Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the final Blog Potomac a social media marketing event organized by Geoff Livingston and Debbie Weil just outside DC in Falls Church, VA. I live in Maryland so the drive to Falls Church VA is not so bad...if you are used to DC traffic and if know where you're going that is. Typically when I set out for a drive like this I will go to MapQuest and print out the step by step directions for peace of mind and because I am directionally challenged. This time, however I decided to use my new Tom Tom GPS system, which is apparently also directionally challenged. As "Tom" was directing me to "Turn Left, Turn Left, TURN LEFT!" and after "Tom" and I argued about the unexplained detour through a very nice neighborhood about 6 miles from my destination I was back on track and I made to Blog Potomac a little late but ready for a full day of social media marketing ideas from some of the best in the industry.
The best quote of the day for me was from Shel Israel, author of Twitterville: “the tools change, but people remain the same.” He elaborated on this by saying, he thinks we are "at the end of the beginning era of social media, a period of enormous innovation and disruption that has forced people to do things differently." I couldn't agree more. You can read more about Blog Potomac here and here and here.
The day ended and I as I headed out of the parking lot "Tom" and I had a little chat about my need to get home to my family and I asked him very nicely to cooperate with this need and direct me home without detours. Yes, I realize it's weird to talk to your GPS. Call me weird. When Tom started to take me through DC I started to get worried but my faith is in technology and I let him guide me turn by turn. As I was driving near the Pentagon I noticed huge yellow signs along the road - it didn't take long before I realized what they were -- the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) was last Sunday and these were the signs posted for the runners. I thought how cool is this? I'm driving the same route that more than 21,000 people would be running in just a couple of days! Coming from a blogging conference my brain was in blogging/content mode so I quickly snapped a few shots of the signs.
.The day ended and I as I headed out of the parking lot "Tom" and I had a little chat about my need to get home to my family and I asked him very nicely to cooperate with this need and direct me home without detours. Yes, I realize it's weird to talk to your GPS. Call me weird. When Tom started to take me through DC I started to get worried but my faith is in technology and I let him guide me turn by turn. As I was driving near the Pentagon I noticed huge yellow signs along the road - it didn't take long before I realized what they were -- the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) was last Sunday and these were the signs posted for the runners. I thought how cool is this? I'm driving the same route that more than 21,000 people would be running in just a couple of days! Coming from a blogging conference my brain was in blogging/content mode so I quickly snapped a few shots of the signs.
A little history about the MCM according to Wikipedia. The MCM has been run every year since 1976, and as of 2008, was the nation's 5th-largest race by finishers. The course, which varies slightly from year to year, is certified by USA Track and Field. The race is generally run a few weeks before the Marine Corps' birthday in November. The race is also known as "The People's Marathon" because it is the largest race that offers neither prize money nor appearance fees to draw elite runners.
And, for the second year in a row, Sodexo was the official food service provider for the Marathon feeding more than 700 VIP's and providing 30,000 bags filled with healthy snacks for the runners. Did you read the blog post by Marc Lubetkin, Communications Director for Sodexo's Government Services last week? If you did then you know Sodexo also proudly sponsored the affiliated MCM Healthy Kids Fun Run, which held on Saturday before the race and the MCM Health and Fitness Expo where Tina Reddington, a Sodexo Registered Dietitian, talked about sensible nutrition and running. I didn't attend the events but I followed them on the Twitter (@SodexoUSA) and on the MCM Facebook page. You can take a look at photos of the events on the MCM Sodexo Flickr page here.
I'm not a runner -- any more that is. About two years ago I decided I was going to start running and I trained for a 10K with my neighbor for almost a year. When I crossed the finish line I was so excited I hugged a complete stranger and the next day I retired my running shoes. It was the most exhausting year of my life. I known many people who run marathons - some are training for their first and others have been running them for years. It's an impressive way of life and I'm thinking about pulling my running shoes out of retirement.
Any advice out there from runners on motivation and training?
0 comments:
Post a Comment