Happy Holidays!

We are looking forward to spending the holiday with family & friends, but wanted to send out a quick HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Team G Shock!

We wish you all nothing but health & happiness this holiday season, and are looking forward to a happy 2013! We hope that everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends and gets to relax and enjoy the season.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a very Happy New Year! 

source

Event #39 - Snowflake 5k

This past Saturday was our 3rd time running the Snowflake 5k, and race #39 for Team G Shock! For once, it was actually kind of warm for this race, which was pretty nice. When we sign up for a race in December, we don't expect warm weather, but we were pretty happy with 50 degrees at race time! It was a little rainy in the morning, but luckily it held off once the race started.

Over 200 people ran the race, plus a handful of dogs, and a number of people dressed up in costumes. We've run on this course a number of times, and always enjoy it as it is familiar and fairly flat!

We started together, but speed racer Nate took off around the 1-mile mark, and I honestly don't think I could have stayed with him this time around. Not only did he finish ahead of me, but he set a new PR! I tied my second fastest time, and was pretty happy with that. I have some work to do to catch up with Nate, but at least it gives me some extra motivation!

Here are our official times:

76th place - Nate Towne - 26:05 (new PR listed over there ------->)
99th place - Sara Towne - 28:15

There wasn't an official Santa like last year, but there was a not-quite-convincing Santa there taking pictures with people. I'll let you judge for yourselves, but notice the space I left between me & Santa in the picture below....he wasn't fooling me!

We're on the hunt for something special for race #40 (ideas are welcome), but until then, enjoy some pictures from this past weekend!

Before the race

Lined up at the start!

Mr. Nate Towne - owner of a fancy new PR!

Me, "Santa" and Nate.

Tomorrow's Race...

Tomorrow, we will run race #39 for Team G Shock. We're excited to run, but in light of the terrible tragedy of today, that is obviously not the first thing on our minds. We've run this race before and it has always been in support of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee (PCAT). Their tag line is "Valuing Children. Strengthening Families. Engaging Communities." What an appropriate organization to be supporting at this time.

Tomorrow we will run and race for Team G Shock, with the families and neighbors of Newtown, CT on our minds and our hearts. Hope everyone is able to enjoy some time with those they love this weekend, and we'll have an update on the race next week!

The Big 3-9!

We've got another race on the calendar, and this will officially be Team G Shock race #39! Not sure what happened to our idea of running 10 races - that obviously went out the door a loooong time ago.

We will be running the Snowflake 5k to support PCAT here in Nashville on December 15th. We've run this race twice before (and even got to see Santa last year!), so we're excited to try it again. We're hoping that the current weather stays around until race day - it wouldn't be terrible to run a race in December in 50 degree weather. But, warm or cold, rain or shine, we'll run. See you out there!

source

Event #38 - Virginia Run Turkey Trot

Well it's been a very busy couple of weeks for us, but we're finally back with an update on our Thanksgiving Day run! We made the drive to Virginia to see my family the day before Thanksgiving and got in late that afternoon. We were so happy to see everyone after the long drive (which turns out, was MUCH longer on the way back to Tennessee).

The next day we woke up bright & early to head out to Virginia Run. We ran this race waaaay back in 2009 for our 7th race, and Dad and Geoff have run it since then as well. Nate & I were excited to give the course another go, and we even convinced my other brother Drew to join us! 

The race was as crowded as I remember, and there ended up being over 5,100 runners and walkers. The course runs through the Virginia Run neighborhood, and all of the neighbors come out and cheer for the runners, which is very encouraging (especially in the middle of a big hill). Nate & I stayed together the whole time, and everyone did really well. It was fun to run with my family, and a great way to start off the holiday! 

Here are the official results:

442nd place - Geoff Ross - 24:15

1,290th place - Nate Towne - 28:49

1,292nd place - Sara Towne - 28:50

2,419th place - Joe Ross - 33:56

3,028th place - Drew Ross - 38:42

We got plenty of pictures during the race, and as you can see it was a beautiful day for a run! 

The Ross (Towne) family before the race!

Drew, Dad, me and Geoff

Nate & me before

LOTS...

...and lots of runners!

After! We did it!

