A few people have asked me what training plan I used to train for my first Half Marathon. Truth is, I didn’t exactly have one. I knew what had to get done, but I didn’t map out each and every step of the way. It’s just not in my personality to micromanage my life. I like to go with the flow, take things as they come.

I don’t function well on plans. Plans are too rigid, too confining, and too strict. I like to do things on my own terms, in my own time, by my own way.

I tend to think of plans as rough guidelines. I know I have to get from point A to point B, but to reach that destination, who said you had to go in a straight line? Why not stop at point V, J and Q along the way? Maybe you’ll learn, see, or try something new. One thing’s for certain: you’ll be changed.

 

RUNNING

Most of the time, I run for enjoyment. But in order to run my Half, I knew I had to get some long runs in. I knew I had to increase my endurance and stamina by putting in the work and running the miles.

My plan of attack?

Run one more mile each time. This only applies to long runs. I never planned when my long runs were going to occur. If I felt great and fully charged on a Wednesday, then it was happening on a Wednesday. If I didn’t, well then it’ll happen on a Thursday. I always made sure the long runs happened, but the details were never solidified. They just happened when I was ready. I made sure I was prepared by race day, but I never mapped out a weekly or monthly training schedule. I just knew what I had to do and then did it.

 

GROCERY SHOPPING

I don’t go grocery shopping with an actual written list. What if I see something absolutely fantabulous at the store? Like mangosteen or cherimoya?

My list is usually short because I know what’s missing from my fridge and what needs to be replenished. It’s usually something along the lines of peanut butter, almond butter, yogurt, or milk. Everything else? I buy on a whim. If I feel like eating broccoli, I’ll buy broccoli. If not, I’ll buy some other veggies. The possibilities are endless.

I find enjoyment from browsing the grocery store. I like to see what new things they have, like high fiber Fritos. I like to look at the different types of cheeses. I am addicted to smelling fruits. I pick up every vegetable I’ve never seen before. I study the different types of meat cuts and the different parts. When you take the time to look, you’ll find so many interesting things you’ve never seen before.

Not having a list helps me experiment with new foods and branch out of my comfort zone because I haven’t limited myself to a few select items. The whole store is my playground. And believe me, at Asian markets, there are some strange things I’ve never seen before.

 

EATING & COOKING

I absolutely never plan my meals. Can’t do it. How can you possibly know what you want to eat Friday when it’s only Monday? What if you have a terrible craving for cabbage (yes, I crave cabbage and spinach…) for Wednesday dinner but you had planned to have spaghetti?

My plan of attack?

Open the fridge and look in the pantry. Some days, I feel like noodles. Well, what kind of noodles? There’s linguine, spaghetti, rice noodles, vermicelli, soba, etc. What kind of sauce? White, red, soy, cheese, lemon, curry. What about meat? I basically build my own dishes in my head every single day. Some days, I’m lazier than others. I know it takes 10 minutes to create my lavash pizza. Other days, I’m feeling like an Iron Chef, so I take my time and concoct something delicious.

Cooking comes with practice. Putting together a meal is based on experience. The more you do it, the better you get at it.

Being spontaneous, especially in the kitchen, is such a treat. There’s 5 million ways to eat pasta. So why not experiment?!

 

TRAVELING

After backpacking for 7 months on my own, I know that I will never be able to plan my vacations any more. When I left for Southeast Asia, I bought a train ticket from Shanghai, China to Nanning, China, then took a bus into Vietnam. I had no travel guides. I only searched the internet for some rough details, usually the name of a hostel, and wandered the streets when I got there.

The best way to see a city is to get lost in it. You’ll find where the locals go, you’ll discover where they shop, where they eat, where they buy clothes. You’ll find places off the beaten track, places not marketed just for tourists. And the experience is priceless, more than any guidebook can ever hope to show you.

