Matchsticks

An Annoying Marketing Trend Among Paleo Experts

2014-10-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: Marja van Bochove on Flickr

I don’t normally like to whine, but I’ve decided it’s time to share my two cents. Of course, that is exactly how much it is worth. :)

Note that I work in marketing communications and have been in this business for 20-ish years. That doesn’t change the fact that this is my personal opinion, not an attempt to build a case for certain landing-page methods over others. This is my perspective as a consumer, first and foremost.

//start rant

I’m a big fan of health podcasts (especially ones with a primal/paleo theme), and spend a lot of time listening to them, usually during my drive to and from the office or during one of my long walks.

Once in a while, I hear a GREAT interview of someone who has a new program or book or exercise DVD, and after the interview, I decide to check it out online.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that most of these authors and hosts are using a marketing company that uses the same %$#^@ technique for every promotion: the extra long, extra annoying landing page.

You know the kind of landing page I am talking about - if you start scrolling, the page appears to keep going and going - with a lot of text but not a lot of useful information.

Don’t these marketing writers know that busy people like me skim web pages? I don’t want 2000+ words of the same three ideas repeated over and over. I want to read a short summary of the product benefits, the price, items included and delivery info. And, if you didn’t describe these ideas items very well, maybe a link to FAQs.

Instead, these landing pages seem to try to squeeze a bazillion concepts on a single page, most of which is “below the fold” (if you’re old enough to know what that means).

Even worse, they use longish prose instead of bullets. Of course if you actually needed all of that information, the format makes it impossible to spend less than 30 minutes to read all those words.

This is the Twitter world, people. I have no patience for that nonsense.

As if the novel-style landing page wasn’t bad enough, a lot of these pages now include a long, noisy embedded video on the page with no “stop/pause” button! Especially annoying for me when I’m at the office - I don’t need to have a video blaring on my computer speaker.

As I pointed out earlier, I’ve often gone to your landing page based on an interview that already “convinced” me about the product. The landing page did not convince me about the product - the credibility of the person who was on the podcast was the convincing factor.

Which brings me to today: After hearing about what sounds like a GREAT “online web conference” that really interested me, I followed the URL to one of those annoying landing pages.

And I decided right then - No, I’m not going there again. I’m officially avoiding events, products and other items that are promoted this way, no matter HOW MUCH the topic or product interests me. I have to draw the line somewhere.

I suspect these marketing companies have been getting credit for the great “results” they generated for their clients, the podcasters and bloggers. However, in reality it is the actual products, services and ideas that are great. NOT the marketing method.

Please, stop the madness.

//endrant

Marathon #2 - Napa Valley

2011-03-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

After last fall’s adventure in Long Beach, I felt compelled to make another try at a marathon. And it seemed like it might be nice to have some type of training goal to work on over the winter season. So, after a bit of research looking at reviews on Racevine and exchanging ideas/brainstorms with running friends on Twitter and DailyMile, I decided that it would be fun to try out the Napa Valley Marathon on March 6, 2011.

This point-to-point marathon was situated through the heart of wine country, from Calistoga to Napa. Elevation decreased a few hundred feet from start to finish, and the course included beautiful views of vineyards and rolling valleys.

As the event neared, it became apparent that it was going to be a rainy (but not cold) race day. Yikes! As a spoiled Northern CA resident, I was known for being a little wimpy when it comes to rain. Plus the course had a lot of rolling hills. Oh, my. This was going to be interesting. And, of course, I was still very much a beginner marathoner, and not exactly a speedy runner. In the end, however it all went well. Woo hoo!

Decked out in a garbage bag poncho, I rode the bus with fellow DailyMiler Greg P. from our hotel to the starting line. We chatted about training and race strategy and tried not to notice how long the bus ride was – yes, you really get a sense for how LONG a marathon was when you ride the bus to the start. :)

This race gave runners the option to have custom drinks at the various aid stations (as if we all were elite runners – awesome!). As race organizers promised, I was able to quickly find the boxes for the correct stations at the start line and put two different bottles with my own little mixture for the stations at miles 9 and 17. Plus I had a third bottle with me – again with a mix of unflavored Sustained Energy mix.

There were plenty of porta potties along the start, and after taking care of business; it was time to line up. I did some chatting with Tamara, Chris, Lisa and Mark as we waited for the announcement that it was time to start! The fast folks in our group moved toward the front of the line. Because this race limited the number of registrants to 2400, it was refreshingly not overcrowded at the start, and there wasn’t the confusion that I’ve experienced at really large events.

From miles 1 to 7, Lisa and I took a steady, conservative approach to the run, hovering around 10:35 pace for 10 minutes, then walking for 1 minute. Just as we approached the mile 7 aid station, we parted ways. I loved having the company for the early portion of the race and tried not to stress out about all of the people passing us. After all I wanted to be careful not to make the mistake of my first marathon, where I started out too quickly and maxed my HR way too early.

At almost 3 hours into the race, my pace started to gradually get slower during my running segments. I still held to doing these every 10 minutes, but I was definitely slowing down. Then around 4 hours into the race, I was really starting to feel the pain, so I extended the walk breaks and added extra ones, usually around every 5 minutes.

Throughout the whole race, I was also very careful to generously drink my Sustained Energy and take gels frequently. I brought my own supply of gels and then took one offered at the mile-18 station. Last year, at my first marathon, I really felt like my nutrition had been lacking, which probably helped contribute to my “hitting the wall” experience so early in the race (at mile 18).

The rain was pretty steady most of the race, with occasional ‘lulls’ where it faded to sprinkling. I kept on my garbage bag poncho until mile 21, and was teased a little for it by the spectators – all in good fun. I was glad to have worn it however, as it helped keep me comfortable without feeling overheated. Worked much better than my rain jacket, which would have been too warm.

