Karl Miller Lugo

Husband, father, friend, @UT_COE fundraiser, connector, 1x Ironman, social media champion, Boricua, Kentuckian, Texan, and believer that we can always be and do better.

Email me: karlmillerlugo@gmail.com

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2010 (183)
2009 (24)
Obox Signature Series

Why I don't say NO to donors and volunteers. #fundraising

 

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We work so hard to get our donors to say “YES” to us and yet, are we saying “YES” to them?

We should try our best not to say "NO" to donors, prospects, and volunteers. The more we say "NO", the easier it is for them to say "NO" to us.
We should also strive to find a way to say "YES." Perhaps we cannot do exactly what they ask, but we should be creative in finding a solution. If we are not willing to go out of our way for them, why should we expect them to go out of their way for us?

I recently had a lead volunteer of our university tell me that one of the reasons she so liked a particular gift officer colleague was because he so rarely said “NO” to her ideas. She said the previous gift officer she worked with was always finding a reason why he could NOT put her ideas into play.
Try not to say "NO" and find a way to say "YES." Use this strategy and when you one day go to them with your big "ASK," it will be much more difficult for them to say "NO" to you.

 

Karl

Use "We" and "Please", Please.

I serve on a committee where our chair is always telling us what to do. She never asks for our help. She demands it while taking our acquiescence for granted. And when she speaks about what we want or need as a board, it's always "What I need is..." and "What I want is..." Take notice of how many times we use "I" during our day. Are there times when we could use "we" instead? Very few of us do anything during the day that doesn't involve other family members or co-workers. Are you taking all the credit? Are you acting unconsciously selfish and/or self-absorbed? Are you using "I" around the members of your team? Chances are that if you are an "I" person, you are also a rare user of the word "please." After all, why ask people when you don't think you rely on anyone else? We "tell" people what to do because to us "asking" means we are dependent. We enjoy being served rather than being helped. What we don't realize is that people are more likely to enjoy doing what we "ask" than what we "tell" them to do. One makes them feel helpful. The other makes them feel patronized. We catch more flies with honey than vinegar. How many people do you know who would admit they like being told what to do rather than being asked to do something? Check your emails and listen to your verbal interactions with family, friends, and co-workers. Are there a lot of "I" and command statements rather than "we" and "please" statements?   Poor managers think "telling" is their job. Strong managers realize that "asking" gains the loyalty of their employees. Poor managers believe they succeed independently. Strong managers realize success is achieved through interdependence.   Karl Miller

TIME Mobile: Facebook Looks To Get Personal

Really enjoy seeing where social media is going. Watching companies innovating and collaborating and competing around this space is exciting.
Note the closing paragraph on "Facebook Presence." A hint to yet more innovation? Only time will tell.
-Karl

Facebook Looks To Get Personal : http://bit.ly/9kDP2Q

Study: Too Much Sugar Increases Heart Risks

From the article:
Johnson suggests a simple rule of thumb -- if the product doesn't contain ingredients that are naturally sweet, such as fruit, then most of the sugar content is likely added sugar. And added sugar, as Vos and her team found, can do far more harm than simply increase your pants size.

http://bit.ly/cKs7HZ


K-SWISS Commercial: Awesome Day #triathlon

Check out this video on YouTube:

Idle Time is Key to Creativity

Idle time is a key ingredient to becoming more creative in your personal and professional life, says R. Keith Sawyer, associate professor of education and of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.

The article goes on to say that most people are so busy, they don’t have the idle time necessary for this creative process to take place.

It is important to note that idle time does not mean you aren’t doing “something.” It means time that you are free to think about other things and perhaps daydream a bit.

For me, exercise is my idle time. Sports psychologists will tell you that you should concentrate on your form and your breathing. They may add that you should visualize yourself winning the race, or running like a world champion (or swimming or cycling or whatever your activity happens to be). I do some of that while I exercise, but my exercise time is also just that. It’s “my” time. It’s one of the few times during the day when I’m doing something for me with few distractions. That is the time when I think about work and family issues that we need to resolve or move ahead on. It’s the time when I can think about new ways to reach out to our alumni, to fundraise for the various projects/programs/departments in the college, and to further my career.

