Walking allows you to explore pretty places like Bidwell Park in Chico. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Once a month I deliberately walk a 10K.

It’s not a sanctioned event. No registration fee. No T-shirt. No one keeping time.

But there is accountability. People know if I’ve done it. I show proof by sharing a screen shot of the mileage from whatever app I’ve used to track my distance.

Cleo and Kae on a walk through Lower Bidwell Park on Aug. 23. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I started this ritual last August somewhat unknowingly. I was visiting my friend, Kim, who said it was the day to walk a 10K. OK, I thought—I can do that.

This is something Kim and a group of her friends in Idaho had started doing prior to my visit. It made them accountable to exercising at least this much once a month.

They like to recruit new members, so that’s how I got involved. Every month for the last year I’ve been participating from wherever I’ve been. Sometimes mom does them with me. (Mom is 90, an avid walker, and just amazes me.) She did 4 miles with me on Saturday.

A 10K isn’t something I usually do. I might get those 6.2 miles in while on vacation sightseeing (or a day at Disneyland!), or on a decent hike, maybe even on the occasional day where I’m running all over town doing errands. But my norm is more like 2 to 4 miles a day.

Proof of mission being accomplished.

Walking is important to me, so I try to make it happen with frequency—meaning several times a week. I like getting off my butt, out of this chair and off the computer. I like being outside. I like being in nature—even on what are more urban walks. I like seeing wildlife—except for snakes. I like taking in architecture. I like seeing others out and about as well.

I have to be more disciplined about getting in walks now that I don’t have a dog, or live in Baja where I’d regularly walk with my friend, Jill, and her dogs on the beach.

The thing about the monthly 10K is that it holds me accountable to doing a longer walk (longer for me) at least once a month. It started off that we shared our accomplishments via texting on the day we had chosen for our outing. The list of participants grew, so now we have a private Facebook group so no one is annoyed by side chats and notifications.

I don’t know everyone in the group. Doesn’t matter. I like reading about everyone’s walks, seeing photos, knowing I’m part of something bigger.

Even though I do most of my 10K walks alone, it’s amazing how I don’t feel alone. Ah, the power of friendship and accountability. I feel like if I hadn’t done my 10K last weekend, I would have been letting a whole group of people down, not just myself.