Spence Smith

The New American Airlines And Their Merger With US Airways

2013-02-15T17:23:09Z

Most of you who keep up with me on twitter know at least two things are certain about me.

I love traveling and I love flying American Airlines.

Something you won’t pick up from me very often at all is my dislike for other airlines or even bad customer experience from products I use. I think the days of complaining on twitter are not as productive as they once were (there are some exceptions to this) and it does make the complainer look like… a complainer.

Before I go any further I need to say this. No matter who you like to fly… ALL AIRLINES HAVE THEIR SHARE OF PROBLEMS and American certainly has their fair share of them. So there is really no perfect airline, but there are airlines who minimize the negatives well and handle customer service well. @AmericanAir has mastered handling customer service through social media better than any I have seen. Bravo!

Now… all that to say, the thought of my favorite airline merging with my least favorite airline scared the mess out of me. But now my view has completely changed for the positive.

It all started when American Airlines rolled out their new branding and their new planes equipped with updated cabins.

Over the past twelve years I’ve racked up almost 2.5 million flown miles with American with a portion of that internationally. One major area they have been way behind in is their cabins in economy, business and first class for international travel where not what they could be. Don’t get me wrong, flying business class to Europe or Asia is pretty amazing, but still behind the competition.

This is in the process of all being updated. I’ve seen the new look of the cabins and I’m impressed. They have finally stepped up to the international plate and firmly made their place at the table. Domestically, this means upgrades as well which is always a good thing.

I’m also impressed with the new look of the American Airlines brand. The new livery on the planes look awesome and the logo is slick. It feels very contemporary and competitive.

So here’s the part I was really concerned with – The merger with US Airways.

The few times I’ve flown US Airways, the experience was less than impressive. From the checking in process all the way through the flight I never felt like this airline was really trying to win friends and influence travelers. However, I’ve always made it to my destination.

The truth is I’ve never been a fan. Ever. So when I heard they are going to merge… I got a little shaky. “What’s going to happen to my American Airlines!!!”

In the past couple of weeks I found out that US Airways has been operating in a profit. WHAT??? Yep… it’s true. That right there told me that no matter what I don’t like about them, they are doing something right.

Then as recently as yesterday when the merger came through, all the reports I heard and read had these things to say. The labor unions at American are extremely happy with the merger which hopefully means no more sabotaged delays by pilots, mechanics and flight attendants for us! YEAH!

Also this new company merger will retain all the brand of the New American Airlines and the Advantage frequent flyer program stay the same. My guess is the US Airways frequent flyer program will get merged into Americans frequent flyer program. Home office will still be in Dallas and here is the great part for employees of both companies. Because there is minimal overlap of routes, there aren’t expected to be any major layoff’s. At least that is what’s being reported in the news so far.

So, it sounds like a win/win for everyone. Us as travelers and them as a company trying to stay alive and in the game giving us all a big and better travel experience.

I have to say the way this all rolled out in the recent weeks did nothing short of increase my loyalty to American Airlines. Rolling out impressive new branding followed by a very promising merger exceeded every expectation I had for this situation.

How One Piece Of Information Changed My Entire Perspective

2013-02-06T21:10:23Z

When I moved to Colorado, one of the first things I did was join Life Time Fitness. It has everything I need to continue training for Triathlons along with one of the strongest cycling clubs in their system and a growing community of triathletes.

One of the big perks is they have an outdoor pool and an indoor pool for lap swimming. However, when I got in the pool I was frustrated how slow I was swimming. Sure, I hadn’t been training as much so I felt slower in the pool but something was off. Maybe it’s trying to swim at 7,000 feet is the problem? Or maybe I was just that much out of shape.

I’ll go with all of the above. No matter, I have since been very frustrated when I get in the pool. I was really missing the pool I swam in and the group I swam with in Brentwood, TN was even greater.

Until a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago I started swimming with an organized group of masters triathletes at Life Time Fitness. We meet at least once a week and our swim coach gives us the workout to swim through. During our first workout with him, he started throwing out drills to us in meters… not yards. WHAT?!?!?

