Travel Tips From the Glamorous Life of Running Shoes

The life in running shoes, this is my schedule the next two weeks.

Wednesday May 14th - Fly to Munich, Gemany
Thursday-Friday-Saturday - European Sales Meeting
Sunday May 18th - Fly home to San Diego
Monday - Friday - US Sales Meeting
Saturday May 24th - Fly to Frankfurt Germany
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Meet with retailers
Wednesday May 28th - Fly home to San Diego

The prevailing belief is that on average it takes a person to fully recover from time zone travel, one day for every hour in time zone difference. Germany is currently 9 hours time zone difference. My goal is to make sure my recovery stays in the 1 day per hour window and hopefully to accelerate the recovery. I believe with this trip it's a full 18 day recovery. Recovery mean's fully functioning sleep, mental focus and play. Below is how I will do it:


Air Travel

1. I use the same airline network all the time. I use United although I'm not loyal to them. They simply cover the majority of my routes in the shortest time. So far I've flown 29,000 miles on 13 flights. Total travel time is critical in this scenario since actual flying time is long. 
2. To build miles for the family I book all my travel and almost all the groceries and daily stuff on the United Visa. 
3. If I can upgrade to business class I will. The difference between laying flat and sleeping or sleeping in a economy cabin seat is dramatic. I honestly believe it cuts down on the number of days in recovery. The actual cost is crazy an the company won't pay it so I use my status regularly. Unfortunately on the upcoming trip only the outbound to Munich is upgraded. 
4. If I'm not in business class, I choose an aisle seat. Moving around, doing squats in the galley, and using the toilet to relieve all the water is critical to feeling good later. 
5. I take my own food. Even in business class I usually take my own food to eat. I don't use a microwave at home so why would I eat microwave food on a plane? 
6. 32 oz of water or coconut water before the flight and water all the time on the flight. By the time I land I hate water. 
7. 800mg of CoQ10 before the flight and 200 mg every hour on the flight. A long haul flight is equivalent to running a marathon. Lots of cell damage going on. 
8. Zoot Recovery Socks - Sitting for longs periods of time pools blood in your feet. Ever wonder why you have Kankles after flying. Sitting and air pressure is why. So the compression socks keep the blood circulating out of the feet. 
9. Alcohol - Oh my this is an entire post. Business Class is open bar and it amazes me the amount of drinking people do on a plane. Want to turn 1 day/hour into more, drink the entire flight. I have my glass of wine and that's about it. 

Arrival 

1. No matter what time it is I do this. I once landed in Singapore at 1am and still did this. So it really doesn't matter how tired I am or what time of day it is on landing this is my protocol. 
2. I go straight to the hotel. If you tell them you've been flying all night, they will check you in. I've yet to be refused by anyone. 
3. I take a cold shower. Wakes me up. 
4. I put on my running shoes and head outside. If it's real late I'll head to the pool to swim but the goal is to get the body moving and blood flowing. Nothing will feel good at this point. You won't feel like running and you won't feel like sleeping so running is better. 
5. If I can find it, I will find a patch of grass, take off my shoes and do barefoot drills and strides. The earth has an electrical charge and putting skin to earth grounds your body. Ever wonder why going barefoot on the beach or in grass is so relaxing? 
6. I force myself into the time Zone. If I land at 7:00am in Germany  I spend the entire day doing. By 9:00pm I'm trashed and out cold. 

Supplementation: I sat across the table from a really good friend the other day. He asked "How many pills do you take a day" I couldn't tell him because I really don't know. He said "I take none, should I?". I didn't know how to answer him or don't suggest that what I do is for everyone. I do know that I feel great at my age and in fact I think I feel way better than most people my age or younger so I'm doing something right. I'm just going to keep on doing it. 

1. CoQ10 on the flight. 
2. REM Caps once in Country. Your body releases Melatonin based on the setting of the sun. When you are out of your time zone it doesn't know when the sun sets. So when I travel I help it out 
3. When food quality is everything traveling can be a challenge. If you are obsessive about the quality of the food, you would never eat. So instead of that I fully enjoy the food presented and then fix my gut with Activated Charcoal. 
4. Damage Control - This has been my source for repair for years. Last year I flew 130,000 miles in the air, stayed 100 nights in a hotel, did an Ironman and I got sick a total of zero days. 
5. My Brain - I have to be on form from the time I land until I sit on the plane coming home. I used to take Motivator  which  works great when you are racing but leaves you a bit edgy if you are simply trying to execute effective work in China. It worked great but the feeling wasn't great. I've since switched to Alpha Brain and am quite pleased. I'm on point, stay on point all day and can sleep well at night. 

