Jeff’s Post – Ups and Downs!
I don’t normally like to get off the topic of running but I will for a moment with this post. Tamara and I have been through a crazy range of emotions over the last week. So, I give you a little behind the scenes at “werrunners”. We didn’t discuss it much but some of our loyal readers picked up on the fact that Tamara and I are a “dating running couple”. We both own houses and decided recently to move in together (Tamara moving in with me – on Memorial Day weekend). We have been working non-stop (with an amazing amount of help from my parents) to get things ready for the move. Part of this was to finally finish my basement and to get a nice gym set up for us. Rewind to last Wednesday – Tamara calls me at 2:30 in the morning (still living apart) to tell me that her Manchester Terrier “Kilee” came in from outside and couldn’t move her back legs. She didn’t appear to be in pain but obviously we were both alarmed. Tamara stayed with her and made an appointment for her at the vet first thing Wednesday. She calls me from the vet and says that they think Kilee had a stroke and referred us to an emergency animal hospital about an hour away. I left work and met Tamara and we headed to the animal hospital. The doctor advised us that they would have to do an MRI to get a better idea on what we were dealing with. We took Kilee to an imaging center about 2 hours away for the MRI and then headed back to the animal hospital to discuss the results. The results – no stroke, no disc issues, no tumor, no cancer and a spinal tap confirmed no infection but the spinal cord was showing some sort of discoloration around ½ way down Kilee’s back. Kilee was a 100% healthy dog, she was the athlete in the family and Tamara often took her running with her and now she was paralyzed in the hind quarters. Needless to say we were devastated. 
Tamara has another Manchester Terrier “Kacee” and I have a beagle mix “Teddy” and we were so exited for all of the dogs to finally live together. They have spent many weekends together and Teddy and Kacee were fast friends spending their time chasing each other around the yard. We decided it was best to leave Kilee at the animal hospital for a few days to start a steroid treatment. Move to Thursday – We begin the move to my house on Thursday and Friday (again with amazing help from my family). We check on Kilee a few times a day with no change. On Saturday we decide to go get Kilee and bring her home. It was important for Tamara and I to make sure Kilee made the move with the rest of the family. Again, another range of emotions when we see her. She was scared but so happy to see us when we came in. I wish I had a video camera running when we brought her in the house. Kacee and Teddy were so excited to see Kilee and it was amazing how gentle they were with her. At the moment we are caring for Kilee in our home. We have been carrying her around like a baby and I have walked her some with a towel around her hind quarters. 
Tamara has quickly learned how to express the bladder and at the moment we are just glad to have her home. It is still heartbreaking to see her in this condition and we are hoping for the best over the next few weeks. We are puzzled, saddened and angry over the sudden paralysis of her legs and continue to look for answers. Of note is that she was treated with Simple Guard flea and tick medicine a few days before her paralysis. Tamara is convinced that this treatment played a role in Kilee’s issue and she will be writing a blog post over the next few days to talk about her findings. Hoping all the dog lovers can send some positive thoughts our way. We would love nothing more than to see Kilee run free again.
A few running notes: For the first time since I can remember I took 3 days off from running as we dealt with Kilee and our move. I did get a run in on Sunday – it was a hot 6 miles and I thought of Kilee often during my run. Tamara and I also ran a hot 4 miles this morning. Tamara got her new Landice L8 treadmill delivered on Wednesday and got to run on it the first time on Saturday. The gym is also nearing completion. Still have some things to add but we are getting there.
Have a good day – Go for a run if you get a chance and give your pet a hug!
Jeff’s Post – An Update!
Our posting frequency will pick up soon but we are still consumed by all things house related. We are making progress but I won’t lie I’m almost over the basement remodel. It is looking great but I can’t wait to get it done and be done with the dust – I’ve never seen so much dust. We were so busy that we skipped Warrior Dash this weekend. We could have gone (it was a few miles from the house) but there was just too much to do. We ate the registration fee. I hated to do that but sometimes you just have to punt. I did manage to get a nice 6 mile run in on Friday. I went out like gang busters with a 6:40 pace for mile 1 and 7:00 for mile 2 but then all the painting caught up to me and I slowed to an average pace of 7:40. Tamara and I were able to squeeze a run in on Saturday. Once again we were painting since the wee hours and were both tired but we managed 5 miles at a decent pace. I took Sunday and Monday off. Tomorrow is an exciting day – Tamara’s new treadmill (Landice L8) should be arriving and I will also be moving my treadmill to the new gym. I posted a few gym pics of the gym progress below – Note all the dust in the air from the flooring.
