Ode to the Marathoner

Dedication.  Perserverance.  Never giving up. That's the lesson I've learned from all my years of running.  Cliche?  Sure.  Reality?  Absolutely!  

My son Andrew sent me an article about a runner. It's about an 86 year old runner, Joy Johnson in the 2013 New York Marathon.  It's about dedication, perserverance...never ever giving up!  That's her in the photo below...you can read the full artice and see the video at this link, Ode to the Marathoner

Running...it's personal

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Past, present and future of Online Marketing

The world is always changing.  The pace of change though can make the ride a little bumpy.  That's certainly the case in Online Marketing.  What's in store for the future?

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running shoes, 2009 - 2044

While the minimalist fad appears to be fading in favour of cushioning and support, the evolution in materials continues unabated.  What's in store for the future...

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

The Modern Marketer

The modern marketer...she's agile!

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running shoes, 1996 - 2006

The minimalist decade.  You could hardly read an article that wasn't about minimalist running.  And the major running shoe brands obliged by flooding the market with a multitude of minimalist shoes while new brands like Vibram rose to supply demand.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

The Content Marketing Mix

Effective content marketing is all about understanding the strength of each touch-point and channel...then using each appropriately

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running shoes, 1979 - 1995

And back to...barefoot?  Also called 'minimalist' running shoes to support (bad pun) mid-foot or forefoot running.  The bible of minimalist running was the book 'Born to Run' that featured Cabalo Blanco and the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon region of Mexico.  It certainly got my attention...unfortunately leading to years of injury when I tried to change my running style way too quickly.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Steps to effective Market Research

Small business owners rarely have time to stop and conduct formal market research.  Here's a straightforward approach

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running shoes, 1974 - 1979

And then along came the waffle...

The legend of Phil Knight and the 'waffle soled running shoe' is well known.  The age of cushioning had begun..

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

3 Steps to Effective Content Marketing

Content marketing has been growing as companies big and small, online and bricks-and-mortar experience sales results.  The 3 steps to effective marketing?  Pick a topic, produce, promote on Social Media Channels:

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running shoes, 1960 - 1972

A specific shoe for running.  How radical!  Or...should we run barefoot?

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

The Marketing Trifecta

TV, Radio, Newspaper ... that's Old School.  Today the marketing trifecta is Mobile, Email and Social Media:

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Evolution of running Shoes, 1920 - 1951

We've come a long way baby!  In the evolution of the modern running shoe that is.  Since humans started moving upright we ran barefoot.  And even in more modern times, 'shoes' were basically sandals...running shoes didn't exist.  Recreational running started the development of 'running shoes' as separate from regular shoes and technology has sped up advancements.  The 'wall of shoes' that we now face is impressive.

It's been fascinating to watch the development of running shoes over the past 30 years since I began running.  Over the next few weeks we'll take a journey back in time then into the future to look at the evolution of running shoes.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Where's the staff?

The flaw in thinking that technology will replace people is this:  If people aren't needed to run stores then who will the customers be?

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

All I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is to keep running.  OK, maybe a gift certificate to my favourite running store but really, I just want to stay healthy so I can continue to run.  If you think this sounds like I'm obsessed with running then you'd be right.  But I make no apologies.  I don't do drugs, drink only moderately and don't hang out in bars.  I think one obsession with running is OK.

When I began running it was a pretty solitary affair.  I ran alone, raced alone and didn't talk much about it.  Since I began blogging...or blabbing...about my experience at Reggae Marathon in 2009, running has become more social.  I've made friends from Vancouver, Boston, New York, Jamaica and Toronto.  We keep in touch on Facebook.  We all run and we talk about running of course. But we also talk about love, family, children, grand children, jobs, successess and challenges.  We work hard to meet up in Negril, Jamaica on the first Saturday of December every year for Reggae Marathon.

I've changed mind...all Iwant for Christmas is to meet up with my friends again in 2016 in Negril.

Until next tme...
ThatRunninGuy

The digital music revolution

Two things become apparant from the chart below:

1. Downloads of single songs dominate and have driven the growth in consumption of music
2. While revenue from music has fallen by nearly 50%, it has bottomed out and is again on the rise

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Running to death

Running is not normally an extreme sport. But running does put stress and strain on the human body. Experience teaches us to monitor how and what's going on with our bodies as we train and race. Ignoring the warning signs leads to trouble.  I experienced severe system trauma on one training run a few years ago when I was training.

