Walk Into the Future

Category: Blog

  • Smoky Mountains 2021

    Gatlinburg1

    You knew it was coming, didn’t you? 😊

    Yes, I made my annual pilgrimage back to the Smoky Mountains right before Thanksgiving.  This was my third year in a row Walking into the Future with the Tennessee mountains as my backdrop.  I plan to continue this tradition as long as possible to live life on my terms.  Never envisioned the Smoky Mountains being part of my life journey but happy I found the mountains for the peace and joy I feel there.

    My drive up this year was uneventful.  Decided to bypass all the outlet malls except one as I made my way north.  It took me an extra two hours to drive up in 2020 because there were so many outlet malls on the way.  My friends know I love outlet malls so for me to bypass several is a major growth step for me.  I made a quick outlet mall stop in Georgia and got some new running gear for my 2022 races—always looking for running gear.

    My drive up this year was pleasant—not much traffic to fight through.  I arrived in Gatlinburg early in the evening on a Saturday night and decided to venture out and see some familiar sights. 

    The Ole Smokey Moonshine Distillery is always on my list of places to visit while in Gatlinburg.  Decided to get my moonshine tasting in early and figured the moonshine would help me warm up since the temperature was 25 degrees when I arrived in Tennessee.  Happy to report the folks at the Ole Smokey distillery were still conducting tasting tours.  They added a bunch of new flavors to the rotation this year.  My goal for visiting this year was to restock with Blue Flame moonshine which is 123-proof alcohol.  They did not have Blue Flame in 2020 because they were highlighting a special 150-proof blend.  I was able to get my preferred Blue Flame this year.  Note:  most of the other blends are available in Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie liquor stores and the prices are less than what I would pay at the Ole Smokey Distillery.

    Moonshine

    A new adventure for me in Gatlinburg was a visit to the Ole Smokey Whiskey Distillery.  I have walked past this store multiple times but never ventured in since my focus was always on moonshine.  They have a similar tasting tour in this distillery as well.  Pay $5 dollars to get a taste of each whiskey flavor and get a $5 credit towards your purchase.  Not a bad deal!  The whiskey flavors were all good, but I decided to get a Strawberry/Lemonade blend which the folks in the store identified would go great with Publix lemonade.  I have tried it as suggested and it is good!  Not a bad first day back in the Smoky mountains.

    I mapped out several hikes for Day 2.  Decided to warm up with the Gatlinburg trail again to get myself moving and prep for the bigger trails I wanted to tackle on this trip.  The Gatlinburg trail is scenic and allows hikers an excellent way to explore the Smoky mountains without taking too much energy.  There are a few spots with elevation, but the trail allows hikers to experience the best of the mountains.  Took this trail out to the Sugarland area before turning around and retracing my steps back to the trail head on the outskirts of Gatlinburg.

    Gatlinburg2

    This was my warmup for the real reason I was back in the Smoky mountains—the Chimney Top trail. 

    This trail beat me down in 2020 and I decided to tackle it again earlier this time.  I did not want to have tired legs as I made my way up to the top this year.  Happy to report I was able to handle Chimney Top this year without having to stop as much as I did last year. 

    This trail has it all—elevation, tough terrain, rocks, water, and amazing views once you make it to the top.  I was able to help other hikers keep going this year by providing them with the encouragement I needed last year.  It was a great experience when several hikers finally made it to the top and thanked me for not letting them give up before making it to the top.  Turns out there were a lot of people on the top this year enjoying the views.  This sounds like a great thing, but I did not hike to the top of a trail in the Smoky mountains to have a bunch of folks around me talking about work.  Decided to make my way back down the trail and discover other areas of the mountains.

    I left the Chimney Top area and drove further up into the mountains looking for adventures.  The colors in the mountains this year were fantastic.  Made multiple stops so I could capture the views and colors in pictures.  The smoke (clouds) on the mountains made for some great pictures.  A new aspect to my Smoky Mountain adventures in 2021 was the fact there were black bears out.  Yes, black bears are normally hibernating in November but for some reason they were out and about this year. 

    The first one I saw was in a tree as I was driving down the mountain heading back to Gatlinburg.  I could not figure out why there was so much traffic, but cars were stopping to get a picture of the bear.  This Bear Jam (traffic) was unexpected but seeing a black bear in the wild seemed to energize everyone as they took pictures while still in their vehicles.  Seeing the bear in the tree made me reassess my next hikes and pick trails with better visibility. 

