Ten Entrepreneurial Lessons From the World of (Ultra)Marathons

August 28, 2023 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, nonfractional, Races

If you couldn’t tell, I’m obsessed with running. Throughout the years, running has been my mental lifeline, particularly in some of my darkest moments. Running has also brought about some of the most impactful ideas and lessons I’ve been able to apply to life. While running shorter distances are powerful for freeing my mind to ideas, I’ve found that the longer distances are what have pushed me beyond the normal limits of mind and body.

 Apple Watch Ultra – Goodbye Garmin (forever)

December 20, 2022 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Gear

It’s been almost 2 years since I bought a Garmin 735XT to supplement my Apple Watch for running workouts and racing. It was a painful, yet necessary, decision back then. Today, I’m pleased to announce that I am officially Garmin free once again, with one watch to rule them all.

Let me recap the two main issues I had with Apple Watch…

Give: Be a Long Term Giver

December 01, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Give

Another year of Thanksgiving is over and now that everyone has spent all of their money on food, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s time to toss a few money crumbs towards non-profits with Giving Tuesday. I also love giving out a good dose of sarcasm every now and then 🤭 I’m pretty pessimistic when it comes to Giving Tuesday. The biggest reason being, companies seem to be the largest proponents of Giving Tuesday. It feels like that once the companies have done their best to sell you their products, they now feel guilty and obligated to give something back…

This Year I Got a Coach and a Clue and It Was Amazing

November 30, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life

When I was in high-school I played on the Freshman basketball team. I’d argue that I was a pretty decent basketball player, I wasn’t bad, but I also don’t think I was great. Somewhere in skilled mediocre. While most of the players had better shooting and dribbling I was one of the better rebounders on the team, so I did a lot of rebounding, layups, passing and the occasional free throw. Seared in on brain though was my lack of motivation to try hard. I did the workouts, but wasn’t fully committed. I never put in additional work at home, because I didn’t see the point of more practice…

Race: 2020 Upstate Classic 5k, Half-Marathon, Marathon

November 19, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Races

While there hasn’t been a lot of races this year locally, not every race has been cancelled in the area. In fact, we saw a brand new running event form this year called the Upstate Classic. The Upstate Classic took place at the Altamont Fairgrounds and included a 5k, half-marathon and full marathon. This is probably the last organized and fully timed local race for the 2020 season. 35+ Nark Running & Strength runners showed up and joined 1000+ other runners to close out our running season with a grand finale…

 Apple Watch - So Close Yet So Far

November 18, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Gear

When I first started running I bought an Apple Watch to track my running, 5+ years later I’m still using an Apple Watch. I love its simplicity and while I’ve upgraded versions over the years, it has been a really solid watch for both normal wear and workout tracking. Each time I would start “growing” out of the Apple Watch–features were falling behind, or battery life wouldn’t last long enough–the next iteration of the watch would solve these problems, until this year. This year I started being coached by Nark Running & Strength and for many of my coach’s workouts it’s important for him to be able to see “splits.” Unfortunately, this Apple Watch feature is extremely sub-par and difficult to use…

Give: Free Food Fridge & Girls on the Run #donateyourmiles

November 11, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Give

We just finished an election here in the USA and what a rollercoaster of an election it was. Elections have a way of promising hope and change, but they also leave people feeling disappointed, neglected or overlooked. While there is a place for politics and the positive change it can bring, I’ve always subscribed to a more grassroots theory of change. I think that the greatest impact I can make does not come from voting, but through my own personal involvement of putting my skin (and money) in the game. That’s why I continue to donate my money and time to causes that are actively changing individuals and communities…

Race: 2020 Adirondack 5k

October 05, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Races

As I was driving up to Lake George from Albany I knew it was going to be the perfect day for a race. The temperature had dipped into the 30s overnight, and despite the crisp air, the sun was out warming things up and quickly melting the frost away. I’ve never raced the Adirondack 5k, but I was particularly excited for this race. One reason I was excited was that there haven’t been a lot of races happening this year, stupid COVID-19 pandemic…

How Short Is a Short Short Before a Short Short is Too Short

September 12, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Life, Gear

Back when I was a young lad, I attended a private Christian school. Like most reasonable schools, there was a dress code in place. Unlike most reasonable schools, our rules were a little more strict. I’m sure there were plenty, but the only dress code rule I remember was “no short shorts”. I personally didn’t care about the rule, you certainly wouldn’t be catching me dead in shorts that even bordered on short (Jams anyone?)…

Bless, Instead of Curse. Liberate, Instead of Oppress.

September 07, 2020 by Stephen Hallgren in Give, Life

It’s September and with September comes Labor Day Weekend. The coolness and smells of fall are slowly making their way into the air, a much needed relief to the heat of Summer. Labor Day not only signals the beginnings of Fall, but for New Yorkers with children, it marks the end of Summer and the beginning of school. Except this year, at least for the Capital District of New York, and more specifically, the urban schools in the area, no child will be going anywhere, everything is looking like it will be virtual this Fall…