Harvey Simon’s Running Philosophy

I was impressed with a simple video post on www.wsj.com yesterday. It made me think and smile.

2008 Manchester Road Race

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and so has another great tradition. Yesterday was the 72nd running of the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut, USA. The weather could not have been better for running. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature moved from the mid-30’s(F) to the low-40’s(F) by the end of the 4.748 mile race. Why not five miles? Well, the course hasn’t changed since the beginning. 

This was my 15th MRR in a row, and I think, 18th overall. I saw lots of friends and most of the usual characters. Debbie and I haven’t done much road running lately. Actually, I haven’t done much running at all lately. My last race was The Bluff 50K more than a month ago. I had lots of travel in October and November, so I’m still working out the kinks in my back! 

Regardless, I actually felt pretty good yesterday. I wore my GPS, so I have good data on my splits. 

I ran within my limits and didn’t blow up on the hill. In hindsight, I may have been able to push a bit harder, but I was cautious. I started with ultrarunning friend, Matt Estes, but didn’t see him after the gun went off. I passed my “nemesis” Todd Brown, so he wasn’t a factor in our ongoing see-saw battle. Once again, I was passed by Brett Stoeffler near the top of the hill. If I could only have stuck with him for a mile, I would have been guaranteed to lower my time since he put 50 seconds into me from that point on.

It turns out that the person I paced off of was none other than Joan Benoit Samuelson. After meeting her at the Pasta Dinner the night before the race, I figured I would see her next on TV or in the newspaper, but not during the heat of the race. As it turns out, she performed double duty as the MMR Honorary Chairperson, and then ran the race–going all out. Once I saw her up at the front in the first mile, I knew that she was gunning for the women’s 50+ course record. I led her up the hill before she passed me on Porter St. Porter is always my Waterloo. That section of the course again turned out to be my weakness and ultimately, the battle with the downhills is where I look back and agree that the “race was lost.” It is always a challenge for me to deal with the downhill part of this, or any course. I just don’t have (or train for) the leg turnover required. I have Peter Lagoy, a trail running friend, to remind me of that fact after finishing yesterday. He said that he marked me on the hill, then basically blew by me on the descent. Oh well. 

That is where Joan gapped me and left me in no-man’s-land. Every so often, someone would pull up on my shoulder, but never surge past. I held my pace, but couldn’t close the gap. I would inch up on her, but she kept a constant 10-20 meter lead. She was pushing very hard. I got a good look at her unique running form; the same form that led her to victories in some of the world’s most famous marathons a quarter century ago. At 51 years old, she was just hammering the MMR course. 

My quest to catch Joanie became a race within a race and I thought I could get her on East Center Street. The crowds were thick and she was getting huge cheers. I pretended that everyone was yelling for me, but it wasn’t enough. At some point, the imaginary elastic band joining us, snapped. As I turned on to Main Street, I knew that I didn’t really have the time or legs to catch her. Good for her-she ended up lowering the women’s 50+ course record by 43 seconds. She won her division and finished 12th overall among women. At 27:28 for her official time, she should own the record for a while. There aren’t too many other women her age, who can run that fast. 

I finished three spots behind her in 98th place. My official time was 27:34. A couple of guys had gotten in between us in the final meters. I saw Joan in the chute after the finish. She had clearly given it her all. I would have expected nothing less. She was winded but happy with her performance. We all had a little lung burn. 

My time was one of my quicker results, possibly even my second fastest. I know that I’ll actually have to train if I ever expect to beat my 27:18 in 1999 and especially train if I ever want to break 27:00 which has been a long time goal. Every year at this time, I say, “I’m going to train next year.” I never do. I would have to put some miles in October and November and work in some track workouts like I did in my high school days (long ago). 

Debbie surprised herself with a 32:15. It wasn’t her fastest MMR result, but her last race, less than two weeks ago was the Javelina Jundred. She is still feeling that 100 miler in her legs. I scanned the results, another tradition, to see the names of all of our friends. In the old days, you had to wait for the The Hartford Courant’s weekend edition when they published a special section with all of the finishers. A move to chip timing several years ago allowed the organizers to produce  much quicker results. This year, the race moved to RFID tags as part of their effort to “green” the race. Compared to the rigid plastic chips, a lot less material is used in the disposable tags that attach to your shoe. I imagine they cost less too. All the better since the proceeds of the race go to charity. 

