zone. And oftentimes we need a challenge outside of our norm (like work) to build and strengthen skills, and to nurture various areas of our life.
It’s clear that the Diabetes Challenge is building and strengthening your skills, while also bringing you closer to your beloved wife. We all see the lesson of selflessness and it brings us joy and encouragement to open ourselves in similar ways. So thank you!
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Wow Natasha, what a kind and encouraging comment! I’ll keep on pushing my limits and see what else this blindman can do, lol! 💪🏼 😀
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Ah, you are blind in the physical sense (based on our limited scientific understanding) but you have the ability to see what most people never will. And one way you share that ability is through your blog. You’re helping others to begin to see what they have been blind to for decades. 🙏🏽
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