This weekend I’ll embark on one of those crazy adventures, participating in the Colorado Relay.  It is a 195 mile endurance relay that starts at Breckenridge and ends in Snowmass.  I’ll be running with some new and old friends on two New Mexico teams Lost & Found and Buzzard Bait.

In the midst of altitude training, running at 10,678 feet, several public relation realities became apparent as I was running with our group.  The concepts that hold true for running and for public relations planning:

When the trail gets rocky or crowded, slow down – Even mountain goats take their time in the steep and uneven rock.  If things get tricky, don’t think you can fix the issue by blasting through it.  Take your time and understand the issue.

Beware of roots on the trail, they will trip you up – Be aware of where the bodies are buried and what has worked, hasn’t worked and why.  With roots, it’s best to just acknowledge and move on so they don’t trip you up too!

Look ahead don’t always focus on your feet – It is easy to be concerned with the real estate in front of you, don’t forget to do some planning to identify where you will be soon and what obstacles are in your way.

Enjoy the view – Sometimes you literally can’t see the forest through the trees.  But when an opening appears just slow down and take it all in.  Never take your accomplishments for granted. 

Run in the flat areas – When you have clear site of the trail and your direction, open it up and see what you can do on the open trail! Take advantage of the slower or less stressed times and use those periods to get more creative, touch base with those you work with and those you work for or just use that time to better yourself and get better at your craft.

Off road – Sometimes if your path is blocked you need to go off road for a brief time.  Try something new, just don’t let that obstacle consume you.

Run for a reason – What is your passion for what you do?  I run for my high school friend Pete Johnson who is in remission from a blood cancer… and PR is my passion.