I was also glad to see that the use of plastic water bottles was minimized. They had them if you needed them, but they made the walk to get them a lot longer. They were also promoting recycling. They had a large bubbler set up too, so you could skip the bottles if you needed a drink. This is all good stuff. As always, the volunteers and race production was superb. It is hard to deal with 10,402 finishers. I’m sure that even more runners and walkers started the race. This is a fabulous turnout! The only glitch I knew of was that the shuttle buses were overloaded an a lot of folks missed the start. This is a bit of a bummer. The police really cracked down on the parking rules, which forced a lot more people to take the buses. Traffic was an issue and many of the buses were snarled in the mess. The race organizers have already acknowledged this and vow to fix it next year. 

The men’s winner was Martin Fagan of Ireland. He ran 21:41 and avenged his one second loss in 2007 when he got pipped at the line. Second was Haron Lagat of Kenya, and third was Brian Olinger of Ohio. The weather was perfect for course records, but Fagan was still 22 seconds off. He said he will come back next year and go for it. I think he was just happy to win this year after going out too hard and then fading, last year.  The women’s winner was Teyba Naser of Bahrain. She ran 25:00 flat and narrowly defeated past winner, Amy Rudolph of Rhode Island, by two seconds. Third was Diane Nukuri of Burundi. 

Fox 61 television had some nice coverage of the race and they have posted a lot of video on their site. The Hartford Courant also has good coverage on their website and in today’s edition of the paper. 

Full results are available from the MMR website. 

Until next year…

Joanie Still Rocks!

Joan Benoit Samuelson will be making her first appearance at the Manchester Road Race today. That in itself is an amazing feat. It is hard to believe that she has never run this event, and that she has been running in New England all of her life. Joan is a running legend. She hails from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and is one of the best athletes that our country has ever produced. 

Her biggest victory, the Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympic Marathon, is only one result that stands out on a long list. Her victories in the Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, and Falmouth Road Race are special too. She has even been setting age group records in recent years. At 51, she is not looking back. It is great to see someone in such vital health with a burning passion for the sport that she loves.

Joan has done a lot for women and sport. Her book, Running for Women, is one of the best on the subject. When my spouse, Debbie, was pregnant, she looked everywhere for a good book that covered the topic of running and pregnancy. She was particular interested in how pregnancy affected elite runners. Joan was one of those runners. She continued to win and set records after having her children. She wrote eloquently about the struggles of running and motherhood. 

Joan spoke at the annual pre-race Pasta Dinner last night at the Elks Club in Manchester, Connecticut. We had the good fortune to chat with Joan. I made it a point to ask her if she had ever run 50 or 100 miles. She said, “No.” Then, she turned to Debbie and said, “Better you than me.” 

We were joined at the dinner by a lot of friends from the local running community. Our good friends, Wilhelm Friedrich and Tom Curtis were in attendance, proudly showing off a Shenipsit Striders shirt with all of their past autographs from past road race greats. 

Meeting Joan in person was cool. She remains an icon to this day, benefitting from a long time relationship with Nike. They even have a building on their Beaverton,  Oregon campus named after her. You can still find gear with her likeness on it. She is an ambassador for the sport all over the globe and it is great to finally have her in Manchester. 

Sedona-It’s a Mess

Last week, we flew to Phoenix, Arizona for the Javelina Jundred 100 mile Trail Run. We went out a day early so that Debbie could acclimate with the heat and adjust to the two hour time difference. Fortunately, the heat wasn’t a factor. The temperature was in the low-80’s (F). The two hour time difference doesn’t really matter when your race starts at 6:00 A.M. and lasts 20 hours. 

Anyway, we decided to drive to Sedona for the night and see why visitors rave about the place.

The true draw of Sedona is the beautiful redrock formations. I have to admit that they are pretty good. The community itself is another version of “Greenwich in the Mountains.” It had a lot of the same characteristics of Park City, Utah, but it was more holistic and mystical. There were lots of places to have practice yoga, get spa treatments, and purchase magic crystals. The place really has a “spiritual economy.” There are also lots of trophy homes. 

I was wishing that I had my mountain bike because there are miles of trails. We didn’t even get a chance to hike. It was a short trip and I had a lot of work do do from my laptop and phone. Nevertheless, we got to experience the place and enjoy an awesome full moon rise. 

