A Sure Bet

One of the best ways to get me to commit to something is to con me into paying money for it. Case in point:

Back in Alaska, I had been riding my bicycle to work during the summer months and stopped after Labor Day. Two months later, I noticed that my pants were feeling a bit snug and realized that the only way I was prepared to exercise was to start biking again.

In the winter...

So, I went down to my local bike shop and checked out the studded snow tires. They priced out around $100.

It turned out that my car also needed studded snow tires. They priced out around $100.

I had to make a choice as I didn't have $200. Buy the bike tires, lose the gut, freeze my face or buy the car tires, expand my waist, save my face.

I chose...the bike tires. The next two years, I biked year around and got down to my fighting weight of 173 lbs! Not that I do any fighting or anything...

The point is I spent money to commit myself to biking through the winter.

Today, I have used the same principle to motivate me to keep to my running schedule. I signed up for three races in the next three months:

Mar 17: 4 mile, $24.10
Apr 14: 10K (6.2 miles), $15
May 19: 1/2 marathon, $64

$103.10 committed to motivate me to run. Hey, what ever it takes, right?