Props to the Runners

So up until this year I’ve always been on the sidelines cheering for all the dedicated people who choose to run the marathon for either time or some incredible charity.  I’ve always been on the sidelines cheering and partying with my friends while never really realizing how much dedication, time and energy they’ve put into the run.

This year I’ve chosen to get off the sidelines and join in on the race by running the Boston Marathon this April 20th.  I’ve already had some frustrating knee issues and have 100% realized that what seemed easy is quite difficult.  It’s a race about the journey and the experience and when it comes to race day you’re actually running a victory lap.  (It means you’ve made it.)

I just got back from a 8 mile run and I wanted to commend the hundreds of other runnners out there today.  Just on my own run I saw at least 100 people out there.  So props to you! Your constant commitment to waking up and running for hours is inspiring! Cheers to you!

Swimming in Smartwater

For the past 3 weeks I’ve been drinking about 6 bottles of Smartwater a day. First of all, I can honestly tell you that I love it.  The water is so pure that you barely know you’re drinking anything.  It’s light, refreshing, and simply good.  It’s a bit addicting too.

Another thing I’ve found is that hydrating yourself will make you feel more energetic throughout the day.  Forget the energy drinks, coffee, 5 hour energy, and now 6 hour energy (?!?).  Want to live an active life? Drink water!

Water is key to feeling on task and focused throughout your entire day.  Tomorrow, try foregoing your usual cup of coffee or tea and drink water.  I’ll bet you feel just as awake as you normally would. (I did.) I’m not saying to give up coffee - I love coffee and  I think it makes me a happier person, but I don’t think you should have to be dependent upon it.

Anyways, I digress.  The point is that Smartwater is damn good.  It’s also been a bit frustrating when you go out at night and they don’t let you bring in a Smartwater.  (I won’t mention names, you know who you are.) Yes, I know, it’s not cool to bring in food or drink to a restaurant or bar but if said establishment doesn’t serve it then why not? I’m still going to buy a drink and/or get some food. (Oo well…what can you do?)

What do you think? How much water do you drink a day? What energizes you throughout your day?

Sharing: A Thought Provoking Talk on Living a Balanced Life

“The richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve an inner balance between three realms; work, love, and play.  To pursue one to the disregards of another is open oneself up to ultimate sadness in older age were as to pursue all three with equal dedication is to make possible a life filled not only with achievement, but with serenity.” - Doris Kearns Goodwin

Click this picture to hear historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talk about what we can learn from American presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson. She also shares a moving memory of her own father, and of their shared love of baseball.  Check it out here at TED.com

An Afternoon Adventure - The Minute Man Nat’l Historic Park

There are always countless events going on throughout the city everyday; however, sometimes it’s refreshing to get out of the city.  Yesterday was one of those afternoons.  If you’re able to, I highly recommend visiting the Minute Man National Historic Park located in Lincoln, MA.  (Click here to see a map. It’s only 30 minutes away from Boston.)

As you walk the Battle Road Trail it’s incredible to think about the great historical impact of what happened here. This was where the culmination of a disagreement in economic policy between England and Massachusetts finally burst open with a battle between 3,500 colonial militia and 1,700 of His Majesty’s redcoats.  This was where the American Revolution began.

Check it out.  Don’t have a car? Check out a Zipcar for the afternoon.

Making Time…

Time, Talent, Treasure.  When you first start out in life you have endless amounts of time.  Slowly, you acquire talent through schooling, working on the job, reading, etc. with the end result being treasure.  However, it seems that one can have a very hard time obtaining an abundance of all three T’s.  If you have a lot of treasure you most likely a lot of talent, but will you have the time to enjoy your treasure?

Time seems to be the one common factor we all have the same amount of it - I realize there are many factors that can come into play, but in most cases time puts us all at a level playing field.

