“The successful warrior is the average man with laser-like focus”.
(Bruce Lee)
Let’s give the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt another run. I’m starting to love the simplicity of this writing concept and having fun generating content for the Walk into the Future blog.
My fitness journey primarily chronicles my running program and the tourism opportunities this brings to me throughout the year. I also write about being goals oriented but, I don’t believe I ever identified one of my 2024 goals was to get to and maintain my body weight at 198 pounds or less.
The sixth prompt for Five-Minute Thursday is: 2024 Fitness.
My normal weight over the past three years was right around 205 pounds. This was fine as I increased my running program and got a bit more serious with my marathon pursuits. I completed marathons in 2022 and 2023 with my weight at 205 pounds. I was able to get the training done but wondered what would happen if I trained AND got my weight down a bit. I set my weight goal back in January 2024 and put effort to meet and/or exceed the goal this year.
I started January 2024 at 203 pounds after taking three weeks off from running after my 2023 Garden of Life Marathon in December 2023. I reevaluated my training program and my diet to determine the adjustments I needed to get my weight down. Again, I was not looking to lose substantial weight, but I wanted to get down to see how it impacted my daily life and fitness levels.
I changed my diet and decided to stay out of the drive-through lines more in 2024. Yes, I write about my running program, but my diet has never been the greatest over the years. Also, it is so easy to hit a drive through after work instead of going home and cooking. I didn’t eliminate this process completely, but I put a huge dent in making these stops on the way home. I got more use out of my grill in 2024, and this helped me with better meals throughout the year.
I also rededicated myself to following my training programs especially with my 2024 Chicago Marathon 18-week training process. My goal for this training block was to not miss a session to ensure that I give maximum effort to get ready for the Chicago Marathon. I only used the exercise bike as a warmup for my runs—this was a bit different from previous cycles. I also adjusted my bedtime to 8:30 pm daily and woke up at 4:30 am to ensure I had time for morning runs before work. Going to bed at a consistent time helped me get prepared to get up and run in the morning.
The 18-week marathon training plan increased my mileage weekly, and I incorporated additional mileage in my training process. I’m on pace to finish 2024 with over 1,500 training miles which would be 300 miles over my previous maximum running year.
Fast forward—I got down to 192.5 pounds on 9/14/2024 and ran the 2024 Chicago Marathon at 197 on 10/13/2024. I’ve consistently met my goal to stay under 198 this year. My fitness levels are much higher within this weight range. Fun fact—I have started to order new pants since my old ones don’t fit as well now. 😊
Not trying to get down more but want to maintain this new level of fitness and keep my weight right around the 195 – 198 range. My friend Lynn calls me skinny now—not sure I agree but I have a new level of fitness and I’m happy with it. 😊
What 2024 goal are you proud of accomplishing?
Irie!
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be”.
“If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team.”
(Frank Sonenburg)
Work hard and play hard is an old saying but we are getting a lot of use out of it daily.
My Walk into the Future provides multiple outlets for me to live life daily. I leverage this blog to record and share these adventures with my readers.
The newest adventure was the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest at work. We started this tradition back in October 2021 with an 80’s themed dance party. I did not think my coworkers would dress the part or even dance at work, but I was wrong. Our folks know how to have fun and are always looking for the next time to party at work.
It took a while to produce the 2024 theme for our event, but we decided to make this year Dynamic Duos with Karaoke. We never force people to join in, but it helps when Vice Presidents get into the event, dress in costume, and have fun. We also learned that a lot of our colleagues love karaoke and could not wait to sing at work again this year. FYI, participants did not have to sing karaoke as a duo, but several did. We continue to discover talented singers from around campus and this year was no exception.
We agreed to become this duo back in June and ordered matching outfits via Amazon. Yes, we take this work party seriously. Beth insisted that we match completely so she purchased matching sneakers for me to ensure we were completely in character. 😊 Our routines did not have a karaoke theme, but we wanted to entertain the audience and get them ready to have fun. We planned to perform as the opening act before the singers got started with karaoke. Most people knew we were up to something but never imagined that I would dress as a Spartan Cheerleader and perform multiple routines in my outfit. Well, Beth continues to convince me to do things out of character and it is fun. 😊
We started with a little skit to welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest. We incorporated memories from the previous 3 Fall Fun Fest activities. This was a fantastic way to break the ice for the group and gave us time to get into character. This skit led us to perform The Perfect Cheer which was made famous by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as the Spartan Cheerleaders on SNL (starts at 3:36 mark: https://www.tiktok.com/@matt.gizmo.yerke/video/7287395646066249002?lang=en)
The karaoke machine kicked in once the Spartan Cheerleaders were done. Again, we have some talented folks on our staff and the singing was outstanding. Several folks hit the stage multiple times to entertain the crowd. We had to adjust the song format a bit when we kept getting songs from musicals. I have nothing against these types of songs but the energy level in the building went down with slow and dramatic musical songs. I will implement a party anthem only concept in 2025 to help keep the crowd moving.
