Thunder Road Marathon Complete
Yesterday (12/12/09) I began the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte, NC at 7:50 AM. After 4 hours, 7 minutes and 24 seconds I crossed the finish line. While not a fast time, it is not a slow time either. My main goals were to finish under 4 hours, 15 minutes and the bigger was was to just finish!
Sam Carrara Thunder Road Marathon
That’s me above in the red (#256), the time shown above is the gun time, my chip time was 4:07:24.
I have spent many an early day, waking up at 5:00 AM to run for 2-3 hours, shower, change, go to work and then sometimes class, church or put the kids to bed. Am I tired and sore? Yes and Yes, but mostly sore right now.
There were many people along the route cheering runners along and every two miles there was water and Powerade offered to help refuel runners. Miles 16 and 20 also had energy gels, which really were needed to help give you the energy boost needed to keep going.
I really need to thank my wife for the many morning of encouragement of kicking me out of bed. She got me going last Christmas when she got me a NikePlus to plug into my iPod. Then after some running I got Plantar Fasciitis, basically a lot of pain in my foot. I got new Saucony shoes and the pain went away, I have been running on Sauconys since 1991.
I ran a number of 5k races, along with a 10k and 15k race as milestones along the journey. Did I always feel motivated? NO. Sometimes I just wanted it to be over, but I’m glad I did it. I now have a 26.2 magnet on my car, one of the gifts from my wife. Another great gift was chocolate covered almonds.
Thank you to Melissa, Jesus, my girls, friends and coworkers that kept me going. I’m not sure what my next goal is yet, I need a few days to heal.
Thank you,
Sam Carrara
Determination and Local Leads
I just go back from a 21 mile run! Yes I decided to do a full marathon instead of the half. What can it teach you, DETERMINATION! Set your goal and work HARD toward it.
I am giving two seminars in December in Charlotte, North Carolina to help local business owners to get more leads and customers. If you are in the area, or can find a way to get there, come on by to help your business.
Come Think Outside The Box, for more information visit: http://www.localcharlotteleads.com
I’ll help you grow your business,
Sam Carrara
A Calamity That United a Nation
Below is a personal news report I asked one of my team members (Ingrid) to write about her experience in Manila, Philippines:
“Raining? On the weekend?! C’mon!” That’s what I thought when Typhoon Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) reached Manila. The sky was pitch dark and poured rain as if there was no tomorrow. I was really upset that day because weekends are used for quality family time usually spent outside the home. I wasn’t aware of what was happening beyond the four walls until the heavy rain turned into a drizzle. We looked outside and saw the flood water was about ankle-deep and thought to myself that it didn’t rain that much until my in-laws called for help. The home office, located at the basement was flooded! The water was knee deep and everybody was moving as fast as they could to save things from pieces of furniture to important documents. A line of bucket was formed from the nearest drain to the basement to drain the water faster. When a little sunshine peeped through the heavy clouds, we were realized that the storm was over – or so we thought.
Heavy rains came again but this time it was scary. The rain was pouring hard as if there was a flock of birds flapping their wings. The sound was deafening. The water rose faster, flooding our garage in a couple of minutes. We decided to evacuate the house when the water reached our foyer and seek refuge from my parent’s house located at a much higher place. I emailed everybody I know if they were affected by flooding and got instant messages that some of them are trapped on their rooftops and others trapped in their cars. Never had Manila been hit by such a devastation, people were unprepared for this degree of calamity.
Facebook.com and Twitter.com became the hotline for help and rescue in Manila. People sending out shout outs asking for help or telling people they are okay. These sites also became the channels for asking donations after the storm subsided. According to news reports, 80% of Manila was under (and some areas after two weeks from the storm are still flooded) flood water after the typhoon left. The President declared Manila and neighboring provinces in a state of calamity and rescue efforts were done as soon as the flood waters were still. Private corporations pitched in to help by giving out immediate relief effort such as food and clothing. The Army was deployed for rescue especially to hard hit areas such as Marikina, Cainta and Pasig. People from these areas sought shelter at public schools. Seeing them first hand was really heart breaking and grateful that we weren’t hit that hard. People lost loved ones and properties during this calamity. Babies were crying for food, old people were given immediate medicine due to some of them were soaked in water for hours. Most of them didn’t have time to save any of their property, all they have for now is the clothes on their back.
