While only tangentially related to the 2012 “10 in 10 Challenge” we’ll all be starting tomorrow, January 9th, I thought this was worth mentioning. This morning I did something I haven’t done in a long time. I ran with a group of newbies, runners who for whatever reason have decided to do the work necessary to run and finish a marathon. Canton, Ohio will be hosting its own marathon this year and to prepare locals for this race, they’ve established the Canton Marathon Training Program. A sizable group primarily made up of wide-eyed newbies meet weekly to share in each others enthusiasm and anxiety, effectively balancing the outward expression that “anything is possible” mixed with an inward healthy dose of “what have I gotten myself into”.

Canton has a rich history of collegiate x-country running with perennial powers of Walsh University and Malone College right here in our backyard, but in the two plus years that I’ve lived here, I’ve seen the community evolve from no formal running groups to at least three main groups with their own identity and yet they are all open, inviting and embracing enough that members migrate seamlessly from one to another based on their schedule, their attitude and in some cases where they are in their training or recovery from an injury. Every community has to have a local running store to support a running community and nobody does this better than Shannon Bragg at Second Sole. Sporting a quick smile, an always encouraging comment and now his own version of a Sons of Anarchy Van Dyck, he’s visible at most every running event in the area.  Jason Vickers leads the first running group by sending out an innocuous email every evening to a group of fasties, unassumingly acting as the resident running cult leader for overachievers who get out there in the dark, ice and snow at 5am every morning to follow the Daniels Marathon training program, to do quality speedwork on some days as well as do an easy 8 miler at a 7 min/mile recovery pace on others. Always smiling, always joking Pete Dennis and Brian Daniska started the Jackson Running Group, an irreverent club which seems to subscribe to the belief that “we take our running seriously but not ourselves” and which is filled with folks both training hard to qualify for Boston as well as those-used-to be-runners like myself who struggle to maintain a 9 min/mile pace these days. But the Canton Marathon Training Club is the one for which I have the most appreciation, because we all started there, wondering what we were getting ourselves into and with the understanding that not finishing is still a possibility. As the years, races and miles pass underneath our feet, so do the memories of our first marathon. We take it for granted. And while we may find ourselves running with a single person who is dedicated to this goal, there is something spiritual and  cleansing about diving into a pool of those for whom all of this is still so new.

This morning I had no idea what to expect, in fact the reason I showed up initially was because a few weekends ago as I finished my own run around Lake Cable, I saw dozens of folks picking them up and putting them down in the pouring rain. This was the first time I’d seen so many people running together in our community. I had to see what this group was doing so well for having inspired so many. What I found when I showed up this morning was a training group fully committed to each others’ success and a very supportive staff. I went out and ran a few minutes chatting with their coach Matt Sidel, who has all of the qualities you look for in a group running coach. As he went off to chat with other runners, I found myself running with a lady named Amy who like most others is training for her first marathon. Her reason? It’s something she always thought would be cool to do but wasn’t sure she would be able to finish. The announcement of a local marathon in her backyard is all she need to dive in.

What’s beautiful about this is their innocence. A veteran marathoner’s reaction to a June marathon in Ohio humidity and heat may well be to file this under “What were they thinking?” There’s no way I’ll PR this race, it will be brutal and why would I torture myself like that. If you’re going to make me run a marathon in the summer there better be swim and bike segments attached. To a newbie, however, they aren’t thinking about any of this. They are simply excited to be able to prepare themselves to toe the start line, put one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line crossing this off their own list of items that people have said was not possible for them and yet they did it anyway. Their coaching staff can make sure they do this safely, all behind the scenes. To a newbie, there’s no difference between a hot marathon and a cold marathon because they have nothing to compare it to. This simplicity is quite refreshing, and for me running with this group this morning reminded me what I take for granted. It inspired me to add 8 hill intervals into the run to give me a few extra miles, but also to take advantage of being out there on a sunny 36 degree morning with a group of folks throwing off the positive energy that anything is possible today.  Maybe it’s because they are still so in awe of what we veteran marathons have already done, or maybe it’s just because this community is slowly but surely turning into a true running community for those of any ability. Either way, I got my own quality run in and had a blast doing it.

If you’ve been running for a few years or for all of your life, I strongly recommend finding a local running club to give a few miles back to those who are following in your own footsteps. And for those who are contemplating running a marathon at some point, do look for the local running club around you.

For the first few days of this prep-week of the 10 in 10 Weight Loss Challenge, we’ve been focusing on nutrition, which is all about optimizing calories-in to create energy. Today is all about how to use those calories and that extra energy to help you achieve your goals, including those related to losing a few pounds of extra fat this year.

