Run to Win

2007 has been a really busy year here at Run to Win. The website has really grown. I wrote more this year than I did last year, and received about half again as many comments and trackbacks. More than twice as many people visited me this year than did in 2006, and there are about 4 times as many people subscribing to this website this year than there were towards the end of last year.

I am really happy with those numbers.

The popular content on the site this year was not quite as surprising as last year. First, I have been paying a lot more attention to what has been going on this year than I did in years past, so I had a good idea about what was popular. Second, I predicted last year what would be the most popular content this year, because the articles had not had enough time to gain traction and take the top spots last year.

My Marathon Preparation Series article list was viewed more times than any other page besides my home page last year. I knew that it would be. More people actually visited the article about what to do the week before the marathon than the series page, but the series page was viewed multiple times as people jumped around within the series.

A few of the other articles from the marathon preparation series made the top 10 in both people reading the article and unique visitors over the past year. Almost all of the articles made the top 25. The popularity of this series is a big reason why I am writing a more in-depth book about the subject which will be available in less than a month.

The one big surprise on the list this year was a random article that I wrote about Tom Brady’s NFL Contract, which had a lot of people come to visit it. It was the only popular article that was more sports than running related, and I did not promote it at all.

The articles that dealt with running shoe frequently asked questions and tempo running were also quite popular and made it into the top 10. The environmental impact of running and describing the difference between running on a track and running on a treadmill were close to making that top 10 but just missed it.

Some of last year’s favorite articles are still really popular, though. My video about how to tie your shoes so that they don’t come untied has been bringing in a steady stream of traffic. The New Rules of Lifting is also just as popular, being the 11^th most viewed page on the site (including the home page!) I highly recommend the book if you are considering cross training.

A second surprise, although not as large of one since I did promote the page a little, was an article that I published this month. Just over two weeks ago, I began offering a free special report, The 3 Components of an Effective Workout. I started publishing a running tips newsletter, and you can download the report when you sign up. It is pretty amazing to me that it was the 15^th most popular page when it has had so little time or exposure. This must mean that if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, you better hurry up and do so! (I’ll be releasing some new goodies in the near future to people that are on the list.)

Since 2007 has shown nothing but improvements to both the website and my satisfaction with it, I see no reason that this trend won’t continue into the new year. I believe that 2008 will see even more and faster growth, especially since I formed a company a few months ago and will be opening the doors to my new business, Run to Win LLC, in January. I hope that you stick around for another exciting year!

A couple of years ago, I wrote about how Tom Brady signed a new contract with the Patriots and extended his terms through 2010. After signing Randy Moss this weekend, it has come out that Tom Brady restructured that contract in order to give the Patriots enough cap room to assume Moss’s former contract from the Raiders before resigning him to a one year deal. Since a lot of people are searching my site for information about Tom Brady’s contract, I thought I would provide what details are currently public.
(Click here to continue reading…)

Tom Brady has signed a new contract with the Patriots. He had an $11 million 2 year contract remaining with the Patriots. Now, he has a 6 year contract worth about $60 million total, and is just coming into his prime as a quarterback. He is scheduled to make $14.5 million in signing bonus, and will be paid as such (according to ESPN.com):

• 2005: $1 million
• 2006: $4 million
• 2007: $6 million
• 2008: $5 million
• 2009: $2.3 million
• 2010: $3.5 million

This is good news for both Tom Brady and for the Patriots. Tom is a consistent performer and a great leader for this team, and now they are paying him what he is worth while not unduly suffering from cap penalties. It is good to know that he is locked in through 2010. I don’t know if the Patriots are going to keep winning Superbowls (Brady has to lose a playoff game sooner or later) but it will be fun watching them make a run for it again and again. I think that if Belicheck and Brady are given another opportunity in the post season, that good things will happen again for the Patriots. All those people that hate seeing the same person win over and over again will have somebody to root against. And to think, when they implemented Free Agency everybody thought that was the end of dynasty…

I can accept that professional athletes make ungodly sums of money. I am not really sure why, and I do not really care why. It does not bother me that Randy Moss looks at a $10,000 fine in the same way I would look at losing a dollar bill in a hole in my pocket. (His being rude and a jackass does, but that’s a different matter.)

What does bother me are the athlete’s that sign a contract, and then cry when things don’t go their way. Or ones that are so dumb, they would go joyriding or stunt driving on a motorcycle despite there (probably) being wording in their contract against such things. At least he had a helmet on. Oh wait, it wasn’t strapped…

If you sign a contract and are being paid to do something, then you should do it to the best of your abilities. What is required is a decent work ethic, which most athletes seem to have but the news tends to focus on the ones that make fools of themselves.