Category Archives: Runs/Walks

Kidney Cause

Posted on August 12, 2010 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

One of my lifelong friends lives with kidney disease. She has had two kidney transplants (the first one taking place in high school, the second one in college). She is now needing another transplant and is about to start dialysis three times a week. Her older sister also suffered with kidney disease from an early age. She died at the age of 30.

According to the Tennessee Kidney Foundation’s website:

Over 26 million Americans, or 1 in 9 adults, suffer from chronic kidney disease.  Another 20 million are at increased risk and most don’t even know it.  Over 7,400 Tennesseans are in kidney failure and need a kidney transplant or dialysis three times per week to survive.

I have watched my friend, and her sister, fight this disease, struggle with this disease, and live with this disease. Often I have felt quite helpless because I wasn’t a “match” for them.

But, I am not helpless. I can make a difference in fighting this disease, and you can too!

Here are a few ways to help:

Other helpful sites:

Tennessee Donor Services

OrganDonor.Gov

- Malinda Moseley

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Attitude of Gratitude, Diversity, Education, Family, Fundraiser, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Runs/Walks, Volunteer

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

Posted on April 7, 2010 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

 

What: Walk a Mile in My Shoes is a fundraiser for The Key Alliance and other homeless service agencies in Nashville!  

When:    Saturday, April 17, 2010 (Registration at 8:00 a.m., Walk begins at 9:00 a.m.)

Where:    LP Field, Downtown Nashville

This walk is an opportunity to learn first hand about the journey a homeless person travels. Walkers can register here, set up their own web page to track their fundraising results, and email their friends and family to sponsor them and make online donations.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Attitude of Gratitude, Diversity, Education, Family, Health & Wellness, Politics & Justice, Poverty, Runs/Walks, Volunteer

CROP Hunger Walk 2010

Posted on March 16, 2010 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

CROP Hunger Walks help children and families worldwide — and right here in the U.S. — to have food for today, while building for a better tomorrow.

Each year some two million CROP Walkers, volunteers, and sponsors put their hearts and soles in motion, raising over $16 million per year to help end hunger and poverty around the world — and in their own communities. And you can be part of it!

The Nashville CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Centennial Park.

For more information about the Nashville CROP Hunger Walk, or to find a CROP Hunger Walk in your area, click here.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Conservation & the Environment, Diversity, Education, Family, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Politics & Justice, Poverty, Runs/Walks, Volunteer

Runner Girl

Posted on December 8, 2009 by coolmomscare| 4 Comments

What was once an ‘easy, short run’ for me was a ‘hard, long walk’.

Over the weekend I did the Jingle Bell 5k to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. I have fibromyalgia.  And it felt like an important thing to do.  Plus, it was a chance to wear a santa hat.  My running partner, Kate, did the race with me.  We train together 3 times a week and ran our first half marathon last spring.  But here’s the thing: this time we didn’t run.  We walked.  Slowly.  Very, very slowly.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but we walked so slowly that a woman huluahooping and walking finished waaay before us.  A police woman told us that we had to get on the sidewalk because we were holding up traffic.  Sort of.  Her exact words were, “We can only keep the road closed for so long.  Move over.”  We didn’t finish dead last, but we were close.  The few that finished behind us were the very old or the very young (like the 6 year old that finished just behind us.  But don’t worry, we picked up the pace to beat her to the finish line. Booya!).

I identify myself as a runner.  I have a ‘runner girl’ sticker on my car.  And yes, I also have the 13.1 sticker.  In fact, I still sometimes wear my half marathon finisher’s medal around the house.   Running is part of my life beyond being a mom.  Running makes me proud.  It makes me strong.   I haven’t been able to run since the end of October due to fibromyalgia (intense body pain and fatigue).  And finding my pride and strength elsewhere has been a challenge.

All through the race I watched people pass us and thought variations of I should be able to walk faster than them because they  ______ (are older, are heavier, are 4 years old, don’t have the right shoes, never did a half marathon,  are wearing jeans, are hula hooping, are a dog with teeny tiny legs, etc. etc.). And yet.

