Tom Willner: Recent Episodes
Tom Willner
With the launch of my newly redesigned website, I’m excited to get back to writing regular posts. Like I do with my speeches and my music, I hope to bring you stories that inspire us to:
- transform adversity into resilience, creativity, and purpose
- build connections, empathy, and understanding
- develop new skills through consistency and perseverance
The topics will be wide open but always based on personal experience. These will likely include but not be limited to:
- my experience with cancer and how it changed my life and perspective
- the adventures and lessons of long-distance running
- house projects - for learning, creativity, persistence, and with any luck, joy
- music projects
- technology, teams, and innovation
- applying our learnings to everyday life
Stay tuned! Subscribe to my RSS feed or my email list to be notified of new posts.
I’m honored to be in the Global Top 50: Government Innovators 2023 for Public Sector Network.
The 2023 Global Top 50 Government Innovators Report spotlights 50 dedicated and passionate individuals who prioritize citizen centricity, who strive for innovation in the design and delivery of quality public services, and who, through their work and candor, aim to improve public policy and rekindle public trust.
You can view the report here:
https://publicsectornetwork.com/insight/top-50-global-government-innovators-2023
publicsectorinnovation #government #innovation #highereducation #goingglobal
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The holidays are my favorite time of year, so I wanted to ring in the Christmas season with music. I made this a cappella mashup of three Christmas carols – Hark The Herald Angel Sings, Angels We Have Heard on High, and O Come All Ye Faithful – because I was amazed at how well they worked together. They are all in a major key, and I bring in a new song after each verse. I hope you enjoy it! If so, please consider hitting that like button, subscribing, and ringing the notification bell for upcoming videos on my YouTube channel.
ChristmasAcapella #HolidayHarmony #ChristmasMashup #FestiveMusic #HolidayCheer #AcapellaMagic #ChristmasCarols #HarmoniousSeason
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Honored to be featured in the Public Sector Network (Certified B Corp) podcast speaking with Phil Ventimiglia about the innovative work at Georgia State University.
studentsuccess #thestateway #publicspeaking #innovation
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Want to improve your speaking? I have some book recommendations and more.
2023 has been a good year for speaking for me. Starting from the most recent and going back:
- The Story Collider
- TEDx Georgia State University
- Center for the Study of Human Health and Emory Arts at Emory University
Along the way, I received excellent coaching from Emma Yarbrough and Kristina Clement. Both Emma and Kristina really improved my talks and skills – many thanks to you both!
Lastly, I highly recommend the three books I read along the way:
- The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie
- TED Talks by Chris Anderson
- The Successful Speaker by Grant Baldwin
and the one I’m reading now:
Speaker, Leader, Champion by Jeremey Donovan and Ryan Avery
continuousimprovement #speaking #tedx #tedxspeaker
tedxtalks #ted #tedtalks #storycollider #artsinhealth #storiesandmusic #publicspeaking #publicspeakingtips
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I’m super excited that my TEDx talk has posted to YouTube and wanted to share it with you. I talked about my experience with cancer and how I use my story and the music I wrote about it to help drive compassion and connection. You can help spread it’s reach – come check it out, and please click on “Like,” leave a comment, and share it with your network!
“The next time life throws a curveball your way, remember that each of us has the potential to turn our trials into tales of inspiration, and our challenges into a means of connection.
In a world often defined by its divisions, Tom’s journey reminds us of the power of unity, the potency of understanding, and the beauty of empathy. Through his talk, we’re invited to explore how the arts can intersect with technology and education, creating a tapestry that enriches lives and fosters deeper connections.”
– TEDxGeorgiaStateU
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It is always fulfilling to be a part of Georgia State University doing innovative things to help our students succeed. The total student engagement dashboard is a solution we created to unify data from numerous sources across the university to improve our efforts with student success.
Click here to see the 2022 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report on data and analytics.
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I created a time-lapse using Gimp from photos I took with my Google Pixel 3 of Sunday’s Super Flower Blood Moon. See it below on Twitter.
Created a #timelapse using #Gimp from photos I took with my #GooglePixel3 of Sunday's #SuperFlowerBloodMoon. #space #nerd pic.twitter.com/MP1ay9SICo
— Tom Willner (@tomwillner) May 18, 2022
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What a wonderful virtual session with a terrific group of over 300 oncology nurses at the Oncology Nursing Society ONS Congress last week. Anne McSweeney, LCSW and I of Center Stage Education had the privilege to present to an incredibly engaged awesome audience of the angels of healthcare! Many thanks to Tony Ellis from the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. #ONSCongress #healthcareeducation #music #patientexperience
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I had the pleasure to speak with Joyce from the Max Mallory Foundation. Check out their latest podcast episode: “Three Kids, a Musical and a Book – After Testicular Cancer – Episode #14” at https://buzzsprout.com/1258517/7457122-three-kids-a-musical-and-a-book-after-testicular-cancer-episode-14
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My favorite Christmas song – THE Christmas Song! In this crazy year where I had to shift online for so many things, I wanted to do something purely creative using all these new tools. The recording was made in my studio, using OBS Studio with two Logitech webcams; Reaper for the sound with Addictive Keys for the piano and just the right amount of compression and reverb for the vocal; and finally, I played around with HitFilm Express to make the video with a little audio help from Audacity. Hope you enjoy!
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I'm excited to be a guest speaker at the annual Testicular Cancer Conference in Devner, Colorado this year for the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation.
I'm also excited to meet Dr. Lawrence Einhorn who revolutionized testicular cancer treatment. His research in platinum combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic testicular cancer turned the research world upside down, and a disease that was almost universally fatal became eminently curable.
