Notes From The Road

September 14, 2007: Teamwork...way to go Ed and Carolyn!

"Teamwork" was the operative word today. You can't imagine how much we all enjoy one another!

We arrive in Atlanta around 1:00 p.m. for a big finale and luncheon. Today was the best riding day with 90 miles of incredible team work. Ed has been helping Carolyn who made it through every hill today. Carolyn lost both of her legs below the knee to meningococcal meningitis with septicemia (blood poisoning). Her strain was rare and mostly fatal to those infected. She was very close to death but believes her prior fitness level saved her life. Carolyn is riding in the Health Awareness Tour to demonstrate the importance of physical fitness and to encourage everyone to get a meningococcal vaccination.

Jon kept riding when we stopped for food and water as he was determined to finish his first "century" (100 miles) today. He did it! At the end of the day, Renee, our team captain, made a great decision to have everyone stop and load up the bikes for the last ten miles as it was getting dark and started raining. Safety first!

We have an early day tomorrow - on the road by 7:00 AM.

September 13, 2007: Ready, Set, Cook, Eat!

Today's Health Awareness Tour event at CIGNA's Chattanooga office was AWESOME. We announced our sponsorship of the Healthy Kids Challenge (HKC) Program for nine elementary schools in Hamilton County as part of the "Get Fit TN" program. The goal of the program is to encourage children and their families to lead healthier lives by increasing their awareness of better health habits.

As part of the Tour reception and HKC announcement, the Market Street office hosted State Health Commissioner Susan Cooper, Danielle Clark of the Hamilton School Board and State Senator Bo Watson in a "Ready, Set, Cook, Eat" event -- a healthy foods cooking competition. Three teams -- headed by CIGNA general manager John Sorrow, Commissioner Cooper and Senator Watson -- and three CIGNA employees and Tour riders had 30 minutes to turn a bag of mystery ingredients into a quick and healthy family meal that included a main dish, side dish and a dessert. Each Team was outfitted with aprons, chef hats and equipped with all the necessary cooking utensils and equipment. There was a flurry of chopping, slicing, dicing, sautéing, mixing and tossing amidst challenges back and forth between teams. The competition rivaled the Food Network's Iron Chef Challenge in intensity, talent and creativity.

At the end of thirty minutes each team plated and presented their "Quick and Healthy Family Meal". The results were spectacular! The audience was completely engaged, the contestants had a fun time, and together we delivered some great suggestions on how to prepare quick, healthy meals with simple, readily available products. I was so glad to be part of such a great event!

September 12, 2007: Climb every mountain and share tools for success

It was a long riding day that took us through gently rolling hills for the first thirty miles and then up to the top of Monteagle before descending to Chattanooga. While climbing Monteagle Jeff was sharing jokes over the walkie-talkie with the sweeper van. Now, that's what I call a stand-up comedian! The riders are amazing with their stamina and their enthusiasm.

We were ceremoniously greeted at the CIGNA HealthCare Goodwin Road office in Chattanooga. Before our arrival, several employees walked laps around the facility … logging a total of 60 miles! We passed out Health Awareness wrist bands and spoke with a number of workers. One woman talked about her struggles with asthma and Jon was able to share his story of how consistent exercise has enabled him to live inhaler free with his asthma. One woman spoke about her struggles with weight issues and Ed and Philomena shared their stories and were able to give her some suggestions about individual activities that worked for them. They also gave her hints on how to get group support to help her reach her goals.

On the lighter side, Steve lost the keys to the RV for about a half-hour, causing just a bit of "panic" for us all. We are truly blessed. My fellow team members are incredibly self-effacing and helpful.

On to Rome, GA tomorrow!

September 11, 2007: Wow, what a day!

We spent most of the morning meeting with employees of two CIGNA offices in the Nashville, TN area. Philomena sat at lunch with a group of women and one woman who has been struggling with weight issues for some years committed to walk twice a day for 15 minutes. Another group of employees shared that they walk together each evening after work. One employee is working with the building management to put up a basketball net so that interested folks can play basketball over their lunch hour. What also impressed me was the commitment of the riders to each other. Today was a day of assessing how the group worked together. The more experienced riders helped the beginners and we all arrived safely in Tullahoma after riding through some beautiful countryside. I was shocked to hear that today's youth will be the first generation that will NOT live as long as their parents if the trend in childhood obesity and diabetes continues unabated. That's pretty scary! But, that's one of the key motivations for everyone on the Tour.