My 2 Spikes Worth: Sponsorship from a Hobby Jogger's perspective

On my usual Thursday afternoon drive home from Winston-Salem to Raleigh, I usually stop off somewhere along the way for a nice trail run. Yesterday, it was the Woodlands trails in Chapel Hill. If traffic is light, I'll usually check out Twitter and see what's going on. One thing I noticed yesterday was Oregon Track Club's Tyler Mulder tweeting out that he's "one of the newest members to be a part of @PowerBar Team Elite! Excited to see how the nutritional side will help me gain some edge!" Believe it or not, I was invited to be part of PowerBar Team Elite as well. I'm going to assume it's more on the prowess of the blog than the flames coming off my shoes in a high seventeen minute 5k. But you know what? I applied for it and they picked me. As Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." From looking at the roster of runners for PowerBar Team Elite, there are some people shooting, and some that are not. Some names I recognized were: Sam Chelanga, Jeffrey Eggleston, Zoila Gomez, Fasil Bizuneh, Molly Pritz, Colleen DeReuck, Zach Hine, Jesse Armijo, Shayla Houlihan, Tyler McCandless, Erin Bedell, John Jefferson, Wendy Thomas, Ryan Vail, Mike McKeeman (Tar Heel), Jimmy Grabow, Ricky Flynn, Danny Mercado, Nick Arciniaga, Stephan Shay and my friend, Joe Moore, who had a great quote on his blog about the sponsorship. "Now all the money I blow on PowerBars, I can save to blow on something stupid. This is a good deal especially because PowerBar makes tons of different stuff. Should be sweet."

Many thanks to PowerBar for the two year sponsorship that is very generous. Hopefully more companies will follow their lead in such a large sponsorship campaign. And if you missed the boat this time, mark your calendar for fall 2013, when they'll open it back up. Lesson to be learned? Unless you've got a deal with another drink company, a la Gatorade, Hammer, etc, apply for stuff like this. The worst they can say is no. The application may take 30 minutes and the payout is worth it.

Another tweet that caught my eye this week was from steeplechaser Derek Scott. "Not fast enough for big shoe contract? Go seek out local options and rep your city. People are willing to help!" He's right. There are tons of great running specialty stores across the country that are willing to help fledgling elites (and non-running stores, for that matter). Once again, I am no elite, but have a nice sponsorship with Raleigh's Capital RunWalk (formerly The Athlete's Foot, Cameron Village). What does this get me? I get some nice gear, free entries to local races and a nice discount at the store. And if I were "elite," like the Elite Racing Team coordinator at the store, USATF 8k Champ and former World Cross competitor, Bobby Mack, I'd get travel to road races and bonuses based on performance. If you are going to the Olympic Trials this summer in Eugene or are on the cusp and trying to get a qualifier, go search out your local running store. I'm sure they'll make it worth your while to wear their kit or logo while you're winning road races and competing at big track meets around the country.

Finally, the elusive shoe deal. Who doesn't want one? We all hear about Matt Centrowitz or Jenny Simpson's deals and druel a little, but that's not reality for most folks. What is reality for many elites is some kind of gear deal or discounted gear deal, or if affiliated with a running store, a "we'll give you six pairs of shoes and three pairs of racing flats" kind of deal. If Ray Flynn isn't banging down your door to get a meeting together for you and Phil Knight, there are some nice options. The Brooks ID team is a nice one worth checking out if you are borderline elite/sub-elite and then there's the tier below that, which I am a part of, the Brooks Fanatics team. This still gets you some nice deals on races and monthly offers that are usually 30-40% off shoes and apparel at BrooksRunning.com. Nothing wrong with that! Also, companies like Running Warehouse offer excellent deals for clubs. I got my running club at work a fifteen percent discount code, which is great, and took five minutes to hammer out an email.

So what can you do to make yourself more marketable and get some of these deals?

1. Tweet
And when I say tweet, think "content is king." If you're Andrew Wheating and have run a 3:30 1500, you can get by with "Anybody else notice the Papa Johns guy always twitches his head when he says their slogan?? So annoying!" But if you're still coming up, try and put something out there that people can dig into a little bit.

2. Blog
You don't have to give a blow by blow on your training, but a little look into the crystal ball about how you get there will make people keep coming back.

3. Have a website
This doesn't have to be anything special and can be the host of your blog or just a link to your Twitter/Facebook/Email. When people search for you online after you rip a good race, this is what will pop up first in a Google search. Don't you want to control that and not have it link to some message board post?