You can find out more about the conference here:
https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/tcc/
and more about me speaking at the conference here:
https://www.testicularcancerawarenessfoundation.org/blog/tc-conference-guest-speaker-tom-willner
I'm doing it again! I feel so fortunate that I had interest from both people who couldn't make it out to the first one as well as from one of the coolest venues. Yes, I will be having another:
What: A book launch for Having A Ball At Thirty along with live music from Urban Blue
Where: Lean Draft House, 600 Hopkins St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310, 404-254-0987
When: August 11, 8 PM
Add event to calendarApple Google Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo
Fayetteville: Brunch 2 a Better U Series- Patient/Client Centered Care CEU: Perspectives of Diagnosis, Treatment and Survivorship Through Story Telling and MusicI will be reading from my new book, telling my story, and performing my musical Turning Thirty about my experience with cancer for an accredited CEU class for social workers, case managers, nurses, and counselors. Includes brunch, mimosas, and a free copy of my book.Register here.
I have always been a sucker for a good romantic comedy (yes I turned in my man card a while ago). One day I decided I wanted to capture one in a song. So here is Nothing To Lose, the story of a broken-hearted girl and a shy boy, both longing to find that special someone, who finally find each other. Just in time for Valentine's Day - I hope you enjoy it!
Nothing To Lose by Tom Willner
Come celebrate the release of my new book, "Having A Ball At Thirty" with live reading and music performances!
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Biviana Franco. She is the President and Founder of Feel Beautiful Today (FBT), an organization that helps women and girls affected by cancer through its innovative Arts in Health programs. As a fellow artist passionate about cancer, we had a strong connection, so when she asked if I would write a song for one of FBT's programs, I was delighted to do so."Not Gonna Let It Get Me Down" is the song I wrote and recorded for the "Through My Window" program. I officially released it last year, but I am finally getting around to letting you know! The pictures above are of people in the program hearing and singing the song. As always, you can download a copy for free, but if you choose to donate, I will pass that along to Bivi's organization and the amazing work they do. Also, I would encourage you to donate to Feel Beautiful Today directly. I hope you enjoy the song!
Not Gonna Let It Get Me Down by Tom Willner
I love this time of year. I love all styles of holiday music, but my favorite station to listen to is "Jazz Holiday Radio" on Pandora. For the past few Christmases, I've recorded a cappella versions and medleys of Christmas songs.
But this year, inspired by some holiday jazz music, I decided to record an instrumental version of Silent Night. If you listen carefully, you'll hear the gospel organ sneaking in another Christmas song. I hope you enjoy it!
As I look back on the holidays, this particular New Year's resolution became quite clear. (Go to this post to watch the video...)
| | | Creative commons photo by Jeremy Brooks |
A few years ago, I had a bit of an epiphany about panhandling that changed how I handled the situation. Before I tell you what it was, allow me to describe how I got there.
(Note: This post has been updated in May 2017 below.)
I always struggled with what to do. I've walked with someone to a restaurant and bought him soup. I've handed people money. And all too often, I would avoid the person's gaze, pretend not to hear, and keep walking. This always bothered me. I live in a city, and where there are a lot of people, you see more of every kind of person. I frequently encounter someone asking for money or food. Somehow, just ignoring another human being felt wrong.
I decided I had enough with trying to determine what to do on a case by case basis. One day, I decided to try something new. I would give something to anyone who asked. I could afford it. I am very fortunate. I am well off enough to do something, however small, for every single person I came across who asked me to help. So I did.
I have to say, my life changed after that. I never felt guilty about not helping, because I always did. I never worried about how the person was going to use that money, I just wanted to be kind and generous to others without strings. I actually had kind interactions with people I used to ignore. Almost without fail, the person is truly appreciative. Occasionally, someone is not, but I chalk that up to that person's own reality that day. I'm not going to punish the nine out of ten people who are genuinely grateful for the one who's own reality made him or her gruff and unappreciative. Besides, if I were in a position where I felt the need to ask strangers on the street for help, money, or food, I can't imagine how hard that would be and how I would act.
I shared my findings with others. Sadly, I found that almost everyone I talked to disagreed with my approach. They all had reasons why I was not actually helping that person. How that person was going to use it in a way that would maintain their situation rather than improve it. More often than not, they were either going to use it for alcohol or drugs, or they didn't really need it and were somehow making good money swindling people playing off their guilt. Only one person I shared it with decided to try it, too. Later he told me he found the same joy I did in this approach.
Then one day, someone close to me who was a healthcare worker scolded me for handing money to people. She said she witnessed first hand what happens to people who get money from strangers, coming to hospitals repeatedly. I strongly reconsidered my approach. Was I actually making things worse? I valued this person's opinion, and felt maybe I was deceiving myself.
| | | Creative Commons photo by Republic of Korea |
Then I read this editorial in the New York Times about Pope Francis and his recommended approach to panhandling. Give without worry. I urge you to read this article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/opinion/the-pope-on-panhandling-give-without-worry.html
Give them the money, and don’t worry about it...The pope's advice...is startlingly simple...scripturally sound...the pope said that giving something to someone in need is “always right.”
He even had advice for those who suggest the person will just use it for bad things:
If “a glass of wine is the only happiness he has in life, that’s O.K. Instead, ask yourself, what do you do on the sly? What ‘happiness’ do you seek in secret?” Another way to look at it, he said, is to recognize how you are the “luckier” one, with a home, a spouse and children, and then ask why your responsibility to help should be pushed onto someone else.