Started the day off right with 6 treadmill miles this morning. Have a great day and go for a run if you get a chance!
Jeff’s Post – Quick Weekend Recap!
Wow – the weekend just flew by. The basement remodel is in full swing but we found time for a few runs. Saturday we got up early and went for a speedy 4.85 miles – ( I know – we should have gone 5 but Tamara said no). This was such a fun run and there was definitely some racing going on. We ended up with a 7:25 pace – No world records but it was fun to go fast and I loved how we pushed each other. After our run we headed to Lifetime Fitness and finally bought Tamara’s new Treadmill. She ended up picking out the Landice L8. This such a nice machine and after 10 years on her current Nordic Track I think she deserves it! Now I want one 
. We should be getting it in around 3 weeks – They are waiting for us to finish the gym! Saturday night we stayed up until 2:30 am painting the gym (don’t you love the color) – Then after a few hours sleep we went for another fun 3.1 miles on Sunday morning. We ended the weekend with a nice Mother’s Day brunch with my parents.
Hope you have a great running week!
Tamara’s Post – OC 5K Race Report
I’m behind again – with just about everything in my life – so here is my late race review for the Ocean City 5K. I really wasn’t expecting to run a race when we headed to OC. Since I found the 5K filled up a week before the race I was determined to not train and just run – and eat. When I heard they might open more charity slots, I thought maybe there was a chance – but knew we would be getting in town late on Friday. The weekend was all about Jeff and I wanted him to be relaxed and I wanted to watch him finish the ½ marathon. So when we got to the expo (ok, really just a registration table) we noticed they still had 5K slots opened. It didn’t take long for me to pay my $70 and sign up. Done. I think Jeff was a bit relieved because he knew I really wanted to run. Race morning I was my usual grumpy self – Jeff was up too early (in my book) and I was just in my pre-race foul mood. I tried hard not to complain about being tired (after all it was his day – not mine). We drove to the race start and hung out until the ½ started. I loved watching the start of this race – I stood up on a set of steps and overlooked the 100s of runners streaming down below me (yeah, there goes Jeff! I think he saw me!). I noticed the course looped back to the boardwalk and I was thrilled to be able to see Jeff again and get an action shot (1/8 of a mile in and he’s looking strong!). It seemed like forever (really was :45) until the 5K started – I sat in the car and listened to music. I was determined to run a good race, but thought a flat 23:00 was probably all I had in me. When I lined up at the start line I was shocked (ok, I was angry) to see a row of people at the very front of the pack with backpacks and casual running clothes on (way too judgmental, I know). I jumped out of line to quickly use the restroom when I noticed we still had 5 minutes (I’m quick like that). When I returned I butted my little self right smack in the middle of the front row – yup, I made someone mad and I got a remark from a woman next to me. I apologized and sincerely told her that I was only able to run about a 21:15 5K and she was welcome to step in front of me – she quickly said “Nope, that’s ok!” and we chatted a bit about the race. When the gun went off I bolted outta the chute and panicked when only 2 men started as fast as me (what the heck?!). We made a sharp turn onto the boardwalk and soon a few other raced past me. I was the lead woman – for a short time – another girl caught me and we ran together for a few seconds and then she smoked me. I watched her go ahead strong (she was young I reasoned, it’s ok). I’ve run on the boardwalk before but never raced – wow, was it a weird feeling trying to kick as hard as you could while the old boards moved under your feet. I felt clumsy. I didn’t look at my splits and when I got to the turnaround I gathered I was about 30 seconds or so behind the lead woman. And the woman behind me was a least a minute. It was a wonderful feel to be in the first pack of runners heading back to the finish as 700 other runners were still making their way to the turnaround. I loved the cheering from those behind me – the enthusiasm, the excitement, the smiles. I got several heard several comments such as “Way to go!”, “Look another woman”, “You are the 2nd woman”, “Nice job!”. I was motivated and excited and I tried my hardest to kick harder to catch the lead woman – every time I got closer she pulled away. Ugh! There was a nice little cheering section at the finish and being the 2nd woman overall was a wonderful feeling! I was satisfied (not thrilled) that my time was 21:50 – I did better than I expected, but didn’t beat my time from a few weeks ago. I chatted it up at the finish then jumped in the car. I was able to shower and change before I got the awesome news that Jeff got a PR in the ½! I was excited for him and hurried over to meet him at the bus stop at the post-race party. Great food, great (strong) drinks, and a pretty cool trophy made this race one that I would definitely do again! I don’t want to talk about the “morning after drinking too much run” all I can say is – wow, that was painful!
Jeff’s Post – Failure to Blog :)
Wow – Really having a difficult time finding the time to blog. We have so many house things going on at the moment (painting rooms upstairs – finishing the basement – basically another house) everything is in a bit of an uproar. I last left you owing a Part III (the after party) of the Ocean City ½ marathon. Let’s just say we had a great time (pictures are on flickr to the right of this post). 
We had such a great time that Tamara was THRILLED with me when I insisted that we run 6 miles on the boardwalk the next morning and even more THRILLED with me when we were running a very slow pace and I made the comment “I want this to be a respectable run” – oops did I say that out loud . 
We may not be blogging as frequently but don’t worry we are still running. We were able to get in two nice easy runs over the weekend (6 and 4 miles) and then I pounded out 10 miles on the treadmill on Monday. Today was an off day but I’m hoping to hit the treadmill hard tomorrow. At the moment I’m getting in between 30 – 40 miles per week and I’m good with that for the next month or so. I see running and a lot of painting in our future. I’m hoping Tamara and I can go and buy her new treadmill this weekend. She is looking at a Landice. We are still about 3 weeks away from the gym being finished. I can’t wait to get things set up and can’t wait to see how far and fast we can push ourselves.
That’s it for now – need to vacuum up some drywall dust so I won’t be breathing it in on the treadmill tomorrow. Thanks for reading and go for a run if you get a chance!
The New Gym!
Jeff’s Post – A Great Weekend for “werrunners” – Part II
When I last left you I was waiting the starting gun to sound. My goal for this race was simple, I wanted to break a 1:40 for the first time and get on the first bus back to Seacrets! I knew the course was flat and fast and the weather turned out to be perfect, everything was in my favor to PR. I said to myself earlier that if I didn’t PR that would be ok but I wanted to push it. I also wanted to try to run this race smart and be consistent with my splits (I was – see below).
The gun went off and the race started. We left the inlet and headed out towards the pier and then swung back around towards the boardwalk. All of the turns at the beginning were actually a good thing because they slowed my pace some. As we were about to leave the boardwalk I saw Tamara and gave her a thumbs up and my double fisted race pose and then headed out with the pack. 
We headed out towards the bridge that leads into Ocean City. I don’t think I looked at my watch until a little after mile 1 and I saw that I was at about a 7:15 pace. I was ok with that but for some reason I was thinking I needed a faster pace than that for me PR. I told myself not to panic and just run. The first 4 miles or so just seemed to fly by. We went in and out of a few housing developments and then turned around at a cul de sac and headed back out on a nice tree covered two lane country road. I actually felt cold as we headed down this road and could see my breath. It was a beautiful morning but the sun wasn’t making it through the trees.
We headed towards mile 5 and I felt really good both mentally and physically. I struggled mentally at my last ½ (RnR USA) so I was happy that I was feeling so good. I also started to look at my watch a bit more. I was ticking off miles in the 7:25 range and was happy with that but for some reason continued to think that I was running too slow….but I didn’t panic. As we approached mile 6 I took a GU. I wasn’t taking GU’s during my ½’s last year but I have found that they definitely help as I push my pace. I still struggle with both drinking and taking GU – it just throws my breathing off – something I need to work on.
