Run for the Fallen on Memorial Day

I went three weeks without posting anything and now you get two posts in one day, what a treat, right?!

I'll keep this relatively short, but I'm a member of the Wear Blue Run to Remember running community that I wrote about back when we ran the DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in March. When we ran the half marathon, I wore one of the Wear Blue Run to Remember shirts in memory of our friend Jeremy and now I have another opportunity to run in his memory and in remembrance of all of the other men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country.

The Wear Blue Run to Remember community is encouraging people across the nation to join in their special Memorial Day event where everyone will pledge to run or walk miles that day in honor of our service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terror. I received a reminder email about the event and thought I would share its moving words with all of you:

"Thank you for joining wear blue: run to remember for our special Memorial Day event, wear blue Runs for the Fallen. We, along with runners across the nation and in countries overseas, will log miles in honor of each of our Service Members who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice in the Global War on Terror. wear blue is honored to have you a part of this active community that runs to honor the Service and Sacrifice of the American Military. Together, we ensure that no life given in Service to our Nation will ever be forgotten.

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke: but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” President James A. Garfield - Speech at Arlington Cemetery, Decoration Day (30 May 1868)

Memorial Day weekend brings to mind family barbecues, swimming pools, children playing in the sun. It is a weekend to spend with family and friends celebrating the beginning of the summer season.

But Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is different. It is the one day a year we come together to honor the Heroes, the men and women in the Armed Forces, who gave their all for the United States of America. It is a day to pause and remember the gravity of the gift and sacrifice these men and women made. It is not about politics, or religion. It is about solidarity.

Thank you for joining us as we honor and celebrate each of the lives of the 6,465 American Service Members who have died in the Global War on Terror.

With Memorial Day one week away, we encourage you to invite your friends and family to join us and pledge their miles in their own communities across the nation. We currently have 3,998 miles pledged; 6,465 men and women have given their lives in the Global War on Terror. Together, we can ensure that each of these heroes will be honored this Memorial Day.

Run with us. Remember with us. Whether it’s one mile or 50 miles, thank you for pledging your miles. Continue to pledge to never forget the Heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Join a nationwide movement and run to honor the Service and Sacrifice of the American Military."

  

While you're planning your barbeques and trips for this weekend, consider adding in some time for a short walk or run in memory of our military. You can pledge the miles you plan on running or walking here at their website. I have already pledged my miles, and encourage you to as well! 

In the meantime, have a great three-day weekend and stay hydrated if you're going to have the 90+ degree weather like we will!

Courtesy of Joint Base Lewis McChord, via Flickr

Running for a Cause Complete!

Well, we did it! We each ran the inaugural DC Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this past Saturday, and we also raised the $1500 for our running cause, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation! Thank you to all of you who supported our cause and donated; You've helped us make this more than just a race!

The race went great - the weather was perfect (70s and sunny), the bands along the course were good, the crowds were great, and the sites were even better! Like last year, the half marathon course went around some of the best sites in DC - the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Union Station, the National Mall, the White House, and the Octagon House - and some of the best neighborhoods - Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Columbia Heights, and H St. NE. Below is a map of the course to give you an idea of what we got to see along those 13.1 miles.

View Larger Map

While the race went great, it was even better to run for something other than ourselves. Not only did we raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, but we also made sure to support our troops on the day of the race by wearing shirts in memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Chris wore a TSAF memorial t-shirt honoring the fallen 1/75 Army Rangers, including our friend, Jeremy Katzenberger, who I wrote about this summer. Will and I wore Wear Blue: Run to Remember t-shirts. Wear Blue's mission is to use its running community to create a living memorial to the service and sacrifice of the American Military. They run for "the Fallen, for the Fighting, and for the Families." I just happened to stumble across their website a few months ago and thought that it'd be a great community of runners to join and support. What was really touching was that at one point during the race another Wear Blue runner, a veteran, spotted me on the course on Saturday and our short conversation before he ran ahead, that little bit of camaraderie between the two of us, reminded me why I was running - I wasn't running for myself, but for others.

Just so you can see, below is the back of both shirts, which are pretty cool. My apologies for my sweaty-ness, I had JUST finished running. . .