Sedona was vegetarian friendly. We found several options and chose to eat lunch at D’Lish, an excellent 100% vegan restaurant. The BlueberryVanillaDateShake smoothie was awesome. 

The Arizona Department of Public Works was really testing the visitors and business owners. They opted to rip up and widen the main road between the towns of Oak Creek Village and Sedona. Miles of road were under construction, which cause dust storms and traffic jams. 

At one point, our two year old said, “Sedona-It’s a Mess!”

New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series

The final 2008 New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series results have been compiled. 25 races were run between April and November. I’m partial, but this series is the best series in the country. It has the most diverse races. From 10km to 50 miles, and with all different types of courses, the series tests runners in a myriad of ways. 

The point of the series is really to get runners to come out for a variety of events, but there is a still a competition and bragging rights at the core. This year’s overall male champions were Greg Hammett and Ben Nephew. They finished the series in a virtual tie with six wins each. Paul Young was third, Keith Schmitt fourth, and Matt Bedoukian fifth. 

Grand Tree Best n Races Results

Deborah Livingston was 12th overall and first female. Michelle Roy was second female but she was first female and fourth overall in the coveted Stonehead competition, which ranks the runners by total points, rather than best six races. Michelle ran 18 races, second only to overall Stonehead champion, Thomas Parker, who ran 20. 

Stonehead Results

Debbie won the Nipmuck Marathon, Curly’s Marathon, Pisgah 50km, and Breakneck. Her main competition earlier in the year was Beth Krasemann. Beth won several of the “monuments,” including Northern Nipmuck, Seven Sisters, Soapstone, and Greylock. She fell just short of a fifth win at Busa’s Bushwhack. Since she only ran five events, she fell short of qualifying for the championship. Nevertheless, her finish percentage for five events still put her second behind Debbie by 0.32%. It was close! 

Debbie got the best of me again this year. Her best six beat my best six by 1.10%. I finished 14th overall, but was happy to just get my six races in. 50 runners completed the necessary six races to qualify for the series. 463 runners did at least two races. These stats signal good participation. 

Much thanks goes out to the 25 race directors and the volunteers that they recruited. Without a commitment from these hard core trail running supporters, the series would not be as special as it is.

Javelina Jundred–The Aftermath & Photo Images

The Javelina Jundred was quite an adventure for all parties involved. McDowell Mountain Regional Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA, was an awesome venue for this past weekend’s ultra-marathon trail running race. 

This was only the Livingston Family’s second experience with an 100 mile event and we enjoyed every minute of it. The volunteers hustled to fill bottles, prepare food, provide directions, deal with timing issues, take out the garbage, and offer support. The radio guys and gals had to help everyone stay connected. The medical staff had their hands full with cactus stabs, swollen ankles, dehydration, and a host of other minor issues. The crews had to rub down their runners, provide words of encouragement, and execute fast pit stops. The pacers had to run, though not as far as the runners. The runners had to deal with the heat, the darkness, and the desert during their 100 mile jaunt.

Everyone had to deal with sleep deprivation, except Shepard. Despite all of the start/finish around-the-clock, line chaos, he was asleep in our tent by 6:30 P.M. on Saturday. I heard nary a peep from him throughout the night. The same couldn’t be said of the runners. Groans were heard constantly.  

I had a ringside seat for this bout. Camped out at the start/finish line, Shepard and I experienced the whole race unfold. From the pre-race meeting at 5:00 P.M. on Friday, to the last runners straggling home close to noon on Sunday, we were there. The carnival-like atmosphere helped the time go by. There were little kids running around, there were dog fights, there was lots of food, there were campers, there were day visitors. There was so much going on. Some runners would come into the aid station and be on their 5^th lap while sitting across the pavilion were runners who had just completed their 2^nd lap. Having the elite runners and pack runners all mixed up was great fun.

I got a chance to see much of the race from Debbie’s perspective. She had reflected on her failed experiment at the 100 mile distance last summer in Chamonix at the UTMB. She was back and ready to prove that with better conditions, she was up to the 100 mile distance challenge. For years she has been running the 50 kilometer and 50 mile distance on trails. Javelina was her 9th ultra distance race of the year. She was the first woman to complete the first lap, but Michelle Barton and Jamie Donaldson weren’t far behind. The top women marked each other and went out at a comfortable pace.

