No Compromise!

Manager vs Leader

2012-02-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

The Castle overlooking Heidelburg, Germany

"Management is doing things right - dotting the I's crossing the T's, giving reviews, doing all the H.R. stuff. But Leadership is about doing the Right Thing" Tim Bucher

Without good managers, process doesn't happen, people don't feel secure and the ability to hit financial targets is hampered severely. Without good Leaders, risk isn't taken, motivation slips and Financial targets are missed. The best companies in the world big or small public or private have both.

It's a good life...

Sunset LAX

2012-02-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

I see way to many sunrises and sunsets through airport windows. This Sunset at LAX was rather special.

It's a good life...

Energy is why we eat.

2012-02-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

From time to time I feel it's important to share the things I've found. I don't begin to call myself a nutrition expert or even good at following my own advice. I do know that when I do follow my advice or that of the experts it works for me. One of those experts is Chuckie V. Read what he has to say about Nutrition here.

It's fairly simple.
1. Eat Real Food in it's natural state
2. Drink Water
3. Eat often
4. If your energy levels are high through the day you have eaten enough if not you probably haven't.

Mistakes everyone makes on low energy.
1. More coffee
2. soft drinks loaded with sugar
3. Sugar loaded food or blank food - both are wrong.

Which brings me to the snack of the week. I found this at Whole Foods. You can make them yourself if you have a food processor. For $9 for 8 servings. Cheaper than any packaged "energy" bar. You get absolutely energy loaded. What on this label will scare most people is 110 of 160 calories are fat. Go back and read what Chuckie has to say and then dig in. That Fat is really good fat and it will fill you, and provide you with great energy.

It's a good life....
Dave

The Entertainer

2012-02-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Always the entertainer. Scout, Pinhead,Missy,Scouty Bobouty, and whatever else we call you. You are a big reason we get to smile every day.

It's a good life....

Alone in the morning mist: Grossenseebach, Germany

2012-02-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's a good life...

Running Around #6 - Cardiff Kook Run

2012-02-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Top 10 for the Cardiff Kook Run

We knew it was a good idea the first time the mention of the Kook, running and Super Bowl Sunday were put together.
Mile Markers oops!
There was a Terry Schalow sighting. Terry and I live in the same town, work in the same industry, have known each other for more than 20 years yet the only time we see each other is at the NYC Marathon Runner's World party.
We unloaded a great deal of water the morning of the race. It wasn't enough.
Remember when recovery and prep and rest meant nothing. I give you our 13 year old son who ran once this year and not hard since is last cross country race in November. He towed the line for the 5K ran his fastest 5K ever and ran faster then everyone else from his team.
The woman who I came up to in the first mile of the run her quote "I'm almost 50 and I'm trying to break 40" I checked, you are only 46 so you are not almost 50. You are a good runner for sure but you prance when you run. Oh yeah that foot plant thing again. Upper body tall and proud, feet planting where feet plant. Try to get her to run proper with a clean midfoot strike. Good Luck and oh by the way, you would slow her down.
The hill repeats are working. For the last three weeks I've spent Wednesday getting strong on the hills. Approaching the hill on the way back and running it, I felt in total control. Not fast but in control.
The long warm up with Andrew and Eric was perfect. I think the older I get the more warm up I need. One day I'll probably have to run the 10K just to run the 10K.
Pro Women triathlete who I crushed. I suggest you look at everything you're doing and hire someone to handle it all. If you can't beat me you are not going to reach your dreams. I ran really slow for me by the way.
Can't wait to do it all over again.

It's a good life....

Disappointment = Expectations - Reality

2012-02-07T05:05:00.000-08:00

How can you make the mental shift in your life so that your glass isn't half empty or half full? How about simply being glad that you have a glass? - Chip Conely

It's a good life...

Running Shoes #7: A Legend

2012-02-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

The history of this brand is legendary. Geoff Hollister is a huge part of Nike Lore. Those of us in the running shoe business owe a great deal to guys like Geoff. RIP Geoff.

It's a good life...

Cafe in France

2012-02-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Not the first time I've shared this photo. It just keeps getting better every time I look at it.

Colors

2012-02-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

Surfing Munich

2012-02-03T05:45:00.000-08:00

The farthest point from any beach in all of Europe. Doesn't stop the drive to get wet.

Emotional Equations

2012-02-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how things happen. It's not by chance that's for sure. I was introduced to Chip Conley by reading the 4 Hour Work Week author Tim Ferris blog. Then I bought Emotional Equations and answers are coming to me. Answers I didn't even know I had questions to. So follow along as I uncover some answers.

First learned Equation. Despair = Suffering - Meaning

My Recent Example: I've been an unhappy camper at work to the point of Despair

The Suffering (manifested)
1. poor sleep patterns
2. Nasty emails to my boss
3. Non-Stop pushing with the big decision makers.
4. Probably a bear to deal with at home
6. crappy workouts

Meaning - I didn't know what I was doing at the company. What's my purpose. Just building shoes and being the only one in the building and in the company (parent included) that really understood shoes and how they are so tied to running was beginning to wear on me. But on Monday the new Developer started and now I have a partner who is into shoes like me. I get to have "meetings" with someone other than myself and the meaning came back to me "I'm here to make running a better experience". With that everything washed off of me. Sure there are still things that will bother me but I know what I'm here to do and that it will translate to many more things like business growth in the future.

Example #2 is for you parents out there. Marco has been struggling with Algebra. His grade has slowly gone down, his motivation went with it and all he heard from us pressure to perform. All of this with a good math teacher and a tutor. He was suffering so much that it became despair. Then Mary found a new "tutor". The first thing this tutor did was give Marco a general math test. The meaning clearly showed through the test. As you know Math builds on itself over the years. If you don't understand or possible miss a section (due to living abroad) then you can get lost. For whatever reason Marco was missing some basic Math knowledge that caused him to get all the Algebra wrong. It's going to take hims lots of work to figure it all out, but now the Despair can go away. He will suffer for the next semester but as long as he works hard on making up the learning (the meaning) he will be fine once High School starts.

There will be more learning on my part from this book. I'm confident on that. I'll continue to write in hopes that I gain more clarity in my life.

It's a good life....

Running Shoes #6: Running Form

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

There are quite a number of bloggers (Runblogger, Barefoot University and more) along with shoe companies that say or have said and I paraphrase "Run in minimalist running shoes and you will improve your running form" . The below video refutes that claim. Chrissy Wellington may one day be called the greatest female triathlete ever. Currently that crown goes to Paula Newby Fraser. I would post videos of Paula that show much of the same thing, but there aren't any. So I post Chrissy. In this video Chrissy is wearing a Brooks Racing flat. Otherwise known as a minimal shoe. In this video you will notice that Chrissy lands on her heel, over-pronates and kicks one leg out fairly dramatically. The shoe isn't exactly causing Chrissy to run on her midfoot and it's not giving her perfect form. But Chrissy has perfect running form. She runs tall, she carries her arms well with very little movement and she runs really strong. Because of these things the heel plant, and over-pronation don't affect her running and she can get away with running in a racing flat. Again, the racing flat isn't causing her to run like that.

