a stab of regret,一阵悔恨

The cowards never started.

Jeez 天啊

Sadly, fate had made me good, not great. At twenty-four I was finally resigned to that fact.

the daily grind 日常工作

The act itself becomes the destination. It’s not just that there’s no finish line; it’s that you define the finish line. Whatever pleasures or gains you derive from the act of running, you must find them within. It’s all in how you frame it, how you sell it to yourself.

out of the blue, 出其不意，出乎意

work up the nerve 鼓起勇气

run-of-the-mill 非选拔的

made deep cuts into the camera market,

what the Chinese call Tao,

hard sell, 难卖

unnerve vt. 使失去勇气; 使身心交疲; 使焦躁; 使失常

Fat chance 好机会

Swell idea 好主意

Beat it 走开

close a few sales. 成交

stick around 逗留，停留

bald-faced 脸白的;赤裸裸的

cough into my fist.（清理嗓子的动作）

largely untapped.大量未开发的

Analects 论语

walled-off mystical land, 世外桃源

upturned 向上翘的，上下翻转过来的

On my right was the Temple of Athena Nike.

worldly. 世俗的

double-handed handshakes 双手紧握

“Everyone, but everyone, changes jobs at least three times. So if you go to work for an investment firm now, you’ll eventually leave, and then at your next job you’ll have to start all over. If you go work for some big company, son, same deal. No, what you want to do, while you’re young, is get your CPA. That, along with your MBA, will put a solid floor under your earnings. Then, when you change jobs, which you will, trust me, at least you’ll maintain your salary level. You won’t go backward.” 关于扎实的学历对于工作的重要性

And it did start out that way. My first assignment was a Beaverton company, Reser’s Fine Foods, and as the solo man on the job I got to spend quality time with the CEO, Al Reser, who was just three years older than me. I picked up some important lessons from him, and enjoyed my time poring over his books.跟对领导

take up the slack. 拉紧松弛部分

Frugality 节约，朴素，节俭

Love and fear—the same binary emotions

And yet the two men were driven by different demons. My father, the son of a butcher, was always chasing respectability, whereas Bowerman, whose father had been governor of Oregon, didn’t give a darn for respectability. 儿时生活对之后人生的影响

Blend 混合

stopwatch.

so forth, 等等

I was close to tears. But I held it together, channeled all my emotion into my run.转移注意力，抑制感情的爆发

We spent a few minutes catching up. 叙旧

Backbreaking （体力劳动） 艰苦繁重的，累死人的

fall short of 缺乏; 不足; 达不到（目标）; 不符合

skin you alive. 活剥你的皮

flesh-and-blood, 血肉般的

the classic case of opposites attracting. 异性相吸

thick rimless glasses to correct his 20-450 vision,

refused to cut back on his salt, despite a doctor’s warnings that his blood pressure was up.

dig at 钻研; 挖苦，对… 做旁敲侧击

hands jammed into his pockets,

Most people who came to the house had found me through word of mouth. Friend of a friend. But a few found me through my first attempt at advertising—a handout I’d designed and produced at a local print shop. Along the top, in big type, it said: Best news in flats! Japan challenges European track shoe domination! The handout then went on to explain: Low Japanese labor costs make it possible for an exciting new firm to offer these shoes at the low low price of $6.95. Along the bottom was my address and phone number. I nailed them up all over Portland. 初期宣传

The Bank of Dad, he said, is now closed. 啃老族的形容

product that was selling itself. 产品自己会为自己说话

anthro ['ænθroʊ]人类学

happiness can be dangerous. It dulls the senses.

showdown摊牌; 一决胜负; 紧要关头

The art of competing, I’d learned from track, was the art of forgetting, and I now reminded myself of that fact. You must forget your limits. You must forget your doubts, your pain, your past. You must forget that internal voice screaming, begging, “Not one more step!”

out of practice.

he filled every man in the conference room with fear.

gave his hand an extra-vigorous shake.格外有力

beatnik. 反传统一代成员，（俗称）披头族的人垮掉的一代

you’re a rebel. 反叛,不走寻常路

put out. 心烦 feel put out

Then the sun crept above the horizon. 太阳爬出了地平线

She was a free spirit, she didn’t believe in plans.

