Steve the Owl's Blog

Hi, everyone. This past Friday was a big day in my quest for a five-minute mile before my 35th birthday. It wasn’t a peak condition run, but it was a time trial to mark the end of this phase of running for the season. Because I wasn’t quite sure how well things were going because of mixed signals I got during workouts in this phase, I was going to go for either 6:03 or 6:10 for my time trial, depending on how things were going after one lap.

A False Start

With this in mind, I knew that if I was in shape for the faster time, I would have to do the first lap in 90 seconds, and the next three laps in 91 seconds. For the slower time, I would have to do the first and last lap in 92 seconds, and the middle two laps in 93 seconds. As I lined up at the starting line, I kept telling myself “22 or 23 seconds,” which was what I needed per 100 meters in order to meet my goal. However, after the first 100 meters, I was in at 24 seconds, and 48 seconds after 200 meters, and I just couldn’t feel any speed. After about 250 meters, give or take, I decided to stop and try again after taking 59.72 seconds.

Make This One Count

I decided to walk off the rest of the lap and try to get some stretching done to warm up again in hopes that this was what I needed. My ankle was sore earlier in the morning, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to go for it, but I felt fine when I did my warm-up, so I waited until my breath calmed down, and then I decided to go again. After the first 200 meters, I was somewhere between 45 and 46 seconds, which made me think that I might be ready for the faster pace, but I realized that this was not to be as I hit the first lap in 92.12.

Still, I had reason to think that I could make the slow pace of a 6:10 mile. This meant that I had to keep up this pace for the rest of the time trial. However, I could start to feel things slowing up a little. I put a little extra into each 100 meters to try to keep my pace from slowing down too much, but my efforts weren’t successful as I hit my second lap in 95.39, for a total of 3:07.51 at the halfway point. By my third lap, I was totally exhausted, and my pace showed, as it slowed down all the way to 1:41.09, giving me a time of 4:48.6 as I hit the bell lap. It would take a lap time of ten seconds faster than my best lap in order to get to 6:10. I was able to get some speed back on the last lap, but it wasn’t enough, as I ran the last lap in 96.87, to finish the time trial in 6:25.47, nearly four seconds per lap off my goal for the time trial.

What I Learned

I was disappointed with my time, because my tempo workouts (at about 90% effort) suggested that I should easily be able to hit at least 6:15. However, it definitely reinforced something for me based on what I experienced with my speed workouts during this phase of training. Phase I for the season was base building, where you do slow and/or long runs in order to try to build endurance. Phase II, which I was running this time, is supposed to get your body used to running fast. However, I noticed something odd about my workouts. I could handle the 200- and 400-meter repeats with ease, indicating that my (relative) speed was starting to return; and I could easily handle tempo runs for 2-4 miles (I did a five-mile tempo run a couple weeks ago, and all was going well, but my pace started to die off in the last mile or so.), indicating that my endurance was fine as well. However, I just could not hit my targets on 800- or 1000-meter repeats with only one exception, suggesting that I just don’t have both at the same time yet.

This may have been an indication that I needed to do a tempo run rather than an all-out mile, or my false start may have been a warning that my body just wasn’t up to it this day. However, as I prepare for Phase III, the most difficult part of the season workout (Phase IV, the peak season, involves a reduction in miles to save my effort for my big performances of the year.) I think that it is better to know where my speed is to determine my speeds for my workouts as I work to build for a period of a race or time trial on a much more regular basis to try to get my speed ready for my two big efforts at the end of the season: the Eagle National Bank 5K Run to Fight Cancer in September, and my birthday mile the Friday before my 32nd birthday in October. However, it shows me that I can see where things are going and how to pay attention to the signals my body gives me as I work to get into shape.

What do you do to listen to your body and your intuition?

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We need to teach kids how to use money at a young age. You say, “It’s only a dollar; let him spend the whole dollar. It’s only a dollar, and he’s only a little kid.” Yeah, but when does that stop?- Jim Rohn

For he had learned the lesson of wisdom because he understood one of the most important lessons in life, what Albert Einstein called “the eighth wonder of the world”: the miracle of compound interest.- Jeff Olson

This post is about the world of business and investment. Some of you may have noticed that I quote Jim Rohn a lot in my writings. It is because I think that he was easily one of the key leaders of personal development of the last 50 years, and he remains so two years after his death. One of the things that I like so much about Jim Rohn is his practical approach to ideas and personal development. I got the idea for this blog post while listening to a Jim Rohn CD on the way to class yesterday, because he got me thinking about the nature of investment and youth.