So how did she learn how to run this way? I'll be she had a coach oh wait she has a coach and his name is Dave Scott and he won 6 Ironman World Championships. Let's look at his running form for a second. When you watch this, you'll see short choppy over-pronating steps. But my gosh could this guy run. Again, racing flats, strong body, perfect form in the upper body. Not saying Dave had anything to do with how Chrissy runs but I'll bet she heard often, "Keep your head up, run tall, keep your arms going forward" and never did she hear "Land on your midfoot". Dave probably also didn't tell Chrissy what shoes to run in. .

My point and it's consistent.
- Run Tall
- Run Strong
- Keep your arms going front to back not side to side.
- Practice this with drills and Strides
- Run often
- Everything else will take care of itself
- If you can get away with running in minimalist shoes do so!

It's a good life....

Cardiff Kook Run Options

2012-01-31T06:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday is the Cardiff Kook Run. Of course one of the options for the event is to dress up. Above is one of the easier Kook outfits. Click here for more options.

It's a good life...

Running Shoes #5: Zero Drop and the Cardiff Kook Run Countdown

2012-01-30T06:25:00.000-08:00

T minus 7 until you get to Kook it up at the Cardiff Kook Run.

My test shoes for the weekend. The Zero Drop, Altra The Instinct. Well constructed and a great story. Part of the product story solved. I like the story the best. Just the box was worth the $100 I spent on the shoes.

It's a good life....

The Reward

2012-01-29T18:00:00.001-08:00

When you work hard and go hard you have to reward the effort.

It's a good life....

Rubber and Road

2012-01-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

617 miles with L.A. rush hour traffic in the middle gives a person a great deal of time to think.

1. I set the plans to change 4 different shoes. A new Zoot footwear line.
2. Drew up in my head something new for the footwear world.
3. Most of all I got lost in my youth. My love for loud music played really loud. If you play the song below in your car and turn the volume to as loud as it gets, everything else disappears. The thoughts of shoes, the thoughts of taking risk in business, the fears of failing in business. All of it gone in an instance and your lost in that heavy guitar and heavy bass. Music is a beautiful thing.

It's a good life....

Recovery Shoe

2012-01-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with a long time friend yesterday, Howard Jones. Howard and I use to swimbikerun together way before triathlon became this big corporate thing. More recently Howard sold the shoes I helped make with the 3 stripes. He now sells Birkentstocks. He reminded me of something. Before all of these fancy foot rollers, "recovery" shoes and the like we had Birkenstocks. My guess is these sandals will out last all of those other "recovery" footwear techniques. Why, they work and the design is timeless.

It's a good life....

Running Around #5 A story of Love in Atlanta

2012-01-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Mary at the Great Wall Summer 2011

This is a story about a girl. Her name is Mary. A long time ago at a company we both worked for Mary was notorious. Let's just say any time her name came up it was followed with she's such a bitch. During this time I was selling shoes for a living. Besides working at one of the retail stores I was also on the travel team, traveling to running races all over the country selling. One of the races frequented was the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA. It was July and time for Peactree. The plans were set but there was a late substitution. Mary was coming. Oh Great!
I met Mary for the first time at the airport in San Diego. I said hi but not much else until we got off the plane in Atlanta. We found our hotel and realized we had a few hours before we could set up at the expo. There were 4 or 5 of us on the trip. Mary wanted to go visit a Museum. I wanted to go for a run. The others joined Mary on the Museum tour and of course I went running in the hot afternoon in Atlanta. There was nothing special about the run just that I did it.
Over the next 3 days I got to know Mary. In fact I don't think we stopped talking to each other the entire trip. I got home after the trip and called my sister Cyndi. I told her I met my future wife.
It was almost a year later that we went on our first date. Ever since then we plan our vacations in places where Mary can tour and I can run.

No clue what I'd be doing today if I hadn't gone running in Atlanta.

It's a good life....

What Makes You Happy?

2012-01-26T09:02:00.000-08:00

There is brilliance all around us. I found this on the net. Chip Conley on Ted.

It's a good life....

Music that makes you think

2012-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

The other day on the radio Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot was talking about this song Where I Belong. He was asked how he comes up with this stuff. His story and I'm paraphrasing is "What if this is the last song you write. What would you say?" It's something we should all think about from time to time.

It's a good life....

PBR at Whole Foods

2012-01-24T12:46:00.000-08:00

Regularly I go to Whole Foods to buy my lunch for the day. Always a Salad of course. If you watch what you put in the salad it's rather reasonably priced. It's priced by weight. Today when I walked in I was greeted by this display. My sense of smell went on overdrive. I was rushed back to my teenage years in Peoria, Ill. If the wind was right it didn't matter where in the city you were. But more often then not it was on the regular trips to the park for Soccer practice that the smell of the PBR Brewery was the strongest. As soon as I saw the display today the smell of mass production brewing hit me. And look it's only $8.99 for a 12 pack. Go get some!!

It's a good life....

Do you really want it?

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday we went to a Banquet for the Civil Air Patrol. It's something Marco really enjoys. It's teaching him Leadership and so much more. Like this quote from a Navy Captain last night. The quote refers to this. How do I get what I want:

"Sustained Superior Performance"

It's a good life....

Running Shoes #4: First Performance

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Heather Jackson finished 3rd in the Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon in a time of 1:16:10. The time was 3:30 faster than last year. I think that should strike some fear in the 70.3 world. Heather learning to run can't be good for everyone else. Only time will tell but it's looking good. To view a few pictures go click here.

This is the first performance for someone in the new Zoot Ultra Tempo+ 5.0. I sincerely can't wait for these shoes to hit the market. It's been a true effort in patience.

It's a good life....

I Still Haven't Read It

2012-01-22T05:00:00.001-08:00

Note: I wrote this over a year ago but apparently didn't publish it. It still makes sense to me.

In the current issue of Runner's World, the one with the New 2011 shoe review in it has a two page spread on a new book by Dean Karnazes. According to the article the following quotes are from his new book Run. If the quotes really represent what's in the book, I've read it already. More times than I'd like to admit. But I'll hold judgement because maybe the article was 4 pages long and got edited down to this set of quotes. So in that case it's just bad editing on the magazine's part.. Here are the quotes and a few words about each one:

"Never, under any circumstances, argue with a woman. She is always right." - Seriously women of the world is that what you want?

"Regardless of how distant your dreams may seem, every second counts" - I told you I read that!

"When all else fails, start running" - I think there are too many men in the world with this mentality. Stand up and Be Different!

"Endurance sports either strengthen a relationship or destroy it" - That's the biggest copout in endurance sports. You either strengthen your relationships or you destroy it.

It's a good life....

Why do those things?

2012-01-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

The discussion came up of why I continue to "train" the way I do.

1. Because I can still do it at a high level.
2. I like it. No really I like going hard and the feeling of it afterward.
3. I continue to learn something about myself, life and other people every time I'm out there.
4. I like the people. Recently I went back to the pool where I did my first ever Masters swim practice. The Coach is still the same and he's a great guy. Corky is still there, making me laugh every time we swim together.
5. I love the feeling of feeling good. When I'm in "shape" and feeling strong everything around me seems to work. I simply love that feeling.

It's a good life....

Running Around #4: Florida, 9 IVs and a Sub10 Ironman

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've had the pleasure to run a number of times in the great state of Florida and so I have many stories I could tell.
1. Running South Beach where there is little left to the imagination.
2. Running through Disney World.
3. Running along the various water ways of Tampa.

