Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party

Aaron completed another epic bike ride this past weekend — the 2011 RSVP, or Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party!

He rode 106 miles from Seattle to Bellingham, Wash., on Saturday, then trekked the final 82 miles to Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday.

I was conveniently waiting for him in Vancouver, ready to participate in the "party" portion of the event.

The two-day ride sounded like it would be a breeze compared to the one-day, 204-mile STP, but apparently the hilly, windy first day of RSVP was worse than the entire STP.

Still, Aaron killed it, and was the first rider to arrive at a rest stop 80 miles in. He was among the first to arrive in Bellingham, and at least in the top 15 of the first riders to show up the next day in Vancouver.

He's kinda crazy, in an awesome way.

I took a bus to Vancouver on Saturday and had plenty of time to unhurriedly wander around and take in the gorgeous city.

I meandered through a Brazilian festival, which featured some pretty intense Capoeira.

I walked along the waterfront and enjoyed the scenic trail — a nicely developed green oasis that almost makes you forget about the mirrored skyscrapers that loom nearby.

On Sunday morning, I went for an 8-mile run on that trail, which runs all along the seawall around Stanley Park. The cool, salty breeze off the water kept me comfortable under the hot sun, and every step brought a more stunning view! Running + sightseeing = true love.

I also loved the funky little details I noticed along the city's streets.

OK, so this one's a big detail. I called it the Lego Whale!

It's actually called Digital Orca, but it'll always be Lego Whale to me.

More adventures from Vancouver to come. What a fabulous city!

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The Only Thing You Need to Run

I have plenty of co-workers who are interested in my running and periodically ask how my training for this or that is going. (Side note: I realized today that I'm currently training for a marathon, a half-marathon and a triathlon. I'm insane.)

I'm happy to chat about running with anyone, but I notice many times that the person I'm talking with will say something like, "I'd love to be a runner, but I can't because..."

It doesn't really matter what they say; I just smile and nod and say, "Yeah, I once thought that, too."

I'm not a born athlete. I never played sports growing up. I dreaded running the mile in P.E. class. I "ran" track in junior high, but I did sprints (poorly) and the high jump (semi-adequately). I eventually quit because there was — get this — too much running involved.

In college, I once attempted to run from my freshman dorm to Gas Works Park. I burned out halfway there and had to turn around.

"Halfway there" was about half a mile. I was so discouraged by this incident that I never made a second attempt.

So why am I, of all people, now able to run while others think they can't?

My friend Ben Davis recently posted this statement on his blog:

Not everyone has to run. If you don't want to run, don't run!

But if you want to run and think you can't, I can tell you right now that you only need one thing to run... or bike... or swim... or do whatever it is that you think you can't do — and it's this:

The only thing you need is the will to walk out of your front door and do it.

OK, so you technically need a pair of sneakers, but hey, some people run barefoot! The point is that there are a million excuses for why someone can't do something. The one thing that sets those who can apart from those who can't is that they do it.

To be a runner, you don't have to be fast. You don't have to race. You don't have to run a marathon. A lot of people let these all-or-nothing excuses get in the way of simply starting.

It's called paralyzed perfectionism, and it's my middle name (disguised for paperwork as "Alexandra"). I almost didn't graduate high school because of it.

Paralyzed perfectionism goes really well with those "can't" excuses. Here's a great example:

"Obviously I can never do a triathlon. My swimming form is terrible."

Hey — I'm signed up for a triathlon that's about a month away. I haven't been swimming since this photo was taken! My "form" is exactly the same (underwater robot?). I also don't have access to a pool, don't have a one-piece swimsuit to train in, don't have goggles, don't have a swim cap, and don't really know where to get started on this swimming thing. I won't be able to do it perfectly.

But I can do it, and I will, because I care enough to try.

There's so much equipment that goes hand-in-hand with sports, and people get so caught up with it as being integral to their success. I don't really need all that swimming stuff I just mentioned; I could just fling myself into the nearest body of water and get to work.

A suit, goggles and swim cap won't help me learn how to swim. Flinging myself into the water will.

I have all the stuff that every serious runner has: great shoes, a GPS watch, a fuel belt, special running clothes and more. But none of that stuff actually gets me out of my front door. Only I can do that.

There are still lots of things I subconsciously tell myself I "can't" do, but really just haven't cared enough to try:

• I "can't" wake up earlier so I can be less rushed each morning.
• I "can't" find the time to cook complete, healthy meals instead of just grabbing whatever is easiest.
• I "can't" keep my room clean and my clothes put away.
• I "can't" start regularly posting on this blog three times per week.

