I was in Leavenworth, WA last weekend with a group of friends. I was meant to run the Oktoberfest Marathon/Half-Marathon with Dave, Matt & Jeff but a knee injury kept me out of it. Nevertheless, I was able to participate fully in the Oktoberfest activities - beer and brat consumption. Two highlights of the experience:
The first was a light switch near our table at Gustav’s:
All the wall lights were mounted on reindeer antlers. Yup, I agree, that rocks. The town, a model Bavarian village, is a monument to knick-knacks. The antlers are not that surprising after you’ve spent 10 minutes there.
The second thing was the abundance of people in full Oktoberfest regalia. I was impressed. I’m guessing the costumes will be recycled for Halloween, but hey…I’d do the same thing.
All told, it was an amazing weekend. Good friends, great weather and a spectacular setting.
“What could possibly go wrong?”
No matter what task you’ve set for yourself, some days it’s just hard to get focused and get cranking. I’ve been running regularly and loving it, but some days I get up tired and sleepy and sorely tempted to skip the day’s workout. On those days, I give myself the the ‘wuss test.’ I ask myself if I’m being honest with myself about why I’m skipping the workout. Is there an injury, or any good reason for fatigue, or am I just being a wuss? It’s amazing how often this gets me out the door.
Another great motivator is Runners’ World which I read regularly. In the latest issue, I found another version of the ‘wuss test’:
Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, “Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?” - Peter Maher, 2-time Olympic Marathoner.
And here’s another that applies just as well to startups (and reminded me of Andy’s post about urgency):
Somewhere in the world, someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win. - Sign on Marathoner Tom Fleming’s wall.
My apologies for the lack of posts over the past few days. I was in Napa for the weekend with some old friends for the Napa Marathon which was held on Sunday morning. Those of you who are marathoners know the pre-race day drill - stay off your feet, register, hydrate, get a good night’s sleep. For some reason, we decided that a day of wine-tasting was the perfect way to prepare. Not a good plan. The first 6 miles were a daze and the next 21.2 were a battle to keep Gatorade down (I failed) and to keep moving (I succeeded; barely.)
All being said, it was an amazing weekend, we managed to complete the run in 4:02 and the course was absolutely gorgeous. It was a sunny 55 degrees and the course was downhill most of the way through rolling vineyards, surrounded by mountains. I’ll be going back to run it again next year but if someone suggests wine tasting, there will be hell to pay.
Dave called me at 8.15am and asked if I “still wanted to do this.” The “this” in question was a reference to the 3 mile run we had planned on doing the night before. I had an out if I wanted it, but I suggested we show up, run an easy 3 and call it a day. He agreed and told me to be ready in 15 minutes.
I got dressed, chugged a couple of sips of coffee and then called him back to see if he wanted to bail. Dave said he was en route, and we should just go for it. (Have I mentioned that it was 23 degrees outside?)
Anyway, we showed up at 65th & Greenlake, got out of the car and started our run. I was swearing about how cold it was for the first 3 minutes but after that, settled in and began enjoying the cruise around the lake. We both finished strong and happy that we had decided to get out and show up. Once you’re there, starting the run is easy, and you feel great afterwards; you’re happy you did it.
The hard part is the transition from the happy-cosy-I’m-in-bed stage to the holy-shit-it’s-cold-why-am-I-here stage. Once you do that, the rest flows. This lesson about getting started is crucial in other aspects of life as well. Whether you’re starting a diet, or sitting down to tackle a difficult search problem on your website, often the hardest part is getting started. This is not to say that the problems themselves are difficult, it’s just that once you start, you can typically find a way to make progress.
Just like running. Get dressed, get out there, one foot in front of the next.
I signed up for the Napa Marathon and the Camp Pendleton Mud Run yesterday. This means I need to get my lazy arse back on the morning run cycle. I’m up early and and groggy but the morning is the only time I can guarantee running time, and I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with walking into the office with a workout under my belt.