You see. This whole time of being at Life Time, I thought they were 25 yard pools. There are no postings anywhere about the length of the pool and it’s pretty easy to assume by the looks of things, these are 25 yard pools.

Nope… they are 25 meter pools!! For all of you non Yard/Meter people. A 25 meter pool is just a few yards longer than a 25 yard pool.

Well now this changes everything! No wonder my stroke length was longer. No wonder my 100 Yard average swim was long! Because it was 100 Meters!!!!

When I realized this during my workout, my whole outlook changed. I went from grumpy swimmer to happy swimmer. I really was on track with where I should be and with the work I needed to do to get faster. Ahhhhhh relief!!!!!!

Funny how the mind works right?

Did the physical distance change and get shorter? No. Did I suddenly get faster? No.

My perspective completely changed with one single shift of knowledge and everything became clear and obtainable.

What is it in your life that if one piece of info changed, your goals would seem more possible? What would happen to your outlook on frustrating parts of your life if you could shift the situation with one missing piece of information?

I can’t tell you how many times this has happened in my life…

“If I had only known that one thing…”

I would have approached things differently.

The First Step To A Healthy Life Is Realizing You Are Unhealthy

2013-01-18T22:15:28Z

This title “The First Step To A Healthy Life Is Realizing You Are Unhealthy” sounds like a “no duh” statement. But the truth is, most people who want to be healthier look at life from a “I know I need to eat better and exercise more” view point. The road to a healthy lifestyle is much, much more than that.

I’ve always felt like my life has been on this interesting journey of sorts, especially the past 8 years, but it didn’t get seriously whacked until I went through a divorce in 2005. The start of these past 8 years was “things get worse before life gets better” and when life got better there was also redemption at the end of the rainbow.

There came a time during it all that I realized how unhealthy I really was and how much my own unhealthiness had played such a huge part in leading up to the divorce.

On the outside, I looked like life was all-good. But on the inside I was an emotional, spiritual and physical wreck. The problem here is it’s really hard to see the unhealthiness when you are going through it. It’s easy to place blame on everything else going on around you when in the end… all of the responsibility for your life falls on… YOU. I mean me in this case… you know what I mean.

I remember the day I realized how unhealthy I really was. It was so depressing. I tried to play it tough. I was trying to hold it all together and be the strong guy, but when I looked in the mirror I clearly saw someone not strong, someone who doesn’t have it together and someone desperately in need of help.

I had my family and a few friends when I needed them, but I was still lacking so much more that I really longed for – A healthy mind, body and spirit. I wanted this, but there was no way I could even begin to get there until I recognized I was unhealthy and what parts of my life needed the most repair.

And that’s where we start the road to a healthy life… at the bottom of an unhealthy life owning our stuff and taking responsibility for what we’ve done to ourselves so that we can be responsible for becoming healthy again.

It’s not an easy road, but it all started with me making a choice to get healthy and to do this on my own with the support of my family and friends. But here’s a key factor in this decision – I had to do it for me first so that I could be strong on my own and really discover who I am on the inside and how to navigate life from a stronger foundation. The residual from this is my family and friends benefit from a healthier and livelier me.

For me it started with lacing up my running shoes, which resulted in stepping into a community of people (like me) looking to make their lives a healthier place as well. This one act led me to my first Ironman race a few years later. Something I thought I would never do.

For some of you, your start is going to be different. It might be some other hobby that brings your peace and clarity of mind.

But whatever it is. It has to start with you. The focus and the journey become easier as you go and the opportunity to expand into healthier areas becomes clearer.

I started with the physical side. It was the easiest place for me to start. I didn’t realize by starting there it would open up space to clear my head, gain more confidence and give me a place to meditate and pray.

I’ve been through a lot since then. A lot of healing, redemption and growth have occurred. But by no means am I saying my life is perfect now. It just means I’m more in tune with what is happening in my life and I have a foundation to continue to improve and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

We all know that life ebbs and flows. There are ups and downs even for the healthiest people. But being in a healthier place helps us to tackle the good times and the bad times with a lot more grace, focus and understanding.

