Getting to the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon last month was an adventure.  Once I got to the event, all was well.  The race organizers were incredibly personable.  They went out of their way to make sure that everyone was well taken care of and got enough food at the pre-race expo the night before the event.  

The temperature at the start of the race was in the low 30’s and reached the high 40’s by the finish.  We started in the dim early morning at 7:00 AM.  Soon the day was clear and sunny – and thankfully with the help of my Transitions lenses adjusting to a comfortable level of darkness and working to reduce glare, they kept my eyes from getting fatigued.   The fall colors were still hanging around and reflected against the many miles of lakeshore on the course, which seemed to trigger some sort of brain chemistry that allowed me to forget how tired I was becoming.  

I ran the bulk of the race with my new friend Soph.  We spoke of a great variety of subjects that seemed monumental at the time.  Fatigue does that.  Over a couple of hours we struck up a friendship that I will value indefinitely, whether or not we meet again.  I appreciate his kindness, his candor, his drive, and the peaceful way he deals with conflict.  Not only that, the miles flew by as we visited.

During the run I had a minor problem with a calf muscle that I will share in the future.  I’m not getting old.  I just need to do more stretching – something critical for runners of all levels to keep in mind.

At the finish we were treated to alligator, gumbo, catfish, lots of other choices, and beverages.  I can’t quite do it justice, but the food was tremendous.  All the warm dishes you could want, seasoned to perfection in Louisiana style.

I am thankful that I ended up in Baton Rouge that day.  I enjoyed getting to know Soph.  The race was beautifully organized and the people were friendly and hospitable.    My wife and I truly had another adventure – one that will remain vivid in my mind.

Another state bites the dust in my quest to run a marathon in all 50 states - but not the one I intended. 

Things have an uncanny way of working out. Months ago I made plans to run the Memphis Marathon on December 5. Plane tickets, check. Hotel reservations, check. Rental car, check. The days passed and training was progressing just fine. Two weeks to the marathon, just one more detail to take care of, registration for the event. Go to the web site, navigate to the online registration section, oh no! It's full! Call the race director and he tells me "no chance" - he has already turned away 100 other slackers like me.

For a second it pops into my mind that I could run the course without being registered. This is a bad idea and would be like stealing. I would have no aid stations and no official finish. I could go as a a tourist and not run the race, which would be another bad idea and total waste of my training. My friends know that I'm going to Memphis to run a marathon and I would have nothing to report in the blog. So I check an online marathon schedule and luckily there is a marathon in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The drive is 370 miles from Memphis, should take six hours each way.

Painfully, I sit down with my wife and spill the beans, telling her something she knows all too well. I'm a slacker. Took care of so many details, but missed a small one - registering for the race. "Honey, how would you like to drive with me from Memphis to Baton Rouge, six hours? We can drive back to Memphis Saturday afternoon, do Graceland Sunday as planned."

I guess the years being married to me have paid off. She didn't even seemed surprised. She was up for the adventure, so we went and had a blast. Too bad in a way it probably serves to reinforce the slacker in me. 

I will tell you more about the weekend and the marathon itself in my next post. Until then, I look forward to hearing from any of you who have the same slackerly tendencies I have. I would love to hear of good results that have come in unpredictable ways, and also if you are an ex-slacker who has seen the light.

I wish you well in your fitness quest.  

Check out the recently added "Videos" section of Improve Your Vision, Improve Your Game to gain relevant and useful information from International Vision Expo West (http://www.visionexpowest.com) in Las Vegas:

Matt Killen, Professional Golf Instructor and Swing Coach

Dr. Larry Lampert, Sports Vision Specialist

Gerald Goodman, Tournament Director, Transitions Championship

Connie Falvo, Director of External Affairs, Transitions Optical 

There is a danger in athletics of overestimating our own level of fitness. Linda is 50-pounds overweight and has never run around the block, but is confident that she's ready for a competitive marathon right now. Joe is six feet tall, 112 pounds and doesn't lift weights, but has a vision of being the new Mr. Olympia by next week. 

These are obvious examples of having a false impression of current fitness level.

Now, consider the woman who ran a fast 10K race a couple years ago, then redirected her priorities to the arrival of a new baby or a business start up. Or the guy who remembers being able to bench-press 270 pounds in college ten years ago and has in his mind, "I'm still there!"

If we fail to accurately assess our starting fitness level, progress is easily missed and we'll be disappointed because we see more failures than gains. It's dangerous - physically and mentally - to operate where we think we are - or wish we were.

If I get lazy for a few months and my training pace slips from seven minutes a mile to nine, it will bug me. If I get stuck in regret, I will do nothing and my condition will continue to deteriorate. If I stubbornly and ignorantly hold to the idea that I am still able to run seven-minute miles, I will either hurt myself or quit trying out of frustration.

There is good news. Although the front-end fitness inventory is a bit disappointing, it sets the stage for genuine improvement. By accepting that a nine-minute mile is where I am at that time, improving to eight-and-a-half becomes a reason to celebrate and keeps me motivated.

I encourage you to take an honest inventory of your current fitness level, accept it for what it is and move forward with setting milestones to help you achieve that ultimate goal. The distance from where you are to where you want to be is an exciting journey that you get to undertake.

Seeing your own improvement is rewarding and one of the keys to seeing that improvement is knowing exactly where you started! Be honest about your current abilities, and then make a plan to take you where you want to be. Put the plan into action and enjoy the results! 

My name is Dr. Steve Gander. I have been an optometrist for over 22 years and am excited to be partnering with the people at Transitions Optical. 

