Journal of today’s activities:

My workday began before dawn this morning and now it’s 8:10 in the evening. Except for a few hours that I broke away for a run, I spent all of my hours preparing for a four-day training event that I am scheduled to deliver in the early spring. It’s with the San Jose Mayor’s Gang Task Force. Since I’ll lead the same group of people together for four days, I need to devote many hours preparing. I’m creating numerous PowerPoint slides and gathering video content that will make for an engaging interactive workshop. I’ve never led this type of training before. The exercises will differ from the Straight-A Guide training, but once I complete the workshop, I think that I’ll have another product to offer prospective clients. I’d like to continue working on this project tomorrow, but I cannot. I’m scheduled to teach at San Francisco State tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, Deputy Dave Bates from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to visit as a guest speaker. He will help me teach the students about America’s jail system.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 191
• Miles run today: 13.7
• Miles run this week: 44.9
• Miles run this month: 143.7
• Miles run in 2014: 419.83
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014: 419.83
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 91.33
• Today’s Weight: 162

Journal of today’s activities:

I spent several hours watching videos on YouTube that profiled members of street gangs. It’s very sad to see so many people who live in blindness. They cannot envision themselves as productive members of society. As such, they take the lowest possible road, preying on other citizens and on society. This research is helping me as I build a series of lessons plans that will introduce our Straight-A Guide Cognitive Skills Development Program to a group of gang interventionists. The gang interventionists must be very courageous, and they are tasked with an awesome responsibility. I’m determined to invest the time necessary to help them understand strategies that helped me to transform my life while in custody. They must teach those gang members how to visualize a better life. The research I saw today suggests that it will not be easy.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 189
• Miles run today: 15.3
• Miles run this week: 15.3
• Miles run this month: 114.1
• Miles run in 2014: 390.23
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 74.87
• Today’s Weight: 163

Journal of today’s activities:

I spent another day watching videos on YouTube that I hope will prepare me for a responsibility I have of training a group of gang interventionists on the Straight-A Guide. To train the same people over a course of 40 hours requires many, many hours of advance preparation. I must teach them lessons that took me 25 years to learn. In order to accomplish this task, I must make the lessons fun and engaging. I still have a lot of work ahead of me. Each day I’m making progress, but it’s incremental and slow. In the evening I met with Ronnie Massero, a man who served more than 25 years in prison and was a validated gang member inside. I wanted to learn from him so that I could teach others more effectively.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 188
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 0
• Miles run this month: 98.8
• Miles run in 2014: 374.93
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 66.14
• Today’s Weight: 165

Journal of today’s activities:

After some early morning research on the Internet and writing, Carole and I were able to enjoy a run together. We spent the remainder of the day side by side in our office. I needed to watch a series of videos that would prepare me for some upcoming training sessions that I must lead with gang interventionists. I also had a lengthy discussion with Dr. Angela Haick, an educator who gave some excellent insight on steps I could take to teach interventionists more effectively.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 187
• Miles run today: 11.7
• Miles run this week: 37.1
• Miles run this month: 98.8
• Miles run in 2014: 374.93
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 72.71
• Today’s Weight: 164

Journal of today’s activities:

Carole and I were not able to celebrate Valentine’s Day together. While she went to care for people in the hospital where she works, I drove to San Jose. I left my house at 4:30 am so that I would beat the traffic. At 7:00 am I reported to the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. I spent one-on-one time with several of the young people were serving time inside of that facility. Many of them awaited sentences that would keep them locked up for many years. Some were only 15 and expected to serve longer than 20 years in prison. I taught them the strategies that I used inside and urged them to begin making decisions that would help them grow as human beings. Following my meeting inside the juvenile hall I went to meet with the leader of the mayor’s gang task force in San Jose. We discussed how I could work to train the outreach team in the Straight-A Guide.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 186
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 25.4
• Miles run this month: 87.1
• Miles run in 2014: 363.23
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 67.58
• Today’s Weight: 164

Journal of today’s activities:

I spent Thursday morning inside of the San Bruno Jail. It’s a privilege for me to work with men in custody. Decisions I made while locked inside of a county jail transformed my life. Each time I have an opportunity to speak with people in jail or prison, I tell them the story how reading about others who overcame the challenges of confinement inspired me to work harder. Those role models made an impression on me, convincing me of my responsibility to work toward reconciling with society. I shared that story with more than 40 men inside the San Bruno Jail today, then I drove to San Francisco State University and I taught a course on the evolution of America’s prison system. Aierto Morales joined me as a guest speaker, which I appreciated. Aierto served 10 years in prison. Upon his release he earned an undergraduate and a graduate degree. Now he is pursuing a Ph.D. His story shows others that they can become more than the bad decisions of their past.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 185
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 25.4
• Miles run this month: 87.1
• Miles run in 2014: 363.23
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 74.15
• Today’s Weight: 164

Journal of today’s activities:

This morning I drove to Santa Rosa to meet with a journalist from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. She is writing a story on innovative violence prevention initiatives and she wanted to speak with me about the work Justin Paperny and I are doing with our foundation. I spent two hours with her and helped her understand our vision. We believe that we add values to organizations with a commitment to community renewal. Next month I’ll meet with the gang task force of Santa Rosa, and I’ll make a pitch of how our work can contribute. Following that meeting I returned to my office at home and began writing out the PowerPoint that will guide my lecture tomorrow at San Francisco State University. I was so busy that I wasn’t able to run.

• Days since my release from 26 years in federal prison: 185
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 25.4
• Miles run this month: 87.1
• Miles run in 2014: 363.23
• Miles I need to run to reach my 2,400-mile running goal for 2014:
• Number of miles I’m ahead of schedule or behind schedule: 80.72
• Today’s Weight: 165