Carrot, Meet Stick

I signed up today for the Mercer County Half Marathon on August 31 because I’ve realized I’m not going to train properly if my actions don’t have consequences.

I’ve been pretty good the last few years about training regardless of whether there’s a race on the calendar, but all it took was one week of awful sleep to show me that “Maybe I’ll run a half in November and then target a BQ in 2026!” wasn’t getting me out of bed in Q3 2025. I have literally stayed in bed instead of running several times in the last two weeks.

I attribute this to having my priorities properly sorted: right now, mastering my son’s new routines is demanding a lot of my time and energy, and running while I’m already tired just isn’t as important as saving my battery for pickup and dinner and dishes and chores.

Another potential solution to my problem, you might have noticed, is not being tired—maybe a lot to ask of a new parent, but also maybe not. I’ve known for a while my bedtime habits have been slipping. I crawl into bed too late and can’t seem to resist scrolling mindlessly on my phone. I’m leaving miles in my pillow.

I made the decision to sign up a few days ago and it has already lit a fire under me. I am going to bed earlier and running more, and even running workouts again. I set a modest goal I think I can achieve with the amount of training I’ll be able to squeeze into the next three weeks. I’ll base my fall racing plans on the results.

Sometimes you can get by with the carrot, and sometimes you need a stick. As of now, I’m racing in three weeks no matter what I do; the only thing worse than racing poorly would be not racing at all. I’m not worried about this. I know how to train, and how to race. What I am still learning is how to organize, simplify, and motivate. Stick it is.