    Smokey Bear

    Day 3 adventures centered around the Gatlinburg Skybridge Park and finding waterfalls. 

    I discovered prior to driving up to Tennessee the Skybridge Park added a new feature:  The Sky Trail.  They were building the Sky Trail last year, but I had no idea what it was at the time.  This added feature allows for amazing views of downtown Gatlinburg and the mountain tops.  Decided to begin my day in Skybridge Park and enjoy the views and new features.  The Christmas lights were already hanging on the Skybridge and made for a festive walk across.  Grabbed some lunch after spending a few hours on top of the mountain and mapped out the next adventure.

    I made my way to view smaller waterfalls on my previous Smoky Mountain adventures but wanted to hike to one of the larger falls this year.  Laurel Falls was recommended by a lot of folks I spoke with, so I decided it was the next stop on my trip.  Turns out Laurel Falls was about 15 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg, so it was a quick trip getting there.  It took me a little time to find a parking spot since this was a popular destination.  I almost turned around due to the number of cars parked at the trailhead.  Glad I decided to make the trek up the mountain.

    This trail was paved so this made it a bit easier to get up the mountain.  There were a lot more people on the trail than I normally see in the mountains, but everyone was friendly going up and coming back down.  The inclines grew gradually but you could tell we were walking up the mountain.  The views were amazing and there were multiple spots with steep drop-offs.  Please note, I saw bear #2 at the bottom of one of these steep drops.  It was a cub getting some sun and mama bear was close by.  We were safely out of range, so I continued my trek up the mountain to view the falls.  Again, there were people everywhere but finally getting to the falls was well worth the traffic on the trail.  I was able to get several good pictures of the fall and surrounding area, glad I didn’t let a crowded parking area keep me from this trail.

    My walk back allowed me to get some great pictures of the mountains and the fall colors.  Took in as much of the scenery as possible before heading back to Gatlinburg.  I recommend Laurel Falls if you make it to the Smoky Mountains.

    Made my way to Ole Red after my mountain adventures to get some food and listen to live music.  I have seen this place before but never made my way in.  This is a place to add to your dining experience when you visit Gatlinburg.  I decided to get the meatloaf wrapped in bacon and mashed potatoes.  It was as good as it sounds. 😊

    Homepage

    The mountains were good to me again this year.  Can’t wait to visit again in 2022!

    Irie!

  • Inspiration Man—Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE) Keynoteďżź

    Keynote

    “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.  The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.

    (Winston Churchill)

    To keynote or not? 

    This was a question I faced back in October 2021 when one of my friends asked me to consider being the keynote speaker for a virtual Drive-In conference.

    The Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE) members come from college/university Career Services and employers who maintain active on-campus recruiting programs.

    I have been a member of FloridaACE for over 10 years and have made some great contacts throughout the state of Florida. 

    Fun fact, I was selected as the keynote for the inaugural Drive-In Conference back in 2016.  I gave my keynote address at the University of Central Florida in the building I used to work in prior to moving to FSU.  Who says you can’t come home again? 😊

    The Drive-In Conference is designed to be shorter than a regular conference—a day and a half instead of a full week.  The concept of the Drive-in Conference is to make it accessible to a large population of attendees who can physically drive to the location and not need hotel accommodations.

    COVID-19 made the concept of virtual conferences come to life and this Drive-In Conference was switched to a virtual format.

    I love to spread the Inspiration Man message to any group that will sit and listen.  I hesitated to accept this request because it was via Zoom, and I did not know how my message would translate on a virtual platform.  I love in-person audiences and feed off the crowd when I present.  A virtual keynote was a challenge to me but one I am happy I accepted—things went well from start to finish.

    The 2021 FloridaACE Virtual Drive-In Conference was titled: Gulf-to-Coast Connections.

    I reached out to my friend to get a better understanding of the conference title and how significant it was to attendees.  Turns out the term gulf was picked so people in western Florida would not feel left out.  I decided to focus on the conference in terms of how people on both coasts (Gulf and Atlantic) could connect to build Authentic Connections.  Yes, I put authentic in most things I do these days. 😊

    Happy to report I accepted the Keynote invitation and was able to move the crowd on a virtual platform.

    I researched the term Authentic Connections to build my knowledge base as I worked to create a presentation to inspire others.  There is a ton of research available, and my new task was to filter this data in a way to build the presentation.

