Random follow #263 - @alanhsmith

Patience, commitment and focus are the three essential ingredients to success both in business as well as in sports.  @alanhsmith is both a sports fan and a sports man.  Not only does he sit on the couch and cheer on those teams that he barracks for you will also find him out on course giving it all he has got.

Living in Christchurch isn't easy.  Not only from a post earthquake perspective but also by way of finding both the time and the ability to train. If you're a triathlete training in the snow isn't much fun.  Especially the swim.  Running is okay because your body is in a constant state of movement and its easier to generate warmth.  Swimming in ice cold conditions while good for your circulation isn't so good for your mental faculties.

Alan is somewhat of a contrarian but that is brought about by his sheer passion and enthusiasm for life.  he knows what he like, he knows clearly who he supports and he certainly knows a classy rugby team when he sees one.

This husband of one and father of four is someone who supports his family and his family support him.  His tweets are just like his relationships.  Encouraging, supporting and more focused on others than himself.  They are also lighthearted, good fun and easy to get along with.  Such as -

"Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably to get away from the gang of ducks!! #oldjoke"

Whats really neat is that almost none of his tweets are stand alone broadcasts.  And that is why I have only put one in my examples.  (Note - for #RKT I don't show tweets that are part of a conversation).  Rather Alan is constantly jumping into conversations, engaging with others and letting the world know that Christchurch is such a beautiful city to live in.

If you're looking for a tweeter who is a bit light hearted, a whole lot of fun and an all round good person then I recommend @alanhsmith as someone definitely worth following.

Even the kea run in New Zealand!

Random follow #114 - @run2beatcancer

It takes some kind of dedication to run.  Not just to run but to run well.  It takes someone really special with all sorts of dedication, determination and desperation to set a goal so lofty and so high that many people sit back and marvel at the sheer thought of it.

@run2beatcancer is setting out to undertake a run that is simply mind blowing in its size and scale.  Travelling by foot from one coast of the United States to the other in an effort to both raise funds as well as awareness of the disease called cancer.  That is a total of about 2,800 miles which is roughly 4,510 kilometers.  

That is some kind of awesome right there.  But when you sit back and consider all the people whom you may know that have been taken by, are battling with or have beaten cancer it is a very scary number.  And cancer is a very scary disease.  It attacks anyone and everyone.  It is a silent killer that stalks the streets looking for its prey anywhere and everywhere people are.

And a journey like this can't be done completely alone.  There are support people, friends and hopefully the various running communities across the United States who will share their homes, their stories and maybe even a few miles with Alison as she runs.

One thing I do know is that she is saving the hills to last.  Just before you get to California there are a whole bunch of mountains you have to cross so in a month or two's time Alison is going to need some real support to get herself through those final stages and over the finish line.  This journey really is the ultimate coast to coast.

@run2beatcancer has started on her journey already and is about two days in now.  This is going to be a long trip and journey that will test her spirit, fortitude and ability to stay sane.  At the moment the twitter account only has a handful of followers.  So I encourage you to get on board and join the adventure now so you can one day say "I was part of something truly awesome".

You can find out more information if you check out her website - http://run2fightcancer.webstarts.com/index.html.

I love this tweet here because it totally captures the spirit of the journey and Alison herself.  Humble, unstated and going to give it everything that she has - 

"Here goes nothing!"

Random follow #91 - @Nange

You know that saying that New Zealand has 2 degrees of separation? Well Twitter makes that seem more real and tonight’s Random Kiwi tweeter helped to prove that to me. When I first followed @Nange I had no idea who she was. To me, it was just a random follow. But it didn't take the two of us long to realize her brother and my brother went to school together. Twitter certainly does make the world seem small.
So what is @Nange the tweeter like? Well her bio reads:

"Love running and martial arts. I can now say I'm a marathoner, but not yet a black belt ;0)"

Pretty impressive huh? And running is something she loves to tweet about, something I personally love being an aspiring runner myself. Check out these running tweets:

There are tips for newbies.  "Tip for the girl runners out there. Don't forget your sports bra. It's hard to regulate breathing when your chest is getting a pounding!"

There is goal setting.  "Run done! 9.4kms in an hour. A little slow but I love my legs for getting me through it! Half marathon? No worries :)"

There is also a note to self to remember to celebrate small successes.  "5ks in under 30 mins. Want to be faster but it's not too bad."

But don’t be fooled into thinking running is all Ange tweets about. It isn't, not by a long shot. She is also a wife and mother and her timeline is filled with tweets about family, friends and life in general. Take a look at these:

"Back from a school walking trip. Did not know kids had to be 10 to cross the road by themselves! #badmum"

"Listening to Miss 4 explain to her dad the best way to tickle her. Super cute!"

Too sum up, Ange is an all round great tweeter, inspiring lady and lovely to boot, and I am personally looking forward to going running with her.

Oh and Ange has a job interview tomorrow. How do I know this? She tweeted about it of course:

"Exciting week ahead. Job interview Friday. I really want this job!!"

Good luck Ange from all of Twitter!! We want you to get the job too!

(Editors note - yet again another fabulous blogpost written by @pammygirl)