What are you doing to get into a healthy place for your mental, physical and spiritual life? Where is your start and are you owning it?

The Pure Joy Of Staying Connected To Childhood Dreams

2013-01-16T00:12:06Z

By the time I was in high school, I had come up with three dreams in life of “when I grow up, I want to be a…” That’s right. Three.

One of these dreams actually became a reality in my life, while another became a sport hobby and the third became… “I almost switched my major in college to do that”.

The one that became a reality was to be a drummer in a touring band. Not a bar band or a non touring local act (nothing wrong with those at all) but a band who played in front of thousands of people and traveled the country in a tour bus kind of band. I did that and it was fun and still is fun when I get to do it on occasion.

The other two dreams were a little more out there.

I really wanted to be a Killer Whale trainer at Sea World. ( I know, what?!?!) When I was a junior in college I found out what it would take. I was amazed that I already had a bulk of the qualifications and only needed to alter some classes for the college part of it, get re-certified in SCUBA and go through the training at Sea World. But… I didn’t. My love for music was greater and seemed more promising.

Don’t let me fool you though. Some days I wonder what would have happened had I packed it up and headed to Sea World.

My third dream was completely an impossible thought. Or so I thought.

You see, my all time favorite sport growing up was snow skiing. Yes, I grew up in Arkansas and no; there aren’t any ski slopes there. Thanks to my dad, we would travel to Colorado and New Mexico to ski any slope that was open. Usually just one week out of the year, sometimes two trips if we were lucky.

I freaking loved to ski more than you will ever know.

Once college got going I went a few more times and then when I graduated and co-founded Big Tent Revival, there was no way I would have the time or the money to go. So I didn’t.

In fact, as we traveled by plane in the band, I would avoid the magazine racks in the airport during winter and spring just so I wouldn’t see the Ski magazines. I knew it would be all I could do not to think about skiing knowing I couldn’t go… Well then what was the point in torturing myself?

Growing up I had always wanted to live in Colorado. It’s a scene I would play over and over in my head as I rode the ski lift each year. “Can I imagine actually living here? I mean… unlimited access to the slopes!!” Then I would imagine myself as a ski instructor or more accurately, a ski bum working the lift, listening to Bob Marley just for the season lift ticket.

So here I am today, living in Colorado with a job, family and a season lift ticket. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago when I was skiing that I realized how much I had suppressed my love for skiing and how much fun I was actually having. I don’t have quite the daring spirit for tackling the hard slopes like I did in my teens, but my love for the sport is unmatched. Even for someone who loves triathlon as much as I do. I love skiing even more. Did I mention I got to meet Billy Kidd at an event last year in Boulder? I was star struck and I don’t get that way… ever. For some reason I felt the need to thank him for being such an inspiration to me even while growing up in Arkansas.

Skiing has reminded me that I’m never too old to still love my childhood dreams and to find ways to keep them alive in my life somehow, even if it’s only a fraction of what I wanted it to be as a kid.

So each time I go to the slopes now, I think back on all those trips with my family. All the fun times. All the familiar sights, smells, cold wind, warm sun and difficult to walk in ski boots.

I remember those times and think… “now I get to live out some of my childhood. I’m two hours to the nearest ski lift and I’m going to go for it when I can. Have ski lift pass… will ski.”

I’m that guy when people ask me, “so do you like to ski?” I usually respond with, “A little bit, I did it growing up.” I have no idea why I really respond this way instead of saying I love it so much! I feel like I’m just now allowing myself to dive back in and I don’t want people to REALLY know how much I love the sport. Almost as if I’ve really been holding back the excitement of it all and am afraid to let it out. I don’t want to scare anyone.

I know… it sounds crazy, but sometimes we all need a little something in our lives that gets us really excited. Something that gives us that fresh energy. Something we can do that is just for the sake of taking us back to center with a child-like excitement that can only be described as pure joy at it’s core. The kind of pure joy we can have as adults because now… we are mature enough to appreciate it and experience it in a way that we never could have imagined.