Nate, Drew, Dad, Geoff & me

Race #38 - in the books!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with my family, and had a great weekend visiting with them and some of our friends. We're looking forward to our next race - keep an eye out for that info soon!

Pre-Turkey Day Trot!

The Thanksgiving festivities started a little early this year at Dad's Work (National Geospatial Intelligence Agency...or just NGA..that works too). They held their very own Turkey Trot, and Dad was representin' in his Team G Shock shirt.

Here are his official results:

Joe Ross - 35:16

And as usual, he snapped a picture for us! Here he is with some of his co-workers.

We're looking forward to running with Team G Shock on Thanksgiving Day later this week at the Virginia Run Turkey Trot! It will be race #38 and we'll have an update and pictures after the race. Happy Turkey Day everyone! 

Event #37...continued!

I found a little news story about the Anything Is Possible 5k we ran for event #37. Enjoy!

source

Event #37 - Anything Is Possible 5k

It was a COLD and rainy November night a few weekends ago when we took to the streets for the Anything Is Possible 5k. A big storm had come through Nashville a few hours earlier that brought the temperature down a lot, but luckily it had stopped raining by race time (1:50 AM). We got to the race a little early with our glow-in-the-dark TEAM G SHOCK shirts and glow sticks and ran into my friend and co-worker Rosemary who was also running. Rosemary has taken up running lately and is seriously kicking butt. This was her 4th official 5k, and she did great!

The race wasn't super crowded, but the crowd was definitely an interesting one. In the 150 or so runners, there were people in their PJ's, people in robes, people in costumes, and lots of glow sticks/lights. Nate & I had picked up our race PJ pants (instead of tshirts) earlier that day, but decided not to wear them to the race. (sidenote: we have worn them a lot since...and they are super comfy! Thanks Old Navy!).

The course took us around the big outlet mall here in town, and it was basically two loops, with a little variation in the 2nd loop. This was the first cold race of the season for us, and it took a minute to get used to, but we did ok! No PR's on this one, but we are pretty happy with our times, especially considering how late it was.

Here are the results:

46th place - Nate Towne - 27:53
47th place - Sara Towne - 28:15

It was fun to do a race that is a little different, and who doesn't love time travel! The race started at 1:50am and we finished a little before 1:20am. Magic. :) Enjoy a few photos we picked up along the way! And as always, GOOOOO G SHOCK!

Glow-in-the-dark G-SHOCK! 

Before the race...it was COLD!

Rosemary & me before the race

Waiting to start outside Opry Mills

Hard to see, but this sign says "2 miles-ish". 

Very official.

After the race

 You can kind of see our 

glow-in-the-darkness here :)

Happy Veteran's Day!

Yesterday was the official day, but we wanted to take a moment today to say THANK YOU to all of the Veteran's out there - past, present and future. We are afforded so many freedoms because of the sacrifices you and your families make, and we truly do appreciate that. A number of the races we have run support military charities, and those are always special to us. 

I'm lucky enough (and very proud) to have family members who are Veteran's. This day makes me extra thankful for them and everything they gave our family.

Grandpa Ross & Grandma Ross

Grandma Osborne & Papa

And our favorite Vet - My Dad and his beautiful wife, 

the best military wife I ever knew!

Event #36 - Spaten Bier Run

This past Saturday was the official Germantown Oktoberfest celebration here in Nashville. As part of the celebration every year, the Spaten Bier Run is held, and this year was no different. Nate & I have wanted to do this run before, but have always been out of town. We were excited when we learned that we'd be around to try it out this year!

The race is held in the morning before the festival really gets going, but a lot of the vendors were setting up when we got there so it was fun to see everything. There was a good crowd at the race, and we were excited to try a new course. The race had a bit of a delayed start (try 40 minutes), which wasn't great, but it happens. Once we got going, everything was great. The course took us through Germantown and then down around Bicentennial park and through (literally..THROUGH) the Farmers Market. There were a few hills, but nothing major, and other than the smell in the market house, it was great!

We ran into some friends before the race, and we got to enjoy our post-race beer with them once we were all done! The festival looked like a lot of fun, and we hope to do the race again someday!