Eventually, Jamie grabbed the lead and turned on her accelerators. She has road speed from her college days as a distance running track star. Over the past couple of years, she has made a big impact on the ultra running scene with her biggest win to date, the 2008 Badwater Ultramarathon. She set a course record for the epic 135 mile event this past summer. I did my research, gathering much information from her husband, David. We had a fine time passing the hours by chatting and trading tales. It didn’t take long to realize that it would be a tough task for Debbie to overhaul Jamie. She may not have been up against Nikki Kimball, but Jamie’s talent is about as close as you can get to Nikki, who is the top female ultra-marathon trail runner in the country.

Jamie did go on to win the event and finish fourth overall. On the men’s side, Todd Braje, led after two laps, but faded due to injury. He eventually became a casualty of the race and was a DNF for the 100 mile distance. Overall, attrition was pretty high. Jeff Riley assumed the lead and finished strong for the win. 

Full Results

Debbie had a really good time. She had some funny experiences. One such moment was when she was taking a “nature call” in the middle of the desert in the pitch black. She was taking care of business and then became startled when a she realized a wild horse was only five feet away. Horses weren’t the only wildlife encounters. Several folks saw coyotes and most of us at least heard their yapping during the long night. You had to be careful out there. 

This was the 6th Javelina Jundred. It is always held around the full moon closest to Halloween. Next year, the race is actually on 10/31. That ought to be cool. Despite this year’s November date, there were still some really great costumes. The Javelina blog has all the award winners and good costume photos. 

We saw two great desert sunsets and two beautiful desert sunrises.

I captured as many photos as I could while tending to my crew and Daddy duties. My adventure wasn’t quite like Debbie’s, but it was still an adventure. 

It is worth noting again that this event had a wonderful vibe. The ultrarunning trail running community should really be proud of this event and the hard work contributed by Jamil Coury, his family, and his volunteers. There are many other people that could be named. Traveling from Connecticut to run in the Sonoran Desert takes a leap of faith. Our trip was made so much better because the hospitality and resources available at the race were top tier. 

Debbie has already recovered. She will probably run by this coming weekend and will certainly line up for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day. Five miles should be a piece of cake. Her quadriceps suffered the most muscle damage and her right knee was quite stiff, but she will bounce back quickly. The look of pain on her face when she finished was enough to convince me that she had given it her all. The 100 mile distance was conquered. Don’t bother asking her when she will run 100 again. I’ve checked and there are no plans…yet.

 

Race Photos

Javelina Jundred–Post Race Post #1

The 2008 Javelina Jundred is over. I’ll definitely be posting more about the race in the coming days. I also have lots of photos to sort through and I know there are some good ones. Here are some quick highlights:

Final results for this 100 mile epic are not available yet, but the last race director blog entry at 6:27 A.M. today (Sunday) had 28 finishers under 24 hours with 54 other runners still on the course. I collected similar stats from the results that were physically posted at the finish line at McDowell Mountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona. 147 runners started the race at 6:00 A.M. Arizona Time, on Sunday. 65 runners were official DNF’s, with that number sure to climb. There was a very high attrition rate.

The first overall and first male finisher was Jeff Riley (Oregon) in 16:48. He was followed by Andrew Heard (Arizona) in 17:38, and Brian Krogmann (California) in 18:25. Fourth overall and first female was Jamie Donaldson (Colorado) in in 18:43. She was followed by Deborah Livingston (Connecticut), who was 9th overall in 20:17, and Brenda Corona (California) who was 13th overall in 21:34.

The temperature was a factor. The high temperature was in the low 80’s (F) with a blazing hot sun, even by November standards. There was a slight breeze most of the day, which kicked up quite a bit of dry desert dust. The low temperature was in the mid-50’s (F). That 30 degree differential was the real challenge. You had to be prepared for the heat of the day and the chill of the night, as the heat escaped the desert through radiational cooling.

Trail conditions were dry and dusty with lots of sandy washes and loose rocks. Most of the physical injuries were to ankles and other joints. There were a lot of dehydration related problems and gastro-intestinal problems. Some fall related injuries included bumps, bruises, abrasions, and cactus pokes. I saw a lot of sunburn, and other heat and exhaustion related problems. Of course, these issues are typical in any 100 mile race held in a desert.

