Lifestyle – Walk Into the Future

Nashville 2023

Nashville, Tennessee is one of my favorite places to visit. The culture, music, food, and activities around the Lower Broadway area keep bringing me back year after year.

The 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon was the draw that got me back up there in April. The race organizers do a fantastic job with the race and really take care of the runners.

Made my way to Nashville on Friday and wanted to ensure I had time to explore the race EXPO. My friend Lauren and boyfriend Reese came down from Philly and we met at the EXPO. This was the first time seeing them since last year for the Atlantic City Half Marathon. Lauren had never run in Nashville and wanted to experience the sights, sounds and music I’m always talking about.

We got our race packets and made our way to visit the vendors and see what new products are out. Tested a few of the new hydration drinks available but didn’t buy anything. Decided I wanted to get new leg compression sleeves and got a Rock N Roll custom designed pair. They matched my running outfit and provided me with a new look for the race. We got EXPO photos together and listened to the music for a bit.

The Rock N Roll folks moved the EXPO from the Music City Convention Center to the Musicians Hall of Fame. Sounds similar but the new location was a lot smaller, and the vendors were cramped into a hallway. I hope we move back to our regular location next year—plus it would put us closer to Broadway and all the music venues.

Left the EXPO and made my way back over to Lower Broadway to continue to carb load and find some music. Found an open seat at the Wildhorse Saloon and got food and beer while watching the line dancers. Love the Wildhorse and the band playing was great, and the line dancers were having a ball. Decided to forego line dancing since I had a half marathon the next day. Left the Wildhorse and hit a couple other music spots before making my way back to the hotel to get some rest.

Met Lauren on race day close to the start line so we could stretch and mentally prepare for the Nashville hills. I texted her during my training sessions to let her know I was running hill repeats over bridges. She didn’t fully understand why until we got to Nashville. 😊

Shoutout to my friends at the First Baptist Church in Nashville! They open the church property and allow runners to relax inside while waiting for the race to start. This really comes in handy when the weather is cool and helps runners get off their feet prior to the race start.

We made our way to the start line and settled into Corral #5. Surprisingly ran into an Orlando runner I met last year at this race, and he remembered me. Turns out he came back for the race because he did not like his 2022 race time and wanted to improve. I met another runner who lives in Buffalo but moved there from Orlando. They saw my Track Shack running shirt and it was a family reunion prior to the race start. I highlight these encounters because I tried to prepare them for the hills they were about to run. They did not seem to think I was serious and could not imagine the hills were going to be as extreme as I described. I tried to help them, but they had to learn on their own.

Fast forward—Lauren and I started the race together and ran down the Lower Broadway hill with a smile on our faces. The first half mile in Nashville is downhill and the rest appears to be up a different hill for the next 8 miles. Wish this was an exaggeration but check the race elevation—the hills are steep in Nashville.

We split up after the third hill and ran our individual races. The weather was a lot cooler this year and this made running the hills a lot more pleasant.

Ran most of the race with a smile on my face and enjoyed the great music and spectators that lined the course and cheered for runners. This may be my favorite race for spectators on the course and the music is fantastic.

My race splits were:

Mile 1: 9:57/ Mile 2: 10:40 / Mile 3: 10:47 / Mile 4: 9:48 / Mile 5: 9:58 / Mile 6: 10:02 / Mile 7: 10:10 / Mile 8: 10:04 / Mile 9: 9:54 / Mile 10: 9:28 / Mile 11: 9:54 / Mile 12: 10:05 / Mile 13: 10:04 / Mile .1 / 2:48 (2:13:34 Half Marathon)

***Super proud of that Mile 10 split!*** 😊

Lauren and I spent time at the after-race party recovering from the hilly half marathon, drinking beers, and getting some pictures together to commemorate the race and great atmosphere.

ACME and Wildhorse Saloon

Made our way across the bridge over the Cumberland River and met Reese at ACME for brunch. This is a multi-level building with great views, food, and cold beer: https://www.acmefeedandseed.com/.

The Wildhorse Saloon was next for some line dancing lessons and more cold beer. We decided to get in as much Lower Broadway as possible before leg soreness kicked in from the race. This was Lauren first line dancing rodeo, so we made our way onto the dance floor to learn a nice dance and then they turned us loose with two songs to showcase our line dancing moves. We were great students and danced without stepping on any toes or hurting our dance neighbors. Great experience and a lot of fun to introduce my Philly friend to Nashville line dancing.

