Lately, I’ve been reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers on the recommendation of the headmaster of Alice and Wendy’s school.  It’s an interesting read with some pretty interesting studies on the factors that go into success.  In many cases, those factors might be initially unexpected (such as being born early in the year makes you a better hockey player), but when the reasons for the somewhat unexpected factors are examined, they suddenly become more obvious.

I’m only about halfway through the book, but so far the theories of Outliers confirm my overall beliefs about success in life being a lot like success at the poker table.  It’s a combination of luck, talent and hard work (Glenn will appreciate this, I’m sure).  There is no doubt that poker is a game of skill.  It’s also very obviously a game of luck.  The skill comes in minimizing losses during unlucky times and maximizing gains during periods of luck so as to come out ahead in the long term.

In life, we’re all dealt unlucky hands from time to time.  We’re also presented with lucky opportunities.  These things we have little control over.  It’s how we handle them that matters.  Opportunities come and go.  Many people don’t recognize these opportunities, or are too lazy to take advantage of them.  They’d rather focus on the unlucky times.  They’re unlikely to be successful.  Those who minimize their losses in the unlucky times, recognize the opportunities and work hard to take advantage of them are the ones who will be the most successful.

That’s really a brief and somewhat poor summary of what I’ve already read.  The book’s examples are descriptive and fun to read.  I’m sure that for every example Gladwell produces one might be able to produce a counter example, but it’s a good read nonetheless.

Sometimes when I’m feeling sorry for myself, I wish I would just win the lottery.  Then I could do whatever I wanted.  I could travel around the world, stay at the luxury resorts with the extraordinarily comfortable mattresses and the 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets.  Then I remember a dream I had when I was in high school and Volleyball was such a large part of my life.

It was a time when vampires were popular in culture due to movies like the Lost Boys and Interview with the Vampire - much like the vampire buzz that now surrounds Twilight.  I dreamed that I was vampire.  It was a really realistic dream.  I felt it.  I was suddenly lightning fast, incredibly strong and I could jump as high as I wanted.  I was the king of the volleyball court.  In time I grew depressed.  I successful and kicking butt and nobody knew that I was a vampire - but I knew.  I knew I hadn’t earned my success and it was no fun.  In the dream I quit the volleyball team and spent my time watching from the bleachers wishing I wasn’t a vampire.  I woke up glad I was just normal Brian.

I guess my point is that the journey is half (or more) of the fun.  It can be hard to remember when you’re in the unlucky times - you’re injured, out of work, or just spinning your wheels - but a victory earned through hardship is so much sweeter than one that is handed to you by default.

It’s been another stressful week at work.  I had a difficult “easy” run this morning that was supposed to be 6 miles, but wound up being only 4 miles.  Richie ran 16 this morning and was a little disappointed at not getting a full 20, so he hit me up for 4.  That was good for both of us as I might have skipped my afternoon run otherwise.  We took it slow for 4+ miles and chatted the whole way.  When I got home, I opened up my Napster account, put on some Jimmy Buffet and Beach Boys tunes, then cooked up some Tilapia in a white wine lemon butter sauce.  I was trying various rum based shots while cooking which isn’t necessarily the best thing to do the night before a race, but the race is in the afternoon so I’ll hopefully be okay.

In any case, the Beach Boys tunes took me back to my high school years when I was playing volleyball.  I used to listen to the Beach Boys’ “Made in the USA” album on my Walkman religiously.  My favorite tune was the remake of the old Mamas & Papas tune, “California Dreamin’”.  At the time, I was obsessed with volleyball.  I started playing volleyball in the 5th grade, which was a rarity for a boy living in Missouri.  I’ve also been 5′10″ pretty much since the 6th grade.  So, I was one of the few good volleyball players in the greater St. Louis area at the time.  I traveled around the Midwest with a club team and when I got to high school, I was a backup on the varsity team during the state tournament my freshman year.