show what friends are for.朋友存在的意义

As ever, the accountant in me saw the risk, the entrepreneur saw the possibility. So I split the difference and kept moving forward. 工作职能不同，看问题的角度也不一样

second-guess 事后劝告，预言

cloudy future,灰暗的未来

While auditing these companies, digging into their guts, taking them apart and putting them back together, I was also learning how they survived, or didn’t.

grow red in the face,羞红了脸

onionskin薄的半透明纸，洋葱皮

makeshift 权宜之计; 临时替代品;

PS, 附言,补充说明

Was I adopting their man-of-few-words demeanor? 行为，举止，态度

business has its warlike parallels.

cardinal virtue, 基本美德; 基本德性

home-schooling家庭教育

Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.

cushion.垫子，缓冲

Steep price, 价格过高

king-sized特大号

intangible触不到的; 难以理解的; 无法确定的

But my hope was that when I failed, if I failed, I’d fail quickly, so I’d have enough time, enough years, to implement all the hard-won lessons. I wasn’t much for setting goals, but this goal kept flashing through my mind every day, until it became my internal chant: Fail fast. 快速迭代,快速试错,精益创业

In closing写信结束语

Soon Bowerman phoned again. He wanted me to hire another person. Quadrupling my staff in the span of a few months? Did my old coach think I was General Motors? I might have balked, but then Bowerman said the job candidate’s name. 创业初期招人很严谨,联系linkedin来考虑

blood rivals 对手

gooseneck鹅颈

By the tail end of 1967

handyman, 受雇做杂事的人，做零活的人; 能工巧匠;

low-key低调的，软调的; 低强度的; 抑制的; 有节制的;

I asked if she was seeing anyone.约会，谈恋爱

Alcohol and time worked their magic.

ditch 摆脱，抛弃; 在… 上掘沟

seal of approval批准,同意

drum her fingers on the table.手指敲击桌子打出节奏

formalize our relationship,

The single easiest way to find out how you feel about someone. Say goodbye.

loner喜孤独者，不合群者;

force a big smile强颜欢笑

The skies threatened rain, but never opened. 要下雨,还没下

jack up our prices.提高价钱

I wasn’t proud of this behavior, but it was ingrained. It explained me. 根深蒂固的; 彻头彻尾的

And in which part of town should we buy? Where were the best schools? And how was I supposed to research real estate prices and schools, plus all the other things that go into buying a house, while running a start-up company? Was it even feasible to run a start-up company while starting a family? Should I go back to accounting, or teaching, or something more stable? 家庭与事业的矛盾

tick off every item on his to-do list, 用记号勾出; 列举; 简略地描述

selfsame完全一样的，相同的

we brought out a chatty streak in each other. Streak 条纹; （通常指不好的）特征（倾向） chatty爱闲聊的

I remember only that we always sat up half the night, cataloging the past, mapping out the future. 总结过去,筹划未来

call to mind the image of Woodell,

Inviting,吸引人的

telling Bork that everyone bitched about it, everyone pulled their hair out about my nonresponses to their memos and letters. 抱怨

Yes, 1973 seemed light-years away, but it would be here in a blink.形容时间过得快

choke someone, 呛人

I just sat up straighter and hugged myself. This was my new nervous tic, my new habit. Rubber bands were no longer cutting it. Whenever I felt stressed, whenever I wanted to choke someone, I’d wrap my arms good and tight around my torso. That day the habit was more pronounced. 典型的紧张表现

I was left to fill the silence with worst-case scenarios.

first and foremost首要的; 第一

More than once, over my first cup of coffee in the morning, or while trying to fall asleep at night, I’d tell myself: Maybe I’m a fool? Maybe this whole damn shoe thing is a fool’s errand? 对自己的事业产生过很大的怀疑

folks. 双亲

weight ballooned. 体重暴涨

ringing响亮的; 银铃般的; 干脆的; 斩钉截铁的;

turn the floor over to 把讲台交给..(让某人发言)

storm out, 非常气愤地出去 [离开];

who was wearing an expression that said, Job well done.