I am not sure of the theme we will have next year, but it should be another epic adventure for the team. 😊
“Come to the Florida Keys, where sweating like a tourist is a rite of passage”.
(#MeltingAway, #KeysLife)
My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to seek and find new adventures in my life. The concept is to enjoy life at a relaxed pace but to always move forward. I need to remember why I created the blog name and make sure I follow through daily.
Took the relaxed pace concept to heart when looking for my next adventure. What better place to find relaxation than the Florida Keys. 😊
I am a native Floridian but never ventured down to the Keys before. I’ve thought about it a few times but never acted. My thought process was it was too far to drive but I never put anything into Google maps to see the distance and/or drive time. Told you I didn’t put much effort into this process. 😊
Google maps identified the northern Key (Key Largo) was a three-hour drive from my house in Fort Pierce. Key West was much further but I never had a desire to get that far south. Decided to focus on Key Largo and plan a trip down around the 4th of July. I took an extra day of vacation time so I could beat the holiday traffic and be in Key Largo before the fireworks started and people crowded the area. Mission accomplished on both ideas.
Didn’t know much about the Keys but wanted to get down to explore and experience something new. I’m a huge Marriot fan so booked the Courtyard right off US 1. This location put me right next to a marina with boat tours and several nice restaurants with fresh fish on the menu. This location allowed me to walk to multiple places of interest while in the Keys.
Made my way over to Snappers Oceanfront Restaurant and Bar on my first day to people watch and get fresh fish. Walked by the African Queen boat tour area on my way over. Didn’t know they had boat tours, but this was a popular attraction in Key Largo.
The next stop was Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill which was a lively spot with music and great western views. They had outstanding drink specials and the largest shrimp I have ever seen in my life. Highly recommend this spot if you love shrimp, great sunset views and cold drinks with a kick.
The Caribbean Club was identified as a spot for great live music. I was the most Caribbean person there and the band was an old school classic rock outfit. It was still a great little spot because they had outside chairs sitting right next to the water. The sunset views were better here because of the pawn trees—used them to frame a few of my pictures. Visited both places two days in a row so they had a very authentic vibe. Watched 4th of July fireworks from the Caribbean Club and enjoyed every second of the show.
The Key Largo Princess glass bottom boat was my next adventure in Key Largo. Saw the boat go out when I first arrived and was curious where it was headed. It’s a simple tour where the boat heads out to a coral reef and circles so passengers can get a great view of the sea life. The ship’s crew warned that some folks get motion sickness below deck while they circle. I didn’t believe them but had to head back upstairs because I started to feel weird. I was fine once I got back on the top deck and enjoyed the rest of the boat tour in the open air. We saw tons of fish, sea turtles and nurse sharks on the excursion. Great way to end my first venture in the Florida Keys.
“Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.”.
(Albert Einstein)
The Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt is back for another run. My friend Maria likes the concise nature of this writing prompt, so I decided to bring it back. 😊
I take pride in my Authentic Leadership work and share with anyone who will sit down to listen to me. I have worked with the Indian River State College Student Government Association (SGA) over the past four years. My work with these students centers on student development and leadership. The students are eager to learn, and this inspires me to work with them more.
My fifth prompt for Five Minute Thursday is: The 51st Student Leadership Conference.
I was approached by the organizers of the leadership conference to help students with their professional journey. The theme for this year was: Perseverance Towards Excellence. The intent was to provide students with foundational information to help them develop skills to move them forward. I have presented leadership workshops with these students in the past, but the organizers asked me to focus on life after graduation, the world of work.
I decided to focus on The First 90 Days on the Job for my presentation. I’ve had this content in my professional speaking library and modernized the content for this conference.
Most of the students know me from around campus and I was surprised with the number of students that attended my session. The students identified learning how to become professionals was an important skill they wanted to learn so that’s why they picked my session.