If you’re someone that craves a lot of crowd support, this rural race was not the one for you. It was held on the Silverado Trail road that weaves through winery valleys – very beautiful, but only accessible every few miles. That being said, every time there was a place where people could access the course, they were there, and they were very supportive and friendly. Many of them would literally go from spot to spot on the course, and I actually had ongoing conversations with several spectators, as they reappeared at accessible each location – so fun. Also, the volunteers at the aid stations were very helpful and enthusiastic – their friendly cheering and encouragement were greatly appreciated.

When I finally made those last turns to the finish area at Vintage High School, I was so happy to be there. I hadn’t been watching my overall time, just keeping track of the 10/1 intervals and pace and focusing on doing as much as I could with whatever energy I had throughout. So it was really great to see the time clock as I finished, showing 5:08-ish. I knew that my pace had slowed as the race went on, and with the extra walk breaks I wasn’t sure where I was going to end up. I certainly couldn’t have predicted a 23-minute PR (personal record) this time around, but that’s what happened. :)

Chip time 5:08:37
Garmin time (hit stop slightly after crossing) 5:08:50
Garmin distance 26.41 miles
Runner perks: technical shirt, awesome bag with great goodies, very nice medal and the ability to have custom drinks at the aid stations of your choice
More awesomeness: Official race results on their Website within an hour after the race was complete!
Highly recommended event

Long Beach Marathon, my personal adventure

2010-10-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally did it. I ran and finished my first marathon. ☺ It was a bit of an adventure, as they can be… but I’m glad I went through the challenges of training to have this amazing experience.

After finishing my spring half with a new PR, I wasn’t sure what the next goal would be. I’m not a fast runner and am not sure I ever would be, plus I wanted a new type of challenge. After some consideration and a bit of trepidation, I decided that perhaps I should attempt a fall marathon.

Up until now, I had been mostly a half-er. After all, marathons required long runs during the week for training, and the time investments (for us slow types) can be significant. But after considering the amount of training that I put into improving my half marathon time, I realized that with a bit more time added to my existing schedule, I probably was ready to pull off a marathon distance.

After selecting the time frame (fall this year), I needed to find a location. I spent a lot of time reading reviews about marathons and reviewing the experiences of my DailyMile and Twitter running friends. I realized that I didn’t want to do a hilly local marathon, nor did I want to wait until December (and possible frigid weather) to do the California International Marathon. I also considered Denver, but altitude was a problem there, as I trained at sea level. So I opted for the famously flat and fun Long Beach Marathon on October 17.

My summer training regimen was full of long tempos and intervals, and was not your typical novice level approach. It made me feel strong and ready to take it on.

Nevertheless, I was nervous this week as the DAY approached. This was uncharted territory for me, which created both excitement and fear. ☺ I watched the weather closely, as California had an unusual heat wave this October. Fortunately in the day or two prior to the big event, it cooled down until it was perfect weather… 60s with cloud cover, with a predicted high in the low 70s – yay!

We flew down to Long Beach on a short JetBlue flight on Saturday morning. After our arrival, I ventured into the Expo to pick up my number etc. As a local event, most of the vendors were local businesses, charities and races, so there wasn’t a ton of stuff to tempt me. We also walked over to the race staging area, so I could figure out the easiest way to walk there from our hotel.

I also had a chance to meet one of my Twitter buddies @ridgeley in person, which was super fun. And, that evening, I had dinner with several local runners who had all run Long Beach before and had some nice tips for what to expect.

The more I talked to folks planning to participate, I realized that the majority of race entrants were actually doing the half marathon. However, the way the waves were set up, both half marathon runners and marathon runners shared the same waves. This made me somewhat nervous because I knew it would be difficult not to follow the half runners who would likely start out at a faster pace than I would like to do.

On race morning, I strategically edged myself toward the back of my wave as we lined up and settled off to the side, to let the majority of half racers speed by (and speed by they did). The start of the course weaved around a lot with some nice views of the water and the Queen Mary ship. It was fun, and the energy was high.

However there were bad signs: Right from the start, even though my pace wasn’t excessively fast, my HR seemed very high. My rate of perceived of exertion (RPE) seemed to be OK, but I tried to pull back on the pace, to see if the HR would lower a bit. However, as was often the case in my training, once it had spiked, it seemed to stay up there.

Miles 6 through 10 of the Long Beach were situated on a brick and concrete pathway following the beach. It was LOVELY. We had a bit of sea mist blowing on us throughout that section, and it was just simply fun to enjoy the view. At around mile 10 ½, the half marathon runners split off to head back toward the finish line. I admit, I was jealous of them. However, the course traffic lightened up significantly, so that made navigating the course a LOT easier.

At mile 11 ½, I met my husband Dave, per our plan, so I could get a bottle of water mixed with some Hammer nutrition. I tried this approach during my training runs, and knew that the unsweetened protein/carb/electrolyte mix really seemed to give me the boost I needed without too much sugar. I was so glad we were able to find each other easily, even it meant he wore a bright orange Lewis Hamilton victory shirt (he is a fanboy of this F1 driver, and I am not). ;)

At this point in the course, we started doing more out and backs in a variety of residential areas - many parks with various water elements. The out and backs were hard for me mentally, and I was definitely starting to get tired. However, there were always pockets of spectators who were very encouraging and would call out to each of us. I loved it when they read my name off my bib – there’s nothing like having someone cheer for you and call out your name.

By mile 17, which is situated on CSU’s Long Beach Campus, the miles in the high HR zone were taking their toll. I was able to plow up the most challenging incline there, but then my pace seemed to fall apart. I started taking longer walking breaks and was definitely feeling the strain. Shortly after mile 18, I had a bit of a scare when running in an area with lots of cheering students, as I got really dizzy and completely zoned out for about 50 feet or so.