Because of the Internet, young Filipinos were the frontrunners in the relief efforts. Every Filipino I know has a cell phone and has at least the basic knowledge how the internet works. They gave time to volunteer and pooled money to buy food and other necessities for the affected families. Techie savvy people set up a Google document of a list where to donate money and drop off points for in kind donations. People where blogging about what damage they saw in their area and asking more people to help out. Filipinos leaving overseas also made donations in cash and in kind. This is what makes me proud to be Pinoy everybody helps out everybody in times of crisis. It doesn’t matter in what economic class you are, whenever you need help on something they won’t hesitate and won’t ask anything in return. They would even put a smile on their faces even if they are suffering.
This calamity brought a nation together, helping out one another without any expectation of any pay. Now that rehabilitation of the areas have started, I hope and pray that the spirit of reaching out and helping will continue until most of the affected families have settled.
If you would like to donate money to help in the area, Samaritan’s Purse is helping there:
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Project_Donations/
Thank you,
Samuel Carrara
Goal Setting- Half Marathon
Do you have anything you are working towards? What are your goals?
Without goals, whatever you are doing can be pointless. Goal setting is a powerful way to increase motivation about your ideal future, and for turning your goal into reality.
Just listen to a few known people about the importance of Goal Setting:
“The more intensely we feel about an idea or a goal, the more assuredly the idea, buried deep in our subconscious, will direct us along the path to its fulfillment.”
Earl Nightingale
“Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.”
Viktor Frankl
“All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.”
Norman Vincent Peale
One of my personal goals is to do a Half-Marathon in December in Charlotte, North Carolina. I will be running the Amica Insurance Half Marathon on December 12th, 2009. If you decide to join me the link is below:
http://www.runcharlotte.com/welcome.htm
I didn’t just roll out of bed one morning and decide to run the half marathon; I have been running for awhile. I mentioned before that my wife got me the Nike Plus to track my running for Christmas last year. Since then I have been running 5 kilometer races and will run a 10 kilometer one this weekend, and have a 15 kilometer one scheduled for next month.
2XU Compression Tights
Recently I purchased some compression tights by 2XU to give better knee support, help my muscles to stay warm and to reduce fatigue. Just this morning I ran 10 kilometers in my neighborhood as part of my training routine and I shaved off two minutes wearing the compression tights. My wife says it was all mental, I can partially agree with her. But whatever it was, I ran two minutes faster.
You have to be SMART about your goals, I’ll talk about that in my next goal setting post. Until then, here are some links to other Goal Setting posts:
http://www.ncnblog.com/2009/09/23/how-to-stay-on-track/
http://www.truevisionary.com/2009/09/3-foundational-steps-to-achieving-your-goals/
http://coachingcommons.org/featured/how-to-create-your-life-list-and-get-moving/
Half Marathon, here I come,
Samuel Carrara
Where Can I Buy It?
The 3rd ingredient of the Marketing Mix is PLACE. Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store, as well as virtual stores on the Internet. It is also the mechanism through which goods and/or services are moved from the manufacturer/service provider to the user or consumer.
There many factors that a manufacturer has to decide of what strategies it will use in placing its products. Will it use direct or indirect channels? Single or multiple channels? What type of intermediary will it use? How many intermediaries at each level to use? Which companies to use as intermediaries to avoid intrachannel conflict?
Marketing Mix- Place
Aside from the strategies to be used, the manufacturer will also have to consider some factors in choosing a distributor (intermediary). Such as the knowledge of the distributor of the target consumer and segment, the compatibility of the manufacturer and the distributor in terms of policies, strategies and image, the track record of the distributor and training and support the distributor will require.
There are many types of intermediaries such as wholesalers, agents, retailers, the Internet, overseas distributors, direct marketing (from manufacturer to user without an intermediary), and many others. The wholesalers are the ones who break down ‘bulk’ into smaller packages for resale by a retailer. They buy from producers and resell to retailers. They take ownership to goods and provide storage facilities. The wholesaler will also often take on some of the marketing responsibilities.
On the other hand, the retailer has a much stronger personal relationship with the consumer. The retailer will hold several other brands and products and will often offer credit to the consumer. The retailer will also give the final selling price to the product.
Agents are another distribution channel. An agent will typically secure an order for a producer and will take a commission. They do not tend to take title to the goods. This means that capital is not tied up in goods. Agents can be very expensive to train. They are difficult to keep control of due to the physical distances involved, and can be difficult to motivate.
The Internet has a geographically diverse market. The main benefit of the Internet is that niche products reach a wider audience. Using e-Commerce technology provides easy payment and shopping. In today’s market, there is a paradigm shift in commerce and consumption which benefits distribution via the internet.
Determine the Place Where They Can Buy It,
Samuel Carrara
