Jeff’s Post – Friday Rewind!

Another long stretch in between blog posts.  I hate that but I see them picking up as we head towards the fall – I have quite a few races coming up.  We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Ocean City, MD.  It was nice to get away for a few days and I always love running at the beach.  I ran 9 miles on Monday (5 by myself and then 4 with Tamara), 6 on Tuesday and 7 on Wednesday.  I had some of the slowest runs of the summer but I’m  not beating myself up over it.  I know why they were slow – too much sun, food, drink and not enough sleep.  We have a trip to Wisconsin planned in a few weeks and I will start pushing the training right after that.  Last year I felt like I was in my best shape around July/August which was really too early.  I want to be there in September/October this year so I can go into Marine Corps strong and fit.  I also want to try to lose a few pounds by October. I ran both of my Marathons last year at around 168lbs, I want to run Marine Corps at around 160 if I can get there.  That is really too light for me but I think it will help and I’m willing to put up with the “you are too skinny” comments for a month or so.

A quick Tamara update – she is still around 🙂 but is nursing a sore knee and has just been super busy running Samantha around.  Samantha is in our local production of  The Wizard of Oz this year (she is a munchkin).  The kids have been working so hard and have been rehearsing for months.  All the rehearsals are over and they are in the final weekend of shows and they have done an amazing job.  So proud of Samantha!  I shared a few pics below.

6 Treadmill miles this morning – Have a great weekend and Happy Running!

Jeff’s Post – Running the Pain Away!

I just finished my morning treadmill run (6 miles) and for the first time in a while I didn’t feel a shin pain I’ve been dealing with for a couple weeks.  It felt more muscular (in the front of my leg but not like a shin splint) and started in one leg and then seemed to move to the other.  I’m not sure why I suddenly feel better but I’m thinking it may have been the 10 miles I ran on the treadmill yesterday morning.  My legs just felt really good after that, maybe I ran the pain away.  I’ve had a decent string of runs – starting with a 6 mile run with Tamara on Saturday, 11 early morning miles on Sunday (this run was slow and hilly but I loved watching the sun rise and just love being outside running while the rest of the world is waking up) and 8 treadmill miles on Monday.

We are heading to the beach for a few days next week.  I’m looking forward to some time away from work and a little beach time with Tamara, Samantha and my family.  It also means more running.  Can’t begin to explain how much I love running at the beach!  We have a trip to Wisconsin planned in early August and then I’m in full training mode.  I have the Annapolis 10 Miler in August, RnR Philly 1/2 in September (with Tamara), Army 10 Miler in October (with Tamara) and then I have Marine Corps at the end of October.

Tamara was running in the gym with me this morning and we had a couple funny moments.  The first was when Kacee decided to walk to the other side of the room and tripped over the cord of Tamara’s stand fan causing it to crash to the ground and fall apart (no one was injured 🙂 and the second is just the enjoyment I get watching Tamara’s reactions to what is going on with the Bachelorette.  We both have headphones plugged into the TV’s so I can’t hear what is going on but it is too funny to see her hands flying in the air and see her yelling at the TV.

Tamara took a pic of me during my 11 mile treadmill run yesterday so I thought I would share it.  I will try to sneak a video of her one day as she reacts to her show on the TV.

Have a great day and Happy Running!

Jeff’s Post – 6 Left Turns!

I just came back from a rare outdoor weekday morning run.  We have company staying in the basement and I could have gone downstairs to the gym but I tend to bang on my treadmill so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get outside and let the company sleep.  Tamara’s treadmill is much quieter and she was itching to watch the Bachelor so she opted to stay inside and get her reality TV fix.  I grabbed a small flashlight and headed out in the dark on a nice 10k loop.  I have a love/hate relationship with this loop because it is a bit hilly and challenging at times.  But one thing I love about it is that it basically has 6 left turns to get me home.  I tend to look at each turn as a separate segment and that helps me on both good and bad runs.  This morning was no exception.  I was pushing the pace a little and felt good through most of the segments but I won’t lie I was thrilled to see the last left turn.  I finished a muggy 6.2 miles in 46:38 which I was happy with.  I even saw a member of the local running club about 1/2 through my run which was nice.  I always like to see another runner out there!