What is that for you?

What is it you wanted to do as a kid that you can do today ? You know… the one thing that would give you the biggest smile and make you incredibly excited to be alive?

P.S. Anytime I go to San Diego or Orlando, I try to carve out a little time to go say hi to Shamu. Just because…

Three Fundamentals Of Social Media That Will Never Change

2013-01-15T13:40:34Z

Trends in the way people use social media are constantly changing. What was once a good practice six months ago might not even be worth the effort or relevant today. In fact, over my years of blogging and using networks like twitter, facebook and more recently instagram, I’ve seen things change rapidly.

Don’t you feel like there is so much going in social media these days that is hard to keep up? New technologies, new social networks, new ways people communicate and share content. It fast, it’s changing and it’s still right where it needs to be.

One of the things I love is watching people catch on to how other people communicate and share content. Hashtags were once a part of twitter that not many understood. Now hashtags are their own language and bring certain connotation to the conversation.

Example: Where once you might hear a friend say “You’re the bomb dot com” or “You’re the bomb”, you might just as easily hear them say “Hashtag You’re The Bomb!” #yourethebomb

Why do things change online? Because networks like twitter, facebook and instagram function as a living entity where the heart beat and movement is completely user generated. As the online community grows, communicates, reacts, responds and intervenes… practices and methods of what’s acceptable change. It’s amazing to watch over time, but even more amazing to see how we as an online society make small changes because of the subtle changes everyone seem to make as new ideas and practices emerge.

However, even through the change, there are still three fundamental characteristics that still and always will remain the same at their core.

Content is still king. Rule #1 Quality, compelling and engaging content attracts readers. Rule #2 posting content keeps readers coming back to your blog. Rule #3 when in doubt about whether to post content or not, refer back to Rule #1 and Rule #2.
Authenticity still matters. There are a lot of great bloggers and social networkers out there, but the ones who write from their heart… and their gut are the best ones to read. There’s nothing holding them back in the way they communicate what they have to say. And yes. This means, bloggers don’t have to be great writers and they don’t have to always be polished. It’s the readers nature to expect grammatical errors, typos and poor sentence structure. Thank God, because I wouldn’t have one reader or follower if that were the case.
Transparency is the window to all things that really connect with the reader. It’s about sharing those bits of info you might otherwise guard. It’s about sharing those hints and little sides of life that people really don’t know about you or about what you do… or more importantly, how you do it. Example: want to know how Michael Hyatt became such a great blogger? Read his book Platform or clue into his blog. He lays it all out there… all of it.

One thing I would caution in being transparent. Sharing info that you would otherwise guard doesn’t mean airing out your dirty laundry or telling the world about all of your problems or even you bringing others down in public. Having said that, there will always be people who do that and get lots of readers because of it. I’ve watched a blogger go from encouraging to critical over the past year and watched their readership, twitter following and business decline with every negative post. No one likes a sour puss… even online.

On the other hand, there are some people who are so transparent in a good way that they give us permission to grieve with them through personal loss like in the case of my friend Angie Smith. She turned the loss of her daughter at birth into a journey many women have experienced and created a forum for growth to encourage people to keep moving in life. Hats off to those who can be that vulnerable online.

So no matter what is the newest, next big thing is in the social media world, these three characteristics will always be at the foundation of blogging and your favorite social media network.

Thoughts?

When Patience Is A Virtue Of Training

2013-01-14T19:57:17Z

Patience…

It’s the one word that kept running through my head as I was in the middle of a tough workout on my bike recently. It was a grueling 90 minutes. Not just for my body but for my mind as well.

I’m training for a few triathlon races this summer. I’m back with my coach and I love her style. She has me training within certain Hear Rate (HR) zones during each workout. Zones 1 and 2 are easier while zone 3, 4 and 5 are harder. You could imagine that zone 5 is at the top of the HR zones and really, really tough to maintain for a long period of time… not really recommended in fact.

