PayDay 2015

Once again, it's that time of year, Peeps-- Running Payday!

Umm. . .No.  Not this kind of Payday.

This kind.  Where I get cash money.

This is the time where I tally up my miles, my racing miles, and my PRs and I PAY MYSELF FOR THEM!!!  This is how it works:

I pay myself $.50/running mile, $1.00/racing mile, and $5.00/PR.  The catch is that I deduct all racing fees and babysitting fees for racing.  The good news is that I didn't need a babysitter this year because my kids are finally old enough to watch themselves.  Envy me, mothers of young kids.

Here are the numbers:

105.3 racing miles

1158 overall miles

6 PRs

I subtract the racing miles from the overall miles:

1158-105.3= 1052.7 non-racing miles

I multiply the money amounts by each mile.  In this case, I just needed to divide the running miles by two (since it's 50 cents/mile).  Then I add the dollar amounts together:

1052.7/2=  $526.35 + $105.3= $631.65

Looks awesome, right?  Except now I need to calculate my racing fees:

racing fees= $585  OUCH.

I subtract the racing fees from the overall pay:

631.65-585=  $46.65

Then I add my PR bonus:

6 PRs x $5.00 = 30.00 + $46.65 =  $76.65

This is about half of what I earned last year, even though I ran more miles, because I also ran more races, and some of them (I'm looking at YOU, Ragnar Trail WV) were expensive.  That's ok, though, because any year that I break even is a good year.

What do I do with the money?  I have a special running savings account where I stash the money, and I plan to use it someday for the Paris Marathon.

Someday this will be me, running down the Champs-Elysées.

My annual payday is a nice little incentive I use to get through those days when running isn't my favorite thing to do.  Also, it is a great way to invest in my health, physical and mental.  I am worth the time and effort I spend to run, and finishing in the black at the end of the year proves it to me.

How do you reward your fitness?

Happy New Year, Peeps!  Run happy!

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It's Pay Day!

Today is the day, Peeps, when I figure out how much money I will pay myself for running.  What?

I got this idea from a blogger several years ago (I wish I had remembered her name so I could credit her!), and I like it for two reasons:

1.  It helps me justify the money I spend on running.

2.  It's a great incentive for putting in more miles.


How does Payday work?  Let me show you.

First, keep track of your yearly miles using any tracker tool you like.  I like Dailymile.com because I can embed the widget in my blog that shows my weekly, yearly, and total miles.

Next, keep track of your racing miles and PRs.  Athlinks.com is a good source for this information.

Then, decide how much money you think your activities are worth.  I decided that for each mile I run, I will pay myself $.50.  For each racing mile, I'll pay $1.00.  Every PR gets me a $5.00 bonus.  To keep it fair, I have to subtract racing fees, including babysitting.  I don't add up my racing gear, but I know some people do.  Let's try it, shall we?  Oh, before we do, you need to know that I am not a math whiz.

Let me know if I made any mistakes:


2014 miles:   1,039
-race miles:         84  (rounded from 83.8)
2014 miles:      955 x $.50 =  $477.50
+race miles                                 84.00
                                               $561.50
+ PR bonuses ($5 each)             40.00
subtotal                                  $601.50

Looks good so far, right?  Now I have to deduct racing fees and babysitting.  Ugh.

2014 racing fees:   $235
+ babysitting          $200
                              $435

Last bit of math, Peeps.  Stay with me here.

2014 miles:     $601.50
-fees          :     $435.00
Total:               $166.50

Whew!  We made it!  You get an A+ for seeing me through all of these numbers!

Any year that I can break even, or even make money, is a good year for me!  But wait, Stephani (you say), aren't you paying yourself with your own money?!  How is that even worth it?  Good question!  The way I see it, I don't often credit myself with things I do successfully; more often, I dwell on areas where I fall short.  This system forces me to see my successes and reward myself for them.  It's the equivalent of putting a penny in a jar every time you say something nice or do a good deed.  At the end of a year, you look at the pennies (even though they ultimately came from your pocket), and you see the progress.

You don't even really have to pay yourself; you could use gold stars, or you could just do the math as a point system.  I put the money in a tiny savings account I have set aside for this purpose.  When there is "enough" money there, I will use it to splurge on a vacation, maybe.  A race-cation.  Paris Marathon, I'm looking at you.

This is EXACTLY how I will look running along the Seine!

The point is this:  reward yourself for what you have accomplished.  Find a way to recognize and celebrate your success.  You have worked hard, and you deserve it, Peeps.

Here's to earning more in 2015!

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Payday Hooray!

Today is the day I reveal my running payday.  Woohoo!

Last year I decided that I would log my miles run and as an incentive, I decided to pay myself for running.  The catch is that I had to also log the money I spent on races and babysitters hired for my Saturday races.  My goal was to make a profit.  I got the idea from another blogger (and I feel TERRIBLE that I didn't save that information).  Thank you, Forgotten Blogger!  You are awesome!

Here's the deal:  I decided to pay myself  $.50 for every mile run or walked, $1.00 for every racing mile, and I awarded myself a $5.00 bonus for every PR.  The beauty of this plan is that you can use whatever amount inspires you, and it doesn't just have to be running.  Wanna reward yourself for biking miles?  How about swimming yards?  Zumba hours?  The possibilities are endless.

Let's get to it, shall we?

I logged all of my running miles on Dailymile.com.  This site does an excellent job of helping you keep track of fitness.  Not only can you log your miles, you can also log time, pace, conditions, routes, and how you felt about your experience.  It doesn't have to be just running, either.  I have friends who log spinning, biking, yoga, hiking--you can do whatever you want.  Also, this is a social media service, so you can choose to "friend" people and encourage each other with comments and badges.  You can see my miles on the right side of this post.  In 2013, I ran 645 miles.  Boo.  My original goal was to run 1,000 miles, but my broken foot put the cabosh on that idea.

Modified piggy bank for my circumstances

I logged my racing miles on a spreadsheet.  The credit column was the number of miles, and the debit column was entry fees and babysitting fees.  Now I am going to subtract the number of racing miles from the total on Dailymile:

Total Miles         645

-Racing Miles       37

New Total Miles 608

608 (.50) = $304.00

+ Racing        37.00

                   $341.00

+PRs (4)         20.00

                   $361.00

- race fees   $130.00     

                   $231.00

-babysitter   $100.00

Grand Total = $131.00

Not too shabby, eh?  I know I could have done even better had I not broken my foot in August.  I missed out on at least four races, two of which I am certain would have been a PR.  Oh well.  I am just happy that I can start again this year.

What will I do with the money?  Hmmmm. . . I will need more shoes in a few months.  Maybe a set of capris for the Spring?  How about some more songs for new playlists?  Again, the possibilities are endless, and I EARNED THIS MONEY!  I look forward to earning more money with my feet in 2014!

How do you reward yourself for running?

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