We don't have any "action" shots of us running, besides what's on the Marathon's website (which aren't very pretty, at least for me!), but here are some photos of us reveling in our post-race glow, err, sweat!

This last picture is Chris and I pointing out how I dominated my IT band. I was really nervous that my IT band flare-up would prevent me from finishing the race, but I did! (How I did might be another post...) I certainly didn't beat my personal best, which was my goal when I first started training, but I finished. And, I wasn't too much off my best time anyway, despite the bum leg! Whenever I felt a twinge of pain or had doubts about finishing, I remembered who I was honoring by running this race - the pain and hardships others have gone through - and then the pain I was feeling didn't bother me as much.

I'm already planning my next half marathon, and this time, I'll make sure my body's healthy and I'll finally beat my personal best! In the meantime, on behalf of me, Chris, and Will, THANK YOU for helping us support our cause, and THANK YOU to our military men and women and their families for their ongoing sacrifices!

Happy Leap Day!

Since Leap Day only comes around every 4 years, I figured that if I were to blog any day this week, today would be the day. It's a sieze-the-moment-(day) kinda thing, no?

But, I honestly don't really have anything "spectacular" to write about. Sorry. (Well, I do, but it would require posting lots of photos and stuff and I don't have the energy for that right now.) So, I figured why not just give you some random facts about our Washington life, I mean, it's Leap Day!

So, you know how we're training for that half marathon in two and a half weeks? Well, I definitely hurt my IT band on my long run Saturday. Oops. So while I was applying RICE to my knee this weekend I was also doing some online shopping for some new running shoes, a foam roller, and new shoe insoles. Lucky for me, they all came in yesterday, just in time to start breaking them in (the shoes and insoles) and start getting a good stretch on (the foam roller).

If you've never seen a foam roller in action, it's actually really fun. Here's a video on stretching your IT band, but there are other great stretching exercises you can do with it. There are even great ones for your back!

Also, if you haven't already, please please please consider donating to our running cause, Special Operations Warrior Foundation. We're almost to our goal, and every little bit helps. As my little brother aptly put, "we need your help to make it more than just a race." You can find information on it and donate here!

Yesterday not only did I get a bunch of fun running stuff in the mail, but I also got this AWESOME bench that I ordered from Target a while back.

We put it on our second floor landing, which is pretty big and was looking a little sad and empty. It even goes with my seafoam and yellow color scheme up there so it's extra purty! And, as you can see, Teddy jumped on it and made himself at home as soon as we set it up. I don't know what will be on it more, Teddy or Chris' laundry. ; ) Now I just have to decide what to put in it - linens, bath supplies, or first aid stuff. Decisions, decisions.

Speaking of first aid, have you heard of the norovirus? Apparently it's that bug that spread around those cruise ships earlier this year where a bunch of people got sick and they had to dock early, yadda, yadda . . . basically, it's a nasty flu bug thing. Welp, it's striking George Washington University. The same place Chris goes to school two nights a week. He's not sick (yet), but he found out this morning that some of his co-workers are sick with what seems to be that nasty norovirus too. I personally wouldn't mind being sick to take a couple of days off and lay around watching HIMYM and LOST, but neither of us want to be clutching the porcelain throne either, if you catch my drift. We'll see if our immune systems hold up . . .

While I wait for this bug to hit us, I am using my time wisely. I definitely spent a better part of a day re-organizing my Pinterest boards. The more "non-sense" that I see pinned (right, Danielle?) the more I realize what I use Pinterest for - wish lists, home decor, DIY stuff, and a pictographic-recipe book. (Why yes, I am Pinterest-pretentious -watch what you pin!) So, some reorganizing was needed to better align my boards with my interests and needs. For example, I deleted some boards and added new ones. I also divided my Yummy in my Tummy board into three - the original, Healthi(er), and Just Desserts. And, I decided to dedicate an entire board to My Map Fetish, which I've already blogged about. (Follow some of my new boards too!)

Speaking of my map fetish, one of the maps on our map wall decided to fall the other night sending another one crashing down. It's no big deal, nothing broke (thanks to the couch cushioning it all), but it did scratch the wall. Ooops.

So, I think that's enough rambling, don't you? Thanks for listening. For your patience, I'm rewarding you with a super cute picture of Teddy on the new bench. He was pretending he was imprisoned and lashing out at his captors (Chris).

