A Little Motivation…

So, you bought a new bicycle and you need a little push to get out on it every day? Or maybe, you have a bicycle and maybe it hasn’t seen the light of day for a while… Either way, your bike, which screams inside to feel the wind across its fork, is sitting alone in the dark. In the garage. Under your old college sweater… the last thing you wore the last time you took her out for a spin.

This article is going to be no different than any realm of exercise, so don’t think it’s limited to cycling. By nature we are slothful and we need a little ‘push’ out the door sometimes.

This is my story: Several years ago a friend and I got together for dinner. We had met each other at the Red Cross donating platelets and had developed a great friendship over a few years. One night we were brainstorming business ideas and personal goals, and I didn’t think much of it at the time, but a few months later he tells me that he had taken up cycling as a result of that conversation… and he had taken it up full bore… He got the bike, the clothes, the shoes, and had already signed up and rode some pretty aggressive races.

Come that next spring he challenges me to join him on the MS 150, a 2-day, 200 mile bike ride that would finish at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Not having sat on a bike since I was in high school, but feeling up to the challenge, I said I would do it.

My First MS Ride - Me on the left, and Bill on the right

Well, he gave me a 6-month window… then it was 5-months,… then four… and you know the story. It wasn’t until I had 2 months to go that I had the fire lit under me to start training, and I rode every day, no less than 4 days per week, and in those 2 months I had lost 15 pounds and my stamina skyrocketed and I conquered those 200 miles in 2 days and was ready for more (yeah… really!).

Note that until I felt I had crossed a barrier in my mind that “If I don’t start now, I’m (1) going to look like a fool when I can’t keep up with the group (2) going to let my buddy down, (3) lose an opportunity to prove to myself that I can stick to something if I care about it enough. Those were my motivations, and I had to cross a threshold.

So how did I stay motivated? One way was to get accountable… I had to do this not just for myself, but for others in order to get me out of bed early on Saturday or stay up a little later because I had to ride that evening. I joined a local cycling group at the local Y. I signed up for 15 & 30-mile rides in the area. I invited friends to come because if I didn’t show and they did, well, that just wouldn’t be cool.

It’s spring again, and I’ve got the bug. I’ve registered for the 2009 MS Ride and setup my fundraising page. I bought a bike trainer so I can train rain or shine. I setup a blog on my MS Site as well to keep track of my progress and let my friends know I expect to be held accountable.

So what’s keeping your rear in a chair and out of the seat? Find a friend, a partner, a riding buddy that will keep you accountable, and get out there! I’ll see you on the road…

-Anthony

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