Areas we covered during the session:
Understand Organizational Culture
Communication modes and formalities
Dress and appearance expectations
Work hours
Positive Work Behavior
Review employee handbook
Maintain professional demeanor (happy hours, social events)
Ready to learn and strong work ethic
Build Effective Relationships
Find a mentor
Align with positive colleagues
Create goals
The students were receptive to these points and seemed eager to put these in play. I’m always excited to help students develop as young adults. This session will help them as they enter the world of work.
“How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you”.
(Jimmy Fallon)
Sweet home, Chicago!
This is how I felt when I finally arrived at my hotel in Chicago. Why the excitement? Well, I’ve chronicled my training for the past 18 weeks but didn’t know if I would make it to race day.
Hurricane Milton caused havoc on Wednesday of race week, and I didn’t know if my flight on Friday from Orlando was still going to happen. My original Friday morning flight was cancelled by Southwest Airlines, but they rebooked me on a later flight to Chicago. I decided to just enjoy the process and was extremely happy to be on my way to running the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
My flight was uneventful, but it got me closer to the end of this 18-week journey. I grabbed my bag after landing and made my way out into the Chicago night to head to my hotel. I am a Marriott brand fan, and my hotel was picked based on proximity to the marathon start and finish lines. I wanted to be able to walk around Chicago during my adventure without having to worry about traffic or waiting around for a ride. I checked into my hotel room late Friday night due to the airline delays. Made a quick trip to a corner store to stock up on water, bananas and bagels before heading to bed.
My original plan was to hit the 2024 Chicago Marathon EXPO on Friday since my arrival time was supposed to be 8:35 am. Again, Hurricane Milton changed this, and my true arrival time was 9:30 pm. No worries, I got up Saturday morning and walked over to McCormick Place for the Abbott Health & Fitness EXPO. This walk was an outstanding way to see Chicago neighborhoods and take in the excitement of race weekend. I have been a running tourist for a few years and experienced EXPOs in multiple states. Nothing prepared me for the sights from the Abbott Health & Fitness EXPO. This was by far the largest EXPO event I have ever seen. There were over 180 vendors with products from around the world. There were close to 20,000 people in the EXPO (runners, family, friends) and I felt the crush of people in the venue. Runners are a friendly group so that made it easier to navigate while in the venue.
Packets pickup was a breeze since the Chicago Marathon organizers sent each participant an event ticket. The ticket helped EXPO volunteers direct runners to the correct lines for bib pickup and corral assignments. This is the first EXPO that utilized a photo to ensure the correct person got the correct bib number. Technology is amazing!
I made my way around the EXPO to check out vendors, sample nutrition and get my photos while there. 😊 I wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible but didn’t want to spend too much time on my feet the day before the marathon.
I headed back towards my hotel and wanted to check out the race start line area. This was my way to ensure I knew where to report on Sunday morning. The Chicago Marathon has a detailed process to place runners in corrals to ensure the start of the race is organized and gets runners out without overcrowding the roads. I was slotted for Wave 3 and Corral K. This means my time was projected to be closer to the middle of the pack which was exciting for me. I made a few more stops to take in the city and then headed to Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta for a pasta lunch. I still needed to add more carbs into my system to get ready for race day.
Headed back to the hotel to prep my running outfit for the big day, get off my feet and hydrate. I was able to get in a quick nap too. 😊 I left the hotel after my nap to get in another carb loading meal to finish off the process at Portillo’s. I did some light stretching and meditation to help me get ready for the big day ahead. I was a few hours away from running the 2024 Chicago Marathon!!!
I woke up on race day a bit anxious because this was the largest race I have toed the line for (55,000+ registered runners). I also had no real idea how the start line corrals would work—we were told to arrive two hours early, but this meant having to stand around in the corrals and wait patiently to start the race. My hotel was a mile away from the start line, so I leveraged this distance to stretch my legs with the walk toward Grant Park. I purchased a long sleeve shirt at Goodwill for $6.99 and used it to stay warm while waiting for my race to start. Race organizers provide ‘drop off’ areas where runners discard their warm clothing items prior to starting the race. These items are donated to homeless shelter by the race organizers.
