Kim and I carpooled down to Stinson and it was a bit of life imitating life.  After we got off the 101 at highway 1 (towards the ocean), we were headed the right way and I started to tell the story of “missing my exit” and other getting lost stories that we were comparing notes on.  Bad karma.  We came to a fork in the road (you know the Groucho Marx saying: “when you come to a fork in the road - take it” ).  There was a sign towards Stinson Beach and one towards Muir Beach.  So of course we headed to Muir Beach … I went to turn around and then turned back around.  Kim tried to call Dave and Scott who were meeting us there - and she started to get directions when - the phone went dead and we were out of coverage!  It was like such a perfect moment.

So we continued what I know is the back way - and it’s just a breathtaking drive with an absolutely clear morning, temps in the 60’s already, and the Pacific Ocean stretching out in the distance, SF city in the background and able to see the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge and everything in-between.

We found the start line area and proceeded to go through the normal getting-started-routine.  Sorting clothes, iPods, drinks, food, meds, etc.  And then go to wait in lines at the bathrooms.  And go back to getting ready, register and get back in the lines - without missing the start line.

It’s always the same at every race - you hear background conversations of people getting ready, laughing with friends, stressing a little bit, talking about past races, wearing their souvenir shirts advertizing some 50 mile or 100 mile race - and you always feel a little bit “less-than” - and always worry about your own performance.  A nervous stomach is there the night before, the morning of and until the start.

There were three races going on at once, a 20k, a 30k and a 50k.  This was supposed to be a training race for a longer 50 miler in the spring - another story.  The course profile is such that the first 5-6 is straight uphill on a single track trail and not really room to move around or pass another.  Right away everyone was bunched up and most walking and stopping and waiting and a few people moving around.  One part is a 10 foot vertical ladder with steps that kind of reminded me of some climbing (except without boots, altitude and massive pack :-)  Kim got pretty far ahead of me during this stretch but I could make out her yellow shirt from a distance.

At one point, I came across who I thought was Scott and playfully tugged at one of the goo packets in his back pocket and playfully tugged at his butt.  Until the guy turned around and it was not Scott.  Dohhh!  I mumbled something like “oh I thought you were somebody else” and tried to get lost in the crowd

At the first aid station at the top of the hill, everyone fueled up with the great assortment of foods that PCTR puts on (everything from baked potato slices, candies, jerkey, pretzels, P&B sandwiches, bananas, chips and on and on.  First rule - eat what you know and don’t try anything new!  For some reason the baked potatoes work for me and I gobbled some of those down and took a handful of pretzels with me and downed some good quantities of gatorade to supplement my camelbak.

The next 10k or so was downhill and switchbacks and the turbo charged engines got into high gear.  We were running like a 15:00/mile pace to the first aid station and it was time to have some fun and stretch out the legs.  Crank up the music, burn some fuel, enjoy the view and boog on down the mountain.  I started passing people and running sub 7 and 8 minute miles for a long stretch and looking out at the Pacific and just wondering how something could be so beautiful and so enjoyable at the same time.  Of course I worried about peaking too early but it was so much fun to chase down runners and pass them on the trail.

Just before the midway part, people started coming back on the same trail in the opposite direction where things turn back.  That’s a little depressing but I decided when I got to the aid station and turned around I would count the number of people I saw still headed in (not out) for some mental boost.

Again, eat, drink and re-energize.  The next stretch was flat and rolling through the meadows and I knew there was a massive 6k up hill to contend with (part of the Dipsea trail) and it would kick my butt.  But I just wanted to keep going.

When I got to the big uphill part, it was around mile 11-12 and it would stretch to mile 15-16.  I still wanted to pass people and not get passed (ok it’s the competitive nature but it keeps one going as opposed to running by yourself against the clock.

Though I walked a lot, I would run stretches to make up time and slowly overtake runners.  No one passed me.  When I made it to the top of the mountain and could see the Pacific again, I knew the game was one and turbo-legs were going to start.

Bam - it’s hard to describe the feeling when it feels like you’re flying down the trail and passing people like they’re standing still.  (Some days are like this).  But we also came across hikers and walkers who you’d want to get out of the way unless you wanted to knock them down and yourself too and fall some hundreds of feet off the trail.

The deeper it got into the race, the stronger the runners were at this point and passing them took more energy and determination - plus the trail got narrower and tougher with rocks, branches, trees overhanging the trail and narrow drop off points.  But the energy remained and it got so that I could not see anyone behind me and thought I was lost several times until I saw the pink ribbons signalling the right way.

