Run Life's Course: 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

Words Can Never Describe...

The pain and agony that must be felt by the parents, school staff, and community of Newton, Connecticut. To lose anyone dear to you is difficult but to lose a little one in any situation is unthinkable.

We must focus attention on cherishing the victims and survivors and embracing our own families with love and honor. We must not waste time sensationalizing people who are mentally challenged and downright heartless, if not mentally disturbed, to commit such horrific acts. Let us put an action plan together to stop the mental illness and abuse of children and adults and create better gun laws to protect our children's children. Generations should not be lost because of these antics. Run the course of social action.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Rich or Famous Are Just Like You

A little notoriety does not mean exemption from problems. When a person of modest income and standard living exhibits some emotional concerns, it is normally attributed to a lack of education, finance, profession, or family ties.

But what happens when you have all that and you still have problems? Your worry may not be climbing the corporate ladder because you are at the top rung. Your concern may be how to stay there because everyone is attacking you to get your position. Your concern may not be how to pay the monthly bills or pay for the car repair in the next three months. Your concern may be how to maintain a lifestyle if you become unemployed or the second or main breadwinner dies or becomes unemployed in the next 5 years. You may not be worried about child care while you and your spouse work because you have enough money to pay for a round the clock nanny. However you may be concerned with the education that your child is missing by not being around you and your educated friends all the time due to work responsibilities. Your concern may never be taking drugs or drinking because you are not around others that partake in those activities. Nonetheless the money and fame means more access to more prominent and powerful secret things that people are eager to have you take to bring you down or take you out.

Everyone has problems both big and small. You can not discount another person's problems just because they supposedly have more money, fame, or fortune than you. We all pray to the same God who is able to keep us from falling.

Keep this in mind before you judge anyone.

RIP Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Kassandra Perkins, Jovan Belcher, Junior Seau

Sunday, November 18, 2012

New Level New Devil

Recently promoted? Recently been rewarded? New recognition? Well hold on and don't get comfortable. This means there is a new group of haters and blockers that are not in your favor.

If you have not torn others down to get to the next level and your brilliance is on the shine and tolerance for nonsense is on the decline, you definitely should be proud of yourself. Most people rise by bringing down others or at least make themselves feel better by doing this. Yet there is an old saying, dig a hole for one and you should dig a hole for two.

Congrats on your achievements but do not get comfortable, complacent, or lazy. The same way you worked hard to get here is the same way you will have to maintain staying here or at least getting to the next level. There will be new challenges and new persons trying to disprove your work ethic and intelligence. Keep track of all your interactions with others. Be sure you cover yourself and make a strong statement - without being a jerk - that you are here to stay.

If you were not gifted, no one would be standing in your way or blocking you from opportunities. Only the strong survive and I am cheering for you to thrive not just survive. Run the course because you definitely may be hindered along the way but you WILL win in the end!

Marathon Results and Snippets

Too Many More To Add
05.15.11 - Pasadena (5:30:27) - The ultimate challenge is to run another marathon the day after a PR. But in the rain? It rained the first 11 miles. (I thought it did not rain in Southern California.) I should have returned to the car and driven back to the hotel. Here we go again with the half marathoners and the marathoners running together until mile 10. I was running but my legs couldn't sustain it after mile 10. I walked for 2.5 miles and ran every 3 minutes for the race during the hills. No electrolyte drinks for almost 5 mile stretches. No pretzels, salt, or other "push you through" food. Shout out to the neighborhood family that gave us Vanilla Wafers and Jolly Ranchers in a Ziploc bag. Nothing like running with a Vanilla Wafers bag but this was my "electrolyte". I had to stop at a local store to get a Mountain Dew to finish the race. The nerve of one of the race coordinators to ask where I got my Mountain Dew when they had no Gatorade on the course. Paramedics were plentiful and not Kaiser Permanente. Thank goodness. Overall not well organized.
05.14.11 - Palos Verdes (4:33:31 PR) - Community marathon it is but for a great charitable cause. You can register the morning of the race. The views of the Pacific Ocean are the only high point outside of the HILLS HILLS HILLS and more HILLS. A little drizzle during the marathon was bearable. Mental toughness is required as you past the finish line three times before it is actually your finish. Running back through the original starting line is no fun. It felt more like a long run around some neighborhoods rather than a marathon. Water stops has minimal water and even less electrolyte drinks. They use the old school chips. Less than 1 foot after crossing the finish line, you are expected to stop suddenly so they can collect the chips. A practice long run at best.
03.26.11 - National (4:46:05) - The marathon that couldn't end soon enough! Cheap bootleg expo across from RFK Stadium. 29 degrees at the start and 33 at the finish. The host hotel offered one shuttle to the start every hour. Half marathoners started the same time as the marathoners and there was NO split. The first mile marker we saw was at mile 10. The streets could not hold the number of runners with the parked cars. Get this! Half marathoners were being encouraged that they only had 100 feet to go to the finish as we had to a) run past their finish line, b) run around RFK stadium as they are going to their parked cars, and c) run back through the original starting line. THE WORST!!! I am not into crowd support but if you are, don't run this marathon. They did have water and electrolyte stops at every mile after mile 15. Lo and behold, there were mile markers too after mile 15. I can't forget the loop around the bucket at mile 22. There was a long stretch to the finish that had no "glory" that you were anywhere near the finish line - no signage, no cheers, no "you're almost there", no NOTHING! After experiencing the longest marathon ever, I had no way of getting back to the hotel. The police said "take a subway". REALLY? NOT! S I waited 20 minutes to hail the only taxi to go to the hotel. I had the taxi stop to pick up three other marathoners to take them to their cars. Disgusted!
03.20.11 - Georgia (4:54:49) - A great challenge for a flat course runner with 18 miles of hills and 6 miles of near flat terrain. Half marathoners started at the same time but split at mile 6. Plenty of room in the streets to handle the crowds. If you're into crowd support, don't be! I must have been delusional to think Atlanta was flat in all my business travel. The last hill ended around mile 25. The finish was the best. Within 20 feet of the medal was the photo area and the post-race food and two blocks to the hotel. Perfectly organized non-major marathon with volunteers exemplifying the best Southern Hospitality.

Run Life's Course