I made my way to the Wave 3, Corral K start area around 7 am. My group was scheduled to start running at 8:35 am. What do runners do for an hour and thirty-five minutes? Great question! We sat on the pavement like grade school kids to conserve energy and get off our feet. Thousands of adults just sitting on the ground quietly and listening to music to pass the time. Our group was called to start moving towards the start line around 8:30 am and running the 2024 Chicago Marathon got real at that moment. I tossed my long sleeve shirt into the clothing donation area and started to get myself mentally ready to rock the Chicago Marathon. A sense of pride came over me at this point because I knew I had trained better during this cycle and wanted to see how this translated for this marathon. Said a quick prayer and it was showtime!
My goals for the marathon were to enjoy the process, run a controlled race and improve my time from my last marathon. Well, two out of three is not that bad! 😊 I enjoyed the process and set a marathon Personal Record (PR) at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. The one goal I missed was running a controlled race. I’m not complaining considering I ran a PR time here. I fault the crowds, and the energy generated for my lack of control during the race.
So, what was the problem with my pace? The crowds were so hyped that they energized me beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. My first mile was run in 9:45 (nine minutes and forty-five seconds. My second mile was run in 9:45. My third mile was run in 9:31. See a pattern here? 😊 The funny thing is I knew I was moving too fast, but it felt great! The fourth mile was run in 9:42. At this point I decided to just run the damn race and see what would happen regardless of my intended pace. The cooler weather, the crowds and the flat racecourse felt right so I just ran. I had a huge smile on my face for the first 23 miles. Lactic acid kicked in after that and I lost my smile for a bit. I looked at my watch and knew I was well ahead of my previous marathon times—I just needed to hang on. I mentioned to several friends that I wanted to run 4:44 this time out. I realized I would not hit this pace, but a PR was well within my reach. I gave myself a pep talk at mile 24 and then got my mind right. Finished the marathon in 5:23:35 (five hours, twenty-three minutes and thirty-five seconds). This is a 25-minute PR for me. My 4:30 am training sessions paid off nicely! 😊
Race results below:
Participant
Name (CTZ)
Williams, Calvin (USA)
Bib Number
59296
City, State
Fort Pierce
Division
55-59
Gender
Man
Short
CW
Race Info
Start Time
08:37:57
Totals
Place Gender
25103
Place Age Group
1478
Place Overall
43983
Finish Time
05:23:35
My Runner
Add/Remove
Race Status
Race Status
Finished
Last Split
Finish
Pred. Finish
–
Pred. Finish (Time of Day)
–
Splits
Miles Kilometers
Split
Time Of Day
Time
Diff
min/mile
miles/h
05K
09:09:07AM
00:31:10
31:10
10:02
5.98
10K
09:42:31AM
01:04:35
33:25
10:46
5.58
15K
10:15:07AM
01:37:10
32:35
10:30
5.72
20K
10:49:30AM
02:11:34
34:24
11:05
5.42
HALF
10:59:06AM
02:21:10
09:36
14:05
4.26
25K
11:27:12AM
02:49:16
28:06
11:36
5.18
30K
12:08:21PM
03:30:25
41:09
13:15
4.53
35K
12:53:06PM
04:15:09
44:44
14:24
4.17
40K
01:41:38PM
05:03:42
48:33
15:38
3.84
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me during my training cycle to send encouragement. Also, thank you to my friends who I couldn’t hit Friday night events with because I needed to go to bed so I could get up and run on Saturday mornings. Thank you to Walk into the Future blog readers for following my training updates and sticking with me on this forum. Appreciate all ya’ll!!! 😊
I will shift gears towards my half marathon schedule for the next few months. I have the 2024 OUC Half Marathon in Orlando the first weekend in December. I follow that up with the 2024 Palm Beaches Half Marathon the following weekend. I will not run the full marathon down there because of humidity—I learned a valuable lesson last year.
FYI—Lauren and I signed up for the 2025 Chicago Marathon and are waiting to see if we get in next year. There may be another marathon training program in 2025—get ready because I’m starting to figure this marathon training out. Who knew I could get faster as I got older. 😊
“Running isn’t about being the best; it’s about pursuing your personal best”.
(Runkeeper)
My Walk into the Future allows me to pursue adventures in multiple ways.
Running is one of the ways I found 12 years ago, and I have not looked back.
I started running Orlando Track Shack and Front Running Sports races when I moved to Oviedo, Florida from Warner Robins, Georgia back in October 2010. I never thought the local 5ks in Orlando would lead me to become a running tourist and multi-time marathoner. Big things start with small steps.