This is a ton of information. For 8 years this has been my life and for 8 years I've been hacking away at it. This is what works for me. I'm confident there are nuggets in here. 

It's a good life….

Five Friday: The Aging Athlete

After every race I do I evaluate my standing. Recently my times have gotten slower over distances like 70.3. My training doesn't feel different but the times are. So I have to ask myself, is it a trend, a result of lifestyle or simply my age. My 5 thoughts on the subject:

1. My Lifestyle or should I say my job is holding me back. The job of Director of Running Shoes is a absolutely dream job. I get to create the future of what a running shoe should be. At the same time it's a business and the business of running shoes is time consuming and body consuming. Logging 30,000 miles in a plane this year is actually low for me but as always my flight count is very low meaning my flights are long haul which are the killer. So I'm going to continue to hack these long flights. Monday I'll talk in depth about this. 
2. My Training is holding me back - My head says volume by available time says high intensity, my actual has been inconsistently both. So I'm going to commit to high intensity for the next 12 months. 
3. My Age - I don't feel it. I'm not on any medication, I don't ache all day, I'm amazed when I step into transition at a race and look across at the old men I'm racing. In fact I met a guy last week who is 4 years younger than me, looks older and is on 1/2 a baby asprin each day for his heart. Luckily he knew when to call it a day on race day. 
4. My Life - Stress holds everyone back. I have as much stress as anyone else. It's how I deal with it. My first stress breaker is meditation I've been working on this for a year it is a great helper for sure. Interesting to note our dog will take every chance she can to get my attention. When I'm meditating she knows to leave me alone. That should say something. 
5. My Life - Stress holds everyone back. My second stress breaker is learning. I love to read but I'm a terrible reader. It takes forever to finish a book. So I'm teaching myself to speed read. My wife does it and she's the smartest in the family, our son does it so I should be able to. Once I've figured it out I'll share it. 

It's a good life….

The Week that Was

One cast comes off the other one goes on. 8 more weeks in a cast. You break a small bone in the hand and this is what you get 12 weeks. The new cast allows the elbow to bend but does not allow the arm to rotate. So no hard running for at least another 4 weeks. So he's switched to hard riding on my turbo trainer. 

This picture sits on my desk at work. It's a reminder of how I don't want to look. A bit miserable if you ask me. So I look at it daily and smile. 

I've decided if I'm going to swim it's going to happen in the dark. First it's better for my skin and second it's safer than running in the dark. 

I love this picture. There are few runners who don't know this picture. This was outside a running store in San Diego. The guy in the store was showered and had just opened the store. My bet is he had another run to do later in the day. 

I spent Saturday at two Zoot functions. First up was running with the West Coast Road Runner crew. I had a great 12 mile run with a couple guys. The second was a meet and greet with Team Zoot San Diego. You can see they are already Zoot fans. Very cool to see and fun to meet everyone. 

What I learned in all of this. 

1. The more I see Marco in challenging situations the more proud I am of him. He has handled this broken hand with class. 
2. I love my job. Running stores, runners and athletes oh and I reviewed and made adjustments to Fall 2015 designs. 
3. I love the pool. It's the one place where you can go hard and not beat yourself up doing it. 

It's a good life….

My Running Shoe Program

I'm a big believer that you need to have a couple different shoes in your closet all the time for your running needs. For me I do this for three reasons.

1. I'm wear testing a shoe
2. I want a particular feel on a particular run
3. My mood dictates

The end result is a variety in my running which is always good. It's what keeps the legs and the head fresh. 

First up is the Zoot Solana. A new shew for this July. My goal here is to run in it until it dies. I've had it since early December and it has been my main shoe. Still going strong. The midsole is injected EVA with a constant ground contact. Incredibly smooth and quiet. The upper is a running shoe upper. Great Heel fit, ample room in the midfoot that I can lock my skinny foot down and room in the forefoot to breath. I humbly think it's the best shoe I've made while working for a brand. There was one quite close to this at adidas and if the Solana can come anywhere close to that shoe in sales I might get a raise. 