This is going to be short and sweet focusing on five main points for you to remember:

Get out the door – Do something every day. Everything starts by lacing up your shoes, turning the knob and walking out the door. Consistency is more important than perfection. Doing a ten minute jog on a day you scheduled a 30-min run is still the better choice. You may not be happy, you may even be frustrated that your day didn’t go as planned but after you get out there I guarantee you will feel better physically, mentally and emotionally as you will have reinforced your commitment and kept your streak of consistency intact.

Keep it simple – Tied to the first point, it’s easier to stay consistent by choosing to get your workouts in as close as possible to your current routine and in a manner that requires little if any preparation. For example, if you want to join a gym, pick one that is either on your way to/from work or close to your home. If you have to go out of your way to get there, chances are, the inertia that has gotten you to this point will outweigh (get it “outweigh”) your better judgment and you won’t go. Similarly, select choices that are easy. Walking or running don’t add the complexity of putting on cleats, helmets and winter gear like cycling might. You can go to a gym in shorts and a t-shirt, while getting out into the snow might be more challenging.

Get the help you need – Take a realistic snapshot and ask yourself why you haven’t succeeded in the past and more importantly what are the factors that will help YOU to succeed this time? Now is the time to take up your friends on their offers to go with you on walks, your runs or to be your gym partner. You might feel embarrassed about doing this. Don’t. This is the role friends play and don’t be shy about asking new members of your community, such as others doing the 10 in 10 Challenge to help you as well. If they won’t join you, you’ll also know that they suck as a friend and you’ve saved yourself $30 on next year’s Christmas present. If you need scheduled appointments to help you, consider joining a gym that has group fitness or spinning classes, or join a running or cycling club that has weekly group workouts – there’s nothing like having  people depending on you showing up to overcome the desire to hit the snooze alarm.

Burn fat by building muscle – Yes, you need to do resistance training. For someone who has been living on the “couch of doom”, walking is resistance training because you are supporting your own weight which requires muscles to do it. If you’ve already stepped beyond that and don’t like the idea of lifting weights up and down, have no fear, check out the classes at your local gym and look for anything that says strength, Pilates, core, functional strength, boot camp, or something similar. These will all include significant amounts of old school pushups, situps, planks, jumps, squats, etc that will definitely count toward your muscle building goals AND build the stabilizer muscles at the same time. It’s this simple, the more muscle you  have, the hotter your fire and the more fat you burn, just by being you.

It’s much harder to burn fat when you’re injured – I know that you are all geeked up about achieving your objectives, but do keep things in moderation. If you’ve never even walked before on a regular basis, don’t start doing sprint or hill interval run workouts each of the next five days. You will get injured and it’s a whole lot harder to stay on target when you can’t walk without a limp. If you are starting from scratch, ease into it. If you already have a solid foundation, then remember to make your hard days hard and your easy days easy. If you are working out, then workout. If you are recovering, then recover. Your body will thank you, you will stay healthier and injury free and you will be true to the number one tenet here which is to emphasize routine and consistency above anything else.

Happy training!

Now that you spent yesterday clearing out your refrigerator and cupboards of the crap in it, it’s time to continue our preparation week for the 2012 10 in 10 Challenge by filling up some of the empty shelf space with healthy snacks and ingredients, the types of the foods that result in increased energy and a healthier feeling you. There are a thousand references available to help you understand what you should eat, why you should eat it and what it will do for you. If you do this right, you will maximize the amount of weight you lose as well as maximize your body’s performance. To simplify and summarize all of this for you, I’ll provide you with six key things to remember:

• Eat light and often
• Shift to a nutrient-dense plant-based diet
• Reduce the size of your portions
• Increase the number of small meals throughout the day
• Eat protein, PH balancing foods and low glycemic foods first
• Don’t ignore your cravings

We’ll cover each of these in more detail in the weeks to come. To start, your objective should be to put energy producing foods into your system by eating light and often. This should be your mantra for the next ten weeks and beyond – light and often. By starting this week, you’ll get your body prepared and you’ll initiate the behaviors necessary for you to accomplish this one simply goal. From a physiological standpoint, you want to keep your blood sugar and insulin levels as constant as possible, avoiding any wild swings by either starving yourself or binging. If dripping nutrients into your system through an IV was practical, I’d recommend that, but since it isn’t, set yourself up for success by having light healthy snacks readily available for you. Put them where you will need them. Don’t give yourself any excuse not to eat them, in short time, you’ll grab them willingly but for now reduce any barriers to adopting that which might be a new behavior for you.

