The 18 Month Test

Over the years I've found that it takes 18 months to build something. You can't change a body in a short time and most coaches will tell you it takes 18 months. Most start ups will tell you the first 18 months are the most critical. 18 months ago I took on two separate tasks. One personal and one professional.

The personal one has been a great success. I feel better today than ever before. I have a great deal many people to thank. My wife for kicking me in the ass to figure it out, my friend Tawnee from Endurance Planet for connecting me to Nourish Balance Thrive and of course the folks at NBT for sorting out my issues. As long as I stay on top of it I should continue to feel great for years to come.

The professional part of my life was not a success but I've learned so much in doing it that I can't feel bad. I started Shoe Ranger with a couple friends. One had helped me build the Shoe Dog at RRS and the other has been a friend and running partner for a long time. We wanted the Shoe Ranger widget to help runners find their next favorite shoe. The widget actually works quite well. But to be honest there was a flaw in the thinking. If you ask a running if they get upset when their favorite shoe is changed by the shoe companies they will tell you yes. But sit back and watch. The majority don't care any more. They move on. They've come to expect change in their shoe and they really understand that every brand is making the same thing. There are some exceptions and it's there where I love to live.

So it's with this news that in the next month or so Shoe Ranger will go off line for good. Simply put it cost to much to maintain.  Sad but true. But as I said I learned a great deal and some of it will be brought to this blog.

1.  I learned that runners really want help with their functional running gait. The service is still available and I highly suggest you contact me before it's too late. The biggest thing I see are lifestyle choices that are affecting your running. Without a video and without all of my questions you'll continue to be frustrated by your lack of improvement or worse yet your constant pain. You can leave a comment here or send me a private message on Facebook to get started. 
2. I learned that Youtube is the better place for shoe reviews. People like to hear what you have to say so those will continue. Not nearly as often but hopefully I can build on the process and the quality of the videos. I will concentrate heavily on the exceptions in the market. The shoes I believe really stand out against the sameness in the market. 
3. I learned HTML but I'm not sure where that will help me in the future. 
4. I learned some Sequal coding and although it was fun to learn maybe it will help me. 
5. I learned it's really hard to maintain a business partnership from 800 miles away. Both of the other partners moved to SFO and it was really hard to get things done once that happened. 

I'm sad because I failed but long ago I wrote about how failure leads to success and I plan to make this true. I'm 12 months into a 2 more professional projects that I'm learning immensely about. They are fun, frustrating and super challenging. 6 more months will tell a great deal. 

If you've been toiling away at a special project for 18 months or more and it's not giving you any satisfaction it may be good time for a change. 

It's a good life....

20 Miles on the Legs

Last week we took a break from normal beating training and went hiking. The goal was two things:

1. Father/Son time - He was on spring break and we needed time together. Only 4 months and a few days until boot camp. 
2. He needed to put miles in his legs in combat boots to break his feet in. 

The hike was 20 miles round trip to the top of Mt San Jacinto (slightly over 10,000 feet) and back. The trees on the bottom of the climb were beautiful. 

We found snow early in the climb and Marco could not resist. 

This is one of the more beautiful hikes in Southern California. Views of the Temecula Vallley and Riverside are spectacular! 

We found lots of snow. In fact most of the top 3.5 miles up and 3.5 miles down was on snow. It wasn't too bad going up. The occasional post hole was more fun than anything. 

Going down through the snow was a different story. Often we were one slip from sliding 100 feet through rocks and trees. Post holes in the later afternoon soft snow became an annoyance. It seemed to take a great deal more time to get through the snow going down. 

Stats

Distance: 20 miles

Time: 10 hours

Elevation Change: 5,000 feet

Reward: The great thing about Southern California is there is almost always an In and Out Burger on the way home. 

We broke his feet in with 3 blisters. My legs felt like I ran 20 miles. 

It's a good life...