Some Thoughts on the Next Generation of Playwrights & Theatre Artists

Some thoughts on the next generation of playwrights & theatre artists.

This past year I’ve had the privilege to work with playwriting students of vary skill levels and educational backgrounds at a variety of places and here are some conclusions I’ve drawn . . .

1.)   Playwrights need to constantly be putting work up in front of an audience, even if it’s not perfect finished etc and putting it up often.

Most of the writers I worked with had no ability to see their work through the audience’s eyes.  I found this fascinating. Whenever I have a show going up or being workshopped, as soon as other people are in the room I “see” the play through their eyes and learn so much, what is over-written, what clunks, what doesn’t fit, what needs another beat etc.  Somehow I learned this skill in undergrad. Maybe it was because we were based on the writer’s workshop model where our work was being read out loud constantly. The University of Iowa was also production heavy. We had No Shame (which in it’s early days was mandatory every week for the MFA’s), gallery shows, readings, workshops plus other departments we would put work up in.

One of my colleagues at this event confided in me that being able to see his play’s through the audience’s eyes was something he had to learn over time and didn’t innately posses and was something he was always working on.

I think being forced to put up your own work all the time is a good thing. The French theatre teacher Jacques Lecoq had his students put up work every Friday in what he called, auto-cours.  Starting in the 1960’s Lecoq had the students at this school devote time each day to working on pieces that they would present to the school at the end of each week.

The pressure of putting up work each week forces you to be okay with failure and learn to create when nothing is truly happening for you creatively.

Through this process you will be forced to wear different hats, that of actor, director, designer etc. I think if more theatre training and education programs adopted some sort of system like this, we would be making better and stronger theatre artists.

2.)   Playwrights need to read more theatre and watch more theatre.

A lot of these playwrights were smart, brilliant young people but I found their depth and breadth of knowledge about theatre and major theatre texts lacking. I found this shocking.  I would reference a playwright or an essayist and I wouldn’t find a hint of recognition on their faces.

The other problem lies in the fact that most art forms, genres etc are self-referential. You can’t build upon and steal from other people’s ideas if you haven’t read it or seen it.

3.)   There is no substitute for solid dramatic structure.

I will probably be crucified for this point, but it’s true. Unless you are Mac Wellman or Erik Ehn I suggest hunkering down and really learning structure.  (I can hear the movement theatre and devisor/collaborators in the world groaning as I type!)

I have one thing to say to you, shut up and deal.

Even when I’m devising a project and putting the pieces together I deal with structure. What is overall story we are telling? Everything on stage must push the story forward.  If it doesn’t move the narrative forward in some fashion it doesn’t belong on stage. Other wise it becomes a cool piece of movement or a pretty monologue or an interesting moment and that is death on stage. It might be cool and you might be married to it, but if it stops the action (and that word can have so many meanings and connotations) than it serves no purpose and must go.  If it doesn’t move the message/politics/action/plot/narrative forward in some manner, cut it.

One of my early playwriting teachers, Thea Cooper, would make us take a red pen to the page and draw shapes around very word that correlated to it’s value. Then we would start cutting. It was a brutal exercise, but brilliant and taught one to let shit go.

Another lesson in structure came from Nilo Cruz. He would have us write scenes in the style of other playwrights. Oh, boy did that teach us a thing or two about structure.

4.)   All playwrights need to act and direct.

Again, I’m sure I’m hearing groans, guess what? I don’t care.

All playwrights need to suffer through more than one acting class and more than one directing class, why? It will make them better. My favorite playwrights all started out as actors. If you suffer through more than one acting class and are forced to act, forced to act in your own stuff, your colleague’s stuff and if you direct your colleague’s plays, you will become such a better writer.

Why you might ask? You will a.) Learn to think visually if you are forced to direct as well as patch holes in other people’s plays and b.) If you act and do it often you will hopefully ever write a character that doesn’t serve a purpose or belong in the scene.

5.)   Show, don’t tell.

I can’t tell you how many classes I’ve heard this in and it’s true. The first 500 times you hear it, you won’t understand it and then finally one day you will and your head will explode.  The simplest way I can explain/describe etc this idea is this. Write a monologue revealing something about a character, then, see how you can relate the same information to the audience through physical action via a scene using as few words as possible. Behavior not exposition is how we learn about characters.