The best story comes from one of the most interesting towns I think we've ever been too, Panama City Beach. The beach is as white and you can imagine a beach to be and the sand is so fine it squeaks when you walk on it. Just across the street from the beach sits many establishments flying the South colors. I think you have to go there to appreciate it's flair. Anyway it was Ironman Florida 2000. Billed as a fast course but with no breaks. Dead flat on the bike and run means you better keep your focus. Anyway I got through the swim and 3/4 of the bike ok. Towards the end of the bike it started to rain hard. Water everywhere. Because I was getting rained on and cooled down I didn't drink. By the time I got to the run the sun was out and the wet roads were steaming. Everything seemed fine on lap #1. I was on my goal pace and all was well with the body. Things started to crumble as I neared the final turn around. I could feel things were not right but my running was still in good shape. As I got close to the finish I ran up along side a guy and urged him to run with me. He did. We both hit the tape in 9:57. A really good day.
Mary was there to meet me at the finish. Her concern as always was that I would die right then and there. I assured her that I was fine but that I needed food and something to drink. When that came around I realized something was wrong. I couldn't drink or better I couldn't swallow. Same on the food. I found the medical tent and told them what was going on. I was shivering by this time and couldn't get warm. The doctor in the tent checked me out and said "you are not that bad off and besides we need these beds for people who will come in with a much worse condition". So I left the tent, found Mary and we headed to the condo. In the condo I sat in a warm bath trying to get warm. Mary tried feeding me potato chips and sprite. Nothing doing I was still cold and could not consume. Finally at 9pm a full 4 hours after finishing I ask Mary to take me to the hospital. There they run test after test and finally come back and tell me this:
"Your body has begun to feed on itself, you are going to need IV and monitoring to make sure it doesn't get worse. Because it's now midnight you will officially be checked in tomorrow. Florida state law requires that you stay over night which means you will be with us for the next two nights"
By the time I woke up the next morning I had gone through 9 IV bags. That's quite a few if you didn't know. For the next day I was bouncing off the wall. I had just gone Sub10, my wife was already back in California and I was 100% recovered (9 IVs will do that) and still in a hospital. Now I was sure my bed could be used for someone in worse condition then me.

The lessons learned:
1. Continue to drink and eat when it's raining.
2. Go as fast as you can, it's fun to push the limits.
3. Don't let the doctor tell you how you feel. 1 IV in that tent and the entire problem would have been solved.

It's a good life....

Over Hill

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you want to be a strong runner you've got to run hills. We may not have Kenya type hills (that's a story for a time later) but we do have Chesterfield. Running this at the end of a long run is no treat. But it sure toughens you up.

It's a good life.....

Running Form on Real Runners

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

If you got a chance to watch the US Olympic Marathon trials this past Saturday you go a chance to see some phenomenal runners and their beautiful running form. One runner of note I'd like to point out. Not because of her stunning beauty but because of her running form. I've quoted my friend Greg McMillan often in this blog. He talks about running tall rather than worry about foot placement. There is no better example then Kara. She is one tall (as in she runs ver tall) powerful runner. But if you notice in this picture and in any video of her running she lands on her heels. That for sure has got to be sending shock waves through her body making her one slow poke runner. Not! 3rd place and a stamped ticket to London proves otherwise.

It's a good life....

Places Around the World: More Slovenia

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

House on the Lake with the Alps as a backdrop.

It's a good life.....

Running Shoes #3: Was it the shoes?

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Sketchers Go Run

Over the weekend the Olympic Marathon Trials were won by Meb Keflezghi. It was a very smart race as Olympic trials go. The boys went out hard to remove any chance of someone taking a flyer. They kept the pace hard to 20 miles to make sure their gap would stick. Then it came down to the four runners and which 3 would be strong enough to finish it off. The winner was the ageless Meb. He was the Silver Medalist in Athens in the Marathon. He won the NYC marathon in 2010 and in 2011 was dropped by Nike. Sketchers stepped in to help Meb out. In November of 2011 Meb went back to NYC and finished 6th running his fastest Marathon ever. Saturday he bettered his time by a few seconds but more importantly he won at the age of 36. He ran in the new Sketchers Go Run. I'm sure there is a party at Sketchers going on today. You believe in an athlete, you work with that athlete, and he delivers with a victory. Fairly crazy that less than a year after Sketchers releases their first ever running shoe, they will have an athlete wearing them in the Olympics. Good for Sketchers and Great for Meb. I'm sure somewhere in the Nike office there is somebody saying "Man, I told you he wasn't finished, he's not too old"

It's a good life.....

Places Around the World

2012-01-15T13:48:00.001-08:00

The Alps - Slovenia

A Bit Humbling

2012-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

In Kona this year Shawn and I were interviewed by some journalists from Japan. It was a whirlwind interview. Lot's and lot's of pictures. They shot video of the interview and apparently we made in on something because my friend Kohei in Japan said he saw it. Then this. Tarpan magazine.

It's a good life....

Focused Attention

2012-01-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

Recently I wrote about some focused attention I would be placing on my sport. The area's in order that needed the attention were:

1. The bike
2. The Swim
3. Strength

Just an update so far.

Bike: Over the last few years I've seen one measurement slipping. When I was younger, a 3 hour ride always meant 50 or slightly more miles. For me 3 hours is 3 hours away from home, not 3 hours of actually riding. It's my way of telling Mary exactly when I'll be home. Since we moved to Germany and back, this number has slipped. 3 hours was only 45 miles or I've seen as low as 42 miles. If anything I've been consistent. Well finally on Saturday without "trying" I road 51 miles for 3 hours. That doesn't mean I'm back to an old form it just means that my work is paying off. Go figure, ride your bike often and good things can happen.

Swim - Not as dramatic in my mind but a good sign. Last week my 1:35 (per 100m) was overcrowded so I moved over to the 1:30 lane and made the workout. It was really hard but I made it.

So far so good. It just shows that you can focus on areas where you are weak and improve on them. With effort and time good things can happen.

It's a good life....

Running Around Episode 3: The State List

2012-01-12T04:58:00.000-08:00

The USA is a study in itself in terms of my running. One day I'll count all the states, there are many. But for now here's my top 5 listing of the states with the most running for me:

1. California
2. Illinois
3. Massachusetts
4. Oregon
5. Washington

It's a good life....

Running Around Episode 2 The Country List

2012-01-10T05:31:00.000-08:00

My running around the world has been a special experience. As we go I'll share the many stories from the road but I thought I'd start with a simple ranking. Countries I've where I've run the most:

1. USA

2. Germany

3. China

4. Panama or Mexico I'm not sure.

Running Shoe Episode 2: It's got to be the shoes

2012-01-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Recently Dr. Lieberman produced his study done on Harvard Cross Country Runners over a long period of time. You can read a report on the study here. Obviously it's really cool that the study was done. And the results are plain to see.
1. Runner's get injured. In fact 74% got injured each year.
2. The study suggests that you are less likely to get injured if you run on your forefoot. But as the above article states the study didn't move a runner from heel striking to forefoot striking to measure the results.
3. The study was funded in part by Vibram the makers of 5 fingers. This suggests nothing. I say thanks to Vibram for doing this.
4. The end result is we don't know much more today than we did. Running hurts, your running form may have an effect on your chance of injury but just because you run "Natural" (I'm using the current term, not referring to anything stated in the study) doesn't mean you won't get injured in fact you probably will.
5. Darn it, there must be something I can pull from this to say that's it's the shoes. The shoes are the cause of all our problems. The shoes if made right wouldn't put us in this heel striking running form. If the shoes would let us run naturally we wouldn't get injured. I know maybe we should build a shoe that forces us to run naturally. That will show the world.

