NOLA-bound and determined.

Resolutions be damned!

Alright, alright, alright! All the morning TV this week has been talking about “new year, new you” – now, I’ve established that I’m not the girl who believes in new year’s resolutions.. Resolutions are made to be broken, in my opinion and experience. But it’s okay if you do the whole resolution thing because, let’s face it: this is a time of renewal whether it be cosmic, earthly, physiological or just calendar-y.

The excitement of the holidays is fading away but the results of two weeks of starchy, fatty foods, sugary treats and mass alcohol consumption is the gift that keeps on giving.. and the smaller jeans I managed to squeeze into back in October are not feeling that great right now. It’s been easy for me in the past to just remain in this self-induced coma well into March.. Maybe it was because in Upstate NY you face the grim, gray reality that winter actively lasts this long.. but I’m not in Albany anymore. So, no - not this time, not this year, not this decade.

Work to do.

I have some fitness goals this year, some might seem simple to many.. such as being able to do ten proper pushups and ten proper pull ups. Confession: I’ve never been able to do an actual pull up. In those presidential fitness tests back in the day, the gym teacher just let me do an arm hang and I held on for maybe 2 seconds. While I was strong like bull and played sports in high school, I’ve always just felt bad about my lack of physical fitness and ran away from the challenge instead of working towards improvement. It was the only running I did.

Some of my other goals are a touch more complex. It’s no secret or surprise that I want to train for the bike so that I can ride a century and finish strong.. but how? While I’ve got some things planned for the gym that will build strength and endurance – I won’t bore you with the details. Not yet anyway.


The other night I committed to the Pound for Pound Challenge sponsored by the Biggest Loser. My goal is to lose 40lbs by their deadline of June 30th. It’s totally do-able and will certainly help me with everything I aim to accomplish. But let it be said: I’m very good at procrastination. I excel at it actually! The idea of going to the gym for generic weight-loss or to train for a far-off ride (we’re looking at autumn here) is not very enticing. I don’t have the gear or motivation necessary for cold-weather rides - not to mention the thought of dodging discarded Christmas trees and piles of leaves which still litter street shoulders also leaves something to be desired.

Valentine’s Day

So, how do I motivate myself to work towards all these goals I’ve set when it’s so much easier during these early winter months of 2010 to just stay cozy and occupied with other stuff? That’s the hard part about setting goals and resolutions – it’s easy to lose steam after a few weeks or even a few days of gung-ho excitement. Instead I want to focus on breaking off chunks – setting smaller goals which are attainable where I can see success and work to stay on track.

The next big event I’m looking forward to is a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with a few of my best friends. This is a vacation to which we are all looking forward. It’s my third voyage to the Big Easy but my first as a rider. While it’s optimal to explore the French Quarter on foot, I thought about seeing the city from two-wheels. The time we’re there includes Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Sunday this year, and I had the instant spark of celebrating two great loves in my life with a long ride in NOLA.

I found, via Google, the New Orleans Bicycle Club. NOBC looks serious. They’re racers and what not, but I contacted one of the members via Facebook (isn't technology amazing?) and told him of my designs. He replied right away and gave me some thoughts to chew on regarding routes and other considerations.

Now I have work to do and decisions to make but I’m so psyched. This dovetails nicely with my goals because I want to be in good enough shape to experience and enjoy a 30-40 mile ride right smack in the middle of an already kick-ass vacation. Our trip is only five weeks away and this gives me something to look forward to besides eating amazing food in a city I’ve come to love.

I’ll leave it at this: this light bulb moment has found me both motivated and excited! I simply cannot wait to get going.


“incantation replaced resolution and we vowed to allow each perfection that we could be”
~from ‘red letter year’ by ani difranco