Shawn Cheatham

So here’s a little diddy, SweetSpot is a sort of fee-based social network for diabetics and their friends/family. Since I have several family diabetic family members SweetSpot hit the spot. It’s sort of light on features/functionality but I think that’s the point, especially if they’re target market is babyboomers, their kids and small groups. Case in point, I found the site and immediately dropped my mom an email and ask her to check it out.

That said, I have to wonder whether the subscription market will backlash because let’s be real, how many $10-$40 subscriptions can your bank account handle? Personally, I tend to try to keep my subscriptions to a minimum because I tend to forget what I’ve subscribed to and could see myself ending up with more monthly fee’s than really necessary. On the other hand, I’m take full advantage of the low barrier to buying when it comes to breaking off bits of services that I deem ‘critical’…but what’s critical? Is SweetSpot or BizNik critical? Do I really need NetFlix, NYT Online, DirectTV or the rest? Perhaps not…I draw the line somewhere between personal and business by trying to keep personal stuff to a bare minimum and only subscribe to business stuff when I don’t like the alternative.

…hmph…i wonder… 

I went for my first run in almost 6 weeks yesterday! I’ve been nursing a strained hamstring that just wouldn’t seem to cooperate with my training regime but yesterday I was able to squeeze in a 45 minutes run. It was a bit longer than I probably should have gone but I couldn’t help but push it a little. I went to bed last night wondering whether I would wake up regretting having went so long but I feel surprisingly good. Although I’ve been somewhat active through the recovery, I can definitely tell that I’ve been on the bench…45min is usually an easy run for me but yesterday it was challenging. 

Happy to be back…now all I have to do is take some time to ramp up and not re-injure myself.

Rina and I have been feeling a bit sluggish as of late. Too many long work days, travel, dinners, drinks and too few training days. Awoke this morning to plenty of sun and nearly 70 degrees, so we headed to the park with our bells.   

A Kettlebell workout, simply put, is a great way to combine cardio and strength without needing a bunch equipment. Rina’s using a 10lb bell that she calls “my cute lil bell” and I have a 25lb which has no name. Rina is my newest (only:o) convert and was amazed at how ’strong’ she felt after a few workouts. Maybe next time I’ll grab the cam and have her give a demo of her new skill.

It’s gorgeous outside…time to fire up the grill!

Mixing it up is a fantastic way to breath life into your normal training routine! You don’t need to consult a professional but if you did, I could prove the benefits of progression, periodizations and intervals beyond a reasonable doubt. Running the same route at the same pace, same time everyday and having eaten the same oatmeal for breakfast is a great way to plateau but it’s no way to get faster, go futher or challenge yourself.

On the web, mixing it up is similarly termed, ‘mash-up’. Take Google Maps+CraigsList Housing Listing’s mash it up and you get Housingmaps.com (a great diddy that got the developer a job at Google). Another example is using a ‘reader’ and plugging in RSS feeds from your favorite news sites which results in your own little newspaper.

My new blog theme is meant to convey a similar concept; 3 primary colors when combined, create something different. Triathlon and technology nearly always provide me with something different.It was a coincidence that I posted this theme yesterday and read this article today but nontheless, it prompted this post. The article is a snippet of an on-going public discussion the US is having as a result of Obama’s candidacy for President. (Un)fortunately, I’ve been having the same discussion since I was called nigger for the first time - I was 6 years old, his name was Paul and I had no idea what it meant. ”Being mixed” is something I’ve learned to sort out just like any other “mixed” person. I wont bore you with the details but I assure you, moving between communities does in fact give you a unique opportunity to see a new color.

In the end, whether it’s in your training routine or life in general, mixing it up is only as good if it has a positive impact. And for everyone’s sake, lets hope that Obama’s candidacy has a positive impact.

Solid ride yesterday but boy was it cold. I ended up calling it good at 2hrs because it was so cold and I had run out of trail. Lakeshore path is good but it can get quite irritating navigating the strollers, bladers and running groups. Such is life…I’m just happy to have it so close to home…it could be worse.

Today’s Training Goals:

• Run: 1:15hrs @ 145-155 BPM

Personal Projects

In addition to logging some miles, I’ve took a few miutes to create a new option to Subscribe to my blog. It’s probably beneficial to the masses i.e. my mom and yah, that’s about it. We’ll see. I’m not sure it really merits a full page but for now that was the quickest way to get it up and running. Nonetheless, I learned  couple things while doing it, so it was worth the effort.

I also, set up the Video Projects page which is where I plan to post some personal footage. I picked up a Canon HV20 last year and have taken several hours of footage but have yet to post/share a single snippet. The cam was just the beginning, then I “had” to get a new computer with more power, followed by Final Cut Express for editing and now I “need” a bigger external hard drive and tripod… I could go on but you get the point.

Professional Projects

On Friday I received the USA Cycling study guide and test for my Level 3 Coach certification. Honestly, I was a somewhat unimpressed with the depth of information was provided. I guess since there are 3 levels you have to start somewhere but I was really looking forward to plowing through a bit of detailed information. However, after about 20minutes of thumbing through the study guide, I decided that I can wrap it up in about a week which meant that I needed to begin scheduling the Level 2 clinic. After dashing off an email to USAC I felt better…I just hope the clinic is worth the time/money/energy. My goal isn’t to neccessarily become a cycling coach…I’m more interested in learning as much as I can this year about the swim/bike/run.