Team Hammock is entering the homestretch of its training programs. Our nine runners and walkers are ready for April 26, and sharing their training successes, and setbacks. Our runners are up in the double digit range on their long runs.
Rex can often be seen on mornings at the entrance to Percy Warner Park carrying a section of telephone pole up the steps to the road.
My own training is going OK (I've had better years of running training) but I'm hopeful that my summer buzz cut provides me the aerodynamic assistance I'll need a month from now.
We have unveiled our plans to use this experience to give back to a couple of charities that we are involved with as a company, and as individuals. We are offering you a way to join our team if you'd like, and even get one of those super cool technologically advanced shirts you can use to run in, or else, just look sporty.
Join our team and run with our uniform for the race, or just join us in spirit and make a donation. We'll make the donation on your behalf and power it up by matching dollars. If you want to spectate, I'll share details of where we'll be on race day with food, drinks and fun, next week.
Posted by John Lavey on April 4, 2008 12:18 PM
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We're happy to report the team is injury-free. Patrick R’s training is going so well (he ran 17 miles on Sunday), he announced that he’s ready to run the full marathon. Go, Patrick! Over the weekend Barbara M. ran the first nine miles of the course to avoid any surprises on race day. Her words of wisdom: Be ready for the hills of Battlefield and Belmont. Lena ran 12 miles, Megan P. walked seven miles and Kerri walked 8 miles on Saturday. Jamie squeezed in training of her own during an eight-mile hike (with a not-so-light backpack) through Frozen Head State Park. Despite their training regimens being sidetracked in March, both Rex and Barbara L. —finished eight-mile runs this weekend and are back on track.
This week some members of the team will squeeze in one final long run or walk before they begin to taper down the miles and begin resting up for the big day.
Join us on race day for snacks and to cheer on the runners and walkers at the Team Hammock station at 1611 16th Avenue South. We’ll be there from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m
Posted by Barbara Logan on April 15, 2008 1:47 PM
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First of all, thank you to all of you who made contributions to the team. We're on track to donate more than $1,000 as of today. We will be matching contributions you've made with matches up to $250 from Hammock to the Nashville Adult Literacy Council, Nashville Zoo, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. We will also be making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee fon behalf of Salas & Slocum, who are donating their front yard for our tent set-up. Thanks again for participating with us in this winning effort to help out some well-deserving organizations.
We'd love to see you on race day. If you are running, look for us around mile 8, to your left on 16th Avenue (Music Row headed toward the Roundabout) in the parking lot in front of the law firm of Salas & Slocum. There, rising above Music Row will be a pavilion festooned with Hammock balloons. We'll offer a big "Hooah" or "Oorah" to you when you pass us by.
Special parking instructions:
During the race, 16th & 17th Aves. are closed
so park to the east or west of those streets.
Underneath our Team Hammock tent will be a table groaning under the weight of a spread of breakfast savories and assorted morning beverages. If you are watching the race, come by and watch it with us and enjoy what we'll have to share. No word as to whether the reunited Led Zeppelin will appear for this event at our tent. I think at this late date, it's unlikely. But we'll have music and it will be appropriate for kids of all ages.
If you are somewhere else on the course, look for our team members wearing the home white uniforms of Team Hammock and cheer for us. Representing Team Hammock from Gallatin, TN Patrick "the Hometown Kid" Ragsdale; Winchester, TN's Barbara Mathieson; Hailing from Phenix City, AL, Rex Hammock; from Aberdeen, MS, Kerri Davis; from Montevallo, AL, Jamie Roberts; the pride of Paintsville, KY, Lena Anthony; Columbia, Ohio's own Megan Pacella; Barbara Logan from Memphis, TN; and John Lavey from Annandale, VA.
Everybody be safe and have a good time.
Bonus link: Here is a Google Maps "Street View" of approximately where the Team Hammock tent will be. We hope to see you there Saturday morning.
Posted by John Lavey on April 23, 2008 8:25 AM
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April 25, 2008
Team Hammock visits the Country Music Marathon Expo
If you don't mind getting dizzy watching Rex's random camera-work, you can sense how much fun Team Hammock is having preparing for its first big event in this video from the Country Music Marathon Expo:
Posted by Rex Hammock on April 25, 2008 9:48 AM
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April 28, 2008
Team Hammock's CM Marathon Wrap-Up
Team Hammock at the Country Music Marathon. [Flickr set]
Team Hammock enjoyed its first try at the Country Music Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Saturday morning. The rain cleared in time for the start, and it stayed cool.
We had a blast. We raised a little money, lowered our resting heart rates over the time of training, enjoyed a course-side tent experience (Thanks, Carrie!) and had some fun. We really appreciated our friends who joined us by donating money, running with us or cheering us on.
First of all, thanks to our contributors. You've made great teammates. Thanks to your generosity and to our matches, we are donating $1,600 to four worthy organizations. We will contribute $450 each to the Nashville Adult Literacy Council, Nashville Zoo and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. We've also made a $250 donation to the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee on behalf of the law firm of Salas & Slocum, who graciously allowed us to set up our tent on their parking lot (and only made us sign a one-page waiver).
Hammock had nine walkers and runners make it across the finish line. We may hold the distinction of the longest-travelling half-marathoner of the day. Patrick Ragsdale, who planned to run the full marathon, was nursing a foot injury that was nagging him all week. Patrick made it to 16, then turned back and finished on the half marathon course. If you're counting, that's a 23-mile run. And yes, Patrick is on crutches today.
Our Team Hammock race tent was a welcome sight near mile 8 on the course. Those were our handsome red balloons flying over Music Row. Next year, look for the Hammock blimp.
A 'rex-cam' view of the race.
Rex took the time to capture the experience of running in this phenomenal event with his hand-held high-def video camera. Check it out here. More than 30,000 people were registered participants, and it seems like half of Nashville turned out to cheer on the runners. The energy of the whole day makes me proud to have this great an event in my adopted hometown. I've been a participant in other major races around the country. I'm not sure there is a better one than ours.
Stay tuned to other Team Hammock events. I'll blog more about what we're doing next. We're committed to more than just running. We're trying to integrate our work and our passions with our work in utilizing all the tools of social media to reach goals. Let us know how Team Hammock can work for you.
Later: Thanks to Lynne Boyer for shooting some video of the Team Hammock Spirit Squad.
Posted by John Lavey on April 28, 2008 10:52 AM
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