Believe it or not, but film and television writing are great ways to drive this point home, since they are such visual mediums (as is the theatre, hint, hint.)

6.)   I believe in volume.

I was recently at a talkback for one of my plays and an audience member (and budding writer) asked me if I believe in volume.

Yes, I do, to a point.

I don’t believe good writing can be taught. I think someone is either a storyteller or they are not. I can teach someone how to write cleanly, effectively and efficiently but inspiration, creativity and the ability to make people shut up, sit down and listen to you? That can’t be taught. But for someone who has the spark, yes they will get better through everything they write.

Every time you write something you get better at structure, you learn more about your voice, you grow more confident. Thinking about writing won’t make you a better writer, only writing will. So when it comes to theatre (notice I said theatre, not playwriting) I believe in the 10,000 Hour Theory. Directing, acting, producing, stage-managing, designing and writing for 10,000 hours will make you a better playwright.  Notice how really good musicians can play more than one instrument? Theatre artists should be the same way.

Designers should direct, directors should write and playwrights should act: get the picture? Trust me, it will make you better at your primary art.

Also keep in mind that 99.9% of writing is re-writing. So when I say volume I don’t necessarily always mean, volume – perhaps a better way to describe it to say always be creating . . . something.

7.)   Devising, company created work and other popular trends.

No matter how you feel about it, devising and company created work through the ensemble is here to stay. Even the Dramatists Guild is addressing this current trend.

The elephant in the room is the issue that this devised/company created work and the commercial theatre are currently incongruous.

Theatre programs and educational institutions all across the country are flocking to teaching students how to devise theatre and create work as a company. I think that’s great. A class in devising should be a part of every educational theatre’s curriculum. The issue arises when it comes to making money and reproducing this work. It’s hard enough in this business to make a living, have insurance and put into a retirement. Trying to do so with devised/company created theatre is next to impossible.  We don’t have a working financial model for it. Also most companies that create this type of work have a hard time reproducing it.

The way higher education is currently funded through student loans and grants I see a problem brewing. Schools that receive federal funding are now (or very soon) going to have to start posting learning outcomes and job placement rates (in one form or another) on their websites if they want to receive federal dollars.

While company created work is an easy way to claim students are working, I feel an amazing use of curriculum would be a class in producing and navigating the waters of non-profit management and commercial arts management. This will only help a program’s graduates not just create their own work, but able to create a long tem company and learn fiscal responsibility for an arts organization.

What am I saying? Well, I feel any program with a sense of being current, viable and serving the educational needs of it’s students should have as a part of it’s curriculum a class in devised theatre, a class in producing in the arts & arts management and last but not least some sort of on-camera component.

Yup, I said it. Any educational theatre program in the country that does not have an on-camera component is doing its students a disservice. They all need to find a way to start integrating the camera into their various disciplines be it design, writing, directing, stage management or acting. Its where so many of their alumni will end up in one form or another and to not prepare them, at least a little bit is criminal.

Stage managers will work in production, playwrights will write television and actors – well, as a working actor I know how much of my income comes from theatre and how much of it comes from film, television and commercials and I know where my insurance benefits come from.  I would be lost without SAG-AFTRA. Also in this digital age of the Internet there is no excuse for not learning how to tell stories and disseminate it through the web.

There is no excuse for not having it be part of the curriculum, when the Playwright’ s Center puts trailers for plays on its website and videos are an essential part of fundraising through crowd sourcing on Kickstarter educational theatre must embrace the use of cameras, working on camera and recorded media.  To not do so is negligent.

Bringing it back to the point of this post, which is playwrights, I encourage them to put up their work in as many ways as possible, always be throwing something up in front of some kind of audience. I also want to challenge them with learning three things, devising, producing and learning to write for film & television. At least experiment with all three, you will be doing yourself, your career and your talent a favor.

Why do we go to the theatre?

I know that's probably the most pretentious title ever but it does leave me wondering.

Mostly because there are two plays I haven't seen yet in NYC and I really want to go,
TRIBES and Annie Baker's UNCLE VANYA.

I've heard mixed things about TRIBES but I still want to see it. And of course I adore Annie Baker.
There's something about her plays that appeal to me.

