My 12 Miler

A day off

Now we all look forward to working hard all week and on Friday evening getting to enjoy 48 hours of fun! I feel the same with a day off from running... my body is tired, sore from weights, running hills and adding miles each week. Today is not only Friday (the beginning of the weekend) but also a day off from working out. I can't tell you how important it is to have these days and take full advantage of it. We all have goals personally and professionally - but if you can't be creative at work - you need to step outside - take a breath so you can be your best the rest of the day. The same goes for a day off. Our bodies have to take a break to rebuild to be it's best on the next workout day... whatever that workout is. On these days I like to take my dogs for a long walk. It helps to stretch me out while also making my puppies feel great! I make sure I take my vitamins, eat lots of fruit and drink enough water every day (but especially these days) where it's essential to hit my longest run of the week tomorrow at my most hydrated and fully rested best! Don't take these days for granted. Your job today besides work, is to rest those weary bones. In the worst-case scenario, too few rest and recovery days can lead to overtraining syndrome - a difficult condition to recover from. So make sure if you are burnt out that you are just taking some time to chill or find something fun to cross train and keep things from getting stagnant. The burnout stage is when the energy is eventually consumed by fatigue and irritability at work. Enthusiasm with work drops as well as productivity and quality of work. There is criticism from workers regarding the work product and this adds on to the stress already being experienced. Your life must go beyond your work and athletic goals. Enjoy your time alone, your time with your friends and your time with your family. This will help you keep track of your expectations and it will also keep your aspirations realistic. Have a great weekend - rest, play and eat well! Thanks for reading!

The Shamrock Run

The race this morning was a blast.
A little chilly but with Carey and
the puppies there to support me in
my quest - it was on! There was
21,000 participants this morning
and the energy was fabulous.
Beer, Salmon Chowder from Stan-
ford’s, live music and lots of green
made this event really fun. Also,
the Adidas Tech Shirt and 50%
off coupon at their on campus
store was a nice perk to the regu-
lar cotton T’s from other races. Wearing a beanie is key
during these colder mornings - I was thankful for mine.
Running this 8K had a few challenges - due to the standing
around I had gotten a bit stiff, and realizing I had to pee
started this off a bit rough. Looking forward to finding a
bathroom around mile one and starting off slow to warm
up the muscles made for a slow mile. Though once I found
a restroom and got into my pace, things just got better and
better where I found myself singing to myself with my
playlist sounding in my ear. “Back to Life” really got me up
to form and I was having fun. Seeing other woman and try-
ing to motivate along the way. A gal at the end stretch
whom I had pounded fists with around mile 2.5 thanked me
for being her pace car. Lots of smiles and great bagpipes
along the course, but it is always the RunKeeper App voice
that I appreciate most who at every mile passed announces
the mile, time in and my pace. That is one of my favorite
new tools to helping me just relax and run. It doesn’t inter-
rupt my music or anything... Technology is good. Monday
is a running rest day - though I’ll hit the gym which I really
enjoy! Looking forward to another week of trials and miles.
Thanks for reading!

Running In The Rain

This morning while working on emails and creating my to-do list, I'm sitting here in my running gear looking out to the Portland rainy sky. There are lots of things I have no problem doing - but running in the rain is really new for me. I know it could be worse and it's only water... blah blah blah. But, that first step will be a new challenge for me.

It reminds me of those moments in a day where picking up and cold calling a new store can be challenging but after the first call - it becomes fun and usually pays off. I have to keep that in mind when running on these wet mornings. As my races will more than likely involve rain from time to time.

Selling and running go hand in hand. The only time you don't succeed is if you don't try. Most retailers won't pick up a phone and call you for the sale - just as no one will run for you. These are actions you must do for yourself. So today - I step out side my comfort zone and run in the rain. When I get back - I'll shower - dry off - then go knocking on some doors. I'll make this day a day of squashing fears! I am a force to be reckoned with! 4 miles in the rain - not a problem! I can do this!

Journey to 50K

Well, this is my first blog of many in which I hope to be a great life experience for me. Choosing to run a 50K wasn't taken lightly. What it was - was a need to place a goal in front of me to keep me motivated and catapult me to a fitter self. If you are a friend of mine, you know how much I love to eat... I'm not obese, but easily could be if I didn't work out through out the week. 2 years ago when I was 39, I gave myself a goal to do a triathlon before I turned 40. So I lost 26 pounds and ran my first triathlon. I chose an all women's event, SheRox and it was a great experience and got me thinking... so I started to run. My friend and boss Paul sent me, "Born to Run," and then after loving that I picked up Dean Karnazes book, "The Ultramarathon Man. " Both were really inspiring. The idea of running turned to more of a passion. A zen space in time for me to turn it all off. The fact that both books focused in on the internal reasons of why to run - really was the turning point for me. To create a journey around it...and not just run. It's funny, because I have hips and boobs and was always told I couldn't run... I wanted it even more. So, I grabbed my shoes and headed out the door. I've done a bunch of 5K's but couldn't fathom running beyond the 3.1 miles... so, I Google mapped around my neighborhood and ran 2 miles out and back. Finally, I went past a 5K and then weekly added 1-2 miles extra depending upon how I felt. I started training last November and about 8 weeks later I finally ran 16 miles... what a great accomplishment for me. The thoughts then turned to not doing a marathon, but an ultramarathon. I mean who would want to run on pavement for a whopping 26.1 miles? I rather run for 31.1 miles on a beautiful trail. So, I signed up for my first 50K on May 30, 2010.

I know it is going to be a lot of hard work... the trail is close to my home here in Portland, so I'll get to train on it 2x a week... which is a plus. It's wooded and has hills. I'm loving the challenge and found a training plan online that gives me the mileage plan for 12 weeks leading up to the race. Diet and cross training will be crucial too and with lots of stretching I will hopefully run healthy. I'm excited for the challenge and to share it with whomever will listen. This is totally for me...

My You Tube Videos

Well it has been a long show season and though the retailers are starting to purchase again, I have had some fun out in the field interviewing some of my manufacturers, reps, new and old friends. What a great journey of self discovery! I realized since my last post that I love what I do... everyday!

Check it all out on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/salesguru33

I will keep you posted here as well. So keep coming back! Lots to share and even more - really cool products to show you!


Happy day to you and yours!

Michele

Read about my journey...

http://web.mac.com/mfconsulting/iWeb/Site/Blog/Blog.html