In my experience, there are two types of eaters, those who prepare foods and those who don’t. Being a road warrior, I’m clearly in the latter category. If you’ve never been a food preparer, and you have the urge, go for it. If you find it relaxing, you’ll get an added benefit. But if it gets in the way or creates anxiety for you, realize that there’s probably a reason why you haven’t done it to this point so during this transition period, start by changing what you eat rather than how you prepare it. Regardless if you are a food preparer or a food purchaser, to help you along, our good friend, accomplished triathlete and holistic nutritionist Christine Lynch has prepared a list of foods and ingredients based on the type of eater you are:

List #1 For the Food Preparers – Key Ingredients for Your Shopping List

1. kale (or another leafy green veggie that you haven’t tried)
2. quinoa
3. acorn squash (or another root vegetable)
4. lentils
5. toasted sesame oil
6. salmon
7. coconut oil
8. tempeh
9. berries
10. coconut oil

List #2 for the Food Purchasers – Healthy Snack Ideas (first identify whether you are craving crunchy, sweet, salty, or creamy)

1. (crunchy) -  crunchy crudités of veggies and dip (hummus, tabouli, vinaigrette, favorite dressing)
2. (crunchy) -  light popcorn or plain popcorn: use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan
3. (sweet) - apples and almond butter
4. (sweet) -  fruit “ice cream”: peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor with nuts, berries or raisins and serve; can be put through the screen of a juicer for a creamier consistency.
5. (sweet) - organic dark chocolate chips or carob chips
6. (salty) - salted edamame
7. (salty) – olives, pickles
8. (salty) -  tabouli, hummus
9. (creamy) – mashed sweet potato
10. (creamy) – avocado

Snacks are usually between 100-150 calories max and you want to eat them approximately every three hours. Never let yourself go longer than four hours without eating.

Christine will be providing additional tips each week throughout the 10 in 10 Challenge to help with preparing great meals with the ingredients listed above, and if you want personal advice or help setting up your own nutritional plan, reach out to her directly. You can find her blog at www.holisticguru.blogspot.com.

Remember, that today is about filling your refrigerator and your spirit as you continue to prepare not only for the beginning of your 10 in 10 Challenge journey but for the rest of your healthy life. Don’t be afraid to try new things and have some fun with it. One thing you might also do is “Like” #i8this on facebook. It’s a fun place where people just like you post photos and comments about what new foods they are trying and their reactions to them. Essentially it’s a place that encourages you to “Play with your Food”.

Happy snacking!

Yesterday we started our preparation week for the 2012 “10 in 10 Weight Loss Challenge” by going through the registration process. You can read that by going here. Remember, the 10 in 10 Challenge begins on January 9th with the first of ten weekly weigh-ins.

To give yourself the best opportunity for success, we’re spending this week or Week 0 preparing ourselves and our environment for success.

With the holidays behind us, undoubtedly there are Sees Candy boxes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate covered raisins and gift baskets filled with a variety of sweets laying around your home. Today is the day to THROW THE CRAP OUT!

I know that you feel compelled to finish it all off because there are children starving in Africa, but they’d prefer for the US to have money that can be spent on entrepreneurial efforts like Toby Tanser’s Shoe4Africa than by you eating the extra five thousand calories that are laying around tempting you.

It’s time. Your body will thank you, your mind will thank you, your heart will thank you and at the end of the ten week challenge, you will thank you for setting yourself up for success. Go through your refrigerator and cupboards, and pull out anything that isn’t “healthy”. Look for hidden gems. For me, it’s chocolate. Anything chocolate has to go. I’ve learned this from experience that there are some people that can do things in moderation and there are others who are straight up sugar addicts – I’m the latter.

For everything there is a time and as “Uncle Bob” would say “Time’s up!” when it comes to the crap lying around your home. Think of it like the common ceremony of supporting your child as he or she throws their binky into a fire signifying that they are no longer a baby. It’s pretty much the same. For some of you, this will be tough to do, and I can only tell you that simply by doing this one act (and of course by not refilling the coffers with crap) you will avoid putting on 7-15 pounds of fat next year. That’s just grazing fat because the stuff is there.

So enjoy your Tuesday, grab a trash bag and strip your kitchen and your life of anything that is unnecessary and bad for you. Uh oh, I think I hear Cindy calling with a man-sized trash bag of her own. Hope it isn’t meant for me. See you tomorrow!