Happy Leap Day, everyone! Until next time, February 29, 2016!

Running for a Cause

On March 17, 2012, Chris and I, along with my brother, Will, are running in DC's inaugural Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon. Each of us have run many races for ourselves - I did the DC Half Marathon last year, Chris has run countless full marathons, and Will ran for his college cross country and track teams (Buzzzz, go Hornets! Right?) - but this time we have decided that we wanted to run to benefit others. We have chosen to run this race to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and are hoping that you all can help us reach our goal of raising $1500 for the organization.

The Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides a college education to every child who has lost a parent serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps during an operational or training mission under the U.S. Special Operations Command. They also provide cash grants to personnel seriously wounded in the line of duty so that their families can travel and be at their sides during their recovery without financial worries. This foundation hits close to home for Chris and I because as you might remember we lost a good friend last summer, SSG Jeremy Katzenberger, who was killed in action in Afghanistan. His now 1-year-old son will hopefully get to benefit from an organization like this one day. On top of that though, there are also so many of our family members and friends that have put themselves on the line for our country and this is just one way we can honor and support them.

$1500 might seem like a lot of money, but in reality it's only $500 per person. Or, only $38 per mile we run on race day. $38 a mile is nothing compared to the sacrifice the men and women in our military and their families make every single day.

Please help us honor and support our armed forces and their families by visiting our First Giving site for this event and donating to this cause. As everyone always says, every little bit counts.

Visit our First Giving site!

Thank you!!

2011 In Review

2011 was an interesting year for us - full of plenty of ups, and plenty of downs - so let's review some of it, shall we?

I started this blog back in February with a list of New Year's resolutions goals. Some of those goals were accomplished, some weren't, but more on that later because I have some new and exciting 2012 goals!

In February, we also started work on our basement bathroom, which, if you remember correctly, we just finished in December. Nothing like the usual 11-month home project . . .

In March, I ran my first half marathon, which was also one of my goals for the year! This year, that same marathon series is going to be a Rock N' Roll Marathon, so of course I am running it again, but this time Chris and my brother will be joining me. Can't wait!! Although, I really need to get in training mode . .. .

In April, Chris and I tackled the jungle of our front yard, tearing out ivy and planting some grass in its place. We're still going to have more gardening work to do in the front this spring, but I am so thankful that we squashed that ivy. Those original photos of it still make me shudder!

In May, while we were finishing up school for the semester, I expanded my baking repertoire by making some Mint Julep cupcakes (they were ok) and we decided to compete with one another in our own version of a Book It challenge (and in case you are wondering, we are still in the process of reading the books . . .)!

June seemed to be the epitome of highs and lows for the year - we celebrated our babies 5th birthdays and our 2nd anniversary, but also received the devastating news that one of our good friends was killed in Afghanistan. It was a rough month, but it changed us and has given us a better perspective on life.

July was pretty uneventful, except that Chris took me to the Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 2 midnight premiere, on a work night! (I have such a great hubby!)

August was a booming-blogging month for me with a total of 11 posts! I got a little crazy :) Anyway, I started on a few painting projects around the house, such as the chevron wall and the guest bathroom. I also started my Tourist Tuesdays and Washington Wednesday posts, since this blog is supposed to be about our Washington life and all. Lastly, we experienced the momentous Washington Quake, which was crazy crazy stuff! Oh, and we celebrated our 1-year anniversary in our home, with messy house photos!

September through December were marked by travel and home projects, which were nice distractions from school work. Between Chris and I, we traveled to St. Louis three times (here, here, and here), Kansas City, Florida, Milwaukee, and, last but definitely not least, MEXICO! We had fun putting up new art in the house, getting my chalkboard-paint on, and finally finishing a bathroom too. And, my beloved Cardinals won their 11th World Series!

On top of all of the things that I blogged about in 2011, Chris and I were also blessed with making new friends, even more travel opportunities, great adventures around DC, and more home headaches and accomplishments that I can count. 2011 has truly been a great year, despite the heartaches, but I am SO ready for 2012. Bring. it. on. :)

Yoga-ing

Underlying my 2011 goals of running a half marathon and trying to eat healthier, was the general goal of trying to get in shape and lose some weight. I didn't outwardly mention it at the time because 1) I didn't want to air my "inner secrets" (aka, my insecurities) to whoever decided to read my initial post and 2) I wanted to sound somewhat optimistic and come off as relatively happy with myself. I know, I was not completely honest, but seriously, this is a blog, not my diary.