They are plays I want to work on with my friends.

I like them because they aren't what I consider "the cool kid plays," "NYC Hip," or as I prefer to call them, "Look at me I'm so smart and I'm going to be emotionally selfish." Yeah I hate those plays and New York  is full of them. (Sorry fellow playwrights.)

The crazy thing is, UNCLE VANYA isn't my favorite Chekhov play. But I'm excited like it's the opening of a the new Dark Night movie.

So back to my original question: why do we go to the theatre?

For myself, I go when I can afford it. (A movie is so much cheaper.)

When someone else drags me. (I'm a bit of a shut in.)

When a friend is in something. (That's why I go to half of the plays I see.)

When I don't have to pay for it. (Yup, I'm a jerk but 99.9% of the theatre I see in NYC is pretty awful, so why pay?)

The sad truth is, I don't go because I want to.

I'm a theatre artist and I don't go to the theatre of my own free will. I go out of obligation.

Shoot me.

Seriously.

Please.

I should be ashamed of myself.

I actually started making a conscious effort to avoid theatre. Every day I was getting hit with things from every friend I know inviting me to their show. Most of them bad. I can't really afford to see all of this crap anyway, so why should I go? To see you or go to see a good show?

Get ready fellow theatre makers, here's me being a complete douche, "Please stop making bad theatre."

There's a reason I don't work in a lot of NYC theatre anymore. I started saying no to projects.
I would audition and they would call me back and after having met the creative teams and realizing they were morons who found money, I started saying no to things. I refuse to be in a show (when I'm not really making any money) that I think is bad.

It started one day with an offer to do some really bad avant garde Shakespeare project downtown. In the call back I realized I knew more about how to speak and how to interpret The Bard than the people who were supposed to be in charge.

They were victims of the school of, "I never learned what the rules are, so I'm going to break them all HAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!

I hate those people. You shouldn't be allowed to color outside the lines until you've at least made an effort to color inside them.

When the offer came in I told my agent, no. That I would be miserable. And low and behold, he understood. (Oh how I loved that agent!)

So that's how it started. The  power of no. I stopped auditioning for crap I didn't want to be in.
Terrible ideas are terrible ideas. A bad play will almost always be a bad play.

I refuse to be that guy who works for the sake of working. (At least in the theatre.) I'd rather spend my time at home with my loved ones or writing a new script than being a part of a show that I think sucks. I don't want to be bitter about being at the theatre and feeling like we are wasting the audience's time.

I'm tired of being ashamed. (At least when it comes to theatre. There's too much work and not enough money involved. A commercial or TV gig? Bring it on, I'm shameless. Mostly because it asks so little of the audience. The theatre asks a lot out of the audience.)

Now I should also turn this back on myself. Wesley, you currently run a theatre. That's true.

As  a playwright, I write stories that I have to write, that I have to tell. I don't put on plays for the sake of putting on plays.

Everyone, please promise me this. No one ever work with me or my theatre for sake of putting on a play. Unless you feel a burning in your heart that you have to be a part of this project, please, go somewhere else.

There is no money in off-off Broadway. So let's tell stories we think are cool, awesome, that the audience the will learn from - let's do it to change people in some fashion and to entertain.

NOT for the sake of being on stage.

Please don't waste my time because of a need to validate your expensive BFA or MFA.

I'm just saying.

I love my art.

I feel like I have to protect it.

Let's conspire to be brilliant and leave the audience different from when they walked in. Since we are asking so much from our audience, let's give them two-fold back in return.

If I don't go to the theatre, why am I excited at the prospect of these two plays?

I don't know. I can't articulate it yet. I have hope that what these plays ask of me as an audience member will be returned in spades.

But I am going to make this promise. I'm going to go see more theatre of my own free will.

Yup. I'm going to spend more time looking for plays that I want to see.

I'm going to invest in the theatre in a larger way. As an audience member by choice.

I want to be entertained or I want to be moved. Hopefully both.

Until next time True Believers . . .

Some Thoughts on Training Actors in the United States

When it comes to talking about acting, I openly admit to being rather opinionated. Those who know me will agree that I have a very strong point of view on the issue and I’m not afraid to share it.

Bluntly stated, our model of actor training in this country is broken.