Age and Growth

Every investment book you read will tell you that starting early is a lot better than starting later. In his book Smart Couples Finish Rich, financial adviser David Bach tells us that someone who invests $2000 a year in a mutual fund that gets a 10% yield starting at the age of 14 will have more money at the age of 65 if they only invest for five years and just let it collect interest than someone who invests regularly after the age of 30 until the age of 65. He also points out a suggestion that you can hire your children and put $2000 a year into a Roth IRA for your children if you have a business to get them started.

Why This Lesson is Important

When someone learns at a young age the importance of investment, he/she will be able to start much earlier in the world of investment and enjoy more success. Perhaps more importantly, he/she will not have to unlearn the habit of “easy come, easy go” that puts so many people behind the eight ball. When the child learns that it is living below the means, and not letting money burn a hole in their pockets. Then again, maybe we need to learn that lesson, too.

What do you do to learn about the world of investment and teach about it?

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“Sometimes you can tell more truth through fiction.” Richard Clarke, cover of The Scorpion’s Gate

Recently, I’ve given a lot of thought to the questions of narrative and storytelling. I know that there are times when I am trying to get my point across and, being the analytical person that I am, my natural tendency is to go with facts and figures to try to make my point. However, as I’ve thought more about narratives and some of the great literary works of all time, I’ve thought more about the importance of storytelling in teaching us as a society and as individuals.

As Old as Time Itself

When I talk about storytelling, I am talking about any effort to either use a fictional story, or a fictionalized account of a true story, in order to tell some deeper truth. I saw an example of a meta-narrative about storytelling while watching Legend of the Guardians, a movie that I bought my wife for Christmas about owls who tell legendary stories about protecting all owls from evil owls who seek to enslave everyone, as an example of stories used to inspire.

As a person of faith, I also think of the parables that Jesus told in order to inspire His audience to think of another way of looking at life. Many of his narratives were counterintuitive, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, two of the most famous parables. Aesop also used the traits of animals in order to make his point, such as “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Grasshopper and the Ant.”

This is because stories get us involved, and they help us explain things in a way that makes it easier to reach those whose hearts may be hardened by a “You are the man!” approach exemplified by the prophet Nathan as he confronted David for his infidelities and murder. (Interestingly, Nathan softened  David up by telling a story about a rich man who robs from a poor man and then steals from him.) Stories allow us to be caught up in a master narrative and then learn from the twist at the end.

My Challenge

Have there ever been times that you’ve told a story to make a point where cold facts have failed? If so, share it with the group, and tell us what you have learned from telling stories.

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There is a famous saying in politics. I don’t know how prevalent it is other places, but it usually comes up in the context of strange bedfellows on a particular issue:

Even a busted clock is right twice a day.

With this in  mind, I started to think about the question of what to do with the things that we read if we find the general tone of the book to be completely distasteful, and a lot of the information comes from an abhorrent place.

Did He Really Say That?

I first encountered this phenomenon while reading a book on what it takes to become rich. (Names will be withheld to protect the innocent, and because I don’t want to get into an argument about the merits of the book with people who like it. I simply want to explain my experience with the book.) As I read the book, I thought that there was a lot to be said for the idea that there is a necessary mindset to establish wealth that most of us simply don’t have.

However, when it came to practical advice, there were some things that I found appalling. For example, this book talked about how the author really enjoyed finding out about houses that banks were auctioning after foreclosure because that meant that he could make huge profits. Maybe it was because of the fact that I read this book while the United States is still in the midst of a financial crisis and record foreclosures, but I was surprised for two reasons: 1) It seemed to me to be woefully insensitive to lick one’s chops when finding out that a family lost its home; 2) I like the idea of making a profit by making things better for people, not by getting rich off of other people’s misery.