subcontract 转包，分包

unwind 放松，展开

wingman,撩机

I perceived something bubbling inside Jaqua, and rising to his throat,（体会用法）

gave him a big hand. 1、热烈鼓掌 2、帮了大忙

Give-Blue-Ribbon-the-Brush-Off拒绝,断然解雇

“Shoot,” I said. 赶快说

The thought crossed my mind that some of the hardest things ever said in our lifetimes are said softly.

see through看穿

In the suddenly Kitami-less conference room, Woodell and I stared into the grain of the conference table and let the stillness settle over us.

risk-averse. 不愿承担风险

net margins,净利润

growth companies with big upsides.

a land mine; to Nissho we were a potential gold mine. 一个是地雷,一个是金矿

I was deeply tired when I returned home each night. But I’d always get a second wind after my six-mile run, followed by a hot shower and a quick dinner, alone. 这里的wind 指力量

where I’d administer the nightly self-catechism. What do you know? I know Onitsuka can’t be trusted. What else do you know? I know my relationship with Kitami can’t be salvaged. What does the future hold? 这种自问自答的形式很好,反思自我

grow on在… 上面生长; 越来越被… 喜欢; 逐渐加强

god-awful. 令人憎恶的，糟透的;

catchy, 易记的; 易使人上当的; 迷人的;

unspeakably不能以语言表达地，无法形容地;

“He says he sat bolt upright in bed in the middle of the night and saw the name before him,” Woodell said. “What is it?” I asked, bracing myself. “Nike.” “Huh?” “Nike.” “Spell it.” “N-I-K-E,” Woodell said. I wrote it on a yellow legal pad. The Greek goddess of victory. The Acropolis. The Parthenon. The Temple. I thought back. Briefly. Fleetingly. Nike 名字的由来

brand-new崭新的,全新的

complacent. 自满
a hard-driving salesman. 精力充沛的; 进取心十足的，咄咄逼人的; 要求过高的，过于苛责的

Shoe dogs were people who devoted themselves wholly to the making, selling, buying, or designing of shoes. shoe dog 的含义

mania, 躁狂症

knockoff名牌仿制品; 冒牌服装;

conundrum. 难题

boil sth down to压缩,简化

compelling 引人入胜的; 扣人心弦的; 非常强烈的; 不可抗拒的

overcast阴天多云的

crack the U.S. market.

Spur-of-the-moment一时冲动的，立即的，不加思索的;

subtext潜台词

windfall. 意外之财

these two problems simmered and congealed in his thoughts.

Darn it, 糟糕

They were extroverts, we were introverts.外向与内向

kick off踢开; （足球） 中线开球;

Kitami had asked for the meeting, so he kicked it off.开场

reckless鲁莽的，不顾危险的; 粗心大意的; 满不在乎的; 胆大妄为;

counterproductive反生产的，使达不到预期目标的;

uplifting令人振奋的; 使人开心的;

grin露齿而笑

homeboy老乡

endorse 支票的背书，签名; 签署，批准：签署（签名），; 开发票，开证明文件; 支持，核准;

headstrong任性的，刚愎自用的;

In their relationship I saw a mirror of my relationship with banks.

fault v. 批评指责

breakneck要使颈骨折断似的，非常危险的;

do indoor workouts室内健身

the toast of New York（在某领域） 广受赞誉的人

starstruck崇拜明星的；一心想当明星的;

tweak his duties稍微调整

pep n. 活力；锐气，劲头 vt. 激励；使充满活力，使精力充沛

widows and widowers, 鳏寡

He carried himself with remarkable assurance. 他带着非凡的自信

jury.陪审团

take a dim view of悲观的看法

contemplate注视，凝视; 盘算，计议; 周密考虑;

combat与… 战斗; 与… 斗争; 防止; 减轻;

sanity. 神志正常; 心智健康; 头脑清楚; 通情达理;

preserve my sanity.保持清醒

toil 长时间或辛苦地工作; 艰难缓慢地移动; 跋涉;

liquid laugh, 爽朗的笑声

rebellious streak. 叛逆的个性

looming trial. 即将到来的审判

a healthier outlet for his inner chaos.内心情绪的健康发泄

pitch-dark. 漆黑的;黑咕隆咚; 黑漆漆;

the pitch of his laughter. 笑声的音高

Supply and demand is always the root problem in business.

