December...4 Months to Go!

I’ve had my fill of turkey, and now it’s time to get in fighting shape. While this summer I biked 1 ½ hours daily in conjunction with 30 minutes of weight training, my exercise commitment has slackened this fall semester. Whether it’s due to spending more time at a desk or in front of a computer, I don’t have the natural impulse to be up and moving more often.

I would like to weigh around 165 pounds by the departure date. I don’t want to take this number too seriously because that’s just what it is, a number. When it comes time to leave, as long as I feel physically able, there should be no worry of sustaining any injuries on the road.

Living in Ohio, it’s impractical to cycle outdoors in the coming winter. Luckily, I have a stationary bike that I would like to work up to riding two hours a day, six days a week. This will be accompanied by an hour (maximum) of strength training other parts of the body not exercised through cycling.

Planning

Answering the “5 W’s” (who, what, where, when, and why) was the first stage in planning my journey. Beginning in September, the process was roughly completed by mid-November. This juncture of the preparations included:

• Mapping out and research local attractions along the route.
• Establishing a rough itinerary of when I wanted to be in a certain area, how long I was going to stay there, and where I was going to able to sleep, work, and visit.

• Registering an account on multiple “hospitality sites” where people advertise possible accommodations for passing travelers. (i.e. couchsurfing.org, hospitalityclub.org, globalfreeloaders.com) After creating sufficient content that explained what I was about to attempt, I contacted over one hundred members describing my situation and asking for assistance.

• Creating online content for the organization Firsts – Live One, as well as my personal travel plans. This included blogs (Firsts – Live One and To Just Live), an official website (firsts-liveone.com), and a Facebook group (search: “Firsts – Live One”).

• Spreading word of the expedition through local media and social networking websites.

The next stage of preparations, which is already underway, is collecting the necessary items that will allow me travel by bicycle. I will post a list of everything I brought with me after completing my first leg of the United States.