I could go on but I won't. Decide for yourself what works and doesn't work for you. Get out there an run.

Running Around - Episode 1 - The Girl and Oreo Cookies

2012-01-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

Running Around will take you through all the places in the world I've run or will run in my life. I've been really lucky to be able to do what I do. At age 17 I started running and made a commitment then that I wanted to work for a shoe company. Well here I am many years later still running and working for a shoe company. But it all had to start somewhere and that somewhere is right here. The Lake at Lake of the Woods in Dunlap IL. My brother Bob was a runner and I thought that was rather crazy. But then I met a girl and she was a runner. Not just any runner mind you she was on a team of 3 in Cross Country and track (distance) and she made it to the final in the State Track meet for the 800 as a freshman. Anyway one day she challenged me to a race way off in the future. My soccer season was over and my daily routine was come home from school, have a hand full of Oreo Cookies and watch MTV. Not long after that challenge, I was sitting on the couch with a stack of Oreos by my side when it hit me. I put on my running shoes (a pair of cheap Nike shoes) and started running. My goal was to run to the lake and back. Roughly 3 miles round trip. I was sore for 2 days after that but somehow I did it again, and again, and again. The next week I bought my first pair of real running shoes (New Balance) and just kept going. The relationship with the girl ended, I hate Oreo cookies but the running remains.

It's a good life....

Sunset, Cardiff by the Sea

2012-01-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

I have had the pleasure of running in some absolutely amazing places around the world. There are few better than a sunset run in Cardiff by the Sea. This was the backdrop of my run last night.

Picture Courtesy of friend Susie Miller

Don't write goals.

2012-01-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a different perspective on goal writing. I like it.
Zen Habits

Cardiff Kook Run, Snot-Rockets, F-Bombs just a week in running

2012-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

If you are racing the First Annual Cardiff Kook 10K, this is what you are racing for. It's a perpetual trophy that will have your name on it if you win. Really darn cool if you ask me.

This interview with Desi Davila is inspiring. This is the mindset you have to have if you wan to win. You can't train for a PR you can't train to make the final you have to train to win. There is just no way around that. If you want to win Boston, Ironman or the Olympics you better have this attitude.

Some favorite Quotes of the week.

Seriously, why is it I can't do a snot-rocket without hitting myself. Today I cleared the body but what are the odds hit my shoe mid-stride - Mary Beth Ellis

The weird thing is, or maybe it's not so weird, but once I decided to just race bikes next year I started to like running more. Like running for the sake of running and having nothing to with racing. Running is fun! - James Walsh

A big thank you to Desi, Mary Beth, James of course the Cardiff Kook for making this first week of 2012 and entertaining running week.

My Favorite Picture

2012-01-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is by far my favorite picture of 2011. Mary, reading (her favorite thing to do) in a chair fit for a queen. It was taken at the pool at the Marriott, in Beijing. This is one of the reasons I frequent Marriott. To give Mary this opportunity.
The other reasons I hit Marriott. Have you ever been to China? Have you ever tried to run in one of the industrial cities? If not give it a try and then find the Marriott. I've found through all my travels that Marriott offers the best gym. When going outside is not the best option then having a good gym to work out in is essential to keep my life somewhat normal. I also like the pillows Marriott offers better but that's really secondary to the gym. Bottom line is I get to work out and Mary gets pampered from time to time. It's the best of both worlds if you ask me.

I have to throw this picture in because it's what Marco and I do best. We try to make each other laugh often. This too was taken in China but you could hardly tell. The important thing is the smile on his face. Those are priceless.

Marketing It's really simple

2012-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

Marketing = Product, Price, Market, A way to sell it and a way to promote it.

When all these are in place the product you are building finds it's market. When they are not in place you fail or certainly don't hit your goal.

Life Episode 1, 2012 - Vega Sport

2012-01-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

live with intention. walk to the edge. listen hard. practice wellness. play with abandon. laugh. choose with no regret. continue to learn. appreciate your friends. dow what you love. live as if this is all there is. - mary anne radmacher

Life always throws in new priorities. Because of one of mine I have a new workout routine. I used to be the guy who woke up, took time to really wake up and then get going. Not any more. Today it was wake up and 25 minutes later I was out the door running. To do this I knew I had to try something different to get me going. I didn't have time to have a snack and a cup of coffee. So I've been trying Vega Sport Pre Workout Energizer. It works. It's a bit expensive but for this I don't care. All I care about is being awake and energized when I'm out there.

Of course that's not my only secret. When I wake up I have a glass of pure clean water. I can generally tell by how fast I drink it, how "dehydrated" I am. Usually not. But once I'm outside and running, my mouth gets really dry and all I can think about is water. So my answer to this is a peace of gum. It works. Today I never noticed that I was thirsty.

Running Shoe Episode 1 - 2012

2012-01-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

We call him The Pope. He's by far the best at putting the human body back together with his hands. He's traveled the world working on World Champion athletes. When you spend 90 minutes with The Pope he's working your head as much as your body. After 5 years of stupidness I went to see The Pope. As always my body and my head came out feeling better.
He couldn't wait to show me these shoes. Shoes that I suggested he try out. What's unique about them is that they have 3500 miles on them. They must be the most durable shoes in the world right? Not even close, the Pope is almost as unique in his running. He's learned that if you run often, run tall,and run light on your feet, you can run for a long time. Not really unique at all if you ask me.

Get a Move On

2012-01-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

"Today is a brand new day, an it's mine to use in a marvelously positive way" Zig Ziglar

What a beautiful day December 31 2011

Best Trip - China

2011-12-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

By far the best trip of 2011 was the family trip to China. You know it leaves an impression when our 13 year olds says "I want to go back". Some tips if you are planning to go:

1. Skip the Tourist version of the Great Wall and head out to the sections that are still in original form. We found a guide in the back of a hotel magazine and spent 5 hours on the wall without seeing another person. Simply the best day of 2011.

2. Travel Overnight by Train. - The entire experience from the train stations to the actual ride was well worth it.

3. Visit cities other than the big ones. I'm lucky enough to have visited a huge swatch of the country and all though the big cities are fun, there is lot's of adventure throughout the country.

4. Eat from one of the local street stalls. As Mary says, if it's hot it won't kill you. The point is it's cheap and tasty. Remember I said local and not tourist. Avoid the tourist stalls. As always overpriced and bland or just plain stupid - Snake on a stick for example.

5. Go to China - Well first get to know your own country first, but after that go to China. You have grown up with a view of China in your head. A trip there will alter that view forever. And I mean in a really positive way.

The Surprise Trip of 2011

2011-12-30T06:21:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt the highlight surprise trip of the year was Annecy, France. My fault for not doing much research but it was a welcome surprise. Coming directly off the the disaster that was Ironman St George, we rolled into old world beauty. A lake buffeted by the Alps. A quaint French town with outdoor cafe's for sunning. I skipped the provided hotel lunch every day and walked into the city square for a fresh sandwich. Once you've experienced on of these you will never eat at Subway again. And then there were the morning runs. I could barely keep up with the boys. My legs were dead. But at the same time I couldn't miss the opportunity to run along the lake and to have the company of the international crew.