The Busted Clock

However, I did see some practical advice that I felt was, let’s just say, not morally offensive to my person. Reading about tax liens, and finding out later how they really work, seemed to me something that was beneficial to everyone involved. (The difference between a tax lien and a tax deed is that the former gives the property owner time to repay the tax debt in order to keep the property while the latter transfers it automatically.) So, do I throw out everything that this person said because I find some of his ideas to be repellent? I don’t think that is a good idea. I think that there is a difference when it comes to continuing to read someone like this (Depending on what the author writes about, I will not read it if I know that it is going down that path.) but I think that there are definitely times when we can find good ideas from anyone.

For example, I am currently reading a novel on personal development where some of the book itself goes into a bizarre place, and compares people who disagree with the author to emissaries of Satan. However, there are a lot of interesting ideas in the book, and I am going to continue to read it, because I know that I can overlook that element of the story. I am reminded of what someone who has never disappointed me in the world of personal development, Jim Rohn, and something that he had to say about trying to make as much money as you can:

I didn’t say that you should make as much as possible. I said you should make as much money as possible within the proper economic time and within your moral standards. I say “within the proper economic time” because you have to balance your work with the rest of your life. I say “within your moral standards” because you have to do good in order to live good.

To borrow an analogy from another Great Teacher, when the time of harvest comes, you will know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. If something works well and it fits your moral beliefs, learn that. There really are times when we can learn from everyone.

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I am an admitted film geek. I didn’t watch movies very much when I was younger, preferring the nature of TV. While I still love TV, I have definitely found that I can devour movies and TV box sets through the power of DVD.

How It Started

I am someone who has never been quick to adopt new technology. (For example, I bought cassettes as recently as 2002, and I always seemed to get a new video game console about a year before the newer model came out.) Perhaps part of this is the idea of never knowing which one will catch on. After all, BetaMax and LaserDisc were both considered to be technically superior to VHS, but neither was able to knock VHS off the top of the movie heap. That, and I just never saw the point of paying a premium price when what I currently have is just as good.

However, my jump from VHS to DVD actually came in 2003. I had just gotten activated and my college career was on hold until my tour of duty in Iraq was done. I had paid $20 in raffle tickets for a drawing for a DVD player at school. To my great surprise, I was the big winner. However, I could not use the DVD player until I got home, so I let my parents use it until then.

When we were overseas, we were able to get fairly decent access to technology considering our circumstances, and every tent had at least one DVD player in it. While I personally did not see the need to buy another one to add to the pile, I always told the people who had the DVD players there that they would be free to use any DVD’s I bought from the PX.

A Change in Perspective

In the desert, you have nothing but time on your hands. I used this time to finish reading a lot of books, but my speed reading abilities meant that I would go through books pretty quickly, and I would always have to go to the PX or wait for books my parents mailed me from so I could get more. (In time, I unlearned speed reading, but not deliberately, so I relearned this skill after I returned from Iraq and resumed academics.)

Because we had nothing but time on our hands, we would often watch the deleted scenes. Then, there were other times when I would find myself watching all kinds of DVD extras, such as commentaries, making-of documentaries, and other features that any DVD lover knows by heart.

The realization of the change in shift came to me in November. One of the movies that I saw in the PX that day was the DVD for the director’s cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I am not a big Trekkie (I don’t say this to insult Trekkies, just to be descriptive.), as I have only seen two or three of the movies, and about half a dozen episodes (all versions combined). When I first saw this movie a year and a half before, the big things that I remembered about the movie at the time were the slow pace and Lt. Ilia. Normally, this would be enough to steer me away, but I noticed that the movie had hours and hours of special features. Because of this, I was more appreciative of the pace and bought the movie.

The Value of Special Features

I don’t have a desire to be a film director, but I have found the features very fascinating, and some of the best have taught me a lot about the art and skill of making movies. Sometimes, I miss the metaphor, or something in the background, and it is interesting to learn about everything that went into the effort and onto the screen. While I don’t go to the theater much (the last movie I saw in the theater was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), I have found that the special features are one of the things that I look forward to the most when I buy a DVD, whether of a movie, or a TV box set.

In your business, what are your unlikely sources of education? I would love to hear from you. If you enjoyed this, please share it with your friends.