Getting in the Boat

I'll never forget the first time I had to fire someone.

Let's call her Sally.

Sally was a good person.

She had the right HEART for the job.

She had the right ATTITUDE for the job.

But unfortunately......

She had the WRONG SKILLS for the job.

We both new it.

For a very long time.

Too long of a time.

We both clung to the false hope that.things would change and she would just one day.......

Get it.

But we both new the truth.

For a very long time.

Too long of a time.

Sally was NEVER going to get it.

EVER.

No matter how many people helped show her the way.

Or how many training videos she watched.

It was NEVER going to happen

EVER.

It wasn't time to QUIT and GIVE UP.

It was time to STOP and MOVE ON.

But it hurt too much to do the right thing.

I wanted to fire Sally without going through the ACT of firing Sally.

I didn't want to hurt her.

I have opined in previous posts that the RIGHT decision is seldom a COMFORTABLE decision.

Moving an aging parent into a nursing home despite that parent's plea to stay in the family home.

Giving that newborn baby up for adoption knowing that child will wonder who you were and why you gave her up.

These are daunting decisions preceded by frightening conversations.

These are also COURAGEOUS decisions preceded by NECESSARY conversations.

Decisions that affect lives.

Forever.

Decisions where opting for the status quo offers a temporary but false hope.....

And short-term comfort in exchange for long-term pain.

Sir Earnest Shackleton

When it comes to making courageous decisions, I think of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his 1914 voyage to the Antarctic.

It's a story that has been dissected by top graduate business schools as the model for survival, leadership and crisis management.

After leaving the continent, Shackleton's ship, the Endurance, became trapped in sea ice. Unable to break free, the men, helplessly watched the ice slowly crush the ship over a period of ten months.

The crew was forced to abandon ship and camp on the ice flows for five months.

After five terrifying days in three lifeboats, Shackleton and crew landed on Elephant Island.

This was the men's first time on land in 497 days.

But Shackleton knew they could not remain on Elephant Island.

It was inhospitable to human beings.

And far from any shipping routes.

They would NEVER be found.

And they would eventually die.

Shackleton knew what had to be done.

They had to risk an open-boat attempt in one of the lifeboats to the nearest whaling station--South Georgia Island.

Over 720 nautical miles away.

In rough seas.

And hurricane-force winds.

A daunting decision.

Stay on "safe" land and surely but slowly die.

Or.......

Get in the boat, set sail for the terrifying unknown to arrive at a better place.....

.......while recognizing death was the more likely outcome.

I suspect this was a daunting decision preceded by frightening conversations.

But also a COURAGEOUS decision preceded by NECESSARY conversations.

A decision that would affect lives.

Forever.

A decision where opting for the status quo would offer a temporary but false hope.....

And short-term comfort in exchange for long-term pain.

And death.

Shackleton's decision to leave the island was a tough decision.

But it was the RIGHT decision.

For he and is men made it to help at South Georgia Island.

All of his men survived.

I fired Sally on a Friday afternoon.

There were tears.

But Sally's tears weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of relief.

She didn't have to worry about telling her husband she had QUIT and GAVE UP.

She could tell him she had STOPPED and MOVED ON.

With dignity.

Because the false hope and temporary safety of the island was no longer an option.

She didn't have to be scared of sailing into the unknown anymore.

The winds were now blowing her way.

She was free to get in the boat.

And set sail for a better place.

AMJ

Happiness and Hamburger Helper

"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
--Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

We ran Lookout Mountain this past weekend.

Start time: 5am.

I bet we've run this road in the dark over 200 times since we first started training on it back in 2009.

Over 1600 feet of heart-pumping elevation gain in just under 4.75 miles.

The relentless grade in the dark will make your lungs burn and calves scream.

Sunrise on Lookout Mountain

But the reward at the top is worth the pain.

An inspiring sunrise.

I guarantee it.

I'm still awe-struck at the golden sun rising under a purple sky on this mountain even after 6 years and hundreds of ascents.

A piece of joy to start the day.

No matter what that day holds.

In 2009 I read Viktor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning."

