34 Thoughts for 34 Days: Musings from a Half-Marathon, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and an Ultra Relay

Surprisingly, all the races, TSA lines, packed work schedules, and trail running gave me some good time to think. It also might have been the onslaught of double shots of espresso and adrenaline. However, the result is the same and presented to you below.

Oh man, it’s been awhile since I posted, but thankfully I can explain. The short answer: I was busy. The long answer: I ran a half-marathon then visited ANCORE HQ then came home to prepare for our biggest shopping week of the year (Black Friday) then went home for Thanksgiving then launched our Black Friday campaign then went back to HQ for our Christmas party then came home and ran the second leg of an ultra marathon relay.

I realize that’s a massive run-on sentence and all my English teachers ever are feeling a disturbance in the force because of it. But, stylistically, it felt right and gets the point across. Reflecting on it now, I’m almost certain this was the busiest month-long stretch in my life. I wouldn’t change it for the world either. Getting to see friends, family and colleagues is wonderful and what makes this time of year so special.

Surprisingly, all the races, TSA lines, packed work schedules, and trail running gave me some good time to think. It also might have been the onslaught of double shots of espresso and adrenaline. However, the result is the same and presented to you below. Here’s 34 thoughts from a packed 34 days.

1. If you think you’re overtraining, you’re probably overtraining. Unfortunately, I learned this one the hard way during the half-marathon. I didn’t want to believe I overtrained in the months leading up, but when my legs felt like cement at mile seven, I knew I did. The only thing to do is to learn and take it easy on myself next time.

2. Don't bank on adrenaline to give you an extra push. Yes, you'll be jacked up during a race, but you'd much rather it be a bonus than a prerequisite for a PR. 

3. Speaking of recovery, my trainer Ben said something so profound in our post-race call that I just have to include it here. Here’s the gist: Improving at anything is about stimulus (i.e., a workout, long-run, etc) and a response (i.e., recovery). The response phase is where we get stronger, faster, and smarter. However, if you overload on stimulus, then your body can’t catch up and you run yourself into the ground. In other words, taking time to recover is just as important as getting better.

4. You can’t get a new PR every time. Setting lofty goals is good, but don’t be disappointed if you end up with a new second best record.

5. Mobile ordering your Starbucks at the airport is the quickest way to beat the lines. Just place your order before going through TSA and by the time you’re through, there should be a fresh coffee waiting for you on the other side.

6. TSA PreCheck is the best money you will ever spend in your whole life. The ability to cruise through security in under 10 minutes for about $20 per year is an unreal value. Consider me a customer for life.

7. Eating well while traveling feels impossible. This is something I need to work on because all my healthy eating habits never make it through security whenever I’m traveling.

8. You can never have too many charging cords or portable chargers. Also, the best portable chargers are the kind you can plug into a wall to recharge.

9. Buy more deodorant and travel toothpaste than you think you need. Personally, I always run out at the worst possible moment and, as it turns out, finding travel toothpaste at an airport is much tougher than you’d think.

10. Have a routine. This will build some order into the chaos and can orient you when things get tough. 

11. Come up with a list of non-negotiable parts of your routine while traveling and stick to them ruthlessly. For me, this is a good night of sleep and a workout. If I can check those off while on the road, I know it will be a good day, no matter what.

12. Invest in a good pair of headphones. Work, play, fitness, travel, whatever it is, you’ll never regret it.

13. When in search of a turkey roasting rack on the day before Thanksgiving, Amazon is the best place to look. Ours showed up the next day (Thanksgiving morning at 6 am to be precise) and handled its maiden voyage without fail. Still, preparation is always advised.

14. Start Thanksgiving Day with a walk, workout, or hike. You’ll likely be inside for every moment after and the outdoor air will be refreshing.

15. Thanksgiving is a team effort. Find a way to chip in. Wash dishes, organize drinks, reorganize the refrigerator. It doesn’t matter, just make yourself available to help. This is doubly the case if you’re a guest at someone’s home.

16. Good gear makes a difference. From running shoes to travel bags, investing in quality items pays off when things get crazy. No one wants a flat tire during the Indy 500.

17. If you work in some kind of retail or ecommerce space, you have two options the week of Thanksgiving/Black Friday: pre-schedule all your campaigns and stress during the week or create your campaigns the day of and stress the whole week. Either way, the stress of the week is unavoidable. The secret is in getting ahead of it as best as you can.

18. Please note I worked on our campaigns the day of, so I was not great at following my lesson this year. Oh well, it’s good learning for next year.

19. Don’t make your Black Friday deals crafty or complicated. Make it insanely easy for the customer to understand.

20. Expect to work three times as hard to get your message across during Black Friday. Inboxes are packed to the brim with deals. Social media feeds are clogged up with ads. And homes are typically flooded with relatives. The noise is turned up to 11 and cutting through it is going to take a lot of effort.

21. You can’t do it all. Focus on the things that truly matter and let go of the rest. The world won’t end if you miss one item on your to-do list.

22. Black Friday will forever be the best time to Christmas shop. Not only do you save cold hard cash, but the gifts-with-purchase make for fabulous stocking stuffers.

23. Take care of yourself. You’ll be more productive when you work and more present when you’re with family if you find time for you.

24. Make a list of everything you need to do and then start crossing things off. Don’t overthink it. Just start. This is how we tackled both Thanksgiving cooking and Black Friday. It’s the best way to calm any feelings of overwhelm.

25. Lighten up. The holidays are stressful, and it’s easy to feel like everything is do or die. It’s not. Smile and laugh because there’s no use getting stressed about stuff that hasn’t even happened.

 26. Don't forget to say thank you. It's easy to get in our own heads when things are busy. Expressing gratitude is the quickest way to ground yourself and get out of your head. 

27. The “ultra” in ultra-marathon doesn’t just refer to the distance. It refers to the terrain. I learned this one the hard way.

28. Check the course map before a race. You might discover three massive, soul-crushing hills.

29. Expect to win ugly. It doesn't matter how you do it just get the dang ball over the goal line. Embrace the ugly and win. 

30. Your playlists matter. Having go-to music or podcasts during travel, workouts, or work sprints can make it more fun and motivating. Personally, I love working to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack or The Social Network soundtrack.

31. Some hills you have to walk up and walk down simply because they are so steep. This is okay because the alternative is face planting.

32. Shared suffering is better than solo suffering. I’m 99.99% sure this is why relays exist.

33. Be honest about your results. Sportsmanship matters.

34. There’s nothing like being back home with your people. Traveling is fun, but nothing beats spending time at home base with the people you love — especially during the holidays.