Relentless Romero Blogs

James & I (new friends), honoring a friend   Today, I had one of the most amazing experiences - I made a new friend and truly connected with a person.  I was out for a 20-mile run and ended up at Washington Park in Denver, Colorado. As I started my first lap around the park I began greeting all the people I encountered, as is customary for me. As I passed one gentleman and greeted him, I heard him call out "Jason!" I had met an Englishman last Saturday as I ran a marathon around the park with a young man. I suspected this gentleman was the Englishman, based on his accent and body structure. I stopped running, and said "James?" He responded, "Yes! it's me!" I walked over to James and began an hour long walk that would make me hope, laugh, cry, tremble and yearn.  From an e-mail I received from James, I knew he was involved with a non-profit organization called Jiminy Wicket. And, the first question I asked James as we began our walk was, "What...

Jackson (aka Stavros), my neighbor Have you ever been told "You need to grow up" or "Act your age"? What is the orator trying to tell you?  Be old & crumudgioned. Well I disagree with the notion that getting older necessarily means we become mellow, serious, structured and boring.  I am surrounded by neighbors with young children and grand-children. And, as I witness these children experience life I witness Magic and Living! The kids chase each other, scream with exhilaration, carefully inspect a fallen leaf or stone, care for a ladybug, worm or rollie-pollie, and marvel at the sky filled with clouds, birds and colors. Everything is new to them. Everything is special to them. This inspired me to share some thoughts about how to stay young at heart, as Father Time works on our bodies.  1. PLAY - How often do you play? As a child, we played all the time. Our parents would constantly tell us "stop playing around." Play is extremely important to all peopl...

A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step To say I was inspired today by Rose McCarty is an understatement. As a friend and I peddled bikes around Denver and visited Washington Park, my friend spied a pop-tent with a banner that read "Run Rose Run." We stopped to ask the young man (Michael) what the cause was, and why he was there. And then, an AMAZING story unfolded. Michael explained that he was supporting a lady, Rose, who was in the process of running 1,000 miles in two months. He explained that Rose was currently looping Washington Park to log her miles for the day. Rose hails from San Antonio, Texas and is on a multi-city tour (https://runroserun.com): 2020 San Antonio, Tx - 7/10-12 Austin, Tx - 7/14-16 Dallas, Tx - 7/18-20 Denver, CO - 7/22-24 Salt Lake City, UT - 7/26-28 Las Vegas, NV - 7/30 - 8/1 San Diego, CA - 8/3-5 Los Angeles, CA - 8/7-9 San Francisco, CA - 8/11-12 Napa Valley, CA - 8/12-13 Eureka - 8/15-17 Eugene...

I turned 50 in March 2020. Since then, I have been wondering whether I am actually fit at 50. I've ran a little since my birthday: April 4, 2020 - 100 miles in 24 hours April 20, 2020 - 26.2 mile virtual Boston Marathon April 25, 2020 - 100 km (62 miles) virtual Canyons 100km After these long runs, I'm not in a wheelchair or hospitalized or on a 72-hour hold. Rather, I'm feeling pretty good - both physically and mentally. I'm not ripped with six-pack abs, but I never thought looking good in a picture had anything to do with fitness. I believe fitness is about being able to step out of your home, do something physically challenging, and returning home excited about what you just accomplished. I believe this is different for everybody, and the level of challenge we can accomplish is different. Each of us can be "fit at 50" if that's what we choose. I still have the desire to run for hours on end, play basketball with my kids, ride a bike ac...

This weekend I decided to go out for a run to think through some things I've been struggling with. Outdoor exercise has always been a good release of stress, and a way to get some Vitamin D and increase my dopamine and serotonin (our natural anti-depressants). As I ran for 24 hours I saw some kids at a local skate park doing jumps and flying through the air. Later on in my run, I saw two police cruisers parked next to the skate park. Then, I noticed that there weren't any people skateboarding. The next day, I was running past the skate park and I saw a Parks & Rec worker taping off the skate park with Yellow Tape, like it was a crime scene. I have heard a lot of people use the terms "self-quarantine", "self-isolate", and "social distancing". I think we are making a big mistake, if we take these words at their literal meaning. We are relational creatures, and we are supposed to interact with one another. We can be safe and still be socia...

1.       I don’t have the budget A motivational business speaker with Jason’s credentials and story-telling capabilities is not cheap, but nothing important and valuable is cheap.  What does it cost for your business to replace one key employee? The Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) has studied this point and estimates that the recruiting and training expense of a salaried employee is 20% of the position’s salary – for a $60,000 per year position, the cost to the business would be $12,000. For highly compensated positions, it is estimated that the recruiting and training expense can be in excess of 100% of the position’s salary – for a $150,000 per year position, the cost to the business would exceed $150,000 in recruiting and training expenses. The true cost of replacing an employee also includes 1. Advertising, interviewing, screening and hiring for the position; 2. Onboarding expenses – training and management time; 3. Lost product...