And That's A Wrap

Heading to China tomorrow for three weeks. This will be my last posting in that time. I'm sure there's a workaround to get access to blogger from China but I'm not that savvy and frankly time away from the computer is needed. 1 week will be an all out blitz on running shoes. The other two weeks will be traveling the ancient world of historical China with Mary and Marco.

I'll be thinking of you Larry "King" Solomon. Fight this thing with everything you've got. We are all sending our good Karma your way.          

Last night I got the best compliment. I ran into a teacher of Marcos. I'd never met her before but I knew her from his side. Ms. Temple is what I knew. Anyway she went out of her way to introduce herself and to gush about what a great kid Marco is. She said "I don't know what you and your wife are doing but keep doing it. That is one special kid you've got."

We have our troubles with him. He's 13 and he's like any teenager. What we tell ourselves and him regularly is that it's ok to let loose in the house with us. That if he want's to get mad, get mad in the house. When he's out in the world respect others and be kind. I'll take all the angst in the world from him to hear just once a year something like that from Ms. Temple or anyone else.

Oh and when his running or his drumming or whatever clicks in his head look out. He's got talent and that's not just a Dad talking. He's a drummer and drums are loud. The neighbors all go out of their way to tell us how great it is to listen to him play.

It's a good life....
Dave

The Rock Take 2

Last November I wrote about a long time coworker who would do anything and everything in his power to do right. Recently I heard the Larry The Rock, is in a bigger struggle than he originally signed up for. To keep his struggle private I won't get into details but believe me when I tell you it's not going to be easy.

What I ask is for encouraging words for Larry. If you have something you could say to lift his spirits for an hour, a day or even longer send them to me. I'll figure out how to put them into something meaningful. You don't have to know him. You already know him. He's the quiet guy who just gets shit done all the time and doesn't ask for much. He's not asking for anything right now but I think it's our turn to give him everything.

You can post your comments right here on the blog or you can send them to me via email at djrunning@msn.com.


Thanks for anything you do.

It's a good life...
Dave

Staying Young

Happy Birthday to all those born on June 14th. We all share a special day. It's American Flag Day too!

The other day Mary threw a surprise party for me. A neighbor down the street had the nerve to ask me how old I was. Actually I don't care I'll share any time. I said 47 and her jaw hit the floor "I can't believe you are that much older than me, you look so much younger" To you my neighbor of 43 years old here are my top 10 ways of staying young!

10. Alcohol.- I like a good beer or glass of wine and I even like a good buzz but it's not the first thing I reach for when I get home and it's not a daily occurance (the buzz).
9. Organic - Eat Organic when you can. If you need to ask why, look at #8.
8. Preservatives - Stay away from them. Try to stick to fresh stuff. I put medicine in this category. I avoid it!
7. Money - Easy to say I know, but I've never lived outside of my ability to pay and for that I rarely think about money and I certainly don't worry about it, ever.
6. Move your body - Get off your ass and move your body daily.
5. Sunrise - I enjoy the sunrise, it's my favorite part of the day. I think it's the #1 thing that calms me.
4. Work - Do something you love to do. If that's not the work you do, then find passion outside of work that drives you.
3. Attitude - I was always known as the kid with a smile on my face. Hopefully that comes through as an adult too. I'm usually smiling all day. It's just no that bad to be alive.
2. Sleep - Find a way to sleep hard. It's clearly not how much you sleep it's that when you do, you sleep hard.
1. Genetics - I'm sorry but I come from a young family.