Acting education currently faces two main challenges – most of the great master teachers are dying off, and the new generations of young actors are changing at lightening-fast speed.

It seems that every school nowadays offers MFA and BFA programs but students are graduating having never studied with what we would consider “master teachers.” In fact, many teachers out there have no experience on LORT stages, sound stages and film sets. I’ve been more fortunate than many to have sat in class with titans like Bill Esper and Paul Sills. I’ve been blessed to watch Michael Kahn put actors through their paces and hear him say one of my favorite quotes: “I don’t care what you are feeling; I want to know what you are doing!” 

I’ve been extremely lucky and blessed because most young actors will never have these opportunities. Every year we lose more and more these titans. We are losing a generation of great teachers, and those of us fortunate enough to have been there in their classrooms will carry on their legacies.

But the truth is that we cannot teach this current generation of actors or the next several generations the way that the titans taught. The students are different and we are faced with new challenges.

They are a generation that likes to feel things deeply but not actually connect.

At the school where I currently work we collect everyone’s mobile devices at the start of  class and place them in a container off to the side. Focus and concentration are the first habits we must instill.

The craft of acting is a habit. It must be practiced again and again and placed in the body. I have no apologies for my Meisner-based point of view on the actor’s process. I spent three years (one year at the University of Iowa and three years at Rutgers working in, around, and with the Meisner technique. Of course it’s going to color and filter my work and language, and I make no apologies for it.

I equate the work that happens in the acting studio to that of a football player on the practice field. Meisner isn’t acting, Uta’s work isn’t acting, and Suzuki definitely isn’t acting – they’re all exercises no different than a football player running sprints, putting in time in the weight room and doing fumble recovery drills. It may feel like the game of football, but it’s not. The same can be said of all of these acting techniques. They can feel like acting, but they’re not.

It’s up to us as educators to teach the technique in the studio and help them bridge the gap into rehearsal and performance. That’s where mentoring comes in. We have to guide them and lead by example.

Some programs and teachers want to spend all of their time working on scenes. There is a place for that. Actors must work on scenes, but only when they are equipped with tools they can put to use. Let’s face it, most of the people who are teaching script analysis don’t really know how to play an action, objective, need or intent. They haven’t made that leap themselves yet. They haven’t been able to make it a habit, physically synthesize it and put in their own bodies.

I am going to point out that scene work, being directed in scenes in the studio, isn’t really acting either. Actors need a combination of technique in the studio, scene work and actually working on plays that are put up in front of an audience. All three components must be in place or we are doing them a disservice.

We also cannot ignore the actor’s work in front of the camera. The camera is an invaluable teaching tool. I call it “The Great Barometer of Truth.” Not only does it force them to work more simply and take ownership of themselves, but it is also where many of this next generation will make their living. Commercials, television and film are where the majority of the work is happening. And not just in New York or Los Angeles. Places as diverse as Pittsburgh and Baton Rouge are getting more and more attention from the film and television world. The work an actor acquires through the newly minted SAG-AFTRA will be how they buy a house, carry a mortgage and pay their student loans. Not addressing and at the very least introducing them to this aspect of the acting world is not addressing their futures. The regional theatre movement is shrinking. Theatres are closing, co-productions are all the rage and theatres are doing smaller and smaller cast shows. Call AEA and ask how many LORT D level and higher contracts were issued this past year. The number will frighten you.

So what do I believe? What is my philosophy?

We have to build habits in this next generation of actors. We have to teach them discipline. Teach them that sensual is different than sexual, teach them how to connect to another human being physically in front of them, and teach them the ability to play an action and put it into their bodies. We must then take them from exercises to scene studies, and finally into rehearsals and performances in front of a live audience. We must also enable them to be comfortable in front of the camera – to work simply and truthfully with no apologies and to take ownership of their work. We must also teach to the individual. Cookie cutting teaching will never serve the artist. We must teach to the level of each student and leave ourselves open to surprise.

Of course, truth be told, all we can really do is set them on the path of becoming an artist. We can help point their feet in the right direction. As you and I know, it takes a lifetime to learn these lessons. But we can plant the seeds of these ideas and philosophies, and hope that they will serve and carry them well throughout a lifetime of work in this wonderful and crazy business

What Do I Have Say For Myself?