Having made exercise a daily part of my routine by incorporating an endurance athletics lifestyle over the past four years, I admit that many of my “Eureka” moments have come during a long run or long bike ride on an early Saturday or Sunday morning. I’m sure the extra oxygen and increased blood flow help, too. (smile)

When is your idle time? It’s up to you to make it.

http://futurity.org/society-culture/travel-delay-time-for-an-aha-moment/

Video: Bill Gates on How to Fix World's Problems

Bill Gates on How to Fix World’s Biggest Problems [LIVE VIDEO]: http://bit.ly/9xSq lc

Blog Post: TeamTopperTri Weekly Update #triathlon

This week didn't go so well from a quantitative view, but the quality of my workouts was the best of the year. Focusing on my running form over the past year is paying dividends. I can feel myself getting faster and doing so at a lower energy cost. The improvement and its benefits have been great for my motivation. Running is my weakest area so the greater speed and efficiency bode well for my continued growth in the sport.   I'm still not swimming but considering I was a once-a-week swimmer (twice-a-week at best), I know it won't take long to get back into swimming shape. I just have to find a new swimming location and make the time to get the workout in. I'm focusing on my run and bike until after the Shiner 100 mile bike ride on May 1. The goal is to have a swimming location found and membership paid in order to start swimming in May. I also need to get some triathlons on the calendar. That always help keep the workouts a priority.
 
On a personal note, I joined the site DailyMile a few weeks ago and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting some great new friends who also share the endurance lifestyle. Whether it's training for their first 5k or their 10th ultra marathon, the site has something for everyone. The posts are inspiring and the community is very supportive. You can link it to both Facebook and Twitter, so it allows you to communicate through several social media concurrently. See it as an addition to our TeamTopperTri team.
 
I also went "live" with the Karl Miller page on Facebook. It's a way to promote my blog and perhaps make a few more connections. I'm trying to do all I can in creating, growing, and maintaining my personal brand. Whether through DailyMile, LinkedIn, Facebook, TeamTopperTri, KarlMillerLugo.com, and more, I want to be proactive in promoting and protecting the Karl Miller and Karl Miller Lugo names on the web.
 
Here's how the week went:
Monday Strength and core work
Tuesday 30 minute run with my son riding his bike beside me. My daughter ran the final .5 mile with me.
Wednesday Off
Thursday Off
Friday Off
Saturday 1:15 hour run. I felt light and fast and like I could run forever. I negative split the run and had little physical or aerobic fatigue. It was the best run of the year.
Sunday 2:15 hours bike ride. This was supposed to be a 2:30 hours workout, but I shaved 15 minutes off my return trip by going into the big gear for much of the second half. The wind was really strong, so perhaps I had more wind at my back on the way home...even though it felt as if it were at my face in both directions. :-)
 
This coming week is a busy one at work. I have two trips out of town along with a couple of special events on campus. My weekday workouts should be OK but I fear my weekend workouts, especially the long bike ride, may be near impossible to get in. With a century bike ride in two weeks, I really hate to miss it but I see no way around it.
 
All my best to each of my TeamTopperTri mates in the coming week with a special shout out to Claude and Dennis as they taper into the Derby Marathon and Mini-marathon this coming weekend. This will be Claude's first marathon and we are all so proud of him. They will both do great and we look forward to celebrating their success.

