Blogs

April 24, 2009

Well, tomorrow's the big day. It's going to be an unseasonable 86 degrees for the Country Music Half Marathon, which my husband and I are running.

It's going to be rough, so if you're out watching tomorrow, yell at me (and wish me luck).

But I won't need too much luck. To prepare, I've been singing "Eye of the Tiger" to myself for about the last week. I think it's working. Tonight, I'll probably watch "Rocky."

I'll check back in on Monday to let you know how it went. To all of you fellow Country Music Marathon (and Half Marathon) participants out there, good luck!

UPDATE (Monday, April 27): I crossed the finish line! It wasn't pretty, but I finished. It was a very pretty day, but one that would have been better spent by the pool (and not running around Nashville). Here's hoping for mostly cloudy with a slight drizzle on April 24, 2010!

March 23, 2009

With exactly 33 days until the Country Music Half Marathon and a long run of only seven miles under my belt, I need to start focusing on things other than how in the world I'm going to perform on April 25. That's why I got super excited when a course change was announced last week.

Let's just say there will be a portion of the race where I'll be two-stepping, instead of running. That's right, this year we're going down Lower Broadway, past all the honky tonks!

Anyone who's driven down Lower Broad in the daylight knows that the honky tonks blast music all hours of the day, so I can only imagine what they'll do when 45,000 people run, walk or two-step down the street.

Race organizers say in addition to making the course more interesting and scenic, the change will help alleviate some of the congestion on the course up ahead. And I think it will probably bring out more spectators, as well.

March 12, 2009

With less than seven weeks to go until the Country Music Half Marathon that Jamie, John and I are running (and probably walking for at least a few minutes), it's the perfect time to reflect on what motivates us to take that next step on a training run or finish our early-morning walks (and by our, I mean Kerri Davis'). For most of us, it's music. Here's what's on our iPods:

February 4, 2009

Team Hammock is lacing up its shoes once again to participate in the Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon on Saturday, April 25, in Nashville.

It’s one of the biggest races in the country, bringing together more than 40,000 runners and walkers—and among those will be at least two of us here from Hammock. That’s right, Jamie Roberts and I have already committed—and started training. (For anyone keeping count, the score is Editorial Department: 2, Art Department: 0).

December 9, 2008

…and to support those who can't.

That's what I kept repeating to myself during the last three treacherous, freezing cold, hilly miles of the St. Jude Half Marathon this weekend in Memphis. The proceeds of the race benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and it was those kids I had in mind while I was inching (yes, it felt like I was inching, even though I was running, OK, and occasionally walking) my way to the finish line.

April 28, 2008

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.

Check out this Flickr set of our photos from Race Day.

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.

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.

April 25, 2008

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:

April 15, 2008

A week into our fundraising efforts, Team Hammock has raised more than $600 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee, the Nashville Adult Literacy Council and the Nashville Zoo. Thank you to our supporters! We will continue to accept donations until the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon race day on April 26.

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

March 10, 2008

Seven weeks and counting till the Country Music 1/2 marathon and your coach, (that's me) is behind in his training. I suffered a sledding injury to my tailbone on Saturday. I'll be ready but my mileage is a little bit lower than I'd like right now.

My teammates seem to be in full gear. Barbara M. ran 10 miles this weekend. Kerri walked 7.5 miles.

We are finalizing a couple of items about the race day (Saturday, April 26). Number one, we expect to have a Kintera site up shortly so we can raise some money from friends and family, as well as make our own corporate donations. We will make it possible for donors to choose from among several worthy causes when they make a donation. Here's a small advertising note for Kintera. If you've never used Kintera as a part of a not-for-profit raising money, or never seen this easy-to-use technology, you need to check it out.

Also, we are finalizing the location of the Team Hammock hospitality tent. We will have a place to go and spectate, support the runners, eat food, drink coffee and other beverages, and enjoy what has become like another holiday weekend in Nashville. Stand by for the details. I promise this will be the place to be course-side.

There are other races that occur before the 1/2 marathon. A new one that takes place in my neck of the woods, and near Hammock's offices is the Richland Creek Run, a 5-mile run to support Greenways for Nashville, held Saturday, April 5 at 8 a.m.

The race begins outside Cohn Adult Learning Center, also home to the Nashville Adult Literacy Council, an organization that will be one of the beneficiaries of Team Hammock's Country Music 1/2 marathon's fundraising. The race makes its way through Sylvan Park and onto the Richland Creek greenway. Hammock's own Lena Basha serves as a board member for NALC. The Richland Creek Run is a great tune-up for the 1/2 marathon. And, as someone who observes these things, I think they have the best t-shirt of any race around.

Good luck in your training.

March 4, 2008

As I ran past a group of youngsters waiting for the bus in my neighborhood this morning, I heard a child ask, "Why do people run like that?" I wasn't sure if he were talking to me or not, so I waited then called back, "to stay in shape."

I run for a lot of other reasons. I love the runner's high. I love sweating, when I am running. I feel cleansed by it. I run because for so many years, I couldn't run. Although I enjoyed walking and cycling, I just didn't feel as great as I do when I run.

Why do you run?

Hammock Inc. people are always on the run. Train along with us and stay in touch with our community activities here on Team Hammock.