 I may do one or two sessions a week of speed work depending on the week. I'll usually do it in the Kiawe 2.0. It's firm, low to the ground and fits tight. You can see the constant ground contact in this Photo. I like it also because it has our carbon fiber piece in the midfoot. That little extra snap at toe off feels great thanks to the carbon fiber.

When my legs are hurting or I'm going long on the roads it's the Kalani 3.0. This shoe just feels like butter on the feet. Soft, smooth and with a little kick in it. I keep it on the roads because of the massive (for me) midsole under my foot and the upper is not very stable for off road. I never have a bad run in this shoe. It's that simple. 

 I also run once or twice a week in other brands. I have some favorites and I have some shoes I simply want to test. I picked up the new Newton Motion with their 5 Lug design last week. I think the new Lug design is way better than the older 4 lugs. I personally can run in any shoe with no issues. That's not so for runners who don't have the leg strength or form that I have. I'm afraid the new shoes may be even harder to adjust to than the previous versions. I say that because their new midsole is super soft which only puts you deeper into negative when your heel touches and your heel will touch, it always does on every runner. I do think the upper and the fit is dramatically better.

 When I was a young runner it was Nike all the time. I swore by the Pegasus. Then they stopped making it and I worked with Mizuno on the Wave Rider and my life was good again. The issue is the Wave Rider today is not one of my favorite shoes. I feel the balance is off and personally I can feel it when I run. But hey that's me. So my new go to other brand shoe is the Pegasus again. I like it's simplicity and Nike always fit my foot well. Usually if it fits my foot well it's not good for all the other runners in the market. Which brings me back to Zoot. I specifically try to build shoes that don't fit me.

 I've tried the Hoka Conquest. I love the design and manufacturing of this shoe. I so much wanted it to work for me but it doesn't. The Hoka Bondi was not too bad but this Conquest is terrible for me. It's too stiff, and if a shoe is stiff it better roll and this one doesn't for me, it's flat. Remember fit for me is critical. I'll adjust fit on any shoe with socks but I can't seem to find the sock that creates the best fit. So this shoe sits on my desk as an example of beautiful shoe making.

If a brand is spending a large amount of money to launch a shoe I'm buying it. I buy with the anticipation of the kid I was doing the same thing. I had to have the Nike Air Max when it came out. I had to try the Asics flat with the split tongue. So on launch day I went to the local running store and bought the Brooks Transcend. Now I'm not the target runner for this shoe. I'm too light, too leg strong and my form is too good. But I can run in anything and it's with that knowledge that I anticipate great runs in new shoes. I was bummed when I ran in it. The shoe did not meet my expectations for value and function. Too bad for me but I can see where it will probably work for large group of runners. So instead of running in it any more we cut the shoe to pieces to see how it's made. 

I get to do all this because it's my job. But that should not stop you from being smart about your running. Have a couple different shoes in your closet. Decide which to run in based on  criteria 2 - 3  above and your legs and head will thank you. 

It's a good life....

Rambling on in this Life

 It's been a rough three weeks. Travel to China is always a challenge especially when things don't go the way you expected. With the trip and the rough days at the office sleep was a challenge. The best sleep I got was 5 hours on the plane from Bejing to Chicago. Then it was off to Chicago to drive some business and see the family for a short time.

1. 5 hotels
2. 2 Overnight flights
3. 16 hour time change one way 2 hour time change the other
4. 30 hours on a plane

 By the time I got home I was wasted. I should have taken time off from work but the things in China caused me to push on. Finally on Friday I slept. 9 hours straight and it felt great. I've found over the years, Sleep is the biggest problem. When I don't sleep well, I get cranky. The people around me should know when I don't sleep well. I get mean. When I sleep well stress melts away. As my friend Chris says, excessive time change travel and a lack of sleep is a sure path to an early grave. It's a good thing I slept really well for 6 weeks before this travel and that I'm now back on good long sleep again. Minimizing the off sleep days is a big goal. I did not do so well this time around. But move on I must. 