Finally, he also validated something I found to be true in my approach as well, about interacting with the person:
He said the way of giving is as important as the gift. You should not simply drop a bill into a cup and walk away. You must stop, look the person in the eyes, and touch his or her hands. The reason is to preserve dignity, to see another person not as a pathology or a social condition, but as a human, with a life whose value is equal to your own.
In these difficult times, when fear of others is being stoked, where there's increasing worldwide sentiment to focus inward and separate from one another, I find the words of Pope Francis compassionate, desperately needed, and consistent with what I have found to be true. When so much feels out of our control, and it's easy to feel hopeless about what role we as individuals can take to make the world a better place, what better way to start than in such a personal, human way?
UPDATE May 26, 2017:Since posting this, I have taken to heart what Pope Francis said in particular about the human connection:
"He said the way of giving is as important as the gift. You should not simply drop a bill into a cup and walk away. You must stop, look the person in the eyes, and touch his or her hands. The reason is to preserve dignity, to see another person not as a pathology or a social condition, but as a human, with a life whose value is equal to your own."
I have tried to do this at every encounter, and he's right - what a difference. That handshake changes the dynamic from an awkward solicitation to a conversation between fellow human beings.
Today, I met a woman and her daughter selling candy while I was eating my lunch at a table in the park. She said they had lost everything - her job, house, car - and were living in a shelter, but she was trying to climb her way back the right way. After we talked, I stood up, shook her hand, and wished her well. She was overcome. She said she was honored that I would shake her hand and that it meant a lot to her.
This was only one of several stories like it I could share. Like the warm exchange I had with a man and his son - he also had lost his job in Texas and came to Atlanta to try to find something new.
A handshake. A name. A few seconds of conversation. Simple, yet powerful. My life is richer for it. I highly recommend it.
Every so often, I read something that really strikes a chord with me. Today it was an article in The Guardian about author and scientist Carlo Rovelli called "Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli review – physics versus certainty."
| | | Carlo Rovelli |
There is so much in the article worthy of further discussion:
- How his book "Seven Brief Lessons on Physics" has sold a million copies worldwide (even outselling "Fifty Shades Of Grey" in his native Italy!) placing it on par with Stephen Hawkins "A Brief History of Time" in terms of scientific book successes.
- How in his new book "Reality Is Not What It Seems" he seeks to bridge the divide between the two cultures of science and the arts: “Our culture is foolish to keep science and poetry separated,” adding: “they are two tools to open our eyes to the complexity and beauty of the world.”
What caught my attention in particular, however, were two quotes from Mr. Rovelli that I believe both reflect genuine wisdom and are of particular importance for us all to embrace in a time of such technological, economic, and political change:
"The search for knowledge is not nourished by certainty: it is nourished by a radical distrust in certainty,"
"Only by keeping in mind that our beliefs may turn out to be wrong is it possible to free ourselves from wrong ideas."
As 2016 came to a close, I spent time reflecting on the populist uprising in my country and around the world. I thought about the reasons people pointed to for this insurgence such as globalization and immigration, and how little attention was paid to the technological change - machine learning, artificial intelligence, internet of things, etc. that has brought about self-driving vehicles, manufacturing automation, drone delivery and warfare - underpinning this unrest. However, mostly I thought about my own beliefs and how they were being challenged.
The older I got, the more I felt I had figured things out. I've seen a lot, and felt I had pretty good ideas about how the world worked. I felt I had some corner on the market about which beliefs were accurate and which ones were a load of garbage. This included beliefs about religion, freedoms and rights, discrimination, science, and terrorism, and what we should think and do about each. I found myself discounting the people who similarly felt they had it figured out, too, but their beliefs differed from mine. I had become mired in certainty.
So in 2017, I resolved to not be biased against those who believe differently than I do. I started to question my own firmly held beliefs, to put myself into other people's realities and try to understand their perspectives. Media and the internet have made it possible for us to listen only to people who believe exactly the way we do, and it has polarized us. I realized that I was biased against the same people I thought were being biased against people like me. I was discounting people who believed differently than I did.
And that is why this article struck such a chord with me. I am a person of science; I embrace the pursuit of knowledge through the scientific method. In my work, I am relentlessly data driven. I test out theories, and I'm often surprised by the results. Also, what works in one place doesn't necessarily work elsewhere. I embrace uncertainty in my work. But in other areas, I had allowed myself to get sucked into certainty in my beliefs. Thank you, Mr. Rovelli, for reminding me to have a "radical distrust in certainty," and to always remember that my "beliefs may turn out to be wrong."
| | | The Digital Marketing Panel - R. "Ray Wang, Sunder Sarangan, me, and Michelle Killebrew |
This was my first time at the Constellation Research annual conference - Connected Enterprise 2016. I originally met R "Ray" Wang earlier this year at an Adobe Symposium where we were both speaking, and was immediately taken by his energy and enthusiasm. When he reached out to me to speak at this event, I was happy to oblige. From the information online about the event, it looked like it would be a good experience.
Well that turned out to be quite an understatement. Connected Enterprise 2016 did everything right: incredible speakers and attendees, not just great thinkers but great doers; a terrific format; and plenty of networking with leaders from so many industries. Did I mention the location was spectacular?
| | | The Ritz Carlton |
| | | Half Moon Bay, San Francisco |
To give you a flavor for the event, here are just some of the highlights:
Teamability:
I learned about Teamability from the Gabriel Institute. Based in physics and systems theory, you learn what roles you naturally play on a team. According to my results, I'm a Curator. If you'd like to find out more about this and other roles you can check out these resources at The Gabriel Institute.
