Monday, April 23, 2012

Life on the Track

This Photo 2 years ago this month. 

I've spent quite a bit of time at the track these past few years. There is something very special about watching  distance events. I wish that life was more like a distance event. If you fail on the track because everyone sees it (you are fully exposed) it's your "fault". In much of life if you fail you point out that it wasn't you. I suggest we all act like distance track runners. Put it all out there on the track and let yourself go. If you fail at least you know you failed going after it. 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Running Around: The Dream

As stated a couple weeks ago my dream is to run in 50 countries. I've altered it a bit in that I want to do this before I turn 51. This will also take care of two other dreams in the process.

1. To become a photographer.
2. To become a better writer


Here's the list so far.
Sweden
Holland
Belgium
France
Spain
Portugal
Germany
Slovenia
Switzerland
Slovakia
Hungary
Poland
USA
Canada
Mexico
Panama
Bahamas
Turks and Cacaos
Brazil
Argentina
Austria
China
Japan
Puerto Rico
Hong Kong
England
Kenya

Just to be a bit fair I've also run in a great number of states.
Washington
Oregon
California
Arizona
Nevada
Hawaii
Utah
Colorado
New Mexico
Texas
Kansas
Missouri
Illinois
Louisiana
Kentucky
Tennessee
Wisconsin
Ohio
Indiana
Florida
Georgia
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Maryland
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Hew Hampshire
Maine


Sunday, April 8, 2012

Wherever in the World To Run: Sydney, Austrailia

I saw this picture from friend Alan Lunn and knew I had to write. What an amazing photo taken April 8, 2012.  Back to running. It was Sydney, 2000. The year of the Olympics. Mary and I were invited to 5 days of the Olympics including the first ever Olympic Triathlon. The thing about this picture is that it was taken from the park where we ran.

Thanks Alan for the inspiration.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

The List

Starting my list of things I want to do before I die. Not that I fear I'm close to death just that I think I/we have got some things to do. Call it a bucket list or a life list or just a list. This is the one on top of my list.

Run in 50 different countries around the world.

I've run in so many different countries I thought 50 would be easy. Not so! I've hit 27 so far. I need to get a move on and hit the other 13. In this goal is to run in every country in the Americas. If I do that I think it gets me to 40.  That includes the Island nations which means Mary is going have to go back to Cuba so that I can run. I think she's up for it.

A short story of how I ran in Slovakia and Hungary in the same run. We had our sales meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia although it wasn't in Bratislava at tall. Roughly 20-30K outside of town in this hotel that was a distance from anything remotely civilized. There was a road out front and it looked like there wouldn't be much of a loop. The first morning I headed west on the road to see where it went. Roughly 20 minutes into the run and came to a sign that said you are now crossing into Hungary. There were the typical border crossing towers left over from a time when the borders were closed. I ran into Hungary for about 20 minutes and then ran back to the hotel.

I think there will be a few other runs like this. I think there is the possibility to do this in Central America and maybe in parts of South America. I know that this summer we're planning on taking two off my list. First and foremost I finally get to run where I was born in Bogota, Colombia. I can't wait for that run.

It's a good life....

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Attention to Detail

I am regularly humbled by the detail that goes into doing something great. Yesterday I raced the Oceandside 70.3 Triathlon. I missed one detail that would have probably made me faster than last year. I was slower by 2 seconds. In the span of everything going on in life that extra detail just didn't get done. No worries though, I gave it all I had on the day. I wrote on my forearms something that motivated me more than once and I think that made up for any detail I missed.

On my left arm:
Be True to yourself
Help others

On my right arm:
Make today a masterpiece