On a long run on a cool day I made the mistake of only taking electrolyte replacement fluid with me. I was OK for the first two hours but during the third and final hour of the run my system became totally overloaded with potassium and other minerals.  I had to slow dow and walk to finish.  Once home though, I experienced massive cramping in my legs along with shivering and shaking.  It's the only time I've ever been scared! Fortunately I recovered completely but it was a wake up call.

The chart below has a pretty scary title.  What's informative and useful though is the information on the right side of the chart that details what goes on during a marathon:

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

After dark in Advertising

What really goes on in an Advertising Agency after everyone but the Creative Guys have gone home for the evening?

I came across an interesting read recently.  It's called LINDSREDDING.COM.  Linds is a former Creative guy and he wrote an article on his blog a few years ago that presents a humurous take on the Advertising business. He's pretty cynical about the advertising business and that's too bad.  I've spent my working career in and around the business.  I've seen and experienced a lot...I still love 'the business'.  

That being said, If you've spent any time in the trenches of an Advertising Agency, it's a great read.  And if you haven't, you'll think we're all crazy. 

The trick to being truly creative, I’ve always maintained, is to be completely unselfconscious. To resist the urge to self-censor. To not-give-a-shit what anybody thinks. That’s why children are so good at it.  A Short Lesson In Perspective. 

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Don't raise fat kids

I was a fat kid.  Second helpings and even third helpings at dinner time were normal.  And the food...oh what marvelous food:  Fried chicken, juicy ham, bacon and eggs, fried fish, fried banana and plantain, Johnny Dakes and Festival, Patties.  Pretty much everything fried in oil.  Delicious!

And the quantity...did I mention that it was normal to have 'Seconds' and even 'Thirds'?

Combined with an almosttotally sedentary lifestyle up until my mid twenties, I had no trouble being a 'fatso'. Wore it with pride. I swam and played squash but nothing consistently enough to burn the calories from overeating and lack of activity.

The turning point came when my doctor asked me if I planned to take medication for impending High Blood Pressure like my Dad.  That did it.  Took up running; changed my diet...enough anyway to drop weight not have to take medication.  Since then I've been pretty aggressive in promoting physical activity from an early age.  I guess I've been pretty successful:  All the boys are still active in baseball, basketball and even running!

Don't raise fat kids!

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

How digital is revolutioinizing health care

When a symptom developes, the first thing we reach for is our smartphone to go online to see what's online.  Then after we go to our doctor, we're back online continuing deeper research and engaging in our own care.  Digital technology will really allow Doctor's to make house calls once again.

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Could you choose these 'real' foods

Could you choose these 'real foods'?  Choosing butter over margarine, whole grain flour over white flour and honey over refined sugar seem easy enough.  It's when the choice comes down to 'fermented cod liver oil' versus probiotic supplements or 'raw grass fed dairy' versus pasturized, homoginized milk that the choices become a little more challenging:

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

The car of the future

Predicting the future is always fun.  Near-field predictions are easier to see given the time it takes to bring a new vehicle to market;  farther out, the less confident the prediction.  It's safe to say though that cars in the future will be greener, safer and more fun.  Here's a look into the crystal ball:

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

What's your running technique

A few weeks back I wrote about The Optimal Running Form.  That post stimulated a lively conversation on Facebook.   After a lifetime of running, I think there is a correct running technique. A form that maximizes performance while minimizing exertion.  So I did some more research. Ahaaa...there is a correct running technique:

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Social Media: Word-of-mouth gone Wild!

Think of Social Media as Word-of-Mouth gone wild!  

Word-of-mouth is just that:  I have an experience, tell a friend who tells a friend and so on. The word spreads well beyond a single individual into my network.  In Social Media it works exactly the same way just on a larger more interconnected way:  I 'Like' something, Share in my Network and many more people get to 'Like' and 'Share'.  It's my own personal Media Channel.  And it works for Brands:

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Chris M Morales

MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

Humans can outrun everything

Humans are not the fastest runners on the planet...many animals have way more speed than we do. What we do have is endurance.  We can run forever!

While forever is an exaggeration, as a species being able to run long distances seems to have been one of the key traits that allowed us to survive then thrive.  We have no heavy coat of hair or fur so are more adept at moderating body temperatures;  we have muscles that keep our heads relatively motionless while running;  we are very efficient with two limb running keeping our arms free for balance and carrying things.  The chart below indicates all the human traits that make us the best at endurance running:

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy