Make a Difference

What is your passion in life? When did you realize this passion? For me, I realized my passion in high school. I loved to run, but my school was too small to put together a cross country team. We also couldn't afford a track & field team. I did, however, have the amazing opportunity to play volleyball. I kept my grades up to stay on the team, learned the value of teamwork, and found that their is a reward for hard work.

I recently learned about an amazing organization: DonorsChoose.org

You can find a project or passion for a school in need, and donate to help make their wish come true. It is sad that some of these needs are simple school supplies. Others are extracurricular activities such as sports equipment needs. No pressure, but I strongly believe in the idea of karma. Check out the DonorsChoose website:

DonorsChoose Home Page
My Giving Page
Mustaches For Kids (Movember!)

What is your passion? What made a difference in your education?

Minimalist Running

Minimalist running is completely different than regular running. This is why it is extremely important to do your research and make sure you are prepared before switching over. I had a friend who didn't take the time to properly transition into minimalist running and ended up tearing a muscle in his foot. Unfortunately he had a bad experience with something that could have been great. Minimalist running has great benefits such as building stronger muscles in your feet and inspiring a connection with the world around you. I hope that anyone who plans on joining the minimalist movement finds this video helpful:




Click here for more information:
Vibram Education Website

*Also, I will advise that I do not strictly run in minimalist fashion. I do use my Vibram Forefingers and New Balance Minimus shoes every so often, but I do prefer "real" running shoes. I usually buy shoes with a small heel-toe drop (with a smaller heel) to simulate a more natural running form. For example, Nike Free and Asics Blur lines are supposed to support a more natural running style but still provide support and shock absorbance. I found these shoes easier on my ankles. Listen to your body to find what it right for you.

Book Report for CIT154

Facebook® Marketing: Leveraging Facebook’s Features for Your Marketing Campaigns, Third Edition 

By: Brian Carter; Justin Levy

Publisher: Que

Pub. Date: December 14, 2011

     Facebook Marketing is a wonderful book for anyone who is looking to expand their business opportunity with the Facebook world. In 2011, Facebook reached over 750 million users, which is a huge market for your business. The fact that Facebook offers effective and targeted advertisement sets it apart from other web 2.0 applications. The book is a how-to guide on how to set up a Facebook page for your business, how to market effectively, and how to evaluate the results of your marketing.
    The first portion of the book covers how to set up and use Facebook. It is a great resource for anyone, even if you have never even logged in to Facebook before. Once you have become more familiar with the basic functions, the book jumps into the features for Facebook pages. Once you set up your Facebook business page, you have to decide if you would like to market using Facebook Ads. The book weighs the pros and cons of Facebook Ads, and which options your should be selecting to maximize your ad campaign. It covers the top 12 reasons your ad may be rejected, whether paying per click or per impression is more effective for your goals, and how to target your audience. This really helps when analyzing all the different options and deciding what is best for your company.
    Another major topic the book covers is the importance of building a community and connecting with your customers. If you have a customer who is celebrating their birthday, acknowledge it. If they have a question posted on your page about a product or service, interact and help them. Another fun way to interact is with pictures and videos. You can do a tour of your office or take silly pictures with your coworkers. You can also answer FAQ with videos or post tutorials, which will be a reference for current and future customers. Personalizing your business to connect with customers is a great marketing strategy. It builds that emotional connection with your customers, which in turn builds loyalty and word-of-mouth sales.
    You also want to make sure your Facebook community stays engaged with your Facebook page. If they simply like your page, and never come back, you are not effectively interacting. The book gives great tips on how to make sure your posts show up in their news feed. The best advice is to ask questions, in particular to “sell the dream”. How is your product or service fulfilling their dream, and ask questions that make them think about that dream. It is another way to draw out that emotional connection. You can also run contests and sweepstakes. The book gives examples of how other business employ these tactics effectively to give you a better idea of how to implement it. It also has a chapter which evaluates 20 different Facebook pages, and how their different marketing strategies work for them.
    The book gives you step-by-step instructions for all of these features. It makes it simple for anyone to set up a Facebook page, and aim for bigger business goals. It inspired me to create a Facebook page for my mom’s new business, Real Housewife Hats. I am also working on creating a web page for her business. The book will help me create more traffic to her website, and vice-versa. It has a lot of strength not only in its easy instructions, but also in its evaluation of each decision. It tells you how effective certain marketing tactics are, and therefore encourages you to follow these tactics with your webpage. With so many options out there, it is great to have a reference that helps you decide what is right for you and your business.
    Facebook Marketing is available on the CSN library website. It is free for students, so I urge anyone interested to take a look at it. It is an extremely helpful resource, and I recommend it to anyone from a starting entrepreneur to a multi-million dollar business. There is something in there for everyone to help their business.

Post Ragnar

I finished the Ragnar Relay! I survived at 26.2 miles. We met up at 3AM Friday to head to Mt Charleston. When we started our race at 7am, it was snowing and windy. I was runner number 5, and I started my leg of the race around noon. I ran my first leg which was 8.2 miles, and it felt like it was completely uphill. Not only that, but the wind was miserable. I would pick up my right foot and the wind would fly my foot into my left leg. My joints ached from trying to fight the wind.

We stopped and had lunch at Mimi's cafe, and tried to relax before round 2. One of our runners became too sick to run, so we had to have 2 of our runners cover her 2nd and 3rd legs. My second leg started around midnight. It was 10.6 miles leaving Red Rock. Between the wind and the elevation, it was freezing. Unfortunately my leg was a "No Van Support" leg, meaning my team van couldn't stop to give me water or food. I was starving and dehydrated, and had no idea where I was going. I tried to follow the few people that ran past me, and I ended up finishing around 2am.

Once our van finished, we stopped at a pub and got food to go. One of our team members lived close so we crashed at her placed. We got a whopping 2 hours of sleep before waking up for round 3. We were surprisingly all energized, mostly anxious to finish. I ran my final 3rd leg of 7.4 miles around noon. By this time my knees were buckling under me, and I was physically exhausted. Good thing running is only 30% physical and about 70% mental. I was extremely excited to run my leg, and go home to a warm shower and a comfy bed. I wasn't sure if they simply hated runner 5 or if it was just ill planned, but not only were our first 2 legs mark as No Van Support, but leg 3 ended with a staircase. I don't know if any of you have run a marathon and then tried walking up stairs, but it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Overall, I had an amazing experience. We all had a ton of fun, and really got to know each other. I would love to do it again soon, and definitely suggest it to anyone from novice to expert.

Ragnar Gear!

I am 3 days away from Ragnar! I am nervous about my 26.2 miles. We have to be up and ready at 3AM Friday to head to the start line. I am runner 5 so I will have plenty of time to relax (and hopefully sleep) before my first leg. We have estimated our end time to be around 6PM Saturday. I will be sure to post my results after. I am hoping they aren't too embarassing.

Anywho, I have a little slideshow for some gear I bought this week. You can click on the link here or view the slideshow below. You are required by Ragnar rules to have a reflective vest or you will be disqualified. I also bought a headband to keep my ears warm. If you havent tried one, they are amazing! And of course the compression pants, still in love with them!! There is also a map of the course in case you want to see where we will be. Enjoy!

Compression is the New Black

I found my new running obsession, so I thought I would share. I bought a pair of CW-X Compression pants. When I first told my friends and family about my compression pants, they thought I bought Spanx. No my friends, these are compression pants. And if you haven't tried them while running, then run and get some.

Now that I made you aware of your need for compression pants, let me explain why. The CW-X description states it best: "Acts as a suspension system for the quads for increased power at the push phase of the running motion." The compression the muscles from moving as much, and also prevent swelling which allows for better blood flow. This help you recover from your runs faster.

This particular brand also offers a Support Web which offers extra support and stabilization. This was very important to me, as I have increasing concerns about arthritis. I recently started getting more joint pain (may have to do with the weather changing), and these pants alleviated a lot of the pain during and after my run.

I bought CW-X but there are quite a few brands that make them, for example Saucony, Zoot, and 2XU. Check out the pair I got here:

http://www.zappos.com/cw-x-performx-tight-black-grey-lavender

Let me know if you have tried any, and if there are a certain pair you like!

Morning vs Night Running

When I wake up to go running before work, I often feel that my running is sloppy and horrible. I chalked it all up to mental fatigue and a sincere desire to go back to bed. I much prefer to run in the afternoon when I've had at least one good meal and a few hours to wake up. Then I found this article that explains everything.

Most of the runners surveyed reported running better at a certain time of day compared to other times. The reason for this is that our circadian rhythm cause fluctuations in performance of body functions. Let's break it down by the time of day and what our body is thinking at that time:

Morning:
Scientists have found that body temperature is at its lowest in the early morning hours, and at its peak in the mid afternoon. It has also been shown that athletes perform better when their body temperatures are higher.  Lower body temperature means muscles are stiff, and lung function is low. Also in the morning, you are unlikely to have had significant food intake within the past 10 hours so your energy reserves are down.

Mid Morning:
Mid morning is when your hormone levels are at peak. This means that it is a good time to build muscle. Plus by mid-morning, you might have had a good meal for energy by now and your body is starting to warm up.

Lunchtime:
You can utilize your lunch breaks to sneak in a good work out. Most people like to work out at this time for reasons other than performance. It may be the only time to work out that doesn't affect the rest of your schedule. It also gives you a nice boost before going back for the rest of your shift. Your body actually hits a lull around this time. Body temperature starts to drop and lung functions slows. (I take this as scientific proof that we should have mid-day naps!)

Afternoon and Evening:
This is when your body temperature peaks. One study even showed that lung function increases as much as 6% in the afternoon. This may not sound like a lot, but it can make a huge difference for those longer runs. The article states that this is the time of day to run to do your personal best. There are no physical negatives to this time of day, but there are some mental challenges. After a long day at the office or dealing with the kids, it can be hard to tighten up the laces and hit the pavement. This time of day may be more of a mental struggle than physical.

So there you have it! If you have been struggling getting to those longer distances, or with stopping even 20 feet, try running at a different time of day. If you have a certain time of day you love to run, feel free to share! I would love to see how it compares to this article.

http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=7567&PageNum=&CategoryID=