Recently I've been filling out applications for playwriting fellowships. A lot of them ask the same questions over and over again. The downside is answering a lot of the same questions, the upside has been being forced to answer a lot of tough questions about myself.

Similarly, I was on a plane recently headed to the Southeastern Theatre Conference (for my work at an acting school in NYC). I was reading a collection of early Adam Rapp plays. The man seated next to me if I was in theatre, we got to talking and sure enough we were both headed to the same place. He was the Technical Director for The Santa Fe Opera. He asked me about what I was reading and I told him the truth. A bad collection of plays which felt like they were written by a very young in craft playwright. (Sorry Adam, but it's true.)

Then he asked me about my own work. (I'll sometimes see this on playwright's websites, their aesthetic or what their plays themes are commonly about.) And the only way I could describe it was, "If the plays of Tracy Letts and Sam Shepard had a really angry baby." Or, "A white trash Terrence McNally with a drug and alcohol problem mixed with a lot of self hatred." (No one ever finds the last one funny.)

The example I use is, if I wrote LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART the pool would have been empty (except for beer cans), the couples would have beaten the crap out of each other and they all would have hard core gay sex with each other and guys next door. How about that for a Fourth of July weekend Terrence?

But I digress.

When I was a little kid people asked me what I wanted to be. I was strange and said a writer. (What 6 year old does that?)
I then spent the next 30 years in denial of that fact. Sure I wrote plays as an undergrad, but they were full of sturm & drang and were badly written. But the seeds of what I write about were planted. Not much has changed. Misplaced love, family, outsiders, misfits, broken hearts and the disenfranchised: that's what I write about.

I didn't start writing again until recently. During the last writer's strike my agent asked me if I wrote. Well I did write. I was even on scholarship for it at The University of Iowa. (They didn't give out acting scholarships then.) Then I spent a long time in denial of being a writer. Years spent improvising and acting (which I'm not too shabby at), an MFA in Acting at Rutgers were I was told I wasn't really allowed to write and should just be an actor (screw that). But ultimately, after all of this time, I have come around to being a writer.

Of course I started writing again, but it was television (which I love), and grudgingly, against my will and better judgement did I go back to writing plays.

The funny thing is, I was calling myself a playwright before I actually accepted that I was a playwright. It's only been in the last year and a half that I have truly embraced writing theatre.

The theatre is my home. It's where I first cut my teeth as a writer. It's the first place that I started telling stories with people who I loved and enjoyed telling stories with.
I think that's the key. Telling stories with others who I love and respect.
Let's face it, no one is really going to make any money doing theatre. It's just isn't going to happen. Not today. Not when the regional theatre movement is dying and producers are afraid to take a chance. But I can tell cool stories with my friends.

I'm also no longer out to change the world. My stories come to me through the characters in my head. They take on a life of their own and grow deep roots into my soul and the only way to get them out is to put them on paper and turn them loose.
Are my plays political? No. But my characters have politics, as well as hopes, dreams, wishes, love, hate and rage.

As long as I have friends to tell stories with I'm going to keep telling my stories about misplaced love, family, outsiders, misfits, broken hearts and the disenfranchised.

Travel Tales

For those of you who may not know it, I travel. A lot.

My life is a bit like George Clooney in UP IN THE AIR, except I don't fire people. (I find talented young people for an acting conservatory.)

Since July I manged to hit Silver Elite status with Continental two months ago.

Believe me membership does have it's privileges.

Continental and United take wonderful care of me.

American Airlines can crawl into a hole and die. Every time I fly them there are mechanical delays and of course basic essentials (such as running water in the bathroom) don't work or are absent.

US Airways, while being a terrible airline, upgrade me if I get a hangnail so I can't complain. In fact they actually take pretty good care of me. Maybe I'm lucky. Sure there are problems but they are really quick to make me happy so I they have grown on me and I don't mind flying them that much.

Delta, I just hate them because I always seem to get stranded in Minneapolis overnight and they have been downright rude and unhelpful and are quick to pass the buck.

You might be reading this and thinking, why would I care?

