p*ss poor planning = poor performance

Me + exercising have not seen eye to eye this summer.

As I've mentioned before, this is pretty ironic because this weekend I'm going to ride 150 miles to Sandusky and back. On. My. Bike. (Bicycle, for those of you who needed that clarification).


It's not that I don't think I can do it, but I just don't feel like I prepared adequately for it. In other words, it's a matter of how sore I am going to be next Monday.

This is no body's fault but my own, and it's not even because I've been lazy. It's simply because I didn't have a plan. It can be pretty easy for me to get burnt out on training, but I freaking LOVE running, or biking, or just BEING active. Regardless, I still need to force myself to make time in my day for it...otherwise it hits the back burner pretty quickly.

In the future I am going to do a few things to avoid that "I am riding 150 miles in a few days and have not trained a lick" feeling. I know have one bridge to cross before getting to the next, but after the Pedal to the Point ride, I am going to start training, in earnest, for a half marathon on October 9th.


4 Tips to Avoiding The "OMGIhaven'ttrainedandI'mrunningamarathonin3days" feeling:


PLAN. I am coming to the realization that I have to have a plan to stay active, even if that plan is just what I'll be doing for the next week. "Monday, rest. Tuesday, run. Wednesday, bike..." etc. etc. etc. Whatever your plan is, put it on paper...or on your calendar, on your blog, on your facebook page, whatever. When you can see your plan as a whole it makes it much easier to plan around, keep track of, and make changes if necessary.


BE FLEXIBLE. Here's the other side of the "make a plan" part...be flexible with it!! Life is a lot like the ocean; fluid and unpredictable. If you have dinner plans, you can always switch your workout day with your rest day. If you are feeling extra tired, take an extra day off. If it's too hot (or too cold) out, move your workout to a different location. Most importantly, whatever happens, be totally okay with it. I am the first person to feel guilty for a missed workout, but I've been working very hard on just being. Every day is a new beginning and tomorrow is never going to remember that you had to skip today's workout.


CHANGE IT UP. Although doing the same thing day after day provides certainty and consistency (if you're into that) most people tend to get bored of the same 'ol, same 'ol after a while. Physiologically, your body even gets bored of it and will refuse to continue improving. You don't have to actually work out to be active; if you have a rest day on your schedule, take the dogs for a walk or clean your bathroom (no lie, I get a s.e.r.i.o.u.s. workout scrubbing my tub).  Go to the rock wall instead of hitting the weight room. Do a body weight circuit instead of 45 minutes on the treadmill (ugh. dreadmill).


REWARD YOURSELF. This is probably the most important part. Be generous with your rewards. Make sure they often come in the form of gratuitous amounts of ice cream (or popcorn!!!) I know this only from empirical evidence, but when you first start potty training your kids, it's often done with some sort of treat. Peanut M&Ms perhaps? Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool...there is no reason to skimp on it just because it's for you and not someone else.

Where am I going with all this?? I am taking my own advice (for once). I planned my half marathon training and I'm putting it out there; it's in my google docs and now it's out on my blog. I am going to be flexible with it though, because - unlike the Cleveland Marathon - Brandon and I won't be able to train together as much unless I can learn to bend and flex my plans. I'm changing things up, I want to incorporate speed into my training more and get faster (running faster is something I plan to rely heavily on Brandon for, because he was a soccer speed demon in a former life). AND I'm going to reward myself, because, let's be real...I never skimp on engaging in activities that make me happy!

Here is my big plan:

I will get into specifics more as I update you throughout the next eight weeks, but my end goal is not to just train for this half marathon. It's to get up to running regularly and being able to run a 10k-15k race without much prior planning and to eventually PR a 5k, then a 10k..etc. etc. 

In the meantime, wish me luck for the next 150 miles of my life!!! Have you ever experience that "I just haven't prepared well for this {insert event here}" feeling? What do you do when it happens?

Bike MS: Pedal To The Point

So yesterday, I officially signed up to ride a two-day, 150-mile charity ride from Cleveland to Sandusky and back.

Crazy? Yep, I know. 

Initially, it began as just another way to test my body's boundaries, but the more I learn about MS and the more people I realize I know that are living with it everyday, the more important it has become for me to help raise both money and awareness for this disease. I am riding for those who can't.

This is directly from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's website:

"Multiple sclerosis is understood to be an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. This means a person’s own immune system attacks his/her brain and spinal cord. The nervous system is composed of nerve cells which send signals to each other via electrical messages. These signals are responsible for everything we do as humans, from movement to our higher consciousness...In MS, the immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath, causing difficulties with coordination, balance, and movement; fatigue; acute or chronic pain syndromes;and bladder and bowel difficulties."

Here's an illustration of what someone's neurons would look like if they're suffering from MS

As soon as I sent the email out to my family asking for donations, my aunt wrote back to me and one of my (second...or third...) cousins telling us that we were both participating in an MS awareness event. My cousin Judi has been living with MS since 1991 and has been participating in the MS walk in Belmar, New Jersey for the last twelve years or so. So, now it hits home even more. 

I'm riding 150 miles for Judi!!

So, in a shameless solicitation of my readers, I'm going to ask you all to help me reach my fundraising goal for this awesome event! Every rider has a mandatory $250 fundraising goal to reach - but I want to go above and beyond that! Since March is MS Awareness month [and because I absolutely love baking] I have a sweet proposition for you:

From today through the end of March, if you make a donation of at least $20, I will send you a batch of my mesquite chocolate chip cookies! (I will even make them vegan or gluten free if you have any special dietary needs)

Hmm, but don't judge me if you get them in a Christmas cookie bag. I still have a ton of those from the holidays!! Hahaha

Every donation goes to a great cause AND you'll be get cookies out of the deal?! Heck yes! But seriously, this is just my way to say thank you.

Are you working/walking/running/biking any charity events this year? Will it be your first?


Peace, Love & Bagels,