Miles 7-9 were probably the toughest for me. This was the smallest ½ I have done but the course seemed crowded at times. In most of the RnR events we have the whole road. On this course we had a small lane and I started doing the back and forth with a few runners. As we approached mile 10 I looked at my watch and saw that I was going to be there at about 1:14. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I was to see this. I was coming off a 10 mile PR at Cherry Blossom (a 1:13) and as I mentioned I was thinking my pace was off but when I saw the 1:14 time I knew I had a PR in the bag (I wasn’t going to let myself get to an 8:00 pace). It was at this point that I felt no pressure and that was such a great feeling. Miles 10 and 11 flew by. This was a point to point race that ended on Assateague Island. As we were heading towards the Island I see a nice bridge incline with a flag hanging off it. I knew the flag was my 12 mile marker but I wasn’t thrilled about the incline on this bridge. As I was heading up the bridge I felt like I was hardly moving and also thought to myself that I was glad I didn’t see this bridge at mile 10! I muscled over the bridge (which also had a nice decline) and ran the last ¾ miles (that seemed to go on forever) towards the finish. I swear the finish line at some of these races seem to never arrive. As I went around a corner I see the clock had just turned over to 1:37. I sprint to the end finishing with a 1:37:18 (a four minute PR) – I was beyond thrilled. I took my medal grabbed a few cookies and headed through a tent to call Tamara. I will admit it was strange not having Tamara at the finish with me. I know she wanted to be there but it just didn’t work out. I call her and she asks my finish time. I tell her 1:37 and it actually takes me a minute to collect myself. I’m not sure why but I tend to get emotional after some of these races. No matter how hard you train you just never know what kind of day you are going to have and it is never easy when you are pushing yourself for miles and miles.
I really loved this race. I enjoyed the course and loved running through parts of Ocean City I have never seen. Oh, the after Party at Seacrets – Geez there is going to be a Part III post – Stay Tuned!
Jeff’s Post – A Great weekend for “Werrunners” – Part 1!
Tamara and I are on a little bit of a roll and it feels great! I always like to start off by bragging for Tamara a little. I signed up for the Ocean City ½ Marathon months ago. I really wanted to run a spring marathon but nothing seemed to be working out so the Ocean City ½ was a little present I gave to myself. Tamara didn’t want to run another ½ during this timeframe but she is always there to support me. She decided last week that she didn’t just want to be a spectator and would sign up for the 5k….but the 5k was full (neither one of us expected that). She was more than a bit bummed. Thankfully the race opened up some charity slots for packet pickup day and she was able to get a slot. I was so happy and I know she was too – she loves to compete. I will let her blog about it but lets just say that she took home a big trophy – Amazing! I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to witness it. 
Ok – This is my post and it is all about me so enough about Tamara . Quick Background – This is the smallest (approx 1800 ½ marathoners) and first non Rock N Roll ½ Marathon that I have participated in. This was my first point to point race (loved it!). Ocean City feels like a second home to me at times. I went there every summer as a kid, I feel like I know the town very well. So logistically this race was a breeze and stress free. We have also become pretty efficient at traveling and running.
Pre Race – Tamara and I both worked a ½ day on Friday and then left for our approximately 4 hour trip to Ocean City. We arrived at packet pickup and everything was set up well and went really smooth. On our way out there was a small tent set up with one vendor (a little different than some of the other expos!). 
I like pizza the night before I run so we found a local pizza place for dinner. As I mentioned earlier, I have many great memories of Ocean City and this past summer I contacted some of my cousins, pooled some $$ and bought a bench on the boardwalk in memory of my grandparents. This was my first trip to Ocean City since the bench was installed and I wanted to see and sit on it. We found the bench and I took a few moments to put my feet up and gaze at the ocean. I thought about my grandparents, the many great memories and my upcoming race – a really nice moment it was! We took some pictures and headed back to the hotel. 