This little scare made me realize that I could injure myself if I didn’t get the effort in hand. And, I realized that my pace was not going to get me the secret time goal that I mentally aimed for… So I purposefully decided that this was going to be an event about having fun and not trying to keep up with my speedy running buddies. So I started walking. A lot.

I wasn’t alone in my walking though (thank goodness!). Many of the runners who had been my companions along the way decided to do the same thing. I continued to greet the spectators and acknowledge the ones who cheered us on. And I focused on keeping the speediest walk I could do, with short bursts of running every 10 minutes or so. I called Dave to let him know my revised ending time. Then, I focused on having fun.

And it was! I took advantage of all the water stations and fuel opportunities. I said thank you to the volunteers who were manning the stations and the police who were keeping traffic at bay through the intersections. I greeted the spectators who had set up fruit and water stations, and occasionally enjoyed their fare. It drove me crazy to see the miles in this section go by so slowly, but I realized that my overall pace wasn’t TOO bad. And then, when we finally got to the “last turn” before the finish, I picked it up into a slow run and focused on good form and enjoying the cheering crowds. I heard the announcer call my name as I neared the finish, and it felt so good. When I crossed the line, I lifted up my hands and exulted in the feeling instead of stopping the Garmin. ☺

When I walked though the chute to get my medal, I was overwhelmed with emotion and started crying. While the race hadn’t gone as planned, it was still an amazing experience. I’m so glad I did it.

Thanks to many of you who were my cheerleaders through this training season. Thanks to my husband, who had to patiently endure my obsessions along the way. And thanks to coaches Jeff and Diane, whose training regimen prepared me to be stronger than I’ve ever been before. There was a lot of time sacrificed for this endeavor, but I’m grateful and glad to have experienced it all.

Official time: 5:31:56

Garmin distance: 26.41 miles, average pace @12:34

Formula 1 Race Weekend Memories

2010-06-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Guess who I cheered for at the race?

This weekend’s trip to the Canada Grand Prix in Montreal was a treat for Dave and I, a celebration of his graduation. We knew we wanted to travel to a Grand Prix and had originally hoped to combine it with a trip to Europe and another goal-destination of Dave’s (the Nürburgring), but the American dollar was weak and the expenses for said trip went well beyond even our “splurge” budget. So, in the end we thought a long weekend to North America’s only 2010 Grand Prix, held in Montreal, seemed like a good compromise.

After investigating ticket prices, hotel availability and logistics for figuring out a city which primarily functions in another language, we decided to book through a Formula 1 travel group and selected a few from which to choose. The one we ended up using, Formulatours.com, seemed to have good ticket and hotel availability with the right level of “extras” for us (not too little, not too much). They took care of the key logistics we needed (ticket package in a desired grandstand, hotel in desired location and airport pickup/dropoff. Plus, they offered a “VIP” party that was to feature an unnamed F1 driver or drivers).

The choice seemed to work well for us – the hotel was convenient to a nice downtown area of Montreal, the Metro passes and convenient Metro (subway) station ensured efficient passage to the track for practice, qualifying and race day. We even enjoyed a “close encounter” with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovaleinen of Lotus racing at the touring group’s VIP party. As a bonus, Karun Chandhok, a driver with another new team (Hispania), was staying at our hotel, and we were able to see him on our first evening in Montreal and even get his autograph in the hotel lobby before Friday practice.

Another great choice for us was our rental of a unit from Kangaroo.tv. This small device provided race data, video feed and BBC audio commentary in a small electronic unit during practices, qualifying and the race. I liked being able to look up driver standings, view driver video feed, hear the driver/pit lane audio feed and listen to BBC commentary, since the track audio commentary was mostly in French and therefore useless to us. :) Before reserving the device, I ended up tweeting to the company about the size of the audio jack (standard 1/8 inch) and they tweeted back a great tip to bring/use noise-canceling headphones. Based on their speedy and useful reply, we got a handy 1/8 inch jack splitter (so we could share a unit) and used our Bose headphones, which actually worked GREAT during the whole weekend and were very effective at filtering out just the right amount of engine noise and protecting our hearing – no earplugs needed! Loved the experience the device provided, AND I’m very impressed with their effective use of social media to respond to customer inquiries – first class!

Montreal was also a fun place to visit for non-race activities. It had a very “French” atmosphere and was a nice replacement for our non-European vacation. People dressed VERY nicely in this city, which was a bit disconcerting since we brought casual vacation-type clothing. :) The French food was very good, so that was a nice treat that reminded us of our Paris trip many years ago. Reading signs or navigation was somewhat challenging for English speakers, and even street signs were somewhat confusing – good thing we didn't drive here! There was a music festival also going on nearby, and the street activities nearby were nice for exploring and enjoying the atmosphere.

Milestones

2010-02-14T10:19:00.001-08:00

This weekend I attended my 20-year college reunion, not because of any particular loyalty to my alma mater, but because of the opportunity it provided to spend time with a couple of good friends who I don’t see very often, to reminisce about who I was, and to think about who I am and will become.

With the extra, undistracted time afforded by 4+ hours of flying, I also enjoyed the luxury of considering this milestone and other recent significant life events.

The year before last I celebrated my 40th birthday in Thailand accompanied by an international group of travelers. This trip provided me the opportunity to see the land of my father through the eyes of an adult and to meet cousins, aunts and uncles who have lived on the other side of the world and who hold the bond of family without the familiarity earned by close proximity.
That same year, I spent much time, mental focus and emotional energy working to transform my lifestyle and body into a healthier expression of the person I already was. Because the changes were very visible, people have proclaimed these changes to be extremely remarkable. In many respects, however, this change was just a continuation of an ongoing journey of embracing myself and discarding others’ expectations or labels.
In the last 14 months, I became obsessed with the practice of running, which was a very funny evolution if you knew me for the rest of my 40-ish years on this planet.
And today I will celebrate 12 years of marriage to my good friend and soul mate, who enriches the daily, mundane yet precious days of my life.