It's a good life...
Dave

Change Makers

10 San Diego County Changemakers Receive First-Ever Sunflower Scholarships
from Chelsea’s Light Foundation
Winners Surprised with Four Years of Scholarship Support Totaling $60,000
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A “service over self” ethic coupled with academic success today earned 10 San Diego County high school students the first-ever Sunflower Scholarships from Chelsea’s Light Foundation.  The Sunflower Scholarship Class of 2011, also now known as the newest Chelsea’s Light changemakers, represents a wide geographic swath from Escondido to Chula Vista, and an array of colleges including Wake Forest, SDSU, Harvard and UCLA.  A total of $60,500 will be awarded to these 10 students over the next four years.
Just under 300 students from 58 San Diego County high schools applied for the 10 scholarships, with the largest number of applicants coming from the Preuss School UCSD (three of the 10 winners were from Preuss).  Every application was personally reviewed by Kelly and Brent King who established Chelsea’s Light Foundation last year in honor of their daughter Chelsea.
“Just as Chelsea was one of a kind and lived an extraordinary life, these teenagers are unique, visionary and benevolent towards others,” said Kelly King.  “They value individuality and embrace diversity in activities, relationships and points of view.  Each one is the epitome of a Chelsea’s Light changemaker.”
Winning the singular “Sparkle” scholarship of $10,000 was Corynn Kolberg from Escondido High School.  In addition to maintaining a 4.3 GPA and playing varsity water polo, she served as chapter president of Best Buddies which fosters friendships with people with intellectual disabilities. Active with the Surfrider Foundation and Rotary Youth Leadership Association, Kolberg will attend Wake Forest University this September.  The nine other scholarship winners who each received $2,000 were:
·       Jenna Belknap/Poway/UCLA
·       Micheal Comaduran/Preuss /UCLA
·       Anthony Gomez/Eastlake/Pomona College
·       Fatima Haghi-Mohamed/Preuss/UCSD
·       Kathleen Hoskins/High Tech High Chula Vista/UCSB
·       Lyle Ikeuchi/Poway/University of New Mexico
·       Kelsey Miller/La Jolla Country Day/Harvard University
·       Jocelyn Noubouphasavanh/Preuss/UC Berkeley
·       Katie Wrieden/Helix Charter/Seattle University

All 10 winners were surprised to learn at today’s Sunflower Scholarship awards event that they will receive ongoing scholarship monies from Chelsea’s Light in each of the subsequent three years if they remain in college.  Kolberg will receive an additional $10,000 for a total of $20,000; the other winners will receive an additional $2,500 for a total of $4,500 each.  Another surprise revealed today were new Sony Vaio laptops for each student donated by Sony Electronics.
Of the nearly 300 applicants, following an application review process 20 semi-finalists were interviewed by a community-based panel and the 10 finalists were subsequently interviewed by the Kings and Chelsea’s Light leadership.
The Sunflower Scholarship Fund was established to reflect the attributes which Chelsea King embodied as a young citizen and student at Poway High School. She was extremely diligent, involved in a variety of school activities, had a passion for volunteering in her community, believed in the power of change and dreamed of making the world a better place.
The Chelsea’s Light Sunflower Scholarship Fund is closely connected to the success of the “Finish Chelsea’s Run” 5K fundraising event.  Proceeds from the inaugural run totaled $110,000 resulting from a turnout of 5,000 participants and financial sponsorship from Bridgepoint Education, Clark Cares Foundation and Wells Fargo Mortgage.  Finish Chelsea’s Run is already confirmed to take place March 3, 2012 in Balboa Park.
Based in San Diego, Chelsea’s Light Foundation was created in 2010 by Kelly and Brent in honor of their daughter Chelsea King.  The mission of the all-volunteer organization is to unite and lead people who are passionate about protecting children and inspiring positive change in their communities. In its first year, Chelsea’s Light Foundation was instrumental in the passage of California’s Chelsea’s Law, hosted the 5,000-person Finish Chelsea’s Run 5K and awarded $60,000 in college scholarships to change-minded high school students.  Information and updates provided at facebook/chelseaslight.com.

It's a good life....
Dave

Body and Mind

I'm a big believer in taking care of the body and the mind. There are many (Mary & Ani) who believe that maybe I over do the body part. And that's why I rely on the Wolf Studio (Not enough I know) and the ball in the photo below. On the plane that ball is my constant companion under my left cheek. In the car I used it on my left shoulder and I use it daily on all parts that are sore. It's amazing how much better I feel the next morning after a good going over with the ball. More pictures in the future. You can buy this ball at Trigger Point. This thing isn't just for athletes. Anyone with a little stress in their lives can benefit from the massage ball. 

For the head I use a great deal of sources. #1 is my wife Mary. She would probably say "When?" but it's daily. She's always pumping good things into my head. I read all the time. Great books, blogs, some news, and a few magazines. But probably most constant and just instantly emotional is music. When I need to wake up, get up, or just need a kick in the butt a good powerful song regularly delivers. Today it was Eminem "Lose Yourself" 

Yesterday Mary and Marco threw a surprise birthday party for me. It was a good time for sure. The best part of the day was when the neighbors from across the street showed up. Mario, Michelle and Geoff. They've lived there almost a year and because of all the crazy schedules nobody on our side of the street really knew them. Apparently Mario hung a shelf in my house but I think that's about it. Anyway it was great that they came over and now we all have a new friend. Totally random though is the shoe wall in Marios office at home. One day I'll get a picture but go figure. The shoe guy has a neighbor who is a shoe geek living across the street. His two favorite brands, adidas and Onitsuka Tiger. And from what I could tell he's got some history on that wall. Totally love it!