Coming up on the last mile I caught up with four guys running ahead of me and knew it would take a lot to pass them as they kept turning around and looking back.  When I caught up to them I did not want to be rude and was just digging the view and called out “WhooHooo!” - I think they said to “Mooove” and they all kind of moved over and I passed them

The thing is, that when you pass people in these kinds of races it puts more pressure on you to keep going and not slow down (kind of like passing another car).  So that fuels more determination.

Coming up on the last hundred yards, I had to cross highway 1 with another guy.  We talked for a few minutes and then I just edged ahead of him coming up to the finish line.  When - a massive cramp came into my leg for the first time and called out with pain.  Oh no!  Suck it up and keep going and get across first - which happened.

Then, check the time (3:35), eat food, drink Sprite and wait for Kim, Dave and Scott to cheer them over the finish line.

They all came in we compared notes on injuries and sores and blisters etc.  Then Kim had the idea of taking the short walk to the Pacific and getting some cold water on the legs to help the healing.  The beach was massively crowded (its a week before Thanksgiving!) and after some numbing water and breathtaking views and that satisfaction of finishing something it was time to head home.  (The results that they posted there showed I was in 2nd in my age group - which was a first, so that was really great).

So my conclusions:

1. Enjoy the run - take in the scenery and the situation and try to burn those images and feelings and sense of accomplishment into your brain and soul.

2. Starting slowly and going steady with enough energy to pass runners on the way in and remain with strength is way better than starting fast and finishing slow (or not finishing).

This one is of some flamingos and I really liked the reflections in the pond.

The giraffes got really close to our jeeps and we could get THIS CLOSE.

Finally, these are some weird looking euro-asian-african cattle where the shadows and the sun were just right!

Life
1. Work on a humanitarian/environmental project (UN e.g.) preferably with a foreign country or at a different level, or just a non-profit in the U.S.
2. Learn another language (fluently) - ability to speak, read, write and understand completely one other language.
3. Play an instrument - even though I learned the piano long ago for a college course, I’ve forgotten more than I’ve ever known. Able to read music and play popular songs that I like (guitar seems the most likely).
4. Write the two books that I’ve had in various planning stages. Get them published and publicized.
5. Start a business and make it successful - business plan, website, incorporation, revenue etc.
6. Run for and win public office (local or regional)

Achievement

1. Complete Seven Summits - Antarctica (Vinson) and Everest (and return safely)
2. Qualify for and complete Boston Marathon - which means a time of around 3:40 in qualifying
3. Reach North Pole and South Pole
4. Complete at least one 50 mile race (sub 12 hours)- and a 24 hour time trial. (50 states, 100 marathons are possibilities also). Win an age group in race. Complete 10K in sub 45 minutes.
5. Travel to 100 countries (65 to date). Complete all 26 letters of alphabet
6. Visit/attend games at all MLB Baseball Parks in US in single year
7. Play the top 10 public golf courses in the US or World

Places

1. Machu Pichu
2. Galapagos Islands
3. Easter Island
4. Xi’an China (terra cotta soldiers)
5. Egypt Pyramids
6. Dead Sea/Red Sea
7. Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
8. New Zealand
9. Papua New Guinea
10. Canada wilderness/Alaskan inside-passage

Well, that’s the short-list for now It’s always good to have goals that are achievable and to plan each year accordingly … Meanwhile I need to make our current company more successful …

Footnote: I’ve left out People and Making a Difference - another post for another day!

Yesterday I hosted an all-day group offsite for the local Engineering team and visitors from India at the local wild animal park (Safari West). Why choose this place? We had had a small group meeting there before and it’s an awesome place with a great conference room (the Elephant Room) and an inspiring environment. The last few weeks have been totally exhausting with company offsites, european travel, marathon, and more offsites this week - while going to sleep past midnight and a number of mornings up at 4 or 5am and fighting jet-lag.

I say this to explain what happened last night.

I was driving home last night and I really wanted to get home. I was tired, consumed with the results from the day and some of the things said and done, and oh - I had a full bladder that needed emptying … So I’m driving south on the 101 freeway and thinking, listening to music and wishing that my off-ramp would come quickly so I could get off the freeway and be done with driving. Coming south to Petaluma, my brain kind of knows when it comes down the Cotati grade that my offramp is next. I remember driving through Rohnert Park and then when I “wake up” I had not only passed my offramp, but was just passing the last Petaluma offramp (Petaluma Blvd South) - three exits down and about 5 miles past where I wanted to be!

To make things WORSE, after this last Petaluma offramp, is nothing but 11 miles of freeway, all the way to Novato, no place to really turn around or get off! I’m just fuming and cursing while driving this stretch and kind of scared how I could be so all consumed with thoughts that I missed the freeway signs, offramp signs and other indicators that I should be getting off the freeway at a place where I have done 100s of times before.