Hamburg Germany the year in pictures

2011-12-29T05:53:00.001-08:00

One of the many trips this year was to Hamburg Germany to witness the WCS Hamburg Triathlon. A fun city made more exciting by hard racing and estimated 300,000 spectators. Most triathlons in the US occur in some far off local away from the big city. City permits and traffic control make it very difficult to execute. In Europe it's quite different. The cities welcome the events and for this one in particular the city of Hamburg is shut down. Streets are cleared and racing happens. The Transition for this race is literally the city square. If you want to experience triathlon in a different way, try Hamburg. You get to race and enjoy a classic European city.

Favorite Email Button

2011-12-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

I've had many conversations about email recently. I try very carefully to leave my inbox empty at the end of a "work" day. It doesn't always work especially when I travel but it's a regular thing when I'm at the home office. So how do I do it.

1. Answer the email.

2. File it under - senders name, temporary or hot topic.

3. Use my favorite button of all time Delete

My feeling is that the favorite button for most in the work world is CC. The American mentality is to save every email ever received and CC everyone. In other words Cover My Ass. This system does only one thing, clog up your email. Next time you think CC think don't. Next time you think "I should file this and you don't know where it should go, hit delete." You will learn to love my favorite button.

And if you happen to Delete a really, really important email I can almost guarantee it will either come back to you in a CC or you can simply ask the person you are working with, they saved it to cover their ass.

Who are you?

2011-12-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

The way you answer that question tells quite a bunch about you. If you asked me that right now I would define myself by what I do for a living. I sure don't want that to define me in the future. Sure I love what I do but I'm not sure "I'm the shoe guy" or "Oh yeah, he was that shoe guy" is the way I want to be defined.

Below, Christmas Eve at the beach. Brought to you by the remarkable beauty that is the California Coast and by the unquestioned enthusiasm of being a 13 year old kid.

East Side

2011-12-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Last week the day after my arrival from China we hopped in the car and drove to Reno, NV. We went there to visit with Michelle and her family. Michelle and Mary go back more than 20 years. Her son Nolan and Marco have grown up together. Not physically of course but they have spent so much time together that the time apart does not seem like anything as soon as they are together.

We drove up through the most fertile farm land in the world in Central California. On the way back we drove down US Highway 395 along the East side of the Sierras. If you ever get a chance make that drive. It is one of the more beautiful drives I've ever done. Around every corner in the road it's a postcard picture. From high country desert, to the tallest peak in the continental USA. It's just stunning.

The East Side

The San Gabriel Mountains in the distance

Sunset over the desert. Taken while driving. More pole than Sunset.

Not another car ride!

Don't take my picture.

It's a long drive and much better when there are two to share the load.

Back Home

2011-12-18T07:42:00.000-08:00

Sunset Over Guangzhou, China

26 hours of flight

10 hours of driving

7 hours on a train

- a Starbucks at the Hotel.

- Metro Station at the Hotel

- being part of the work day in a major Asian city.

- Working with people who share your passion for running shoes

-Norman, Mike, Thomson, Henry, George, Charles, Kelly - One day I'll try to write their Chinese name.

- Coming home to Cardiff by the Sea

-Home with Mary, Marco and Scout

The highlights of my week.

Ready to Fly

2011-12-10T12:19:00.001-08:00

They are lined up and ready to fly. One of them is taking me to Hong Kong.

Reinvention the art of learning from what you know and not always chasing

2011-12-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

I think there is a time in everyone's life where we chase. Chase a better life, chase a better body, chase a better job...... Maybe it's just me but I doubt it.

The point is that sometimes you already know what's best and chasing becomes futile. Take for instance the sport I play in. I think for 4-5 years I've been chasing. Reading what others are doing and thinking that maybe that's best for me. Hiring a coach and executing the workouts without putting experience into it to me, is a form of chasing. The coach obviously knows right....Well the last 4 weeks I put in a block of work that wasn't chasing. It was simply doing what I've known all along.
1. Work on my weakness - In order Swimming, Cycling and Strength.
2. Run consistently at a pace that doesn't kill me. Actually a pace where when I'm done, I feel like I could go another 30 minutes.
3. Back off chasing on the web.

The results
1. I swam a 400 IM last week. Comfortably.
2. I am stronger today than I was in May of last year.
3. I like riding my bike.
4. My 20 minute test run came down 1 minute per mile. That's significant.

Then today I read this from Tim Ferris. Essentially this is what Tim writes about this week.

It's the shoes

2011-12-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw an athlete wearing the above shoes. I knew that she was dealing with some foot injuries so I asked "How are those shoes working for you?" She said they were working great and that she had no foot pain running in them. Later on I dug some more.

1. What brought her to Hoka - A friend suggested them.

2. What does she like about them - Well they are really soft and I know that's not supposed to be good but I like them.

3. How about the feel when you are running - "Well normally I like the low profile lightweight shoes where I can feel the ground but with my foot pain these seem to work better"

4. You can't feel the ground in those can you - "No I can't"

Finally she said "I'm going to keep using them until my foot gets better".

Here's are my points in all of this:

1. She didn't mention once that she really appreciated the Zero Drop midsole. Guess what, she had no idea that these are Zero Drop. Why does that matter? The entire talk about Drop is wrong. That's another hot topic for later.

2. She generally likes the Low Profile lightweight shoes. Her comment after that "I always get injured". And then after that "These shoes feel better". If that isn't a statement of too much of one thing will hurt you, than what is?

3. This girl is a professional athlete. It's how she pays the bills. She has access to anything and everything and yet she clearly doesn't know what works for her feet and what doesn't. This is exactly why there will never be one shoe, one theory or one magic pill that will solve the #1 problem with running. The only way to solve injuries in running is to be consistent in your running and don't do stupid things that will hurt you.

Papi

2011-12-03T15:32:00.001-08:00

Indeed

2011-12-01T04:41:00.000-08:00

Today could very well be the best day of your life so prepare for the best. - Unkown

Adapt to your Surroundings

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

Failure is an Event not a person. Yesterday ended last night - Zig Zigglar

Often I struggle with people I work with. Specifically what I know about shoes, how to make them and then how to get a business going within a company that is very conservative in nature and very methodical. Sometimes more often then I'd like to admit I get frustrated with this. It came to me today after talking with a like minded individual, that we need to adapt to our surroundings. My friend has adapted because he's the lone wolf in the huge hairy ball of a building. So what does this mean exactly.

The people I work with think in Spread Sheets. They are trained engineers and everything is a project plan. I on the other hand am a real world believer. That running isn't done in a lab it's done on the streets, trails and tracks. The only calendar I keep is the one I write down for Mary and the one in my head. I've never found a Spreadsheet I like. But here is where I need to adapt. For although I don't like them, I can speak, think and communicate in spreadsheet form. And if that's how it has to get done to do what I need to do then that's how it's got to be. There are those who can adapt and those that can't. Those that can't usually don't last very long. I plan on lasting so long that the table will turn and free thinking, getting stuff done quickly and all else

It's a good life....
Dave

Fatherhood

2011-11-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Last night we took Marco and a friend to see The other F word. It's a movie about a bunch of Punk Rockers who have lived long enough to become fathers and tell their stories about it. The Punk Rocker who chooses to be a father is a fairly extreme example. Every man who fathers a child has to make the choice. It's a very difficult choice to make but as one of the Rockers said last night, once you make it there is nothing better. Being a good father is everything to me. I hope more make the same choice I made.