I saw a panel of leaders across industries - media, automotive, and healthcare - all discuss how they are using the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive a better customer experience.
Dan Heath, co-author of such great books as "Switch" and "Made to Stick" spoke, and shared some amazing insights. One that stood out to me was shaping the path - making the right behavior the path of least resistance. The simple example he shared was in a restaurant where they found customers would often throw away their reusable trays. So they made the hole on the trash can too small to fit the tray, and the problem was solved. Simple, ingenious. Shape the path.
| | | Dan Heath |
We discussed Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and that the skills workers in the 2020s will need are reasoning and thinking. Any job with repeatable tasks and lots of data will be replaced.
Mike Bonifer shared so much insight about storytelling, which was of particular interest to me as a marketer and songwriter. To demonstrate how many possible ways you can tell a simple story, he asked how many ways can you combine 6 eight-peg Legos? The answer is over 600 billion ways - 658,869,076,800 to be exact. That's a lot of possibilities for telling a story.
| | | Mike Bonifer |
I heard a fantastic panel about the digital transformation of higher education. Phil Komarny Chief Digital Officer at the University of Texas explained how they were piloting sharing student transcripts using blockchain - making it easier for the student to share the transcript when they needed to securely, simply, and cheaply. What's great about the conference, is that I also got to eat dinner and talk one on one with Patrick McGrath and Vala Afshar on previous nights.
| | | Patrick McGrath, Vala Afshar, Phil Komarny, and Terri Griffith |
I could go on about so many more interesting speakers and panels, but I'm going to just highlight a few more. One of my favorites was this mind bending talk from the CIO of the FCC, Dr. David Bray.
| | | Dr. David Bray |
Dr. Bray is a man who can single-handedly renew your faith in government - although he would caution you about using that term; he prefers public service. I got to spend some time with him during the conference, and was almost able to connect during a recent trip to Washington, DC. A kind and brilliant man, I look forward to the next time we are able to connect.
| | | Dr. David Bray and me |
I also got to hang out with Vala Afshar, Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce. It turns out our backgrounds were very similar; I can only hope my future may look as bright as his present! I suspect will look back on the day I met Vala Afshar as a game changer.
| | | Vala Afshar and me |
Another highlight was meeting Mei Lin Fung known as the mother of CRM. Her career is filled with firsts and ambitious goals including social innovation, transforming healthcare, and the people centered internet. What a pleasure to meet this wonderful human being.
| | | Mei Lin Fung and me |
During the big keynote speech, I felt like I was in the presence of royalty, and I sat next to two of them for dinner. This panel included David A. Bray, Mei Lin Fung, Vint Cerf - one of the "fathers of the internet" and Doc Searls - journalist, blogger, author.
| | | Vint Cerf, Doc Searls, Mei Lin Fung, and David Bray |
On the final day of the conference, we were treated to author Whitney Johnson, with her new book "Disrupt Yourself."And last but not least, I got to speak on the Digital Marketing panel. Here is the "graphic recording" of our panel created by Image Think.
So that's my recap of Constellations Research's Connected Enterprise 2016. I truly hope this can become an annual event for me.
Three Critical Things I've Learned From Running MarathonsRunning and I “dated” on and off for many years until 2012 when we finally tied the knot. I knew I needed some regular exercise, and I've always been attracted to how practical running can be - a good pair of shoes, and you can do it anywhere. But in 2012, I fell in love with running, and like Forrest Gump, I just kept going. Every week I pushed a little bit further. Fast forward to today, I'm about to run my fourth marathon.
When I started running, I never imagined I could run a marathon. I began running to improve my physical health, but the life benefits are so much more: Running taught me how to achieve something that I’d never before considered possible.
I discovered that when you set out to do something big, there are three critical things you must do: learn as much as you can about how to accomplish your goal, be willing to adjust when necessary, and know when to ask for help. First, the basics: I set a goal - finish a longer distance, beat a certain time - then make a plan, and execute each individual task one day at a time. Ah, if it were only that easy! I quickly found out I had a lot to learn, that I couldn’t just toss on some shoes and run forever. Aches and pains, running out of energy before finishing a distance, and battling the voice in my head telling me there was no way I could do this all threatened to thwart my efforts. So I Googled, I talked to other runners, I went to sessions at running expos, and I learned all about training plans, energy gels, foam rollers, and dynamic stretching, oh my!
That helped me get much further than before, but things seldom went as planned. I learned that you have to adjust your training to match your body’s current abilities. It’s a long slow build from where you are to where you want to be, and sometimes you have to take detours. Like taking a break to let an injury heal, or adjusting how far you go on a given day. I had to be willing to adjust my training and those day to day tasks if I wanted to reach my goal.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I found that no matter how far I could get on my own, sometimes the only way to get past a roadblock was to seek expert help. I began to have pains I never had before which were threatening my ability to continue. Finally, I went to see a physical therapist, who found that my treatment and operations from cancer over a decade before had my body all out of whack. Slowly but surely, she helped me fix all the issues. Only after I learned as much as I could, was willing to adjust when needed, and sought help to fix issues with my body I didn’t realize I had was I able to run my first marathon. Now I typically run a 5K, a 10K, a half marathon, and a full marathon every year.
This experience has had a profound impact on so many aspects of my life. At work, I had an idea to create new mobile fundraising app. I learned what I could about how to make that happen, continuously adjusted my approach and efforts along the way, and of course sought the help of numerous people without whom we could never get the funding, the buy-in, and the code to create the app. The app raised about a million dollars in its first year, and is on track to do almost ten times that in its second year. It was just an idea a few years ago, and we created a plan, executed, learned, adjusted, and sought help when needed.