In endurance racing such as triathlons, long bike rides or long runs. It’s all about being able to keep moving at a good pace with out wearing yourself out. When most people are starting out, they don’t realize how much staying in the right HR zone impacts their training or the whole race.

Remember, your heart is a muscle and needs to be trained just like any other muscle. So as I’m training and getting my body in shape with long bike rides, runs and swimming thousands of yards in the pool. I want to be able to maintain my distance and time by working out according to where my HR zone should be. Which usually means going slower than you feel like you should be going in order to build endurance over time.

Thus patience.

When I’m in a spin class, on my bike or on a run. My coach might have me going a certain distance in a low zone… Zones 1 or 2. Staying in these zones mean moving slower and taking longer to go the required distance.

But it’s this way for a reason. It helps me to build my heart over longer distances at a slower pace so that I can gradually increase over time. Eventually I will go longer miles faster without my heart feeling like it’s going to explode.

Why is patience needed?

Because we all want to go faster. We all feel like we are getting where going slower. I say we because a lot of us experience this in so many areas of our lives. Not just the training part. And it’s especially true for me. I know where I’m going and what I’m supposed to be doing so let’s just get there now! Faster! Sometimes I want to accelerate life because of where I really want to be when in reality I should stay right where I am because it’s where I should be.

It’s not easy and in fact feels counter productive at times, but in the end it’s the right way to go.

Good comes to those who wait right?

But better things come to those who are patient.

It’s a tough lesson to learn which is why I have a coach and people in my life to keep my accountable when I need it most.

When you are faced with a workout or a tough situation in life, how do you deal with the patience of having to stay in the zone when you want to be moving ahead of yourself?

Are You Ready For 2013?

2013-01-14T19:59:57Z

In just a couple of days, 2013 will be here and the question is…

Are you ready for 2013?

The beginning of 2013, like most beginnings of the new year brings with it new years resolutions, new commitments and renewed energy to do something different or change bad habits in to good habits.

The beginning of the year can be full of all sorts of new opportunities.

Every year, I get to this place and I try to figure out a few things and go from there.

What triathlon races will I compete in and which running races will I use as training bench marks.
What will I do differently to make my job more exciting this year than the year before.
What new venture can I get into that keeps my creative juices flowing.
What can I do to be a better me for my family and friends.

Some years I’ve hit everything I wanted to accomplish (yes, it was a very small list), but I’ve found it’s ok if I don’t hit everything I want to do.

The important thing for me is to always be improving who I am and how I do things. It not only benefits me… but it really benefits those around me who have to deal with me on a daily basis.

These days, when I get ready for a new year, I don’t just think about it, I do things to put my goals in motion. I sign up for races months in advance and start getting my mind ready for what’s ahead. Wait a second what?

That’s right… I get my mind ready for what’s ahead.

For instance, on December 31, 2012 I officially start training for the 2013 triathlon season. I have races and goals I want to meet along the way. But for the past two weeks I’ve been getting my head in the game to get ready for the commitment it will take to get there.

I get all that I need to train together and organized. I start looking at training times and travel schedules and I start planning life out weeks in advance so I know what is ahead of me.

If I were to wake up on dec 31^st and say “ok let’s go run now” with no plan or not even being prepared with what I need for the run, then what good am I doing myself? None at all!!

So, as you get into 2013, don’t forget to get your head in the game first. It might make the difference in success or failure for you. I know it does for me.

What are your plans for 2013?

Friends Are The Sweetness In Life

2013-01-14T20:12:07Z

Friendship can be a funny thing to navigate sometimes. We’ve all had our ups and downs with friends. Some grow closer, some we lose, some we don’t know what to do with and some we wish we had just a little more time with.

I recently got to spend an awesome evening of dinner and conversation with some guys in my life and their wives who I spent the better part of 3 – 4 years meeting with on a weekly basis as we did life together. Encouraging each other and helping give advice to each other in areas of family, career, relationships… It was the one day every week I REALLY looked forward to.