It's a good life....
Dave

Dogness

Every Morning this week this song comes on the Ipod as I walk across the street. 

And the reason for the walk across the street is here. 

I'm not sure who enjoys the walk more. Me with Adele or Scout in all her dogness. 

It's a good life...
Dave

Sweat And Tears

It's a good life....
Dave

Thursday Mornings

I read Seth Godin every morning. Good thing I read this before the ride. Sometimes disaster is what I feel daily. It's nice to have a friendly reminder that Disaster can be a good thing. Every Thursday right now is a trip up Double Peak Road. I decided to start riding and running with people just to have more social time in my life. It has been great. Yesterday we there were four of us all in our Zoot Kit. For the other three it was their first time up DP. Too bad it was so foggy. It would have been nice to show them the view from the top which is spectacular. 

Molly at the base of the steep climb. She quoted at this point that the climb was already tough and all I could say was just wait.

It's San Diego in June and that means June Gloom. I time of year when we may not see the sun on the coast. This morning the onshore clouds were a bit thick making it a cool morning. Molly the normally warn one chose Zoot Thermal CompressRX tights under her cycling shorts.

                                              The team preparing for the ride.

Molly with the big grin after riding to the top. John already putting his long sleeves back on for the quick ride down. 

The Sweet Zoot Kit from the back. 

The ride home is always a challenge for me. After a full day of work ( remember Disaster) I put the kit back on for the ride home. People seem to be in a hurry when they are going home. The street the office is on should be renamed Freeway. The speed limit is 55 but they are going much faster. I have to cross three lanes right out of the office drive to get in a turn lane. It's always a rush to cross and hope they see me. Then it's on to two more roads that are just packed with screaming cars where everyone is in a hurry.  But there is always a point where I look over into one of those screaming cars and smile . Because whatever they are rushing to do can't be better than what I'm doing. Usually by the time I get home I'm mellowed out from the day thanks to the ride home. 

It's a good life...

Dave

Running for Chelsea

2 years ago Chelsea King went for a run. It was just a normal day. She called home or sent a text saying I'm going for a run.  But on this day, on this trail in north San Diego County, a dispicable man decided Chelsea should shouldn't run anymore. This story story touched everyone. A young girl going out for a run. A group of us decided that we wanted to finish her run. So about 2 months after her death a couple thousand people showed up to go running.
This past March  the Chelsea's Light Foundation launched Fininsh Chelsea's Run. A huge gathering of people getting together to celebrate her life, raise money and run a 5K. Usually I'd say they showed up to run a 5K but after witnessing the event it was clearly in the order I placed it. Yesterday we sat down to start planning the event for next year. I highly suggest if you want a feel good day, one that can show the power of a strong family and the power of community show up next March.
The race and the Foundation raise money to send kids to college. To send Change Makers out into the world. In the next couple days in a quiet setting a group of high school kids are going to find out they are the first recipients of scholarship money from the foundation. From tradgedy comes hope. Hope that if you give the Change Makers every opportunity, they will go out and make Change. Maybe make the change that is needed to let a girl go out for a run.

It's a good life...
Dave

Going Mental

It's a regular happening around my house. Mary comes rushing down the stairs to tell us a snake story. The other night it was a story about Cobras on a train in Vietnam.  I'm not saying this happens every so often, it happens 3-4 nights a week. Stories of snakes. Then last night Mary asked me to put the screen back on the dryer vent on the outside wall. Why you might ask? The Snakes passing by (you know those traveling snakes) on our bank will notice the warmth and want to slither inside...you know end up in the dryer. Do you see where I'm going? Mary has a snake phobia. An unhealthy nightmare at night fear of slithering snakes. And yet she searches for stories on the web about snakes. Hmmm?

Same kind of story only different. Yesterday we posted  on Facebook a piece I wrote about Zoot shoes and our shoe philosophy. Some guy went off on the post saying we thought coaches were a waste of time and just writing all kinds of nonsense. At one point he accused me of baiting him into a discussion.  I searched his name on Google and guess what? He's a college professer specializing in Mental Illness. Lighten up doctor it's just running shoes. You deal with the important stuff. When I die I really hope they don't say "Dave was the best shoe person in the world". Get it?