These are all things that frustrate me, and it's great to realize that I can change each of them if I really try. I won't be able to start magically doing all these things perfectly, but, as much as I can, I just have to jump out of bed... plan out those meals... put away crap as I go... and write, dammit!

I remember that day in college when I struggled to run a half-mile and I see how far I've come... literally. I've run more than 300 miles so far this year, and I'll add another 400+ before the year is out.

The reason 24-year-old me can do what 18-year-old me couldn't even fathom is simply because I now care enough to do it, and I don't worry about "failing" as a runner. And if this running thing is any indication, I can do a whole lot better at a whole lot of other things.

Time to fling myself into the water.

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What have you avoided doing because you've feared you would fail? What do you want to start caring more about today?

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The 7 Links of Answering Oliver

There have been a few improvements around here that I'd like to let y'all know about!

• You can now subscribe to Answering Oliver via RSS — just do the Subscribe thingy in the right sidebar (directly under my big head). I'm a few years behind, um, everyone else and just started using Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds and keep track of some of my favorite blogs. It's amazing!

• You can also sign up to receive new posts right in your email inbox — just do the Follow By Email thingy in the right sidebar (directly under Subscribe and my big head). Since I don't post on a regular basis (sorry — I really want to change that!), you'll be notified when I put up a new post. That means you don't have to hang out on my blog hitting "refresh" over and over in anticipation! OK, so no one does that. Regardless, feel free to sign up to receive my posts via email — I swear I won't send you anything else, and you can unsubscribe at any time. 

My 7 Links

Meg over at Mega Musings tagged me to participate in posting seven links that fall under interesting categories. Most of my favorite bloggers have done this already and I've loved going back and reading the posts they've chosen! It gives new readers a chance to dig into stuff that's now collecting dust in the archives.

Here we go!

MOST BEAUTIFUL POST: 

For Aaron

I wrote this post to celebrate how incredibly far my boyfriend had come in one year since he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle. His extensive injuries, including a completely destroyed knee, sidelined him and demoralized him for months, and yet he came back with an intense desire to live life to its fullest and never let that accident impact his goals. I cried writing it. I cried reading it. I think his story, and his spirit, are beautiful.


MOST POPULAR POST:
An unhurried life

This post is the most popular by the number of comments and emails I received in response, and that meant so much to me. I think it was popular because Leo Babauta tweeted it to his 70,000-something Twitter followers, but I'd like to believe it was because it's awesome. : D

I wrote this about a life realization I had at the World Domination Summit in June, one that I happened to be able to share with Leo first. I have never, ever experienced anything like what happened to me on that walk through Portland; I suspect it's rare. I'm glad I have it down in words and photos.


MOST CONTROVERSIAL POST:
Fremont Solstice Parade 2011

OK, I don't really have any controversial posts! Nothing has sparked a vigorous debate in the comments or spurred an angry email in my direction (so far).

I chose my post about the semi-naked bike ride for this because you would not believe how many people visit my blog because they're searching for naked photos from the Fremont Solstice Parade. In fact, it's actually my most popular post by far in terms of traffic. You mean people... search the Internet... for naked pictures? Scandalous!

I imagine that once people see my pictures and realize Aaron and I weren't naked, they're pretty disappointed. Sorry, guys! That's as controversial as it gets.


MOST HELPFUL POST:

Tip #1: Get organized — write everything down

Tip #2: Get angry — raise a little hell

Tip #3: Get thee to an ATM — start paying with cash

Last summer, after I became debt-free, I wrote this series of three posts full of tips to help people get started with paying off their debt. I outlined exactly how I got organized and created my first budget; how I badgered Citi into lowering the interest rate on my credit card from 19.99% to 9.99%; and how I successfully used cash to curb my spending and stick to my budget.

When I first started paying attention to my finances, I knew nothing! I think these posts are very helpful for anyone who's looking for their first steps.

(The more fun and interesting runner-up for Most Helpful Post is Hawaii video & what to do on Oahu.)


SURPRISINGLY SUCCESSFUL POST:
Halloween 2010: The lobster costume

I guess I shouldn't be surprised; this costume was awesome. I guess I'm more surprised by how many people share my desire to dress like a crustacean!

I was the talk of the Halloween party in this homemade costume — I was even able to play beer pong with my claws on! — and I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to top it this year...


POST THAT DIDN'T GET THE ATTENTION IT DESERVED:
The Value of Financial Struggle

This was actually a guest post that I wrote for Pocket Changed that got one very nice comment, and I'm proud of what I wrote.