Debbie was happy with her result. She was aiming for sub-20 hours and held that pace through the six full laps up to the 91 mile mark. It is likely that the total distance was a bit longer than 100 mile, possibly 101. Regardless, she fell apart on the last short loop (at 2:00 A.M. Sunday) and faded a bit. Nevertheless, she finished strong and ran the final 3.6 mile descent from the last aid station. She is pretty sore, with most of the damage to her quadriceps. Her right knee took a beating and is swollen and stiff. The knee was seizing up and slowed her considerably in the last 30 miles.

I’ll have a full race report and recap of this 100 mile adventure, soon. The Javelina Jundred was a lot of fun. The race direction and support was excellent. RD Jamil Coury, his family, his friends, and his volunteers really gave it their all. As always, I’m sure there were glitches, gripes, and issues, but overall, it seemed like a successful production. The format, with 7 laps sharing three aid stations including the start/finish; made for a controlled and festive atmosphere. The start/finish itself was like a 55 hour tailgate party. It started at 5:00 P.M. on Friday and was still going strong when we rolled out this morning. The cutoff was at noon, then the real clean up was the begin.

Race Photos

David Goggins is a Madman!

Reading about David Goggins exploits has always left me in awe. The Navy SEAL is one of the most prolific adventure athletes in the world. He is like Waldo, only instead of hiding in the crowd, the is hammering away, whether it is on a bike, in the water, or on trails.

I recent post at www.ironman.com reveals just how nuts this endurance athlete actually is. I’ve been hanging out on the Ironman website because I’ve had a hankering to test myself with a 2008 Ironman attempt. I’ve been told not to worry considering I’ve done Jay Challenge, American Zofingen, and other nutso events. Of course, I’ve got to learn to really swim. I started my training this morning. David Goggins doesn’t think Ironman is tough at all. He actually implies that is is boring. Ouch, I wonder what the other triathletes think. I was very excited to learn that he ranked UTMB the toughest of them all. Deb would probably agree, though she didn’t see the finish line (until we drove back to Chamonix) in 2007.

Debbie, Shep, and I have had the pleasure of meeting David. He and Deb both competed in the 2007 Pittsfield Peaks Ultra Challenge. Deb got the best of him on that day, but he spent a lot of time lost in the woods…literally. Deb went back this year, but Nikki Kimball prevailed. Pittsfield at 55 miles, is darn rugged. Shep and I hung out with his wife, Aleeza, and got a taste of who David really is. It was cool to get a sense of why he does what he does. I love a good sufferfest, but David makes my attempts for endorphin popping glory look like walks in the park.

Javelina Jundred Preview

Team Livingston has relocated to McDowell Mountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona, for the weekend. The main event: Javelina Jundred.

This will be Debbie’s second attempt at the 100 mile distance. She has more than enough 50+ milers under her belt. The 2007 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc didn’t go as planned, but what the heck. Javelina is practically designed for first timers. The moon will be just past full on Saturday night, perfect for the runners. The desert conditions should be fabulous with daytime highs in the low-80’s (F) and the mid-40’s at night.

Karl Meltzer did his normal pre-race odds. Time will only tell if he is on the mark.

Tune in to the live race day webcast. Debbie is shooting for under 20 hours, so let’s see how this goes!

Nacapule Canyon

Nacapule Canyon is located in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. It is a fabulous natural wonder. Last Sunday, we hiked it. The canyon is a few miles north of San Carlos Harbor. You drive some dangerously rutted dirt roads up past a ranch or two before you get to the trail-head. The area gets a fair amount of off road vehicle use, so the approach trails are not very pretty. The desert in this part of Sonora is full of nasty plants that leave scars on your legs. You want to stick to the well worn paths as best you can. 

I heard good things about Nacapule, but was aghast at the damage that humans have done to this beautiful place. This was another sign that in a country where resources are lacking, there is little effort to maintain the environment. Nevertheless, the type of damage in Nacapule has nothing to do whether you are rich or poor. What makes Nacapule special is the fact that it has its own micro-climate. The desert climate exists everywhere but in the canyon, but in Nacapule, the conditions are much different.

You walk from sun baked scrub brush and cactus into a green oasis. The canyon temperatures are much cooler, especially early and late in the day when the sun doesn’t reach into the canyon depths. Pools of water nourish the canyon and attract lots of wildlife.

