My alarm goes off at 3:48am with the ring tone “Three Birds” by the legendary Bob Marley.  The tune that always rings true “Don’t worry about a thing cause every little thing is going to be alright”.  A cup of coffee is ready and I look forward to reading the good book.  At 4:40am I get ready to head to the gym.  I take my pre-work out meds, eat a couple of hard boiled eggs (egg whites only) and drive over to the gym.  This is the routine I have adopted since August in preparation for my trip to Africa and climbing Kilimanjaro.

Preparing for Kilimanjaro with Jeremy

I have been working out with Jeremy Adams, a 30 year old body builder who is built very solid and is a great trainer.  I had seen Jeremy around the gym for a while but I never considered working out with him.  After I completed the Urbanathlon, I thought it might be worth working out with him.  Well let me say that every 30-minute work out pushed me to physical and mental levels I couldn’t have got to by myself.

What makes today special is this is our last day of the heavy workouts.  6 miles, 4 full body workout sets and 30 minutes with Jeremy has been a huge commitment for the last 7 months.  I feel I am in good shape, but I worry about the altitude on Kilimanjaro, as there is no real test as to who will be affected with altitude sickness.  In my last trip to the Himalayas we went as high as 18,500 feet.  I remember when I was at 10,000 how hard it was to move and to breathe.  The good news is after a while I got use to it.  Pacing and hydration played a huge part of acclimatizing.

Back in August I had a physical and I told the doctor what I was going to do in Africa to climb Kilimanjaro.  He had worked at NASA and specialized in studying altitude effects on pilots.  He said that Kilimanjaro was one of the worst mountains for altitude sickness.  He said that folks go up too fast and there have been many fatalities as a result.  He suggested that I go to Colorado to get in some altitude training within a month of leaving for the climb.  He said that it takes about three days for a body to adjust, but that the acclimatization stays with you for 30 days.

Georgetown Colorado

With that in mind I plan a trip to Denver as part of my preparation.  I’m also lucky that my wife is coming along to keep me company and to work out with me.  The first day I get in 3 miles with some lifting and situps as I read in a magazine the day before to do only half of what you normally do.  I am huffing and puffing and my wife is just cruising along and puts an hour of cardio like there is nothing to it.  Later we drive to Georgetown where it snows big time but eventually we get there with the temperature around 19 degrees.  We walk around the town that is about 8000 feet above sea level.  The next day feeling pretty good,  I put in 6 miles that felt more smooth and relaxed.  After three days of altitude we head to the airport to get home.  Hopefully, I will see some benefits from it on the climb.

Patty with Teresa who is always Smiling

At a dinner with some colleagues we come up with the idea to turn the climb into a charitable event.  My sister, who has MS is confined to a wheelchair and requires full time care.  Climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t something she will ever be able to do, as she would be happy just to take a few steps on her own.  Our dinner discussion turned into “Climbing for the Cure” a charitable campaign to create awareness and support in developing new treatments and ultimately a cure for MS.

The Ladies Display the Logos of our Partners for Kilimanjaro

My good friends Rhenee and Isabel on their own time help develop a website, created a tee-shirt and a flag sporting the logos of 15 of our partners who are participating in the charity.

With 10 days to go, I have to say is that I am getting nervous as, I ask the question to myself “are you ready”?

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The Chicago Urbanathlon 2012 is an 11-mile run with 11 obstacles throughout the course centered in the city of Chicago.   The reality is I have never run more than 6 miles, ever.  About 2 weeks before the event, I finally eclipsed the 12-mile mark and was feeling really strong.  Then one day I was running, I had what seemed like a cramp in my left calf.  Of course being of sound mind, I stopped, stretched and gave it another go.  Unfortunately, I had the same results and pain.

I had started training in August and with two weeks to go I am injured.  What an emotional roller coaster ride that was.  I managed to keep working out and went to using non-impact cardio machines.  I figured that if I could keep up the endurance for another week or so I still might be able to make the run.  I have to tell you I was deeply troubled and you start to think of all the things that may be wrong with your calf.

