What I learned at #mayoragan
Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media.
One week ago today, I was in the midst of the 2011 Health Care Marketing and PR Social Media Summit, which was co-sponsored by Ragan Communications and the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media and held at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. I live tweeted the event from my personal Twitter handle using the #mayoragan hashtag. (Note: You can read a complete transcript of tweets from the conference here.)
Since then, I have been thinking a lot about the people and the ideas that I encountered there, with the goal of trying to capture some valuable essence of the experience in the blog post you’re reading now. And I am finding that it is difficult for me to point to any particular bit of practical advice I learned and say, “Hey, look at this — this is the most important thing I learned at #mayoragan. This will help me do my job better, win friends and influence people, impress my employer, make more money or _____ (you fill in the blank).”
For although I did learn many practical tips that may, or may not, help me accomplish some or all of the goals above, that was not what made the biggest impression on me.
What did make the biggest impression on me? Two things: The people I met, and the ideas expressed by those people, whether it was something said by the excellent presenters or if it was instead something tweeted by the 60 or so folks in attendance.
The best analogy I can come up with for this 2-day total immersion in the world of health care social media is to my experience as a lonely classical music geek in high school. The summer after my junior year I was lucky enough to attend what was then called the National Music Camp (it’s now called Interlochen Summer Arts Camp) at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Suddenly I went from being one of a handful of classical music geeks at my high school to being among hundreds of other teens who shared the same passion.
Shel Holtz was full of good advice -- even on his T-shirt!
Fast forward to #mayoragan. Suddenly I went from a workplace that blocks employee access to social media to a summit where a majority of attendees said they also worked for employers who blocked social media — and most seemed to agree that such blocking efforts are not only futile but also harm the organization. See, for example, conference presenter Shel Holtz’s website, stopblocking.org. And, conference co-host Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, had this to say in his presentation: “For employers who think blocking access to social media is a viable longterm strategy, meet the iPhone.”
Suddenly I was no longer the lonely social media geek. Now I fit right in with everybody else. I might even venture so far as to say I was one of the “cool kids,” if it were even remotely possible to say such a thing about someone who’s 45 years old.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to some of the people who helped make my experience at #mayoragan valuable. I give their Twitter handles here, and I encourage you to follow them: @shelholtz @LeeAase @MarkRaganCEO @PhilBaumann @rawarrior @westr @riggrl @mfeyen @SaraBethRN @MeredithGould @raganreporter @CynthiaManley @chrisboyer @CaitlinRDoran @StaceyLSimon @g24khamr @Billyorr @daniellecass @jeisman.
I suspect there are probably at least a few people who should be included in that list that I forgot to mention. If so, my apologies!
I’m on a Rocky Mountain high
Once again, amigos, it’s been a really, really, REALLY long time since I rapped at ya, but this time I’ve got a really good reason for it.
This is Kelley
You see, back in May I started dating someone. And Kelley lives about two and a half hours away from me. With all that traveling back and forth, I haven’t been able to keep up with my grueling once-a-month blog posting schedule. So I’ve had to scale that back to once every four months or so …
At the beginning of September I traveled with Kelley to Colorado for her brother’s wedding in Steamboat Springs. The wedding itself, on the Thunderhead Peak of Mt. Werner, was beautiful, and Kelley and I got to do lots and lots of fun stuff during our week in the state. We also took lots of pictures. You can see the pictures I shot with my camera here.
This is me and Kelley at her brother's wedding reception.
Here are some of the highlights of our trip:
Wednesday, Sept. 1 — We flew from Charlotte, NC to Denver, where I met Kelley’s parents for the first time.
Thursday, Sept. 2 — We drove from Denver to Steamboat Springs. Kelley and I took a short hike in Steamboat. We had dinner that night in the condo with Kelley’s family.
Friday, Sept. 3 — In the morning, Kelley and I hiked to the summit of Rabbit Ears Peak (this hike was recommended to me by my friend Joe Miller). Absolutely stunning scenery. In the afternoon and evening, we attended the pre-wedding party/rehearsal dinner, which included an afternoon of fun on the Howelsen Hill Alpine Slide. Here’s a YouTube video (posted by someone other than me) that shows what riding that slide is like:
Saturday, Sept. 4 — In the morning Kelley and I took a 20-minute walk/run on the paved trail next to the Yampa River in Steamboat. In the afternoon we rented mountain bikes and went for a ride. That night we went to her brother’s outdoor wedding on Mt. Werner.