My goal is to a run a marathon in every state. It is a lofty goal, but I have already run 25 marathons in about a dozen states and two Canadian provinces. If I can average 3-4 marathons a year I'll be, healthy and young and 60 years of age when I achieve my goal.  

The 50-state goal, as well as the idea of partnering with Transitions, came to mind as I ran a marathon in Des Moines, Iowa last fall. It just so happens that having lenses that automatically adjust to varying lighting conditions and, that protect your eyes from UV rays, is beneficial for runners, as well as anybody else that spends time outdoors.  It also just so happens that Transitions believes that each of us should have a goal or a series of goals that we are striving for. 

I got my relationship with Transitions off to a running start - no pun intended - this past weekend as I ran the City of Trees Marathon in Boise, Idaho. It was a beautiful course along wooded trails and residential streets. The temperature was just over 40 degrees and there was a continual drizzle. The volunteers along the course were freezing, but warm and encouraging. The race was nicely organized and the hot soup at the finish line made it all worthwhile. The fine hospitality I received from my sister's family who lives in the area was an absolute bonus.

With the help of Transitions, I plan to chronicle my progress toward running a marathon in every state. I'll share with you my stories of setbacks and distractions, as well as victories and triumphs along the way.

It is my hope that you will benefit from my lessons learned. Whatever your vision may be, I challenge you to take time to flesh it out, to weigh it against your other activities to make sure it is workable and then take the steps to accomplish it. You may have already discovered that as you move toward one goal, new goals come to mind and challenge you to put your own lessons learned to good use. Sometimes it is strenuous, but it's always a blast and the payoff for achieving one, if not multiple goals, is very rewarding. 

This blog has been a great source of information for me personally as it relates to my golf game, but I think it serves as a great platform to talk about the impact that your vision has on athletic performance regardless of your sport.

In the coming days and weeks, we will expand this dialogue to include perspective from Dr. Steve Gander, optometrist and marathon runner, who is "living his vision" by reaching a personal goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. Dr. Gander will share with us some great insights from the road on his training regimen, tips for runners of all levels and his professional perspective as to the role and advantage your vision can have as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. As a runner myself and someone who enjoys many different outdoor activities, I look forward to participating in and following the conversation!

Check back often and please feel free to share your relevant comments and questions! 

I'm back blogging after a very busy couple of months working with clients as the 2009 PGA TOUR season wrapped up. And I am happy to report it was a great season!

Now, out at International Vision Expo West (http://www.visionexpowest.com/)  in sunny Las Vegas. I’m out here doing more Transitions’ Improve Your Vision, Improve Your Game workshops which are always fun—working with folks on everything from swing mechanics and putting, to course management.

Tomorrow, I’ll join sports vision expert, Dr. Larry Lampert, at the Transitions booth to conduct skills sessions with golf tips and we’ll discuss using sports vision as a business-building tool for eyecare practices. It’s great working with Dr. Lampert and we’re pumped to talk about a viable and exciting way of merging sports vision and eyecare. And, if you’re not actually in Vegas yourself, check out the Transitions Lenses: Healthy Sight Professionals Facebook page for video clips from our presentations.  A putting tip is a putting tip… even over the internet.

Today I will be teeing off at the British Open at Turnberry and having another go at winning my first major championship. The views from the Alisha Course at Turnberry are incredible and so is the golf course. While the weather at the Open is always a huge factor, I am just looking forward to getting out on the course, controlling what I can and hitting solid golf shots.

The Open is going to be a family affair for me. My son Justin will be caddying for me and we are both hoping to catch a little magic like Jack Nicklaus did when he won the 1986 Masters with his son on the bag.

You can follow me and Justin and all the action from the open at www.opengolf.com.

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every fan who wrote me words of encouragement after the Masters and during the week of the U.S. Open. Each one of those emails provided me with strength and motivation and made me all the more excited about getting over to Scotland and trying to bring the Claret Jug back to the States (and Kentucky)!

Please keep those emails coming, they mean the world to me. You can send me a message by visiting www.yeswekenny.com.

Many times when a golfer is missing putts to the right or to the left it has to do with the alignment of their eyes. This week I would like to share with you how you can determine if your eyes are aligned correctly over your putts and if they are not properly aligned, how to correct them.

To see if your eyes are aligned correctly all you need is some masking tape and a mirror. Place a strip of tape on the ground parallel to your feer and then place the mirror on the ground over the tape. Then take a golf ball and place it on top of the mirror. As you address your putt, your eyes in the mirror should be lined up with the tape. If they are this means you are properly aligned.

It is very important that your eyes are lined up with the tape. If your eyes are past the line, you will tend to align to the left and miss to the left and if your eyes are between your feet and the line you will then misalign to the right. This of course goes for right handed golfers and everything should be reverse if you are left handed.

Last week when I was at the Northern Trust I again noticed many players without sunglasses, and those who did have them on had them flipped over on the top of their hats. Without fail I saw many of those same players hit a shot and squint as they looked into the sky to find their ball.

A big part of my job is helping people best use their visual abilities for success on the playing field. However, in order to best use your visual system you need to have healthy sight. Without proper eye protection from the sun the health of your eyes can be compromised. UV damage from the sun can cause problems like cataracts, macular degeneration and even premature blindness. When outside it is important to consider photochromic lenses like Transitions lenses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.

While I hope this blog serves as a way for readers to use their vision for on the field success, I hope more than anything it helps people realize how important eye health is to overall health and wellness.