Michael & Liz are Bloggable

Me vs. Machine: Prep Time

This week I have begun to prep for my month of "Me vs. Machine" in August. In case you didn't read the post, check it out for information. I don't really think there is a whole lot I need to prep for though. I have most of the equipment I need but here are the steps I/we have taken to make sure I make the month a success:

• Got a locker at the gym. They don't give out lockers to everyone, you have to explicitly ask for it and it can only be for a short time. So I got a locker and I already set all my softball gear and soccer gear in it. That way on softball and soccer days, I don't have to lug my glove and cleats and stuff to work.
  
  
• Bought a super cushiony seat. Last year some time I was doing a spin bike class at the gym and had done it a few times a week for a few weeks, and after a while my butt started killing me. Those seats are not natural for your butt and don't provide much surface area, so I got a cushion to possibly help with that problem.
  
  
• I temporarily have 2 work laptops. We have a test laptop we use at work and I have gotten the OK to bring it home for the month. This way I don't need to be biking with my laptop. It's heavy and takes up space and is just unnecessary luggage.
  
  
• Since I am not biking with a laptop, I don't need to bike with my laptop bag so it is left at work. Now I can get my book bag out that I had in college that has much more room and I can carry more stuff like clothes and a change of shoes and whatever else.
  
  
• Liz bought a bike. We had extra room in our July budget, so with it we bought Liz a bike. She got a "hybrid" (which I now refer to as "The Cylon" (from Battlestar Galactica)) which is a bike with the tires to ride on the road but able to handle bumps like a mountain bike. We biked 13 miles this morning, it was a blast. So this way during the month, if I need miles, she can go out with me and it can be kinda like a date.
  
  
• Today I am getting a water bottle for the bike and reflection vest. There is going to be times when we have a softball game at 7:15 and I am biking home at 8:30 when the sun is going down. I gotta be seen on the road! Also it's going to be crazy hot, so I need water too.
  

The only other preparation I've done was to go through a test day to see how it goes. So on Wednesday this week I biked to work and biked home. What I was really testing though was if I would have the energy to bike home. Wednesday's I have to run 8 miles, so from work I went to the gym, ran 8 miles and then biked home. It wasn't too bad but I was certainly tired at the end. It also gave me a good idea of how much stuff I have to bring every day and whether I had enough space. I was using my laptop bag at the time so there's no doubt in my mind I have enough space now.

I am definitely nervous about the month since it's going to be so grueling and difficult to maintain the schedule, but I'm excited to see what happens. I am also nervous about biking on the roads around cars and stuff. I am an overly cautious person and just do not trust other people, so anytime there is a sidewalk or trail I can bike on instead, I will be doing it.

The month begins tomorrow and I am going to start it off with a bang. We are driving to church but then I am going to bike home which I believe is 19 miles. I'll have to use the odometer on the car to be sure though.

Monday will be a down day mileage wise. We go to the chiropractor on Monday mornings so I have to drive. The appointment is not within the range of being able to bike and I just don't have that kind of time. So after the appointment I drive to work, drive home, and then also go to Gryffin's obedience class at night. I'm sure I'll rack up a good 40 miles of driving. The good thing is, I have to do my long run for the week on Monday after work, which is 17 miles, so I'll make it up a little bit.

I'll try to blog more frequently and keep it up to date on the total number of miles. I'm starting it off tough with a long bike ride and a long run on Monday, but if I can get through those days, I should be good.

I'm psyched, bring it on!

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.” - Stephen Covey