Rainy, Windy and Chilly Chicago

I arrived in Chicago early in the week for meetings with IBMers and our Partners.  I trained very lightly the first couple of days and then nothing on Thursday and Friday.  I spent Friday afternoon walking the streets of Chicago looking for a calf brace, sports cream for aches & pains and anti-inflammatory medication.  I’ve got to tell you that Chicago is a beautiful city and the walking around seemed to loosen my calf for the better.

I went to dinner with John and his family.   We loaded up on pasta as the energy food for the race the following morning.  We checked the weather forecast and another twist of fate has it raining, temps in the mid 20s and gusting winds up to 20 miles per hour.   Given the uncertainty of my leg and the weather, only one word summed it up “crap”.

The alarm goes off at 4am.  I do the normal ritual of coffee, reading and taking my meds.  At 5am I start to get ready.  First the sports cream goes on my calf, then my knees, then my lower back and I smell like a Ben Gay factory.  It’s going to be cold, windy and rainy, so I go with a layered approach, two short-sleeved shirts with a long selves over the top.  After taking all my pre-work out meds I pack a bag with everything I would need after the race.  I pin on my number 4589, tie the tracking device to my shoe and its downstairs to meet the crew and head to Solider Field Stadium.

Well it was freaking cold outside and the wind was roaring.  We get into the cab ready to roll.  We get in our groups as every group takes off in 7-minute increments.  At my age, I am the last group to take off and the good news is John from IBM is right there with me.  We take off and well I am feeling pretty good and no pain in my leg.  I did say this was an 11-mile run with obstacles and sure enough even with the brace, sports cream and anti-inflammatory drugs, I start to feel the nagging sensation in my calf.  I will admit that I prayed a lot during the race and I did something that seemed to work and that was to shorten my stride.

Victory for the Old Guys

Now I did this stride thing like 4 times during the race and I must say the obstacles provided some reprieve as well.  There was a three-mile stretch where we ran into the headwind, which was grueling, but the 400-stair climb of Soldier Field would be the real test.  Up one level down another, people are screaming and you can see the look on their faces as they pressed on in obvious agony.  Now all this stair work on my calf was a big challenge.  I did get my second wind there and was really energized when the sign said one mile to go.

We picked up the pace, ran though a sprint section of the course, climbed cargo nets to get over full size school buses and then done.  Wait, we are not done, there is another wall with a rope to climb over and now I have to pick it up to get over the wall.  As I run up to the wall, I am wet, dirty with mud & sand and everything is slippery.  There is a guy kneeling at the wall, he looks at me and I at him.  I glance back at the wall, the rope and the guy again and he says “sir do you need some help?”  I say are you kidding me “hell yes I need your help’ and he says “put your foot on my shoulder’.  As I run to him, I get my foot on his shoulder, he pushes me

Finished! Next Kilimanjaro

up, I say the heck with the rope and go for the top!  I launch myself with the help of my new best friend and with my right hand grab the top of the wall.  With all my strength I hoist my leg over the top and pull myself over.  Once over I hit the ground and run another 50 yards across the finish line.  A little over two hours and 3 months of training and I was able to rise up to the challenge of the mighty Chicago Urbanathlon 2012.

Now on to the next challenge, ascending to the top of Kilimanjaro in “Climbing for the Cure” on February 17th, but before that, heading to Denver for some altitude training.

Posted under General

Cuen Kilimanjaro Itinerary

Africa's Mt. Kilimanjaro

Call me crazy, but about 3 months ago I made a decision to go to Tanzania, Africa to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro.   I talked to a couple of friends who had expressed some interest and in the end, two of us signed up for the journey that will begin in February.  What is cool to me is the different terrains we will experience as we go from jungle to high desert and finally to the summit where a glacier awaits us at 19,300 feet.  The sad part is the glacier is estimated to melt away in the next 20 years.