These events provided a reminder of experiences lived and lessons learned. They marked the passage of time and provided distinct moments in the midst of normal life. And this weekend gave me the time to thoughtfully consider how they fit into my personal fabric.

As I spent time with two friends who had known me over many years, though multiple life phases – those awkward high-school years, college youth, young single life, professional pursuits, adulthood and responsibility – we wandered through topics related to the various changes we’d all experienced. And reconnecting with acquaintances and a favorite professor provided contrasts of life two decades ago versus today.

When I thought about the person I was 20 years ago, it was hard to believe that I thought myself an “adult” back then. I had a bit of head knowledge about the world around me and had expectations spoken and unspoken. I also had NO IDEA who I was, what energized me or what I would do with the resources that life and relationships had given me. Some people at that stage in their lives, in their late teens and early 20s, had a clear focus and drive to conquer the goals in front of them and the world around them. I probably even thought that about myself back then. And many accomplished people with singular focus demonstrated the ability to really flourish during that time in their lives.

Some of us, however, were a little more average, like me. We had an idea that we were supposed to go “out there” and do “something.” We may have even selected a vocation or path based on those glimmers. But the joys and challenges of life had not yet hit us, and much of those dreams were untested.

Many of us secretly hoped that life would go exactly as planned. That our “good karma” would earn us a smooth, maybe even moderately successful life. We prayed that our expectations for “normal” living would proceed like a dog-eared novel with familiar characters and settings. Perhaps this plan was similar to our childhood experiences; perhaps it was an aspiration for something different.

Then the devastating richness of life’s milestones started to come our way.

That fist “real” job and “real” promotion – with the rewards, challenges and demands involved
Car purchases, home purchases, relationships gained and lost, newfound responsibilities, familial and financial struggles
Joyful experiences and unexpected, caution-inducing turns
Newly discovered strengths and weaknesses

And sometimes, the work and effort invested, and those everyday life actions resulted in greater than hoped for results or experiences.

As I prepared for this weekend’s travels and reunion, I mentioned my plans to go to Tulsa and found out from a Twitter running friend that there was a local race on Saturday morning. Wouldn’t it be fun, I thought? So I casually signed up for the race. As part of my running obsession, I had set some pretty aggressive goals for a half marathon this April. The timing was good for a 5K and my coach suggested that I set a similarly aggressive time goal for this race, too. I wasn’t sure how I would do and it worried me. I hadn’t planned for this, nor did I have any experience racing this distance (I’ve done mostly half marathons this past year). But he was convinced that my training was strong and that I would be able to run this at least 2 minutes faster than I had ever done before.

On the morning of the event, I followed my mental plan and normal pre-race activities, with a few tweaks. I chatted with the local runners and focused on being positive and pushing my limits. Right at the start, I realized I was surrounded by a pretty fast set of runners. I jumped into a pace faster than planned and tried to ease up a bit. Each time I looked at my pace, though, I still hadn’t slowed down into my “planned” pace. Still, I was feeling OK and figured, why not push it as hard as possible and see where it goes? Just before mile 3, I felt like I was pushing hard but wanted to see if I could push it more, and pressed on. Getting to the finish line, I realized that I was going to be 4 minutes faster than my best 5K time. I said out loud, “no way!” and ran across the finish line with great satisfaction.

Many times, on my long runs, I found that too much focus on the past or upcoming miles caused me to lose the sense of rhythm and connectedness to the run in progress. Yet, conversely, recollecting the overall experiences and lessons from these runs afterward provided a stronger, almost innate ability to know and understand what I could do when needed, and, of course, provided the important foundation of skills necessary to my running goals.

Similarly, when I considered who and what I had lost and gained these past 20 years, I saw places where I could have made better decisions, loved more, rested more, and embraced the people around me better. However, I also learned that those missteps, heart-wrenching losses, and foolish decisions contributed to my personal makeup and made me a stronger, healthier, more satisfied person.

In my life, the milestones that challenged me most expanded my self-view, developed new capabilities, built extraordinary strength and exposed core weaknesses. They also built a base of life training that taught me to become stronger and embrace the changes that filled me with new questions about beliefs and purpose.

Life was more than just a collection of decisions and consequences. It fed a well that provided unexpected victories in the midst of challenges, and led to surprising fulfillment, in unforeseen places.

Enjoying the experience of the life journey today, wherever I am, helps develop that connectedness and satisfying rhythm. And, at certain life milestones, it’s good to consider, contemplate and remember that progression, and consider what I can do today and what the future could bring.

Barefoot Running Clinic - What I Learned

2009-09-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm pretty sure that my non-running friends, who already think I've slipped over the edge into crazy, will now be convinced I'm nuts. But, I'm really excited by what I learned at this morning's barefoot running clinic. Here are my observations and thoughts about what I heard today. Any errors, misunderstandings or omissions are all mine. :)

For those of you who are wondering WHAT I'm talking about, here's the story.

This morning a group of the intrepid and curious met at ZombieRunner on California Avenue in Palo Alto for a barefoot running clinic. Why? Because this was an opportunity to listen to Christopher McDougall, author of the bestselling book Born to Run, and barefoot running expert Ted McDonald, share their knowledge and experience about this increasingly popular topic that fascinates, scares and entrances those of us who enjoy running.

Here are some highlights of what I learned at this clinic:

There is a right way to run – POSE METHOD, Chi and Evolution all identify key characteristics of correct running technique. Barefoot running naturally pushes us into technique that is

more efficient and works with our biomechanics.

Shoes often made to provide the most protection and support can actually increase the impact on our feet, joints and body because we run “heavier” in them than when running barefoot.

