Xercise365

It’s probably pretty obvious, I LOVE to bike. I love the feeling of pedaling
as fast as I can. I love hearing the tires on the pavement. I love flying
down a hill. I love being surrounded by summer engulfed in green. I love
feeling the wind blow through my hair even if most of it is tucked in under
a helmet.

Tonight, I biked in Madison, WI. They have an awesome Greenway Trail that
backs up to some quaint neighborhoods with wonderful gardens and flowers. I
rode the bike from the Arbor House Bed and Breakfast where I am staying to a
funky little restaurant where I had a delightful dinner. My client had a
suggested a Courtyard by Marriott but I found this quaint inn that had
bikes. I thought it would be a great way experience the local flavor of
Madison. I like the flavor here and it looks like it would be a cool place
to live (make that COLD place to leave in a few short months).

I may not blog tomorrow but I plan to be up on the trail with the sun.

Last Sunday, I wrote about riding with my son early in the morning. One of the reasons we did that was to prepare for a 51 mile bike ride today on the Virginia Creeper Trail. It was incredible! A beautiful clear and crisp day with low humidity and I am so proud of my son who with very little training rode a mountain bike a LONG way. I’ll likely write more about this and post a picture. I just wanted to reassure the one person who is following this that I am still committed to my X-plan. I swam laps Thursday and had hoped to do a short ride last night in Damascus but had to settle for a push-up and sit-up workout.  I ate enough over the weekend that everything problem just balanced out.

Running For The Kids

Several years ago, I was speaking at an event for State Farm Insurance company where I met Gary Welch. He invited me to go on a run, even though I wasn’t doing much running at the time. I thought, “no problem”, he’s at least 15 or 20 years older than I. I was so sore for a few days after, as little did I know Gary had been running every day for a couple of years. Did I say every day? I suppose Gary’s dedication was one of the early influences if not the first influence for me to attempt to exercise every day for a year. His story is so compelling this it will likely be on my Richest People in America web site as well but I wanted to share one of the reasons I am off on a plane to exercise every day for at least one year. This story was written by Greg Batton about my friend, Gary Welch and I think published in a one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books…

A human tendency is to believe that we will always go from point A to point B in a straight, logical line. But there are no straight lines in nature. Why then do we think our lives will be the exception? Look around you right now. Where are you in life? How did you get there? If you are anything like me, you marvel at the crazy journey that has deposited you here. Here’s another quick nature lesson. You can tell the age of a creek by the number of bends and twists. Younger creeks are straighter than older ones. Through the years the water erodes the sides and creates a wonderfully interesting work of nature. I think people are like that too. The older we get, the more turns we can look back on. At least that’s true of the more interesting folks among us.

The reason I am so obsessed with lines and turns and journeys has to do with a mission that started twenty-five years ago: the Memphis to Peoria Run for St. Jude.
For 25 years individuals have given of their time and energy to run the 465 miles in order to raise money for kids with cancer. While the line on the map between Memphis and Peoria remains the same year after year, no one can ever anticipate what the run will do to their lives. Talk about changing your plan – that run will do it. One such changed runner is Gary Welch.

Gary turned to running only to help Dick Versace, former Bradley basketball coach, get ready for a charity run. He liked the way running made him feel, and it became part of his life. In 1990, some friends suggested that Gary take part in the St. Jude run. Thinking it would be a great ego booster to be able to tell his friends and colleagues that he ran from Memphis to Peoria, he agreed. In his mind the journey was mapped out. Make the run, raise some money for sick kids, get the congrats and pats on the back, and move on. What Welch didn’t count on was meeting the kids in Memphis prior to starting the run. “I didn’t know that we would be visiting the kids at St. Jude’s in before we got started, “ he says. “It changed everything. No longer was this about running. It was about helping.” Welch had encountered his first bend in the road. And the bends kept coming. Year after year, Welch and countless others like him would dedicate a little more time to raising funds for the St. Jude run as day after day the images of sick children stuck in their minds. It wasn’t until 1995 that the big, loop-de-loop, cloverleaf bend occurred in Welch’s life.
Gary was attending a personal development conference on the East Coast. He was telling the Memphis to Peoria Run for St. Jude story to Dr. George Sheehan, author of Personal Best. Dr. Sheehan tossed another curve in the form of a challenge. “Why not run for those kids everyday?” asked Sheehan. Stunned by the challenge, Welch returned home in the fall of 1995 and could think of nothing else. Could he do it? Should he do it? Yes. Was it crazy? Probably. On January 1, 1996, Gary Welch announced to his friends and family that he would run one hour every day for the kids at St. Jude. He hasn’t missed a day since. Not one. As of this writing, he has run 3,244 days in a row. To add to the remarkable nature of this accomplishment, Welch has never been injured. And I should mention that he’s 61 years old.

I asked Welch to explain why he thought he was able to run injury free and he couldn’t really answer. My explanation is that when you are engaging your mind in something that you truly, deep down in your soul believe in, your body will protect itself. It’s a team effort: body, mind, and spirit. The commitment that Welch and so many others in this community have made to the kids of St. Jude is also a team effort; runners, contributors, and organizers. The success of the St. Jude run, like Welch’s experiences, could never have been predicted. The bends and turns in this creek are many. And as those who have participated over the past 25 years can attest, it has been a wonderful journey. Lives have been changed. There is a very poignant sign hanging over Gary Welch’s office door. As you exit the room, you can’t help but read it. “Either you ran today or you didn’t.” He knows that that sign is not just about running. It’s about commitment. And it applies to all of us.