My journey continues both at work and on the pavement. We've embarked on a mammoth project to migrate our websites to a new platform. My approach is the same - a goal, a plan, keep learning as much as we can, and know when to adjust and get help. We’re almost there, just like my approaching marathon.
I want to thank Doug Walker and Care Logistics for inviting me to speak about the patient experience on their innovative new "Who Cares?" podcast. Click the link or image or try the Podbean podcast player below.
http://whocareshospitaltalk.podbean.com/e/a-showman-a-patient-an-advocate-a-cancer-survivor/
Once again, I had the privilege to perform my musical, Turning Thirty, about my experience with testicular cancer, to an audience of nurses, social workers, case managers, counselors, and physical therapists. In partnership with Anne McSweeney of CEU Concepts, I presented the musical and together we held an interactive session to discuss the patient experience and give everyone insight and tactics to help patients achieve better outcomes.
| | | The event flyer |
The March Issue of the Atlanta Intown paper has an article about my musical "Turning Thirty," about my experience with cancer.
New Christmas Song: O Holy Night (a cappella)It has become a bit of a tradition each year for me to record a Christmas tune. It's partly because I love this time of year, and partly as a gift to you for your support of me and my music. This year I decided to try an a cappella version of one of my favorites - O Holy Night. It was fun because the arrangement started with an idea then grew organically in the studio one voice at a time. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, thank you! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Listen to and download O Holy Night
Great News for "Turning Thirty, The Musical"I wanted to share some exciting news about my musical about my experience with cancer. Earlier this year, I partnered with Anne McSweeney of CEU Concepts to create a unique educational event for health professionals about cancer survivorship. I perform my show, then several of us do a panel to discuss and answer questions about the human experience of cancer. Nurses and social workers receive CE credits for participating. The event was a huge success, and what's more, our event has been accepted to be featured in San Diego in March at the World Congress On Continuing Education Development! The Congress is the preeminent international meeting of practitioners and researchers concerned with improving the continuing education and professional development of health professionals. Hundreds of people from around the country and the globe come to find new ways to develop their healthcare staff. We're both very excited to see where this could lead!
See the flyer for the Turning Thirty event
Finally, I continue to perform, and have been busy writing and recording. I have two projects in the works, and plan to release some new material in the new year. I'll keep you posted on it's progress.
Thanks, as always, for supporting me and my music. Have a wonderful holiday and new year!
- Tom
I'm excited to announce an intimate Turning Thirty, The Musical performance. It is designed for healthcare professionals seeking CEU credits, and we'll be discussing survivorship. It's this Thursday evening, please register to come and/or share with those you think may want to attend. Thank you to CEU Concepts for the opportunity and to Garden Plaza for sponsoring.
Recently, a friend of mine who is going to run her first marathon asked me and other runners a series of questions about it. I am training for my second marathon, and I love talking about running, so I truly enjoyed answering her questions. I had a lot of the same questions when I first signed up for a marathon, so I thought it would be fun to post it here for anyone else with similar questions.
When you run, how is your brain occupied (e.g., listening to music, writing a novel, counting your breaths...)? Does it vary depending on where you are in the run? Does it depend on any other factors?
I never run with music. I love just being by myself and in the moment. I see things in my neighborhood I've never noticed before, wave to other people, and clear my mind. I find that if I don't run, I have as big of a mental pushback as I do a physical one. I really did get hooked. I often find that I feel better mentally after a run, and I solve problems and get good ideas from that quiet time alone.
Also, early on, I did listen to a metronome click so that my cadence was good - I shoot for 170 - 180 steps per minute. Once I got the feel for it (a few weeks) I stopped listening to the click. I also trained myself to breathe in three steps and out two. Because of this, I never get "stitches" since my steps and breathing vary (one time breathing in when I step with the left foot, next time breathing in when I step with my right).
What is your favorite running workout?
Running! ;-) I always do dynamic stretching beforehand, and foam rolling and normal stretching after. I also do some things like squats, planks, bridges, and other things occasionally that my physical therapist recommended for me. As far as the runs themselves, I do long runs, interval runs, tempo runs, and recovery runs. I pretty much enjoy them all.
What makes a "good" run? A "bad" run?
It's mostly based on my enjoyment of the run. Now sometimes, my enjoyment is affected by a variety of factors - how fast I went, how far I went, does anything hurt, was it hard or easy, was it too hot, etc. - but ultimately if I achieve the goal distance/time for that day feeling good, it's good. If I fail to run the distance or I get hurt, then it's bad.
Describe the best run you ever had. Describe the worst run you ever endured.
Hmmmm. On one hand, the one marathon I ran so far could be described as both the best and worst run! I am super proud of the accomplishment (best), but I hit the wall around 22 miles and it was incredibly hard to finish (worst). Another possibility for my best run was the Intown 10k - I hit my speed goal and felt great. Another worst might be one of my long training runs I was unable to finish because of not fueling right and/or it being too hot, or the trail half marathon (my first trail run) where I did not prepare or fuel properly.
What do you get from running that you can't get from anything else?
Better health, both physically and mentally; and I can do it anywhere.
Why did you start running?
For health reasons. I wanted some form of exercise that was simple and inexpensive.
If you start to "bonk" in the middle of a run, what do you do?
I find that "the wall" or the "bonk" happens when I don't fuel/eat properly, or run when it's too hot. If I am doing a long run, I try to have gels/jelly beans/whatever and make sure I keep fueling BEFORE I bonk.