4. Be available
This doesn't mean you have to answer every shoutout on twitter or fan request, but don't make it seem like you don't have time for anyone. A few years ago, when my right hamstring first started acting up, I was watching a meet on TV when Leo Manzano said he had been taking some downtime due to hamstring issues. I emailed him about it, and sure enough, he replied back in a few hours with some great information. That goes a long way. Pass on the knowledge!

5. Be yourself
Not everyone is a marketing guru like Josh Cox and trying to be something you're not may rub people the wrong way, or make you feel uncomfortable. If marketing isn't your thing, find a friend that's willing to help. Doesn't have to be a manager/agent type relationship, just someone who's willing to help you put together a plan and email some people. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I'd be happy to help you, pro bono.

Footnote: But what if I outperform my "gear deal"
If you sign a small potatoes deal and outperform it, renegotiate, opt-out or have an escalator clause that says if I run x, I get y! If you've got a "deal" with Gary's Track Shack and Adidas wants an exclusive, it's gonna work out. I worked in the music business right out of college and had a showcase for one of my bands that ended up gaining them an offer of $50,000 for 50% of the publishing to four songs (from an executive of a company that makes bags that women like). The band had just signed a distribution deal and had never been on the radio. I said take it. They scoffed. The songs were recorded and a year later, the distro deal got weird and they couldn't ever release the songs. Money lost my friends. When money's on the table, take it! If you kill it and go to the Olympics, you're gonna get paid. Don't keep holding out for a better deal that may not be out there.

Now go find a sponsor, no matter how little. People want to align themselves with people that work hard and no one works harder than a competitive distance runner. And yeah, it's an Olympic year, milk it!

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Hobby Jogging: 12/5/10 - Greenville, NC - Reindeer Dash for Cash 5k

If you are ever going to do a road race in Greenville, NC, the Reindeer Dash for Cash is the cream of the crop. Dawn Cash-Salau does an excellent job and really works hard all year to put on an excellent event. Every year it draws a larger and larger crowd and this year there had to be 700+ (most races here have ~100). It was a very cool day for a race after we got an unexpected coat of snow last night. I was a little worried about the wood bridge finish being slick, but then realized the Army helps put this race on and had it swept and salted by 0700. Now the cold didn't really bother me today, but the wind, that's another story.

Got in a good warmup and got to the line with 5 minutes to spare. The start was called on the bullhorn and off we went up 1st Street. Got out good and controlled and started to settle in on Evans before turning up 5th. By the time we got a half mile in, I had settled in with my buddy Nic Boerio and Adidas Raleigh's Heather Magill, both who were running the 10 mile. Ran up the hill on 5th and went through the mile pretty comfortably in 5:42. I started pressing the pace a little on mile 2 as it was slightly downhill and felt pretty good doing it. Legs didn't have a lot of pop, but was hoping to just maintain what we had going. When we turned left onto Brownlea, the wind came cranking hard right at us (~20mph). I'd like to say it didn't bother me, but it did. We got through the 2 mile in 11:30, which was right about where I wanted to be. I started pressing again, but just didn't have it. Slogged up 1st and started to lose touch with Nic and Heather a little, so started to go into maintain my place mode and be ready to kick if you hear footsteps.

Hit the 3 mile in 17:31 and the last .1 turned into .14, but came home a solid 3rd overall in 18:13. After coming in 4th last year, it felt great to get an overall award. Afterwards, grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel with Kevin Sheehan and jogged home to throw on my compression pants and pullover to cooldown and see how Heather and Nic were doing. The funny thing about the Dash for Cash is that Kenyans show up every year and rip it in the 10 mile. I think they don't realize the race is in Chris Cash's memory and not a race director making it rain. This year there was indeed prize money for the top 3 in the 10 Mile, so 3 Kenyans took some money home and Heather took the title on the womens side for a nice $200 payout. My teammate, Erin Duke, should have come up as she would have gotten 2nd and $150. No money in the 5k, but got a nice medal, tech shirt and tech hat (things I can use!)

After Nic and Heather got done, did a good 2 mile cooldown with them before some more coffee and the award ceremony, where I met my old friend Laura MacLean, who I know from back in the day when I ran a couple days a week and couldn't break 20 in the 5k. Was good catching up with her and she took home the masters title in the 10 mile (and is doing what I think she told me was her 13th marathon of the year next weekend at Thunder Road). She's a maniac.