The day I started running at the age of 17 I was sitting on my couch stuffing my face with Oreo cookies. Now Nabisco has invaded my Kindle and is tempting me with more Oreos. I haven't had one in 20 years and I don't think I'll start. Nice try Nabisco. Running over Oreo Cookies any day. 

The day before my trip to China. Marco the Runner broke a small bone in his hand. It's the one that allows our thumb to work properly and it's a bitch to heal. So little Marco is in a cast for 3 months. The great thing is against doctor orders he's still running. 3 days a week he runs 3-4 miles on the track. Last Sunday he and I ran 40 minutes side by side down the coast highway. Even with the cast he simply floats when he runs. It's so much fun to watch.

With a full cast on his arm he's not able to participate in the track meets. Thursday marked the first track meet at SDHS in years. The new track is beautiful and it was awesome to watch a track meet there. He'll get many opportunities to run here but even I was bummed that he couldn't run on this day. 

Snoopy here is my brother Bob's dog. Snoopy about says it all in this picture. Bob is not doing well. My only other experience with ALS was with John Blaze. John was able to do the Ironman World Championships with ALS. My brother Bob went from diagnosis, to Wheel Chair to Hospice Care in less than a year. He can't do anything without help and it's sad. His family is hurting, he's hurting and Snoopy here is struggling. ALS sucks, there is no cure and it's just a matter of when. I love my brother and it's tough to get through each day knowing that I'm able to do what I love and he sits in his chair waiting. His faith is strong and I'm glad he has such a supporting wife and son at home. There will be more trips to Chicago in the near future.

It's not very often that you randomly pick up the Wall Street Journal and find one of your products listed.  It was fun to see a running shoe I worked on show up in a feature article. This feature though was funny. They were putting the best of the best triathlon gear in this section and the retail price tag for all of it was $21,000. Not a motivator to jump into the sport.

Travel to China, Chicago and wherever else I have to go is always ok as long as I get to come home to this. This picture was taken at 11:00am this past Saturday. Not a cloud in the sky 75 degrees and the bright blue Pacific in the back drop. This never gets old and it's such a great place to call home. 

I hope everyone has a great week. You may not have Cardiff by the Sea but there are things to be grateful for. Find them and some sleep and maybe like me you can melt the stress away.

It's a good life....

Running Stores of the World: Running Central Peoria IL

My recent travels took me home to Peoria, IL. Well at least it was home from the time I turned 8 until I graduated High School at the age of 18. I still have family there so it still feels like home and I love going back. But this trip was also part business. When I was 17 I took up running. My girlfriend at the time ran track and cross country (we didn't have a boys CC team). I was sitting on the couch one day stuffing my face with Oreo Cookies, got up, put on a pair of "running" shoes and ran 3 miles. I have not stopped since.

Not long after that first run I decided I needed some real running shoes. So I drove to Running Central and bought a pair of New Balance 373s for the outrageous price of $45. Soon after I was out running and decided then and there that I was going to work in the running shoe business.

So it was great to be able to go back to Running Central and to help teach the great crew there about the Zoot Footwear they had on the wall. I spent 4 hours at the store listening to the staff service runners and I fell in love with their method.

First off they are as midwestern as you can get. So there is an honesty and work ethic about them. You know when you go there, they are giving you their best. Instead of treadmills they ask you to take off your shoes, they get down on the floor and they watch very closely as you walk back and forth in a straight line. Then they make their functional suggestions.

Their inventory in the back is laid out by size not by brand or by style. So it's a guarantee they will have shoes for you to try on but they don't really care about which brand they are brining out. They are choosing by function. So in the first few days of Zoot being in the store, our shoes were just included in the mix. People tried on our shoes with no preconceived notion except that it was brought out for them to try. The results have been great so far. Of course I think that's good for Zoot but I think it's good for runners too. You are not going to get stuck on a favorite shoe this way. You are going to be open to options which I believe is best for every runner. I see so many runners get upset because their shoe changed or worse yet don't realize that maybe their running gate has changed and that the favorite shoe just may not be the best for them. So the Running Central method keeps the variety in running shoes going and keeps you on your toes if you will.

There is nothing fancy about Running Central. It's just a hard working well managed running store and as they say "If it plays in Peoria, it will Play everywhere". Their method would be a welcome change to some of the stores in the market today.

It's a good life…..