    The key to any form of connection is RELATIONSHIPS.  My goal during the keynote was to highlight to the attendees how technology (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, etc.) allow us to reach a larger audience than before.  There was always a mindset to catch-up with colleagues during the annual in-person conference or workshop.  This was an effective way to connect back in the day, but COVID created new options/ways to connect.

    We can reach out to potential mentors and colleagues by utilizing the technology we have.  My keynote centered on how FloridaACE members could leverage technology and build authentic connections.

    Authentic Connections should be genuine, direct, and focused.  My point for the group was to highlight relationships can be built virtually, in-person or a combination of both platforms.  You must want to make a connection for it to happen.  Networking with an intentional mindset helps build connections too.

    I would have been remiss if I did not talk about some of the challenges we face when attempting to make new connections:

    • COVID-19
    • No in-person events
    • Zoom fatigue
    • Multiple platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, etc.)

    Simply figuring out how and when to connect with others has been a challenge even for me. 

    Some folks prefer a phone call, others are all about Zoom and then you have a set who want in-person connections because they want to feel normal again.  I shared with my audience it is okay to identify a preferred platform and stick with that.  I prefer Microsoft Teams now when connecting with anyone not on-campus with me.  The key to this I have found is to state the preference up-front and then provide a Microsoft Teams calendar invite to eliminate confusion on how/when we will connect. 

    The concept of recalibrate was addressed to ensure attendees understand they must adjust thought processes in today’s world.  We are not going back to pre-COVID networking so finding authentic connections should be prioritized for them to happen.  Following up after making a request is an outstanding way to continue to build the connections needed to make a difference in the world.

    Being a keynote speaker during a virtual conference was a new experience for me but I was able to make several authentic connections during and after the event.  Will see how many attendees follow-up with me and leverage the wisdom I dropped on them.

    How do you make/ensure authentic connections in your world?  Thanks!

    “Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners”.

    (Dale Carnegie)

  • Merry Christmas

    Christmas 2021

    “The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much”.

    (Henry David Thoreau)

    Merry Christmas everyone!

    Please make time for family and friends during this holiday season.  We have traveled far in 2021 and look forward to talking with you in 2022!

    Continue to Walk into the Future!

    Calvin

    “At Christmas, all roads lead to home”.

    (Majorie Holmes)

  • Running to Savannah

    RnR Savannah

    “The journey is the destination”.

    (Dan Eldon)

    Searched for a clever destination run quote since I have been writing about the 2021 Savannah Rock N Roll Half marathon for months now.  The quote above brings me back to center with the simple concept on the importance of the journey.

    Well, I have been working up to this journey for quite a bit of time.  I was originally scheduled to run in Savannah for the first time back in November 2020.  We know COVID-19 caused havoc and most races were cancelled in 2020. 

    The Rock N Roll folks allowed runners to defer race credits forward to 2021 races—I decided to do a direct swap to the 2021 Savannah half marathon since I have never run in the city.  Please note, I have visited Savannah multiple times to enjoy the culture, food, and sightseeing.  My draw was to be a running tourist in Savannah and take in the sights while running through the city.

    Full disclosure, my running tourist adventures did not happen in 2021 and we cannot blame it on COVID-19 this time.

    Savannah weather in the month of November is normally mild and attracts 15k+ runners from all over the world.  I am sure my fellow runners targeted this race for the mild temperatures, flat course, music, and great food.  Unfortunately, I am not sure many runners experienced any of these things.

    The weather forecast for race weekend identified rain and colder weather early in the week.  The premise was the rain would clear out before race day and keep temperatures cooler than normal.  I was excited to run in cooler weather since I train in Fort Pierce, Florida and experience heat and humidity daily.

    I got on the road on Friday to head up I-95 to Savannah.  The trip was a straight shot up the interstate and took a little over 5 hours to get there.  It rained the entire drive up, but it was never a heavy rain, just steady.  My thoughts heading up was the rain would clear out by race day and things would be great in the morning.

    This concept did not play out and the weather got much worse than projected. 

    I made my way to the EXPO to pick up my race packet and get some shopping in—normal routine.  The rain impacted the foot traffic at the EXPO while I was there so getting in and out was quick.  Most of the folks there had rain gear on, but we all were hoping the rain would be gone by race day.  I was shocked with the number of vehicles still trying to get to the EXPO—I am sure the weather caused delays with runners arriving in town and then to the EXPO.

