Jean and Sarah celebrate Mother’s Day by clocking up the miles for their Walk the Underground challenge!
This Mother’s Day, we spoke to mother and daughter walking duo, Jean Rix and Sarah Walker, about how they’re motivating themselves to hike 250 miles to complete our latest Virtual Hike: Walk the Underground, and how their joint love for walking has kept them connected during the pandemic.
“Mum and I both love to explore our local countryside, and during the pandemic we felt that it was more important than ever to keep both physically and mentally healthy. The flexibility of the Virtual Hike Series has allowed us to get outside at a time and pace that suited us.
“After completing Pilgrims London Walkopoly in February, we were keen to take on something more long-term. Walk the Underground allows us to do exactly that, and in a timeframe that suits our ability. We’re aiming to complete the 250 miles within the next 6 months, which equates to around 10 miles a week. We feel that this is a manageable target for us and one that will motivate us to stay active while exploring what’s local to us.
“We are incredibly lucky to be surrounded by beautiful countryside, and a couple of our favourite walks are right on our doorstep, which take in hillsides, woodlands and river. Each week mum and I find the time to enjoy a long socially-distanced walk together to add miles to our virtual hike.
“Before the pandemic, a lot of our socialising was based around the children and getting the wider family together, but taking part in Walk the Underground has allowed us to stay connected, especially once the novelty of zoom calls wore off! It’s also given us the opportunity to have some one on one, mother and daughter time.
“Taking part in the Virtual Hike Series has been great for giving us a target, that we’re accountable for. We keep a close eye on the virtual tube line tracker to stay up to date with one another’s distance; it motivates us to keep going when we see the other one has edged ahead a little.
“When we signed up for our first virtual hike we joined the Pilgrims Hospices Walking and Hiking Group on Facebook to feel like part of a community. The group is really friendly and supportive, share photos from our walks and cheer each other on throughout the challenge; the support we’ve received is really refreshing.
“This Mother’s Day, albeit different to many before it, we will spend it like we have a lot of the last year, by going for a socially-distanced walk together to clock up some miles for our Walk the Underground challenge; whilst enjoying some cake!
“The Virtual Hikes have given us the perfect opportunity to have some one on one, mother and daughter time for a change, and we’re definitely going to keep walking together long after the pandemic is over. We’ve already chatted about where we’re going to walk once we’re allowed to travel outside of our local area, and we’re looking forward to walking along the coastline together once again.”
Find out more and join the Virtual Hike: Walk the Underground challenge today.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,500 people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