Ted's three key principles for barefoot technique:

Run LIGHTLY and SILENTLY – Listen to your running, you should be light on your feet and you shouldn't hear your feet hitting the pavement. To help yourself be aware of this, you should try running without music. Listen and be aware of your connection to the ground.
Use a quick cadence – Quick foot turnover will help ensure a light touch on the ground. It should feel like you’re floating across the ground, moving forward. Your feet should touch down and lift quickly – not sliding across or grinding against the ground (which is how you can get blisters).
Maintain a tall posture – This helps ensure alignment and efficient movement when running.

A lot of running barefoot is about listening to your body – when you’re too tired to follow the key principles above, you’ll experience injury. Start out with barefoot walking, making sure to land on the front of your feet (no heel strikes). Remember the three principles, and build distance gradually.

Start barefoot walking and running on asphalt and other man-made surfaces. Your feet will manage the impact and you’ll be more likely to establish good technique habits (light, silent and quick cadence).

A couple of good training exercises to help with barefoot running technique:

Squats (using proper technique) – strengthens key muscles, builds control
Jumps that are accurate and light – jump up and down stairs or on the ground at precise distances, with your feet together, landing lightly and quietly. Again the key is to maintain control, keep a light touch, and in so doing build the muscle strength and control for great technique

Thanks to Don and Gillian, owners of ZombieRunner, who have provided great resources for runners through their store and sponsorship of this clinic.

Thanks for Your Support

2009-08-31T21:45:00.001-07:00

This summer was an adventure as I trained for my toughest event yet, the Dirt Inspires Women's Trail Half Marathon in Aptos.

One of the nice things about this latest goal has been the opportunity to share the experience of training and evaluating the experience with a core group of running friends, both real and virtual.

My real-life training partners faithfully got together to do the day-in, day-out work that is necessary. One group would meet twice a week at a hilly trail in the wee hours of the morning and attempted to conquer hill after hill at the Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. With some other friends, we'd drive to destination trails throughout the bay area and try not to get lost as we explored the wooded, hilly paths.

My virtual friends on DailyMile and Twitter were also a huge source of encouragement and advice. I gained ideas, inspiration and motivation hearing about their runs and cross training, often hoping just to get a fraction of the speed many of them had.

THANKS to ALL of you. You know who you are, and I couldn't have done it without you.

It's not about IF you should use social media; It's about WHAT you will do.

2009-07-18T12:06:00.001-07:00

Great data points for companies and why they should engage online communities via social media.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

Great video of a 20-minute body-weight workout

2009-07-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

A Twitter friend shared this article and video, which includes several elements I currently do for my personal training plus a couple new activities that I want to try out. Definitely will try this workout soon.

What it includes (4-6x through, 10-15 reps for each):

Push-Ups
Squats
Hindu Push-Ups
Hindu Squats
Lateral Lunges
Front Plank Taps

My Story: How I Lost 85+ Pounds

2009-07-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

A year ago last April or May, I enrolled in a medically monitored weight loss program called HMR through our local medical provider. I was turning 40 that year, and had decided THAT was it. I wasn't going to live that way any longer, and I wanted to change my life, be skinnier, and be able to buy fun clothes. (Yes, REALLY, that was a big motivator for me.) :D

Basically, the program used boxed meals and shakes to help make managing the food intake better, while also encouraging us to reach a certain physical activity goal. The program's food mostly helped me with training my body to get used to smaller portions of food. I mentally told myself that this was a "fast" of good/real food, for a year or however long it took, but it wasn't forever. :)

I continually increased my physical activity throughout the year, trying all types of activities and times. Yoga with Dave on Saturdays, walking with friends at lunch, elliptical machine early before work, exercise DVDs, cardio kickboxing, Pilates once a week, etc.

By August of that year, I started adding vegetables and fruit as part of the "next phase" of the program and had also signed up for my first half marathon (which was to be held in October). My goal at that event was just to finish, and I had a training buddy who joined me in a program where we started out walking 2 min/running 1 min, walking 1 min/running 1 min and gradually running more and walking less. At that first event, I ran only the first three to four miles, and then speed-walked the rest. :)

Sometime during this process, I also read the book Thin for Life and realized that, perhaps, this was something more than what I "did for a year." (Big realization!) That said, I knew I needed to change my mindset, that living healthy wasn't just about restriction, but about enjoying life, finding things I enjoyed, and choosing to find fulfilling, fun aspects of this "healthy lifestyle."

By November of that year, I was still working to lose weight but eating 100% "normal" food, keeping a detailed journal of what I was eating, tracking the calories (using labels and/or calorieking.com to figure out calories), and comparing the calorie intake, physical activity "burn" and my weigh-ins from week to week, to monitor where I needed to be in order for me to lose and eventually maintain.

Toward the end of the year, I also finally started to enjoy exercise – up until that point, I HATED it. Yes, really, it took eight to nine months to get to the point that I enjoyed exercise and began to love running. (I definitely got the running "bug" by then and had signed up for a second half marathon, was regularly running 15 to 20 miles a week and worked with a personal trainer once a week for core/abs strengthening) Because my physical activity had become so intense, I realized I really needed to focus on not just keeping things low-calorie, but also making sure that I was taking in quality "fuel" - with an emphasis on a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit, supplemented by healthy meats and whole grains.

I eventually got into a rhythm and pattern of eating and exercise that I know works for me. I weigh myself frequently and have a weight range that I watch. If I hover toward the higher end of that range, then I cut back on the eating and increase the exercise.