In Boston and in today’s world, everyone seems to be extraordinarily busy.  You’re a go getter! It’s a good thing and there’s no shame in running around making things happen and furthering your career.  However, it’s important to make time for the people and things that are important in your life at the same time.  (You don’t want to look back on your life 20 years from now and realize most of your friends are gone and you haven’t done that beloved hobby or sport in years.) Simply put, leading a successful active life is about balance.

So how do you do it? Here are a few of my thoughts and tips.  I’d love to hear from you though. How do you do it?

• Technology: If you don’t already have one, and you can afford it, make the investment in a mobile device that supports email.  (I recommend Blackberry, or iPhone.) At first it may seem like you’re tied to work, but this little device might allow you to go skiing or golfing and stay connected at the same time.  I personally, have taken a few business calls while I’m running through my iPhone’s ear plugs with a built in microphone.
• Keep a Calendar: The key here is to keep a calendar that you have with you all the time.  When you scheduling meetings it can be hard to remember all that you have going on.  It’s easier to have everything right in front of you so you can schedule a meeting while being confident that the odds of having to reschedule are slim.
• Lists: To Do Lists are incredible.  In my opinion they’ll allow you to stay on task and goal oriented.  It’s also a great feeling when you cross something off your list.
• Combine Your Worlds: There is no law that you have to separate your business life from your social life.  In fact, sometimes the best business is done with friends.  Don’t hesitate to invite a wide group of your friends out with you when you go out. Over lap all your social circles and you’ll not only see your friends connect with each other, you’ll also see your own network grow.  (Read the book, “Never Eat Alone.” by Keith Ferrazzi for more info. on this.)
• Take the Time To Stay In Touch: It only takes a few minutes to send a quick thoughtful email or facebook message to someone special in your life.  The last thing you want to let happen is for your work to get a stranglehold on your life. Take the time to let the important people in your life know they are appreciated.  For people you aren’t as close with schedule a time in your calendar to call them.

(*Hint to making this all work: There is a lot going on in today’s world and there’s a lot to remember, but no one said you have to remember it all on your own in your head.  Write things down, keep lists, and a calendar and you’ll find it’s much easier.*)

Make time for your family, friends, and loved ones - your job will be there waiting for you; work will always be there, your family, friends, and loved ones may not.  Make the most of your time with them.

Cheers and Happy Valentine’s Day!

Coffee - It’s all about the water…

Very quick post then out for a training run.  In sticking with my challenge of only drinking Smartwater this week I made my coffee with a bottle of Smartwater.  (I was hesitant to do this as I’m a huge coffee guy - I absolutely love it.)

Coffee made with Smartwater = awesome! Upon drinking it, I remembered back to a time when the barista at Starbucks told me that one of the reasons Starbucks coffee is so good is because they use highly purified water when brewing their coffee.

If you can use purified water when making your own coffee I highly recommend it!

Ok, that’s it - I’m outta here.  See ya!

4 days training for the marathon with Smartwater

It’s been 4 days since I’ve started incorporating Smartwater into my marathon training.  In 4 days I’ve consumed 24 bottles of Smartwater (averaging 6 bottles of water per day) and have run 20 miles.  So far, it’s been great - when you compare the water to tap water there’s a huge difference.  Smartwater tastes much cleaner, more pure, and better for you.  You feel healthier just drinking it.

[Photo Credit: Justin Obey]

In regards to performance while training, I haven’t noticed anything truly different.  There hasn’t been any sudden increases in my speed or endurance; although I have had some great runs lately.  (Regardless, I’m not going to attribute the good runs to Smartwater just yet.) I’m going to continue drinking Smartwater before and after my workouts and throughout each day and report back to you about how it goes.

One question asked by a friend when I told them about Smartwater was, “Are you only drinking Smartwater?”

So far the answer is no, I have also been drinking juice, beer, and coffee made with tap water.  I’ve decided, for the next week to only drink Smartwater.  I’ll let you know how that goes…

Marathon Training - hydration power

I’ve always been a tap water kind of guy.  (Water is water, right?) Additionally, I’ve never really been concerned about my hydration levels until recently reading a letter posted at my gym by one of the trainers.

