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.