I Keep Right on Failing

If I were an unstable person, the last 4 years would have sent me to my grave (either by drink, drugs or self mutilation). Why you ask. The Zoot footwear business in the US has only gone down. I've never in my life worked in a declining business. Everywhere I've gone it's been up, up, up. But because of the lessons in the post below I've stuck to it. Look out because if the booking on our new shoe is any indication we are on the way up and the future looks very bright.

**********************

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....

2013 is Behind

A slightly late review of 2013 and outlook for 2014.


The short story in my life

Business
We are failing in the USA. The market is over run with shoes and with good shoe companies. Be poor design and development or poor marketing/sales, we have to admit that we all failed. As the one guy in charge of shoes it's my fault. On the positive side we are growing outside the US and doing it consistently. It's a big reason why I travel on long haul flights regularly. The best part is the outlook. We have a new shoe out in 6 months that I am most proud of in my running shoe career. It's a special shoe and I can't wait for everyone to have a chance to run in it.

Family
Because I let the failures of the US business overwhelm me and because I traveled 130,000 miles in the air and 75 nights or so in hotels I did not give Mary and Marco what they deserve. They deserve me 100% engaged when I am with them. I did not do that very well and go that I am deeply sorry. They will be with me long after running shoes.  I am thrilled that Mary traveled to Russia and Marco ran so fast but I know I can do better with both of them. Finding out my Brother Bob has ALS was not easy but spending more time with him then in years past has been priceless. The jokes my Mom told while we ( Mary, Marco and I) were driving were great to hear. Even with Alziemer' s she can be funny and have a good time. I loved those moments.

Friends
I simply suck here. Sorry to all my friends. I will get better. I think rude is the best I thing I can say to describe myself.

Personal
I raced every month but only a couple were great. No matter, I had a great time doing it and plan to do it again this year. My best was the Encinitas Triathlon even with the gnarly swim. My worst by far was Ironman Lake Tahoe but hey, I finished. The best part of 2013 was taking on my long term health. The Blood test was expensive, then follow up work a great deal of work and expensive but the results are already showing. I will spend some time filling you in here.

2014
I decided late in 2013 that I needed to take control of my life. The first part of the year I am working on my Leadership skills. Leadership is something I love and something I feel I need in the rest of my life. You will see more on this subject and more than that I hope you feel it.

Welcome ton2014, let's make it special.

It's a good life....

The Week That Was: Kona

Last week the work team traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii for the annual Ironman World Championships. It's a week of paradise, excitement building to race day and of course some back breaking sweat producing long work days. 

The Calm before the Race. Race morning is full of nervous energy. The athletes are nervous about what's ahead. Their family members are nervous because of what's ahead. The energy is high. Put those things together and it actually feels quite calm. 

 Part of the "Fun" of the week is the annual Under Pants run. It's a charity run to help out the local people. It was first established to make fun of all the triathletes running around in the "Speedo" swim suits. Pictured with me is Bree Wee a local professional triathlete and Zoot athlete. I knew I was in trouble running with her. Being the local girl the cameras were all focused on her. You can follow Bree on her Blog. 

This is wear the sweat comes in. This booth took us 3 days to construct. It by far was the most beautiful booth ever in Kona and as you can see some media folks really liked it too. It was a blast to build and work in this booth. It's great as a brand to make a statement. 

Although I love Kona and the Ironman Triathlon it's nice to be home in Cardiff with the family and the routine. 

It's a good life....

Dave

Why Do You Still Do this?

I've been asked many times and I've asked myself many times, why do you want to go do another Ironman.

• Is it the brand Ironman - No
• Is it because I want to Qualify for Kona - I think I can still do that but it's not the goal. 
• Is it because I can't get it out of my system - No, I could drop it and not miss it. 

I do this: 

• To Prove to myself that I still can
• Because I can

But I really do this because these people can't. 

Larry "King" Solomon: The Rock Always in my thoughts. 

Long Live the King

Chelsea King 

Bob Jewell my brother.

I'm going 140.6 Miles on September 22nd and these three will be on my mind and on my Arms all day. Cancer took Larry,  a predator took Chelsea and as my friend Mike Rouse said last week "There are three words you won't hear "I survived ALS" So I ask you to contribute to something on behalf of the three above and the many others like them. If it so suits you contribute 1 penny or one dime or one dollar.  

