Pints to Pasta

Once again it's time to sign up for the Pints to Pasta run and it's for a couple good causes.

This is one race worth running because it's giving a portion of its proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training AND The Boys and Girls Clubs and there are more than a couple great sponsors to help kick this off.

The Old Spaghetti Factory and Widmer Brothers Brewing are a couple of the tastiest sponsors - thus the meaning behind the name: Pints to Pasta.

It's a fun 10k run that starts at Adidas (another sponsor) and the run begins on a downhill slope :) then it's off to the waterfront and finally the runners are making feet to the festive food at the Spaghetti Factory.

Plus for those who don't want to chug a beer at 10 in the morning, there's always a cold glass of Jamba Juice waiting at the finish line.

The run is on September 11th so you still have time to sign up. I hope to see you there and I've got my fingers crossed that the weather will hold out and we'll have a little more sunshine for our run.

Marathon Training

Today I signed up for the a Half Marathon in June. It's official - I'm committed, or maybe I should be. But I've been training, which is more than I usually do. In the past I've just gone out and run but you might be able to do that for a 3 or 6 mile run but not for 13 miles. You have to be in some sort of shape to run 13 miles straight. And I've been using the Adidas micoach technology to train.

So, how is training for a half-marathon like writing? Well, to be able to write you have to educate yourself (train yourself) on grammar, voice, and - yes - even pacing. Sort of like running.

I took the stride sensor and put it in my new shoe (which I just bought to break in before the marathon).
then I strapped on my heart rate sensor


and I put my earbuds in my ears so I could listen to micoach telling me what to do: speed up, slow down, maintain blue/green/yellow and even red zone then I was ready for my run.


Kind of like being in a critique group and having your peers give you advice, tips and feedback.

Using technology is also what writers need to do. You have to have (or at least should have) a decent computer with decent software. That's not to say you can't run without this technology, you can. And you can write with a piece of paper and a pencil but...having the proper equipment helps to achieve your goals faster, easier and maybe even with a little more fun. Yes, fun. It can be fun to write and to run.

When I got home I synced up my pacer with my computer. The program tells me how many miles I ran, what my pace was, my heart rate, and how many calories I burnt during my workout. It even graphs all the data for me and saves it.

Syncing up is like sending out your first manuscript. You can get feedback that lets you know if you are on track or way behind in the race.

Micoach is a great program and it has helped me (I hope) get ready for the half-marathon.

And, when a writer uses the right equipment, sets goals and works hard, he, or she, will be ready to send out his/her manuscript and have the best possible chance of publication. At least that's what I'm hoping ;)

Pints to Pasta - Fundraiser RUN

It was an early run, which might be a good thing because it wasn't hot-yet. I had to get up at 6:00 a.m. to meet up with my sister and Melissa to head to the starting point.

It was Sunday, September 13, 2009 and this was the second time I've done the run to help raise money for a couple good causes. It's the Pints to Pasta. The bad thing was I wasn't prepared. I hadn't run for a loooooooooooong time. Luckily I made it to the finish. Of course it was only a 10K run or 6.2 miles. But. . . there's always next year.

I am going to be so much more prepared for this run, next time. No. REALLY.

The run helps raise money for The Raphael House of Portland and The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's TEAM IN TRAINING. A huge thanks is owed to the sponsors: Adidas, Widmer, The Old Spaghetti Factory, Jamba Juice and Portland Running Company for making this event happen.

SATURDAY SUSTAINABILITY - Go Outside and Play

Erin Simons, the green team leader at adidas in Portland, invited me to come talk about Sustainability and why I blog about it.

I gave a few tips/hints/and EZ examples that anyone could do. I also showed a few examples that savvy sustainability enthusiasts might be interested in undertaking: like Roof Garden construction.

We all want to be super-sustainers but I try to be realistic too. Like when I’m recommending that parents use cloth diapers, I know it’s not the easiest option so I try to include some alternative green theme ideas. For example, parents can take a cloth diaper and fold it over three ways lengthwise so that it will fit in the center of a disposable diaper. By using cloth inside the plastic panty, you will double the effectiveness – at least you can use this option at night – it will cut your nighttime diaper usage in half and be even more convenient. No need to get up in the middle of the night to change the baby.

My theme is: “If we all do a little, it will do a lot.”

The green team at adidas has already been working on the global green-theme. They discourage the use of plastic utensils or dishware in their company cafes. They encourage sustainability with their staff. And they promote one of the all-time greenest pastimes: SPORTS. There’s almost nothing as green as getting outside and enjoying a good hike, run, or swim. We can have fun without creating waste. And, by “playing” a sport, you’ll be burning calories without creating heaps of waste in the world.

So, get out and enjoy your summer the sustainable way and remember IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!

BRANDING

Variety is the Spice of Life . . . right?

Wrong, at least in some situations.

And, “Branding”? What does it mean?

I’ve been reading a lot about Branding. Unfortunately, that one word makes me think of cattle not writers.

I picture a cow in a field getting shoved through a gate to get a stamp burned into its butt. Is that what we writers are supposed to do?

Sort of, I guess.

I mean Nike has the Swoosh, Adidas has the triple stripe, and Converse has the Star in the circle. There must be a reason these marketing giants use one symbol to be identified with their product.

But how can we writers use this “brand” to identify ourselves? We must be able to take something away from these marketing gurus’ examples.

I did a little research and read here that the American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of these items to identify the goods and services of one seller to distinguish them from other sellers.

Well, how can writers use that information to make themselves “known”?

I’ve heard that once we get published in a certain genre and have some success in that area, we should stick with it. That way our readers can be sure they’ll get what they want when they buy our books. People want a sure bet. And, if we jump around from one genre to another, our readers won’t have that satisfaction and they won’t trust our name on the spine of a book.

I guess it’s like going out for a hamburger and ordering a cheeseburger, only to bite into an iguana burger when we’d been expecting beef. We might be a little disappointed, in fact we might even get mad. We writers don’t want to make readers mad. We want readers to trust us and buy our books – right?

And here’s an article about finding your focus.

Now, all I have to do is get a book published.