Most importantly, I love where I'm at (as much as I can – LOL), and I know I can do this. That’s how I "did" it. Not really a magical formula, but it is my story. :)

Dieting "tips" that worked for me:

Measured portions. When I'm time crunched or otherwise distracted or stressed, I am not afraid to use foods that are portioned for me (boxed foods or frozen foods, snack packs) or self-portioned (don’t take the bag of pretzels, count out 16 pretzels into a bowl and grabbing those for snacks). Mindless eating is the hardest part about weight management.

Volumetrics. It always help to find high-volume, low calorie foods (salads, broth soups) to fill up the empty body without packing in the calories.

Exercise variety and frequency. I work to be cognizant about making choices that get me moving whenever possible. Some ideas: walking during conference calls or when meeting with friends, trying new classes (Pilates, yoga, kickboxing), parking farther away from the building/store, getting a variety of DVD workouts, doing sit-ups while watching TV, and generally trying to do something active (even for 10 minutes) every single day.

Vegetables and low-calorie fruits as the first choice, always. If I have a choice of snacks, fresh fruits and veggies are selected first. Even the most caloric/sweet fruit will have fewer calories and more nutrients than the bag of pretzels and chips. To help with the convenience factor, I buy mini snack packs of baby carrots (yes more expensive, but always ready to grab) and get plenty of "convenient" fruits that I can grab and stick in my purse.

Cautious use of other snacks. Snack "health" bars are a great alternative to more caloric desserts or a handy option when hunger strikes, so I like to have them on hand as an alternative. But I am careful to read the labels to find things that are lower calorie and have greater nutritious value. For a chocolate fix, I have a Clif Kids Zbar (Organic Chocolate Brownie). And I also love the Clif Nectar bars (Organic Cherry Pomegranate). Sometimes the local store has these on sale and I'll stock up. Or I can order large boxes of them from Amazon.com for less than I can get them at the store.

Other good lessons and observations for me:

As you lose weight, you don’t burn as many calories. In the program, we were given a chart to measure and calculate the calories burned during exercise. You quickly learn that you can’t maintain (or continue to lose) weight with the same eating/activity level, because the less you weigh, the more you’d have to do (or the less you have to eat) to burn those calories at the same rate. DUH, right? Well, how many times do you go back to eating what you did before a "diet" because you were able to maintain your higher weight with those habits? Just doesn't work. ☺ Plus age is a factor, sadly, for those of us who are on the older end of the spectrum.

Perseverance is key, which is why you have to REALLY want the change, more than anything else. Eating boxed meals (especially for someone like me, who loves to cook) was challenging and difficult. Exercise was a burden. Abstaining from things I loved during those early months was NOT pleasant, and it limited my social life, and was inconvenient at work, too. I didn’t really enjoy my "new" activities until nine months into the effort. Everyone has different motivators. For me, it was a milestone birthday and vanity. For others, it might be kids/family/noble causes. ☺

The world is unfriendly to "fat" people, even fat people trying to exercise. Perhaps I'm overstating it, but it's extremely disturbing to me how differently I'm treated now, even though I feel exactly like the same person I was 15 months ago. Mentally, I'm the same person. I always had the same amount of self-discipline (I just was disciplined in other areas, NOT food! lol), and I always dressed well, even WHEN I was fat. But people treat me like I’m a magically transformed person. Sigh. Oh, and why is it nearly impossible to find decent exercise clothing for short, overweight people who WANT to exercise? ☺ Don’t even get me started on that one.

Fitting exercise into your life means finding things you LIKE and LOVE to do. There are many other articles on this, but for me, if I didn't LOVE to run, I wouldn't do it. And even now, getting started with the run is the hardest part for me. I'll procrastinate with whatever I can find to distract me. But afterwards, I'm so glad I did it. Plus, I've found a gym that I really enjoy, for multiple, personal reasons (see my Yelp review). And, when I'm in the mood for something else (yoga, DVD, cardio kickboxing), I embrace the variety and even the "rest" days. It's taken a while to find a pattern that works for me, and I have to problem-solve sometimes. But now it's a normal part of life for me.

The Pains of a Matrixed Business

2009-05-19T17:25:00.003-07:00

Most of the time, this is not true. Sometimes, though, we all think this:

Formula 1: Technology + cars = fun

2008-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

This morning we watched the European Grand Prix F1 race, which was held at a new street course in Valencia, Spain. Because these races are aired *early* in the morning, we record them on TiVo and then watch them at our leisure.

One of the reasons I enjoy F1 is the mix of technology and personality in this sport. And, Speed TV, which broadcasts the races here in the U.S. has a former F1 mechanic, Steve Matchett, who does a great job covering the technology involved.

Here's an example of typical F1 technology, an improvement to the traditional Hans device invented by a Michigan State University professor.

Tanya's Summer Activity Log

2008-07-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we're into July and running quickly through the second half of summer now. In some respects, the time has gone by quickly, even though I've had a relatively boring summer. My thoughts on the summer of 2008 so far:

Restrictive weight loss programs really cut down on social opportunities. In May, I signed up for the HMR program associated with Camino Medical Group. The version I'm doing is low-calorie and restricted to only program "foods" (shakes and prepared entrees). This makes restaurants completely tortuous, as I order sparkling water, diet coke or iced tea and watch/smell the food of my companions. As you can imagine, I pretty much avoid this type of social situation, because it's NO FUN.

I've lost 20 lbs so far. Yay! To reward myself, I go shopping when I can fit it in. If I keep walking through the mall, it will count toward "physical activity," which is an added benefit.

You have to convince yourself that physical activity (aka exercise) is fun, because it sucks up what little time you have left, after work and household maintenance. I've been trying to add as much variety as possible into my activities, realizing that I'll have to continue to increase the precious hours for this as I lose more weight in order to get the same benefits. After six weeks of working out 6 to 7 days a week, I am getting to the point where I don't dread it as much. The supposed "endorphin" effect is all mental though... you have to fool yourself into believing it happens, so that all the work is bearable.