I have focused on the half marathon as my preferred distance over the past 4 years but still lace up my running shoes for 5ks. The Treasure Coast running community is not as large and visible as the Orlando running community. We have races but they are not as large as the Track Shack productions and most don’t have beer at the finish line. It seems like a small thing, but true runners are looking for beer and donuts once we cross the finish line. I still run a few local races but find ways to travel to the Orlando area for Track Shack events.
The Treasure Coast Food Bank hosts a September 5k and I have run this one for the past three years. It’s a small race but it is a great way to help stock the local food bank to help our residents with food insecurity needs. I also leverage this 5k as a speed session to help me prepare for longer races. This year the 5k fit nicely into the Chicago Marathon training program and allowed me to test my fitness and work to get faster leg turnover.
The race starts and ends at Causeway Cove on Hutchingson Island in Fort Pierce. This location makes it easy to get in and out without a ton of traffic or waiting around when the race is over. I also park on the mainland side of the Seaway Drive bridge and use the bridge as a warmup before the race. I get a slow jog in crossing the bridge and then stretch once I make it to Causeway Cove.
Again, it’s a small race crowd so I normally post up in the middle of the starting pack to avoid undue stress moving through runners. I didn’t enter with a specific finish time in mind but wanted to go faster than my last 5k back in August (Celebration of Running 5k). Always surprised I don’t know many people in these races even though I live in Fort Pierce—this is not a tight running community.
My goal was to run a controlled race without much deviation between each mile split. I’m happy with my finish time of 28:29 which equals 9:10 per mile. This was a faster time and splits than my Celebration of Running 5k outing. I ran the entire 5k with a smile on my face because the pace felt good, and I knew I could maintain this for additional miles. I didn’t feel the need to push much faster considering this was a 12-mile training day as part of my Chicago Marathon training program. I was surprised to see that I won my age group for this race. I have placed in the Top 3 of this race in the past but this was the first time I was the ‘Top Old Dude’. 😊 I decided to stick around the race village to collect my additional award and get some extra pictures taken on the top step of the podium.
I took my prizes and headed back over the bridge. I still needed to get in an additional 9 miles to complete my long run training for the day.
Feeling good about my mental and physical fitness as the 2024 Chicago Marathon draws closer.
“If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.
(Pinterest Pin)
What’s your fondest memory of Playdoh?
This is not a trick question but one I have been asking people in my orbit lately. Why? Great question!
I purchased a can of Playdoh one day on a trip to Dollar Tree on a whim. Thought it would be fun to have around the house and to make forms in between laying down tracks for the Walk into the Future blog. Well, after two weeks I had not opened the Playdoh and decided to take it to work as a simple distraction in between meetings. I placed it on my desk with designs to pull it out when needed to have a little extra fun at work.
The first time the Playdoh came out was an impromptu meeting. My Vice President and another Associate Vice President were in my office catching up on things that happened on campus. The meeting was sidetracked as soon as they saw I had Playdoh in my office. We immediately grabbed a handful of Playdoh and started forming shapes. The funny thing with this process is we had the most productive meeting we’ve had in a long time while forming Playdoh.
I didn’t know if the Playdoh and productive meeting was a coincidence, so I doubled down and purchased more and brought it to work. I let people who enter my office select their preferred Playdoh color and take it back to their offices. I also let them know they have to bring their Playdoh back with them if they need to speak or meet with me. Yes, I’ve mandated Playdoh play dates at work! 😊
Again, I have been surprised with the productivity we have been able to get since Playdoh was introduced into the work environment. I started as something we did in my office, but I started traveling to other meetings with a bag full of Playdoh. I place the cans on the table and let my colleagues select a color and we form shapes while solving the world’s problems. The shapes I created were not very artistic, but I quickly discovered I needed to step up my game because my colleagues have Playdoh skills. I’ve watched folks make some outstanding shapes and characters during our sessions. The productivity of our meetings remains high, and we are having fun with the process.
Here are a few of the shapes created in our sessions:
So, why do YOU think Playdoh has been such a success in my work environment?
My take is most of us were introduced to Playdoh at a young age and these happy memories translate directly to how we remember the smell, feel and form of Playdoh as adults. Simple concept—Playdoh reminds us of a simpler time in our lives and we didn’t have a worry in the world. These memories all come back to us as soon as we open a can of Playdoh in the work environment. Happy people = productive people!
I’m looking to purchase a larger selection of Playdoh colors to bring into the work environment. It may seem like a small gesture, but our productivity has gone up and we are having fun with the Playdoh! Not sure how long this phenomenon will last but I’m enjoying it daily! 😊
“A marathon is hundreds of miles. The finish is the last 26.2”.