What do you like to eat before a run? Do you eat any gels/gu/energy bars/etc. during long runs?
I'm still experimenting a bit, even after years of running. I will either have something like peanut butter or an egg on a bagel, or cottage cheese, or a Clif energy bar (chocolate, peanut butter, others - I like that you can buy them at the grocery store). Then during the run, I use Huma Gels (apple is my favorite) every 45 minutes, or jelly beans, or Clif Shot blocks. I'd prefer real food (peanut butter sandwhich, banana) but they are hard to carry! After almost any run, my favorite snack is a Breakstone live active cottage cheese.
Anything else? Tips, insights, a-ha experiences you've had about running, words of wisdom, gripes, complaints -- I am interested in whatever you've got
Beyond what I've already said, I'd say the main thing that has been really successful for me is to always take baby steps, meaning using small improvements/advancements to get better/faster/farther. Anytime I do too much too quickly I almost always get injured or otherwise fail, especially since distance running is all about repetitive use. If the change is slightly too big, but you do it 10,000 times (each running step) it can quickly add up to a bad result (injury/pain).
Finally, what causes and fixes getting "out of steam?"
For me, it's almost always bad fueling, or running when it's too hot. If I don't eat before and during a long run (anytime I run, say, an hour or more) I am tempting fate. You run out of glycogen in your blood and will hit the proverbial "wall." It's not always fun to down a gel or some other runner's fuel during a run, but IT WORKS. Plain and simple. Some of the best advice I got was always try to eat a gel, beans, blocks, or something before, and every 45 minutes during, long runs (and always with water). Regarding the heat, I try to time my runs (usually early morning) such that I can finish before it starts getting too much over 80 degrees. Drinking lots of water can help with the heat, too.
| | | Crossing the finish line at my first marathon |
I hope you found this informative and perhaps helpful. My friend said there were definitely themes in the responses she received, including the importance of fueling properly, enjoying "being in the moment", and what makes a bad or good run.
What do you think? If you are a runner, how would you answer these questions?
| | | Urban Blue performing for our Relay for Life fundraising event |
Short answer: With great people and a whole lot of hard work! Now for the long answer.
The Idea In March, I approached some friends at work about doing a fundraiser for Relay For Life. Having some experience doing Relay shows and fundraisers around the country (learning from some of the best - I'm talking to you Donna and Terry), and having decided to travel less this year, I felt like we could do a show here in my hometown of Atlanta for Relay. Our team, "IT CURES" - we're Information Technology geeks - had an ambitious goal of raising $100,000, so we were looking for ways to help achieve that.
| | | Kathy Pourmehr perusing one of the many silent auction items she helped to get donated. |
Good People and Hard WorkThe first person I approached was my friend and colleague Kathy Pourmehr. Kathy is tenacious and resourceful, and when she sets her mind to something, she makes it happen. We immediately broke the idea out into tasks: we knew we needed a venue, a date, marketing to our target audience, sponsors, and silent auction donations. The first task was to find a venue and a date, preferably an affordable or sponsored one. After researching numerous options and reaching out to a variety of places, the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta came through beautifully. They offered us a wonderful room for an inexpensive rate, and would provide a cash bar. Kathy also found the good folks at RCG Global Services willing to sponsor our event by paying for the room. I lined up the band on a date we could all make, and the fundraiser became real.
Next we decided on the name: The First Annual IT CURES Rocking FUN-Raiser. We liked it because not only did we want it to be fun, but we wanted to clearly state this was just the beginning. Then came the nose-to-the-grindstone flat out hard work: Pounding the pavement to get silent auction donations; marketing the event online - email lists, Facebook posts, Twitter, Artistdata to get the event posted to event sites, etc. - as well as good old face to face - posters, phone calls, walking the halls and neighborhoods selling tickets and taking donations. We assembled a team of about seven of us to get all this work done. I'd be remiss not to mention Lisa Phillips-Patterson for her outstanding efforts and uncanny knack to sell tickets and spread the word. I set up online ticket sales using Eventbrite, a terrific site I've used to sell tickets to events in the past. We ended up selling over 120 tickets to the event thanks to mostly plain old hard work, as well as securing close to 20 terrific items for the silent auction including Braves tickets, a cabin getaway, a wine basket, a Windows Surface Tablet, a Golf package, and more.
Silent AuctionFor the silent auction, there are a lot of different suggestions online about how to do them, and where to set the minimum bid and bid increment. After researching many suggestions, and based on some experience with silent auctions in the past, we generally went with about a 30% value for the opening bid, and increments of $5 for items under $100; $10 for items near $100 to about $250; and $25 for items above $250. Basically, we had 20 lines for bidding on each sheet (you can find many templates online), so we set the minimum and increment such that there could be about 10-15 bids before you hit the retail value. This seemed to work pretty well.
Credit CardsWe also used Paypal Here or SquareUp to take donations, ticket sales, and silent auction purchases. Accepting credit cards is a great idea - though you pay some fees, you definitely get more in sales and donations.
The EventWe were all very pleased to have both the American Cancer Society CEO Dr. John Seffrin and CIO Jay Ferro attend and say a few words at the event.
| | | American Cancer Society CIO Jay Ferro and CEO Dr. John Seffrin |
The event was a blast, and it was wonderful to feel that all that hard work paid off. We ended up raising over $3,500 for the cause - Not bad for our first event like this and having only a few weeks to pull it off. I think everyone had a terrific time at the event. Here's some proof:
Thanks to everyone who helped put this fundraiser on and all those who supported it and came out for the fun! I'm particularly pleased to announce that thanks in part to this event as well as many others, "IT CURES" officially met it's goal and surpassed the $100,000 mark! I'm proud to be part of such a great group of people helping to put an end to cancer.