    Made my way to the hotel to check-in and then look for a place to continue my carb loading program.  Decided to make a quick trip to a local Goodwill store to buy a sweatshirt I could wear in the corral while waiting for the race to start.  Runners routinely drop sweatshirts and blankets prior to racing—these items are then donated to local homeless shelters.  I did not find a sweatshirt at the Goodwill so headed across the street to Burlington and found what I needed for a very good price. 😊

    Headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to complete my carb loading process and watch some college football before going to bed early.  FYI—it was raining the entire time I was out and about, but the hope was the rain would stop before morning—it did not!

    I laid out my race outfit like normal when I got to the hotel.  Decided to dress in layers with a long sleeve run shirt since it was colder than normal.  My sweatshirt would allow me to stay warm prior to the race—in theory.

    Fast forward to race day and it was STILL raining!  The rain was a drizzle when I headed out towards downtown and got a bit heavier the closer I got to the shuttle pickup spot.  My fellow runners were dressed in layers wearing rain gear, trash bags and large coats to stay dry and warm.  This should have been an indication of what was to come but we all got on the shuttle and headed to the start line.  The rain appeared to get heavier the closer we got to our drop off spot.

    Everyone got off the shuttle with full intent to run the half or full marathon.  This intent lasted for about 30 minutes as the rain came down harder and the streets started to flood.  I met a lot of nice people from all over America as we huddled and shivered under a restaurant overhang trying to stay dry and somewhat warm. 

    There was a gentleman who flew in from Seattle two days prior who needed to run this race to complete his goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states.  He was conflicted with the weather but determined to run.  Other runners had similar stories or reasons they wanted to run.  The consensus was none of us expected the weather to be this bad and completing the race in these conditions would be tough.  Some vowed to stay and run while others said to hell with this.  

    I was in the hell with this camp since I rarely train in the rain but have done it.  The temperature at the time was 41 degrees and we were experiencing a downpour with no end in sight.  I decided to call NO JOY and not risk injury or sickness with the current conditions.

    Made my way to Forsythe Park since that’s where the shuttles were to drive runners back to their vehicles.  A positive note is the shuttles had heat and provided a dry environment to get us out of the rain.  I have never made it to a race start line and not run but this was the best option for me considering the cold, rain, and race conditions for the day.

    Happily made it back to my hotel, took a hot shower and got back in the bed for a 2 hour nap! 😊

    I normally write about the sightseeing from a race location, but the rain never stopped.  I made my way back downtown so I could visit New Realm Brewery.  My first experience with New Realm Brewery was when I ran in Virginia Beach back in September.  Great food again!  They were out of the Acai Berry cider, but I was able to enjoy another local craft beer which was pretty good.

    That’s about it for my trip—the rain and cold weather was not conducive to exploring so I didn’t.  Made my way back to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch more football and stay dry.        

    Don’t know if I will try to run Savannah again—two tries and two false starts.

    May just take a trip back up in the summer to experience the city as a regular tourist. 😊

    https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/recreation/2021/11/06/nasty-weather-forces-rock-n-roll-savannah-marathon-shortened/6300893001/

    RnR Savannah 2

  • Waxing Poetic!

    Poetry December 2021

    Thinking of you

    Thoughts of you crossed my mind today

    Seems like you just stopped by to say hey

    Maybe this was your way to let me know everything will be okay

    Either way, it was great for you to drop in

    Because I have really missed my friend

    Don’t stay away so long

    Thoughts of you make me smile

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    thanksgiving-g944bc9341_1920

    “What if today, we were just grateful for everything”?

    (Charlie Brown)

    Here’s to a great day for everyone who reads this!  Hope you take time to enjoy your family, friends, and great food.

    Continue to Walk into the Future!

    Calvin

    “Be present in all things and thankful for all things”.

    (Maya Angelou)

  • Track Shack UCF 5 Miler

    5 Mile race

    “Every morning we are born again.  What we do today is what matters most”.

    (Buddha)

    Merriam-Webster defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

    Happy to report there has not been any misfortune for me, but the change has been an adjustment to my training regimen.  I am still putting in work but not able to get the same quality sessions I put in pre-COVID.  This can be directly attributed to my work role in Fort Pierce but please do not think I am complaining.

