Going to eleven

In this famous scene from the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, the character Nigel Tufnel is showing off his Marshall guitar amplifiers, and points out that the control knobs all go to setting Eleven. When challenged by the director on why he just doesn’t follow the usual convention of One to Ten, and make Ten…

Tiger socks

When I was a young, my parents asked me to look through the Sears catalogue and pick out gift ideas to put on my Christmas list.  (For you Gen Y’ers, a catalogue is like a website, only much heavier and harder to rip.)  My earliest memory of this ritual was at age 5, when I…

What’s next

I’ve had quite a week… 7 days to reflect on the marathon finish and the process leading up to it. I learned a lot about running and a lot about myself. I also learned that the blog has been a trigger for many of you to motivate yourselves into a new fitness routine, or to…

Walk like the wind

It’s been a long journey and I’ve learned a few things That’s what a fundraising marathon brings I learned I’d go further than ever before I learned even then I could go a little bit more Up to 20 miles in my Nikes I ran Then I learned that I’m actually not Superman I learned…

Mind tricks and tradeoffs

I had lunch with a former work friend yesterday, and we got to talking about fitting in fitness in our busy lives.  She said she wanted to work out more, but just could not find the time.  She followed with a good list of other priorities that always seemed to take precedence.  You know the usual ones……

Minor adjustments

Do minor adjustments really make a difference… like taking the stairs instead of the elevator? If you work on the fourth floor, you could lose a pound a week. How about switching to instant coffee instead of daily Starbucks?  You could save $500 in just one year. I have recently been feeling a pain in my leg…

Certainty in an uncertain world

I was talking with a friend this morning who was concerned about impending changes in his company’s organization.  It reminded me of the times in my career when it was hard to do my best work because of uncertainty in the company’s strategy or next quarter’s financial outlook.  Who wants to do great work in…

Setbacks and comebacks

I heard this phrase from Joel Osteen, “A setback is a setup for a comeback.”  I’m not sure who really originated it, but I like the play on words.  I also see it playing out in my life right now.  For those of you following me on my marathon training progress, I suffered a minor…