And … once I get off at the first Novato offramp, I’m then heading NORTH on the 101, along with thousands of other commuters who normally commute north from the city to cities like Santa Rosa (or Rohnert Park).

Having sometimes coming close to missing my offramp, but never missing it by so much says a lot about the thought process and how one can be so distracted by the brain that they are not even close to being aware of what is going on. Needless to say, I eventually made it home and to the toilet, but jeez, I’m going to need to concentrate on what I’m doing at the time and stay focused on task-at-hand!

My previous post was written while watching the early returns come in for the election and before the results were announced.  I was surprised by my personal response to that.

Imagine my further surprise when leakage of tears came while watching Obama’s acceptance speech live in it’s entirety.  Not big balling of tears or crying but enough wetness that it counts.

I imagine that like millions of other Americans and especially of my generation, we’ve never had the experience of having a leader that we could be especially proud of and gives us hope for a better tomorrow.  My friend and I were talking about whether it was his speechwriter or him that delivered the mesage - we agreed it was Obama who spoke with his own conviction.

Most of us have never felt particularly moved by politics, especially in this country.  It is our hope that he stays true to his values and to his core beliefs and that he run with strength and dignity.

I think also, in my very very small world of leadership today and with two offsite meetings (today with management team and tomorrow with entire group).  How to deliver the message to your people about what a great company they work for, what they’ve accomplished, the challenges ahead and what they can individually contribute and take personal accountability for - and lead their own people to be the best they can be.  The best managers and leaders deliver their messages and run the organization with sincerity, honesty and the underlying belief that all people are basically good while never taking their eyes of the company, group and personal goals to achieve.

It was a momentous night that left many people speechless, but in the end the better man won and it’s ok for guys to admit some tears - not just at the end of a sports movie!

This is definitely an historic night for people to remember and I think a feeling of hope in a country that has not had this since 1992 when Clinton took office.

Here is a description of the course from the website:

Is the course hilly?

Yes, relatively speaking. Of the popular marathons (Chicago, New York, Boston, Marine Corps, etc.), the City of Oaks Marathon is most like Boston. It is not a flat course like Chicago and Marine Corps, and has more hills than New York. The course scenery varies drastically during the course, going from downtown Raleigh out to Umstead State Park (which is one of the best places to run in the area and has been featured in many running magazines, including Runner’s World).

We had a good pre-race dinner of Italian food with Sebbie and did some carbo-loading.

The morning of the race dawned beautifully in Raleigh with cool temps and clear skies.  Mike and I got up around 0500 and after some breakfast of bagels and bananas (and I had some extra granola bars) we headed to the course which started in North Carolina State University.  I’ve got my toque on because it’s pretty cold, but all the layers get peeled off before the race - down to running shorts and shirt (and shoes and socks of course!).

I was somewhat (er Very) worried about the race having flown all these miles and because headphones were banned during the race, so I would have to run with just the sound of my feet.

Mike and I ran the first 8.5 miles together (he was running the half-marathon) and then we split off and I had to run the next almost 18 miles on my own.  The key, as it turned out, is that we ran a pretty slow and steady.  We ran this first part in about 1:28, which equaled about a 10:40 pace, much slower than I would normally go out (and be slggish and tired later).  Mike was nursing some injuries and had not had the chance to do much training with work and travel and baby responsibilities of course.  Plus we enjoyed the time of running and talking together and it made the time go by quickly.

After we split off from each other, I picked up the pace and ending up talking to a young man Ben Jenkins, who was 30 and in the Army in Fayetville.  This was his first marathon (he had done a half before and had run 20 miles also).  We talked and ran for a long time and he really pushed me and got me going fast.  He had served two tours in Iraq already and we talked about that experience and his overall views.

The key for me was to try to knock down the running GPS times that gave overall pace on my watch down from 10:40 to 10:00/mile by the halfway point and somehow get near 9:30 miles overall by the end which would put me close to my PR - but it would require running mostly 8 and sub-9 minute miles during the hardest, hilliest stretches.

I made it to the 13.1 mile mark in exactly 2:11 which was the 10:00/mile pace I was shooting for.  And I kept passing runners.  And getting encouragement from bystanders about “looking good”.

After I needed to make a bathroom break around mile 14, I broke up with Ben and continued on my own.

Later several miles later, I saw him to into the woods ahead of me and after passing, I did not see him again unfortunately, but checked his time and he DID finish in a good time of 4:38.