Contribute to Cancer get out and Pedal the Cause

Volunteer or give to Chelsea's Light

Or Fight ALS 

It's a good life.........

Politics on the Run

 The team enjoying a post Swim dinner by the lake. Polish food just like they do it in Wisconsin. 

The Lake we swam in. The swim was to give everyone an experience in a Zoot Wetsuit. Because it was with my friend Marcus he turned it into a swim workout and we swam from one side of the lake to the other and back. But we weren't done there.....

We finished the swim and Marcus says "Dave, now we run for 20 minutes". Next thing I know it's the German, an Israeli and I on what ended up being a 50 minute run. There were two topics of discussion. Bikes and Politics. The Israeli had stumps for legs and we got to talking about his gearing and cranks. He rides 175mm cranks with a 55 on the front and 11-23 on the back. That makes for big legs. If I did that it would be a squat workout every time I road. The last 15 minutes of the run was a discussion of Politics in the Holy Land. Interesting to hear it directly from one who lives it every single day. Iran, Lebanon, Syria, precision bombing and how do you feel were all on the discussion. All I kept thinking is Mary needs to be on this run with me to ask the questions.

Yes if you are keeping track, my Tuesday in Poland consisted of 1:50 of running split between two runs and 30 minutes of steady swimming in a Lake. In Between all of that we executed day 1 of a sales meeting.

It's a good life....

Running with the Boys

This picture was taken in Austria last November at our European Sales meeting. Today In Poland at the same time as always the group met in the lobby for a run. There were 10 people who started and after 15 or so minutes the group was down to 5. The same 5 people who run every sales meeting.

The beauty is that it's the same 5 guys. We know the pace, we know the run is 1 hour and we like each other. Today one of the 5 who is recovering from a broken back had this to say "I've saved all my running for this one day" Because of that, even on tired legs I stuck with the boys and did the hour.

This is what makes running so good and so easy. You run with a group for 3 days, twice a year and you can fall right into pace no matter where in the world you happen to be.

It's a good life....

Ironman 70.3 St. George

If you ever get a chance, visit St George, UT. I suggest go in early Spring when it's probably cooler but go. It is stunningly beautiful.

Going into the race my head was not in it. Stress at work, A brother with ALS and the thought of waking up Sunday Morning to get on a plane bound for Europe was just too much for my head. I woke up Saturday Morning and decided this would be a training day. It was the best decision I made all week.

I did it like this. Easy swim, no stress 44th in my age group out of the water. Super Dizzy coming out but not stressed. I got on my bike and road like it was a catered training ride. I slowed for the catering part. Somehow I managed to pass 14 riders on the bike. I'm guessing 12 of them were on the last really long climb in Snow Canyon. I was spinning up the hill where most were grinding. By the way my swim wave was 18th of 20 or 21. I had 85% of the race in front of me at the start. Lot's of people to talk to on the way by them. On the run, I told myself to be strong on the hills. A big thanks to Paul Huddle and Rock Frey for creating the hardest 70.3 run course in the world. Anyway I just set a pace I knew I could run for 10 miles. Many of of 14 I had passed went by me in the first half of the run. I hit 10 miles and let my legs go and decided to finish strong. I was feeling fine, nothing hurt. I crossed the finish line in 25th and called it a day. 5:13:xx on a "training" day was very fun.

Some observations.

1. My water bottle in one of my bags emptied out on the bus ride to the swim start. My race top was soaking wet when I put it on. Even though it's going to get wet anyway, that is a miserable experience to stand for 90 minutes in a wet top. 
2. People ride bikes like they drive on the Free Ways. The rules of the road are slower traffic stays to the right. 
3. I can't help to look at feet while I'm running. Triathletes are quick to jump on new. A couple observations in the footwear. Every time I saw someone stopped and stretching a calf they were wearing Brooks Pure running shoes. If you have an overpronation issue in your running, it's going to be worse in a Newton or Hoka. In Newton that forefoot pod is not stable so when your over-pronating foot hits that pad it's more like a crash then roll. I saw legs just shimmering with vibration. In the Hoka it's simply a free fall. That Over-Pronating foot just falls off the super high platform. This is not a knock on the shoes, but on the athletes who probably bought the shoes on line. Go to a running store and get the right shoes for your running. They won't be sexy, they won't be the latest and greatest but they will work better for you and you will run better. 
4. The Ultra Kiawe is the bomb if I do say so myself. No socks, no problems. In fact when I took my feet out of the cycling shoes and put on the Kiawe I swear there was a huge sense of relief that started at my feet. Too bad I didn't honor the shoes with a fast run. 