It was 9am every Tuesday at Merridee’s in Franklin, TN. ( not to mention our Franklin Campus Tuesday night dinners we/are epicly great. In fact, Tuesday mornings and evenings were so important to me that I only booked it as a travel day if being gone on Tuesday for work was the very last resort. )

As I sat with these guys and their wives, I looked each guy in the room at some point in the evening. Watched them tell stories, watched them laugh. Listened to them and caught up with them. I realized in those moments how much these guys mean to me. How big of a roll each one has played and still play in my life… and how much I miss getting to being with them on a weekly basis. Even though we all don’t see each other regularly, we make sure and stay connected because our friendship runs deep.

Sure, we keep up with each other on twitter, instagram and facebook – but it’s that real face time that we experience that sweetens the ties that bind us together to be able to share life with each other.

We have all walked through some of the most difficult seasons of our lives together and come out on the other side better for it. Some of our group wasn’t able to be there because of prior commitments. They were equally and greatly missed. So we sat, caught up, talked of kids, careers, friendship, new relationships, old friends and new achievements.

All of this makes me reflect on different friends I have and how I handle the time we spend together. Making sure we make the most of every minute of conversation. That same day I had two other conversations with dear friends and walked away wishing I had more time. I walked away missing them… more than I realized I ever would.

It’s friendships like this that run deep into our souls where we hold such friends in the most special place we have. It’s knowing, I might be thousands of miles away from you or even an hour away, but I will do anything and everything I can for you when you need me for any reason.

It’s here over this next Christmas break and while ushering a new year that I will be taking time to prioritize how I go deeper with who and when… and why.

It’s here I realize and know without a shadow of a doubt. Some friendships are worth the fight and worth the celebration.

It’s here I realize… Friends are that sweetness in life and help us live life in the best way possible.

So to my friends who I get time with and to my friends I wish I had more time.

Thank you for being in my life and pouring yourself into me.

Question: What do your friends mean to you?

Getting Fit Is A Decision

2013-01-14T22:37:23Z

I know. Some people are just genetically awesome and could eat big macs every day then go run a half marathon with very little training. I have a friend like this.

However, for the rest of us, getting healthy and staying fit is a struggle, a daily effort, something that we know we should do, it’s a pain in the butt, it’s too time consuming… it’s… it’s… well.

One thing is for sure.

Getting fit is a decision.

It’s like anything else we try to go after in life. No one starts out perfect at it and we have to work to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. That’s right. It takes work. It takes setting goals. It takes making a conscience effort to wake up and say, “not only is part of my day going to consist of getting fit, but my life is going to consist of living healthy.”

It’s not easy.

It’s not easy for me and it’s not easy for a lot of people. But it can be done. It reminds me that this whole notion falls in line with something else I believe in.

Happiness is a decision.

You see. We can’t wish that reading a good book on fitness or hanging around fit people will make us fit. In the same thought, we can’t count on others to make us happy. We have to go there on our own first. It’s something that we have to decide we are going to do first.

Fitness is the same way. We have to take steps on our own (no pun intended) to get to the gym, to get into that fitness class or put those running shoes on.

WE… you and me… have to do this ourselves, but as we do it, we can find inspiration in others to help keep us going. We can find community in others who will keep us accountable to our goals we set for our soon to be more fit and healthy lives. We can find programs, classes and clubs that will help us get there.

WE can do things to turn the environment around us into one that helps promote a healthy lifestyle.

It’s possible. It takes a little planning but it’s possible.

So, for all those who are about to come into the new year of 2013 with a resolution to get fit and healthy. Let me help you with a piece of advice.

Do this because you want it. Do this because you need it to be part of your life’s DNA. Do it because it’s something that you want to last and not something you are going to just devote 90 days to. Do it because your spouse and your kids need you to be healthy. Do it because you become a better boss, CEO, employee. Do it for the balance it brings to your life. Do it because God gives us these little gifts of responsibility like taking care of our bodies… not just our minds and spirit.

My life verse has always been “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13. When you have God as your source of strength, it makes life a little easier to go that extra mile in your running shoes when you want to stop.

Do this because you can.

But it has to start with you. You can do this.