I had originally planned to travel for only 3 months but I didn’t even have a plane ticket home so I decided to stay for 7 months. Originally, I wanted to see every single country. But I only ended up getting through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore. I’m a slow traveler. I like soaking everything in, taking my time, experiencing the culture. I don’t like rushing through countries just to say I’ve been there.

When you travel, it’s not the quantity, but the quality that counts.

I love learning about other cultures. I would rather eat, drink and hang out with locals than other travelers. I didn’t go to another country to hang out with other foreigners and speak English. I can do that back home. I went to learn something new. I want to see what the locals see, hear what they hear, eat what they eat. It’s opened my eyes (I ended up in a village with no electricity, no cars, and no telephone poles).

I never knew what city I’d be going to next. I usually had an idea, but it was never ingrained in stone until I hopped on a bus. I would talk to other travelers, find some things on Travelfish.org, look at Couchsurfing.org, and occasionally borrow somebody else’s Lonely Planet (which I absolutely despise). People love talking about their traveling experiences, and they’ll usually tell you where they enjoyed going. You can learn so much by just talking to others.

Sometimes, I’d rent a motorbike and just take off for a few days. I actually learned and rode my first motorbike in Vietnam, but ended up loving it. It’s the most efficient way to travel within a city. I did a 4 day motorbike excursion on my own through the back country of Laos, and it was incredible. I had no pressure to be anywhere, no set schedule. Shit happens (my motorbike broke down) but I dealt with it (I fixed the motorbike on my own, somehow).

I rarely booked anything in advance.

Hostels? I just showed up. If they were full, I went somewhere else. If I was desperate, I either knocked on somebody’s door and offered them money (which they usually refuse) or I went to a temple and asked the monks if I could stay (they gave me a mat and a mosquito net so I slept outside).

Buses and trains? I usually just went to the station and hopped on the next available bus. Sometimes, I would stand on the side of the road to try to hail down a bus or songthaew, and they always stop. Always. Even if they’re full, they will manage to squeeze you on. And you usually negotiate the price. Other times, I would just hitchhike. Once, it took me 2 hours to hail down a vehicle. I was carrying 30 pounds of gear on my back and walking in 90 degree heat for at least 5 kilometers, but then I ended up getting a free ride with some really nice people. It was worth it.

I ziplined through the jungles of Laos, I did a liveaboard to the Similan Islands where I scuba dived 19 times in 4 days, and I learned enough Vietnamese, Khmer, Thai, Lao and Malay while I was there to be functional. Even now, a year later, I can still have a very basic conversation in Thai or Lao. As a traveler, you’re visiting somebody else’s country. Show some respect. The locals love it when you can speak their language. Why does everyone HAVE to learn English? Why can’t we learn their language? Plus, there are always perks when you can speak the local tongue. Like cheaper or free food.

I ate at street vendors, roadside stalls, down alleyways. And sometimes, I had to point at what I wanted. Believe me. Sign language works like a charm. I ended up finding out the local price for food and transportation, which helped me when I bargained and haggled. I knew when I was being ripped off and when the price was fair. It’s all part of the process. You can’t learn any of this on a plan. It just happens.

Being spontaneous helped me save money. It helped me open my eyes and see the world. It helped me experience the local way of life. I know that I will never be able to travel with a travel company. I can never travel on a tight schedule, mapping out every single thing I’m doing at every waking hour. It’s too stressful, and I believe traveling should be relaxing, interesting and fun.

 

THE “NO PLAN” PLAN

Most of the time, the most amazing, life-changing things happen on a whim. Nobody plans for them. They just happen. Originally, I just wanted to be able to run a 5K by July. Who knew I would’ve been ready to run a Half Marathon by June? Things change. Embrace and welcome the change.

I love flexibility, I love spontaneity, and I love not having a defined plan.

It’s liberating. It’s freeing. It leaves the doors for opportunity wide open.

I’m not a planner. I don’t think I ever will be. And honestly, I like it better that way.

Are you a planner? Or do you follow a “no plan” plan?