As I progressed through high school, my teammates and opponents grew up around me.  I went from middle hitter to swing hitter to opposite hitter to setter through my high school career.  My senior year, I went back to opposite hitter and made first team all district.  I dreamed of moving to California, majoring in Marine Biology and playing volleyball.  If Men’s college volleyball were as prolific as, say, Men’s college track and field then I might have had a college scholarship somewhere, but I settled for majoring in Physical Therapy and playing intramural volleyaball at St. Louis University (we did win the intramural championship).

This evening, under the influence of some Captain Morgan, I was reflecting on those Beach Boys tunes.  While I didn’t move to California, I did ultimately move to Florida (still warm and beachy) and I got a Ph.D. in Oceanography (sooooo much better than marine biology).  The life isn’t quite as I imagined in high school, but it ain’t so bad.  In high school, I envisioned my destiny as a volleyball player.  Now, I know I’m really a runner.

So, on the eve of my next race that will be contested mostly against high school runners, I had to smile just a bit at the long circuitous path that has led me here.  I often wonder what life would have been like if I had realized I was a runner in high school.  How good could I have been?  On the other hand, if you’re happy with your life, you can’t complain about what go you there.  You can’t change the past anyway.  So, it’s onward and upward.  Maybe I can take down a few high school runners tomorrow.  We’ll see.

I really enjoyed John L. Parker Jr’s Once a Runner so I eagerly requested the sequel, Again to Carthage from my local library.  I guess with such high expectations I set myself up for disappointment.  I don’t want to say that the book was bad.  It certainly had its moments - for example, when Cassidy easily outruns a group of spoiled brats in a 4×400 m relay.

Even moreso than Once a Runner, Again to Carthage is a series of vignettes.  It takes place over the course of a few years after Cassidy has graduated from law school and integrated into society as a “normal” person.  After losing friends and family members for a variety of reasons, Cassidy begins to question his life and realizes that he’s not done running, but he’s running out of time.

He retreats to his family’s land in the North Carolina mountains, enlists the help of his old friend, Bruce Denton and sets out to qualify for the 1980 olympics in the marathon.  The training is interesting, but the book’s climatic moments are somewhat more unrealistic and unbelievable than the original.

It’s definitely worth a read, but don’t expect to enjoy it as much as Once a Runner.

Yesterday, Jess had an interesting post daydreaming about life as an independently wealthy runner.  She laid out her typical day.  I’ll confess that I think about this very thing from time to time.  Here’s what I’d do:

1)  Wake up and start a run before sunrise

2)  Stretch

3)  Eat breakfast

4)  Shower

5)  Go back to bed

6)  Have a leisurely lunch

7)  Spend the afternoon reading or working on a pet project and snacking

8)  Run an easy afternoon run

9)  Shower

10)  Have a relaxing dinner with moderate amounts of whiskey

11)  Relax, read, work on pet project some more

12)  Sleep

That would be kind of nice.  We’ll see where life takes me.

Yesterday was hot, but I didn’t have any outdoor workouts scheduled.  Still, I had a lot of meetings around town and I ended up doing a lot of walking around in the heat.  The rest of family was out for the evening doing various things, so I had the place to myself.  After running many errands in the heat, I decided that a nice cold rum punch sounded pretty good.  So, I picked up a bottle of Appleton White Jamaican rum.

At home, I tunneled to the back of the cabinet and dug out the big souvenir glass I got from T-Rex after the Disney half marathon.  I filled it with ice, grabbed my shaker and mixed my favorite citrus rum punch:

1 & 1/3 oz Jamaican rum

2/3 oz triple sec

1 & 2/3 oz orange juice

2/3 oz lime juice

I shook the mixture, poured it into the glass and then topped it off with 7-up.  It was cold and refreshing.

Now, I normally do most of the cooking in the house, but when nobody’s around I find it difficult to go through the trouble of making a real meal.  So, I popped 40 pizza rolls in the oven and relaxed with my rum punch.  I ate all 40 pizza rolls (1470 calories if you believe the package) and then made myself another rum punch.  I now had a full belly and was feeling pretty good really buzzed.  I relaxed for a while, read a few blogs, wrote a blog post of my own and then decided to settle down with Again to Carthage by John L. Parker Jr.

