Over the holidays, I was contacted by REI and asked to present two "Intro to Trail Running" clinics at the San Diego stores in February. I gladly accepted knowing it would be a great way for me to give back to the community while challenging myself professionally and creatively.
I don't have much experience with presenting but I knew that with my knowledge of trail running I'd be set once I learned more about creating Powerpoint slides, public speaking, etc. Plus, I had just finished reading a book that my brother recommended called Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy
(affiliate link) which was just the kick in the ass I need to get started.So I created my outline in Google Docs, collected my San Diego trail running images and searched for online resources. A special thanks to Alicia for helping me create a customized template so my slides were all branded with www.EnduranceGuy.com
Two articles, in addition to the guidance from a few colleagues, that helped me prepare were Top 20 Reasons Presentations Suck and How To Fix Them and Create a Dynamite Presentation in 6 Easy Steps which are both worth checking out if need to brush up on your skills.
Both presentations went great and I promised the folks in the audience a follow up with links to resources for new trail runners. Let me know in the comments if there is anything else you'd like me to include.
Here's what my slides looked like:
Follow up with additional resources:
Where to run:
A. San Diego county overview
i. South Bay (Otay County Open Space Preserve)
ii. East County (PCT, Mt. Laguna, Anza Borrego)
iii. Coastal (Torrey Pines, San Elijo Lagoon)
iv. Central (Penasquitos, Tecelote, Marion Bear, Rose Canyon)
vi. North County (Lake Hodges, Elfin Forest, Calavera Hills, Daley Ranch)
B. How to find trails
i. Books at REI (show on display)
a. Jerry Schad’s books:
, ii. Maps (show on display)
b. Print waterproof maps using NatGeo machine instore at REI
C. Websites
i. mapmyrun.com
iii. gmaps and google earth mapping
iv. trails.com
D. Running Groups
iii. MeetUp Groups: Gut Check Fitness and North County Running Meetup
iv. Team InknBurn
E. Events (Active.com)
i. mudruns, gladiator runs, spartan races
I was so pumped up after my first clinic and felt super confident and relax going into the second clinic. This was definitely an excellent personal and professional development opportunity. Thanks again to all the folks who came out to clinics and thanks to those who couldn't make it but shared it with friends. Feel free to drop me a message any time if you have any questions!
~T
Hey Bro - I love that picture of the dude in the "wildlife" slide!
BTW, I've done a bunch of (business) presentations in front of large groups of people I don't know. Although I'm no master, I'd be more than willing to share a few pointers I've learned.
Good convo last night man!
Definitely a great clinic. I am inspired to step up my game.