Wordless Wednesday – Look What the Cat Dragged In!

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!