Kevin Peterson .NET

Who knew?  Just five weeks into my marathon training I’m feeling better than ever.  This last weekend I went to Fall River Lake with my family and set out to do my scheduled 8 mile run, which is farther than I’ve undertaken in many years.

My wife was kind enough to drop me 8 miles away from the campsite and I was paying close attention to the drastic hills and valleys on the way to the drop-off point.  The highlights of the run were:

• A small herd of cows (25-30) decided they would pace me up and down a big hill (they put me to shame)
• A scenic few miles through the woods with deer, rabbits and other wildlife.
• A mile-long dam taking me across the lake to my campsite
• A strategically placed bottle of water at the 4 mile point to refill the bottle I was carrying.

Overall, it was perfect.  My 10k time was stellar for me, and the rest of the run proceeded without a hitch.  I strolled in at about 1:10, twenty minutes before my wife was slated to come search for me at the side of the road.  The next day, I went to the gym and swam for my cross training piece, another mile in the pool.

Just five weeks in and I’m doing things I hadn’t thought I would be able to acheive, so I’m looking forward to the race with a little more confidence than before.  I’ve been shaving time off my 3 mile runs over the last week and a half, getting down to 22:21 this morning.  If you had told me a month ago I’d be running under 7:30 miles for 3 miles, I would have thought you were joking.

Business is going well at Proper Technology Solutions, my Wichita IT support company.  We’re picking up a few new customers and providing the outstanding service we knew that we could.  Every time I’m working on a customer’s network, I can feel the energy that the increased fitness level is providing.

All in all, even if you don’t think you can run a marathon, try giving the training a try, you might just find that you are capable and stronger than you gave yourself credit for.

Proper Technology Solutions

Proper Technology Solutions is the name of my IT support company in Wichita.  Though we’re a new player in the market, we’re making some headway and picking up customers.  Most of our new customers have let us know about their issues with their previous providers, which only helps us to make them happier.  The number one complaint is responsiveness.  Some clients have even informed us that their IT support company takes 2-3 days to get back with them once they’ve called in.  We’re trying to change all that.  For example, I had a new customer call me the other day around Noon.  That customer received an on-site visit and was repaired and running again by 1PM.  We can’t always provide service that quickly, but that is definitely the goal.

Marathon

As I said in a previous post, I’ve decided to run the marathon this year in Wichita on 10/9.  I’m three full weeks into a 20 week training program that takes me right up to the date of the event.  With three midweek runs and a long run on Saturday, the plan is keeping me plugging away at that 26.2 mile goal.  Throw in two rest days and a cross-training day and it’s a pretty well-rounded fitness program.  I know it’s only been three weeks, but I’m feeling my confidence building already.  For my cross-training yesterday, I planned to swim 20 laps.  I ended up pushing myself harder and harder and swimming 35, which is equal to 1 mile.  Quite a record for me!

Teaching

Class starts again this week.  I’m teaching two classes, one at the Bachelor’s level and one at the Associate’s level.  I’m looking forward to the Cisco class especially.  I’ve always taught the advanced Cisco class, and am now teaching the first course (It’s book 2 in the official Cisco cirriculum).  It will be a great opportunity for me to teach the technology from the ground up and hopefully give them a good base for advancing their skills in the networking arena.

Family Reunion

I’m attending a family reunion this upcoming weekend out at Fall River Lake in Kansas.  We’ll just be out for two days but it will be a nice break.  No break from the running though.  I have an 8 mile run on my schedule for Saturday and I don’t plan on missing it. Running in a different environment will be a pleasure, though.

Something’s been on my ‘bucket list’ for years.  Running a marathon before my 40th birthday.  Time is running out and the race is finally on the calendar for October 9th, 2011, just 5 days short of the due date.  I’m finishing up my third week of a 20 week training program and am eyeing the daunting task ahead of me.  My 7 mile run last Saturday was the longest distance I’ve covered in years, and there’s a half-marathon in my near future.

I will say I’m glad that I started early enough to follow a training routine I found online for novice marathon runners.  It schedules three runs midweek with a nice long run on Saturday after a rest on Friday.  As well as the training, I’m gearing up the right way as well.  New shoes today, which will probably be worn out and have to be replaced again before the race!  New shirts.  Replacing cotton tees with something more form fitting.

This is a personal goal, just like starting my own IT support company in Wichita was a few months back.  While still a work in progress, I think my customers are starting to see the value.  Even just three weeks in, I’m seeing the results of a strict exercise regimen.  I’m holding at what I consider my ideal weight, which I finally dropped to at the beginning of the year.  I’m also feeling my energy level increase, which seems counter-intuitive with the amount of excercise I’m doing.  Seems like the more I excercise, the more I want to get out there and do some more.

I’ll make some notes here as I go about my progress.  I’m dedicated and nothing but injury is going to stop me, though I’m doing everything I can to avoid that through good practices.

Oh, yeah, if you’re looking for great business IT support in Wichita, call me at Proper Technology Solutions at (316) 337-5628.