The letter was to motivate people stay with their New Year’s resolutions of staying/getting in shape.  In the letter there was a tip that read, “Drink more water,” quoting some crazy statistic saying 75% of American’s are chronically dehydrated.

You’ve grown up being told to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.  After doing a very small amount of digging on Google, I’m not exactly sure if this is true or not.  I took the ‘hydration calculator test” at http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm and was told I have to drink 115 ounces of water a day (about 14 8oz. glasses of water).  Snopes.com told me I should drink about 5-6.

Anyways, regardless of exactly how much water I should drink, I realize it’s important for me to stay hydrated especially while training for the marathon. I’ve decided to take the Smartwater Challenge to see if I feel any different while drinking Smartwater as opposed to other types of water.  For the next two weeks the only water I’ll drink will be Smartwater and I’ll let you know how I feel.

So far, after drinking two bottles of it, I can tell you I like taste. It’s hard to describe.  This may sound cliche, but it’s a clean/pure taste and your body seems to absorb it upon drinking.  The label on the bottle says there are electrolytes (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and potassium bicarbonate) in Smartwater which you’d think should make my trainings better.  We’ll see after today’s 6M workout how I feel…

Marathon Fundraiser Party - Feb. 12th @ Bleacher Bar

Training for the marathon has been much better than expected.  I thought that waking up early and running in sub 30 degree weather was going to be tough.  Turns out, it’s not bad with the proper gear on.  Gloves are a must!

Developing a schedule is important as well.  Personally, I know that if I don’t work out before noon it’s not going to happen - my day simply gets too busy with meetings and events going on at night. My first tip for anyone who has told themselves they don’t have time to train for the marathon (or to do anything else) is to take a look at your schedule and make time. I’ll even make the bold claim that you’ll still remain as productive as you were before you were training for the marathon.  (You’ll get to work knowing you only have an hour to finish the big project instead of two hours SO you focus, you disable g-chat, and get it done.)

So on to the point of this post - I wanted to invite you to Bleacher Bar (82a Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA) on February 12th from 7 - 10 for a party to benefit the Accelerated Cure Project, a non-profit that works to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (the charity I’m running the marathon for). For every $5 you donate you’ll get a raffle ticket for a pair of Red Sox tickets located on the Green Monster.  We’ll be raffling off 10 pairs of tickets!! If you want to come you MUST RSVP on the Facebook invitation here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=49376912837

If you can’t come but still want to donate visit my page here: http://expansion.acceleratedcure.org/jobeymarathon

See you there!

-Justin

I’ve decided to run the Boston Marathon

So I’ve decided to run the marathon! As one of Boston’s largest events each and every year I figured why not - I should experience this?!!

All kidding aside, the real reason I’ve decided to run the Boston Marathon this year is to support the Accelerated Cure Project and raise money to find a cure of Multiple Sclerosis. See my page here: http://expansion.acceleratedcure.org/jobeymarathon

I realize this is a huge undertaking and I don’t have much time on my hands.  (I run a company, volunteer as a Big Brother for Big Brothers Big Sisters, passionately pursue photography, read as much as possible, take Yoga to compliment the marathon training, and maintain an active social life going out 6 days a week.)   This is where I’m going to have a little fun with my training and overall marathon training experience.  I’ve decided it would be a good idea to blog about the experience of training for a marathon and how you can fit it into your active lifestyle if you wanted to.  Over the next 15 weeks you’ll be able to join me as I go through the vigor of training for one of the hardest marathon’s in the country, learn from my mistakes, and how I make time for it.

So here’s some info. you should know from the start.

• This will be the first time I’ve run a marathon.
• I just (Jan. 26th) decided to do this and haven’t run since October.
• My friends and family think I’m nuts for trying to fit this into my schedule.
• Here is my event page in case you’d like to help find a cure for MS: http://expansion.acceleratedcure.org/jobeymarathon

If you have any questions for me or want to share a little love with some supportive comments please don’t hesitate!