The year I found myself age 40, laid off, broke and contemplating how I was going to tell my kids we were going to lose our home.

I still have the notice of the auction date from the bank.

The premise of Frankl's book is that happiness is a CHOICE independent of circumstances and that if a man does not choose his attitude towards his circumstances......

.....he will become a SLAVE to his circumstances.

I would have considered this advice polyannish nonsense  but for Mr. Frankl being a holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable brutality at Auschwitz during World War II.

"Man's Search for Meaning" was my "survival guide" during 2009-2010.

I found Mr. Frankl's daily habit of looking for something beautiful around him---no matter how small (like a flower)--- to ease the pain of the horrors around him, particularly instructive.

This is when I discovered trail running.

Just before being laid off in 2009, a former colleague dared me to sign up for a race called the Mt. Evans Ascent.  A 14.5-mile race that starts at 10,000 feet and finishes at the 14,000 foot summit of Mt. Evans.

Little did I know that training for this race would be a godsend---the perfect prescription for sanity to get me through the worst personal and professional smack-down of my life.

I began each morning of my job search with a training run.

My long runs were often at altitude near Mt. Evans before sunrise to acclimate for the race.

I discovered the training provided me with many of the things I lost when I lost my job.

A goal.

A place to be.

A sense of accomplishment.

A purpose.

The long training runs at sunrise at 10,000 feet were particularly helpful as they often served as a REMINDER.

A reminder that life can suck--and I mean REALLY suck.

But in the big scheme of the universe, our problems are pretty damned small and that life goes on and is still pretty amazing and beautiful......

....despite the problems we are battling.

But here's the funny thing.

By finding beauty in the chaos....

I developed more than ripped calves and powerful lungs.

I developed STRENGTH.

The strength to not only press on and survive...... but find meaning in the misery and even derive lessons from it.

Lessons like the importance of gratitude and the power of friendship.

Lessons to share with others.

Lessons that would later become the hallmark of a business class at a community college.

Lessons that never would have been learned, and a class that never would have been taught but for the humiliating ass-kicking of 2009-2010.

I have to laugh, if someone had told me back in 2009 while 40, broke and buying Hamburger Helper at Walmart, that losing my job was going to lead to a great teaching gig and a TEDTalk on overcoming challenge, I would have burst out laughing.

Hardee, harr, harr!

But that how the universe sometimes works.

I guess even the universe has a sense of humor sometimes.

Six years later, I marvel and mean really MARVEL how we were able to pay down the $68,000 in debt, replenish the 401(k)s AND manage to keep the house.

It almost sounds like a perfect comeback story.

Almost.

Unfortunately, most comebacks aren't as neat and tidy as stories on the Hallmark channel.

In real life, at least in my experience, the victory celebration cake is eaten while other battles rage on.

Unfortunately.....some battles are still raging on.

I'm running North Table Mesa tomorrow with some friends tomorrow.

I'll be sure to bring my headlamp as we're running early.

It's pretty rocky the first few miles.

And the grade going up is relentless.

But that's okay.

I hear the sunrise is amazing.

AMJ

No Bikinis or Six-Pack Abs

My Change through Challenge class takes their final exam in three weeks.

The "final:"  a marathon for four of the students and a half-marathon for another student at the Rock n Roll Marathon in Phoenix on January 18th.

Both events are distances that less than 1 percent of the American population HAS ever or WILL ever run or walk.

I have to admit, there are no "Biggest Loser" testimonials this semester about students dropping big pounds to squeeze into new bikinis.

Nor has anyone displayed newly developed ripped, six-pack abs from the training.

But that's how it is EVERY semester.......

Highline Canal, Winter 

I love watching students begin the training believing they will experience tremendous----- dare I say miraculous physical transformation.

They have goals of peeled-off pounds and chiseled physiques.

Only to realize that the changes are indeed profound.

But mainly INTERNAL.......

Instead of EXTERNAL.

It's not to say the students don't get in great shape.

I mean, hey, training for a marathon requires a guy or gal to run for a very long time.

Many times per week.

For 22 weeks!

