I’m co-facilitating a two-day professional development program, for a regional financial services company, here in Hartford.

Life on the road can be very hard work, at least that’s what I’ve found to be true.

After standing all day teaching, my feet were sore and my body was spent from the “emotional labor” expended to do an excellent job in the classroom.

I took the day off from training, took 800 mg of Advil, iced my left foot, and then fell asleep early.

Sometimes the journey to become world class isn’t what you might think it is.

And yet, the journey continues.  

As with any noble goal, we can’t give up.

Carpe diem, jeff noel  :)

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After my arrival at Hartford, Connecticut, I had the chance to do an easy 35 minute run.

Some left heel pain right away, so I jogged backwards for a couple minutes and that helped.  It usually does.  Not much pain while running.  Afterwards, during the evening, my foot was sore.

And so it goes.

Hope this doesn’t sound like complaining, because complaining is the opposite of my intent.

It’s meant to be a reality check, to the difficulties in this microcosm of life.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.  Primarily because I need to purchase the plane ticket soon.

Using the creative approaches to challenges, I quickly thought of a “PLAN B”.

Enter the 1,500 meters.

Once I’m warmed up, I can run a very decent mile pace.  Which is why the 1,500 would be a good back up.

It is still unknown if I can get up on my toes, and shift into overdrive for some serious acceleration (for a 50-year old).  :)

I emailed, and then spoke to, the USATF representative and had the 1,500 added to my 2009 Master’s World Championships profile.

I’ve run a near All-American standard of excellence time, and by August, should be an unlikely long shot to do well for Team USA.

It’s amazing the confidence and reassurance one can gain with a Plan B.

Plan B or not, hope you have a GREAT and Healthy day.  Carpe diem, jeff noel

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Friday’s strength test and core test proved one thing in particular.

A decade worth of hard work, persistence, determination, goal setting, set backs, failures, successes, sweat, pain, motivation,  lack of confidence, confusion, stress, progress, injuries, rehab, physical therapy, core workouts, speed work, and endurance work.

Plus, stretching, flexibility training, 5k’s, 10k’s, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, obsession, surrender, thinking, smiling, hoping, visioning, praying, playing, involving family, sacrificing family, nutrition, reading, studying, working full time, volunteering, dreaming, sleeping, lying awake, and probably many more – but I better stop now.

The result?

A perfect score!  My physical therapist determined my core was a perfect score of 21 out of 21.  She used a test used on professional athletes to look for imbalances and weaknesses.

The leg strength test showed my right versus left leg was only 2/10ths of a percent apart.

The staff at Florida Hospital Rehab awarded me the “Most Symmetrical Person” they have ever seen there.

What all of this means is that the efforts have yielded extra-ordinary results.

Life is like that.  You reap what you sow.

I’ll try to not forget that simple truth.  Even though I’m easily distracted.  “Oh look, a bird”!

Make today a day to at least consider your physical health and ask yourself, “Am I investing in my health”?   Carpe diem, jeff noel 

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The dream is alive.  It almost doesn’t feel real.   This is ten years in the making.   You might even say it’s been 50 years in the making.

The thing that brings me back to reality is the other update.

In a few minutes, I’ll be heading to the hospital, to the physical therapy/rehab center, getting a strength test to see how well balanced my body is.  

Are the quads and hamstrings proportional?    Lower legs and upper legs proportional?   Is my core strong enough?

All this to determine the chance of injury.

As a Master athlete, competing on a National and World level, a 50-year old man can very easily be tempted to exercise like they are still 18.   Let me tell you first hand, it doesn’t work that way.

Whatever you’ve been working on, whether it’s been 50 years or ten, make it a great day, and find all the reasons you need, to not give up.  Carpe diem, jeff noel 

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Mile two had some minor left heel pain, which had me nervous.  The rest of the way, however, was pain free.  Mile four, I throttled up the pace and felt great.  This made me less nervous. 

Overall?  Feeling 96.5% ready for sprint training to begin.  Tomorrow will be another rest day, due to work schedule and lack of rest tonight.   We had our taxes done tonight which threw my routine off.  No worries.

Can’t wait for tomorrow. Dream big!  jeff noel

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It almost feels like tomorrow is the first day of the new school year.  Remember when you were an adolescent?   New clothes.  New grade.  New friends.  New dreams.

Tomorrow.  New foot?  Hope so.  Carpe PM, jeff noel

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If you don’t celebrate Easter, may I please wish you Joy in whatever makes you happy.  Diversity is what makes the world so special.  Thank you for respecting my beliefs as much as I respect yours.

Today is a day of rest, from training, and hopefully, from working.

Carpe diem.  Dream big, get there and most importantly of all, stay there.  That’s the ticket.  Staying at your goal.  jeff 

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Moment of truth?

I hope so.

And I hope that whatever happens, I’ll be strong enough to surrender, should I be disappointed.  Or to be strong enough to embrace the enormous responsibility to keep moving forward.  This is an impossible-goal journey, which is more than ten years in the making.

From the memory of elementary school reading assignments, “Run, jeff, run.  See jeff run“.

Carpe diem, jeff 

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Central Floridians, especially me, are chilly anytime the temperature dips below 60 degrees.

The pain was very mild.  Can’t wait to try longer, easy run as well as a tempo run, to see if the pain is just hiding, and waiting for another chance to dampen my spirits.

Carpe PM.  Good night.  jeff 

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