Sunday, Sept. 5 — I ran the 10,000 Meters at 10,000 Feet race, which began with a 3-mile climb up the same trail that Kelley and I had hiked earlier. Then we drove from Steamboat back to Denver, stopping at the Keystone Ski Resort to take a few pictures, since I had spent a week there with my family when I was in 5th grade, and Kelley’s family used to own a condo in Keystone. We also did another short hike at Loveland Pass, just outside Keystone.
Monday, Sept. 6 — Kelley and I had brunch in Denver with her friend Deena and my friend Melanie Caston. In the afternoon we drove to Colorado Springs to meet my friends Jana Hyde and Delvin Neugebauer for dinner. We stayed overnight with Jana, Delvin, and Katie the Cocker Spaniel.
Tuesday, Sept. 7 — We took the cog railway to the summit of Pike’s Peak and then rode mountain bikes back to the bottom, where we had lunch at Wines of Colorado in Cascade. We did that trip through Challenge Unlimited, which I highly recommend. That afternoon we drove to Boulder, which is where Kelley grew up.
Wednesday, Sept. 8 — We had breakfast in Boulder with my friend Pam Sinel Moore. Then we went on a hike at Chatauqua Park in Boulder. In the afternoon we drove back to Denver.
We saw this awesome rainbow in Coal Creek Canyon.
Thursday, Sept. 9 — We flew from Denver back to Charlotte.
I’ve left out a lot of details here, simply because I don’t have the time or space to include them all.
In conclusion, I would say this trip left me with one big unanswered question about Colorado:
How soon can I go back?
Three races in three weekends, one AG 1st
Hola, amigos. I know it’s been a long time since I rapped at ya, but I’ve been racing my ass off lately.
First, I did the Tar Heel 10 Miler on Saturday, April 10. First time I’ve done that race, and it was a lot of fun. Finished with a chip time of 01:12:46.11, which was a 7:16 pace, good enough for #100 of 1,369 and #13 of 103 in the male 40-44 age group.
Then I did the Charlottesville Half Marathon one week later, on April 17. First time I’ve done that race, too. Finished with a chip time of 01:39:06, which was a 7:34 pace, and I was #90 of 1,077 finishers. After the race my friends and I did the tour at Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, which was really cool.
Monticello
And then the following Saturday, April 24, I raced the Riverwood Triathlon. My first triathlon of 2010.
I’m happy to report that I won first place in my age group at Riverwood. In a few other races I have finished in second place or third place AG, but this was the first time I have ever finished in first. You can see a few photos of me from this race here.
At the moment I am not signed up for any more races. I need to find one soon.
Any suggestions?
Jittery Joe’s and Terrapin: Two of my favorites
Recently I had the chance to visit two of my favorite small businesses: Jittery Joe’s coffee and Terrapin Beer Co., both in Athens, Ga.
Charlie Mustard, roasting coffee at Jittery Joe's
I’ve been a fan of Jittery Joe’s since I first heard of them in 2004. They sponsor a pro cycling team, and one of their riders, a Colombian named Cesar Grajales, attacked Lance Armstrong on the climb up Brasstown Bald to win that day’s stage in the Tour de Georgia.
At the time, I thought two things: (1) who is this Grajales fellow and how come I never heard of him before? and (2) Jittery Joe’s — that’s gotta be the coolest name for a coffee store in all of human history.
My exposure to Terrapin Beer came more recently. After trying — and being disappointed in — several small beer samples at an Atlanta pub last fall, I ordered a bottle of Terrapin’s Big Hoppy Monster. I so loved this brew that I immediately took out my iPhone and tweeted, “Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster is the real deal, baby!”
A week or two after that, I had a chance to sample the Terrapin/Left Hand Depth Charge, which is made with Jittery Joe’s espresso. A match made in heaven! It was, without a doubt, the best stout I had ever tried. Since then I have sought out and tried every Terrapin beer that I could find in the area where I live.
So, on Monday, March 22, I got to visit both Jittery Joe’s and Terrapin. I volunteered to interview the brew master at Terrapin for a new Web site called Know Your Brewer. And, since I was going to be in Athens, I figured I should go visit Jittery Joe’s as well.