    We have made some major operational improvements and there is light at the end of the tunnel where we will soon normalize operations and I can get back to putting in more training miles.

    The concept of resiliency reminds me of the old saying:  try and then try again!

    Decided to use shorter races as a bigger part of my training program to get me prepared for the rigors of the half marathon distance.  I have the 2021 Rock N Roll Savannah half marathon in November and the 2021 Track Shack OUC half marathon in December.  My overall goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours and the Track Shack OUC half marathon is the ideal setup to make this happen.  I need to put in additional training miles to build my endurance back to my 2019 levels. 

    My fastest half marathon was the 2019 Track Shack OUC half marathon with a time of 2:05:51 (two hours, five minutes, and 51 seconds).  2020 was set to be my fastest year ever but of course COVID-19 shut down racing and my training lagged—that’s on me! 😊

    So, what’s my plan to correct my training and speed issues?  Well, I check multiple running clubs to see what races are being offered locally and within driving distance to me in Fort Pierce. 

    I routinely scan the Fleet Feet Stuart and Orlando Track Shack events pages to determine which races are available to help with my training program.  I just shared with my best friend I have a hard time training with race pace—it is a mental thing for me since I do not have competitors or anyone to pace with.  I am sure I may be the only active running with this issue but targeting real races seems to get my competitive nature going.  This may not be the ideal strategy, but I will try this out to get me closer to my half marathon goal. 

    Made my way back over to Orlando for the 2021 Track U Can Finish 5 Mile race to get some speed work in.  I ran this same event when I lived in Oviedo, but this is the first time I tackled the race distance in 8 years. 

    This is an interesting event because it has multiple distances available for runners to try.  The first event is the U Can Finish 2 Mile race and Track Shack has a distance dare.  Runners can sign up to run the 2-mile race and then compete in the 5-mile race right after.  The hook for distance dare runners is the opportunity to collect 3 medals:  2-mile, 5-mile, and distance dare medals.  Runners love their bling and a lot of them took part in the distance dare.  I did not—officially. 😊

    Did something new on race day to ensure I got in extra training miles.  I stay in the same hotel each time I visit the Orlando area and it is down the street from the UCF campus. 

    I decided to leave my vehicle parked at the hotel and ran the 2-mile distance to the UCF campus for the start of the 5-mile race.  Figured this was a great way to warmup and stretch my legs before my race and ensured I would get in a long training session—it was just broken up into segments.

    Toed the line for the 5-mile race completely warmed up and excited to run on the UCF campus again.  The race village was setup directly in front of the Career Services building where I worked for 4-years prior to moving to Tallahassee and the FSU Career Center.  Great being back on the old stomping grounds. 😊

    My goal for the 5-mile race was simply to test my endurance and consistently run miles splits with a 9 on the front of them (9:05, 9:10, etc.).  Mission accomplished.

    The UCF campus is completely flat which helped a lot.  Went out with the intent to run my race based on feel and then push myself when I could. 

    Mile-1 went by at an 8:44 per minute pace and I felt good with the effort.  Mile-2 through 5 were:  9:15, 9:33, 9:57, 9:42 which got me to the finish line at 47:29.  Targeted 45 flat but happy with my results considering I put in a 2-mile run before my race. 

    Collected my 5-mile medal and took some pictures to commemorate the race and my time back at UCF.  Got some refreshments and stretched a bit before heading out.  I tucked my race medal away and began my 2-mile journey back to my hotel—yes, I ran back for a total of 9 training miles for the day.  Felt great every step of the day!

    I will look for additional races to help me prepare for my next two half marathons.  Still have some speed in these legs, just need to release it in my unique way.

    FYI—I am still on pace to meet my 2021 goals of 1,000 training miles.  Imagine my mileage if I could stay consistent with my training.

    Irie!

    How do you display resilience in your daily activities?  Thanks!

    “Life does not get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient”.

    (Steve Maraboli)

  • Pizza night

    2nd Street Bistro

    “Every pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself”.

    (Bill Murray)

    Raise your hand if you do not like pizza!  Doubt there are many hands up right now since everyone loves pizza. 😊

    I admit I enjoy pizza probably more than anyone I know and have decided this is my go-to cheat meal.  I have never been one to count calories and my running program allows me to indulge without having to worry much about gaining weight.  Not saying this as a brag point but just a daily fact for me.