Here are our official results:

333rd place - Nate Towne - 27:27
452nd place - Sara Towne - 29:37

I ran with my camera this time to try and get some pictures other than Nate & I in front of the car. :) Enjoy...

Before the race. Whatcha looking at Tater? 

Yum.

Glad we only had to run the 5k, and not to Berlin.

Running around the Farmers Market...

...and through the Market House. 

Right before running in Lee said "hold your breath!" 

After - cheers!

Erica & Lee after the race.

Beer & Brats All Around!

Tomorrow, we will take to the streets of Nashville for our 36th race! This will be our first time running the 5k Bier Run as part of the Germantown Oktoberfest celebration! We're excited for the run and to enjoy some of the festival afterwards (beer + brats, what's not to like?!). Check back soon for results & photos! Happy weekend everyone!

source

Maybe we should break out some lederhosen.

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight...

...or does it?? The other day we came across a very fun sounding 5k and immediately signed up. What's so fun about it? Well, you start the race at 1:50am, and you go BACK IN TIME and finish before that. Impossible you say? Not if you run the race the night that clocks turn back for Daylight Savings Time.

That's right. On November 4th, Nate & I (and hopefully some of our fun-loving friends) will be running the Anything Is Possible 5k right here in Nashville. We've only done a few races that didn't start in the morning, but we're really looking forward to this one. It sounds like a great race, and the proceeds all go to military charities which we are always happy to support. And an added bonus, we get PJ pants when we pick up our race packets! What's not to like about that?

There are prizes for things like best lights, and best PJ's, so we'll have to come up with a fun outfit to show off our Team G Shock pride at night!

If you're interested in running, the race is held in a number of cities, so check out the website and sign up!

source

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!

In November, Nate, myself and Shelby will make the trek to Virginia for Thanksgiving. And while we're there, we'll be running the 24th Annual Virginia Run Turkey Trot! What better way to start off a day full of eating, then with a 5k? This will be the 3rd Turkey Trot we've done, and the 2nd time we've run this course. And, a number of Ross family members (including my Dad!) will be joining us, so it should be a good way to start off one of my favorite holidays!

source

Blue Ties Smiling at Me!

Today was officially Blue Tie Day, and Team G Shock came out in full force! Even Nate, who has not had to wear a tie once to his office, supported the cause (what a good hubs). Below are some pictures of Team G Shock near & far rockin' the blue!

Nate before work

Closest thing I own to a tie...hey, at least I tried! 

Dad R headed off to work! 

(Major points to Mom for texting me this picture before I even woke up - she's not a texter) :)

Geoff in his office in VA 

(he also does not normally wear a tie to work - thanks brudder!)

Drew & our favorite Team G Shock supporter in WV!

Our sister Kesha joined in from Colorado!

Dad T looking spiffy in Minnesota!

My former boss Jeff even got in on the fun! :) Thanks Hefe - miss you!

Big thanks to our friends & family for taking part in Blue Tie Day today! Team G Shock wouldn't be where we are without you all! 

Blue Tie Day!

As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness month, tomorrow (September 20th) is officially Blue Tie Day! So all you gentlemen out there - break out your favorite blue tie, take a picture, and send it our way! And for the ladies, if you have a blue scarf, or blue necklace, that counts too.

Can't wait to see all of the blue tomorrow!

source

Make that 36...

We've added another race to our calendar (see...over there ------>), which will make it race #36 for us! We will be running the 5k Bier Run as part of the Germantown Oktoberfest celebration on October 13th! I've always wanted to run this race, but we've always been out of town for it, so we're excited to give it a try. There will be vendors, food, and of course beer after the race, so it should make for a fun day!

source

Event #35 - Franklin Classic

On Labor Day, Nate & I headed out to Franklin (just South of Nashville) for the 34th Annual Franklin Classic. We had never run this race, but were looking forward to a new course and a new challenge. I woke up not feeling great that morning, but we were committed to running, and decided to just take it easy. Nate was a sweet husband and even stayed with me the whole time, although I know he could have finished much faster. Sometimes its nice to just enjoy the race, and remember that we're doing this for more than just PR's (although those are nice!). :)

There was a 10k race earlier in the morning, and we got there around the time that was finishing. There was also a festival set up with games, music, food, etc that really brought a fun atmosphere as we waited for the race to start. The starting line was on the main square of downtown Franklin, and there were over 3,500 participants between the 2 races. The course took us around downtown Franklin, and through nearby neighborhoods and parks. This was one of our favorite courses ever, as it had some hills, but they were small, and went through some parts of Franklin we had never seen. At one point (around the 2 mile mark) there were signs along the course to motivate the runners. They said things like "Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much butt" and "Worst Parade Ever!". They provided some entertainment and were definitely a favorite part of the course for us.