eye-popping 使人瞠目（吃惊）的

holdouts钉子户

Pending trial. 待审

Court is in session!庭审中

was running on adrenaline, but the adrenaline wasn’t giving me extra energy or clarity. 肾上腺素

I ran a hand over my face. 发愁的时候是不是会这样?想一想使用场景

reduce me to tears. Reduce 在此为逼迫迫使的意思

I’d hit bottom. The only place to go was up.

Grapevine [ˈɡrepˌvaɪn] 小道消息; 葡萄藤; 谣传，流言; 消息的秘密来源

bump into 撞见

unwind by taking a stroll around downtown, 放松，解开，松开 散步

Go white.脸吓得变白

wing it. 即兴演讲 美口

OCD. 强迫症（Obsessive-compulsive disorder，缩写 OCD）

cupped my ear. 手掌紧贴在耳后以便听得清楚些

a thunderous ovation.雷鸣般的掌声

in-house 机构内部的，在机构内部进行的

deadbeat. 赖债不还的人，游手好闲者

fly-by-nigh t短暂的，一时的; 不可信任的

in the nick of time,恰好 we got here just in the nick of time

Their paychecks had bounced,弹回，拒付

smooth things over把事情掩饰/平息过去

his account, for some reason, was bone dry. 完全干了

It chilled me down to my marrow.寒彻骨

the wind atop Mount Fuji.

Sumeragi lit a Lucky Strike. One puff,Two.

I scrolled back years, questioning every decision I’d ever made that led to this point.复盘自我

my mind kept drifting

showdown. 摊牌; 一决胜负; 紧要关头;

Adjourn 推迟，使终止

sober. 清醒的，未醉的

Answerable 有责任的，应负责的; 可答复的;

bow out. 退出，辞职

Cornerstone 基础，地基

I remembered that the best way to reinforce your knowledge of a subject is to share it,教是为了更好的学习。

At the final dinner of our Taichung visit Gorman repeatedly excused himself and ran to the men’s room, to splash cold water on his face. Every time he left the table I got rid of my Mao tai by pouring it into his water glass. Each time he returned from the men’s room there was another toast, and Gorman thought he was playing it safe by raising his water glass. 在台湾感受到中国酒文化的厉害

Nike. If we ever wanted to do business in the People’s Republic of China, we couldn’t be associated with China’s sworn enemy.不共戴天的仇人

Bicentennial 二百周年纪念

We analyzed the risks, weighed the cons, considered the pros.分析利弊

We rained down verbal blows.言语打击

underperforming 表现不佳

The Buttfaces were like family, but every minute I spent with them was at the cost of my other family, my real family. 忙于工作牺牲了陪家人的时间

“Mr. Knight, we’ve come up with a way to inject . . . air . . . into a running shoe.” Nike air 鞋的由来

His secret, I think, was that he just didn’t care what he said or how he said it or how it went over. He was totally honest, a radical tactic in any negotiation. 实话实说是基本的谈判策略（这一点越发有感觉）

hit the road, go out and see if you can crack that college basketball market.

Alas 唉

hothead 性急的人，鲁莽的人

the competition among them so cutthroat, 残酷的

Knockoff 名牌仿制品，冒牌服装；中止，敲落

Imitation is flattery, but knockoff is theft。模仿是奉承，但是山寨就是盗贼。

Everyone around me thought the ad was bold, fresh. It didn’t focus on the product, but on the spirit behind the product, which was something you never saw in the 1970s.

In the second half of 1977 在1977下半年

I couldn’t duck it.躲避

nightcap 睡前一杯

in the pipeline 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中; 在酿中; 在准备中; 在完成中;

He had me there. I did seem to hire nothing but accountants. And lawyers. It wasn’t that I had some bizarre affection for accountants and lawyers, I just didn’t know where else to look for talent.

