My New Balance MT1010V2, retiring after 857 miles of faithful service, replaced by the Inov8 RaceUltra, what are my first impressions of Inov8’s lighter RaceUltra offering?

Some context for this article:

This is my fifth year of running, I tend to run trails and prefer Ultra distances
I am 5ft 11in and weigh between 13 and 14 stone, I am a mid-pack runner. I prefer reasonably minimal shoes and front to mid-foot strike. I have a wide foot.

What did I want a shoe for? The Inov8 is the latest in a long line of shoes I have purchased to meet the following criteria:

Low drop, reasonably low stack height, comfortable for Ultra distances on harder packed trails and the occasional bit of tarmac. Wide toe box.

A roll call of the Inov8’s predecessors:

New Balance MT110’s - too firm (but probably the best of the bunch)

Lone Peak 1.5 - too heavy, don’t shed water but very, very comfortable

The Jungle Ultra, Peruvian Amazonian Jungle - June 2015

Yup, I’m focusing on the positive, there are a few other creatures to be found in the Jungle:

The Black Caiman, crocodillian bad boy cousin of the Amercian alligator, Coral Snakes, handily have the second strongest venom of any snake, shame on them first losers to the Black Mamba. Jaguar, I planned on buying a Jaguar this year not meeting one, whilst the mammal is slower than the car both are faster than me. My personal favourite the Poison Dart Frog, even the flippin frogs are out to get you! There are of course many other nasties including Tree Vipers and Tarantula, huge Tarantula.

Beyond the range of animals and insects out to eat, poison and or infect me, oh yes some pretty scary tropical diseases are part of the overall Smorgasbord, there is the small matter of a bimble, 230KM to conquer. Carrying all of the kit and...

As a company we both sit through and deliver lots of presentations. We have for a long time encouraged our clients to think of new ways to deliver their content as we believe that the majority of PowerPoint slides are built more for the presenter, a visual copy of their notes, than the audience.

How delighted were we then to find an innovative new alternative in www.prezi.com , in essence you build your presentation as if were one large board or screen which you can then take your audience on a journey around, zooming in and out of elements at will.

We have no affiliation to the makers nor are we getting half a pence for everyone who clicks their link. We just wanted to let you know that there might just be, at last, a credible alternative to PowerPoint.

Want to see an example? We are, as you will see, not experts, not by some measure! We did though have an awful lot of fun making...

Physically it’s something we just take for granted; we don’t remember when we weren’t masters of it, then we learn to ride a bike and for a few weekends with dad holding the seat the concept of balance comes alive as we pedal wildly our heart’s thumping, adrenaline coursing through us we rediscover balance, the prize a mark of maturity and gateway to freedom not bettered for many years, the removal of stabilisers.

As a concept applied to life rather than walking or cycling people are so often said to be striving for ‘balance’ in their work and life. I’m in one of those phases where there are just so many forces competing for that rare commodity time. The pursuit of balance has been weighing heavily on my shoulders.

I have a new business with awesome clients for whom I want to deliver so much, I still need more customers and am adapting to the routines of running your own company.

...

Its now almost two months since I returned from the Moroccan Saharan Desert, a trip which was the culmination of my transformation from sedentary, overweight couch potato to ultra-marathon runner; The Marathon Des Sables is slowly fading, the memories and emotions there to draw on but no longer front and foremost as they have been for the two years prior, ten days during and a month following the event.

There is absolutely no doubt The Marathon Des Sables leaves a large hole in my mind and heart, a hole I have, or so it seems, been filling with crisps, sweets wine and beer. I have run, a forty mile ultra and fifty-eight as a pacer however I have not trained, a strange lethargy seems to have infected me. I ran today yet struggled to maintain what was a very reasonable pace over a short distance, deciding ultimately to drop-off from the group I was with and take a short-cut back to my...

In the October issue of the Harvard Business Review there is an interesting article titled HR for Neophytes the article suggests front-line managers are taking on duties that were once the preserve of human resources.

Written by Peter Capelli, there are a number of great observations and points raised one that struck me in particular is his assertion that one of largest misconceptions of about managing talent is that individual failure is the greatest cause of performance issues. Whilst he doesn’t quote the specific research he asserts the notion of ‘A’ Players is largely a myth in essence people are not innately excellent, poor or average performers it’s the workplace context, systems, procedures, support and market conditions that play a larger part in performance.

I have to say I agree, all too often individuals are castigated for results that are not in line with a budget or...

Trail Running Magazine, Trail Team Selection Day Helvellyn

Not knowing what to expect of the Trail Running Magazine, Trail Team selection day in Helvellyn, sponsored by Berghaus, Led Lenser and Torq, my only point of reference was the ‘reality’ or ‘dramality’ shows that invade our living rooms, all too frequently in my opinion. Would the very desirable prizes of lots and lots of Berghaus, Led Lenser and Torq goodies nicely capped off with a free training camp in Chamonix turn our group of trail runners into a pack of The Apprentice, The Voice, X Factor, Next Top Model, Celebrity Big Brother brash, spotlight grabbing drama kings and queens?

Given the inherently competitive nature of runners, the great prize, the not inconsiderable distance travelled by many, the inevitable lack of sleep from group youth hostel dorms and fatigue from running repeats of Helvellyn you might be forgiven...

It’s been an interesting and challenging few years whereby I have moved from senior commercial roles in large organisations to interim contracts with smaller industrial businesses striving for growth and now a fully fledged consultancy practice where I provide a range of services which add up to non-executive board support with a special focus on the commercial performance of organisations.

Part of the process to define future direction included an ultimately aborted return to the Far East; Jakarta just proved too congested and surprisingly expensive; it’s enjoying an incredible property boom and was the fastest growing property market of 2013, with 47% growth in prices.

Running, quite literally, alongside my professional development and move from employee to business owner via contractor is my pursuit of health and fitness; no one has been more surprised than I to find I really quite...

Sales Team Health Check

Few if any functions have as an immediate effect on profit as an organisations sales team; when investing in or buying a company it is therefore paramount to have your own sense of the incumbent sales teams performance.

All too often companies with great products and services are unable to leverage their competitive advantage due to underperforming sales teams. I have listed below five admittedly fundamental activities and processes that if not present suggest the sales team will not be performing to potential, this of course could be a threat to your investment or purchase however in many cases it provides an opportunity as the introduction of some or all of these will likely yield quick results for minimal investment.

1. Is there a sales strategy in place?

This is not to say there has to be a fifty page document littered with jargon such as work streams and...