We finished together - not our fastest race, but one of our favorite to date. We will definitely be back next year!

Here are the results:

598th place - Nate Towne - 30:17
599th place - Sara Towne - 30:17

We were parked kind of far from the race location, but managed to get a few pictures before and after!

Before..its eaaaaaarly

After. 35 races done!

Just having fun :)

Big News!

As of today, our Team G Shock blog has officially passed 10,000 page views!! :) I've been keeping an eye on our count, and hoped it would come soon, and much to my surprise, here we are! That means that 10,000 times, someone has read about our journey. And 10,000 times, hopefully, someone has learned something about Prostate Cancer that they can share with the men in their life.

It just so happens that 10,000 is my new favorite number. Not only was it a benchmark that I wanted us to hit here on the blog, but that is the amount that we are hoping to raise for the Prostate Cancer Foundation! I hope that you will consider making a donation to our cause - visit our donation page if you are so inclined.

And as always, thank you for the support!

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month!

I will have an update on our race last weekend soon, but I wanted to write a quick post now that we are well into the month of September.

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness month, and there is so much happening to help find a cure right now. 1 in 6 men in America will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime, and I don't know about you, but that is way too many for my liking. We're doing our best to help, through Athletes For A Cure and The Prostate Cancer Foundation. To learn more about what the PCF is doing, check out their website www.pcf.org. You should also check out the website for Blue September - there are lots of events this month, along with information!

One of the easiest events to take part in is happening on Friday, September 14th. This day has been declared Blue Friday - wear your favorite blue shirt, paint your face blue, and tell your friends about it!

source

And as always, Team G Shock accepts any and all donations and 100% of your donation goes to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the research needed to find a cure.

Labor Day = Race Day!

We've added another race to our calendar - The 34th Annual Franklin Classic this coming Labor Day. For our out of state readers, Franklin is an adorable town just South of Nashville. There are really cute shops, yummy restaurants, and lots of history (waaay back to the Civil War). If you ever make it to Nashville, you should definitely carve out some time to visit.

This will be Team G Shock's 35th race, and we're excited to try a new course! We've never run a race in Franklin so it should be fun, and maybe we'll see some familiar faces on the course!

Until then....GOOOOOO G SHOCK!

Bibs - Not Just For Babies Anymore

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to spend the weekend at my favorite place in the world: The Beach House! My best friends from JMU and I have gone up there almost every Summer since graduation, and hopefully it will continue for many more years. We've seen lots of changes (new jobs, marriages & babies), but that girls weekend will always be something I look forward to.

This years beach trip!

KT, Kellen, Hiney, Larissa (+baby) & me

While we were at the house, I noticed a stack of bibs on my parents dresser. Now, I know what you may be thinking, why are they hoarding bibs? Bibs are a staple in every household with small children. Even some older children (ahem, me) use bibs from time to time. I may or may not have had a UVA bib when I was younger that we kept around much longer than we probably should, only for spaghetti nights. I had a terrible habit of always getting sauce on my clothes, and it became kind of a tradition.

Now that we're older, Nate, myself, my Dad and everyone else that runs with Team G Shock, are collecting a different kind of bib! At every race, we get a bib with a number on it, and dutifully pin it to our Team G Shock shirts. Nate & I have saved every bib we've gotten, which for those of you keeping track is 34 bibs each! 

My Dad has run a number of races with Nate & I, but he has also run a number of races by himself up at the beach. The bibs on the dresser were from all of those races. Its a little hard to see, but there are 9 bibs in that stack, all of which have been run after his diagnosis. And this doesn't count all of the races he's run at home. Pretty impressive if you ask me!

Nate & I don't plan on stopping anytime soon, so hopefully Dad will be able to collect even more bibs along the way!