It's a good life....
Dave

2012 Goals

2011-11-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

Going with Simplicity in 2012. This is what I'll work on every day.

1. Be a great husband - Only one person can tell me this.
2. Be a great father - Only one ok maybe two can tell me this.
3. Be a stronger person socially, spiritually and mentally - Everyone can weigh in on this.
4. Spend Dramatically less than I make and save the rest - The Bank will tell me this one. Oh and of course Mary has a say too.
5. 100,000 page views on this blog - You the reader will help out on this. At this point any advice or comments are worth it. What do you like, what don't you like, what should I write more of, what should I stop writing about.

It's a good life....
Dave

Out and about

2011-11-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

This past week I was in NYC for the NYC Marathon. I did many things around the race like working the expo but departed the night before the race. One day I should stay and do it. From there it was off to Belgium for the Zoot European Sales meeting.

My View at the NYC Marathon most every day. How the face of running has changed.

The way into town. Spa Belgium.

Can't see the bottom from the top. It's a big drop.

Typical train station in small town Europe.

City Center Brussels.

Overnight flight. 3 hour train ride. I'm starving and this is the first meal I've had since NYC 20 hours ago. The menu said Fillet Americana. I should have known it was a French Joke. Raw hamburger meat, with a raw egg to put on top. It was actually very tasty.

The reason for the travels. I wonder what that is?

It's a good life....

Dave

Priorities

2011-10-24T18:16:00.001-07:00

Last night we learned again that our #1 priority is the health and happiness of our son. I write this as he is out running with his teammates. He has a matching pink hair band on his noggin. It matches the hair band worn by one of the adorable teammates. Jr. High!

It's a good life...
Dave

Random Thinking on Age and things

2011-10-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Events
1. I find out that the mom of our house guest is 47 years old. He's 28. I'm 47.
2. Marco tells me I'm safe until I'm 50. Once I'm 50 I'll be considered old.
3. A "spam" email I received - 50+ (age of course) matches for singles

I don't feel 47 but I'm not sure how a 47 year old is supposed to feel.

I wear shorts and a t-shirt to work every day.

Lane 3 at masters is all women except for me. Either I'm the lucky guy, the "I'm ok with this guy" or I need to move up to lane 2.

I think I only kept up with baseball because of my Dad. Sure I can tell you who's in the World Series but I can't tell you much else. I do however know that the All Blacks won the World Rugby Championship.

My Friday Lunch ride was so fun, I've decided to make it a regular event. Not because I rode at lunch but because I rode, at lunch then rode back to the office.

It's a good life...
Dave

5 things I learned today

2011-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

I took 1 week off of running. It felt great to not do anything. It felt even better to be running again today.
It's good to have people with different opinions on your team. I just wish they would all agree to mine:)
Larabar Sucks - 15-20% smaller bar same price.
I have to agree with one of the commentators tonight. The winner of the Republican Debate tonight was President Obama. My gosh if they continue to cat fight like that the stand no chance of winning.
Scout the wonder dog is on antibiotics right now for this nasty growth (which will be removed) on her back. Each morning I call her over for her pill. Each morning she acts as if I'm going to torcher her. She comes to me with her tail between her legs, her ears down and her sad face on. I open her mouth and put a huge helping of Peanut Butter - pill included into her mouth. Then she walks off wagging her tail like she got away with something. I think she's playing me.

It's a good life....

Dave

Do we take our life for granted?

2011-10-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

We made the decision 13 years ago to have a small family. Our goal in doing so was to give our one child a life that maybe we didn't have or one that we simply felt he deserved. A big part of that life is shaped by how Mary and I grew up. It's not chance we found each other. She the teacher with the big heart for all things Latin America. Her second language, her choice of work place and her choice of travel destinations. Me, born in Bogota, Colombia, living in Sao Paulo, Brazil learning what poor looks like. If you think you are poor just search, Favela.

Through the 13 years we hosted two exchanges students one from Portugal and one from Colombia. We've Traveled to Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, me to Brazil, Argentina and Mary to Cuba. It is Cuba where this story starts.

Last week we began hosting a Cuban defector. He made his way to the border of the USA, walked into the immigration office, asked for Political Asylum and it was granted. I am withholding his name and pictures to protect his family still in Cuba. With that I give you some thoughts/statements from our guest. This his first trip out of Cuba in his lifetime.

Oh my that's the first time I've ever seen this - A grill with steak on it.
Nobody here talks about Cuba - We're told that it's all you talk about.
It's so nice to see you take the time to sit at the dinner table together - We are told that you don't have time to spend time with your family, you work all the time.
At Target - oh my god, it's so big!
Is everything on this menue available right now - looking at the menue board on his first trip to McDonald's.
Watching me prepare my lunch for the week - it will be ok at your office, nobody will steal it?
Today being his first day out and about in San Diego - Public transportation the entire way - I'm scared.
He's been to 3 cross country races in just over a week.
He sleeps in our game room. The game room that Marco gave up for our guest. The game room Marco gives up with his heart and a smile on his face.

We take the freedom we have to do whatever we want as our given right. We know nothing different. It's not until we have experiences like this do we learn that we've got it really good. 9% unemployment is horrible but it's better than fearing that someone is always watching you, that the enemy is 90 miles away and talking about you all the time. It's better than 1 chicken breast shared between 3 people for dinner. It's better than being told what kind of windows you can have on your house.

It's a good life...

Dave

How Lucky

2011-10-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I've been places. But more important than the places I've been, it's the moments I've had. My favorite part of any day is the morning. Two of my favorite mornings caught in picture.

This picture is from Vista, CA. We were setting up the cross country race course. The anticipation of 100's of kids racing their hearts out. The frenetic pace that is a multi-race cross country event. But in the early morning we caught the sun coming up.

The Ironman World Championships. Mauna Loa in the background. Sunrise and the start of the longest day in sport.

Yes, you got it this is a Sunset. Ironman week is crazy. The sun sets like this almost every night. This is the first time I had the time to catch it. This is Sunday night almost a week after we arrived. Taken from the Zoot house. Not the start of a new day, but the end of the week that was.

It's a good life....

Dave

This is It

2011-09-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

The 8 Keys to Success

I was lucky enough to meet Galen Rupp when he was 15 years old. He was slightly injured at the time and was doing his run workouts in a pool. The pool had a treadmill in the middle of it and Galen would run 13 miles on the treadmill. It was clear he was working towards something special and although Friday was not the end of that special it sure was special. I bring this up because I'm sure at some point on Friday Galen and or Alberto muttered these words "THIS IS IT".

These are really easy words to say but hard to live by unless you do it every day. Each day you have something that deserves this statement. It's the most important thing you have to do that day. It's the one thing that matters most. It's the one thing if you put all into it, you will get much out of it. The problem for most of us is we live busy lives and it feels like everything is a This is It moment. But it can't be that way.

It's said for the triathlete that you can't put everything into every workout. You have to be selective. If you are not you will over cook yourself. The same is true in the business world. If you try to put all into everything you'll end up getting half of what was available. The best is to be very selective during your day, your week and your year. The same is true about parenting. Everyday is important but there are key events where This is it, where your impact will be felt for years.