Do you have suggestions for great Relay For Life fundraisers? What has worked for you?
| It's Relay season, and I'll be with my band Urban Blue performing live for a show and silent auction to support the American Cancer Society. Get your tickets now before they're gone! I hope to see you there. Friday, April 25th, 6:30 - 9 PMAtlanta Marriott Marquis265 Peachtree Center Ave NEAtlanta, GA 30303Tickets: $20, $30/coupleThe silent auction includes a weekend cabin getaway, a wine basket, gift certificates to local restaurants, and more. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.(Can't make it, but still want to help? Make a donation here.)Vote for Urban Blue in the TAG Battle of the BandsAnd by the way... As a member of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), I recently became aware of a Battle of the Bands competition and entered my band Urban Blue. The voting takes place this week until Friday April 18 at 5 PM EDT. If you would be so kind to click the link below, you can vote every day - once per email address. The top 5 bands at the end of the voting this week will perform live on May 1st to decide the winner.Vote here for Tom Willner and Urban Blue in the TAG Battle of the Bands |
Once again, I chose to run one of my favorite races, the Publix Georgia Half Marathon. It starts and ends at Centennial Olympic Park, walking distance from my office. It's primary sponsor is Publix, where I shop, and which provides great healthy food at the race. It goes through my neighborhood as well as some of my favorite places in Atlanta. The Expo rocks. What's not to love?
Also, I decided I would combine some passions and run the race as a fundraiser for Relay For Life. At first my goal was $20/mile for a total of $262, but my Facebook friends came through in spades and I sailed right on by my goal. I kept raising my goal, and kept passing it. You'll see my final tally below.
Oh, and did I mention my bib number turned out to be 13666? Pretty funny.
The Expo
The expo is held in the Georgia World Congress Center (also a walk from my office) and is packed with cool stuff. Packet pickup was simple, and the goodie bag was, in fact, good.
| | | That goofy "I love being at the running expo" look |
| | | CBS 46 had cool exhibits where you could pretend to be a sports anchor and a meterologist. |
| | | Publix had lots of food and cooking demonstrations. |
I ended up buying clothes and some equipment (the Stick and a mini foam roller).
The Race
Last year, I ran the race in 1:57:14. This year, I was hoping to beat that, and with any luck, beat 1:50. I lined up before sunrise for the 7 AM start in Corral D, much closer than H last year. (It took me four minutes to cross the starting line in 2013, but just over one minute in 2014.) The temperature was perfect for me - in the low 50s - and it was overcast. I didn't carry my phone with me this year, so I didn't capture any personal photos.
The race is a bit hilly, and a kinda nasty toward the end. Mile 9 to the end is almost all uphill. It looked something like this:
However, you get to start at Centennial Olympic Park and go through Georgia State University, over the Jackson Street bridge with the amazing skyline view, through Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, by the Carter Center, through Poncey Highlands, Virginia Highlands, Piedmont Park, Midtown, and Georgia Tech before returning to the Park. These are some of my favorite neighborhoods in Atlanta. If you are looking for a cool, scenic Atlanta race, look no further.
As far as my performance goes, while I didn't sign up for a pace group, I did try to keep up with the 1:50 pace group. I found it to be a lot harder than I'd hoped. The pacer seemed very consistent, and served as a constant reminder of how well I was doing. On numerous occasions, I felt like I was falling too far behind to catch up, only to later spot that little flag. I was in a constant mental struggle between relaxing the pace and enjoying the ride, or pushing myself to see if I could do it. When I saw the time of 1:33 at mile 11, I knew it would be tough and very close to beat 1:50, but I went for it.
Despite the hills, I ended up running on the last mile harder than my latest 5k pace a few months back. I pushed myself, slowly but surely catching up to the 1:50 pacer. As we closed in on the Park, I was almost caught up, when the pacer turned around and yelled "C'mon! Push it! You can do it!" It was just what I needed for that final push to the finish line. I ended up crossing with a chip time of 1:49:53. I was thrilled, and a bit nauseous!
| | | My finish line progression |
Here were my split times:
And finally, my official results, both for my run as well as my Relay For Life fundraising:
Yes, I hit a my new Half Marathon PR, and raised over $500 in the fight against cancer. All in all, a great experience.
Rounding out my "K" races, I finished my first official 10K race - The Intown Ten. Earlier I ran a 5K and a 15K, so that I could have an official PR for 5K, 10K, 15K, Half Marathon, and Marathon. I enjoy races close to home, and this was one of the best - right in my neighborhood. The race started at 9 AM, and the starting line was just a short walk from my house. Talk about a low stress race morning!
| | | Race time in the Virginia-Highlands... |
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| | | ...and what is quickly becoming my standard starting line photo | |
The first couple of miles or so of the course was delightfully downhill, and my high level race plan usually involves taking advantage of gravity whenever I can. Now, the race is officially in the Virginia-HIGHlands, so needless to say, you're going to experience some hills. In general, since this is where I normally run, I'm used to them, but there always seems to be chatter amongst the runners about the horrible hills in every Atlanta race. You can pretty much tell where I was going downhill and where I went uphill by my split times:
Mile 1: 7:13, Mile 2: 7:28, Mile 3: 7:35, Mile 4: 8:22, Mile 5: 7:55, Mile 6: 8:31, Mile 6.2: 7:13
Overall, the weather was perfect, I enjoyed the course, and it was very well run. There were two water stops, one unmanned, one manned. I did grab a cup where they were handing them out, but never stopped running.