    The Treasure Coast provides me with multiple dining options to include fresh seafood and great ocean views while out for a meal.  I take advantage of these options, but my designated pizza night is one I look forward to weekly.

    I was introduced to 2nd Street Bistro as a great place to catch a ballgame while enjoying a beer at the bar.  Seemed like a typical place to get wings, drink a beer, and watch Florida Gator football on Saturdays.  Happy to report 2nd Street Bistro provides all these things but it turns out they have a fantastic menu with rotating daily specials.  It is not your typical dive bar but a place to get a great meal for really good prices.  Note:  they provide a substantial military discount on all menu items, so I am hooked since I love saving money. 😊

    I made my first weekday journey into 2nd Street Bistro on a random Wednesday after work because I wanted to get a beer and see what was on the menu.  I did not venture out a lot in 2020 due to COVID but kept hearing about this place and the food.  Made my way downtown Fort Pierce once I felt comfortable being around people again and grabbed a high-top table to enjoy a meal.

    Turns out Wednesday is half price Bistro Burger night and there are a lot of fans of the burger.  There is always a good crowd of folks in the restaurant to take advantage of the special and get their burgers.  The menu has a lot of variety and everyone in there has a favorite menu item.

    I did not have a specific food item in mind when I stopped in on the first Wednesday night so I asked the waitress what she recommended.  She rattled off that everything on the menu is great, so I was on my own selecting what I wanted for dinner.

    Gravitated to the pizza selections and the waitress said they were all good—she’s tried them all.  Decided to go with my tried-and-true Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni.  Never imagined a place like 2nd Street Bistro would have pizza this good but I am hooked. 

    The personal pizzas are made once ordered so it takes a bit for it to make it to the table.  Trust me, it is well worth the wait.  The ingredients are fresh, and the pizza comes out of the oven smoking hot.  Learned that lesson the hard way the first time I got a pizza.  😊

    I have been hooked on the Pepperoni pizza from day one and Wednesdays have become my official pizza night.  Everyone who knows me can track my location after work on Wednesdays to 2nd Street Bistro.  I am such a regular there the hostess takes me directly to a high-top table and the waitress does not bring me a menu.  She puts in my Bud Light draft and a personal Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni.  I told her one day I am going to change my order up to mess with her but one day has not happened yet. 

    I have tried other items on the menu but not on Wednesdays—that is my designated pizza night since I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work.  Figure I earned a cheat day and 2nd Street Bistro helps me cheat like a champ! 😊

    Can’t wait for my next pizza night!

    What is your favorite place to get a cheat meal?  What is the meal?  Thanks!

    https://2ndstreetbistro.com/

    “I’d rather have leftover pizza than leftover feelings”.

    (Sarah Burgess)

  • New way to train, beach runs!

    Beach Runs

    “I want to run the beach’s length, because it never ends”.

    (Deborah Ager)

    The quote above makes me laugh because it could not have been written by someone who runs.  The beach is a wonderful place to get in some training but there are challenges and rewards to running on the beach.

    I am always looking for a training edge to allow me to run at a faster pace.  My goal to set a personal record (PR) for every half marathon I run stays true—that is the goal every time out.

    I ran the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll half marathon in early September to get back into the swing of being a running tourist and to test my training against other runners.  I am happy to toe the start line again but want to see improvement each time I finish a race.  Decided to find a new training method to help me get better daily and work towards improving my half marathon times.

    I was able to increase my endurance by running the rolling hills in Tallahassee when I lived there.  Did not realize how much hill training helped my ability to run faster until I relocated to Fort Pierce which is completely flat.  Running on flat surfaces is better than nothing but it is hard to replicate the intensity needed to get up and over rolling hills.

    A majority of my Fort Pierce runs are done close to the beach on Ocean Drive.  I enjoy the views on this route and feel safe since I do not have to cross traffic.  I am parallel to the beach when running and make pit stops to catch views and listen to the waves.  Example:  I run 2.5 miles on Ocean drive and then sit on the beach for a bit before running back 2.5 miles.  Some of my best Instagram pictures come from the middle part of my run.  đŸ˜Š

    This process and route have worked well for me but wanted to find a new way to train since I do not have hills to climb. 

    Decided to leverage the beach and start running directly in the sand.  This is not a novel approach but one I have not maximized since I moved here.  I have run on Jacksonville Beach, but it has a flat surface without awkward inclines.  Most beaches in Florida have an incline which puts pressure on one side of the body.  The Fort Pierce beaches have this incline closer to the water but provides a flatter surface further away from the water.  I used this part of the beach to build my mental and physical endurance.