I've saved more money than the program costs, because I'm not going out for lunch every day. Yay!

I've also seen a lot of movies in the theatre this summer. In fact, I've seen more movies in the last 2 months than I've seen in the previous 5 years. Three key reasons: (1) Movies are an acceptable social activity that minimizes food temptation/torture. (2) Dave will go with me to the movies (sometimes) and (3) I can combine it with a little physical activity when we walk to the Cupertino AMC which is about a mile from our house. :-)

Up ahead for the summer? Ummmm, not so much. But we will join some friends for a little wine tasting excursion at summer's end. Though, I guess I won't be tasting any wine because of the weight-loss program. LOL. I'll just hang out in the jacuzzi and work-out room at the hotel during dinner, and watch everyone act silly as they get tipsy during the tastings.

American Idol and David Cook

2008-03-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

So, as TiVo enthusiasts, Dave and I don't often watch the "live" reality programming shows.... We've just not gotten into them. But, we have friends who gush about American Idol and we thought we'd record an episode. We finally got around to watching the episode from earlier this week.

Most of the performances were OK. Some painful. It was a little interesting since all the singers were singing songs from our high school years, as that week's theme was to sing a song from the year they were born. (!)

Only one performance really stood out to us and amazed us, the performance of "Billy Jean" by David Cook.

If you're like us and are living under a rock, you don't have to miss out any more. Here's a video of that performance.

Five questions for the author of Personality Not Included

2008-03-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite marketing bloggers, Rohit Barghava, has a new book called Personality Not Included. As part of his book launch he offered to answer 50 five-question interviews from people with blogs. I could not resist the opportunity, so I submitted my top five questions, and here are his answers!

Do B-to-B companies need to have personalities?
This is a really important question - they definitely do need to have a personality because so much of BtoB sales are relationship based. When you look at the long lead times for sales and the fact that word of mouth is so important, it becomes clear that personality applies to BtoB businesses at least as much as BtoC brands.
How do you make sure your newfound company/brand personality doesn't bite you in the butt?
The best way to do this is to make sure that you are claiming an "ownable space" as I called it in the book that is appropriate. For example, focusing on the professionalism of your employees won' t work if you cannot live up to this promise.
How do you measure the effectiveness of building authenticity back into the company brand?
One of the key measures that works for this is the power of your word of mouth and referral business. This is the area where authenticity can make the biggest impact because essentially what you are focusing on is getting your customers to tell your story for you.
Often passionate customers are also passionate detractors. How do you harness their energy in a positive way?
This is a relatively easy question to answer, but not as easy to actually do. The best way to harness their energy is by LISTENING to them and actually acting on the points that they are frustrated about. Your passionate customers may absolutely be the most demanding, but wouldn't you far rather have them interacting with you and asking for more than defecting or not communicating with you? This dialogue is vital and the best way to take advantage of it is by having a good system to react to what you hear.
Will taking an authentic approach to marketing (one with personality) win the support and or admiration of our critics in sales? :-)
Taking an authentic approach absolutely has the power to win over a critic and turn them into a customer. There is a technique I share in the book called "Fallibility Marketing," which is all about how to use the moments when you screw up as opportunities to win over new customers and keep existing ones. Based on some of your questions, I think it's a section you'll find particularly interesting.

PC to Mac Adventure... learning process still :-)

2008-03-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

This past week was crazy and hectic, so I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked getting to know my new MacBook Pro.

So far, here are my observations:

The hardware is great -- very sturdy and the key action is very nice.

However, I've struggled to get used to the touchpad. I even played with a few external mice to get the right feel. I wish there were more settings in the System Preferences area for adjusting speed and responsiveness of the touchpad and mice. The two available adjustments don't quite get the right feel, and in Windows, I could select from many different options to adjust mouse properties in the control panel.

The startup and shutdown speed on the Mac is impressive. If any version of Windows could get these two processes set up similarly, they would find user satisfaction to get very high. After all, we all experience this process nearly on a daily basis.

I've struggled with the application installation process on a Mac a little, especially when downloading and installing an application for the first time. On my first night, I installed Firefox and set up a bunch of bookmarks to sites with info on switching from a PC to a Mac. Then I started cleaning up my desktop from the extraneous icons on the hard drive and in the process deleted the application (whoops!) there went my application and all those useful bookmarks from an hours' worth of browsing and research. Since then, I've found instructions on this process, but I guess I expected the OS to install the application file to the application folder automatically. (Cause it's so easy, right? LOL.)

The OS interface is very attractive and easy to use, as long as you don't want to try to figure out how to customize settings. I'm still learning and researching here, so eventually I'll figure it out. In the mean time, can anyone tell me how to change the default location of my downloads? :-)

Thanks everyone for the support. This will be an interesting learning process, and since I love to learn new things, I'm sure it will be very rewarding.

Wild Cherry M&M's

2008-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Lisa ran an errand today and found something new at the Rite-Aid check-out counter: Wild Cherry M&M's. She shared the pieces, and they're surprisingly yummy. It's probably a limited market test, but makes for a nice variety to enjoy (while they're around).

PC to Mac Adventure Diary of Tanya

2008-03-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Amiga was a superior machine before the others.

I've been a Windows/PC power user for many years now. I can whip through multiple applications at a time and am advanced user-certified in Microsoft Office. I create graphics, videos, sound clips and Web pages with ease in the PC environment. And, I could probably help most anyone on their PC application questions. I can even adjust things under the hood when needed on my two personal PCs.

So needless to say, this week was a big step - I got a new a MacBook Pro, and it's going to become my primary personal computer. (Yikes, that thought makes me nervous!!)

It will be fun, but it will also a painful transition.