(Running Quotes)
This quote identifies my current Walk into the Future. I started the Chicago Marathon training cycle on 6/10/2024 and have logged 561.89 miles to date. I’m flying to Chicago tomorrow morning, so I have completed all the prescribed miles on my training plan.
There have been a lot of early mornings to beat the Florida heat and humidity but I’m feeling good about the work I have put in this year. I used lessons learned from previous training cycles to improve my mental and physical preparation to ensure I get to Chicago in great shape to compete with my fellow runners.
I started this training cycle at 207 pounds and have been as light as 192 pounds. I tipped the scale this morning at 194 pounds right before I start the carb loading process. I will toe the line at the Chicago Marathon lighter than my last marathon and this should translate to my performance. Again, I decided not to take any short cuts this time around and made sure I put in the work mentally, physically and with my diet. Feeling good! My friend Lynn keeps saying that I’m skinny now—not sure I buy that but have lost three inches on my waist and none of my pants fit me now. Will have to see if I maintain this weight before I invest in a new wardrobe. 😊
I touted being 32 – 0 during my last Chicago Marathon update. I never thought I would remain undefeated throughout the entire training cycle, but I wanted to maximize each run to ensure I performed well at the Chicago Marathon. Well, let’s cut to the chase—I missed a few sessions either due to travel or illness. I missed an entire week of training when I returned from the Virginia Beach 10-miler. This may also explain why my time in the race was slower than last year. Imagine that I completed a 10-mile race while I was sick. 😊
Here’s my weekly miles update:
Week 9
37.39
Week 10
34.49
Week 11
26.03
Week 12
34.58
Week 13
2.03 (Sick this week)
Week 14
42.7
Week 15
30.85
Week 16
33.77
Week 17
27.11
Week 18
5
Total
273.95
I’m flying up to Chicago tomorrow to get acclimated to the city and weather. I’m excited to go to the race EXPO for the opportunity to meet some of the elite runners scheduled to be there. I’m sure I will not see them much on race day so will enjoy the opportunity to share the same venue with them. There are a few Orlando Track Shack runners coming up to Chicago and I want to catch up with them at the EXPO as well. Friday will be my day to get some sightseeing in and deep-dish pizza. I will stay off my feet as much as possible on Saturday to conserve energy and keep my legs fresh. There will be an organized shakeout run on Saturday morning, but I have not decided if I want to participate. I’m sure it will be exciting and a great opportunity to meet runners who have gone through the same experience as me to get ready for the Chicago Marathon.
The weather is projected to be in the mid-40’s and warming up into the low-60’s. This will be a welcomed change from the Florida heat and humidity. Really looking forward to see how my body adapts to running in cooler weather without humidity.
“The first day of school is the beginning of a new chapter in life”.
(Unknown)
What’s the best that can happen? This is one of my new mantras for 2024. I started leveraging this within the work environment and decided to expand to the Walk into the Future blog.
This is a simple question with the potential for huge returns in daily life and activities.
I decided to bring this concept to life for the first day of the 2024 – 2025 academic year. The first day is always filled with excitement and the promise of big things happening with campus partners, students and employers looking to hire talent.
I made a promise to one of my friends to wear a tuxedo on the first day of classes last year. We laughed at the concept at the time but agreed we would rock tuxedos and walk around so students could see how great we looked. This would have been out of character for both of us, so we were sure to get some weird looks and questions from students, faculty and staff. Why are you wearing tuxedos to work? Well, the first day of school came and went last year but I did not wear my tuxedo as planned. My friend Frank passed away unexpectedly, and I didn’t feel right wearing my tuxedo. I didn’t want to have to explain why I was wearing the tuxedo—thought it was too soon to complete the agreement and didn’t want others to feel bad.
So, fast forward to this year and my mindset has changed. What’s the best that can happen? Wearing the tuxedo was a great way to honor the agreement I made with Frank and put a smile on the face of others. Not many people knew about the agreement so my tuxedo entrance at work caught a few people off guard in a good way.
The ironic aspect of my first day of school outfit was the impact it had on different generations.
People close to my age focused on the tuxedo, my shirt and tie. They were extremely complimentary of my formal outfit and how it made me stand out.
