7 Reasons Why Running Is The Best Sport

I'm well over 7 reasons why running is the best sport. Then again I've been running for over 30 years. Here are my Top 7:

1. Running is the best sport for getting fit quickly. By the simple fact that running requires to move your entire body mass with only your personal power, running is the most effective way to drive up the heart rate and metabolism...both of which burn calories.
2. Running is easy to do.  All of us can run...go for a walk, speed up the pace then ease into a trot. That's it. One foot in front of the other.  No complicated instructions, equipment or skill required.  Yes you can 'tech it up' with microfibre and spandex clothing along with high-tech running shoes but that's a personal choice.
3. Running reduces stress.  Endorphins are released when doing any physical exercise and combined with the simplicity of running maximizes the 'zone out' benefits.  Going out for a run is the only time we can be truly free of communication technology. That break alone is worth it!
4. Running will incease your quality of life.  Thinking about running, dreaming even, and of course talking about running with running friends.  Nothing beats a good road running story. Plus what else do you have to talk about before and after a race?
5. Running is a sport.  Unlike golf which is really a game, running is a sport:  "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others"
6. Running is fun.  Seriously.  There are no team mates, no ball/puck/disc to worry about.  Usually no one is watching so I can fantasize about looking like an elite marathoner.  Running is a solitary activity that frees my mind to scheme and dream. What's more fun than that?
7. Running is relaxing.  I know, that sounds like an oxymoron. With nothing to focus on but breathing and keeping one foot in front of the other, is my favourite form of relaxation.  

I was pretty lousy at team sports growing up.  Swimming, biking were more my thing.  I came to running late but has it ever been good to me!

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

AI and the Hockey Stick

Are we at the point on the hockey stick curve when Artificial Inteligence (AI) explodes exponentially?  Are you afraid of AI or are you charging forward?

I had a Luddite moment on Saturday morning.  I'd just finished listening to an interview on NPR where the Interviewee, the founder of a recently public AI software company, waxed on about how AI was changing the nature of work from drudgery to creativity.  He noted that companies embracing AI would find new and innovative uses for displaced and reduncant workers. 

I shuddered. Sure...that's what companies do with existing workers who become redundant...they re-train them.  I flashed back to the Industrial Revolution as the 'Satanic Mills' swept over the Cottage Industries throwing countless people into turmoil. Progress is double-edged:  On one hand there will be disruption and people will endure hardships if they can't adapt fast enough;  On the other hand there will be disruption and new opportunities will rise. For example:  Social Media Marketing didn't exist barely 10 years ago!

I'm no fortune teller but it feels like we are at the inflection point on the Hockey Stick growth curve.  If you haven't already, embrace the pace of change!

Chris M Morales

chris.morales@bell.net

@ChrisMoralesTO

647 393 3855

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

Running in the Movies

Other than being chased by a bear, running in the movies always seems so effortless.  If only it were like that in real life.  

Here are some of the best running scenes from the movies...Scene 2 is my favourite...he really is running from a bear!  
That begs the joke:  "Two guys running from a bear. One guy says to the other, 'you can't out run the bear'.  Othe guy says, 'I only have to out run you'":

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

The ROI of Social Media Marketing

What is the ROI of Social Media? What are the KPI's?  How do you measure them?

Those are the questions that occupy Marketing.  Much ink has been spilled in the answers. Back in the day I asked an early Social Media practioner for his definition of Social Media. His response resonated:  'Individuals having the power (channels) to tell their stories directly'.  Unfiltered, unedited, raw...for good or bad...an individual opinion.

Fast forward to Social Media Marketing and the kernel of that definition still holds true. Marketers today look to individuals to tell the brand story via their social media channels. Word-of-mouth on steroids!

Chris M Morales

chris.morales@bell.net

@ChrisMoralesTO

647 393 3855

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