We hit a few other music spots on Lower Broadway to get the full country music experience. Decided to call it a day once the leg soreness kicked in. Made my way back to my hotel to begin the recovery process and find more Nashville music.

Fantastic race, trip, and time with my tree branches!

Yes, I’m already signed up to return in 2024. Who is joining the Nashville party?

Irie!

My Tree Tattoo

“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”.

(Psalms 1:3)

My favorite part of the bible is Proverbs. I have been reading Proverbs daily for 15+ years to continue to gain insight and wisdom to help me daily. I share this process with anyone who will sit still and listen to me and have convinced a few others to join me on this journey.

One of my 2022 goals was to read more and expand my readings beyond Proverbs. Psalms was recommended and I decided to accept to gain new insight and understanding. This concept fits directly into the Walk into the Future concept that started this blog.

I have referred to my tree branches—people I mentor or share knowledge with daily. We have been on this journey together and I view my role in their development as an important part of my daily mission.

The tree concept has been with me for a while now and I continue to add branches as my Walk into the Future grows and gains momentum into a platform to help others move forward in life. I view everyone who reads and/or follows this blog as tree branches now and my role is to bring new insight, knowledge, and entertainment to you. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

What does all this have to do with a tattoo? Great question tree branches!

I have been talking and writing about being a tree and began looking for something that was unique to me and would represent a true meaning visually. There are a ton of tree images available, but I wanted something that reflects me and my journey.

I have taken and seen a ton of tree photos, but nothing really jumped out or had the image that would represent me and my tree branches.

I ventured to Southern Shore, North Carolina back in October 2021 to spend some time exploring the North Carolina Outer Bank with a friend who lives up there. Always heard great things about this part of the country and was happy to accept the invitation to come up for a long weekend and explore. I was not a running tourist for this trip so had plenty of time to see the sights, sit on the beach and discover great food spots.

My friend and I made a trip to Aqua Restaurant to sit on the deck, enjoy some great food and catch a fantastic sunset. https://aquarestaurantobx.com/

We ventured down to the waterfront after dinner to get some pictures of the sun setting over the sound. We were able to capture this photo while chasing the sunset.

I understood this was a magnificent photo and shared it with several friends and included it in the blog article I wrote about my trip to North Carolina. Never viewed the photo as unique but the more I looked for images to signify my tree and branches I kept coming back to this image.

Ventured into the Scared Dagger tattoo shop in Vero Beach to discuss the image and possibility of getting some artwork done by them. A local friend and her daughter got work done at this shop and highly recommended the artist who worked on them. I showed him the image and we discussed the size of the tattoo and location I wanted to have it done.

We agreed on the details, and I made an appointment to have him complete the work. Fast forward and he did an amazing job capturing the image and replicating it on my leg. I was amazed how well he translated the details from the photo into my tree tattoo.

The tree branches are very distinct and provide the tree with power to grow, provide shade, comfort, and a level of peace (my thoughts).

Reflect on Psalms 1:3—the tree helps us prosper! 😊

May have to make my way back up to Duck, North Carolina for more tree inspirations!

How impactful is YOUR tree? How many tree branches do you have?

Irie!

Poetic Flow: Find Your Light

Out of the darkness comes the light

Each day is a struggle of life

The trials of the world weigh you down

Life comes fast…like intersections choke full of traffic

No direction…no director; just darkness

Out of the darkness comes the light

Find your direction, become the director

Act, make it happen

Open your eyes, it doesn’t have to be dark all the time

(Fort Pierce Inlet)

2023 Winter Park 10k

WP 1

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you”.

(Fred Devito)

Ventured back to the Orlando area for the Track Shack 2023 Winter Park 10k.

This was my 5^th time toeing the start line for the race but the first time I did not enter with a set finish time in mind. I spent the past 4 weeks recovering from Piriformis Syndrome and my training was limited prior to the race. Yes, this sounds like an excuse, but I was excited to race pain free again. Decided this race would be my test to determine how well I recovered and make a final decision on the 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon in April. Pain in this race would have eliminated me from traveling to Nashville to tackle the hills up there.