What’s the best that can happen? The students had a completely different view of my outfit. I decided to add a little flair to my outfit by rocking blue and white Air Jordan 1’s instead of formal dress shoes. Wanted to have fun with the outfit and the Air Jordan 1’s gave me a way to enhance my outfit and create conversations at the same time.
Students that never would have approached me kept coming up to introduce themselves and ask me about my J’s (that’s what young people call Jordan Brand shoes). Had no idea what they were talking about but played it off since they were interested in talking to me. The students did not view me as an Associate Vice President but a fellow sneaker head who likes to wear formal clothing while rocking J’s. 😊 The day was filled with smiles, laughter and bonding over my decision to finally wear my tuxedo to work.
My colleagues were curious as to why I was wearing a tuxedo to work and were understanding when I told them the true reason why I wore the tuxedo. I decided it was time to honor an agreement I made, and they fully supported it once I let them in on the secret.
What’s the best that can happen on the first day of school? Rocking a tuxedo with J’s is a great way to get multiple generations talking and sharing experiences. I had the most fun just walking around and saying hello to people—the outfit seemed to disarm folks and made them want to chat.
The experience was great for me and I’m happy I completed the pledge. Will I rock a tuxedo again next year? Yep, I will bring the outfit out again to connect with the next wave of students. What’s the best that can happen? You decide!
Irie!
“The first day of school is a blank page in the journey of education”.
“Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running”.
(Julie Isphording)
The Walk into the Future running season always starts with the Orlando Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k in Winter Park, Florida.
I started running with Track Shack back in 2010 and leverage training plans they have for multiple distances. The Track Shack team identifies the start of the 2024 – 2025 running season with this race and turns it into a celebration for the Orlando running community.
The 2024 Celebration of Running 5k marked my 10th time running this race and I enjoy it more each time I return. The course is the same and the August humidity is always thick, but this is a great race to reengage with competitive running and socialize with a great running community.
My last race was the 2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon back in May. The months of May, June and July were dedicated to training in the Florida heat and humidity, but racing was an after thought during the dog days of summer. There are several 4th of July races to pick from but I normally travel and running on the holiday is not attractive to me—I may take on this challenge in the future but signing up for a race on the 4th of July has not materialized for me yet. 😊
I find myself starting to get anxious to race again in early August. I started my marathon training cycle on 6/10/2024 but running races with other competitors is more exciting than training miles. I also leverage the Celebration of Running 5k to gauge my fitness levels to determine adjustments needed in my larger training program. I’m down about 7 pounds and 2 inches so far during this training cycle so entered the racing season feeling fresh and of course lighter than last year.
I approached the 5k as another training session with an opportunity to work on my speed and endurance. I did not have a set finish time in mind but wanted to run as fast as possible and still have fun with the process—mission accomplished on both parts of this equation. 😊
I lined up in my usual spot with the 9-minute per mile group. This is always a safe place to line up to avoid crashing into other runners. It still amazes me that runners who know they will run slower splits make their way to the front of the starting corrals. This creates numerous problems at the start of the race because other runners must expend energy to avoid crashing into these folks—my strategy is to hang back a bit to let this churn clear a bit and then hit my desired pace. It takes about a half mile before the crowds start to thin out a bit to move forward.
I finished the Celebration of Running 5k with a time of 29:05—9:16 per mile pace. Not bad for me even after holding back for the first half mile. I completed the 5k with a nice sprint and a smile on my face. The smile came out because I saw one of my running friends and her husband in front of me and I decided I was going to pass them before the finish line. It was working until she spotted me and decided to kick before I caught them. She beat me by 3 seconds, and we had a huge laugh at the games adults play when racing. It was all fun and made the experience even better. 😊
Got my normal after race pictures in the race village and made my way to get my beer and donuts. Always enjoy the opportunity to catch up with folks I know in the Orlando running community but couldn’t stay too long. This was a 17-mile training day, so I needed to head over to the Cross Seminole Trail to complete my training.
Love the Cross Seminole Trail because it provides a flat and shady surface to get extra miles in. You get to interact with walkers, runners, roller bladers and cyclists all on the same trail. It’s great for people watching and training. A local cycle club places coolers with free water on the trail to help keep folks hydrated while on the trail—this was a bonus and much appreciated.
I completed my 14-mile training run and headed back to my hotel to cool off and relax. Of course, a nap was in my immediate future after racing and training.
My racing season started out exactly how I scripted it and I’m happy with my physical and mental preparation so far. Excited to see how the rest of the season progresses.
Walk Into the Future 