You never know how far one step can take you.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.

When I was looking for some inspirational/motivational quotes to share with my new four-miler trainees, this classic Chinese proverb seemed apt for new walkers and runners. It’s very common to be intimidated by the thought of running four miles, especially if you’ve never been a runner. Even as a walker, it may seem way out of reach when the longest trek you routinely make is from the car to the door of your house or office or grocery store.

I was thinking I’d start out with something like this: You may not be going for 1000 miles, but 4 miles may feel that far away to you now.

Then I started thinking, “How many miles have I actually logged over the last year?”

As a middle aged, middle distance, moderately paced (and that’s generous) runner, I have logged about 600 miles since I started my journey a year ago. That means that should you choose to stick with a moderate plan of running 3-4 days per week, 2-4 miles per day, you could easily make your journey of 1000 miles in two years. That’s really pretty amazing.

And it all begins with that first step. No effort is too small, especially when applied deliberately and consistently. You can go as far as you please if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other.