Well I care. I fly every week for work. Every week a different city. This month alone I have been on the road more than I have been home. It's the 24th of the month and I've been on the road for 16 days. (And now I'm heading for Arkansas!) While there is an aspect of cool to this I don't necessarily go to cool places. I have often thought about revamping my blog into a travel blog of ordinary destinations. In fact it might evolve into that. Who knows what the future will bring or the blogger app on my iphone?

At some point I will have to start my evaluation of hotels and which chains are the best. (I will say the Hilton in New Orleans, right next to French Quarter in the CBD has one of the nicest staffs I've ever had contact with. And these people work in tourism in NOLA so they have the right to be angry but they are amazing and sweet as pecan pie.)

This travel season I have been in the following places and many of them two or three times: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Cincinnati, Phoenix AZ, New Orleans, Fort Wayne Indiana, Memphis and Wichita KS.

Right now though, I'm going to post tips for the frequent traveler to stay healthy and sane . . .

1.) You can take non-gel deodorant and your razor in your carry on. And no they don't need to be in a plastic bag.

2.) You can bring those flat packets of anti-bacterial wipes with you on the plane. In fact you should. Airline trays are some of the dirtiest, filthiest things in existence. Plus 1/3 of all of my flights lack running H2O in the bathroom. ( I wouldn't trust that water anyway.) So I always carry anti-bacterial wipes to use on objects and my hands.

3.)Wash hands frequently.

4.) Drink tons of water. Stay hydrated when traveling. It fights jet lag and all sorts of issues.

5.) When traveling I only eat soups and salads. It keeps me from over indulging in crappy airport comfort food and the fiber and hydration helps.

6.) Podcasts are your friend.

7.) Read every local newspaper you can. It gives one an insight into the community in which one is visiting and traveling though.

8.) Always pack running shoes and a set of workout clothes.

9.) Workout. My only hotel stipulation is that they have a gym. Why? Working out for me beats jet lag and travel stress. It also keeps me out of the bar and it helps reset and de-stress during tough travel days. When the weather is nice, running the streets of where you are at can be an incredible way to learn about a place. FYI by the San Francisco Airport, if you are staying at one of the hotels over there, there is an amazing trail that takes you North along the bay and it is gorgeous. Just don't give up, keep looking for it. I had to work my way through more than one parking lot in the dark, but it was worth it. Beautiful.

10.) Pack very, very light. Only bring what you need. I wash my work out clothes after every workout in the hotel sink and hang them to dry. I always pack socks, underwear and undershirts. Everything else is negotiable. With unexpected layovers I have been known to wash things in hotel sinks and hot iron them dry. (Don't you judge me!)

11.) Always bring your vitamins. I do. I also take Emergen-C when I fly. I find it helps keep sickness at bay as well as the vitamin boost helps beat the jet lag. Exercise, hydration and vitamins I attribute to keeping me healthy. I haven't been sick this whole travel season.

12.) Men, travel in a tie. I do. (Or one of my Doctor Who t-shirts.) The tie automatically makes people nicer to you and respect you more. The Doctor Who t-shirts are great conversation starters and everyone loves and is nicer to a fellow geek. We have to look after our own. (Do you know how many free upgrades and free cups of coffee I've gotten because of the Doctor Who t-shirts? I'm convinced Doctor Who fans make the world go round.) I've had people on the street and on planes stand up and yell things at me because of my Doctor Who shirts.

13.) Learn to give up shoelaces. If you travel like I do you your running shoes will be the only thing you own that has laces. It really does save time at security.

14.) Bring a pen and notebook. Don't ask me why but some of my best thoughts happen on planes and in restaurants.

15.) This is my girliest point: bring your own body wash, lotion and face wash. Yes this outs me as being very metro . . . but changing water and products all the time can lead to break outs. Hence why I bring my own products. It keeps break outs at bay and it helps you miss home a little less when you always smell like you. It sounds strange but it matters to me. Smell matters. I use Jack Black products. I love 'em. And you can buy all of the products in 3 oz size containers. I refill my stuff off of my bigger containers I keep at home. It's also vegan, non-cruel and no crazy chemicals. Plus they have a face wash and toner in one. Love it. The body wash you can use as a shampoo. Yes this is horribly metro of me. But it makes me happier and I don't get acne break outs. So there.