Most had also demonstrated basic competence. When you hired an accountant, you knew he or she could count. When you hired a lawyer, you knew he or she could talk. When you hired a marketing expert, or product developer, what did you know? Nothing. You couldn’t predict what he or she could do, or if he or she could do anything. And the typical business school graduate? He or she didn’t want to start out with a bag selling shoes. Plus, they all had zero experience, so you were simply rolling the dice based on how well they did in an interview. We didn’t have enough margin for error to roll the dice on anyone.曾经的招聘的标准

I was no fashion plate. But I knew how to wear a decent suit. 时装样片，穿着时髦的人

“And—you’re fined again!” I yelled at Strasser. “Then you’re fucked!” he yelled back.罚款

beaming 喜气洋洋的; 照耀的; 光亮的; 愉快的;

morale booster 鼓舞士气的事物；振奋精神的事情;

tailwind. [ˈteɪlwɪnd]顺风

I was transitioning him from legal to marketing, moving him out of his comfort zone, as I liked to do with everyone now and then, to prevent them from growing stale. 陈腐的; 不新鲜的; 走了味的;

with a long face. 愁眉苦脸

Maybe the cure for any burnout, I thought, is to just work harder.

He made air quotes with his bony “fingers. 用手表示双引号

I wrapped my arms around myself. Ever since the onset of burnout, this old habit was becoming more pronounced. 攻击，袭击; 开始，动手; [医] 发病

He has no truck with abuse of power. 与之无交往，不打交道

go toe-to-toe with Nixon 面对面,针锋相对

bow tie 蝴蝶领结

shush 嘘，别出声

high-placed friends. 位高权重的朋友

The time had come to think of China. The question wasn’t how to get into China. One shoe company or another was going to get in, eventually, and then all the others would follow. The question was how to get in first. The first to get in would have a competitive advantage that could last decades, not only in China’s production sector, but in its markets, and with its political leaders. 进入中国市场考虑如何抢占先机以及处理和政府的关系

a show of hands.举手表决 ask for……

cramming on Chinese history. The Boxer Rebellion. The Great Wall. Opium Wars. Ming dynasty. Confucius. Mao. 死记硬背中国历史，义和团运动、鸦片战争

cram vt. 填满; 塞满; 死记硬背; 猛吃; vi. （为考试而） 死记硬背; 狼吞虎咽地吃东西;

pour myself into bed.倒在床上（体会那种状态）

roasted duck烤鸭

seasoned. 成熟的，老练的

in full swing. 热火朝天

afoot 徒步的（地）; 正在进行的（地）; 活动着的（地）; 不对劲的（地）

Venture outside our comfort zone, try something different.走出舒适区

I think of the countless Nike offices around the world. At each one, no matter the country, the phone number ends in 6453, which spells out Nike on the keypad. But, by pure chance, from right to left it also spells out Pre’s best time in the mile, to the tenth of a second: 3:54.6.耐克电话号码尾号6453的来源

risk-addicted

Love wasn’t spoken, or shown, but it was there, always.

Legacy 遗产

“You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.”你如何衡量别人，别人就会怎么衡量你。

sweatshop 血汗工厂

Peace feeds on prosperity. 以……为源

port 港口

When it came rolling in, the money affected us all. Not much, and not for long, because none of us was ever driven by money. But that’s the nature of money. Whether you have it or not, whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not, it will try to define your days. Our task as human beings is not to let it. 关于金钱的看法，不要被金钱所支配。

men and women in their midtwenties 二十多岁

I’d tell men and women in their midtwenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. 对二十多岁年轻人的建议。

that they will always have a bull’s-eye on their backs. The better they get, the bigger the bull’s-eye. bull’s-eye靶心

Outgun 超过 胜过 The England team was completely outgunned

And those who urge entrepreneurs to never give up? Charlatans. Sometimes you have to give up. Sometimes knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop. 关于放弃

Hard work is critical, a good team is essential, brains and determination are invaluable, but luck may decide the outcome. Some people might not call it luck. They might call it Tao. 关于运气

Put it this way.这么说吧

Zen 禅宗

razor-sharp 锋利的，犀利的;