Palm Springs Half Marathon – The Lean Startup

The Palm Springs Half Marathon is a wandering loopy course.  It is mostly flat and has beautiful views of the mountain ranges.  This was the first half marathon that I listed to an audio book for the entire run.  Although not a terrible idea, this certainly was not a good one.  I am not entirely sure what I was thinking but Eric Reis’s book, The Lean Startup certainly made me more nimble and agile.  Read the book, you’ll get the joke.

The Trip

This was a whirlwind of a trip.  I had just returned from a San Jose business trip, drove home, loaded the family and headed right out to Palm Springs.  Once we got into town and check in, we were hungry.  We asked for a few recommendations close to the hotel and off we went.  I quickly realized that Palm Springs is not a family town.  Lots of random weirdo’s out and about.  Perhaps its a desert thing.

One of the coolest parts of the trip was The Living Desert.  Its a zoo, wild animal park, living desert all wrapped up into one.   And, we were able to get this great family photo while we were there!

The Race & The Lean Start-up

I love experimenting.  On this trip I decided to listen to an audiobook (The Lean Start-up) for the whole run.  And, because I like to take notes as I read, I was constantly pulling over to the side to write little notes in my audiobook note field.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say this was a BIG SUCCESS.  Rather, not a total failure.  The race itself was beautiful at times but mostly uneventful.  The mountains there are outrageous.  They seem to jump right out of the desert floor thousands of feet in the air straight up.  Very cool.

Fun run, good family experience and we’ll be seeing you Palm Springs!