As for me, I need 65 more miles this year to join the 2000 mile club. That's my final goal as I am done racing this year and am looking forward to the Second Empire Grand-Prix Series in the Spring and a return to the Boston Marathon in April. So I'll log some easy miles, then take about 10 days off to heal up before getting ready for the 2011 season. My legs are lacking pop and I think a little break will get that back as I get back into Jack Daniels style training in 2011 that I had a lot of success with in early 2010. Can't wait!

For more info, check out: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101205DashforCash5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 11/13/10 - Greenville, NC - Boys and Girls Clubs 5K

Last week was a short course and this week was a long one. Now it wasn't terribly long, but after driving the course a few times and racing it and then running it in reverse on my cooldown, it was a good 100 meters long (~20 seconds) if you cut the tangents as close as possible. Oh well, at the end of the day it's a race and that's truly all that matters unless you're on a track and you are told to run an extra lap (been there).

The Boys and Girls Clubs 5k was just another step in getting some speed back in my system after a summer and early fall of marathon training, with the goal to run some fast races in the Spring. I knew my legs would be a little heavy today after a race last weekend and a good 4 mile tempo on Wednesday with my friend Tyler Pake. All this in mind, I went in with a goal of 17:45-18:00, similar to last weekend. The race got out to a wild start as a high school kid sprinted off the line like nothing I had ever seen before. He had 100 yards on us within a quarter mile. Without racing the kid before, I had no idea what he was capable of, but kept it steady and watched him turn his head every 200 meters or so and look back (rookie mistake, but the kid was 15, so I'll give him a break!). Another guy was right on my shoulder and started to pull away from me a little before the mile mark. I went through in 5:39 or so and wanted to run a good sub 6 second mile. This course was out at Metrics Inc, which is some kind of industrial park in the middle of an old cotton field. It would be a good place for a tempo run, but not a great place for a race.

We had to run through a few parking lots and had to do a 180 degree turn right after the 2 mile mark. This being said, after running through a parking lot and by a cotton field I hit the 2 mile pretty strong in 11:32 (5:53 mile 2). The guy running with me earlier had just passed the high school kid and was pulling away with a very strong 2nd mile (about 100 yards up). Seeing this I made my goal to go get the kid. After the hairpin turn, the wind was right in our faces for the last mile or so but I was working it and caught the kid with about 600 left. I was really starting to dig in and the last mile kept going and going and going. I think the sponsor wanted to have it end at a certain place in their parking lot so that the finish would be right in front of the DJ and the moonwalk. This is Greenville, NC people!

No worries though, I finished strong in 2nd in what I though was 18:08, about 9 seconds back from the winner.  Another quarter mile or so and I would have gotten him as he was fading and probably didn't know I was coming after he passed the kid earlier and he was blasting his headphones. About the 18:08, or 18:10 officially: every East Carolina Road Racing race I have ever run has been 2 seconds off of what they tell you at the finish line (and what my watch says) and what comes out on the results sheets. Again, not a huge deal, but a little bit of a pet peeve. I am guessing it is a software glitch as everyone else that frequents these races acknowledges it as well! My old high school friend who lives in Greenville now, Brandy Gamboa (pictured below), who won the womens race joked about it before what she thought was a 19:48 PR quickly turned into a 19:51.

All nit-picking aside, this was a well put together race. Kip Sloan does a great job and was nice enough to email me the map this week (as he does with about every race I run down here so I can study the courses I am not familiar with). The post race spread was awesome with Jimmy Johns subs, Gatorade bottles, Powerade Bottles, Goldfish and Bruegger's Bagels. They also had great looking shirts (a rarity) and excellent awards, as I got a nice plaque to hang on the wall. They did have an interesting DJ at the finish, but that's a whole 'nother story I'll have to tell you about in person!

Photos taken from the Greenville Reflector: http://www.reflector.com/slideshow/scene-around-boys-girls-clubs-fun-run-nov-13-174217

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101113Boys&GirlsClub5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 10/23/10 - Washington, NC - Lifestyles 5k

So believe it or not, my legs have been feeling very good after the marathon. Hamstring still hurts a bit, but everything else has been feeling A-OK just a few weeks out. I have been doing some swimming and have been following Hal Higdon's Post Marathon Training Guide to get back to where I need to be. I'll also be having my first A.R.T. session Friday to do some work on the hamstring. Thanks to Leo Manzano and my friend Scott Williams for the advice on that.