It was 10:30 PM.  The sugar and the alcohol were playing conflicting games in my bloodstream.  Before I even opened the book, I was off the couch.  I was dying to try out my new racing shoes.  Foregoing a shirt in the dark night, I threw on some running shorts and my lightest running socks.  I laced up the new racing shoes and headed out the door with a very specific two mile route in mind.  I walked quickly through the dark, soupy humidity like a man on a mission.

When I arrived at the route’s starting point, I quickly went from walk to brisk run.  My legs were fresh and unencumbered by the weight of my trainers.  I charged through the first quarter mile feeling like a high speed hovercraft floating over the pavement.  I couldn’t see my Garmin.  I had no idea how fast I was going, but I knew I was moving at a pretty good clip and I felt like I wasn’t putting any effort into it at all.  I came to a point where uneven pavers make the sidewalk treacherous.  In the dark, I couldn’t pick my through like I normally do in the daylight.  I didn’t slow down.  I just high stepped my way through that block so I wouldn’t trip.

When I arrived at the park - the one mile mark and the site of so many painful interval sessions - I stopped briefly  to turn around.  I was dripping with sweat from the humid evening, but I didn’t feel one ounce of tired.  I looked over the moonlit lake and started to laugh.  I don’t know why.  I couldn’t stop.  I was a shirtless guy with bright orange shoes standing alone and laughing on a street corner in the middle of the night.  I looked at my Garmin only to find the battery drained.  Somehow, this made the whole thing even more humorous.

I decided I better get moving before people started calling the cops to come remove this crazy man from their neighborhood.  Fortunately, I was feeling fast.  I zipped home again with that incredible floating feeling in my legs.  I returned to my starting point with a huge grin on my face.  I was in love.

I don’t know exactly how fast I went but it wasn’t all out.  The Garmin died at 0.94 miles and registered an average pace of 6:50 min/mile up to that point.  I didn’t slow down after that, so I figure I was sub 14 minutes for the two miles.  It’s not lightning quick, but considering I finished feeling almost as fresh as when I started, I was giddy with the possibilities.  I think there’s a good chance I’ll be running that midnight 5K on the 4th of July.

Hey, it’s two weeks in a row! It’s amazing what some time at the beach and time away from running can do for one’s ability to read. Well, I suppose that’s misleading. It’s not like if you’re illiterate, you can take some time off from running and hang out at the beach and hope to suddenly be able to read…Of course, if you’re illiterate, you’re probably not reading this right now anyway.

What I mean to say is that I’ve actually had time to read over the last few weeks and I put another book in the bag. I requested Again to Carthage (the sequel to Once a Runner) from the library and it did not arrive in time for the weekend.  Instead, I checked out Duel in the Sun by John Brandt.

Duel in the Sun is the story of the 1982 Boston marathon.  Some Many would call it the greatest marathon in history.  This, I knew.  What I didn’t know was that the two main players, Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar, essentially fell apart after the marathon.  The book progresses pretty nicely, weaving the post marathon trials and tribulations (Salazar’s depression and Beardsley’s drug addiction).  Sometimes it even loosely ties said trials and tribulations with the physical equivalents during the actual race.

The book certainly wasn’t the page turner that Once a Runner was, but it did keep my attention.  I do think that Brant went a bit overboard trying to postulate that the 1982 Boston marathon itself was the cause for the downfall of both runners.  While both runners certainly pushed their bodies past their limits during the marathon, I doubt that Salazar’s asthma was solely the result of that race.  More likely, it was spurned by years of high intensity (over) training.  After all, Salazar did win the New York City marathon the following year (albeit in a significantly slower time).  Likewise, Beardsley continued racing hard without adequate recovery following Boston and drove himself into the ground.  What is evident is that the 1982 Boston marathon was the pinnacle of the careers of both men.

For my part, I did 3 easy miles on the treadmill this morning at the gym.  I followed that up with some stretching and an extra long shower.  I did 4 miles in the unrelenting sun with Alice this afternoon.  She was sore from yesterday’s run, so I finally know that I’m doing some good.