Now look at your busy life. You are a triathlete, a husband or wife, a parent, you have a job and you have other priorities. What's your This is It today?

Galen knew the World Championships were not the place to go after the American Record. It would have been a great place to do it, but the World Championship races have no pacers and tend to be very tactical in nature. The Diamond league meets are geared towards performance. The Brussels meet is known for fast times in the distance events. Galen and Alberto had this race pegged for months. They turned in stellar performances leading up to the meet in Brussels but Brussels was "THIS IS IT". You can bet there were workouts throughout the last 6 months that had a special note that said something like Brussels 2011.

It's a good life...
Dave

Failure

2011-09-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

This year like any year has been filled with Failure. Although my Ironman St George result to many seemed like a success it was a failure to me. I wasn't close to my goals (however stretched they might have been) and worse than that I often failed to even compete. I was so bad my competition was a guy who was worried about making the cut off for the day.

In building running shoes, the failures have been many. The most recent has been heel problems. Notice the pictures below. Those are my feet and those are my heels. This was last week in a pair of top secret new shoes for next year. They are simply the best shoes we've ever made so I'm proud of that. But I'm not proud of that heel. Failure to the highest degree in running shoes.

Which leads me to our house. We sent Marco to a camp last year and were really impressed with his attitude coming out. What we learned though was that we need to work with him on the camp values to make them stick. He wanted to go again this year which was great. That mean's this camp that is all about his head was doing something. When he got home from camp Mary had the great idea of ordering all the camp materials. So we did, and received a couple great books, DVD's, posters and the 8 keys. Sunday Marco and I hung the 8 keys and the posters around the house where we would see them regularly. The one below caught my attention today.

This key is so right. Failure Leads to Success if you let it. If you let failure get you down you will stay down. But if you learn from your failure you will grow. I can tell you that I hope to fail often in the future. I can also tell you that the Zoot heel will be fixed to success and that Ironman racing may not ever truly be a success but I'm willing to give it another shot.

It's a good life....
Dave

2 Years at Zoot

2011-09-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

Time sure is flying. It's now been 2 years since I began working for this great brand. It's so much fun being the stewards of such a cool brand. It is our job to leave it better off than it was when we got here.
What a way to celebrate 2 years than watching Jordan Rapp win Ironman Canada. In so many ways Jordan is what Zoot is all about. Finding solutions for athletes so they can fulfill their dreams. That's how the brand started and that's how we carry on.

It's a good life...
Dave

That's Quite a Few 0s

2011-08-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school. 8th grade started.

I had lunch with a long time friend. He has been a financial planner for 14 years. He gave me a staggering figure that made me think. The average cost (in CA I believe) to raise a child today is $1,200,000. So that got me thinking.

1. Spend it wisely
2. You only get to do this once with your child or children so make it count.
3. If I had that much in cash right now I couldn't spend it.
4. There is nothing I'd rather spend that kind of money on than Marco.
5. For you new parents or those thinking about children yes, it is per child and yes it's a whole bunch of money but it's kind of like diapers, you never knew a kid could go through so many diapers and then when they are done with them you forget all about the diapers and only remember the kid.

It's a good life...
Dave

Dinner with Love

2011-08-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

For years whenever we got to opportunity to go to Ani and Papi's house for dinner we would go. Clearly it was always nice to spend time with my Dad and my step mother in fact it was always special. But special too was the meal. Ani is a cook. She's not a cook of extraordinary measure but she always tried something new and she always put love into it. It was always a treat.

Not long ago Marco asked me to hook him up with Ani for a cooking lesson. Yes, that's right, Marco wanted to cook and he wanted Ani to teach him. So last night was the night. Ani guided Marco not only in the cooking but in the entertaining part of cooking. He poured wine, made the table on the patio, he did it all. The only thing Mary and I had to do was show up and eat.

Dinner was Homemade Meatloaf, summer squash, mashed potatoes and a Salad with homemade olive oil and lemon dressing. It was awesome. Tons of flavor, very much summer and a classic night. I think the thing that really made it special was Grace. It has always been a tradition at Papi's house. When Papi was around he would say Grace. Ani has taken the duty over but last night Marco said it. It was honest, and from his heart. Simply amazing.

For dessert we had Tapioca Pudding with fresh blueberries. Yum, Yum!

Dinner with Love from Marco.

It's a good life...
Dave

Cardiff Kook Run

2011-08-23T15:59:00.001-07:00

Mark it. February 5, 2012. Cardiff Kook Run.
Details to come.

Now That's a Swim Workout!

2011-08-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

All in Yards
Warm Up - 500
Warm Up - 12 X 75 (swim,something, swim) 10 seconds rest.
Kick 10 X 25 Fast tightest interval possible.
Easy 100
Main Set
3 X 400 Base
3 X 300 Base for first 2 Base minus 5 for the last one.
3 X 200 Base for first 2 Base minus 10 for the last one.
No breaks at all.
Recover

Total Yards: 4, 200 yards

It's a good life....
Dave

I Need to Get Bigger

2011-08-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was in the gym last night. The end of a very long day of getting out there and hitting it. I had just finished doing a set of back squats and was preparing to get into some front squats. I didn't know if I was using the best rack for front squats and in the moment of hesitation Mr. Big showed up. He was huge and comparing him to my 140lb frame was like comparing a Boing 747 to a Lear Jet. Anyway he shows up and asks if I'm done with the rack. At that point the thought came to me that I could say "no I have one more set to do" and have him watch me struggle with my small amount of weight or I could let him have it as though I had planned all along to use the other rack. I chose the "I planned to use the other rack" version and said "Yep, All done here". He sheepishly smiled and said, "good, I need to get a little bigger". I started laughing and said "Seriously, you need to get bigger".

I found a friend in the Gym and he's the complete oposite of me. He can lift with one arm what I can lift with two legs and two arms. He's 6'3'' or better and he's twice my weight. But it is solid strength. We both have the same problem, finding clothes that fit. We both have the same issue of people watching us (that of course is in our heads only). We both are trying to get the maximum out of our bodies. I hope to see him again so we can train together. We'll both get lots of rest when we switch the weights for each of our sets.

It's a good life...
Dave

You and Me

2011-08-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

The other day I was walking along with my Ipod when this song came on. When I first heard it years ago, I felt it was kind of anthem like for Mary and I. The other day when I heard it and had all the emotion of losing a friend to Cancer I just started to cry. I came home that night picked up my guitar and taught myself how to play most of the song.

It's a good life...
Dave

Long Live the King

2011-08-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

Today we learned that Larry "King" Solomon passed away. He fought bravely and with dignity but Cancer won. Larry leaves behind a lovely wife and two great kids. I worked with Larry for 12 years and knew him for 16. He always greeted me with a smile and always left me feeling better. He had heart. A really big heart. His passion was his kids. His priorities were his kids. He would come to work at 6am just so he could get home to coach baseball, or go to a swim meet or a football game. There was nothing more important to him than those kids. They will grow up to be outstanding adults because they had Larry as a Father. I hope one day when I'm gone someone writes this same thing about me.

Larry we will all miss that big heart of yours. I feel very lucky to have known you and to have you in my life. I can't express how much you taught me. Thank You!

Below is a video Lance did for Larry. Yes that's right Lance Armstrong took time out of his busy day to send a message to Larry. A huge thank you to TK and Jimmy for getting this to Larry. It made an impact.

Rest in Peace Larry. We love you.