    My goal for the beach runs is to slowly increase my distance each time out as I establish a new training threshold.  Running in the sand creates unstable footing and makes the body adjust to continue to move forward.  This process brings in muscles that are not used with traditional running and strengthens them.  The sand on the beach moves with each step and forces the body to adjust.  Going fast is not the object of the training sessions—building endurance and mental focus are the top outcomes of running on the beach.

    My initial foray on the beach allowed me to finish a 2.5-mile run.  I extend my beach runs an additional .5 miles each time I go out with an end goal of 5 miles completely in the sand.

    The benefits of this training approach will pay off when I tackle the Savannah Rock N Roll half marathon in November.  I plan to run faster in Savannah with an end goal of setting another PR at the Orlando OUC Half Marathon in December.  The flat surface should be conducive to running fast.  Who’s going to join me in Orlando?! 😊

    What new techniques have you incorporated into your training program?

    “When I run on the beach, it is always in slow motion. That’s how I roll”.

    (Amber Heard)

    https://www.runrocknroll.com/news_article/show/1135109

  • Two Americas—Right before your eyes!

    USA

    (Image by Mediamodifier from Pixabay) 

    “The worst form of justice in pretended justice”.

    (Plato)

    Dictionary.com defines white privilege as inherent advantages possessed by a white person based on their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.

    Merriam-Webster defines bias as a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.

    So, where am I heading with these definitions? I will get to the point but need to ask you a few questions.

    Who is Gabby Petito?  Who is Brian Laudrie?

    I am sure you did not need to run a Google search to provide an answer to either of those questions.  We have learned more about both individuals on the morning, afternoon, nightly and cable news shows almost daily since September. 

    We know she was a travel influencer and they traveled out west to hike and camp while documenting the trip.  We also know there was an incident during the trip and police were called in to investigate and/or deescalate the situation between the couple.  No arrests were made, and the couple continued the journey without a warning from the police. 

    I will not dive much deeper into the situation because it has been covered extensively by the news media.  We know where they were before Gabby went missing and Brian decided to return to his parent’s home in Florida.  The media set up outside the homes of both families and conducted interviews with them.  The media spoke with local law enforcement, FBI agents and experts on finding missing people. 

    The media coverage for this ONE case was 24/7!  We got in-depth and breaking news coverage to let us know every time something new was identified in the case.  Bravo to the news media for being so aggressive providing us with these vital updates.

    Next question.  Who is Jelani Day? I am going to wait so you can go Google his name.

    He disappeared the month PRIOR to Gabby but no round the clock coverage to inform us of updates in the investigation.  We did not get updates on a person of interest, circumstances surrounding his disappearance or background information about him.

    I found an article on USA Today in the News category—it was not listed as Breaking News or a Top Headline.  I am happy his story was listed at all but why the disparity in how both cases were covered by the media?  Another question I must ask is how many other people went missing during the same time frame, but we heard nothing about them on the national news either.  This is what media bias looks like!

    People of color are missing right now but there appears to be only one story the media is interested in covering.  I am fine with the media covering this case but why do they completely ignore everyone else?  It is hard to not see the media bias in the coverage, but the sad thing is multiple networks/outlets are all doing the same thing.

    Would we know more about Jelani Day’s investigation IF the media put as much interest in his case as the one we all have been hearing about since September?  Don’t answer that—I know the answer!

    Jelani Day and all missing people should be afforded the same coverage and investigation we have seen for the disappearance of Gabby Petito—nothing more or less!

    I wrote about The Two Americas last summer—this is another example.  You be the judge.

    Research:

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/23/jelani-day-illinois-state-university-missing-body-river/5837256001/

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/23/gabby-petito-mourned-search-continues-brian-laudrie/5825006001/

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/fbi-releases-video-of-10-rioters-who-allegedly-committed-most-brutal-assaults-on-police-officers/ar-BB1eJ4Dl?li=BBnb7Kz

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/grim-list-of-deaths-at-police-hands-grows-even-after-verdict/ar-BB1fUUsL?li=BBnb7Kz

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/10/26/kyle-rittenhouse-victims-shooting-trial-judge-ruling-travesty/8560336002/

    “Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes”.

    (Public Enemy)