And yet I was out there, at the end of the pack, walking.  I was out there with a running partner who could have been running but chose to walk with me.  I was out there walking for the Arthritis Foundation.  A friend from afar had even made a generous donation to the foundation in my honor.  And I was out there walking so my daughter, bundled against the cold, could see me finish.  What was once an ‘easy, short run’ for me was a ‘hard, long walk’.  But I did finish.  And I’m working on feeling proud and strong again.  Slowly.  Very, very slowly.  But I’ve got good company.  And people that are proud of me.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but that’s a darn good start.

Tons of love and thanks to Kate, Carla, Demetri, and Zoey.

- Joslyne Decker

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Activities, Attitude of Gratitude, Family, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Runs/Walks, Volunteer, self-esteem

Notice The Music Playing

Posted on November 16, 2009 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment
2942493347_8eefa01a91_m

Take time to notice the world around you.

It wasn’t the first time.

I’ve lost a number of iPods over the years. In fact, my most recent Shuffle is named Lazarus because it has risen from the dead so many times.

I’m one of those runners who can’t seem to run well without music in the background, and so I never leave home for a run without my iPod Shuffle. Naturally, I made sure to grab my iPod this last Saturday when I headed out to Percy Warner for a long run.

I parked in the field by the park, grabbed my headphones, iPod, and car key and got out to stretch. When I looked down, though, the Shuffle wasn’t in my hand. I opened the car, looked under the seats, on the floorboard, under jackets, in cup holders- but the iPod was nowhere to be found.

Frustrated, I said words I won’t even dare write in this column because my editor will delete them, and I started crawling furiously in the grass around the car looking for the small, silver Shuffle, much to the amusement of those watching me.

I finally gave up and abandoned the search. I opened the car and threw my now useless headphones inside.

Another Shuffle mysteriously bites the dust.

I took off toward the park and tore off onto the Warner Woods Trail, figuring that the terrain of the trail would keep my mind from missing music. As soon as I started to run, I didn’t miss the music, but I began to take notice of different sounds: the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet and the steady breaths coming from my lungs- sounds I missed when I had my earphones in. I looked into the beautiful forest around me and noticed the way the sunlight peered through the trees and how the forest floor was now covered with a colorful blanket of fall leaves. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face and noticed the way my feet hit the ground. In short, I became thankful for such a place to run and play and grateful for the abundance of natural beauty we as Nashvillians have at our fingertips.

Does it really take losing an iPod to notice the music playing naturally all around us?

Tired but energized by what I’d rediscovered, I made my way back to car. Sure enough, there was my Shuffle, standing upright and glistening in the sun, right next to my car door- there was no way I could have missed it.

Had it been there the whole time? Maybe. But maybe God borrowed it to make sure I took note of something better, and I have never been more grateful to lose something I thought I needed so much.

- Mary Cady Bolin

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Animals & Wildlife, Attitude of Gratitude, Conservation & the Environment, Health & Wellness, Runs/Walks

American Diabetes Month

Posted on November 12, 2009 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

November is American Diabetes Month. The American Diabetes Association hopes to shine a spotlight on diabetes and raise awareness of this disease, which can cause life-threatening complications if not addressed.

I wanted to make sure all the Cool Moms Care readers were aware of it because it’s an issue that I care a lot about. Through a project I’ve been working on for about 18 months, I’ve met a lot of wonderful men, women and children who are living with diabetes. They are just a few of the 24 million people with diabetes in the United States. Another 57 million Americans are at risk for developing Type II diabetes, too. Take a look around you: you probably know someone with diabetes.

The ADA has published a list of steps that will help people spread the word, and I’m going to share some of them with you here:

Share. Inspire others to join the movement by sharing your personal story. Visit stopdiabetes.com and join the ADA on Facebook and Twitter to learn about all the ways to be a part of the Stop Diabetes movement. Invite your family, friends, and co-workers to join this effort as well.

Act. Whether you want to walk*, bike* or simply tell a friend, there will be many ways to help build momentum for the Stop Diabetes movement.

Learn. The American Diabetes Association has many resources throughout the country to help Stop Diabetes. If you, or a loved one, already have diabetes* or are at risk* for developing it, we can provide medical, lifestyle and motivational information to prevent this disease from taking control of your life and the lives of those around you.