We saw a coral snake, a tarantula, frogs, lizards, squirrels, and lots of neat looking insects. We kept looking up the canyon walls for mountain lions, but didn’t see any. The big cats are seen from time to time. The extra moisture permits the growth of green plants, which are a nice contrast to the brown plants in the desert. 

The natural setting was wonderful, but the human degradation was disgusting. I was so disappointed with the amount of vandalism. Trash littered the trail, especially in the first mile. Once the trail got more rugged and went deeper into the canyon, the amount of trash that we saw decreased, but the trash was nothing compared to the graffiti. All of Sonora has a graffiti problem. Guaymas in particular. Every building, fence, sign, and lamp post has some sort of spray painted graffiti on it. I heard that much of it is gang related. I was appalled to see this same graffiti on rocks, in caves, and on trees in Nacapule Canyon. I was so disappointed. 

The lack of respect for nature was evident. Nacapule must attract a lot of youthful party animals and this must be how they mark their territory. I enjoyed the hike tremendously, but never shook the shock of the vandalism. Eventually, we exited the canyon from a side trail a few miles north of where we started. We descended to a ranch that was nestled at the base of a pretty mountain. The setting was spectacular. The ranch family consisted of a father, mother, and two young boys. They had goats, steer, cows, and chickens. They were kind enough to let us cut through their fence so that we could access a dirt road that returned to our vehicle. They let us take a few photos and then it was “Hasta la vista.”

Teta Kawi

A mid-trip break from my Mexican business trip was welcome. Horst Engineering’s, Vice President of Operations, Arthur Roti, joined me on the trip. We share a love of the outdoors, so we made sure we brought the necessary gear to spend a little time in the bush.

Teta Kawi viewed from San Carlos Harbor at sunset.

San Carlos, Sonora is a coastal community adjacent to Guaymas, a major port and the fourth largest city in Sonora. Guaymas has attracted a lot of industry. San Carlos is the bedroom community (for ex-patriots and snowbirds) to Guaymas, much like Westchester is to New York City. It is a place of stunning beauty, rich success, and serious poverty. The juxtaposition of those factors makes it an interesting place to spend time. The mountain/sea combination is awesome. My recent trip to Mount Desert Island in Maine re-familiarized me with the greatness of that type of topography. It was nice to experience more mountain/sea combinations during last weekend in Mexico. 

Teta Kawi in morning light viewed from San Carlos Harbor.

The symbol of San Carlos is Teta Kawi, a beautiful volcanic mountain that juts straight up from the Sea of Cortez. Art and I hiked Teta Kawi on a hot Saturday morning. We walked over from our hotel, which was located at the edge of San Carlos Harbor. Once we found the trailhead, we realized we were in for an adventure. The trail was overgrown from a wetter than usual monsoon season. The vegetation had since dried out, but it was hard to follow the trail where it was covering the path. The trail doesn’t see too  many hikers. We were the only ones out there. 

We had a great hike, though we were disappointed to fall short of the top. Teta Kawi’s uniqueness is the twin summits connected by a deep saddle. We attempted to reach the top of both summits, but didn’t have the necessary gear (e.g. ropes, harnesses, hardware, proper footwear, etc.) required to do it safely. It was still a fun hike, but both of us left with a feeling of emptiness. We vowed to get to the top…some day. It was wise of us to not push our luck. The buzzards were circling and we were still alive! The views clear to Baja were fabulous. Climbing up there really gave us the lay of the land. 

Another buzz kill is the fact that Teta Kawi has not been protected. The environmental and conservation movements in Mexico lag way behind those in the US and elsewhere. Two developments, one on each side of the mountain, are conspiring to blight the mountain and its beauty. It is shameful that people encroach on sacred land, but San Carlos isn’t the only place where this happens. It happens everywhere, even here in Connecticut. Why do people have to build their huge and ugly houses at the edge of the sea? There is some sick fascination with being on a hill. I think that attitude is one reason why the environmental movement has such a long way to go.

We experienced this in an even worse fashion on Sunday when we hiked in Nacapule Canyon. 

Aside from the development issues, hiking Teta Kawi was fun. The first peak we went for had a small secondary summit with a large white cross. There was a picture of the Virgin Mary at the base of the cross. That seemed normal for Mexico, a staunchly Roman Catholic country. The irony was the Buddha figurine sitting squarely on the top of the cross. That made me smile. 

