Stefan's Insights

Saturday morning.. around 8:30am.. I am running.. running in the rain.. and I like it !!! Today is our 12 mile run.. and knock on wood, things are going just fine. No muscle cramps, no pains, not short on breath. The only thing Image by otomatuah [so tired] via Flickr annoying is the water stream running off the front of my hat. It is pouring, soaking everybody running this morning in not too cold water.. add some wind blowing against you into it.. WHAT MADE ME DO THIS ? Oh, I remember – the good cause, the opportunity to make an important statement, and at the same time get fit, make a healthy living joice. Better running in the rain, then sitting in a doctors office... One note on my fundraising – less than a month to go and I am still over $2000 away from my goal. Please help me achieve the goal of $3500 by July 10th ! Any contribution counts ! Thank you http://afc.aidschicago.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=739&frsid=8976

  Again, it is a wonderful Saturday morning, sunny and – along the lakeside – a little chilly. There we are – about 60-70 people, all dressed up in running gear, at 7am on a Saturday morning, and – while my wife is thinking of me as she turns around in bed one more time – we are preparing to run 7 miles on a 4-1 schedule today. 4-1 ?? Four minutes running, one minute walking, a program developed by a famous marathon runner, used by the AIDS Foundation choaches to train us for the different marathons this year. This morning we are ‘guest-running’ at the Foster beach area, because there is another race going on down at 31st street, where our usual weekend-long run  location is. It has been a bit of a struggle to keep up with the mileage (at least 45 minutes every day while I was on vacation visiting my parents in Gernsheim, Germany   (including a little ‘secret’ side trip to Cinque Terre in northern Italy( Pics , Info ) . The picture to the left is from the a...

Image via Wikipedia This week ran by fast ! LOL, nice play on words.. the week RAN by fast..  Sorry, corny german humor . Every day of the week (except for Friday, as per plan), I was able carve out 45min. to an hour to run. Either inside in our training room on the treadmill (convenient and saves about 10min. but the scenary doesnt change), or outside (with the running group from work or by myself). Per plan I am supposed to run 2 times 45 minutes and work out 2 more times. I ran 45-60min every day except Friday, trying to stay a little ahead of schedule. Its the second sunday and we did our 4 mile run today. The other members of the running group picked me as their running group leader. While running for 4 minutes and then walking for 1, we continue to talk and get to know more about each other. Definitely a great team building exercise. I had purchased a watch specifically on advise of the running coaches. Really great watch and very helpful for the intervals of ...

Image by Paul Morgan via Flickr Monday, 4/27/9 Running with the group at work for a 5 mile along the Lakeshore. I am caught off guard on how humid it is and end up huffing and puffing and walking the last 1/2 mile back to the office. Lesson learned – i have to adjust my speed based on weather conditions, and drink more water when the temperature is higher.

Image by Marcos Vasconcelos Photography via Flickr Saturday morning – 7 am. Oh boy, it is early and I am on my way to meet others that have signed up to run the Marathon in Maui in support of the efforts of the Aids Foundation. I was surprised to find about 60 others to be there. The more I listened to them explaining how things work (slowly building up, run & walk at your pace), the more confident I became that my age and ‘ring of experience’ around my waistline will not hold me back to achieve this ambitious (26.2 miles) goal. We started with a 3 mile run at your own leisure pace to determine who else runs at your speed and to bring them together as a running group. I am getting excited about this. Fundraising is a bit new to me, but I am sure that I will learn. I even set up a ning social networking group ( http://mauimarathon2009.ning.com/ ) for the runners to be able to connect to each other online and share their experiences and lessons learned.

Thought about some statement that friends made about being online often isolates someone from the ‘real’ world. My experience is the opposite. I have never been as connected as I am now, where I talk to a lot of people in person, as well as online. For example, I re-connected with people from Germany, old friends and working colleagues, who otherwise would not run into me in person. Used appropriately and with caution, being connected can be a wonderful help in establishing, keeping and/or re-establishing human connection.

shared with me by one of my working colleagues: Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. -William Jennings Bryan Free From Worry Stop worrying about being perfect. Just be sincere, honest and authentic. Stop worrying about what might or might not happen at some future time. Put your energy and attention into connecting with the richness of right now. Take a deep, refreshing breath and feel the freedom as you let go of every worry you've been holding. Experience the full power of your thoughts and actions when they are constantly pointed in a positive direction. Allow your thoughts to support and encourage you rather than hinder you. Free yourself to deal effectively and successfully with what is real and what is now. Get in the habit of choosing and following your best possibilities instead of worrying about the worst ones. Bring your highest intentions to life and leave...