–Jennifer Larson

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Education, Family, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Runs/Walks, Volunteer

Grey Ghost 5K 2009

Posted on October 28, 2009 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

logo-grey-ghostGrey Ghost 5K benefitting Gabe’s My Heart

Before you get ready to go trick-or-treating this Saturday, bring the family and participate in a run/walk for a good cause!

OCTOBER 31, 2009

7 AM REGISTRATION AND PACKET PICKUP

8 AM –   5K START (Runners begin first, followed by walkers)

8:45 AM - Awards Preparation for Grey Ghost.

9:00 AM -    Goblin Gallop

(kids fun run! – Kids 3 to 4 approximately 1/2 K.; 5 and up – approximately 1K.)

9:15 AM Awards Presentation for Goblin Gallop

Location: Oaklawn Plantation, 3331 Denning Lane, Spring Hill, TN

Gabe’s My Heart

http://www.greyghost5k.com/

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Family, Health & Wellness, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Runs/Walks, Volunteer

The Return of the Running Awesomeness

Posted on September 22, 2009 by coolmomscare| 9 Comments

3414064391_b18b99d7b5_mSome people say it’s impossible to have a running partner.  They say there’s no way two people can have the same pace, the same running needs.  But I have one.  Her name is Kate.  Together, we trained for and ran one half marathon (Country Music this past spring). I am more conceited than Kate and am overly proud of this accomplishment.  My race number is framed.  I wear my finisher’s medal while reading before bed.  I force Kate to reminisce about The Half incessantly (“Remember when I almost puked?  That was awesome!”).   And I force her to reminisce about The Running Awesomeness that was Training for The Half (“Remember when we first ran 4 miles? Huh? Remember? And remember when we ran 10 miles? T-E-N miles?! We are awesome!”).

For the past 3 months running has not been so awesome. Kate and I continue to run.  Together.  Always together.  But this summer the running has been Hard.  It’s been hot.  We’ve each had injuries.  5 miles used to be our ‘short/easy’ run.  No more.  We’ve been clawing our way back to 3 miles.  Not always making it.  Rarely having a ‘good’ run.

On Saturday we ran in a Race for the Cure 5k.  And, people, the running awesomeness? IT! IS! BACK!  We were running on a course that was described as “fast and flat”.  Kate and I have many wonderful qualities as runners, but fast isn’t one of them.  I have no idea if the course was truly fast or not.  But flat? Um . . . no.  Definitely not flat.  But as it happens, The Return of The Running Awesomeness happened on a hill.

Kate and I were just starting up the ‘slight incline’.  It was pouring down rain.  We were both, what we affectionately call, “growing” (‘dying’, in running-speak) .  We were alone on the course due to our lack of . . . um . . . speed.  There were a few volunteers in golf carts sprinkled out along the road to make sure we went in the right direction.  About half way up the hill, heads down, breathing hard, we began to hear music.  It was soft, muffled by the rain.  Just as we were about to crest the hill, the music became clear.  It was our running theme song.  Which also happens to be the theme song from “Rocky”.  Our heads came up.  We crested the hill, pumped our arms over our heads, and sang.  Loud.  We were greeted by several families huddled on their porches watching the race.  Kids in pajamas and galoshes.  Parents clutching coffee mugs and newspapers.  These people cheered.  For us.  And, just like that, we were flying.  True, we were also going downhill.  But inside, where the best of us sometimes lies huddled in the dark and the worst of us seems to hold on so tightly, we were soaring.  Strong.  Whole.  Together.

- Joslyne Decker

→ 9 Comments

Posted in Activities, Health & Wellness, Runs/Walks

Andrea Walks V

Posted on March 30, 2009 by coolmomscare| Leave a comment

andrea_walksIf you are in Nashville on April 4, come out to Centennial Park and join the First Lady of TN, Andrea Conte, and walk to raise funds and awareness for the Nashville Children’s Alliance.

The mission of the NCA is to reduce the traumatization of child abuse victims and their families by facilitating a comprehensive multidisciplinary team approach to the detection, investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse.

Times: Sign-In 8:00-8:45 AM; Walk starts at 9:00 a.m.

Location: Centennial Park at The Bandshell

Register Online

Contact: (615) 327-9958; info@nashvillechildrensalliance.org

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Activities, Education, Family, Healthcare & Medical Issues, Politics & Justice, Runs/Walks, Safety