Mexican Journey

I returned to Connecticut on Wednesday after an eight day trip to Mexico. The agenda was action packed with a little business on the Arizona side of the border, and a lot of business on the Sonoran side. Horst Engineering’s operation in Nogales, Sonora continues to make progress. The Mexican business climate tends to mirror the United States. Sonora is heavily invested in the automotive industry, so there is a lot of concern about the global economic crisis. Mexico’s currency, the peso, has weakened considerably in the past six weeks. This activity is consistent with the currencies of other developing countries. With all of the turmoil, it is no surprise that the investors are returning to the relative stability of the dollar.

Mexico has had other challenges too. President Felipe Calderon has used his position to wage an all out war on the drug cartels. The cartels themselves have their own conflicts over territory and access to the lucrative drug market to the north of their border. The violence throughout Mexico, but particularly in border towns has escalated. When you visit Mexico, you see tremendous contrasts. The middle class is emerging through the growth of industry, but the difference between those with resources and those without is big. There is a huge gap in income levels from top to bottom. Mexico remains a key trading partner for both the US and Canada. It will be interesting to see how they emerge from this world financial crisis. Will the country be stronger? We will see.

Horst Engineering Acquires Crystal Precision

Business has been pretty hectic lately. At Horst Engineering, we face all of the same challenges that other businesses are dealing with. World markets are in turmoil. Boeing settled their strike, but not without lots of delays. The airlines continue to struggle despite lower fuel costs. The car companies are in deep trouble. The defense sector is waiting to see what impact Democratic dominated politics will have on military budgets. The list goes on. 

Since we focus on manufacturing precision machined components in low volumes, we have been able to hang tough while higher volume and lower precision products and processes have been shipped offshore. Even still, we are impacted by the trouble in the aerospace, automotive, and industrial sectors. Though aerospace is a major focus for us, we supply precision components to many different industries. Our operations in East Hartford, Connecticut and Nogales, Sonora give us international scope in areas where there is a strong manufacturing knowledge base.

A sector that we have worked to penetrate for years is the medical device industry. We may have finally gained a foothold through the acquisition of a small precision machine shop, Crystal Precision. Crystal has existing customers in the medical industry and we intend to take over the production of the parts that they supply. Surgical instrumentation, orthopedic implants, and dental implants are growing markets that require precision machined components. We are going to have a busy fourth quarter with this integration, but the opportunities are significant.

The Economy

Suprising, even to myself, is the fact that I haven’t written much about the economy recently. Business at Horst Engineering and related companies has been so hectic, that I haven’t had time to truly reflect on the meltdown of world financial markets. The subject of the economy is at the top of everyone’s agenda right now, so there isn’t much I can really add.

However, upon reflection, there are aspects of the economic situation that are important to our businesses. We have spent time with the associates at Horst Engineering. They have concerns like everyone else. Sales volume, 401(k), and health care costs are just some of the topics of concern. There is more uncertainty right now than in some of our past downturns. However, for a family business headed into it’s 63rd year, three, six, or even twelve months of turmoil  isn’t really enough to have a huge impact on our long term strategy.

Don’t misinterpret my thoughts. A lot of financial damage has been done to a lot of businesses. We haven’t escaped the slowdown. It is just that we have a bit of a different outlook. There are tremendous opportunities right now for businesses that have been well run and well capitalized. A foundation of strength offers a huge advantage over the weak position that many businesses were in when this crisis hit.

Our business strategy isn’t much different than the strategy of individual investors. We are looking for diversification opportunities like everyone else. We are cautious with our expenses. We are addressing operational efficiency. Business in times like this can be fun, but you can’t take things too seriously. It is a good time to focus on fundamentals. With the election in two days, one unknown variable will at least be addressed. Unless we have a situation like 2000 when it took weeks to resolve the outcome, we should at least know which candidate is going to get his chance to implement his policies in 2009.

Recently, I have spent a lot of time thinking about where things may go from here. I’ve done a lot of benchmarking. I’ve made a lot of phone calls to other business leaders and I’ve had a lot of discussions with our own management team. I’ve got a great network to tap into and that is a confidence builder. Like most people, I hope that we have seen the worst of the financial turmoil. Nevertheless, I’m prepared for whatever happens next.