The Skirts: Our First 100 Days

If I’m being honest, it’s been about 120 days, but in deference to the era of transparency it seemed like a good idea to check in with our fans and friends to let them know how the Skirts are doing in preparation for our journey up Machu Picchu in 2010. Here is a short Q & A with the Skirts, Beth and Jill.

If you have a question about something not covered here please feel free to comment with your own questions.

Beth, what has been your greatest accomplishment over the first 100 days of The Great Skirt Hike?

Beth laughing in the face of certain peril. Then she fell.

Sticking to it!  Day after day, week after week. It’s been more of a psychological than physical feat. Anyone can get on a treadmill or go for a hike – but doing it six days a week requires more self-discipline than I ever thought I could muster.

My mom has a saying, “happiness is a warm pile of shit.” We mistake routine for comfort and comfort for happiness, when in fact we are not in a good place at all. I would say another great accomplishment is finding friends new and old who identify with this and like Jill and I, want real, personal change that brings true happiness – not just the same old shit.

Jill, how about you…any significant accomplishments during your first 100 days on The Great Skirt Hike?

Jill in her outdoorsy element

Well, I’d have to say my most significant accomplishment has been exercising at least six days per week since the GSH began. Yep…SIX days a week. Never in my life have I exercised with such regularity.

Of course it would be silly to not mention as a significant accomplishment that I’ve lost the equivalent of a toddler in weight since this all began. I have about another toddler to go but hey…it’s a start.

Beth, you quit smoking as part of your commitment to your health and to the Great Skirt Hike…how’s that going?

It's a free country yo.

Awesome. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since July 3, and I have Allen Carr and his book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking to thank. Oh, and Steven the really hot Scottish guy that recommended it to me <sigh>. For the first time in my life, I *wanted* to quit – and that’s helped. I found smoking to be detrimental to my self-esteem – I mean, why indulge in this pastime that does nothing but harm? What’s going on in your head that makes that ok? I was having these kinds of existential conversations in my head every time I went out on the porch for a smoke. Finally, I decided I didn’t want to hate myself for something so stupid and quitting was easy.

Jill, what has been the reaction from family and friends to your new-found outdoorsy sporty ways?

My family, especially my husband, have been surprised and supportive. I think my husband was a doubter at first and rightfully so. He’s known me for twelve years and in that time I haven’t been all that outdoorsy nor sporty. He does, however, realize that I have the ability to make shit happen, as we like to say at the GSH, thus he quickly became a believer.

The rest of my fam, having just gone through my brother’s heart attack and subsequent surgery, are no doubt thrilled to see my commitment to my health. That said, my older brother who I will call out by name, JEFF, has yet to join our fan page on facebook.

Beth, you have had a powerful experience since taking up spin class. What have you learned about yourself through spinning?

That anything is possible.  I really wanted to try spinning but my confidence was low – most people I talked to about it likened it to water boarding with handlebars. Turns out not only can I do it – but it is one place where I can really dig down into those deep reserves of whoop ass and push my body to 100% of its potential.

Now when I start getting tired or bored when I’m doing any kind of exercise, I am training myself to push through and push a bit harder. I work out for about an hour a day – no excuse not to give it my all for that sliver of time.

Jill, where do you see yourself 100 days from now?

I mark another birthday in September, and as I march through what Beth likes to call “middle-age” (editors note: Jill, everybody calls it middle-age), I hope over the next 100 days to buy more cute workout clothes, perhaps a solid pair of hiking shoes and to put together the Kick-ass Workout Playlist Part Deux.

I also hope to continue to shed some lbs and to get  in a few super-long ten mile or more hikes before it gets too cold.

Beth, where do you see yourself 100 days from now?

I’d like to do a few hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this fall. I grew up in the foothills and can’t imagine a more beautiful place to stomp around as the seasons change. I’d also like to do a 5K road race before our next milestone. I’ve never done anything like that before and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven’t run on anything but a treadmill since high school.

Beth, as an expert in social media, has The Great Skirt Hike blog provided you with opportunities to hone your skills as a media maven whilst working on your personal fitness goals?

I’ve learned that there are no experts in social media – just people that spend a lot of time experimenting and have occasional bouts of success. I have been SUPER fortunate to have a fantastic smuru and smentor in Sean Wood at Freeworld Media. He and Stephen Wright (tech god) have made the blog possible and have really helped guide me when I get distracted by shiny objects.

Keith Greenstein, hero.

Speaking of which, Keith, Jill’s brother is probably the true unsung hero of The Great Skirt Hike – first he had the heart attack, then he inspired Jill, then he came up with the brand, and designed our beautiful logo and site.

Keith’s work has raised the bar – both Jill and I strive to create content that lives up to the awesomeness of his design.

Jill, what has surprised you most about The Great Skirt Hike so far?

I’m surprised, amazed and humbled by the reaction of our friends and family and the support we’ve received here on greatskirthike.com and on our fan page on Facebook. It’s both inspiring and frightening to have people following our progress. When we find our site linked to other sites out in the blogosphere it’s freaky.

I’m not one to put a lot out there about my personal life, and have always had a motto of never putting anything in writing, so all this is very new for me. People watching and keeping up with our progress is a big motivator for sure.

In all seriousness, I hope people will continue to follow us over the upcoming year. I hope that a few people out there are moved by our experience, enough to make the big changes that we are sometimes reluctant or too overwhelmed to make for ourselves.

So a big huge THANK YOU to all of  you who have cyber-joined us as we trudge along on The Great Skirt Hike.