Melissa Marsh

34691 steps

14 miles down, 17 to go. Over the past 14 days, I have been taking part in the MayDay Mile 2026 for the RNLI. The days have been varied, but I have completed my mile on every single one of them. This blog shares how I have gotten on.

Intro

A blog post  update on my MayDay Mile 2026 progress.

I have walked 14 miles, this  has equated to _ steps. Here is how I have gotten on each day. I will be covering 1st May – 14th May.

1st May- Local Retail Park

Off to a gentle start. I started my daily walks by going to my local retail park, to get a few things I needed, including the surprise purchase of an apron that fits my body better. One lap  and walking inside shops was enough to cover the mile. It was a hot day, so had a small iced latte for fuel and a treat. It was sad to that Claire's is now closed.

2nd May- Ikea

A walk around Ikea. This definitely covered the mile. Before entering, there was a strong smell of Hawthorne. I picked up a few boxes to organise my shop trolley and a dimmable lamp for hygge vibes. I also finally got my hands on my eyeliner from the boots nearby ( it’s been out of stock everywhere). A Swedish style hotdog to fill up before the drive home- no Ikea restraint today, just a small trip.

3rd May- Home

I didn’t go outside. I walked the mile in my house; it was a bit monotonous, but I did it. Half a kilometre of this was walking up and down stairs for added fitness. The other 1.11KM of the mile was just flat walking.

4th May- Nature filled

It’s the 4th of May, so I took my Star Wars backpack with me to carry my things. I heard a lot of birds tweeting on my walk today, along with the smell of BBQ. I also saw some birds; a robin and bird with a long tail, I have since realised hat it is probably a Black and White Wagtail. I also saw a lot of flowers, including getting fallen blossom petals on my shoe.

5th May- Grey Skies

Today was a bit colder, with greyer skies. However, there was still lots of birdsong. I walked a lot quicker, probably due to the cooler temperature.

6th May- With Mum

I walked with Mum today and took a slightly different rout compared to the one  I have now established. I was feeling a bit tired, I think the dullness of the weather probably didn’t help with this. On our way back home, we saw a robin.

7th May- Dress Hunting

A trip to Leeds with my Grandma to find a dress for a wedding that she is going to. I did way more than a mile, but my Fitbit died, so I worked out an average for the mile. I grabbed a few things I needed such as makeup, along with a few treats from Grandma- a Caffè Nero and a Starbucks and Lindt pick ‘n’ mix for me and my brother J. I bought myself s a treat of some Lego keyrings to make into earrings for myself too.

8th May- With Dad

I took a different route today, and my Dad joined me. I was a bit warn out from the trip in. Leeds, but I still completed my 8th mile. There were greyer skies and colder weather, but this was probably due to the lateness of the walk.

9th may- shop walk

I needed a few things (again), so I nipped to my local retail park and did my mile here.

10th May- Record beaten

I have worked out that my best time was 19 minutes and 7 seconds. Today, I beat that. I saw lots of nature too- a squirrel running across a branch one way, and on the way back- a coal tit and two squirrels chasing each other around a tree. Today was a nicer walk because it was sunnier, making my walk calmer.

11th May- Animals

A later walk, it was getting dark on my way back home, but on the start of my walk I saw a cat and a deer. I also heard lots of birds tweeting before bedtime.

12th May- Green

A slightly chilly walk with some sun. noticed a type of seed/pod that I haven’t seen before. I think they're from a tree. I also saw some helicopters seeds too. The cup of tea at home was nice.

13th May- Petrichor

The rain was on and off today. I went out when it was warm and sunny after the rain (but I still wore my coat just in case). I didn’t notice anything visual today, but I did notice the smell of the earth after rain- petrichor. I loved this about today’s walk. My Fitbit location misbehaved today, but I tried my best and still completed my mile.

14th May- Tapping

Instead of walking, I tap danced my mile today at my weekly tap class. I tapped a total of 2.29KM, the equivalent to 1.42 miles.

Conclusion

Final thought

So, there is an update on my RNLI MayDay Mile 2026 progress. There has been a lot of variation in my walks, including locations and sights. There will be anther blog update in 2 weeks time, then another shortly after that for the final few days of RNLI MayDay Mile 2026. I will update my progress on Instagram @melamydesign, and on my website blog page: https://mel.withmossy.store/posts

At the end of the MayDay Mile challenge, I will hopefully have some prints almost ready to celebrate the challenge and what I have seen. These will align with the dates Japanese 72 micro seasons, so there will be a total of 7. A percentage of the profits from these prints will go to RNLI.

31 Miles in May

With longer lighter days and warmer weather my motivation is stronger to become healthier at a steady pace. The opportunity to take part in the MayDayMile 2026 and achieve the goal of 31 miles in May.

A small blog post about why I’m taking part in the MayDayMile 2026.

There are a few reasons, they’re fairly simple and common but I feel that they are good reasons.

They are:

1. Fitness

The challenge will help me to become stronger in a manageable and fun way- and also catch the sun-rays of vitamin D now that it is warmer weather.

2. The appreciation for the Selflessness if the RNLI volunteers.

The RNLI volunteers are selfless. They do amazing work saving lives. If I can help contribute by fundraising to pay for lifesaving equipment and callouts, that makes me very happy.

Final thought

In this blog, I’ve included my inspirations, motivations and whys for taking part in this challenge. I will make an update blog biweekly on my progress (including photos), as well as the MayDay milestones. I will also be putting progress updates on my Instagram @melamydesign . And a biweekly update on my online store page too- https://mel.withmossy.store/posts