Coming up on February 15th will be the Mercedes Marathon and Half Marathon in Birmingham, AL. Several people at TNS have been training for this event over the last several months and this will be the first event of its kind for all of us. We will focus on the Half-Marathon, a distance of 13.1 miles and our team is a mix of production and support staff – from Account Manager and Recruiter – to IT.
The training and conditioning started in late October/early November. Our team (The ‘Ham Sandwiches – like Birming ‘Ham – get it?!) meets Tuesday and Thursday nights at a local high school for group runs. In the enclosed picture the ‘Ham Sandwiches ran in the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis in December 06, 2008. We change it up between long distance, speed work and hill repeats. It certainly has been an exciting challenge, and we have seen improvements in both our speed and level of endurance. When we first started, the average distance any of us ran ranged from 0 miles to little over 3. Today, after 3 months of consistent exercise and training, we can easily knock out 5-10 miles!
To keep the training from becoming too monotonous, we have thrown in trail runs and local races. Trail runs are a great way to change up and challenge yourself – we head to a local state park and enjoy a different type of surrounding than the city and it really allows you to lose yourself in the run. 5k, 8k and 10 mile races have pushed us to get comfortable racing and running alongside with thousands of other people. An added benefit – the races generally support local charities.
In just 2 weeks we will see all our sweat and dedication pay off when we complete the 13.1 mile road race in downtown Birmingham. It will be a special feeling to have set a goal, work towards it and then reach it. We can’t wait to cross that finish line, celebrate with our families and enjoy plenty of BBQ!
The training and conditioning started in late October/early November. Our team (The ‘Ham Sandwiches – like Birming ‘Ham – get it?!) meets Tuesday and Thursday nights at a local high school for group runs. In the enclosed picture the ‘Ham Sandwiches ran in the Jingle Bell 5k for Arthritis in December 06, 2008. We change it up between long distance, speed work and hill repeats. It certainly has been an exciting challenge, and we have seen improvements in both our speed and level of endurance. When we first started, the average distance any of us ran ranged from 0 miles to little over 3. Today, after 3 months of consistent exercise and training, we can easily knock out 5-10 miles!
To keep the training from becoming too monotonous, we have thrown in trail runs and local races. Trail runs are a great way to change up and challenge yourself – we head to a local state park and enjoy a different type of surrounding than the city and it really allows you to lose yourself in the run. 5k, 8k and 10 mile races have pushed us to get comfortable racing and running alongside with thousands of other people. An added benefit – the races generally support local charities.
In just 2 weeks we will see all our sweat and dedication pay off when we complete the 13.1 mile road race in downtown Birmingham. It will be a special feeling to have set a goal, work towards it and then reach it. We can’t wait to cross that finish line, celebrate with our families and enjoy plenty of BBQ!
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