The last half-marathon of the race, I just kept pushing and legs kept flying even without music.  I drank at most every station and had some pretzels.  Very few walk breaks, mostly all at the water stops.

I could see the pace clock going backwards to 9:50 and then to 9:40 (overall) and started doing calculations as to what the finish time could be.  One starts to play mind-games to estimate miles and times and push to those goals.  I got to 19 miles around 3 hours which would put 4:10 overall time into play.

The last hour flew by and I kept passing runners which is very satisfying.

I sprinted the last 1/2 mile through the finish line and the net clock showed 4:12:03, which was my second best time after Napa this year in 4:07:52, so just over 4 minutes off the pace.  But the most important were the following stats:

- I ran the first half in 2:11 and the second half in 2:01 - a Very Negative split.

- I finished in 350th place out of 750, and 13th of 34 in my age group. But:

- if you look at the results, not a single person finished above me who had a worse time in the 10k or 13.1 mile mark.  I ended up passing around 200 runners who had Better Times in the 10k or 13.1 mile portion and one of very very few in the entire race that had negative times on the second half.

There were tons of runners that had great first half split times of like 8:30 or so and second half times of 10:30, so that was very pleasing.

We had a great meal afterward and a well deserved nap in the afternoon.

And as I write this two days later, surprisingly little soreness.

OH and ALSO - I got up at 400am the next morning to leave Mike’s house at 0430 to get on 0600 flights to Washington and back to SFO arriving around 1130 the next morning (Monday) and was back in the office after showering by around 1400 - a little tired but none the worse for wear.  All in all, a great weekend!

(Designed in 1968 and made of Bronze or other natural materials )

Here’s some pictures of me in front of the Thumb on Halloween 2008 just before heading into customer meeting.

After moderating a “panel” discussion (more like the audience debate) on convergence in mobile and broadband and internet networks (e.g. Triple Play/Quad Play) at a conference in London, my colleague David and myself headed to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar to Paris for meetings (today) in Paris. It had already been a long day, and I needed to catch an earlier train to make an important conference call that was due to start at 2300 Paris time.

Of course, I had the discounted, non-refundable, non-flexible fare that would be difficult to change. After negotiating with the ticket agent in the train station, he was able to switch me to the 1730 train instead of the 1930. When we went through the automated ticket machine to board, my ticket was rejected and I was sent to the agent. She pointed out that I had a “tip up seat” and did I understand that? My first thought was this was some kind of upgrade and I was immediately happy. But wait, she explained that the “tip up seat” was the temporary jumpseat in the front of the train, and after I boarded and everyone had also – I could kind of run for any available seats, otherwise I’d be destined to sit in this temporary seat.

Luckily, David convinced me to grab an empty seat next to him. This was ok, until a man boarded at the only stop past London to Paris. I tried to fake sleeping but he knew I was just playing possum. David moved to another seat and squatted and let me take the seat I had next to the new man. This remained open the entire journey and I never got to experience the “tip up seat” – but if you ever do – just remember it is no upgrade!  Tip-up = bad idea!

Martine and Priva

After arriving at Gar De Nord station in Paris, we rushed immediately to get in the taxi queue. I had deferred going to take a piss, to run with David to try to beat the other travelers also trying to get taxis. No such luck. The queue was miles long, and with rain and cold and wind and a full bladder, it was an uncomfortable wait at best after a long day. We finally get to the front and the taxi that is assigned for us has three distinctions:

1) driven by a woman

2) cigarette smoke comes pouring out

3) there is a dog in the front seat.

Of course I had to know everything there was to know. I found out that

1) the dog’s name was Priva

2) he was 9 years old

3) he was a Cocker Spainel

4) he went everywhere with the driver – she did not leave him alone.

The driver’s name was Martine and she spoke some English but mostly French that David translated. We talked about dogs for awhile and she agreed to let me take a picture of her and Priva when we got to my hotel. Somewhere as you read this, Martine and Priva are driving the streets of Paris smoking and barking!

Hotel rooms that do not exist

OK, so after the two fun stories above, I finally get to the Concorde Hotel in Paris to check in. Now, I had booked a special rate on hotels.com but I did expect a room with a door and a bed (how unreasonable!). I got a room on the 2^nd floor (of a 30 floor hotel) which kind of worried me as I had stayed here a few times before. I’ve gotten lucky the last 2 or 3 times at least with a fantastic direct view of the Eiffel Tower.