In good weather.....

And in bad.

Which is why marathon training is so powerful.

Because it gets so damned hard.......

On the body.....and mind.

Thus requiring a bigger....DEEPER reason for doing it........

Than just bikinis and six-pack abs.

Let's face it,  there are easier ways to get a "beach-ready" body than getting up before sunrise to run 20-miles at the Highline Canal when it's 10-degrees outside!

But distance training builds a mental toughness and resolve to conquer much, MUCH more than going 26.2.

Ultrarunner Scott Jurek says distance training is more about TRANSCENDENCE than FITNESS.

I think he's right.

Indeed it builds the character to conquer the bigger distances of life:  overcoming the business failure, finishing that degree at age 30 whilst working full time to support three kids, or summoning the courage to end that bad relationship.

These are the REAL distances marathon training enables one to conquer.

When the students and I fly home from the race next month, I know one of the students are going to ask what type of training they should do while their legs recover.

I'll tell them to do the usual recovery type of stuff.......

Stretching........

Biking......

.........maybe even some strength training.

Because it'll be Summer before we know it.

And you know what that means.

Swimming.

And who doesn't want to look good in a bikini?

AMJ

Gift Cards and Instant Cocoa

One of the best things about the morning runs with friends is what happens AFTER the run.

Hot cocoa.

And I don't mean the "crappy powder with fake marshmallows and add hot water" kind of hot cocoa.

I am talking the REAL stuff.

Semi-sweet baking cocoa, almond milk, heavy cream, vanilla and a dash of cinnamon!

Nothing like sharing real, honest piping hot cocoa from a stainless steel thermos with friends after pounding repeats on Green Mountain in 20-degree weather under moonlight.

It's simple.

And....it takes a little longer to make in the morning.

But its worth it.

Because it makes the experience so much better.

Because its REAL.

It's from the heart.

Ultra running legend Scott Jurek mentions in his book "Eat and Run" that the simple act of cooking is an act of love.

I think he's right.

I think there are other simple activities that can be acts of love:

Teaching someone how to oil paint.

Reading a story to a child.

Or even uttering the words: "let's go running."

Like real hot cocoa, they are simple endeavors.

That require extra work.

But they make for great experiences.

Because they require more than passive attention or opening a package and adding hot water.

They come from the heart.

My wife and I were invited to a Christmas service at a church we would not normally attend.

I suspect we share a completely different world view than most of the congregants.

But that's okay.

The service was beautiful.

Beautiful because of what it did NOT have.

No concert-quality sound systems with light show.

No professional actors and a holographic Jesus.

Just a few string instruments and a choir.

And the singing of Silent Night with candlelight.

Like real hot cocoa......

The experience was simple.

It took extra work.

But it was real.

It was from the heart.

And that made it so much better.

I stuck to my goal of not buying any gift cards this Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when gift cards are the best option.

But over the years, I found myself using gift cards as a crutch.

A mechanism to replace the act of thoughtful giving with the efficient but superficial act of writing a check.

I guess it was last year that I realized that going to Safeway and placing dish detergent and Hamburger Helper in the same cart as the "gift" cards for my friends seemed far, FAR removed from the days of contemplating and surprising a friend with a gift.

I sound like a grouchy old guy.

But the older I get, the more it seems that the "slow and simple" beats the pants off "quick and convenient."

I plan on running Green Mountain and Lookout Mountain a few times with friends this week now that it's Christmas break.

The forecast calls for snow later this week.

I'm not worried

We'll be prepared.

I found a new cocoa recipe from Ghiradelli.

I might even bring the marshmallows.

AMJ

Why Therapists (and politicians) Are Lousy Race Directors

My running buddy and I lead a group run up Lookout Mountain Road every Thanksgiving Morning.

It's 4.75 miles of calf-crushing, lung-burning joy to the top.....with 1600 feet of elevation gain to boot.

Nothing like stimulating the gag-reflex to usher in Thanksgiving!

We've been hosting this come all, come early, choke-and-puke event for six years.

The requirements to attend are pretty simple.......get laced up at Beverly Heights Park at 6am.