I had a tempo on the schedule today and saw there was a 5k in Little Washington that would suffice. I had run one race here before and it is a beautiful town on the inland coast about 30 minutes from Greenville. Figured it would be easier to try and throw 3-6 minute miles together in competition than by myself in Greenville during Homecoming. Last year I did my last 20 miler before NYC during the Homecoming Parade and accidentally ran over a drunk guy who was swaying on a bike at 18.5 miles (I couldn't sway at this point due to muscle memory). It was an excellent decision to head east.

It was a little chilly this morning, clocking in somewhere around 40 degrees at the start. I wore some gloves until about a mile to go (that I luckily was able to recover on my cooldown). The race started (and finished) in the grass field beside the NC Estuarium on a gravel trail (similar to McAlpine Park in Charlotte) before heading off onto the slightly sloped roads of Washington. Went out pretty relaxed and hung behind a few younger guys for a half mile or so before they began to fade. After that it was just me, the lead biker and the volunteers with the pointing signs (and 2 unchained dogs that needed to get some strides in). Hit the mile in about 5:53 going over the bridge before heading onto a greenway path. Wasn't hearing as many footsteps at this point and the kind locals were cheering me along back to the bridge and 2 mile mark around 11:53. I crossed the bridge and was getting cheers from the people heading into the loop the first time while continuing to follow the lead biker down Main St. With about a half a mile left to go I threw off my gloves and picked it up a little before hitting the 3 mile in 17:48 and then finishing up in 18:22.

All in all, it was a nice run. Didn't kill myself, but ran strong only 13 days after the marathon and it was definitely exciting to win a race. Initially, I put on twitter that this was my first road race win since 1990. Well, it was actually 1991! The good ole Eastover Elementary Mile Fun Run. I also wore my new pair of Brooks Green Silence today. I have trained in the first edition of these for some track work, tempos and even a 22 miler at Umstead. I got the second edition via UPS yesterday from Running Warehouse and they felt great. A few minor modifications have been made that have made it a better shoe. Will look forward to doing more in them. Great day!

More info is available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/reports/20101023Lifestyles5k.htm

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Hobby Jogging: 8/28/10 - Greenville, NC - Greenville-Pitt County 8k

Being a little unsure of my fitness, I chose this race as a "competitive tempo run" of sorts as I had one (tempo run) on my schedule and the event started about 100 yards from my apartment. I have been going by a planned scheduled in training for Chicago and it is very different than the training I have done in the past where I have just coached myself. It is all leading up to one big peak, where in the past I have tended to get in good shape fast and then hold it. All this being said, this was the inaugural Greenville-Pitt County 8k Road Race and the course was interesting. It had a lot of slow inclines and declines and finished with about 2 miles straight up and down 10th Street in the sun. After my longest mileage week of the season, I was excited to see what my legs had in them.

The race got off a few minutes late and I may have charged down Cotanche a little hard as I was in the lead at the left turn onto Reade St in front of Chico's. Soon up the half mile long hill, Phillip Rowan passed me on his way to a 55 year old age group state record. With more speed, I feel like I could have run with him. My stamina has been lacking a bit lately. Maybe it's because I've been hitting it hard for 18 months or so after not really competing for 12 years and maybe I am still developing this season. I hope the latter! Ran up 5th St and was passed by one more guy before the mile mark (5:45) before almost being hit by a sorority girl driving home. This happens a lot in Greenville, so it doesn't shock me. After this I cruised down Elm St and got into a pretty good groove before the 2 mile (11:43). Miles 3 and 4 were slow. I was in no man's land after turning it on during mile 2 and hit 3 up the hit on 5th St in 17:53 and 4 up and down 10th St in 24:07. Tried to focus on staying in 3rd in the final mile and staying straight up although I was pretty tired and my feet hurt. I was trying out a new pair of flats as my trusty Victory's are running out of racing miles and I am hoping to squeeze Virginia Beach and Chicago out of them before retiring them. Can't believe Nike discontinued those. I have raced 2 marathons and countless road races in them in the past year+ and they still feel pretty good.

Anyways, I weaved through the mini-maze at the end where we turned around Joyner Library and the parking lot behind Wendy's to finish up in 30:02 or so. I was 45 seconds or so ahead of the next competitor, but not 100% pleased. At minimum, it was a great tempo run! Got in a long cool down to finish up a 60 mile week, which was my longest since February. Hoping that'll wake my legs up enough to race a half at not too much slower of a pace next weekend!

More info available at: http://patprice.com/running/races/
reports/20100828PittCounty8k.htm

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