I originally figured I would finish in the low 50s in terms of minutes, but I kept pushing, and lo and behold I found myself sprinting toward the finish line well ahead of my estimation. A part of me was hoping I could come in the 40s and I did it by almost a minute - 49:07, for an average pace of 7:55. I finished 77th overall and 11th in my age group. I was thrilled!
| | | My family, including my dog, cheering me on as I approach the finish. |
| | | The coolest picture I've ever gotten from a race |
I love this photo, because between me and our friend Rachel who finished close behind me, is my whole family in the background. Special kudos to Atlanta Trails for their great photography and reasonable prices.
At the finish line, a nice man at a computer handed me a printout with my unofficial results right on the spot - a very nice touch. Also, the gathering in the park after the race was great, with various drinks, food, giveaways, and merchandise.
| | | The Intown Ten shirt |
I suspect this will be another race I will do each year. It's run very well by USA Track and Field Georgia, and some of my favorite stores, Highland Runners and Phidippides, are both sponsors.
Recently, I found a contest by the Bleeding Fingers Custom Music Shop called Hans Zimmer Wants You. Hans Zimmer is an Academy Award winning composer whose credits include 12 Years a Slave, Man of Steel, and The Dark Knight Rises. He composed a piece called Destiny's Door, and posted all of the "stems" meaning all of the individually recorded parts online. The contest is to start with what he made, and create something different and unique from it. A panel of judges will decide who wins, and that winner will be offered full time employment as a staff composer at the Bleeding Fingers Custom Music Shop.
Zimmer's arrangement was very orchestral, with some voices very hidden in the mix. I decided to feature those voices, bring out the percussion and more unusual sounds, and add some different piano and choir parts. Some of the piano parts don't even sound like pianos, but I feel all serve the piece well. Here is what I came up with:
If you enjoy it, please click "Like," comment on it, or share it. The contest is not determined by who gets the most listens, likes, and comments, but I'm sure it couldn't hurt!
As I watch the Winter Olympics (and prepare for Atlanta's Snowpocalypse II) I feel the desire to share a bit of family history. My great aunt (my father's aunt) was Olga Organista, a Hungarian pairs figure skater with partner Sandor Szalay. Together, they were Hungarian champions from 1928-1930; European champions in Vienna in 1930 and St. Moritz in 1931; World Championships Bronze medalists in Budapest in 1929 and Silver medalists in Berlin in 1930; and they finished fourth in both the 1932 World Championships in Montreal and the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid. She is pictured fourth from the right in this photo taken in Katowice, Poland.
After running a half marathon and a full marathon in the previous year, I began to think about what my running goals would be for 2014. I decided I wanted to run one of each of the common long distance races, such as a 5k, 10k, etc., in addition to running another marathon. (I'm also thinking about running another half and a trail race, but we'll see.) The first such race presented itself before the new year, where I ran the Inman 5k. The first race in the new year to fit the bill was the Hot Chocolate 15k.
| | | Me running in the Atlanta Hot Chocolate 15k |
The ExpoThe first thing I have to say is how great all the volunteers and people working this race were. Everyone was friendly and helpful and made the experience great. Packet pickup was terrific; anyone of the people behind the desk can help you, it's managed electronically, and I believe they assign you a bib number on the spot. This is such an efficient way to do it. No lines, no waiting, well done!
I did want to buy a few things at the expo, but while there were some great vendors there, the selection was somewhat limited. This may be because the stuff I was specifically looking for - a stick massager and cold weather running gear - were almost nowhere to be found. I thought surely a January "Hot Chocolate" race would offer a lot of cold weather stuff, but the only thing I did end up buying was a hat. That said, it was 50% off and a really good deal!
| | | Wearing my new hat at the start of the race |
The BlingThe fleece is really cool. I know a lot of people who really like this race specifically for the fleece, and I can see why. It's sharp looking and very useful - it's thin and warm. There's no finisher's medal, which is a tiny bit disappointing, but it's really hard to argue with the fleece.
The RaceFinally on to the main attraction. There were about 11,600 5k runners, who went first, and 5,400 15k runners. For some strange reason, they put me in corral J, right up front for the start of the 15k. I have to admit that it was fun to be right at the starting line.
The course started at Turner Field and wound around Atlanta. As someone who trains in Atlanta, I found the rolling hills to be expected, but I did hear some people complain about them. (In full disclosure, as I reached the top of one hill and a volunteer waved us around the corner, I did ask if he could have that hill removed.) I basically followed my standard race practice of letting gravity help me speed up going downhill, and keep pushing at a steady but maintainable pace going uphill. The course was not particularly scenic, but it's in my town, and I always find it fun to run on the streets where I normally drive. The 15k distance is also great. I think Goldilocks would have picked the 15k - not to short, not too long.
I always set at least 2 goals for myself for every race. One is normally just to finish and have a good time. The other one is a time goal, which for this race was 1:20, or about an 8:35 min/mile pace. I am happy to report that I beat my time goal by almost two minutes!
Conclusions
I enjoyed the Hot Chocolate 15k and may very well run it again next year.
Pros:
* Packet pickup was the best I've seen.
* The fleece is terrific.
* The volunteers were great.
* It is well organized and professional with a great announcer and plenty of aid stations.
Cons:
* The course was not particularly scenic and a bit hilly.
* The expo was not as great as the Atlanta and Georgia Half Marathon ones.
Overall, I love having this distance race right smack in the middle of winter to give me incentive to keep training on those cold mornings!