..........and then run......walk......or crawl until you hit Buffalo Bill's Grave at the top.

Oh yeah....no leaving anybody behind.

Ever.

Egos and PR ambitions are to be left at home today.

Because this morning, we're all in this together.

The group is pretty simple......friends.....friends of friends.......current and past co-workers...... and anybody invited by anybody with the guts, grits and cajones to participate. 

The group gets bigger each year.

It also gets better.

Because great running partners do something that therapists and politicians are unable to do:

Bring people together.

Even people with nothing in common.

Except when running.

Then they have EVERYTHING in common.

I marvel at how many runners I have learned from......and shared the trails with.......whom I know have completely different world views than my own.

But on the trails.......in those early hours before the meetings and emails .....it just doesn't matter to any of us who voted for Mitt.......or bought the million dollar home............ or who missed church last week. 

Indeed, running is the great class equalizer.

Whether you are the CFO or the 19-year old single mom.......

The trails are an "equal opportunity employer!"

Running partners are like families.......

.....but without the dysfunction.

Perhaps it's because religion and politics are seldom discussed.......

.....and personal discussions never leave the trails.

For most running relationships, the runners get together.........set big goals........ hold each other accountable........ and support and encourage one another when the weather gets rough.

Because the weather always get rough. 

This is what families do.

Perhaps the next Secretary of State should not be a diplomat...... 

.......but a race director.

She could organize a MARATHON for regions of the world where diplomacy has failed.

Just think of the race tees........"I survived the Axis of Evil" Marathon!"

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate for our Thanksgiving run tomorrow.

Cold temps but sunny skies.

Another record turnout I suspect.

Perhaps Bob and I will make it an official race event next year.........

It would be a lot of fun.

And bring people together.

Better get working on those tees.

AMJ 

Running THROUGH It

"The best way out is always through."
                  ---Robert Frost

Road up Mt. Evans

This past Friday, on a complete whim, I played hooky from grading and squeezed in a 10-mile run up Mt. Evans Road.

I had the entire road to myself.

It's been closed for months as it's typically covered with 10 feet of snow by now.

Some say it's a great place to train for ultras and get away from it all.

I disagree.

I say it's a great place to train for ultras to get through it all.

In my experience, distance training, and LIFE,  has not been about running AWAY.

But running THROUGH.

By running through the miles in the cold.

The dark.

And the wind,...

One acquires the strength to endure the trials OFF the trails.

The job loss.

The business failure.

The divorce.

Or finishing that degree at age 40 with two kids and a mortgage.

I think distance training also makes us rethink the notion of speed.

Or coming in first place.

The guy who finished the Leadville 100 dead last this year gets the same size buckle as all of the other 25+ hour finishers.

Can anyone honestly say this guy is any less of an athlete or overall badass because he came in last after running 100 miles at 10,000 feet?

I don't either.

Because some races are not about finishing first.

They are simply about finishing.

I have some students this semester that are going to school while managing lives that read like stories from the 10 o'clock news.

Neurologist appointments from the motorcycle wreck, the sibling killed  by the drunk, and the voice message from the student at the ER requesting an extension on her writing assignment until she is released from the hospital from the head injuries she and her son sustained from the hand of an angry spouse.

These are not races about first place.

These are races about getting through.

And about finishing.

Many people are proud of the things they have accomplished.

I find I'm more impressed with the people who are proud of the things they have overcome.

I recently saw a quote on someone's whiteboard on LinkedIn that read:

 "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Be kind.  Always."

Wise words indeed.

Must be a distance runner.

AMJ

Lab Rat

I mentioned in my last post that training for the Leadville 100 Trail Run the past 8 months felt like a science project.

Although I have completed various ultras the past two years—including the Leadville Silver Rush 50 mile foot race— the Leadville 100 is a race and league of its own.

Despite having run a great FIFTY mile race at the Leadville 100, I feel like I learned a heckuva lot about training and diet.  Stuff that applies whether a guy plans to run 100 miles at 10,000 feet, or simply go to work each day to pay the mortgage with MAYBE a thought to crank out a 5k at the Turkey Trot Race on Thanksgiving Day.