Made my way to Track Shack on Friday before the 10k to pick up my race packet and do some shopping. I’m always looking to get new Track Shack gear and wanted to make sure I had time to check out the new selections and colors. It appears a lot of runners had the same idea—the line was out the door when I arrived. This is the first time I’ve experienced a long line at Track Shack, but this was an indication race capacity was full this year.

I didn’t do a major carb load process for the 10k but made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to indulge in wings, potato wedges and beer. This is the meal I leveraged to launch me into the 10k. Made sure to get to bed early so I could make my way over to Winter Park with enough time to warm up, stretch and test out my legs prior to race time. I wanted to get a two-mile warm up before the race to ensure I was ready to complete the 6.2 miles with minimum leg issues. There’s a lot of activity around the Winter Park race village—vendors, runners and the Saturday Farmers Market are all in the same area. Great place to watch people.

Made my way to the 10-minute per mile section of the starting corral. I didn’t want to be too close to the front because my competitive nature would have taken over and I would have pressed the pace. Figured limiting my starting position would keep me from going out too fast and possibly aggravating my leg again.

The race was crowded, and the first mile was slow not necessarily by choice but because there were so many runners. This worked in my favor since I couldn’t go fast even if I wanted too at this point of the race.

The runners started to thin out a bit around mile 2 and again after mile 3. I did not experience any pain through this point of the race and settled into a nice clip and started to enjoy the process of racing again. I leveraged a couple of runners for pacing to help me keep a consistent pace through the middle portion of the race. Mentally processed the concept of speeding up but decided to just enjoy the course, great weather and being around other runners. There was no need to push the pace or myself at this point and didn’t want to create a situation where the piriformis became irritated.

I increased my cadence at mile 6 when we made our way back onto Park Avenue. There were a ton of spectators at this juncture, and I pressed the pace a bit to see what I had available for the end of the race. I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and no pain in my legs.

Finished in 1:02:39 and made my way over to the race village to get my beer and take a few pictures while there. Got a chance to catch up with a few runners I know from the Track Shack circuit and did some light shopping at the Farmers Market.

Happy with my performance and not aggravating my running injury. Looks like I’m clear to travel to Nashville and tackle the Music City hills.

Of course, I will get in some line dancing and country music while I’m there. 😊

Irie!

2023 adjustments

10k

My 2022 running season allowed me to meet every running goal I set for myself. I have been lucky and fortunate to avoid injuries or other physical setbacks.

2023 has not been so fortunate for me. No major injury this year but an old friend decided to check back in during the 2023 Run for your Heart 10k back in February. This was a new race for me, and it appeared I would be able to run a fast time since this course was completely flat and my training program was geared to keep me running fast in 2023.

Penn Medical Center defines sciatica as pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg caused by injury to or pressure on the sciatic nerve. Piriformis syndrome is one of the common causes of sciatica and develops when the piriformis muscle becomes tight or spasms (Cleveland Clinic). The Cleveland Clinic identified about 40% of people in U.S. experience sciatica sometimes during their life. My bout occurred during a race! LOL.

I’ve had bouts in the past but was able to shake off in a couple weeks.

This episode came as a first since my latest sciatica experience came at the 3.5-mile point of the 2023 Run for Your Heart 10k in Port St. Lucie. Past episodes came about gradually but this one came as I was pushing my pace for a 10k PR.

Decided at the race start line to go out with a pace I could improve on as the race got deeper. My plan was to run negative splits each mile and get faster to close out the race.

This plan worked brilliantly through the first 3 miles, and I felt great physically and mentally. Started to smile more as I logged good mile splits and knew I was on pace to go below 55 minutes for the 10k.

I felt a slight twinge in my left hamstring at the 3.5-mile turnaround point on the course. I didn’t think much about it since leg soreness comes with running. Kept pushing the pace with designs the hamstring would work itself out so I could continue my quest towards a PR.

This fallacy soon left my mind and body as the hamstring pain intensified to the point; I thought I was cramping. Slowed down a bit with hopes the cramp would go away but it didn’t, and pain continued to intensify. Decided to pull over and stretch it out but that didn’t help either. This was a first for me during a race but continued moving forward with the hopes the cramp would go away. The PR was the last thing on my mind at this point. I just wanted to finish the race upright and I did.

Finished the race with no distinguishing kick—I eased to the finish line ahead of some of the 5k participants with the crowd cheering me to go faster. I ignored them completely. LOL.