Off to Poland. 

It's a good life....

What's On My Head

I'm inspired by my friend Gordo often. I think together we are constantly trying to be better today than we were yesterday and better tomorrow.  The media available to us today is overwhelming. Facebook, Twitter,  and then all the news agencies on line. By the time my day is done I feel like sometimes I know more about everyone else than I do about my own family. There is too much going on in my life right now to handle it all. 3 weeks ago I stopped updating my company Facebook. I got on there3 years ago because I'll do anything for the company I work for. I've stopped and I don't miss it. Last weekend I decided to stop Facebook all together. I've posted once and that is to spread the word about a Run for Boston and that's it. I am down with stopping all together. Sure if someone contacts me directly through Facebook I'll reply but that's it. My focus needs to be on seeing and talking to friends, and on my family.

Over the last week my body began to break down. All the effort on mobility, stretching etc wasn't working. When the bottom of my left foot starts to hurt I know it's a bad thing. Well it was killing me. So I started last night with a massage from the Pope. Best Massage Therapist ever. Then today I paid a visit to the best Chiropractor Ever (Just ask Kobe). The results were first shock from the chiropractor and then dizziness for me. I've not been that dizzy after seeing him for years. All that means is that the correction he made was massive. The reason it was massive is because I was wound up like a top and he spun me around. Tonight my left foot feels normal again and tomorrow I'll feel like a totally new guy. I'm going to keep it that way.

So good by Facebook. It's been fun but you need to go.

It's a good life....
Dave

The High School Runner #4 Running with an Olympian

The right place, the right time, memories for a lifetime. Olympic Silver Medalist Javier Gomez and The High School Runner went for a 60 minute run. When they got back Javier simply said "He's Fast, I couldn't run that fast when I was his age" The ran 3:50/K on the way back.

All the things the High School Runner does makes me proud. But believing that he's mature enough and humble enough to run with an Olympic Silver Medalist makes me smile.

It's a good life...
Dave

Do You Want to Be a Professional Triathlete? - Revenue

A few years ago I wrote a post "I'm a Pro Triathlete" and it's still in the top 5 all time on this blog. The other day I was listening to an interview with Sarah Piampiano on the podcast Jim and the other Guy and she said something that struck a thought. She said "Most Business succeed or fail in 2 years so I've set a 2 year business plan". It's such a simple thought but one I'm confident most with a Pro Card don't think about. I'm qualified to talk through this because I lived with a pro who's the reason I'm not a coach Tim Sheeper, and I lived with Murphy Reinschrieber and saw it all.  Let's look at the math of a simple business plan.

Revenue
Less Operating Expenses
Less Fixed Expenses
Equals: Gross Income
Less Taxes
Net Income

Revenue
First step is to know the available Revenue. How much total money is available to an athlete.

1. Local Events
2. Regional Events
3. National Events
4. International Events
5. Sponsors
6. Outside Job

Questions to ask yourself

1. Can I clean up Locally? - Add total available 1st place income. An offshoot question of this is do I live in the right place to make enough money locally? 
2. How much realistic money is available Regionally? - Add that to Revenue. Same offshoot question is there enough regional money? 
3. Is there a national event in the area and do I stand a chance of making money? If Yes add it, If not don't do the race. 
4. Same in #4 for other National Events
5. International - Unless you are going to move there for a time and call it local don't do it. 

The two big elephants in the room are Sponsors and Jobs. I feel like most athletes look for sponsors first in the entire revenue stream and then most Pro athletes have a job too. 

Sponsors - Do not I repeat do not expect income. Product yes, bonus maybe but do not expect income. You have to kick ass at the national level to make income here, and you have to kick ass internationally to make really good income. Another point on this. Just because you get the points to race the World Championships doesn't lead to sponsor dollars. 