16.) Text and send photos of stupid stuff to loved ones. It helps them (and you) feel connected. Traveling can be hell on relationships. So put in the effort. Even if you aren't home you can still make them feel like they are a part of your life by texting and sending them photos of stuff you are seeing/experiencing. Remember it goes both ways. Yes traveling is hard on the traveler, but you are on the road working while they are at home trying to figure out how to have a life without you in it. Keep them a part of things.

17.) Learn PATIENCE. Seriously. The only thing that gets me riled up anymore when traveling is when there is a complete and utter disregard for customer satisfaction. (American Airlines I'm talking about you.) You can't change the weather or most mechanical problems (be happy that they caught them) or traffic or most anything. When you travel as much as I do you discover that you are at the mercy of the universe. Your best best is to, if I may quote a jiu-jitsu term, "flow with the go." And don't be afraid to turn to the person next to you and strike up a conversation.

Until next time True Believers . . .

Marathon Thoughts

I know it's been a while since the ING NYC Marathon drew to a close and I should have written about it before now.

The time just didn't seem right.

When the marathon ended I didn't event want to think about running, let alone talk or write about it. (Although I am a twitter follower of many elite runner.)

I needed a break.

Recently I received my marathon finisher's certificate in the mail. I also need to decide if I am going to qualify for the 2013 ING NYC Marathon.

While I am deciding what to do next here are my thoughts . . .

If you have ever wanted to run a marathon than you must run the ING NYC Marathon. It is an experience that will be hard to match. The neighborhoods, crowds of people cheering you on (if you write your name on your shirt), the camaraderie of your fellow runners and a sense of accomplishment like no other.

Knowing that you have done something that most people wouldn't even dare to attempt does give one's self a certain swagger, a certain sense of "I am superhuman."

Of course with everyone running marathons and ultra-marathons and triathlons and the Iron Man, well it does water down one's sense of self importance.

And no matter what anyone will ever say, it is a group effort. I could not have run it without the support and love of my girlfriend Mandy, the support and patience of my manager Cyd and my sister Sue.

All that being said here is what I learned about running and training for my first marathon.

1.) Don't fly across the country a bunch of times the week before the race.

2.) Stay off your feet the day before the race. (Even if you want to hang with your sister at the expo.)

3.) On race day don't pace around the starting village, lay down and put your feet up no matter how nervous you are.

4.) There are two pacers. Follow the correct one. One pacer runs the first half way fast and then slows down, the other keeps a steady pace. I thought my Garmin was broke since I was running 8:15-8:30 miles when I wanted to run 9's. (But hey I was following the 4 hour pacer!) Only when I started slowing down did I see the other pacer who was running how I trained. (Ugh, you live and learn.)

5.) Carbo loading means carbo loading. Don't think you can cheat it. I tried. That's why at mile 18 I realized I had no glycogen left in my muscles. I still plowed through but life would have been a lot easier if I had really increased my carbs that last week.

6.)Work for negative splits on half marathons during your training. It will make you stronger.

7.) Hills. You don't need to run steep, hard, fast hills. For my next marathon I will run a fast 10K then jump on the treadmill and do mile long hill repeats with the incline on 6 or 7. I ran steep, hard hills and lots of stairs. It's not the same. The bridges are long slow inclines. So hill train the way you need to for your race. (Of course I will still do really hard steep hills as well.)

8.) Don't stop lifting until 2-3 weeks before. (It will make a huge difference.)

9.) Foam rolling and yoga are your friends. Make them a part of your daily life in some fashion, even a little bit.

10.) Drop weight. Cut 10-20 pounds during your base or speed phase of marathon training. (It will be easier during that time. That way when you are doing 20 mile runs (and longer) and need more recovery time etc., you don't have to worry about losing weight or keeping it off, all you have to do is maintain. And quite frankly losing the 10-20 pounds (If you have it to lose) will make your body a lot happier after 26.2 miles.

11.) Marathon distance is a b$t&h to train for. It will consume all of your time and you have to be willing to give up a lot of your life. I prefer the half-marathon distance. I can still run long and train hard, but no run has to be longer than 2 hours. It means I still get to keep my Sundays.

12.) Taper. No really taper. Taper smart. Did I mention you should take tapering seriously?

Until next time true believers.