Crossed the finish line with a grimace on my face but upright. Made my way to get water and refreshments with hopes this would take the cramp away. Please note, I refer to this as a cramp because that’s what I thought was happening.

Finished with a time of 1:02 (one hour, two seconds).

It took me a couple of days and lack of response to treatment to realize this was not a cramp. I have not had a sciatic episode in years and sometimes forget how it feels. Also, it has NEVER occurred during physical activity.

I began treating the sciatica with Epsom salt, ice, heat, and my massage gun. This all helped but it didn’t go away. Decided to take a few days off from running to see if that would help. This was the first forced break from running for me in years. Felt funny but was necessary since my leg was experiencing nerve pain.

Hoping the pain subsides in time for the 2023 Calgary Stampede 10k in two weeks.

Fingers crossed! Piriformis syndrome sucks! LOL.

NOTE1: I don’t publish articles in the order I write them—just when I’m done with the editing process.

NOTE2: I ran the 2023 Calgary Stampede and still had piriformis issues—made it to mile 5 before slowing. Decided to skip the 2023 Orlando Best Damn Half Marathon and the 2023 Virginia Beach Shamrock Half Marathon. First time I’ve signed up for races and not go to the race sight.

NOTE3: I wrote 90% of this article on my phone with SAMSUNG Notes while flying back from Jamaica over spring break. This is the first time I used my phone to write a blog article. This opens me up for additional writing opportunities to capture my thoughts and develop new content. Exciting times for the Walk into the Future blog! 😊

Career Choices 101

(Image by Orange Fox from Pixabay)

“Don’t chase the paper, chase the dream”.

(Notorious B.I.G)

The Great Resignation is a term that describes the trend of the mass voluntary exit of employees from their employment obligations.

The Great Regret is a new term that describes the feelings of 80% of the people who took part in the Great Resignation.

The quote above is one of my favorites from the great hip hop artist, Notorious B.I.G. He was a lyrical genius, and the quote above can be used as a career metaphor.

My simple translation = find your WHY and career success will follow.

The Great Resignation provided a lot of people the freedom or guidepost to see the world of work in a different way. The new work view provided some with the vision to seek more and bet on themselves with so many new opportunities available. That’s a positive considering I preach to everyone to explore as much as possible. My blog is titled Walk into The Future because I continue to explore opportunities and will not limit my options (work, travel, fun).

There are some folks who viewed the Great Resignation as an opportunity to change their work situation and in some cases cash in more financially. That’s not a problem if the workplace change was made to get the individual closer to doing things they enjoy. It could be a problem if the individual changed careers simply because there was more money available for the new job.

Quick question: How much of a pay raise will it take for YOU to be happy today? Would $5,000.00 or $10,000.00 make you enjoy what you are doing more?

I ask clients and staff this question to get them thinking about what they truly want. Chasing the paper may seem like the logical answer but don’t forget you still have to pay taxes on that paper. Also, an extra $5,000.00 to continue to work in a place you are not happy with does not sound enticing to me. Conversely, leaving a company for a job paying more money may sound just as good but the switch should not be based solely on the money. Refer to the quote above from the Notorious B.I.G.

The best of both worlds would be to find your WHY and build up your skills so that when your dreams come true, the paper (money) follows. Sounds like a simple concept and it can be, but nothing will be simple without knowing/understanding the WHY.

Going to work without a WHY causes a lot of people issues daily. I work with folks who believe that they are not being paid their true worth in the workplace. Some are completing the same duties they have been assigned for 10+ years—no additional responsibilities or growth from them but they want more. Why is that? They have not identified a WHY for their work life and have not built the skills to chase the dream. A larger problem is some don’t even know what dream to chase to find the happiness they seek.

The lack of paper (money) is not really the problem. The problem is chasing something they are not fully invested in and believing additional funds (salary) will turn this around and they will immediately become happy with what they are doing.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

No WHY equals a form of insanity in the workplace. I coach clients to seek/find their WHY to determine the best course of action for their careers.

Chasing the DREAM can bring the paper. Well stated Biggie Smalls!

What dream are you chasing?

Irie!

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/02/80percent-of-workers-who-quit-in-great-resignation-regret-it-new-survey.html

Poetic Flow / Hope

Day 1 n

Hope springs eternal as

I search the distant landscape

The path I choose will determine my fate

The goal is to win the daily grind

Which path will I take?

