Monthly Archives: August 2009

7 weeks out now from Nashville and I have a 16 scheduled for this weekend.  The weekly mileage is getting up there pretty good as well.  Legs feel exhausted some days and great on others which is about what I would expect.

I was thinking about the difference of what Nashville will be with a handful of runners and Disney with about 40,000.  I can imagine it will feel like the last man on earth to New York City.  I do enjoy both however and looking forward to part trail and greenway running of a race.  That will be a first in a city atmosphere.

I would encourage you to visit www.teamsweat.org

I would also encourage you to watch the “Behind the Shoosh” 20 minute documentary on this website. 

To whom much is given much is required.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  Theodore Roosevelt

It is interesting to see what I recall from my childhood.  What things impacted me and stand out from my past? 

The first time I saw anyone run was my dad in Charleston when I was really young.  In the early 70′s when he began running is when people looked at you like you were an alien because you were running.  I guess that was the first impact of running on me.  I also would run with my mom when I was a little older.  Or at least try to run circles around her.  Only now it might me safe to admit that I knew it drove her nuts which is why I did it.

Last night I went to visit my Grandmother in the hospital (please say a little prayer) and I saw my Grandfather (Pop).  I had great times with Pop growing up.  Things I remember with Pop are the road trips where we would just hop in the car and drive around the state of Texas when I lived in Houston. Of course he tried to roast me to death in the hot car and I had to beg for some air conditioning.  I remember his stories of living in Mobile Alabama as we would always get off the interstate and let him relive his past when we passed through town.  I remember spending summer times at their house and playing volleyball in the back yard.  I remember him performing near surgery on a toenail that was virtually ripped out.  (See I have always had ugly feet!)  I remember his gardens and the taste of the fresh tomotoes and fried ocra and riding on that old tractor.

I remember the movies he took me to, and even the ones he drug me out of because of the language, ugh!  I remember playing tennis with him and also my strategy for victory.  I would make him run side to side determined to wear him out.  I know that was wrong but still solid strategy!  And yes I remember the runs with Pop!

Pop was a runner and more than anything that we did together that always stood out to me.  Running down Klondike Rd and Union Church Rd in Conyers Ga with Pop.  I don’t know why I wanted to run but it just seemed to feel like the right thing to do.  It just seemed to make sense even for a 12 year old.  He could not have picked anything else I would have enjoyed more.  From that time til now when life gets tough or stress hits hard when I go for a run is when things seem to clear up and life begins to make sense again.   

It was small things that I remember the most that had such an impact on me.  Most of the running I did at a young age involved being with some family member and creating a memory which is why today running is so important to me because of the great memories it brings up.  Running to me is associated with family and good times, not just sweat and pain.

I try to remember this with my two boys.  I started growing closer to my dad on afternoon runs on back roads in Lithonia together as I got older.  We saw some interested things on the road together as we ran past the dump.  Not sure why we chose to run by a dump everyday.  I remember those little things.  I try to remember to give my boys those moments to remember.  I can’t make that memory happen but I can create the opportunity for them to make a memory to be impacted with the rest of their lives.  It is just the little things.

I spent some time taking in the action last week of the Track and Field World Championships.  I was amazed by the records, the tenacity and the performances.  The one thing that impressed me more than anything was the quality of many of the athletes who competed.  There are the exceptions but below are examples of what many of the athletes showed that I would love to learn from.

- Patriotism.  A true appreciation for the honor or representing the country they are from.

- Respect.  Great respect for their fellow competitors.

- Thankfulness.  Great respect for their sport and it’s history.

- Sacrifice.  The price paid for where they are at and how they got there.

- Sportsmanship.  Class and grace in losing.

- Character.  Representing athletes and their countries well.

- Persistence.  The roadblocks many of them hit in the process and made it still showed true grit.

- Champions.  The ones that I saw with these traits, are all champions.

One of my favorite examples is Bernard Lagat.  Bernard ran a tough 1,500 meter final and got boxed in on the last lap.  Bernard was a favorite to win and was dealt a tough race and still took the bronze with a gutsy effort.  In his qualifying heat for the 5,000 meter race he was cut on his ankle and was even unsure if he could run in the final.  Watching Bernard give it all he had down the stretch and push himself as much as he did to take the silver was a treat.  Hearing him after the race gives you a great appreciation for an athlete such and Bernard Lagat who is like so many others sacrificing so much to perform at such a high level.

Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you.
     - André Gide, 1869 – 1951

8 weeks away from Nashville now.  Training is picking up nicely.  My long run of 15 was good and bad last week but overall I am healthy and feeling good.  It is a drop back week of 10 this weekend but I have 10 on back to back days so it is enough to keep me busy.

The Goofy Challenge is just 12 weeks after Nashville so I naturally I an eye on it as well.  My main goal for this fall is to enjoy the races and stay healthy.  Not really looking for any times goals for these races especially with the number of races I have coming up.  Been there and done that and injured in the process.  Hope to avoid a repeat of that.

Good luck on your long runs this weekend and hope you can enjoy the last few days of the World Championships.  Mens and Womens marathons are both run this weekend.

