I started the March Miles challenge for a few reasons. We’ve gained a few new members of staff here at Ginger and I know it can be very daunting coming into a new business, so I thought this would be an easy way to create conversation. Another reason for the challenge was to promote fitness. With lockdown leaving everybody stuck on their couches and potentially feeling a bit down about life, just a simple walk for 15 minutes or a quick run can make you feel much brighter and give you a positive mindset for the day.
Personally, at the start of the challenge I opted for running one day and walking the next. With the running I challenged myself to a sub-28-minute 5k and after a few weeks of practicing and finding the flattest route possible, I achieved a 26:41 run, which personally was a great achievement considering I’m not built for running.
Within a couple of weeks things really started to heat up in the office, it became very competitive and everybody was eager to see the daily score update. The team were going on multiple 10-mile walks just to make sure they were getting their miles in and nobody wanted to lose their position on the leaderboard.
The challenge became very intense in the last couple of days as to whether or not we would hit our target. We needed roughly 150 miles to complete the target of 850 and this meant we had to put a real team effort in, which of course everybody did. The last night was the deciding factor for us to crown a winner, but it was ultimately between myself and Katie. I started off the night by walking a 6-mile loop around my village with my dog Maggie, before making a quick pitstop at home to change dogs and refuel with some food. My strategy was just to keep walking until I could not walk anymore, and after doing the loop again plus a few extra miles, I finally stopped at the 15-mile mark at which point my feet had stopped working properly! Little did I know, Katie had the same plan and she managed to walk 17.66 miles, beating me to the number one spot. I finished off the evening with a takeaway and the highlights of the England match.
Overall, I think the challenge had a brilliant impact on team Ginger. It got everybody talking and looking happier, which was the main purpose. Personally, I felt much more positive and even lost a little weight which is a real bonus.