I’ve never participated in Literary Wednesday and I’m so glad to be able to this week.  When I received the most recent issue of Runners World, I was intrigued to find out that there was actually a fictional novel about running.  I’ve read instructional books and non fiction, but a novel?  Now that’s cool.  I read the synopsis and it sounded just like what I was in the mood for.  Then, I received a Border’s gift card in the mail and I was off to the store.

Most of the reviews you’ll find about Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. are very, very positive.  I fall into that group.  I thought it was an excellent book.  I was thoroughly entertained and inspired.  That’s not to say the book is perfect.  The literary snobs will certainly find a few flaws.  For one, the story is a little disjointed.  It’s presented as a series of vignettes that are roughly in chronological order.  Certainly with a little more filler between vignettes, the story would be longer, but more boring I think.  Yes, every race and every training run could have been described, but I think Parker struck a nice balance between details and pace.

I read one review on amazon.com that described the book as “dated” and “chauvinistic”.  It is dated I guess, but only in the same way that American Graffiti or Grease is dated.  The book takes place in the early 70’s at a southern university (based on the University of Florida).  That’s an historical setting that has an effect on the characters of the book.  Is it chauvinistic?  Perhaps.  There are few (if any) strong female characters in the book.  Still, I think this is simply a reflection of the book’s time frame.  I don’t think the book advocates it, nor do I think it is central to the plot.  In fact, the most chauvinistic  and racist characters are the “villains” of the book.

Others complained that the book looks down on recreational runners.  I don’t think that is quite true either.  One passage reads,

“When they occasionally blew by a huffing fatty or an aging road runner, the automatically  toned down the banter to avoid overwhelming, to preclude the appearance of showboating (not that they slowed in the slightest).  They in fact respected these distant cousins of the spirit, who among all people, had some modicum of insight into their own milieu.”

I found Once a Runner to be a real page turner.  The climax of the book actually had my heart racing as though I was running alongside the main characters.  Is it a literary masterpiece?  Probably not, but it was thoroughly entertaining, thought provoking and inspiring.  That combination makes for a great book in my opinion.

My second favorite passage is this:

“A runner is a miser, spending the pennies of his energy with great stinginess, constantly wanting to know how much he has spent and how much longer he will be expected to pay.  He wants to be broke at precisely the moment he no longer needs his coin.”

I can’t reveal my favorite passage without ruining the book, but I highly recommend Once a Runner.  I’m very curious, however, to know if the female readers enjoy it as much as I do.  Though the main characters are male, I don’t think it’s too male focused.  I think a woman ought to be able to identify with the training and racing aspects of the book.  I’d love to hear your opinions, though.  It would make for great fireside discussion at running camp next year :).

On the training note, I skipped Tuesday morning because I felt like it. It was raining pretty hard when I got Alice from school and she was cold. So, we headed to the Sports Authority and picked up a long sleeved tech shirt on clearance for $11. We also got nylon socks, sunglasses and a wrist stopwatch for her. By the time we were done shopping ,we were right near the Pinellas Trail, so we took a two mile run on the trail. This portion of the trail contains two overpasses, so we were able to get some hill work in as well.

Today, I hit the gym for 9 miles on the bike, followed by a full body strength training session. In the afternoon, it was raining again, but Alice and I put in 4 miles anyway. Her new long sleeved shirt kept her warm and she finished the 4 miles in 39:25.

I’ve seen a few of my twitter friends vow to start every Tweet with “In these tough economic times…”.  They haven’t followed through, so I thought I’d go ahead and do it.

In these tough economic times, I ran 3 miles.

In these tough economic times, I created something new.

In these tough economic times, I had a new idea.

I’m not special.  If you’ve lost your job, you’ve got more time.  Do something with it.  If there’s one thing I learned from “running” the one marathon I’ve run, it’s that each step - no matter how short, or how slow, or how painful - takes you closer to the finish.  Find your passion and pursue it one step at a time.

This morning, I hit the gym for 6 miles on the bike combined with an upper and lower body workout.  After work, I headed downtown with Alice for a 3 mile run.  It was windy, but she was feeling fast today.  We ran it sub 9 min/mile (approaching my normal easy pace).  I might have to reign in the speed demon.  Sunday will be her first 4 mile run, so we’ll see how she handles that.  I’ll be hitting the core training class tomorrow morning, but I’ve got no running on tap until Saturday’s 400 m intervals.