Why I’m Switching Hotel Brands

2013-01-14T22:38:41Z

For the past 12 years, I’ve been traveling like a mad man. Flying about 25 – 30 round trip flights a year on American Airlines and staying in Hilton brand (Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites) hotels almost every night of those trips. About 40 – 50 nights a year, sometimes more. But it’s time for a change.

I really like what Hilton has done over the years. They are a great brand but I find my personal tastes changing. So I’m switching to Marriott. I’m needing more from a hotel brand that makes travel just a tad easier and honestly… I like seeing big brands who are updating their look to keep up with travel trends.

I saw this when I walked into a Courtyard Marriott. I felt like I found a hotel that looks as cool as Aloft but with a lot more comfort.

I was very impressed.

One of the reasons I’m switching is this. Over the years, I’ve paid close attention to how loyalty and points programs have changed. What seems to be happening is some big brands tend to make it harder and harder to get to a higher level of status and to accumulate points. Thus making it harder to book a free night stay or a free flight.

When I looked into Marriott rewards a little closer I noticed not only is can you accumulate points and status a little faster, Marriott also has a very competitive structure for redeeming rewards for a free night stay.

Example: I booked our family a free night with Courtyard Marriott for our Thanksgiving trip. It cost 10,000 points. The Hampton Inn down the street costs 25,000 points. Both hotels are in the same area.

Here was something of a surprise for me as well. I went to re-activate my Marriott rewards number, which I haven’t used in YEARS! I was shocked to see I still had 17,000 unused points with Marriott. Yep… so I used them:)

Marriott also has a very intuitive app. I just booked a weekend of hotels for a run in Texas using the app and it was just as fast, if not faster than going online to book the rooms.

Now… let’s say most things in the travel world are equal. Many large hotel brands are close in comparison. Nice rooms, good prices etc.

But here was the one deciding factor that put me over the edge. I decided to tweet out that I was thinking of switching from @HiltonHHonors to @Marriott.

I immediately got a response from @Marriott and @CourtyardHotels. I had a short conversation with both of them. Brought @AmericanAir into the conversation… they responded as well… and made my decision.

Any brand willing to engage the conversation people are having about them is worth taking my business there. It’s one of the main reasons I fly American Airlines and rent cars from National.

As a side note… @HiltonHHonors was silent the whole time.

Am I mad at Hilton? Not at all. Do I feel like I deserve something from them? Not at all. I’ve given them 12 years of loyal business and they have served me well. But times are changing and becoming more updated with the needs of this new travel world.

Big travel brands need to remember. There are a lot of business travelers like me wanting to engage with them online to better the experience all the way around from talking favorably about their brand online to getting some faster customer service.

Marriott gets it. So does American Airlines.

If you are loyal to certain brands… Why? What is it that makes you proud to be their customer?

Why I Loved Riding The Roubiax Specialized Road Bike

2013-01-13T22:12:09Z

Recently my favorite local bike shop, Café Velo, hosted a demo ride day with Specialized Bikes.

First, if you are in Colorado Springs, you should stop by Café Velo. It’s a coffee shop and bike shop all in one! I mean really. Who doesn’t like sitting around really cool bikes while sipping a little java and watching a cycling race on TV. I love it. Plus, this shop is very triathlete friendly which is a huge plus in my book.

Back to the demo ride with Specialized.

When I’m not traveling and have the time, I typically go for a group ride with LifeTime Fitness Cycling Club. This particular Saturday we all demo’d Specialized Bikes… Hosted by Café Velo.

I had reserved a bike before I had arrived. Not knowing what I really wanted to ride I ended up on a Specialized Roubaix Expert with Ultegra Di2 shifters.

Oh man… was it ever smooth, tight and light!

Now… I’ve ridden a couple of specialized bikes in the past and loved it. But this was amazing. In fact, everyone riding that day had different Specialized bikes and everyone loved to experience. I was secretly coveting the Venge series bike. I have a feeling if Batman was into cycling, he’d have this bike.