What if I lost weight and got healthy? What if I stopped making excuses and started making progress? ~ Charles Barkley

First let me be the thousandth person to wish you a very Happy New Year; more importantly, let me wish you a Healthy New Year. And this year, I’ve committed myself to helping any of my friends who want to “lose weight/get healthy and stop making excuses/start making progress” to do so.

Thanks to our friend Nigel, I’ll be helping to support all of our friends in this year’s 10 in 10 Challenge. I participated in this last year and lost a lot more than ten pounds in the first ten weeks of 2011, so I know this is very possible to do.

The key to the success of the folks who participate in this challenge is in its community support. We’re all in this together and through Facebook and Twitter we can support others and in doing so support ourselves.

The 10 in 10 Challenge begins on January 9th, that’s when we’ll all do our first weigh-in, and that means that you can use this week to set yourself up for success beginning from day #1.

Each day this week, I’ll post a quick entry giving you something simple that you can do to start off 2012 and the 10 in 10 Challenge on the right foot.

What do I do today?

Today you only have to do two things, you have to commit to your goal of losing a few pounds and starting off the year by getting healthy, and you have to register for the Challenge. Don’t worry, it’s free, we don’t collect e-mails, there’s nothing nefarious about any of this – just a group of everyday people wanting to improve their lives by starting the year off adopting good habits while they have other friends there to support them doing it.

How do I register?

We use two free primary tools to administer the 10 in 10 Challenge:

Facebook:

Go to https://www.facebook.com/10in10Challenge and “Like” this page. Read through the info page and through the Notes page. When you complete your weigh-ins, post your progress to the wall on this page on facebook so we can all celebrate your progress however small or large that might be! (Trust me, I had a few weeks last year when I gained, but still came out far ahead of my goal.)

Buckeye Outdoors:

Go to http://buckeyeoutdoors.com and create an account. It’s super quick and easy.

Go to http://buckeyeoutdoors.com/training/challenges and join the “10in10 2012″ Challenge

This is where we will record our actual weight loss. The Challenge is set up to begin on January 9th and last 10 weeks.

We’ll show you how to enter your weight in a separate post or you can check out the facebook page to see where we’ve already described how to do this.)

Lastly, if you are a Twitter user, go to https://twitter.com/10_in_10 and “follow” 10_in_10 to keep up to date and engage in the banter there.

You won’t lose 10 pounds or become a healthier person just by registering, but you will have taken the first steps to making this commitment real. I promise you that if you do commit to this, and see it through, the benefits will last long after the ten weeks are over. The little secret is that while the first ten weeks will help you to lose a few extra holiday pounds, by doing so you will adopt better habits and behaviors that will give you more energy, better health and make you feel a whole lot better about what you can accomplish in 2012.

Say hi when yo get onto Buckeye or Twitter, will ya? You can find me as @CoachAdam on the latter. Happy New Year!

If you ask a triathlete what their greatest risk is or what they fear the most, new athletes might answer drowning, while more experienced competitors might answer not being able to compete; and when pressed further as to what might cause that, they may point toward a fractured collar bone or another similar injury from a  bike accident. Few would answer death by brain eating amoeba although three people died last year from swimming in water inhabited by Naegleria fowleri, a “brain-eating” waterborne amoebic meningoencephalitis, which causes headache, stiffness, fever and nausea before leading to almost-certain death.

Many more got sick from ingesting or inspiring non lethal but severely painful bugs that can be found in pools, lakes and rivers. This has become such an important issue that the CDC ran a video contest to raise awareness of how to avoid these issues. Here is the winning submission:

But why as we enter the winter month of December are we talking about waterborne risks commonly found in warm waters. For two reasons, fist because triatletes move inside into pools during the winter months that are shared with youth swimmers that probably haven’t heard of these risks and even if they have, they don’t much care. Adults also assume that chlorine kills all of the urine and fecal borne bugs introduced by little swimmers wearing floaties. It doesn’t.

The second reason I bring this up is because winter brings winter colds and with more and more people resisting the use of antibiotics as a quick foolproof solution, many are turning to the use of nasal irrigators, some over the counter, others through the time tested use of nasal irrigates or nasal douches like the Neti pot. A Neti pot is used to pour warm saline water into one nostril drawing out any infection and contaminants as they are swept out the other nostril and into a sink. In most cases, this is a very safe and simple procedure, but just as noted above, there have been cases, where people have gotten and died from meningoencephalitis while using a Neti Pot.

