Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Jamaica Bound

Jamaica Bound!  Bags packed for wheels up to Negril on Wednesday.  Flying direct this year from Toronto to Negril via Air Canada.  By this time tomorrow I'll be comfortably ensconced in my first class seat sipping Champagne...oops, that was my inner voice fantasy.  I'm in Economy but with my prefered Aisle seat...easy access to the onboard washroom.

Another big advantage of flying direct, assuming all goes well,is that I'll be through the airport in Montego Bay ahead of rush hour traffic. That should ease the drive along the shore road to Negril.  And again, assuming all goes well, I should be able to get in a late afternoon swim at Rondel Village, my hotel in Negril.  Dan...you listening?


Rondel Village has been the base of operations for Reggae Marathon for the past 7 years.  It's a great, intimate, very well run hotel along the Negril Beach.  It's about a mile to the Reggae Marathon Start/Finish line and a little less to the Pasta Party.  We do a lot of walking and given that it's way warmer than Toronto, that's a good thing!

Dan and I take breakfast and dinner most nights at the restaurant by the beach at Rondel Village There's a Menu of course but for Breakfast it's the Jamaican Breakfast:  Ackee and Saltfish;  For supper, Escovitch Fish...a whole Snapper!  Blue Mountain coffee in the morning;  Red Stripe with Supper.  I'm salivating!  The service is great and the conversation between tables is usually all about running...Rondel Village is a popular hotel with Reggae Marathoners.  If you're planning on running Reggae Marathon 2018, book early!

Beach, beach, beach...there, that decision made!  Rondel Village has a relatively compact beach frontage.  There are two areas, behind the fence and directly on the beach.  Dan and I stake out our beach-side lounges first thing after breakfast Thursday morning.  With towels supplied by the hotel, there's only one other decision to make:  SPF 45?  Yes, heavyweight sun protection is mandatory in Negril in December.  It's hot of course...which I love...and with the sun more directly overhead that in Canada, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the sun without sunscreen (with apologies to the Joe Cocker album I lifted that line from).

Oh, and there's a race this Saturday!  Yeah, 5:15 am Saturday a few thousand runners are sent away for a full Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K.  I've got Finisher Medals from all three but for the past few years I've run the 10K.  I get a nice run in and am finished and enjoying a cold Red Stripe and a refreshing post-race swim by 6:30 am.  That's about as good as it gets.

One more sleep to wheels up...

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy








Sunday, November 26, 2017

How to develop a bulletproof marketing plan

How do you develop a bulletproof marketing plan?  I've found that complex marketing plans for small business owners are not effective.  They need strategically sound strategies and responsive tactics that help build sales.  Here's a good formula:


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

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

"Tarahumara...Super Athletes born to run

You may have heard of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico.  They are runners!  If you haven't, pick up the book, 'Born to Run' by Christopher McDougall.  It introduces us to Caballo Blanco and the Tarahumara.  A great read!  "Tarahumara...Super athletes born to run"!



Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Marketing to drive Sales

'Marketing, Sales' or is it 'Sales, Marketing'.  Chicken and Egg discussion I've had many times. The reality is that without demand for a product or service, you're a commodity in a race to the bottom on price!  Marketing and Sales have to work together to understand the marketplace to make better decisions on how to connect with customers.
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