This is going to be a travelog of my next month on the road. From March 25 to April 23, I will be on the road, with one suitcase, and one back pack. My goal is to visit several events, manage our business and keep my health and sanity while living on the road. You will be the judge of how I do…..
Geoffrey Mutai, Mo Farah, NYC Half, March 16, 2014
My first day traveling is March 25. Understand, that as someone who has been traveling as part of business for the past couple of decades, I do have some tricks. As I am on a thirty day travel fest, and I am covering Copenhagen, Paris, London and Boston, while checking out my old house in Wisconsin and juggling the challenges of a new business venture, it will get interesting. Also, I am a world class procrastinator.
For example, I have watched travel prices for the past two months. I finally purchased my tickets on Tuesday morning, about two am. I save $800 on the first half of the trip (SFO to NYC to Copenhagen to Milwaukee), and increased by $12 the price for the second half (MKE to Paris to London to Boston).
My travel booking tip: Always call after midnight. If you do not get price you want, call back later. Always, always, keep your cool and stay polite. I check Kayak.com most days, but am loyal to United, Lufthansa, and their partners. What I do on airfare, my son Adam does with hotels. He found us a spa in Poland, with great food, wifi, quiet rooms and great price.
As the hotel is my virtual office, I stay in Comfort Inns, Garden Inns and some of the nicer, older European hotels. Breakfast is included, and most are in the center of cities so I have nice places to walk from. Wifi is a must, as is good coffee.
I am a type 2 diabetic. I am just getting off insulin and am managing my diet, medication, and have gone eleven months (seems like years) without a glass of booze. Walking is keeping me alive, as is the weight loss. I feel better, and am more conscious of those and things around me. I am working with my brother, my son and and his partners in the Shoe Addicts. I am working for 22 different publishers. I write every day, sell every day and kibbutz every day. Best described, my job is like herding cats. And, I love it.
That our biz is about all things athletics, is fantastic. I love the sport and love the challenges the sport provides. I try to learn something new every day. I learn from my brother and my son. I run challenges by my father, my mother, and my lawyer, Perry, who is a very close advisor, and friend.
One hour before I leave, I pack one moderate sized overnight bag, and one back pack, with my computer, I pad and phone and a couple of books to read.
My flight to NYC is uneventful, as I watch a movie (World War Z) and read the paper. Sleep does not come easy this pm, leave that for the hotel.
I arrive in NYC about midnight, and it is not until 2 am that I get settled down in my room in the Time Square Hilton Garden Inn. There was an ad proposal to finish and some billings to get out.
Before I go to dreamy land, my final thought is about Mo Farah collapsing after his half marathon. In my mind, pretty simple explanation: coming down from altitude, Mo Farah pushed hard and gave it his all. That British media used that collapse to note that Mo Farah would have a harder time now, with his London battle, had just put Mo on the thoughts of all of Britain! David Bedford has already gotten his moneys work with Mo Farah: London has been talked about for a year, and this race, on April 13, will be huge!