Determination sets the course as the search continues

Multiple options, multiple venues

Working towards the important things in life

Without trying the only thing left is strife

Negril 2023

Day 1 Calvin

The Walk into the Future blog went back home to Negril, Jamaica over Spring break last week. Decided I wanted to get back down for some sun, fun, rum, and reggae. Mission accomplished.

Spent most of my time relaxing but got some good reading in while making time to break out my snorkel gear. Not much into the tourist activities but enjoy hanging with the locals and seeing the island from their perspective.

Documented this trip with pictures instead of my usual word play:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

This was a good trip for me. Love to explore and get great pictures while in Jamaica. Looking at traveling to the Dominican Republic or the Turks and Caicos on my next adventure.

Which one would you pick?

Irie!

2023 Goals

“If you can dream it, you can do it”.

(Walt Disney)

Goals continue to be a huge difference maker as my Walk into the Future extends into the fifth year of existence.

I never make New Year’s Resolution but discovered creating a set of yearly goals allows me to track my progress and see personal and professional growth. This process has been working well for me so no need to adjust it for 2023.

My goals are broken up into several categories to ensure I display a level of depth and growth throughout the year. I don’t make this process overly complicated; it’s worked in the past and don’t see a need to adjust now.

Interestingly, I hit every 2022 goal marker I wrote down except for one. Several friends asked me about my goals in January and I simply stated 2022 went so well that I was going to run back most of the same goals in 2023. Small tweaks but want to continue to move forward with my growth.

Reading goals

I started reading Proverbs daily when I lived in Warner Robins, Georgia. I got the concept when I read a book written by Steven K. Scott: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived. I thought it was a get rich quick book but quickly learned that reading Proverbs provides wisdom in life. I read Proverbs daily before work and look for ways to level that wisdom in my day. My other reading goal is to read one book (minimum) each month. I love learning leadership principles so most of my reading is done to help me grow as a leader. Currently reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Travel goals

Always looking for new places to explore so I want to visit some new spots this year. My running tourist role has me booked to return to Clearwater, Nashville, and Orlando. My new race destination for 2023 will be the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I’ve been to San Diego before but have never raced that far west—should be a great week for me in San Diego. I will return to Negril, Jamaica this year and want to make it down to the Turks and Caicos as a new adventure. Weekend travel will revolve around Orlando, Melbourne, Jacksonville, and Palm Beach Gardens.

Consulting

My Authentic Leadership consulting program extends into 2023 with new contracts and clients. My work in this space was a happy addition to my 2022 goals and it looks like it will continue to grow in 2023. I have already signed contracts with two different groups to bring the Authentic Leadership platform to staff members. This side gig allows me to branch out into areas of professional interest for me and hone my organizational development skills. My goal is to consult with additional organizations in this space.

Writing

My writing was steady in 2022 but one area I didn’t complete was publishing my Authentic Leadership eBook. This is a carryover from 2022 so I will need to get this done in 2023. Poems, blog posts and LinkedIn articles were writing goals I was able to meet last year. I will continue to progress in 2023 with an eye towards more content on LinkedIn to share the Walk into the Future content with a larger audience.

Exercise program

Well, everyone that reads this blog knows running a full marathon was a highlight for me. It was written down as a 2022 goal and I put the work in to meet that goal. I will continue to lift weights twice a week and get 4 weekly runs in. My long runs will be done on the weekends with 25 – 30 weekly miles. I have a full racing schedule for 2023 and this keeps me motivated to log training miles.

Volunteer

This is a new category I want to explore in 2023. I do a ton at work but need to branch out into the local community and help there as well. The Salvation Army and Treasure Coast Food Bank are two organizations I plan to help this year. I did volunteer work with the Salvation Army in Tallahassee and enjoyed my time with them. Will reach out to both organizations this month to see what I can help them with.

Goals have been huge for my success. What goals do you have for 2023?

Irie!

“Everything you can imagine is real”.

(Pablo Picasso)

Poetic Flow / Life can be so nice!

FP Inlet

Eliminate the hunger and take away all wars,

Break down all color barriers and bring equal rights to all.

People living in unison, all getting along.

This would make the world a better place for you and for me.

Maybe one day kids can play together and have some fun.

No war, no hunger, no racial wall.

Life could be so nice.

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