To protect yourself during swimming, you can close off passages of entry including using goggles, not swallowing pool water, and by using ear and nose plugs. To do the same while obtaining the health benefits of using a nasal irrigator such as a Neti pot, use only distilled water, keep your pot clean and only use it for short periods of time. It doesn’t take any more effort and you can virtually eliminate all of the associated and completely preventable risks.

There are other pros and cons of using nasal irrigation as a course of action, many of which are identified in this WebMD article. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/neti-pot-nasal-irrigation-pros-and-cons

Hopefully, you’ll pass through this winter getting in great swim workouts and without getting ill; but if you should, remember these few simple tips.

“I don’t get men like you, you’re dangerous men. You start wars and then let other people fight them for you. You come in and say ‘do this, do that, think like this, become this kind of person’, you put a sign in somebody’s hand and say ‘follow me, I have all the answers’, but all you do is get people killed!”  ~ Richard “Dickie” Coombes

The only thing constant these days is change. The economy sucks; it’s sucked for years and it looks like it’s going to suck for a good deal of time going forward. If you are lucky enough to have a job, you’re probably now doing the work for two and have managers looking over your shoulder asking you why you can’t do even more, because they have managers looking over their shoulders who have managers looking over their shoulders. To state that we are all living under a considerable amount of stress is a ridiculous understatement.

In times such as these, success or failure is determined in days or weeks, not months or years. Deliver or die and fail fast are mottos many managers are living by these days. If the performance isn’t there quickly, make a change and make it quickly. The furious pace of change is business’ version of the fight or flight response. And this carries over to the people that are being put into new roles because they know that if they don’t show results immediately, they will be the next casualties of this war.

So how do you step into a new situation and give yourself the best chance to succeed and succeed quickly? Here are two recommendations.

1. Get inside and form your own opinion before making any changes. Beyond listening to those who asked you to take on the role, ask the people in the trenches and ask your customers. Take the time to identify the problem you are trying to solve.
2. Move quickly to make the changes that will motivate your employees and increase the confidence of your customers

“You can’t reform the system if you’re not in it.” ~ Lilian Gray

The truth matters – Chances are, the person who asked you to take on the role has already shared their opinion of what he problem is and how you are best suited to solve it. That said, whatever you think the situation is from viewing it from the outside, don’t rush to conclusions until you’ve gone inside and seen for yourself. Often new managers feel that they need to immediately make wide sweeping changes in order to be seen by their boss as having the right stuff to be effective and gain their confidence. Unfortunately this strategy can often backfire both on the objective and on the new manager. Unless that manager is going to do all of the work him or herself, he is going to have to rely on the people in the trenches to get it done. Swooping in like a white knight does nothing but alienate you from those that are already battle scarred from fighting the fight on a daily basis. Before passing judgment, get inside and find out what is really going on. It’s okay to start with a hypothesis, this approach will allow you to move quickly, but be as open to proving that hypothesis wrong as you are to proving it right. What you are looking for is the truth – the real problem that needs to be solved. Getting the problem statement wrong leaves you open to criticism, heading down the wrong path, and making decisions that will immediately undermine your credibility as an effective leader.

“I don’t see playing politics with the truth.” ~ Henry Brubaker

A terrific example of this method of transition management is found in the 1980’s film Brubaker, where we first view Robert Redford’s character Henry Brubaker as an inmate in Wakefield Prison in Texas witnessing first hand the mistreatment of the inmates, the corruption of the guards and the deplorable conditions. Brubaker quickly sees who is effective in their roles and who isn’t. We all quickly identify people with characteristics and values that aren’t being effectively used and those in leadership who aren’t contributing at all. We see who “gets it” and who is just passing time. So when Henry Brubaker, still in his prison garb, breaks up a volatile situation by telling an inmate he’s the new warden, we are both surprised and curious why he didn’t just come into the prison the normal way by letting everyone know who he was and asserting himself in his appointed role.

The answer is simple, if he had, he never would have found out the truth – what problems needed to be solved and who he could count on to help him to do it. Instead he might have wasted valuable time trying to solve the wrong problem, or simply been rendered ineffective.

Beyond asking the employees on the ground, ask your customers. Voice of the customer isn’t just about branding. One of the worst things you can possibly do is walk in and make sweeping or critical changes that disrupt your customer or client experience without even consulting with them. By doing this, not only will you lose credibility with your own people but you will lose credibility with your customers. Trust may be hard to make up with your staff but you still have institutional power to lean on. With customers, you have no such authority and the savvier the customer, the more they will form an initial opinion of you of a poor manager and someone they won’t find value in dealing with. That will be even harder to rebound back from.