Patience, passion and a plan were the three keys that helped me pay off my debt, and I still rely on those elements to achieve every goal I set for myself. Financial struggle definitely sucks, but I learned some very important things from it, and I wouldn't go back and change my financial journey for the world.


POST THAT I'M MOST PROUD OF:
2010: The year in review

This was a tough post to write because I admitted several things that happened in 2010 that I was ashamed of. I'm proud that I was able to write this from a vastly different and better place, knowing that I was no longer that person who drank too much, didn't exercise at all and was deeply unhappy with her life.

I was finally able to say, "I am happy every day. I'm not necessarily happy all day, and sometimes not even most of the day, but I am happy. Every. Day."


***


That was fun! I'm tagging these five bloggers to post their seven links as well:


- Jacob Sokol of Sensophy
- Jodi Ettenberg of Legal Nomads (EDIT: Jodi's wonderful links are already here)
- Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness
- Jenny Blake of Life After College
- Joel Runyon of Blog of Impossible Things


Can't wait to read 'em, ladies and gentlemen!

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Training for the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas MARATHON!

This time last year, I would've laughed if you told me I'd run a marathon.

Actually, I would've also laughed if you told me I'd run a half-marathon, and I've already done that. In fact, here's a video I made about my Rock 'n' Roll Seattle experience:


My First Half Marathon: Rock 'n' Roll Seattle from Devon Mills on Vimeo.

(Here's a tidbit I forgot to include in the video: Thanks to help of family, friends, co-workers and blog-readers, I raised $2,200 for the American Cancer Society while training for the half-marathon! Woo-hoo!!!)

To be specific, this time last year, I hadn't even run my first 5K — that wasn't until September 26. I was strictly a treadmill runner, going one to three miles per workout with walking breaks. I was terrified for my first race.

After crossing the finish line, I was inspired.

I've crossed 10 finish lines total, and the one I'm working toward now will be the most difficult by far. The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon on December 4 will be my first trip to Vegas, my longest run ever and an accomplishment I never thought I'd achieve (or even want to achieve) in my life.

Why put myself through hell for 26.2 miles? For a medal? For a bumper sticker on my car?

Nah. I'm going to do it because I once thought I couldn't. Because I think it's pretty badass. And, most of all, because once I conquer the distance, there will be one less thing in this world that I'm afraid of.

But first I have to respect the distance and put in the months of hard work it'll take to run it to the best of my ability. Here's where this plan comes in (click to make it larger):

This is my 19-week marathon training plan. Today marks the beginning of Week 2!

I love having a plan when it comes to tackling big goals, and this is exactly what I need to stay on top of my training. Life will inevitably creep in between the pretty lines of this Excel spreadsheet and interfere with the plan, so I'm going to be flexible and open to switching things around. But at least I can make sure I don't get too off track by checking in with this plan each day. I'm thrilled to have completed Week 1 and look forward to feeling so much stronger and more fit as the weeks pass by.

(My college roommate who remembers watching me lie in bed eating canned frosting while watching Oprah just went, "Huh?")

I based this training plan on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan. I switched the weekday runs around so I won't be running three days in a row (my legs can't take it), and I added two days of strength training as well. Since I've focused only on running up to this point, I have strong leg muscles but a weak upper body. I need overall strength to be the best runner I can be, so I'm hitting the free weights at my gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I specified cross-training on Sundays to either be biking or yoga, but I might have to change that to biking or swimming... since I might sign up for a triathlon that's in September!

My excuses for not doing a triathlon so far have been that I don't really know how to swim (the correct techniques and all), and I don't have a road bike. Well...

...I'm quickly running out of excuses! This is my lovely new bike, which I bought this weekend to replace my seriously outgrown pre-teen mountain bike. I'm all grown up now!

Remember: If you don't want to do something, you'll find any excuse not to do it. If you want to do something, you won't let any excuse get in your way.

I'll still need to work on the swimming, though... check out the caption I gave this photo back in March!!

You'll also notice that I'm running another half-marathon on September 5! The race is the Labor Day Half, formerly known as the Super Jock 'n' Jill Half, and it starts and ends at the Redhook Brewery in my hometown, Woodinville. How could I pass up a race on my home turf that could give me the opportunity to run a sub two-hour half?

I'll be busy for the next several months — running, biking, swimming and freaking out about the idea of running 26.2 miles. But if I learned anything from my half-marathon, it's that no matter how nervous I feel in the days leading up to a race (uhhh, did you watch that video?), once I reach the start line, I'll feel happy, excited and incredibly lucky to be able to do what I'm about to do.

I'll look forward to that moment every single day until December 4.

Viva Las Vegas.

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