Anywho, long story short, grad school kicked my butt. Well, it actually did the opposite of kicking my butt, because my butt, along with other areas of my body, got sllliiiiightly bigger over the course of those grueling semesters. Wendy's and McDonald's runs after work and before class, along with the Lay's potato chips, french onion dip, and Dr. Pepper-infused late-night writing sessions will do that to you... Anyway, since I've been out of grad school for a year now I've been trying to get back into the habit of being nicer to my body - you know, feeding it more nutritional food and actually getting it away from a desk chair once in a while. Hence the decision to run my first half marathon and repeat Insanity. (Although, those Mint Julep cupcakes didn't quite help the situation). While I haven't been great at it, I've definitely gotten better at being more active and eating well. I can tell the difference good food and good exercise makes on my body, and it feels great.

To continue with this theme, I decided to give myself another challenge - to practice Yoga 6 days a week for 6 weeks. This challenge came to my head for a few reasons. 1) I had bought 3 Groupon/LivingSocial deals for yoga that I needed to start redeeming; 2) I like to run, but I do not like running every day on a treadmill and I physically cannot run in this heat. Too hot, too humid pour moi. So yoga seemed to be a good alternative exercise option; and, 3) I was genuinely interested in seeing how doing yoga everyday would transform my body. I've done yoga before, but never 6 days in a row, much less almost daily for 6 weeks! OH, and 4) We're going to be finally going on our long-sought-after-"honeymoon" in October and I WILL be proud of what I look like in my swimsuits! (no more hiding behind a towel!)

So, I began my challenge last Saturday with a Bikram yoga class. For those non-Yogis out there, Bikram is the HOT yoga. Like, 105 degree-room hot. I decided to do it on a day where it was already pretty much 105 outside. Can't be too bad when it's the same temp. outside, right? I thought. Wrong. It was the worst bikram class I've ever taken (I've done it 4 other times). I know I drank enough water, but my body just did not like me that day. It was rough, but I at least got through it without leaving the room. I continued the week with some Ashtanga and Vinyasa flow yoga classes at a local studio, and did yoga at home with Ashley Turner's Yoga for Weight Loss DVD (which isn't as challenging as a real class, but is pretty good when you don't have time to get to a studio). All in all, it was a pretty successful week. I am standing up taller, feeling stronger and healthier, and even think I see some muscles taking shape, especially in my shoulders. Wish me luck as I continue with week #2 of 6!

(I also just signed up for my second half marathon this morning! The marathon series that I ran in DC last March is now apart of the Rock N Roll Marathon series and it is only $60 to register for the half in the first 48 hours of registration! And, I might be signing up for a half in November. AND, I definitely bought a real road bike last week that I plan on riding around and exercising on once it cools off here!)

Here's to doing new things and getting in shape!  Ommmm!

One goal down!

Yesterday I completed my first half marathon, the "National" Marathon (yipee!!) and, believe it or not, it was actually a really great experience!

Going into yesterday's race I had completed 10 weeks of training that included its fair share of aches, pains, and doubts. At one point I seriously considered stopping my training because I was experiencing the most awful shin splints. But, thanks to encouragement from Chris and my brother, Will, I got over the pain and doubts. After successful 8- and 9-mile runs over the last month, I realized that I could finish the race, but I didn't think it was going to pretty. Especially after my last long run of 10.5 miles, which didn't go so well. I finished, but it was hard. Really hard. I knew I could finish the Half, but I had a feeling that it would be hard and I would struggle.

Race day came before I knew it. I wasn't really nervous, but more anxious. I wanted it to start, and I wanted it to be all over so that I would know the outcome. I would know if I prepared for the race as well as I could have, or, if I wasn't cut-out for this long-distance running thing . . .

And . . . it went well! Really really well! Not only did I finish the race as I had wanted, but I also finished with the time of 2:07! (I had hoped to run less than 10-minute miles, but to have actually done it feels awesome!)