“Be quick, but don’t hurry” ~ John Wooden

As stated above, once you have figured out the problem you need to solve, move swiftly. By listening to both your customers and the people in the trenches, you’ll quickly hone in on a few critical changes that need to be made and equally which things you should absolutely leave alone. Make quick changes of personnel and tactics that immediately will be seen by your customers as addressing their needs and by your employees as improving their opportunity for success.

I’ll provide you with an example from one of my own clients, a finance executive who was asked to come out of running the finance side of the liquor division to run that of a larger entertainment business. He didn’t have to play an “undercover boss”; he just made sure to spend enough time to ask the people on the ground the right questions. Once he identified the problem to be solved, he quickly wound up sacking the finance VP and promoting a controller two levels down because that was the right person to lead that function. The business results spoke for themselves and the new leader had an inspired employee group to take his strategy forward.

In summary, to be not only seen as effective but to be effective in a new leadership position remember to  ask the people on the ground and form your own opinion of what the problem is and who can help you to solve it, and once you do figure it out, move quickly and decisively. You know what they say, you never have a second chance at a first impression and understanding the situation clearly is much more important than trying to establish yourself as a hero when you haven’t even gotten your clothes dirty yet.

This is my mea culpa for not having posted anything to this blog in ages. Truth is that I have posted on my blog only when I have thought I had something valuable for others to read. When I’ve simply wanted to vent, I found Twitter or facebook to be convenient receptacles for my raving and sometimes mindless rants. So if you’ve done your math, you get to the inevitable point that for months, I haven’t felt like I have had anything valuable to share. Until now.

About a week ago, I woke up in the middle of the night in a Los Angeles hotel feeling like someone was stabbing me in the back and my right arm was on fire. I wish I could tell you exactly what’s going on but I can’t yet and more than a week later I’m still trying to figure it all out.

What I can share is that now that the pain is no longer intolerable, I can actually type full sentences on a keyboard and figured that my experience here is something that someone else might find useful in case they find themselves in a similar situation. I openly confess that I have no idea how this is going to end, but I can promise that I’ll be sure to share what I learn and what works and what doesn’t work for me in the hope that someone else might benefit.

More to follow…

It’s always the plan but not always the result that supporting a great cause actually is combined with a great event. Saturday night’s Thalians Gala at The Playboy Mansion delivered on both raising appx. $1 Million for The Thalians and Operation Mend by having the right location, the right cause, the right atmosphere, the right honoree (Hugh Hefner as Mr. Wonderful) and the right entertainment program. The night was balanced with just the right amount of fund raising combined with entertainment that included performances by comedians Felipe Esparza, Jeffrey Ross and Rich Little, and a ridiculous, “Please let Them Play All Night” performances by energetic and contagious musicians and singers Joy Enriquez, Christopher and Kyle Massey, Billy Morrison, Matt Sorum, Donovan Leitch, Mark McGrath, Steve Stevens, Franky Perez, Grant Fitzpatrick and a sensational closing number by Taylor Dane and Camp Freddy. The only thing that stopped the event was The Playboy Mansion turning the power off – Hef does need his beauty rest after all.

Most importantly, as an upbeat and humorous US Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin – who has undergone more than 60 operations to repair his face and body from burns incurred when an IED exploded in his vehicle killing 7 of his troops – stated, it allowed a bunch of US Marines to come to spend a few hours at an open bar, and gave us all a sobering reminder of the sacrifices that our service men and women make each and every day to protect our freedoms. The only thing that would have made it better is if President Obama’s message about the demise of Osama bin Laden had been received that evening in front of all of those that had invested so much to make that happen.

Now that would have been a once in a lifetime experience.You owe it to yourself to learn about this great organization and this great cause by watching this short video on Operation Mend

As it was, it was a tremendous evening put on by a great team led by event chairs Bob and Kira Lorsch and Thalians Board Chair and Force of Nature, Ruta Lee.

Here’s a little snippet of the event through our eyes from start to finish. It even includes your own private tour through The Playboy Mansion.

The evening ended as perfectly as it started, at The Rainbow Bar and Grill with good friends and family, midget wrestlers, a cat wearing magician and an amazing pizza. Just another Saturday night in La La Land.

Disclaimer: For those new to this blog, I have committed myself to lose 40 pounds in 2011, hence the #40in2011 Challenge, and weekly I will post progress towards my objective. This report covers progress through week 8 of 50.