It's a good life....
Dave

Make it Fun

Yesterday Marco and I went for a run at his request. He asked as we were watching the Rock n Roll Marathon on Sunday. A dream of mine to have my son ask me to go running with him. We headed out at about 5 pm and I told him the plan before hand. We would run north on the path along the railroad tracks. We then would cross into Encintas, run south through town and end up at Swami's park and beach access. There we would head to the beach remove our shoes and run as hard as we could to the Cardiff Access point. 

I knew Marco would enjoy the speed and the run along the water. The further we got down the beach the further out into the water he went. When we got to the point where we would exit the beach he held up his index finger telling me to wait. He threw his shoes on the beach, took off his shirt and threw it on the beach as well. Then he headed west into the water to play in the waves. It was spontaneous and it great. Reminds me that we can always learn from our children.

It's a good life....
Dave

Tastes Good?

I'm always on the search for something new. After my "collapse" in Utah recently I've opened myself up to look at everything. This week I decided to try a new natural food product to supplement my diet. Especially in the morning before a long workout. I tried using this product twice. On Wednesday before my long run and Saturday before my bike ride. Wednesday I had a good run with the group and didn't feel hungry for about 2 hours after the run. On Saturday my stomach was tied in knots the entire ride. The main difference I think was Wednesday I drank it 1.5 hours before I ran. On Saturday it was like 15 minutes before I took off. So I'll keep testing it. I learned of this product from someone I trust on what food to eat, James Walsh.

The problem I have with the product and I'm not alone when it comes to virtually every product from the Vitamine and Supplements Isle. Even though they say it tastes great it doesn't. On this product I don't even think doesn't is nice enough. I can usually handle it all but this one is hard to drink. It's called Vega and their claim to faim is Real Food Fast. They sell the nutritional value hard but they really sell the "Tastes Great" super hard. In fact the quote is "People who are not really used to a whole food natural diet find this product tastes great"  The Jury is still out.

In other news I'm going to try to commit to writing in my other blog, Running Shoe Dirt. This week I'm talking again about my favorite traditional running shoe hater, the Run Blogger. I'm going to commit to a weekly post. Maybe it will catch on. Someone has to stand up and talk real about shoes and running. We can't let the academics rule our practice.

It's a good life...

Dave

I am here to.......

The book I am Here to Win is a must read for anyone who is a triathlete or just simply loves competition. Clearly it helps to know the players but you don't have to to enjoy it. But I'm not writing about it to give you my opinion of the book. Through reading it I've reflected on what I'm doing as a person and as a triathlete and that's what I'll touch on.

Me the Person
In general I think I've sold myself short for too long. I love what I do for a living but my experience and my knowledge of the market says I should be doing more. Instead of digging for Mentors and allies in my industry the way Macca has done I based my livelyhood on my geeky shoe knowlegde. It's time to get out there and use what I've got.  I read articles today of people who are running their respective companies and these are people I worked side by side with 10 years ago. They don't have what I have they've just been more aggressive with where they want to go. No offense to anyone reading this but it's true.

Me the Triathlete
The Skeleton Macca talks about is exactly what I was referring to weeks ago when I said I failed the coach. I know because of years of experience the base work I needed to do. I needed coach to fine tune from that base. Instead I let him give me the plan from the bottom up. Although the plan was great I sure know my body better than anyone and should have been more involved in the planning. I've detailed out my current skeleton for now below.
Nutrition - Hydrate the muscle - that makes total sense and that's a good learning. I was thinking about Ironman races past and I used to drink this stuff called Pro Hydrator. Guess what, it was a good combination of what Macca was talking about. Did I think of that this year. Only at about mile 90 of the bike. The rest of his nutrition plan is fairly common sense. Oh and he's not the first World Champion to drink Ensure before the race. Coke - Long ago I learned from my good buddy Monty that Coke was the best nutrition product on the race course. Macca simply confirms it again. All the science of the world and Coke still rules.

I think the end result of the book is that no matter what you do, be good at it and surround yourself with people to help with the weak spots. Clearly that's where I've gone wrong recently.

My current Skeleton: 10 hours max. Probably much less.
Monday - Swim Masters - Easy 30 minute run with strides.
Tuesday - Easy Ride to and From Work
Wednesday - 1 hour "Long" run - weights on the upper body.
Thursday - Ride to work with a trip up Double Peak.
Friday - Masters or Open Water Swim - 1 hour tempo run.
Saturday - 2-3 hour ride lots of big gear work, 20 min run - weights - legs.

Goal right now is to put some weight on and get my lower back to be strong. This will probably include a trip or two to see my friends at the Wolf Studio.

It's a good life....
Dave