Here's a map of the course, which was really fabulous and made getting through those miles easier!


View Larger Map

As you might be able to see, we got to run right past the Library of Congress, the Capitol, and Union Station. Past Smithsonian museums, the Washington Monument, and the White House! (I was secretly hoping Obama would be out cheering us on!) I ran past some old workplaces - the Hall of States and the Department of the Interior - and some great neighborhoods - Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Columbia Heights, and H St. NE. We even ran through Howard University's campus, who provided the runners with 2 DJs playing old school hip-hop, which was a huuuuuge pick-me-up around the 8th/9th miles.

Here are some photos Chris took:

Corral 6 and RFK Stadium (where I started)

In the middle of the "Connecticut Ave/Kalorama Climb" (I was slowing down to hand Chris my headband!)

Me, next to the mummy guy. Chris told me I was going faster than he thought I'd be going at this point (10-mile mark-ish)

After finishing! "I ran through history." Love it.

One of the most memorable moments was when a woman, most likely a tourist, yelled to us, "You're almost there!" A little after the 3-mile mark. Myself, along with a few other runners around me, had a good laugh over that one! Also, that darn "Connecticut Ave./Kalorama Climb," as I like to call, it kicked my butt. Well, actually my thighs, because boy are they sore today! That chunk of the race was a good 2-3mile climb. And it burned. Buuuur-urned! But, after I got over that hill, I definitely knew I was good to the finish!

Like I mentioned on my resolution goal list, I have always wanted to run a half marathon and I am so so glad I finally did it! I am now seriously considering running one the Marine Corp Historic Half in Fredericksburg, VA on my birthday, and possibly the Virginia Beach Rock n' Roll Half at the end of the summer! (And, I'd love the company if anyone wants to join me!)

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well, since I've done my run for the day, I've finished my readings and assignments for this week of class, and Glee isn't on tonight, I figured I'd update you on our Washington Life.

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of our past weekend. I went into it just planning on running a few errands (and run a few 8 miles), but I didn't have any plans beyond that.  Usually weekends of errands (and long runs) don't end up being anything worth writing about, but for some reason this weekend was different. It can most likely be attributed to the awesome spring weather. Or, my successful 8 mile run (4 weeks until my half marathon!) in the nice spring weather. Or, the bargains we scored shopping in the lovely spring weather. Did I mention the awesome spring weather?

Yes, we experienced our first nice weekend day of 2011. So nice that we were able to walk around on Sunday without coats on! It makes me really really look forward to the rest of the warm spring weekends up ahead, Yipee!! Here's what we did on our nice weekend:

• Succesfully completed my 8 mile run in Rock Creek Park! It's like running through the forest following a creek, but with plenty of other runners, walkers, and cyclists to "people watch"!


• Bargain-shopped at Michael's for pictures frames and a mat for a house project I am working on. Hopefully, I can finish it this weekend to share with everyone, but, as a teaser, it includes nineteenth century maps of KC and St. Louis and a vintage postcard of Washington, DC . . .


• Bargain-"ate" at Chipotle thanks to the BOGO (buy one, get one) given away at the America's Next Great Restaurant Facebook page just for watching a 1:31 video. Easy, shmeezy! Do it!!


• Bargain-shopped at Goodwill. It was a spontaneous stop on our way home from Chipotle, but we ended up scoring 9 books for $1 each AND a 2-drawer filing cabinet for, get this, $10!!


• Enjoyed an IHOP breakfast. Although, our IHOP has started including the caloric values of the menu items. Which is really depressing. Especially after conquering those 8 miles the day before...


• Bargain-shopped at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for a humidifier and other home goods. Chris was able to finally get his "dream" humidifier, thanks to a 20% off coupon, and now we can stop shocking our kitties when they demand lovin!


• Checked out an open house in our Petworth neighborhood . . . getting ideas for our own home, and scoping out the "competition." (We think our house is better, and it cost less!)


• OH, and we got Girl Scout Cookies!!!! (Long story, but Chris owed me some Thin Mints.)


• We capped off our weekend by watching the Oscars. The critics didn't like it too much, but I didn't think it was any worse than previous years . . .

How was your weekend? I know it's Tuesday already, but I hope everyone's weekends were as nice as ours . . . If not, only 3 more days until the next weekend!