7 Days to go!!!

Ok all you mere mortals, time to HTHU (harden the heck up!) as we enter the final week of our challenge. Including today, you’ve got one week to get out there and “git ‘er done!” A few folks are at the finish line, or very nearly so, but some of you are going to have to find some afterburners to kick it in this last week in order to meet either the session requirement, time requirement, or both. Don’t give up and be satisfied with “I almost made it.” With a little extra effort you can put this well within your reach. We ALL know how to rationalize failure – “I couldn’t find the time;” “I’ve been busy at work;” “we’ve had some crappy weather…” Trust me, we’ve heard and used ‘em all ourselves. With a little extra gumption and “stick-to-itiveness” you can find the time and energy for your final push to put you over the top. You would not have signed up to do this if you did NOT want to accomplish something, so we would love it if everyone gave it that last kick to the finish line.

That said – a word of caution: we don’t want to see anyone injured, so you should stick to activities and durations that your body can handle. If you’ve been running, then don’t all-of-a-sudden double your weekly running mileage to do this. You greatly increase your risk of pulling or tearing something. On the other hand, you could consider walking as a viable alternative to get in that extra time/session you need.

Instead of t-shirts, we’re working on a sock design to commemorate the event and reward your efforts. We’re hoping to keep the cost very low (under $10) so everyone will be tempted to pat themselves on the back with something fun, and while understated compared to a t-shirt, it will at least remind you that you can achieve a goal when you set your sights on it, make a plan, and go for it. More to follow on the socks. In the meantime, keep swimming, biking, running, hiking, lifting, playing…

Your friendly MMT staff

MMT2 - Halfway there!

Halfway there ... time to stay steady and keep up the good work. But first, a short detour for a public safety announcement (PSA).

This PSA has two parts - national news and the 4 Farm madness.

In case you didn't hear, Gene Hackman was hit by a car while riding a bike. First, anyone who is 82 and is riding a bike gets awesome points. And this next sentence in no way excuses the actions of the driver, nor does it blame GH in any way for the accident. But, if you're on a bike and you are outside - wear a helmet. Yeah, yeah, it messes up your hair -- shut up and wear a helmet. Rant complete. First part of the safety PSA - wear a helmet and be aware of your surrounding while biking, running, AND driving a car.

The second half of the PSA: check your equipment. One half of the MMT Staff got onto the bike trainer (the kind that lets you attach your own bike) without checking everything. Tires pumped, check. Front wheel block in place, check. Rear resistance unit in place and tightened, check. Skewer locked into place, not checked (note: this is the part that actually holds your bike in place - it "locks in" your rear wheel by the skewer (think axle)). Short version, 82 seconds into the ride, the rear wheel crashes to the floor and the whole bike attempts to lurch forward like it would outside when you're pedaling with both wheels on the ground. Luckily, the front wheel was somewhat trapped by a very stable block so instead of riding through the tv and causing catastrophic levels of damage, said MMT Staffer fell over sideways. Crashing noggin and shoulder first into a wall and using those parts to stabilize yourself until you can get un-clipped from the pedals and let go of the handlebars and brakes are NOT the approved solution for an indoor training ride. Apparently, the PSA part 1 helmet rant also applies if you are dumb enough to not properly check your equipment before an indoor ride. Be safe, peeps...this one could've been a lot worse than it was. Don't rely on luck. We all like to watch the "stupid human tricks" videos - but trust me, you don't want to be the starring crash test dummy.

Back to the regularly scheduled "halfway there!" portion. Hopefully, you're maintaining the pace and still enjoying the challenge. But here's where it gets hard. You've done a solid two weeks, your body possibly hurts in new and previously unknown places and there's a part of your brain that's going to try to tell you, "you've worked hard for two weeks, it's time for a break." If there's something that hurts (different from the good kind of ache) - absolutely. If it's the "but I don't wanna" or the "it's January and it's cold and dark and I'll start up again when it's warmer" voice -- be strong. You signed up for this challenge. This is YOUR choice. You want this! Own it. You are in charge.

