Lane 8.org

Hotel Sokos in Lahti, Finland 2009

Are you  ready and willing to compromise? I mean, literally, every single day?

And if you are ready, what allows you to be ready? Have you always been like this?

Or have years of practice led you to the place where you are today?

Yesterday, it was pick one:

• Workout after teaching all day
• Go home and get to bed early, to get 8 hours sleep

Rest is a critical part of our overall health, and sometimes doing nothing (sleeping) is more important than exercise.

(next blog)

This morning, at 4:50AM, while deciding what to write here at Lane 8, found a post I had started in August 2009, but had never finished, never posted.

In watching these two videos, it’s clear where my mind was. It was on motivation. Everyday our minds should be on motivation.  Everyday.

Many of you will never be runners. That’s ok.  Never want you to feel like you should be a runner. But I absolutely want you to feel you should do something. Walk, bike, dance, roll, swim, stairs, yoga, gym, ski…. it doesn’t matter, unless it matters to you.

Today, all I suggest to you is to watch this short jeff noel, One-Take-You Tube video. It’s from June 20, 2009:

Just keep saying this to yourself, “If not today, when?”

To Live Without My Music Would Be Impossible To Do

We all love music don’t we. And tonight, New Year’s Eve, we’ll most likely be listening to great music. What a joyous occasion New Year’s Eve is for so many people.

One of my favorite songs from legendary Country singer, Garth Brooks is “Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old“.  It reminds me of all the resolutions people make to get in shape, lose weight, quit smoking, etc.

Last week, I was reminded of this and had to laugh. The morning that I was heading to the Podiatrist for long-term foot pain, was the same morning an email came from the USATF, United States Track and Field.

The email announced the deadline was fast approaching for the 2010 Master’s Track & Field Indoor World Championships, in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Good thing I have a sense of humor, and a box of tissues.

And on this day was born a child.  In a manger, at the stable. No room at the Inn.  And they called him Emmanuel.

Impossible?

Perhaps nothing is impossible.  Perhaps impossible is nothing.

Lane 8 is a simple website and blog.  Even the first Lane 8 business card was handmade, in five minutes. And  5,000 were printed and taken to Finland.

August, 2009, in Lahti, Finland, the Master’s Track & Field World Championships drew 5,300 athletes from 80 Countries, with the same Olympic spirit as the official Olympic Games.

Many of the Master’s athletes celebrate Christmas, and that little boy everyone calls Emmanuel.

Lane 8 is simply a humble beginning. Not at all unlike a child born in a stable.

Lane 8, Finland, 2009

Merry Christmas from Lane 8.

Handmade t-shirt, Finland

Peace on Earth, good will toward men.

Tell Them Age Is An Excuse

What can we learn from defeat, loss, failure?

Many things to be sure. But only if we try hard to learn from setback. And only if we listen. And only if we then try again.

Are you listening? And I don’t mean, “Sleigh bells ring, are you listening”.

I mean, are you the kind of person that will pick yourself up after you fall?

Are you the type of person that finds a million ways to stay motivated?

You see, getting motivated is one thing. What makes winners is staying motivated.

Oh wait, you want to tell me something, right?

Okay, go ahead.

“Jeff, you don’t understand, my life is hard. It’s very difficult.”

Here’s a Christmas gift for you, and it is given with the most hopeful and sincere intent – “No one has it easy. Period. End of story.”

This may scare some people off, and I would hate to see that happen, but I can’t allow myself to make excuses.

How can I teach our son (9), that it’s okay to make excuses?

Okay, so yesterday was a video of Jack the Bear in Mexico.  And today we find Jack in Dallas (different trip) at a nice place.

It was 20 degrees the next morning and I found the willpower to run outside at 7:00AM.  I used a pair of socks for gloves and had four layers on my upper body.

No sweatpants though, which took me back to the winter days in Pennsylvania, when a few of us would run distance runs in the snow and freezing temps, sans sweatpants.

Even found the willpower to do a core workout in the Hotel gym the night before, even though I was tired from travel.

So, here’s Jack commenting on where we stayed:

Yes it was a fancy hotel. And yes, Jack watched TV while I worked out and also when I ran in 20-degree temps. Not only is he one lucky bear, but he’s also very smart.

Steve Prefontaine's Legacy

Here’s my personal favorite tip to stay motivated.

Find a million ways.

Who’s going to be more passionate and concerned for your motivation than you?

Seriously.  Who?

Studying others who’ve overcome obstacles is just one way.  It’s one of my favorite ways.  Steve Prefontaine, a rebel, also happened to be a runner.

And in the process, with his relentless courage and determination, he changed the way Americans thought, and continue to think, about running. He held every American running record from 2,000 – 10,000 meters.

In his greatest race at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he finished fourth.  No medal. No glory.  No hero’s welcome.

But yet, he’s the only athlete Nike has ever immortalized in a bronze statue.  Ever.  Any sport.  Period.

Not as in running, jogging, sprinting.  On the run as in a hurry.

Spent four days in Anchorage, Alaska and did not exercise.  Not by choice.

Got back late last night early this morning.  There is no exercising this morning either.  Five straight days without exercise.  I feel the pain of everyone who struggles to make physical wellness a priority.

There is no easy way.

Well, actually, there is an easy way – simply don’t worry about it until the phone rings, “Excuse me, it’s for you.  It’s your wake up call”.

As a general rule, there is no running when it’s below 32 degrees. Call me a light-weight.