Before I begin, however.......

A disclaimer......

Before you hit the “send” key on that profanity-laced email with the word “moron” in all caps in the subject line, please know that these are results and observations that worked for ME.

I am not a nutritionist, physiologist, PROCTOLOGIST or any other –gist…….

I’m just a guy who has made every diet and training mistake in the book and who decided to junk the magazine articles and follow the advice and habits of the REAL practitioners—the ultrarunners who are getting in the big miles at 10,000 feet and having a great time!

So here are the results:

Observations about Diet:

•     I lost approximately 15 pounds training for the LT-100.
•    Almost ALL of this weight loss occurred from May-July.
•   Weight loss occurred when I modified my DIET, not exercise.  
•    I was NOT able to exercise my way to thin.
•   Cutting any foods COMPLETELY never worked.
•   REPLACING instead of ELIMINATING foods absolutely worked. 
•  Except…..I abstained (almost completely) from alcohol and foods with a lot of sugar (candy,  soda pop).
•  I reduced and replaced dairy products MOST of the time. I replaced my morning snack of yogurt with a banana and replaced regular milk with almond milk.
• I still enjoyed some cheese on my salads.  I sucked down a cup of milk about every fifth day.
• I still believe dairy products are important, just not the quantity I was inhaling before.
• I replaced my nightly dessert with a cup of hot unsweetened almond milk.  Adding a dash of cinnamon or vanilla extract to hot almond milk will seriously fool the taste buds into thinking you are gorging on a decadent Starbucks vanilla latte! Little does your brain and taste buds know that you are sucking down less than 40 calories.
• I found the notion “a calorie is a calorie” to be untrue with me (or so it seemed).
• I found my weight dropped despite eating all the bacon, eggs, ham, turkey, fruit, salads, almonds, yams and almond butter I could shovel down.  I NEVER found this to be true gorging on foods like bread, pasta, waffles, pancakes, sandwiches and yogurt.   
• I found my performance soared gorging on the fruit and protein items mentioned above.
• I found my performance soared while reducing (not eliminating) the carbohydrate items mentioned above.
• I cycled carbohydrates (e.g. pasta, bread) approximately once per week—but seldom took second helpings.
• BUT……PBJs were an excellent fuel source training at altitude.  Carbohydrates became more important at higher elevations.  I learned this the hard way running up Pikes Peak with only a jar of peanut butter and bacon!

Observations about Sleep:

• I was RELIGIOUS about getting at least SEVEN hours of sleep per night
• I found sleep to be MORE important than DIET
• I abstained from TV or computer right before going to bed
• I would read at least 15 minutes before going to bed to facilitate falling asleep

Observations about Training:

•  Running FOUR (sometime FIVE) days per week worked well
•  Adding P90X for “cross training” was a disaster—it didn’t allow recovery time
•  Cross training 2-3 days per week on the spin bike followed by 20 minutes of light weight training felt great—it strengthened my core while allowing recovery time
• I did very little speed work—this was a BIG mistake and may have been a contributor in me not completing the Leadville 100.
• Running “14ers” (e.g. Pikes Peak) often was excellent training
• Running “14ers” at 2am was excellent training.......but I am glad to NOT be doing it now
• Hill work is excellent training and (in my opinion) like doing leg presses at the gym but the scenery is far, far better
• To run an ultra, it’s important to train doing EVERYTHING (speed, hills, stairs, altitude, long-distance).  As Chris McDougall commented about the Tarahumahara in his book "Born to Run," focus on becoming a great ATHLETE, not just a great runner.

 One last note…….

The diet, training and sleep items mentioned above are, in my experience,  more than TRAINING strategies. 

They’re LIFE strategies.

Strategies that will not only make you better on the road and on the trails.

But better at work and at home.

Because hey…… isn’t that reason we run in the first place? 

To FEEL better?

And to BE better?

I mean……if we can’t escape the “rat race…….”

Let’s at least make sure we have the tools to make it fun.

AMJ