The guys at Jittery Joe’s could not have been nicer or more accommodating to me. They roast their coffee in an unheated, un-air conditioned metal shack on the edge of downtown Athens, down the hill from the center of town. They let me take lots of pictures, ask lots of questions, and sample their Terrapin Wake and Bake blend (which is used in Terrapin’s Wake and Bake Stout). And there are bikes absolutely everywhere in there. I loved it!
Spike Buckowski pours a glass of Terrapin Capt'n Krunkles.
I had a similar experience over at Terrapin, later the same day. Terrapin’s founder and brew master, Brian “Spike” Buckowski, took about an hour out of his busy day to show me around the brewery and talk with me about his company and its brews. He sent me off that day with a six of Hopsecutioner and two 22-oz bottles of Capt’n Krunkles, a black IPA which is No. 10 from Terrapin’s Side Project Series.
All in all, it was a very good day! Watch for my interview with Spike to be published on Know Your Brewer, in two installments, during the week of April 12th, ahead of the company’s 8th anniversary celebration on April 17th.
April 14 update: The first installment was published on Monday (April 12), and you can read that here.
Cary Duathlon race report
Until yesterday, 2010 had been a disappointing year for me in terms of my multisport activities.
In mid-December I injured my right hamstring during a routine Wednesday night run, and because of that, I got a DNF in my first race of the year, the Carolina Godiva New Year’s Day Run. Had to drop out of that race in the middle because my hamstring was hurting like hell.
I was very surprised by this result!
Also because of that injury, I had to skip the first race of the FS Series/Inside Out Sports 4 City Duathlon Series, the Greenville Short Course Duathlon. I had done three races in that series in 2008 and 2009 and had planned to do the same thing in 2010. Then the next race in the series, the Winston-Salem Short Course Duathlon, got canceled because of snow and ice.
So when I showed up yesterday for the Cary Long Course Duathlon, I did not have high expectations for my performance. Surely I have no chance of winning an age group award this time around, I thought. And surely my finish time will be slower than last year, too.
I’m happy to report that I was wrong on both counts. I won 2nd place in the male 45-49 age group and I beat last year’s time by 21 seconds!
Update on To Views & News, Add Brews
Here’s a quick and dirty update on my first home brewing project.
I have now consumed two bottles of my first batch of home brew, and I have to say I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. A picture of the first bottle I opened is shown here.
My very first bottle of home-brewed beer!
For this batch I simply used a Brewer’s Best ingredient kit for imperial pale ale, with one modification. My friend Keith Houck, who has been home brewing for more than 20 years, recommended that I add some dry leaf hops during the final week of fermentation. So, I added a half ounce of Cascade hops. The result is a brew that has a very sharp taste of hops.
Is it anywhere near as good as the best beers I have ever tasted? No, it is not. Is it better than many of the beers you will find in most grocery stores? Yes, it is. So, for my very first effort at home brewing, I’m pretty pleased.
For my next batch of home brew, I’m planning to ditch the ingredient kit altogether and brew from scratch. Just need to decide what style to make and find a good recipe.
Suggestions, anyone?
To Views & News, Add Brews
For many years now, I have been a big fan of craft beer.
By “craft beer,” I am referring to the beers produced by breweries such as Dogfish Head, Founders, Terrapin, and many others of similar ilk, including several fine craft breweries right here in North Carolina: Full Steam, Big Boss, Lone Rider, Triangle Brewing Co., Foothills, etc.
Heating the water for my first batch of home-brewed beer.
I have also been wanting to try my hand at home brewing my own beer for quite a while, and finally took the plunge a few weeks ago. I bought a Brewer’s Best deluxe equipment kit from Fifth Season in Carrboro and an ingredient kit for an imperial pale ale. I went back to Fifth Season a few days later to buy a 20-quart brewing kettle. Then, on a rainy Sunday that weekend, I started brewing my first batch.
As a first timer, I found the process to be a bit intimidating, especially since I was going through the process without anyone to guide me. But I managed to make my way through it and took a few pictures to document the experience.
At this point my beer is still fermenting. I kept it for 5 days in a primary plastic fermenter, and then transferred it to a glass carboy. It’s been in the carboy for 1 week and I plan to keep it in there for another week before I proceed to bottling.