With the training that goes into summiting Africa’s highest mountain, I made another decision to test my will power and physical endurance and entered the 2012 Chicago Urbanathlon.  This is a race that takes in 10.8 miles with 11 obstacles scattered throughout the course of the city of Chicago.  When we talked about doing it, it seemed to be a walk in the park.  The only thing is the furthest I have ever run has been 6 miles and that was about 20 years ago.  Now at 55 years old and 10 sports injuries later, I am fit but am I mentally and spiritually tough enough to finish this race.

As of yesterday, I hit my goal of running 12 miles and I have to tell you that it is a long way and it can get boring.  I say again, the training, has been very mental and I can honestly admit to wanting to quit many times during the preparation.  I have had to overcome pain in my knees, my shoulder and most recently fighting cramps in my calves.  I have to remind myself, why am I doing this again?  Some may say that I am crazy and others may say that I am trying to prove something.

There is a country western song titled “Live like you are dying”.  At 55 years old, I have been blessed with a great life, wife, children, friends and the health and means to do things that others may not have the chance to do.  Now living like you’re dying doesn’t mean to kill yourself in the process either.  I am participating for my Lord, my mom, my family and for all those who are in my age group who may not have the physical capacity or the means to participate.  Hopefully, that doesn’t sound prideful or arrogant as that is not my intention.  The real goal is to finish and not end up with a “DNF” (did not finish) next to my name.

Starting this week I will be to easing down, getting a massage on Thursday for my legs in particular, resting on Friday and focus on finishing the race on Saturday.  The biggest challenge I have is the engine (heart & lungs) has the power, but can the suspension (mostly knees) endure the pounding of this mental, physical and spiritual test?  It is mind over matter, but guts, courage and determination is what gets you over the finish line.  Wish me luck and say a prayer that I will survive and be able to report back to you in about a week.

Posted under General

2012 is shaping up to be an amazing year for our industry. I thought IBM’s Partnerworld Leadership Conference in New Orleans was a tremendous event demonstrating IBM’s continued focus on high-value solution offerings and continued support of their IBM business partners and Avnet’s skills.

IBM Global Software Channel Chief Inspecting Netezza Builds

The announcement of the Solutions Accelerator Incentive was a great example of IBM’s commitment to the channel and their recognition of the value of combining hardware, software and services into a total solution. Avnet has been moving in this same direction for years. Our focus on “Solutions Distribution”, our extensive offerings around “SolutionsPath” and meeting unique industry needs are all based on the recognition of the demand and value for complete solutions.  Another example of that is Avnet’s building and distributing IBM’s Netezza appliance as an integrated solution around the world.

With this in mind, I’d like to share some insights about our latest announcement, the acquisition and innovation of Ascendant Technology to expand our capabilities on behalf of our IBM business partners.

Avnet’s acquisition of Ascendant Technology supports our vision of solutions distribution that provides high business value and accelerates the success of IBM and our IBM business partners. We will grow Avnet’s entire IBM portfolio faster than the market.

• The acquisition of Ascendant Technology expands Avnet’s software and services capabilities that will accelerate IBM’s software sales globally.
• Avnet’s service team will be able to deliver software and services in partnership with the IBM business partner channel.
• Our route to market is through the IBM business partner channel.
• With this acquisition, Avnet is in a unique position to integrate the sales engagement model between IBM’s Software Group (SWG) and Systems Technology Group (STG). The result will be incremental workloads driving IBM hardware, software and services sales.
• Avnet’s strategy is to expand its solution distribution capabilities organically and through acquisition to drive faster growth and higher profit opportunities for our IBM business partners.