In case I don’t post before Saturday, I’d like to wish a heartfelt good luck to Jess.  She’s trained hard for a long time in preparation for this Saturday’s Big D Texas marathon.  Unfortunately, she’s come down with a digestive virus in the last week, so that’s an added (unplanned) challenge.  Good luck Jess!

Two posts in one day?  I’m feeling very much like Jess today.  As many of you know, my ultimate goal in training for the next year or so is the 2010 Gasparilla marathon.  Well, today I just received the official date - February 21, 2010.  So, my racing schedule for the next year is starting to take shape:

April 11, 2009 - Seminole Stampede 5K (goal = 19:59)

April 18, 2009 - Harvey’s Festival of States Run 5K (goal = 19:45)

May 9, 2009 - Florida Bank Miles for Moffitt 5K (goal = 19:15)

August, 2009 - Charger Classic 5K (goal = 17:59)

October 11, 2009 - Disney’s Race for the Taste 10K (goal=35:59)

January 9, 2010 - Walt Disney World Half Marathon(goal = 1:14:59)

February 21, 2010 - Gasparilla Distance Classic Marathon(goal = 2:59:59)

Obviously the schedule is subject to change and goals will be adjusted based on performance in prior races.  I’ll take a bit of a break in the early summer, then really start ramping up the mileage in the mid to late summer.  I’m going to try to reach 100 miles per week just after the 10K, then follow the Daniels elite marathon plan based on that peak mileage from there.

A lot of my blog buddies have been posting philosophical reflective type posts since it’s the New Year and all, so I thought I’d toss my own reflections out there.

In 2008, I ran my first marathon - poorly.  I logged about 1200 miles (at least since I started logging my runs in March), I ran my first 10K - quite well.  I cheered my daughter on in her first season in Cross Country.  I earned a Ph.D.  I read Jack Daniels’ Running Formula.  I started training seriously.  I logged 60 miles in one week - several times.

All in all, it was pretty good and I know I’m well prepared for my upcoming half marathon in January.  With any luck, my return to Disney will redeem my poor performance last year and prove that I learned something from the experience.  Actually, I don’t need the proof.  I know I learned something from the experience.  That poor performance, far from discouraging me from running actually proved to me that I am a runner.  That’s because distance running and all endurance sports I think are exercises in managing discomfort.  The fact that I was able to complete a full marathon when my knee hurt me from the first step proved to me that I was capable of managing great discomfort.  Though it took me 5 1/2 hours to drag my sorry ass across that finish line, I knew that if I could push myself through 5 1/2 hours of pain, I was capable of pushing greater speeds for long distances.  The cool thing is that I have.

In the first chapter of Daniels Running Formula, he identifies four key ingredients to success in distance running:

1)  Inherent ability (genetics)

2)  Motivation

3)  Opportunity

4)  Direction

When I look at myself in the mirror, I cannot deny that I look like a runner.  The more I run, the more I believe that I’m built to be a runner.  I cannot use a lack of inherent ability as an excuse.  The marathon experience proved to me that I am motivated.  My lifestyle certainly affords me the opportunity to suceed in running and I hope I’m giving myself the proper direction - though I’m always open to change.

So, I guess it’s a good time to lay out some goals for 2009.  Here they are in no real order:

1)  Break 1 hour, 40 minutes in the half marathon

2)  Break 20 minutes in the 5K

3)  Break 18 minutes in the 5K (okay, those 2 were in a particular order)

4)  Win my age group in a race and then…

5)  Win a race (this one might be a stretch, but there a some small races I’ve got a shot at I think)

6)  Launch digitalrunning.com.  (I’ve got to get it out there and let the community help me mold it)

7)  Log 100 miles in a week

Tentatively, I’ll be running another full marathon in early 2010, and I’m planning on running it fast.  My weekly training mileage will need to reach triple digits in 2009.   So, with the first of many deep breaths of 2009, I tuck these goals into my head and wish you all a very happy and successful New Year - whatever your goals may be.