I took the lift to the 2^nd floor and looked for the signs pointing to 0219. One way was like 0201-0207 and the other direction was 0208-0221. Except that 0208-0221 was construction door that was bolted shut – not a good sign! I pried open the door thinking this was weird and was greeted with the view of half-constructed rooms that were not really finished and the whole hallway was like a ghost town of no doors and no furniture and no bed rooms. Oh, and it smelled like paint and cleaning fluids and chemicals and everything that made me cough. I’m thinking this is not a good thing with the marathon coming up and a long conference board call coming up near midnight.

I gathered up my belongings and went down to reception, waited in the short queue again, and told the new cashier, “could I please have a real room?”. I then explained the situation and she said there were real rooms and that I just needed to find them. I told her to send someone to show me where they were. So, she got the manager and he walked with me to the floor. Where – we went through the “secret” service door, another fire door, past the pantry, down the rabbit hole, to a few rooms which had been reconstructed and indeed had a bed and furniture. The internet even worked and I was able to take my call and even get a few hours rest.

The morale of the story – some rooms really exist, not just in your mind! But make sure you take a guide …..

Footnote

I was writing the above on the train back from Paris to London and I ran for the earlier train like no one had ever run before to just get on board as the doors were closing. Sweat running down my shirt, panting from exhaustion and elation and shuttling my belongings on the train. Only to hear that dreaded announcement in French – which I could decipher was a “problem” and then in English that there was an issue with the train and we would have to deboard and take a new one. An hour later we did that. When my seatmate ordered red wine, I thought nothing of it as I was typing this post. Until I saw red liquid running down my left pants leg, which was the wine obviously. I stopped typing and said “Fuck!” and asked the stewards to get me some towels and stuff. Which they did and I put away the PC to finish on the way into the station in London, where this story will be posted later on Halloween when I get back to the hotel. Moral – always watch your seatmate and their wine!!!

In between meetings and flights, I had a few hours open up and was able to run the streets of London this afternoon in the very cold but clear UK fall.  I was able to run with Sam (of the Sam and Alex pair on the Denali expedition).  So, Sam is just one of the most worldly and adventurous guys I have met and just a nice bloke to boot.  He’s only 21 I think, but has the intelligence and experience of someone much older - but with the youthful wink-in-the-eye look that is so engaging.  Sam is tall and lanky and is in University here in London and the next two years he is doing studies in Madrid and Paris.  He (and Alex) speak French fluently and he is learning Spanish.

He is the one guy from Denali who never complained, always carried extra weight and was calm and collected during difficult times.  (Oh - and he’s the one who played these “would you rather?” stories in the tent.  Like “would you rather be stung by a thousand bees or ravaged by a thousand men?” - but said in a very British accent and a laughing voice!).  Him and Alex have been together like 7 years with a couple of years on “break” and they have been to some of the world’s most interesting and outlying areas with true adventures to tell about …

Back to the story … we met up at Speakers Corner near Marble Arch at Hyde Park.  I had a bunch of clothes on (it’s cold) and he was carrying a backpack with his stuff.  As on Denali, he let me put my jacket and mobile in his pack, just adding some more weight.  We set out from Hyde Park and my goal was to get to the Thames to reach another “great river of Europe run”.

We ran through the Park and then were quickly running by Buckingham Palace, and then Big Ben, Parliament and just running through the streets and tourists.  We got to the Thames and ran alongside that for awhile and then crossed over at the Tate Modern (Museum) bridge.  I told him, as we were talking, telling stories and laughing that this was like a moment from a movie where two guys are running and there just needed to be some music in the background (”soundtracks from our lives moment”).  We could not agree on what song it could be - Phil Collins too old and stodgy, maybe Maroon 5, but there just was not a good one that came to mind.

We saw the London Eye, Saint Pauls, and finally got into a pretty fast pace.  Too which, I’m breathing heavily and trying to talk - and he’s not … Sam has these long running legs while men are - well - not

He talked about these incredible stories of losing passports (and my similar ones), going to Mongolia without a plan (get in a cab and ask for a hostel) and getting kicked out of Russia.  We compared notes and stories from Denali and laughed a lot about things that happened there.  We talked about the economy, US politics (SP e.g.), relationships, his school projects (pitching to VC’s), and plans for Everest and Antarctica (and financial worries on both).

We ended up with a well-earned Asian meal and I promised to send him some stuff on Web 2.0 and the New New New Economy and what that means for early stage companies.

We talked about how hard it is to describe experiences to somebody else who has not been there and what he (or I) say to people when they ask about Denali. This afternoon was like that, you can write about running through London, but not so much about how it really was - just a memorable run (not jog ) with someone interesting who brings youth and wisdom into a conversation - and - you get great cardio at the same time!  Thanks again Sam and see you on the next mountain or run!!!