The Roubiax for me was a welcome change for me to ride. Before we started, I stood with the bike and kept lifting the handle-bars so the front end of the bike would come off the ground. I kept saying to my friends around me… “This bike is so light! Is yours? I mean really! Look at how light this thing is!” It’s hard to believe something that weighs so little will carry a person for hundreds of miles over time with very little problems.

As I left the parking lot, I took a little time to get used to the Shimano Ultegra Di2 shifters… electronic shifters. I had seen them before but had never used them. To say I was slightly spoiled would be an understatement. Shifting was perfectly smooth and it all happened with the touch of a button. Four buttons to be exact. They are in the same positions as regular shifters and do the very same thing… but with ease. One of the highlights was knowing the shifters would trim out into smoothness when going from the big chain ring to small chain ring and vice versa.

I think the biggest thing to get used to when shifting was not hearing the gears shift. The electronic component on the crank makes a small electrical sound but it sounds really cool.

As I road, I could feel how light the bike was and the cassette on the back wheel was just what I needed to get up a category 3 climb with relative ease. At 6,500 feet in altitude…. I need all the ease I can get!

Because this bike felt so light and tight, there were times when the second I would pedal harder, I felt like the bike was going to run out from under me. Again… I was amazed and could tell… this awesome bike I’m sitting on has a lot more going on than meets the eye.

I’ve been looking at getting a new road bike for a while. When I moved to Colorado Springs all I had and still have is a Cervelo P2 Triathlon bike, which I have always loved. Colorado Springs has these long hills and riding in Colorado is not tri bike friendly like it was in Nashville. Plus… my brother-in-law, Biju Thomas, has been bugging me for a while now to get a road bike and only use the TT bike for races.

I agree and I’m pretty sure that when the time comes, it’s going to be Specialized.

For you cyclists and triathletes reading this, what road bike are you riding and why?

I’m Alive In The Age Of Worry… Are You?

2012-09-10T18:24:36Z

Yesterday I was out for a run. Had my headphones in and my iPod on listening to songs that would keep me moving a little faster than I felt like going.

In my list are a few John Mayer songs and I had just put some songs in my list from his newest album Born and Raised… which I love. The lyrics I put below are to the 2^nd song on the album. It’s called The Age Of Worry. I had listened to this song a lot but didn’t pay as close of attention to the lyrics as I did on the run.

A couple of things I thought of when I listened more closely to this song.

I love how John Mayer has been writing songs that show us what he has been learning and experience in his life as he gets older. He has come a long way from Your Body Is A Wonderland to War Of My Life.
The Age of Worry is a huge reminder that we are always going to have some worry in our lives, but we shouldn’t let it consume our lives. Some of us will have more than others. I know people who worry so much that it cripples their ability to think reasonably and keeps them from living a full life. They worry so much that the stress of it all impairs their health and relationships and leaves them completely unfulfilled in life.

This song wraps it up so well… yes, we are in an age of worry and we put ourselves in situation that cause worry. As long as there is worry in our lives lets call it for what it is, face it and let worry know… why should I care about you? I’m done with you… get out of here. If you haven’t heard this song… go download it. Read these lyrics and know… we can over come the worry in our lives and turn it around. We can make better decisions that lead us to less worry and put ourselves in situations that decrease worry along the way.

“The Age Of Worry”

John Mayer from the album Born And Raised

Close your eyes and clone yourself
Build your heart an army
To defend your innocence
While you do everything wrong

Don’t be scared to walk alone
Don’t be scared to like it
There’s no time that you must be home
So sleep where darkness falls

Alive in the age of worry
Smile in the age of worry
Go wild in the age of worry
And say, “Worry, why should I care?”

Know your fight is not with them
Yours is with your time here
Dream your dreams but don’t pretend
Make friends with what you are

Give your heart then change your mind
You’re allowed to do it
‘Cause God knows it’s been done to you
And somehow you got through it

Alive in the age of worry
Rage in the age of worry
Sing out in the age of worry
And say, “Worry, why should I care?”

Rage in the age of worry
Act your age in the age of worry
And say, “Worry, get out of here!”