Blog Post: Why I don't agree with the Ford #Ironman World Championship Lottery #triathlon

The world championship for any sport should only be open to those who qualify on merit. It should not be open to anyone else.   You can't sign up for golf's The Player's Championship. Sure you can sign up for an "open" championship, but check the requirements. For example, the US Open Golf Championship is "technically" open to anyone, but when you look at the entry requirements, you'll see it takes a golfer of a very high ability-level to qualify for even a qualifying round. I think the same should be true for our triathlon world championship.   You have to qualify for the Boston Marathon (OK, not a world championship, but you get my drift). You can't play in Wimbledon by lottery.   World Championships are for the world's best. Some will try for years to qualify for their sport's world championship or for the Olympics. Why should I be able to get in by paying a fee and entering a lottery?   I'm not saying this because I'm a sore loser who has tried to qualify and hasn't. The reality is that I'll never qualify in my current age group. Here is what a recent article said about what it takes to qualify for Kona for those in my age group (40-45):
 
a VO2max in the neighborhood of 65ml/kg, equivalent to 5K speed of ~17:30 and a CP5 of ~400W. It goes without saying, that this represents a very high level of aerobic fitness: 1 in 200 fitness for a young male, 1 in 10,000 fitness for a 40-49 year old guy based on the Cooper Institute's data!
 
I admire greatly those who qualify for Kona because I know what it takes. I've trained for and completed an Ironman distance race. I saw those who qualified passing by me on the swim, bike, and run. They are an athlete of the highest caliber.I can train 20-30 hours a week and the reality is I don't have the genetics to run a sub 17:30 5K. 80% of our ability is due to genetics. The 20% I can affect just won't get it done. I can only hope that perhaps with continued training I can qualify in another age group; probably closer to my late 60's or 70's.
 
There are plenty of Ironman distance races in the United States and around the world for those who want to do one. For those who want to see Kona, sign up to volunteer or go over to cheer for those who qualify. Perhaps you can go on vacation to swim, bike, and run the Kona course.
 
I have not nor will I enter the Ford Ironman World Championship lottery. I do hope to at least see the race course one day and perhaps, with a lot of training and some luck, I can qualify on my own merits to one day participate in my sport's world championship.
 
And don't even get me started on that Biggest Loser guy getting a special exemption to race in Kona...
 
Let me know what you think. 
 
Keep on tri-ing!
 
-Karl
 
Regardless of my beliefs on this, I will support and encourage those who "got in" through the lottery this or any year. Give it hell and have fun! Kia Kaha!

New Blog Post: TeamTopperTri Weekly Update #triathlon

Week: 4/5-4/11/2010   Monday Off Tuesday 30 minute run Wednesday 45 minute bike (1 legged intervals)
Thursday 45 minute run
Friday 1 hour bike ride
Saturday 1 hour run
Sunday 2 hour bike ride
 
It was my first week of training after the base phase and it felt good to be "back." I must admit to being a bit embarrassed to call myself a triathlete when I haven't completed a swim workout since November. Perhaps being a duathlete for a few months will make me a better cyclist and runner...not to mention make me miss those long (boring) swim workouts.
 
After years of training, I have finally changed my running style. I am now officially a forefoot runner. After the first few runs when everything "clicked," my calves were sore to the touch for a couple of days. Now, I am not only a little faster, but my recovery time is shorter and I feel less fatigued. I haven't been using my heart rate monitor, but I am guessing even my heart rate is lower for the same workout this time last year. The perceived, if not real, improvements have motivated me greatly and I feel a little of the "fire" coming back that's been missing for some time. Running is definitely the weakest of my three disciplines, so any improvement in that area bodes well for my future racing prospects.
 
I did my first bike ride on Parmer Lane/Ronald Reagan Boulevard since my bike wreck on the same road last October.Once again, the road did not bring good luck. OK, so I didn't almost break my neck, but I did mess up my chain. Halfway through a two-hour ride, my chain decided it would no longer go into the big chain ring. I have an appointment at Jack and Adam's this week and they feel it will be an easy fix.
 
On more bike news, I found the receipt to my leaking Cycelops trainer, so I'll be sending it that in. Cycleops has a lifetime warranty...if they decide that it is no longer working due to regular "wear and tear." Outside of logging hundreds of hours on it over the past two years, I have done nothing that should cause it to no longer be in warranty. With any luck, I'll have a new Cycleops in the coming weeks. That will help greatly as my weekly training mileage builds.
 
We are three weeks away from the Shiner 100 mile ride and I look forward to seeing several of my TeamTopperTri teammates. 100 miles on a bike with your best friends ending in free beer...are you kidding me?
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