Shoe Dog

Most of us know of Nike as this big, giant shoe behemoth that has tentacles stretching in seemingly every direction. But in reading Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir we learn that was not always the case.

            It’s hard to see the Swoosh as representing an underdog. Knight had a crazy idea and was in the right place at the right time and it took a lot of sweat equity to make it go.

            There’s a part of me that likes understanding how the machine works and how the hamburger is made, so I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the genesis of what has become one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Knight ran track at Oregon under Bill Bowerman and eventually formed Blue Ribbon Sports and sold Tiger shoes he imported from Japan.

            So often in those early years things ran on a shoestring budget (get it? shoestring budget?) even though he couldn’t get shoes in fast enough to replace the ones they sold. It was impressive to see all the work that went into making the organization successful, and for Knight to get the level of buy in that he did from his staff. Remember these are the early days of Nike, when the outcome was still very much in doubt and success seemed so far away.

            Of course, things worked themselves out and Nike overtook Adidas in the shoe wars (though I still love my Energy Boost shoes) and basically conquered the world. 

            Part of Mark Twain’s famous quote states that travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. It was insightful to see how Knight’s trip around the world as a twenty-something informed his thinking for the rest of his life. Plus it was fun to read that even the CEO of Nike threw caution to the wind and chose to see what else is out there, perhaps going against his better judgment. 

            So think what you will of Nike. It was fascinating to hear the other side of the story, learning how the foundation was laid, brick by brick, and how the company is making an effort to be a responsible corporate citizen. This was a great read and I had trouble putting it down.

Welcome Back, Astro!

            So we’ve been living in our new home in Overland Park, Kansas for two weeks now. Our friend Astro the treadmill got reassembled last week after having a tough go of it during the move, and I took him for his first spin as a Kansan last Sunday. Feels good to be getting back after it and to have my days approaching normal again, although there are still a lot of boxes to unpack and lots of work for me to do.

            I ran outside a few times in my Hoka Mach pillows/shoes while we were shacking it at the Residence Inn, but I haven’t run outside since we moved into the house. I should, since there are a few challenging hills near us. In Athens I would make it a goal to run outside at least once a week, so I think that’s what I’ll aim for. What’s the point of having rain jackets, tights, and arm warmers if you’re not stepping into the great outdoors?

HELP! JANE! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!

            One realization I’ve made… A reason made a concerted effort to run outside was to keep my fitness level (such as it was) up by hitting the ups and downs of our old neighborhood. Running on the treadmill meant my legs didn’t have that energized feeling that you get by running outside. But I’ve learned that by setting the incline to 1.5% (up from the 1.0% I used to set it at) I get a decent workout in and my legs feel like they ran that day. It’s not as bad as it seems, especially since I have a cord that connects my iphone to the treadmill. Podcasts for everyone!

            As you can see Astro sits alone in our nice, cool basement. It’s easy enough to get a good sweat in down there and not overheat. And he’s not underfoot like he was in our old place where he took up virtually half the room. Here he’s got plenty of space and I’ve got a nice place to get back on schedule and go for my run regardless of the Kansas City weather.

            I’m sitting on 10 miles this week after this three-mile jaunt yesterday. Highest mileage week in a month or so.

            And the Athens Half Marathon is this weekend, with cool temperatures expected. A lot of my Athens friends are running that race.

On the Road Again

            Having a treadmill in the house means there’s a certain obligation to get on there and make that thing move. But I’ve been hitting the roads in my neighborhood here and there as a way to keep things interesting. In the past I felt like I was running on the same roads all the time and it got old, so I think a little of both can keep things fresh.

 

Today's readout from
my good ol' Garmin 220.

            Running on familiar ground gives me time to realize my speed and my conditioning are not what they used to be. Road running is tougher than treadmill running is. I’ve huffed and puffed more than I’m used to, but I’ve completed the runs without stopping. My heart rate even peaked at 180 going up the biggest hill in my subdivision today.

            The science is that for every pound you add on you can also add roughly two seconds to your mile pace. It checks out. I’m 15 pounds heavier than I was, and my mile times are closer to 9:00 these days. It’s hard to deal with for someone who could put 8:15 miles on the board pretty easily. The big thing is that I’m letting myself get back out there and keeping it simple in order to keep the rest of my life in balance. Pace isn’t important right now, running is.

I still wear a chest strap when I go out. 

            I also had one of my hardest treadmill runs late last week—I set up a 3.25-mile route but raised the incline (manually) to 1.5% for .25 of a mile. I did that three times, and the last time I raised it to 2.0%. The rest of the time I ran at 1% and I also increased the speed each mile. Fiddling with the degree of difficulty helps me stay engaged. Well, that and a good podcast. This gave me a good push-- My legs felt more energized after a treadmill workout than they have in a long time.

            My weight is down a tiny bit I think, 181.8 was last Friday’s measurement. Probably a negligible difference, but it’s still a bit of an ego boost.