Disney Employee Engagement Speaker
Five daily blogs about life's 5 big choices on five different sites.
Last night, after a hard workout at Gold’s Gym, my son and I were walking out. There is a slogan on the wall that we always walk by, but rarely pay attention to.
Last night, it caught my eye.
Here’s a short You Tube video clip to explain why. Click Results For Everybody to play.
Hard work is the key. Since I’ve accepted that fact, I’ve gotten much better results. Go figure. Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂
I’m still set on trying to become the slowest of the fastest.
My son likes this metaphor, and so do I.
To be out in lane 8, the lane the slowest contestant is assigned, seems like an unworthy goal, doesn’t it?
Shouldn’t the goal be to win?
Well, for me, just being at the World Championships is winning.
To end up in the finals?
Beyond my wildest dreams.
And, simply impossible.
This is why I run. This is why the goal seems absurd. This is why I believe, and want our son to believe, that nothing is impossible.
Carpe diem, and good luck with your outrageous dreams. May you become a shining example for someone you love. jeff noel 🙂
Michael Johnson in the 1996 Olympic 400m Finals. Watch the clip here.
This is the same race I run, 400 meters.
Many Track & Field enthusiasts say that the 400 is the sports toughest event.
While many Baby Boomers are running 5k’s, 10k’s, half-marathons and full-marathons, I’m running one lap – 400 meters.
That’s almost absurd.
Until you step on the track as a 50-year old and try to run one lap in 55 seconds.
Make it a great day. Life is full of surprises. I hope today, for you, they are good surprises. Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂
Damn the pain!
Yesterday’s five-miler started out great. After the first warm-up mile, the second mile, without trying too hard, was 6:26.
My best “opening mile” since July 2007.
The “opening mile” is actually the second mile – the very first mile is simply a warm-up, in the 8-9 minute range.
Mile three is a “recovery” mile with slower jogging, three minutes of backwards jogging, some walking and stretching, etc.
Mile four is designed to be the fastest mile of the five. I use this for conditioning and especially for learning to gauge pace. I mentally aim for a mile time, then study my 400, 800, and 1,200 split times to see how my pace is going.
I also try to run negative splits, meaning, the second half is faster than the first half. Last month, a did a mile time trial, and clocked 5:38, with 2:53 and 2:45 splits.
I had juice left at the end, because I was running about 90%. Going a full 100% felt risky, since I hadn’t run that hard in nealy two years.
Yesterday, however, at the mile four, I was excited. But quickly became discouraged as the pain started right away and I couldn’t shake it.
Naturally, I backed off, and jogged the rest of the way, called Dr Wagner, my podiatrist and scheduled a 10:15AM appointment.
Now I’m back on Celebrex, and an anti-inflammatory heel cream. I also delivered a script to my friends at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Electric-stimulation and massage therapy might be helpful.
I remain optimistic. How can I not?
Hope you have a great Saturday. Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂
Everyday, we are presented with the opportunity to use our gifts.
What gifts?
Great question.
How about the gift of our body?
So in a few minutes, I’ll tie my running shoes, grab my stopwatch, and head out for a five-miler.
It’s been three days since I’ve run. Monday I ran in Hartford, CT. Today, Orlando, FL.
Today is also the deadline for Master’s Track & Field athletes to submit their intent to compete at the 2009 Master’s Track & Field World Championships, this August, in Lahti, Finland.
It’s difficult to do what must be done, when it must be done, whether we want to or not.
That, if you really want my opinion, is one of the harshest and toughest realities of our lives.
Embrace it or not, it won’t change. Will you?
Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