Some tips that seem to work for either/both of us:

* Commit to 5 minutes. Get moving for those first 5 minutes and the odds are great that you'll finish the rest.

* Train with a buddy. Meeting up with someone or arranging plans to walk/hike with someone makes a difference.

* Mix up your workout music. Find an old CD or find a new artist - listen to something different.

* Mix up your training. Instead of turning right out your door, turn left.

* Leave a comment / send an email with your particular brand of demotivational woe and let the MMT staff heckle it out of you! (Yes, we practice this on one another...)

* OR: leave a comment with your tip(s) on how to beat the workout "blues" and keep your training momentum.

MMT2 - Week 1 Complete!

One week in to the Challenge! Woo hoo! Most of the folks in MMT2-land are logging their exercise sessions and time and are *crushing* the challenge. Only a few are having a bit of trouble finding their mojo - it's in you somewhere...really…you can do this.

Then there are some folks who had their mojo flowing for a few days and then got side-lined. Perhaps it was work-related, an illness, owwies, the blahs...there are lots of reasons we fall off our exercise plan. But, if we're going to make this MMT2 Challenge work - they have to stay valid "reasons" and not become "excuses." Overcome the setback and get back on track with accomplishing the goal.

There's a common phrase/quote that we like: "Failing to plan is planning to fail." The MMT2 staff is currently hanging up a door-sized year-long planning calendar. We'll mark out the events we want to do this year and backwards plan to figure out some intermediate goals and milestones. Every time we walk between the kitchen and living room we'll see the goals and reasons we're getting out there and getting it done - even on dreary days when we'd really rather grow roots in the couch.

Yes, it's a bit intimidating to write down your goals and display them - putting yourself out there is tough. But it's a great way to focus and to hold yourself accountable. It's also a great way for other folks to help with your goals -- anyone who comes over to the house notices the calendar and inevitably offers support (and the obligatory "you're nuts!"). I also have an index card with a few priorities/goals sitting visible at my desk at work. Looking at the card and the calendar every day helps make the things on them real. It's as if writing down or displaying the event moves it from the "it would be good to ..." into the "I am going to ..." world. "I will" and "I can" are powerful phrases.

Lao Tzu said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Pick your destination, write it down, and take that step. It won't be easy, but choices rarely are.

Now that you have your goals displayed and a weekly/monthly plan, it is also important to write down what you have accomplished. Keep an exercise diary and log your workouts! We have our primitive version on the MMT blog, but that is really just designed for the challenge. We also use a free online exercise log at trainingpeaks.com to keep track of our training. I'm sure there are others - and you can always resort to using a primitive word-processor (a pencil). The most important thing is to keep track of what you are doing. It will give you a sense of accomplishment and you can see the progress you are making! By keeping a record of your exercise it also helps to hold you to your plan.

For the record, ya'll have logged over 145 hours -- if we were a relay team, that's more than 6 days of continuous exercise!

Keep up the great work!

Great start to the new year!

Wow, the MMT staff are very impressed with the enthusiasm exhibited so far with the workouts and time logged! At the rate some of you are going, you'll be done in about 5 days! If that's the case, just keep going till the end of January! We'll be very curious to find out what our top mortals can achieve! If you have not started yet, no worries - you will still get there, but find your mojo soon. You do NOT want to wait much longer to start. This challenge is the kind of elephant that mere mortals have to eat one bite at a time.

Many of our motley crew of mere mortals head back to work after a great couple of holidays with our family and friends. Share your goals, if you dare, with those folks. You're likely to enjoy a little encouragement along the way, and you're more likely to achieve your goals if you let others know. And who knows, perhaps they'll want to join you! We've had several folks join us today. The more the merrier! Good luck fitting your workouts into your busy schedules. One tip: set up a plan about a week in advance. Schedule your exercise sessions on whatever sort of calendar you use, and if you don't have one, then jot down the planned times and activities and stick them in a visible place, such as the fridge. You're much more likely to meet your own expectations if you are willing to write out a plan, and much less likely to shrug off a scheduled exercise activity.

Keep up the good work and remember: "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." (Henry Ford)

Your MMT staff