A Running Partner

2011-08-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

I've built some great running partnerships over the years. This past week I experienced two of them in the same week.

Marcus Voss - He's the guy in charge of Zoot Sales in Europe. I think we get along because I understand Germans and just roll with his way of doing things. We also get along well because we love sport. Generally any time we are together we run at 6:00am. This week we moved it to 6:30am but it's the same run. 1 hour at a steady pace. So far this year, Marcus and I have run in Annecy, France, Hamburg, Germany, and Cardiff, CA. For sure we have runs in Belgium planned later this year. I look forward to those runs.

Scott Schilter - Scott and I have worked for years together. Either as sales rep (him) to retailer (me) or working to build the same brand (adidas running). Friday we ran togehter and it brought up thoughts of the places we've run together. Austin, Boston, Dallas, Chicago - San Diego, Portland, Herzogenaurach, DE and Wisconsin. I'm sure there are others that I can't remember but Friday was something special. We were both in Salt Lake City, UT for the Outdoor Retailer show. We loosely discussed running together when we found out our hotels were in the same city. Lehi, Utah. 20 miles south of SLC is Lehi. Not the hotbed of those going to the Outdoor Retailer show. In fact it's not the hotbed of anything I found. But somehow we booked separate hotels in the same small town and now can add Lehi to our list of many places we've run together.

It's a good life....

Dave

It's 4:30am on a Sunday

2011-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today I had every reason not to get up and ride my bike.

1. 4:30 is just to early to get up on a Sunday.
2. When that alarm went off it was real easy to roll over and contemplate.
3. I woke up to a note about my friend Larry who has Cancer. It wasn't a happy note. It got me thinking about life and being a father.
4. Email after email about brand colors. I've said it before if you really knew how much people debated color in the product you buy you would be shocked. By far the little brand I work for is way too stuck in color but that's what greeted me this morning.
5. It's San Diego in July. The streets were wet and the clouds were dark.

What did I do. Jumped on my bike for 3 hours. It spitted rain most of the way and there was one point where it wasn't rain hitting me but the largest swarm of gnats ever. But with No Compromise I got it done.

It's a good life...
Dave

No Compromise

2011-07-30T20:39:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a great deal about simplification. My life is crazy busy as most are and I simply need to simplify where I can. I've spent a great deal of time with athletes over my lifetime. I've developed a work philosophy and I've got other parts of my life that need constant attention. That's where No Compromise comes in. There is no compromise for the best athletes in the world. There is no compromise when working on a product you are trying to bring to market. There is no compromise in my goal to be a great Dad. There is no compromise in trying to be a great husband. So there is no compromise when I get up a 4:30am on a Sunday to get my ride in.

So back to simplification. I've been writing in this blog for 3 years now. I've started another one about shoes. I've started and stopped another. So in simplification this is where I will write. I will write on the following topics:

1. Fatherhood
2. Brand Marketing
3. Running Shoes
4. Running, Biking and Swimming
5. Inspiration

It's a good life....
Dave

A Pro Speaks about Being A Pro

2011-07-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Brilliant writing from Chuckie V.

http://chuckiev.blogspot.com/2011/07/happiness-ambition-and-pursuit.html

It's a good life...
Dave

July Reset

2011-07-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Hamburg, Germany to witness the Dextro Energy World Championship Series race. Most importantly I went there to meet with Javier Gomez the current ITU World Champion.
I started to get a little down on the whole thing. So far this year, I've flown 100,000 miles and slept in a hotel bed for 2 months. So instead of staying down I decided to re-commit to this life.

1. I commit everything to Mary and Marco first.
2. I choose to do this work.
3. I will work with no compromise.
4. I will work out with no compromise.
5. I will Sleep well.
6. I will have fun.

It's a good life...
Dave

Xi'an Day #3 - And then off to Beijing

2011-07-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Taking a break.

Mary and her friend Mao. You will see many pictures of Mary and Mao. For some reason she has a historical thing for Communist Dictators. I think if you ranked them it would be 1. Fidel 2. Mao and 3. Joseph. She has been to the home of Fidel and seen Mao so I'm confident there is a trip to Moscow in my future.

He got this from his mother. If ever there is an opportunity. There is a book to read.

Xi'an is the first place I've ever been denied by a cab driver. More than once we were told, no, I won't go there. Well we didn't feel like waiting and this guy was cheap. It was a total blast for Marco too.

It's a good life...

Dave

Xi'an Day #2 - Terracotta Soldiers

2011-07-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Day #2 in Xi'an was simply amazing. If you ever go to China, you have to go see the Terracotta Soldiers. The story goes Emperor Qin wanted to be buried with his soldiers. So he had them made. Every single one of the 3000 soldier army is unique. The detail work on each one is unbelievable when you take into consideration what was done as art after his time. The amazing thing is he didn't want the enemy or future emperors to find his army so once it was constructed they essentially buried it. Then they kept no records of it ever being built.

The day started with flag shopping. The guy in the picture on the bike is selling soup. That can on the back is full of Soup and he rides through the streets yelling out to all around that he has soup for sale. Based on the size of the can it's a healthy business.

Isn't he adorable?

Tough to see but Mary is in the store negotiating her price on the flag.

Welcome to Terracotta!

The Army

More Army

An officer

A Warrior.

The happy family.

Perfect alignment!

A few of the individuals.

The Calvary too!

It's a good life...

Dave

China - Xi'an Day #1

2011-07-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Xi'an China south west of Beijing is central to the History of China. The biggest landmarks in the city are the Wall that surrounds it, and the Drum and Bell Towers. These towers were used for communication inside the wall.

The Drum Tower

The Bell Tower

The Big Goose Pagoda - Buddhist Temple

Even though it was raining we had a great time. What a beautiful place.

It's a good life...
Dave

China Week #1 - Guangzhou

2011-07-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

I've said many times. I love China. I hate getting there and coming back. Taking Mary and Marco fully confirmed why China is so good. If you get a chance visit this wonderful place. The people, the food, the smells it's all worth it. In the next few days or weeks I'll be posting photos and videos of our recent time in China. Starting with Guangzhou the capital city of the province that produces more running shoes than any other area of the world.

It's kind of heavy.

My dream job. All over China there are bike repair stands. This one is mobile and was in a key spot for all the bike commuters.

As you can see, he was busy that evening with many customers.

I'll post many photo's of the morning culture. It's a culture of tradition and Tai Chi is the #1 morning tradition. Moving the body to keep it healthy. This workout facility and track are just outside the hotel.

I just liked the billboard.

View from the hotel window.

Tiger Claws. No, we didn't buy.

I call this the air conditioned road. At this time of year it is hot in China. This road surrounded by concrete is blazing hot. The retail stores have air conditioners blasting out cold air from their open doors. As you walk down the middle of the street you feel the cool air. It's kind of freaky.

It's a good life....

Dave

And That's A Wrap

2011-06-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T04:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-13T16:04:00.001-07:00

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

2011-06-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's a good life....
Dave

Thursday Mornings

2011-06-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-09T04:46:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

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.......

2011-06-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

What are you waiting for?

2011-05-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

It didn't really mater what we expected from life but what life expected from us.... Victor Frankl - Man's Search for Meaning

There really isn't much else to say after you read that quote. We can sit around and worry about what life gives us or hasn't given us or we can go out and get it.

It's a good life....
Dave