My home brew in glass carboy.
A couple of nights ago I took a hydrometer reading. The first time I took a reading, before starting fermentation, I got 1.060. The second reading was 1.020, which was a sign that everything was headed in the right direction. I also took a sip of the beer, mostly out of curiosity. Although the beer was still a long way from finished at that point, the taste was not too bad.
I’ll post an update here after I have bottled the beer and have had a chance to taste the final product.
Slapping hands with Kyle Petty
Last Sunday morning I found myself standing in the middle of the street in Randleman, N.C. It was cold and rainy, temps just above freezing, and I was running in place just to stay warm.
What’s more, I was surrounded by hundreds of people who were all pretty much doing the same thing as me.
Why were we there? To run the Run to Victory Half Marathon, which is a charity fundraiser for Victory Junction, a sort of NASCAR theme park for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. It was founded by retired NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, in honor of their son, Adam, who was killed in 2000 while practicing for a NASCAR race.
The NASCAR theme was prominent through the whole race. They even started the race by waving a green flag. Once the race started, we were off on a downhill stretch that soon left town and took us out into the rural countryside.
The course also turned uphill, again and again and again. It was, without a doubt, the hilliest half marathon I have ever run.
It struck me as odd we were not given any instructions to stay on the same side of the road for the entire race, and there was no attempt by race organizers to keep people from changing sides. And change sides they did, at every opportunity, in order to run the shortest, straightest line. There wasn’t much traffic on the roads we ran, but there were times when cars had to straddle the center line because there were runners on both sides.
Race organizers, take note: The situation described above is very dangerous, a tragic accident waiting to happen. You need to do something about it before next year’s race, in order to better protect the safety of the runners.
The race finished at Victory Junction, and once we entered the park, we had about one more mile to run. During that last mile, it seemed that the finish line would never come. But finally I did reach the finish line, and Kyle Petty was there slapping the hand of everyone as they finished. Nice personal touch there, Kyle!
My finish time was 01:44:15, which is about 10 minutes slower than my half mary PR. But considering how hilly the course was, and how I didn’t do any special training to get ready for this race, I’m pretty happy with that time. However, my timing chip fell off during the race, so my name doesn’t show up in the official race results.
You can see two pictures of me taken by the official race photogs here.
Would I do this race again? Absolutely! It’s a lot of fun.
A note on my clothing for the race: I wore Zensah’s long-sleeve compression shirt as my base layer, with a short-sleeve Adidas shirt on top. That combo worked well for this race. That being said, I think the Zensah shirt would only be comfortable in temps this cold (30s or lower); it would be too warm in 40-degree weather.
OBX Marathon race report
Here’s one of the things that I most love about doing endurance sports.
Yesterday I ran the Outer Banks Marathon. Although I traveled to the race with friends, there was no one in our group who runs at my pace. So when I lined myself up at the starting line, I didn’t have a running partner lined up for the race.
But about 4 miles into the race, I noticed a man and a woman running together in front of me at about my pace. So I ran up to them and said, “You two are doing a good job of setting the pace.”
“You’re welcome to take the lead now, if you want,” the man replied.
On the beach at Kill Devil Hills, the day before the race.
“I don’t want to take the lead, but I’ll join you, if that’s OK,” I said.
The man’s name was Ian, from Cincinnati. The women’s name was Lauren, from Boston. From mile 4 until shortly before mile 13, the three of us ran together.
One section of the course was an unpaved trail, and I began to pull away from the other two on a climb near the end of that section. Lauren caught up to me soon after we got back on pavement, but Ian remained further back. So I ran with Lauren until about mile 18 or 19, when she began to slowly pull away from me and I couldn’t keep up.
My pace began to seriously deteriorate after that, and I hit the wall at mile 23. From there until the end I alternated walking with running. About 1/4 mile from the end, Ian passed me, and finished a few places ahead of me. When I heard the announcer call his name, I learned for the first time that Ian and I have the same last name.
This was my fourth marathon (or six, if you count the runs from my two Ironman races), and it was my slowest finish time of the four. But thanks in large part to the temporary camaraderie I found out on the course with two people I had never met before, it was still a fun and rewarding experience for me.
I’ve had similar experiences in several other races, and each time it happens, I get a charge out of it.
Hughes' Views & News 
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