It’s amazing what can be done with the new knowledge and technology that is now available. It impacts every facet of our industry from the field, to the sales/marketing desk, to the warehouse to the retailer and finally to the consumer. This knowledge and technology is enabling us to be faster, better, larger and more cost efficient.
I was going to give a specific business example from Curry & Company and explain how this new knowledge is rapidly growing our blueberry program, has improved our sweet onion programs or enabled us to launch our Vidalia Sweet Carrot program. Instead, I found myself turning to a recent personal endeavor I want to tell you about.
I am no long distance runner. If you don’t know me, I’m 6’8″ and not uniquely gifted or built for jogging, I’ve done the last couple of Live Fit 5k Runs at PMA and that had been the extent of my running. This spring, I was inspired by some resources that showed me a new way of training. Like yourself I’m sure, my schedule is constantly in flux, I travel a lot and finding specific and consistent training is often impossible. So, in my infinite wisdom I decided to sign up for a 15 km race.
My new training knowledge consisted of a maximum weekly time commitment of 3 hours. The weekly workout included 90 minutes of weight training, 30 minutes of sprinting and 30 to 60 minutes of jogging per week. With my travel schedule, I found I’d deviate from the plan, and for example would have to do back-to-back days of sprints and jogging instead of allowing for the suggested 3 day interval between the two. However, I always made sure I squeezed in the 3 hours each week.
The system worked, in 6 weeks I went from jogging 0 miles to 9.3 miles (15km).
On Sunday, March 13 I finished the 15km race. I even survived the 572 feet of elevation change which I was told was like jogging the first 4 miles uphill. I didn’t have a record time but I did have the real satisfaction of accomplishing a goal and still had the ability to walk at the end. The encouragement from my family during the race is something I’ll always remember and afterwards we celebrated with a great brunch.
This process helped me focus on our company goals this spring. As little as two months ago, the thought of running a 15k race may have never occurred to me, now I’m inspired to see what more we can accomplish as a company by taking advantage of new knowledge. It also made me think about our industry and our on-going goal of getting more people to eat and enjoy fresh produce. What new methods can we use to reach today’s consumer?
If you’re interested in pursuing a 15k yourself, or are just interested in some new ways of thinking, these are the two resources that inspired me to lace up my running shoes and hit the road. “Body by Science” by Doug McGuff and John Little and “The 4 Hour Body” by Tim Ferriss.