With the acquisition of Ascendant Technology, Avnet is in a unique position to drive IBM’s 2015 roadmap:

• Data Analytics:  Avnet will extend the success of “Destination: Analytics” (Cognos initiative) by addressing the information lifecycle with master data management, data warehousing and governance.
• Cloud:  Avnet is positioned to deliver total solutions on-premise, and expand its capability to drive IBM’s SmartCloud solutions.
• Growth Markets:  Avnet will leverage best practices in software and services globally.
• Smarter Planet:  Avnet will scale IBM’s Smarter Planet offerings to a greater number of its IBM business partners.  (Smarter Cities – Intelligent Operations Center)

The ability to bring specialized services to our trusted IBM business partners is critical to help deliver a total end to end solution. Building a new practice or expanding a practice requires significant investments in hardware, software and services skills. These investments have traditionally been 100 percent in advance and 100 percent on our partners. Now, Avnet can provide a bridge across the chasm for you. We can bring hardware, software and services resources to you to expand your opportunities and determine where to invest.  We can enable while you earn — by decreasing risk and improving time to revenue.

For our IBM business partner who have already made investments, we offer the opportunity to expand your offerings, access our service resource to improve your utilization, Avnet accessing your service resources, opportunity to sell our pre-built assets, lead generation, marketing  and of course Teaming to improve your margins by maximizing IBM’s incentive programs.

We have received very positive feedback from many of our partners. What do you think? What services and assets would you most like to see Avnet bring to market to help drive your business growth?  I look forward to shaping a “Smarter Channel” for our partners’ benefit and welcome your input.

Posted under General

PureSystems

On Wednesday, IBM made a pretty significant announcement to the market regarding their new integrated platform “PureSystems” .  What makes this announcement pretty unique is IBM took the totality of its hardware, software and services across all the silos and brands to bring forth this amazing technology.

It’s been documented that 70% of a company’s IT spend is in the maintenance of their systems, leaving many innovated and competitive advantages as hopes and dreams.  PureSystems can be integrated into any environment, with other vendors products, as a Cloud offering or bundled with IBM software this is focused on solving key customer business problems that unlocks that competitive advantage for them.

I mentioned in a recent blog how we are amidst an IT revolution and the planet is becoming “Smarter”.  Most of us have smart phones and tablets but with IBM’s introduction of their Next Era of Computing, corporate America just got “Smarter”.  PureSystems is the world’s first family of systems with integrated expertise designed to change the customer experience by allowing customers to consolidate and virtualize all their business applications and workloads onto a single platform.

PureSystems brings together the best of everything IBM has to offer into a truly cross platform solution.  IBM’s innovation continues to push the boundaries of computing.  Innovation itself continues to be a key driver in the growth of a company, an industry and in IBM’s case, eventually the planet.  I consider myself very fortunate to have a front row seat to the innovation around us and to work at Avnet which is preparing, supporting and enabling our channel with Avnet’s Launch Central.

The beauty of PureSystems is our partners can now implement solutions faster than ever. They can continue their journey with their customers as a “trusted advisory” that can provide infrastructure solutions, but also to business solutions for the lines of business.  This creates more value for our partners with their customers.  To support the line of business solutions, IBM has announced over 30 solutions that can be bundled with PureSystems.  To make it even sweeter, IBM announced Solution Accelerator Incentive, which rewards our partners for selling or teaming with other partners to sell PureSystems and IBM software.  With the recent acquisition of Ascendant Technology, Avnet can support the channel with service resources our partners can leverage to implement the business solution and increase the time to value for their customers.

PureSystems is not a game-changer for IBM, it is a game-changer for every business looking to ease the complexities that come with managing IT systems, applications and resources.  IBM’s continued innovation creates a SmarterPlanet and paves the way for their partners’ to grow their business smarter and faster.  Our partners can enhance their value by offering integrated solutions, expanding their capabilities, providing a greater solution set and most importantly increasing their customers time to value (ROI) while expanding their “Trusted Advisory” status.

I’m Fred and I am an IBM Business Partner building a Smarter Channel and a Smarter Planet.

Posted under General