You'll know if this process is successful or not if I can avoid using a Windows virtual image on my Mac. For now, I won't do it. But I haven't packed up my (falling apart) Vaio yet either.
Many of our friends are Mac fans and have been extolling the virtues and superiority of Macs for many years to Dave and I. Years ago, I had used under-powered Macs in a few different settings, but this was before the common availability of broadband Internet and when Steve Jobs was away playing in other places. (Back then, I preferred the Amiga, which was far ahead of its time with graphical interfaces and true multi-tasking functionality that neither Windows or Mac OS had achieved.)

I hope that this new experience will show me the advantages to the qualities of this "superior" tool.

As I learn to transition to this new environment, I'll post my observations and struggles, so that perhaps you can "help" me along the way.

Let the adventure begin!

Study Challenges Common Assumptions about Influencers

2008-03-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like there are more questions about how viral marketers understand influencers, a group discussed in Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point.

Guy Kawasaki recently wrote an extremely helpful summary on a CNET Networks study of this topic. This new research challenges our assumptions about the motivations and methods of influencers in social networks.

Read Guy's post (and add his blog to your RSS reader). Great stuff.

Fun Quiz - Know Your Cuts of Beef?

2008-03-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

Founds this fun site via one of the food blogs I read this weekend....

The interactivity of this "game" is fun, as you attempt to drag and drop the cuts of meat onto the correct part of the animal. LOL

It's About Having a (Great) Story

2008-02-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes translating business ideas into a story is difficult. But, it's essential for effective communication and influence.

This article by Kevin Dugan provides a great overview of how to build memorable stories... good stuff.

Good-bye 2007, Hello 2008

2008-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Vanessa inspired me to take this survey as a way to start the New Year. I thought it was a great way to review the old and look forward to the new.

What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
move to California, to live!

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions and won't this year. I will continue to try to make it a better year than the last.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister had twins -- see her blog dedicated to them. :-)

Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no. But Dave lost someone important to him.

What countries did you visit?
Ummm. I went nowhere! How boring. And sad. Does wanting to go to Thailand count?

What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A little more stability. :-)

What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Is it bad that I can't think of any particular date? I remember the move, especially leaving snowy Michigan, but don't remember the date any more.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didn't really achieve much. Maybe full-time employment at Cisco.

What was your biggest failure?
The Journey 2.0 relaunch

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty healthy, at least physically.

What was the best thing you bought?
Dave got me a Wii, and it's a great party/group game that entertained my family when they visited during Christmas.

Where did most of your money go?
Toward the downpayment for our new house.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
California, a new church community model, home organization, wine

What song(s) will always remind you of 2007?
Omigod You Guys, from Legally Blonde, the musical

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? happier - change has been good for me
thinner or fatter? fatter - and I want to change that, sort of LOL
richer or poorer? richer in dollars, but not in lifestyle (that's what buying a house in the Bay area will do to you)

What do you wish you’d done more of? blogging.

What do you wish you’d done less of? eating. (see above answer about being fatter)

How did you spend Christmas?
hanging with my sister, brother-in-law, nephews, aunt, uncle and second cousin -- who ALL came to visit. :-)

Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes, with California

How many one-night stands?
none

What was your favorite TV program?
Heroes

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Dave's former boss

What was the best book you read?
Blue Like Jazz

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2007?
Ryan Post

What did you want and get?
cool new friends, a new job and a better climate

What did you want and not get?
a trip to Hawaii and/or Thailand, an immersion blender

What was your favorite film of this year?
I can't recall anything that was amazing. But, we rarely go to theatres, since everything can be downloaded on the TiVo using Amazon Unbox.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Sadly, we did NOTHING. My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, and even my restaurant picks were closed. :-( This year's better be good, since it is the big 4-0.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I have no idea. It was a pretty good year, in all.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Bargain hunting. With Dave's unemployment, I didn't really invest in any fashion concepts this year.

What kept you sane?
A good husband and new friends

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
??? who fancies celebrities?

What political issue stirred you the most?
nothing really - politics has lost its meaning for me

Who did you miss?
Jill, Kathy, Rich, Adam, Kellen and Lindsay

Who was the best new person you met?
I met a lot of cool new people, including Vanessa, Christine and Robin.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007
change can be challenging, but in the end it works out for the best

An obversation about my iPhone

2008-01-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Dave and I are geeks and as such did the "early adopter" thing by getting iPhones last year. I love my iPhone and do not regret switching from Windows Mobile to this device, mostly because the hardware and aesthetics are so beautiful.

Just this past week, I spent some time in a cold, snowy climate again, for a work planning retreat that was held at a ski resort near Tahoe. I dug out my gloves, winter coat, boots and scarf; and bundled up each morning to walk to the conference center. (Ugh! I moved to the South Bay area to avoid this weather!)

One thing I noticed, however, that the iPhone is pretty much impossible to use with gloves, and as such would be pretty inconvenient for me if I still lived in Michigan's long winters. This is because the glass touch screen responds to the heat from bare fingers and did not respond or work when I wore gloves!

That would be annoying... in order to answer your iPhone, you have to peel off gloves and expose your skin to the cold wind and snow. ;-) Thank goodness I live in Cupertino and only occasionally travel to snowy climes.

The craziness of the mortgage industry

2007-12-01T07:41:00.001-08:00

We're in the process of getting ready to buy a house and are meeting with a mortgage salesperson today. In the spirit of this craziness, here's a funny video about said industry.

Tanya's Shared Items

2007-11-28T06:02:00.000-08:00

I read a lot of interesting blogs and news items, including some really great ones from my Facebook friends. Now, you can see the best of the best through a shared-items compilation that I build with Google Reader.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, I will have the shared items automatically imported using a cool Blogger interface built to work with Google Reader. (see the blue box on the right-hand side of this blog)

Or, if you use an RSS reader, you can read my shared items with this link

If you'd rather just read my shared items on a Web page, use this link