But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.  Paulo Ceolho

This week at the track and field World Championships Sanya Richards won the 400 meter final to become the World Champion at this distance.  But it is the story behind it that I appreciate.  Sanya has been ranked number one in the world for the last four years and won meet after meet but never a championship.  From the Olympic games to the World Championships the big win has always managed to get away from her. 

Four years of knowing you are the best and wondering why you have not been able to close out on a championship.  It was great to see the joy on her face after the big win. 

That level of tenacity really impressed me.  There were so many levels of discouragement that she could have gone to but her spirit of fighting never went away.  She just kept trying different methods, different ideas, different training and different strategies.  She just kept after it.

What a great lesson in that.  How many times do we feel that we are ready to move to the next level in running or at work and we keep hitting that same road block.  If one way around it does not work, just try another, another and another until you find a way around it. 

Think of four years of knowing you are the best and not being able to reach the pinnacle you are looking for.  Just keep looking and you will find another way.

I hope you will get a chance to watch the 1,500 meter finals at the World Championships in Berlin Wednesday 8/19.  Just in case you missed it last summer at the Olympics, below is the story of Lopez Lomong.  Stories like this are so often overlooked for the headlines of athletes that just take the life out of sports.  Lopez is an amazing person with an incredible story.

Lopez Lomong has overcome an overwhelming array of obstacles in becoming a top American  middle distance runner. When he was 6 years old, in 1991, his family fled Kimotong, Sudan, on foot to avoid an attack by the militia group, the Janjaweed. Lomong and his family ran for three days in the African wilderness to avoid the attackers. After being separated from his family upon arrival at the Sudan-Kenya border, he lived in a refugee camp run by Catholic missionaries for 10 years. Despite being separated from his family as one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan”, Lomong says he is considered one of the lucky children as thousands of boys drowned, were eaten by wild animals or were shot by military forces. An essay that he wrote in 2001 about what he would strive to accomplish if he lived in America prompted officials to give him that chance. Lomong was moved to the U.S. to live with a foster family in Tully, N.Y., and became one of the 3,800 resettled youngsters known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”  Lomong became a U.S. season in July, 2007, while becoming a star middle distance runner at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.  He enjoyed his best year in 2007, winning the NCAA Indoor 3,000m title in upsetting two-time NCAA champion Chris Solinsky in 7:49.74, and taking the NCAA Outdoor men’s 1,500m crown in 3:37.07. He set a personal best and an NAU school record of 1:45.79 in placing fifth in the 800 meters at the 2007 AT&T USA Track and Field Championships, and he was named NCAA Mountain Region Male Track Athlete of the year by the USTFCCCA. Lomong, who turned pro after the 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championships, says his dream is to represent the USA in international competition, his way to thank those who have helped him. “I came to this country without expecting anything,” said Lomong to USA TODAY. “Now I want to return the favor by being a good runner.” Away from the track, Lomong, who enjoys hip hop music, is studying hotel management because he hopes to return to Africa to help revitalize the continent’s tourism. He also wants to assist families confronted with multiple challenges in his home country.  (Courtesy of US Track and Field)

I was asked the other day how someone would be successful in a particular role at our company.  The one thing that stood out to me was being consistent.  Not talented but consistent.  Can you do it day in and day out?  When it gets rough and when you have a bad day can you do it anyway?

That to me is the model of how to be successful.  I was watching the track and field world championships and saw in the womens 400 meter hurdles Lashinda Demus.  She won her first heat in an impressive way.  I heard quotes about her that she trains harder than anyone else out there.  There is no surpirse of her success when you work that hard.  It did not happen on race day it happened on all the training days consistently.

I heard a story from a friend who had success in sales in a new position and when asked what made him successful he said, “I showed up when they asked me to show up”.

I think back to my training and the races I have felt good about, there is one thing I can point at that is always true about that race.  I showed up when I was supposed to show up.  My training was consistent.  You can’t fake it on race day.  You did or you did not when it comes to training.  If you want to be successful you have to be consistent.

I am getting close to halfway into my training now for Nashville in October.  I was out of town this past weekend in Orlando.  I got in a couple of runs while I was down there and felt good about those. 

It was just what you would imagine running in Orlando in August would be like.  I could have just taken my clothes, shoes and socks and soaked them in a tub of water and gotten the same results as from my run.  Quite humid, just as you would think.  I did take a couple of days off as well, which I think served me well.

I am getting back into regular scheduled training this week and expect that to stay on track til the race.  I still have the Goofy to think of so I am training hard but still holding back some to make sure I stay healthy for January.  15 for this weekend.

“Top results are reached only through pain.  But eventually you like this pain.  You’ll find the more difficulties you have on the way, the more you will enjoy your success.”  Juha Vaatainen

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”  Henry David Thoreau

It helps from time to time for me to take a closer look at words that I would want to use to describe me.  Reading the actual definitions and trying to understand how those can apply to me helps put it in perspective.  I decided today to take a quick look at toughness.

- strong or firm, flexible but not brittle

- characterized by severity or uncompromising determination

- capable of enduring strain, hardship, or severe labor

- very hard to influence

I will try to keep those words in mind while out on the road.  Those make me think.  How I am doing with those?  Am I living those out?  Am I instilling this in my two boys?  Something to consider on the long run.