I share this story with the hope that I will bring up an idea or way of thinking that will open a door for someone. I ask you to consider your own path. Look back on it. It’s remarkable, isn’t it? Go ahead. Don’t be modest. Now, for a minute, think about the children who have yet to run their race – the kids of St. Jude. If you would like to help them run their race, please take this opportunity to join the Million Hearts Mission.

In closing, I challenge you to run the race, your race, the only race you can run, the race you were born to run. And remember, either you ran today or you didn’t.

There’s nothing like a cool pool to refresh and kick start a hot summer day. 1/2 swim was the morning kickstart today.

This morning, I went to the Rush for my workout before it was even light.
Since I was up very early to take my sister-in-law and niece to the airport
for a 6:15 flight, I figured I would get my X-time in early today. I did
high reps with low weights (I guess that will rule out anyone mistaking me
for Mr. America. I’d rather have been outside but according to the research
for the book Younger Next Year, it’s good to have 2-3 days of weight
training per week. So, I continue…

Had a Big Mac attack lately? It’s been years for me. I recently watched the
Bionic Burger video and it reminded me an experience we had a few years ago.
I had grilled out some hotdogs for my family and accidentally left one
hotdog on the grill. I put the grill away totally forgetting about the dog.
Several weeks later, I opened the top to the grill. There was the lone dog.
I expected to be knocked over with stench yet when I picked it up to get rid
of it, I noticed there was no “spoiled” smell. Then I brought it closer to my face,
still no smell. Finally, I took a big whiff and it smelled like it had just come off
the grill so I took a small bite … not really but it seemed ready for some yellow mustard and relish. Needless to say, I haven’t eaten a hot dog since. My friend
Chris Milne tried his own experience with a McDonald’s hamburger several
years ago. He bought it and put it on top of his fridge where it stayed for
several months. He used to take it to the biology classes he taught at a
local college. I think he told me someone stole it (hopefully the thief ate
the burger). Watching the Bionic Burger video was another reminder of a good
reason to exercise…every day. I have lots of Krystal burgers to work out
of my system. I worked there during high school and that was my dinner many
nights. I shudder to think about how much additional grease seeped into my
body just being in the place.

My oldest brother (raised in Florida but happily living in the mountains of
North Carolina for thirty plus years) is famous for making up words. I
credit him with Floridiots (people who move to the mountains to build big
houses that drive up the cost of living for everyone). He coined or at least
introduced me to Hardlys (his name for the fast food chain Hardees). I like
to say, “Make a run FROM the border” and Taco Smell. If you’re not an gen X
or older, you might not get this but it seemed fitting for to close this
post with…We all deserve a break today. So get up and stay away…from
McDonald’s.

This morning, my 11 year old son and I went on a ten mile bike ride. We are preparing for a 50 mile ride this weekend on the Virgina Creeper in Abbington, VA. We left the house early and he commented how quiet the neighborhood was. I guess that is part of the reason why I love exercising early and late - for quiet. Though I have been quite here the last few days, I have been at it. Saturday was a hard work day. I am often more sore after my yard work than some of my strenuous workouts. Friday night, I biked our awesome Greenway at night and came across the Smoky Mountain Classic - a softball tournament. There were hundreds if not thousands of people out of several different fields enjoying America’s Southern game. Hearing the crack of a bat, watching the fans interact and smelling the scents of summer caused me pause to remember games of my youth… then I quickly remembered, I stunk at baseball. It’s a good thing there is lots of variety in exercise. Something for everyone.

This morning, I intended to go to an exercise class the hotel was offering
but decided it was too beautiful not to walk on the hiking/biking/skating
trail right in front of a marina. On my walk, I saw a group of people
exercising with a personal trainer by running three sets of outdoor stairs.
There was music pumping out of a boom box and a “drill sergeant barking out
orders for inspiration. It just goes to show, you truly can exercise just
about anywhere in any way you want.

Today’s exercise was an early morning swim of 30 laps (probably about 1/4
mile based on the size of the pool. I saw my speaker friend Lou Heckler in
the pool. He is one of the funniest speakers I have ever heard.

I arrived in San Diego today for my national Speakers Association
convention. I tired to make sure I got up and walked and stretched at least
every hour on the flight. I did a lot of exercising my mouth (as did 2200
others attending!). It was fun catching up with old friends. I finally made
it to the health club at the Hyatt at about 9:30 pm (12:30 am EST) but I
made it. I worked out for about 30 minutes and did 150 crunches. Onward!
Also I received an email from my second Team X member. Want to join in?
There’s still room for you.

Another quick night ride (5 miles) tonight before an early call at the airport tomorrow am. This sky was brilliant again. This week will have a more varied exercise schedule.  I wore a heart monitor tonight (see my blog roll) and got the ticker up to 143. It’s a great tool if you are really into it.