Tamara’s Post – Road Trip!

We are driving down I-80 in Indiana, we can see Michigan to our right – about a 1/2 mile over the corn field. We are heading to visit my Dad in Wisconsin – it’s such an easy drive from Maryland and love the 70 mph speed limits! We spent last night in Maumee, Ohio – we had a free night at a Marriott, so picked one that had a pool. Jeff went for a run and Samantha & I hit the pool and the hot tub – ahhhh! I love eating at new places, and was happy with my discovery of Mancy’s Blue Water Grille – yumm! This morning we scored again by finding Scrambler Marie’s for breakfast and Biggby’s Coffee for lattes and hot chocolate for Sam – success! Alot of interesting sites on our roadtrips…some from inside the van…

So…after an exhausting first part of the summer – I finally feel somewhat back in the groove. Samantha’s social calendar filled with swimming and countless hours of play practice for the Wizard of Oz really took alot of time – but was well worth it to see her as a munchkin! My running has been going ok – just ok – nothing to brag about by any means. I tend to let my child and work (sometimes) take priority over my running…but it’s time to get serious! I’ve been dealing with a silly pain behind my right knee for about 3 weeks – I took 4 days off last week which helped alot. We are doing the Rock ‘n Roll Philly 1/2 marathon (#rnrphilly) on Sept 16 – so I really want to increase my mileage – soon!

With my knee issues, along came some pretty painful stomach issues that started this past Wednesday, I’m not over it yet  – but I think I could run through any non-running issue and I do…my brain needs it – has to have it. I felt a bit better this morning and headed down to the gym at the hotel. I was super disappointed I couldn’t watch the women’s Olympic marathon on the TV – Jeff & Samantha were watching it up in the room. I had to settle for scrolling through the channels and finishing 4 miles in time to sprint back upstairs to catch the end of the marathon – no medal for USA, but awesome to watch all of the incredibly talented women that finished – they all deserve a medal for just making it that far! Samantha said they were running slow and she could beat them – she was quite interested in the race – which made us happy! Gotta drive on!

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 – 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!

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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Jeff’s Post – A Trip without a Race!

Tamara and I are on a mini vacation in Irvington Virginia and for the first time in a long time our trip is not geared around a race.  It is very hard for us but we are going to try to relax for a few days.  Some wouldn’t consider waking up the first morning of your vacation and going for a run relaxing but we do!  We went for a nice leisurely 4 mile run this morning exploring the town.

More pics to come but I thought I would share a view from our room.

Have a great day, take a run if you can and remember it is ok to relax a little too!

 

Run Free Kilee!

With a heavy heart we had to say goodbye to Kilee this weekend.  Kilee was the athletic one and would often go running with Tamara.  We miss you Kilee but know in our heart that you are now whole and running free once again.

Wordless Wednesday – Look What the Cat Dragged In!

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!

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!