Outside Job - The two year business plan does not call for a job. If you really want to make a go at being a professional triathlete a job can't fit. Remember this is a 2 year plan to make it work. You can last 2 years with no job. You can't become a really successful Net Income positive Triathlete with a job. 

This alone is probably scaring many off. But this why most people don't go into business for themselves. There is a risk of failure. You can't be afraid to fail. You have to be willing to fail. Only then can you become a professional. 

In the next installment we'll look at expenses. 

It's a good life....

Dave

Running Shoes Fashion or Function?

Quote of the Day: "Some runners are too concerned with fashion, and we try and steer people away from that." Bryon Mahon in an article about How to by the Right Running Shoes

I'm the biggest believer that you should buy running shoes based on Fit and Function. Know the kind of shoe you should run in and then find the best fit. But I work in the shoe industry and am a huge fan of shoes looking good too. There are plenty that I look at in the market and just say yuck! The shoe pictured above is one I worried was too much. But my recent travels and my recent times wearing it tell me quite a different story. Here's what I'ver heard: 

1.  Those are stunning - Flight attendant as I was boarding the flight. 
2. What's the Brand - Everyone
3. Where can I get those - The Customs Agent in LA. 
4. Are those Brooks, they have the same lacing - Guy at Whole Foods. Little does he know we were using it long before Brooks and I didn't tell him that. 
5. I really like those - They guy at Starbucks commenting in front of my new Boss. I did not pay him to say that. 

The interesting thing is nobody knows I work at Zoot. They are commenting on my shoes. Think about that, how many strangers have you approached to comment on their shoes. I have done it often but it's my job. It simply has amazed me. Every time I wear them somebody makes a comment. 

I love my job.....

It's a good life...

Dave

the Week in Review

1. Wear Testing running shoe is awesome when you feel nothing. 2. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France 7 times. 3. USADA Pot calling the Kettle Black. You say Armstrong will pay for his win at all cost methods. Your attitude is simply that, Win at all Costs. 4. I would prefer my tax dollars go to fighting real crime. Hint. Wall Street 5. The Saints were fined and suspended for Bounties (cheating). They still retain their Super Bowl Title. 5. Barry Bonds - wiped all those home runs away right. No because it was history. 6. I wish my high school would have had cross country. 7. There are times when it's best to close your mouth. Still learning that. 8. It's nice to be home. It's a good life.....

It's the Same Thing only Different

The beauty of the free enterprise system is that it's free. You are free to make what you want, where you want and sell to whom you want. It creates competition and competition is good for the end consumer.

Seth Godin wrote yesterday about the race to the bottom. The one way to maintain your standing is to strip the costs or race to the bottom. There is also a tend at times to try to buy your business. Neither is very long term. You could actually win the race to the bottom or you could spend way too much for your business.

The essence of free enterprise is to figure it all out and that is Marketing. 4 P's. The right Product, the right Price, the right Promotion, and the Right Personal Relationships (Oh I mean sales).

Dave

London Day #3

  The Brownlee Brothers have huge pressure on them. This photo of them is everywhere. Phone Booths, Buses, in the subway station. The weight of the nation has moved most to greatness. The events last night of 3 British Gold Medals in 45 minutes on the track or Andy Murray beating Roger Federer for Gold. But the pressure has also gotten to a few especially those who were clear favorites. On Tuesday all the guessing will be answered.
 

 It’s pouring rain at the start of the Marathon. It didn’t slow down the runners and it didn’t stop the fans.
 

 Trafalger Square and the Marathon Start line.

 

  I was cold, wet and needed a break from the rain. I heard the TV coming from a Pub and took the opportunity to get warm. What do I find, a man wearing a pair of Zoot shoes. Tobey from Germany was there with his Greek wife and brother Stephan. We had a great time drinking beer, talking running and of course running shoes. Stephan bought his one ticket for the Olympics one year ago. He debated between events and finally settled on the men’s 10,000 meters. He sat in that stadium in complete Awe of the biggest 45 minutes in British Track History. And he said “I saw a white guy medal in the 10,000”. What a lucky man. Tobey is learning to midfoot run. Do you think I had something to say?
 

 The women at 6K. Big pack that stayed together until 20K. Then the race started and finally at 30K the Africans made their first appearance at the front of the race. What a final 10K it was. 

It's a good life.....