Have a great day and Happy Running!

 

Jeff’s Post – I’m Being Chased!

We are in the midst of a crazy heat wave in Southern Maryland so Tamara and I got up early again this morning to try to beat the heat.  We had a short 5 mile run planned which I was ok with given the heat and my tired legs.  We took off out the driveway and decided to run a reverse route of a loop we have run many times.  Almost instantly I was ahead of Tamara.  It wasn’t planned but just happened.  Our rule is to not slow down for the other just run how we are feeling (Just had a flashback of the Rock n Roll ½ Marathon in DC this year where Tamara flew by me at mile 12!).  About a mile in I had a pretty decent lead in our race of two :).  I looked back a few times to both check on Tamara and to see how close she was to me.  It was strange but the whole time I was feeling a little bit of pressure to keep my lead (yes I wanted to win).  I also thought a couple times that this is really good training for me to stay focused and keep pushing.  It reminded me of the one and only 5k race I won last year.  I passed a runner for the lead about 2 miles in and it was a strange feeling to be the front runner.  I won’t win many 5ks but I really did love the feeling of being chased this morning.  It kept me focused and made me push myself to run faster than I would have.  Thanks for the chase Tamara!

Tamara’s Post – A Steamy, Sunny, Sweaty Run…

After months of not finding the time to blog – I’m back…again. It’s been a whirlwind few months, but I’m hopeful that things are settling down and I can catch up with posting – I like getting my running thoughts out.

With a high of 103 predicted for today, we decided to hit the road early. My sister and her 2 children are here visiting from Maine so I gave Samantha the instructions last night to wake them up if she awoke while we were still running. The house was quiet when we left – until I realized I forgot my sunglasses and startled the dogs which made them bark as I trampled back inside…I heard some mumbling from Samantha’s room…and then silence – whew, let’s get out of here. It was almost 6:30am and I could see the sun had risen past the trees already. Ugh – Jeff was right, the earlier the better – it was gonna be hot! As we sprinted down the driveway I noticed the sun rising higher and higher in the sky with every step we took…we can’t outrun it. We didn’t talk much on the run, we actually didn’t talk at all. We ran. Just having Jeff beside me keeps me going…and as he sped ahead of me with each rolling hill I kept my focus and tried to catch him. It’s like a game. Fortunately we had some shade from the tall trees on the back roads and at one point the shade came from very tall corn stalks sitting high on a knoll to our left – ahhhh…thank you corn! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve had the opportunity and ambition to run outside in the heat and I can’t say enough how much I hate it. The steam seemed to rise from the foliage and leave the air stagnant making it difficult to breathe. I could hear Jeff’s quick breathing – from the steamy air or from the pace, I didn’t know. We press on and with the descent down into each little gully in the shade I seem to linger a bit in the coolness – or at least it seemed cooler. As we round the corner and head down the 1 mile straightaway that leads to the road we live on, I notice the cell tower wwwwaaaayyyyy in the distance…jeez, it looks like someone moved it further away today! I run 50 or so feet behind Jeff for the reminder of the run – pretending I’m in a race and trying to catch him – which I never do. It was a hot, steamy 6.2 miles. As we enter the house we realize no one is awake yet, no surprises there…it feels great to get a nice run in so early in the morning – I’m glad we went!

Jeff’s Post – Strength From My Right!

I get strength to push through runs from a bunch of different places.  It could be music, emotion, passing another runner or a goal I have set for myself.  Today I got strength from my right.  Tamara and I have treadmills about 8 feet apart and this morning when I was struggling on a normal run I took a few peeks over at her and it helped push me to the finish.  As we do with our outside runs we normally don’t talk much.  She is blasting the volume on her latest reality show and I’m typically watching the news or a concert with my ear buds in.  No need for conversation just having that person running beside/with you will push you when you need it.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th.  I started the day with an early morning 8 mile run and then we spent the day at a picnic in the neighborhood I grew up in.  It was hot hot hot but we had a great day.  I have shared a few pics below.

Have a great running day!

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