Race Morning – The ½ started at 7:00am (love both a Saturday race and an early start). The race was providing buses from Seacrets to the inlet where the race starts and when I went to bed Friday that is what I was thinking we would do. But when we woke up Saturday the temps were in the 40’s and we both thought it would be better to drive and stay warm in the car (parking was right beside the start line). This would have been tough if we were both running the ½ but Tamara’s 5k started at the same spot and we figured she would have enough time to run, drive back to the hotel and then walk a few blocks to the after party to meet me. The car decision was a great one. I stayed in the car until around 20 minutes before the race start and that definitely made the experience more comfortable. I also feel like I’m beginning to nail my race day nutrition routine. Thin crust cheese pizza works really well for me the night before and I’m eating Oatmeal (same thing I eat every day) closer to the race start time and then I’m eating energy beans 15 minutes before race start. I made my way to the start line (no corrals to worry about which was nice). They sang the national anthem and then began the countdown…………….
Stay tuned for my ½ running recap – I’m really happy with my results!
Jeff’s Post – Ready to Run in OC!
Tamara and I are heading out for another running weekend. This weekend is the Ocean City, MD ½ Marathon. I love Ocean City and have been going there since I was a kid. So many great memories and it really feels like a second home. I’m running the ½, not sure what Tamara is doing yet. They have a 5k that she wants to run if she can get in (currently it is sold out). I tried to talk her into the ½ yesterday but she wasn’t going for it. There is an after party at Seacrets so that should be fun. The weather continues to be all over the place. Last weekend I ran 10 miles in shorts and no shirt tomorrow they are calling for lows in the 40’s (not looking forward to that). I’m hoping the rain and wind will hold off. This is a pretty fast course so I’m hoping to finally push my ½ time under 1:40. That is my goal but I won’t beat myself up if I don’t get there because I know I will at some point soon. My temporary treadmill fix is holding up and I had a good running week – 10 miles on Monday, 6 on Tuesday and 8 on Wednesday. I decided to take Thursday and Friday off. I took two days off before Cherry Blossom and that worked really well so I figured I would try it again. 
The basement is moving along. Tamara and I picked out paint for the gym yesterday a nice bright yellow. Really can’t wait to get that set up. Tamara and I are going to have some serious treadmill racing going on in about a month. Speaking of treadmills, I posted a pic of my broken treadmill on the Nordic Track facebook page and they instantly contacted me, which was nice. Parts for my treadmill are in the mail and I hope to get that fixed next week. Tamara will be ordering her new treadmill soon. I think she is leaning towards a Landice. It is a really nice treadmill and made in the USA!
Hope you have great run/races this weekend and stay tuned for my Ocean City ½ recap!
Tamara’s Post – Getting Older, Getting Faster!
I’m a bit behind in posting this race review…last Thursday I ran a local 5K race. It is the Earth Day 5K that is held onboard the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River (which is an awesome place to run!) at 11am (yup, in the middle of the workday). I actually won the woman’s race in 2009 and 2010, but was out of town last year. I knew there was a slight chance I could win it again although that was not my complete focus…I was determined to beat my 5K PR of 21:50. It’s a small event with 128 runners, so I toed the start line right next to all the sailors (whom I was pretty sure I could beat the majority of). What a beautiful day – the sun was shining and the breeze was almost non-existent…I was ready to run my butt off on this pancake flat course. A woman (girl really) ran next to me for about ¾ of a mile – she was pushing me to run at my maximum potential (or perhaps beyond). When she easily pulled out in front of me, I knew I wouldn’t catch her again. When I got to mile 1 some guy was calling out splits (hate that because I didn’t want to know) and I heard 6:39. Huh? Are you talking to me? Yikes! No way can I maintain that – but let me try my best! At the turnaround I notice another woman just behind me…and she pulls in front of me at mile 2…no problem, just keep the pace and you’ll PR. I pick off sailor after sailor in their bright yellow shirts that say NAVY on the back. I keep the 2 women in sight as I round the corner and see the beach house where the finish line is located. One more sailor gets in my way (did I mention this was all about me?) and I say loudly “Pick it up!”…he glances over his shoulder and runs faster (good thing because I was about to tell him to get the heck outta my way). I focus on the finish line and sprint. I was grinning ear to ear when I saw the clock…PR!! My time was 21:17!! I was the 12th finisher out of 128 runners – I’ll take that! I’m excited that as I get older I get more determined, disciplined, and best of all…faster!
