The Toothache that stopped the Running

Yeow!

@#$%!!!

It started on December 30 with a toothache.  Then developed into a Tsunami of Pain that stopped ThatRunninGuy in his tracks.  And with no end in sight until next week, he's one cranky guy!  The story.

On Tuesday, December 30, I experienced a mild pain below one of the molars in my lower jaw.  I figured it was nothing special and didn't think to go to the dentist that day.  "Heck...it was a day before New Year's Eve...I can wait until the new year".

By Tuesday evening I had graduated to Ora gel and Extra Strength Ibuprofen to manage the pain. Even though the pain was more intense I still figured I could manage it with over-the-counter pain medication.

I had a rough night Tuesday evening with getting up every every 4 hours to pop a couple more painkillers.  By Wednesday I was taking them like candy!  Still I figured I could manage until after New Year Eve...We had New Year's Eve party plans with friends and the kids were coming over New Year's Day for brunch.

Through all this I stopped running.  Bouncing up and down in the severe cold weather didn't seem a smart idea...the only smart one I had displayed since delaying a trip to the dentist.

By Wednesday evening, New Year's Eve I was in constant pain.  I had one beer at dinner with our friends and barely ate supper...a delicious combination of Chinese and Indian.  I hoped to hold out until midnight but that was not to be.  By 10:30 pm we said good by and headed home.

January 1, 2015 dawned brightly but that did not match my mood.  It was clearly apparent that I had more than a tooth ache.  I struggled through the day barely conscious of brunch with the kids.  I think I had a glass of wine and some soup but the rest of the meal was a blur.  The pain peaked that evening and by them I was chewing Tylenol 3's like Smarties.

Fortunately Friday morning my desperate call to the Dentist yielded an emergency appointment.  I have never been happier to visit a Dentist that I was that morning.  The news wasn't good:  I had a broken tooth, a really big abscess and a dead tooth!  The dentist prescribed Antibiotics first then a root canal and filling.  OMG!

Today should be the end of the toothache that stopped my running...Root Canal later today.  With that behind me, I have planned my official start to 2015 for January 14.  Even though that means we'll be 14 days behind for the rest of the year, starting the year right with a bottle of bubbly and playing Auld Lang Syne will do the trick.  Then it's back running.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

How to engage more effectively with Social Influencers

The heart of Social Media Marketing is getting Influencers to 'spread the word'.  Establishing and improving Social Media Engagement requires work but is fairly straightforward as laid out in the chart below:

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Chris M Morales
MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales 

The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and are not associated with any other group or organization

And on we run

I almost gave up running last year.  After over 30 years of running...with the last 3 plagued by foot injuries...I was convinced it was time to tie up the laces one last time.  I'd grown tired of just slogging along;  I wasn't interested in racing;  I was fed up!

Things got to a low point at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon when I spent the Saturday at the Race Expo talking to runners about their race on Sunday.  I wasn't registered to run on Sunday...not even the 5K...and was totally bummed out.  Speaking with a female racing snob who spoke with disdain about 'slow' runners was the last straw.  On my way home that evening I had decided to quit running once and for all.

Then a funny thing happened.  As I reflected on my running over the years I was drawn back to my early competing years when 10K races were all the rage.  In those years in Toronto, Rock Station, Q107 in conjunction with Coors Light (see, even then Beer and Running were friends) held a series of 10K races in Toronto every summer.  I must have raced in every one of them over a couple of years and had my PR (42 minutes) at an overcast late summer race that ended by the water in downtown Toronto.

It slowly dawned on me that what I really liked to do was run in 10K races.  The current fads are the Ultra's and Half Marathons.  While I've run in a number of Half Marathons, I have zero interest in Ultras.  With one exception:  I've followed Navin's exploits in Ultras including how he added 8 km's to the full marathon distance at Reggae Marathon last December so he could brag that he'd run 50K that morning.  Love his enthusiasm but I'm NOT doing that!!

10K races are the perfect race distance for me.  It takes about an hour now for me to finish...I suppose if I pushed it I could get to 50 minutes but why?  At the hour pace I'm comfortable, get to listen to runners talking as they run and get to take in the sites of the city.  For 2015 I have three 10K's planned:  The Toronto 10K and the Sporting Life 10K in the Spring.  Both run downhill so I have a good opportunity to get close to the 50 minute mark without trying too hard.  And a big finish for the racing year at the 15th Reggae Marathon in Negril, Jamaica in December.

I feel re-energized already.  I'm looking forward to training runs again...heck, I'm looking forward once again to just running.

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

PS:  I got inspiration from my friend Dan Cumming who recently shared his thoughts on the pleasures of running:  What?  It's 2015? already!?

Reaching the $6,000 Runner through Social Media

$6,000+.  That's the approximate amount of money that each runner who travels to a destination marathon event contributes to the local economy (New York Marathon, $340 Million;   Boston Marathon, $176 Million;  London Marathon, $163 Million).  And this trend will continue to grow driven by two things:

1. Growing interest and participation from Female runners who now make up nearly 50% participants at most Marathon Events.  In the USA, Black Girls Run (BGR) is a prominent group of female runners who train and travel to races. 
2. Increased interest in and growth of the Half Marathon event.  (The Half Marathon's Amazing Growth)

Running and Marathon Events that combine full Marathons, Half Marathons and 10K/5K events are driving Sports Tourism globally and are applying Social Media Marketing to increase effectiveness and increase participation.  Runners participating in these destination Running Events love sharing their experiences On Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (the main Social Media platforms).  And it's their 'total experience' that they share:  A great vacation in an appealing destination combined with their race event experience.

How do you get Social Media Marketing working for a Sports Tourism event?  Here are three key things from my experience at Reggae Marathon:

1. Runner experience at the event.  While the location may be a vacation destination, runners are there to run.  Their race experience must be top-notch.  They will be comparing it to other events;  they will talk about it on Social Media.  A positive experience is a key plank of a Social Media Marketing Plan.  For example, at Reggae Marathon a running event I've been going to for a number of years now, the race runs flawlessly:  registration, kit pick up, starts on time, frequent aid stations, chip timing, post race re-hydration and recovery area...these matter.
2. Destination Attractions.  It is a vacation as well so the hotel properties should provide a great vacation experience.  Local attractions that will enhance the overall vacation experience. Again, at Reggae Marathon the 7 miles of white sand beach set the stage for a great beach vacation.  Tours to watch the sunset, local waterfall attraction and Rum producer top off the experience.
3. Sharing the Experience.  Like other tourists and event participants, Runners love Selfies! And they love to share.  Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are currently the Big Three in Social Media marketing.  At Reggae Marathon, the specific hashtag (#reggaemarathon) identifies and tracks all user generated photos, updates, videos across all three simultaneously.  

Mobility is baked into this Social Media Marketing ecosystem wit Smartphones being used to search and research Destinations at the decision making stage.  At the event, Runners use their Smartphones tocapture, record, share and comment on their experience.  While this isn't unique for Runners at Marathon Events, Mobile will play an even more important part in Marketing these events in Social Media for one significant reason:  Runners like to talk about their performance and results and Apps like MapMyRun showing real-time results will become even more important in the social media mix. One prediction for 2015 and beyond that's a reasonably sure bet:  Mobile will become increasingly important to Sports Tourism Social Media Marketing as Cities, Destinations and Race Organizers continue to chase the $6,000 Runner.

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Chris M Morales
MarCommTO

chris.morales@bell.net

647 393 3855

Linkedin:  Chris M Morales