Fifteen

This weekend I will be running 15 miles. FIFTEEN! Thats 1.9 miles farther than I have ever ran before lol. Luckily, Emily will be right by my side and our friend Amy will be joing us for 10 miles.  The race we are doing is kinda of neat. Its a 5 mile loop and you get to show up and run how many laps you want (10,15,or 20 miles).  The race is called the Spring Thaw and of course, despite our nice temperatures in the 40s and 50s this week, its going to snow on Saturday morning. Now if you have read my race recaps before, you will know If I'm not going to get a PR I'm really just in it for the medals. Well there is no medal for this race,there are gloves. So yeah I'm going to run the farthest distance ever and get gloves! I did make the hubs promise to take me to a whiskey bar that just opened up sometime in the near future as my reward.  I shall post my recap afterwards!

I Totally Feel This Way

 

 Haha anyone else feel this way?

The Hawaiian Recap Part 1

There really are not words to describe our wonderful experience!  Even the flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and it was the best hotel/ resort we have ever been to.  Ok lets start this long overdue recap!
Day One: We arrived and the airport caught me off guard.  It was mostly open air except for the gates!  You did not get lei'd at the airport unless you bought one but I was pumped because we got lei'd at the hotel.  I just love flowers so thats why I was so excited I guess ha. I look like balls from being on a plane for 7 hours ha but I think you can sense my excitement.

We then had a delish meal at the hotel and I was so lame I passed out about 6pm.

Day Two: I woke up about  super early the next day. We went grocery shopping and waited for Dan (and the rest of the runners) to go to a meeting the the Team's director.  We decided that since it was kinda rainy we would go do a bunch of non beach stuff with another couple.   First we drove almost across the island to get to the island's only winery.  They make mead which is honey wine and they says its the world's oldest drink! It was pretty good and we brought two bottles home.

Nani Moon Meadery

They were bottling that day and had quite a system!

After that we stopped at a local shopping plaza trying to find some souvenirs and lunch and we accomplished both tasks.  We then headed to a rum tasting which was also on a bed and breakfast type place with some shops and things. The rum wasn't anything spectacular but it was fun to do!

 Then we stopped at the Kauai Coffee Company and they had many free samples and a walking tour of some of the plants they used so that was cool!

coffee beans!

That night we had a dinner at our hotel provided by the Kauai Marathon Committee and it was amazing and delish but someoneeee may have had too much wine and forgot to take pictures..whoopsie!

Day Three:
We woke up early and drove to the canyon in the middle of the island with the PA team.  It was a seriously winding road...pretty much everyone felt car sick but by the views were worth it!

the first stop on the winding road

the lovely PA team

the second stop was on the ocean side :)

After we got back from this jaunt we decided to check out the beach and much to my delight a seal had beached itself!!!!

it was soooo cute

since it was so cute i was calling it "the puppy of the sea"

After some beach time we went to a luau at the Sheraton which was the race's host hotel.  Bart Yasso and Dean Karnazas were there to pump us up and we had a front row seat.  I also got picked to do some hula which as I was in front of tons of people dancing poorly I realized it would have been way better if I had a drink or two lol.

Bart Yasso!

Dean!

our lovely entertainment for the evening

the fire dancer was our favorite part!

one thing kenyans are not good at- hula

Stay tuned for Part Two which includes our race recap and an 8 hour adventure!

OK I'm Really Going to Stick to It This TIme

    Even though I just completed my 8th half marathon yesterday, I have never really stuck to a training plan.  My plan was always just to run when I could and finish the race. Well I have made the decision to actually stick to a training plan for our next race which will be the Missoula Marathon (we will both be doing the half). I have definitely noticed that I have hit a plateau in my time and I know I can do better.  From here on out I am going to make running a priority (like the hubs does) and strive harder for my goals.  It feels great to cross the finish line but it feels even better to beat your goals.

    I came across this quote from General Patton (who was actually a 1912 Olympian in the Pentathlon):
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary!

Soo while writing this blog I realized I have no clue where the cds of our wedding pictures are eeek! So stay tuned for a future post:)

Army Ten Miler 2011

The date is October 9th. Registration is open now for military members and opens up for the public on May15th at midnight. It sells out FAST- I'm talking in a few hours. If you would like to run it sign up at midnight with me!
It is one of my favorite races and its a great feeling to be around so much Army and hear Hooah 1 million times ha.  If you are planning on running it let me know and we can meet up!  If you are thinking about running it- think no more and just do it!

Lincoln National Guard Marathon Half Marathon Recap!

    So every year the hubs has to go to the Lincoln National Guard Marathon in order to qualify for the National Guard Marathon Team.  So thats where we were this weekend!  Warning this post is a little bit "rah rah PA and rah rah Dan".  I am lucky to have a husband who makes me so proud in so many ways! (Ok whenever you are done puking in your mouth please continue to read).

We got to Lincoln on Friday morning and our friend Sean drove from Chicago to meet us out there. He is now at Ft Riley if anyone knows any single ladies- hes single (and also took all of these pictures) lol! We went to 2 wineries this weekend and brought home 6 bottles of wine yum! 

   
The PA Team had to work the booth at the expo and here they are in all of their glory!

the yellow coats that hurt your eyes mean you are on the team already

 Soon enough it was time for race day!

yay all done!

The race for me was meh. It wasn't my best and it wasn't my worst.  There was strong headwind during the last 4 miles and my legs hurt like crap from almost the second I started running. Oh well I will try again for a PR!

   Dan finally got the PR hes been wanting for almost 2 years! His chip malfunctioned though so they timed him at gun time with a 2:54:43. His Garmin read a 2:54:36 so he was a bit frustrated- good thing he didn't start hat far back!  Dan also managed to get 5th in his age group overall and 1st in his age group in the Guard competition.

he hates getting his picture taken

and my camera sucks

An airman (airwoman?) ran her first marathon EVER and got 2nd woman overall and 1st woman for the Guard competition! Her time was 2:54:13. Congrats Emily!!!!

ya she is sponsored by Power Bar- how cool!

    The PA team got 2nd place overall in the Guard competition and swept the men's 25-29 age group awards. In fact all but one person on the team got a personal award.  Congrats!!! The PA team came leaps and bounds over the last 2 years and I am super proud to be from PA, married to one of its runners, and to be friends with the rest! The people on the team were really nice and funny annnnnd they didn't laugh when I told them my expected finish time ha.

PA Team award

SSG Stern- he is our coordinator

my babe

Sgt Jones

Lt Angove

Chief Gentry

2011 All Guard Women's Marathon Team

2011 All Guard Men's Marathon Team

PA and their bling

PS please bare with me while I am trying to do some editing to the format of my blog.

Jules' Rules of Running

After the last few races I have been to, some things have stuck out in my mind that I have developed into a set of rules which kinda of sound like rants- feel free to add your own!

• If you are smoking near a race I (and most of the other runners) want to punch you in your throat. I find it hard enough to breathe while running so please get your pollutants away from my lungs k thanks.  Nothing against people who smoke at all I have lots of friends who do, they just have enough manners to not smoke by people who are struggling to breathe.
• If you are a man and choose to wear running tights (especially nude colored ones) please wear shorts so I don't have to see your man bulge. Yes I seriously saw someone wearing nude running tights and (his balls) this weekend. If I wanted to see dudes weenises, its called the internet and its for porn.
• Please do not put on craploads of hoesauce before a race. Once again its hard enough to breathe, I don't need to be suffocated by your CK ONE knockoff from Walmart. Everyone is going to stink, even you, except you will smell like sweat AND cheap perfume.
• Don't put jingle bells anywhere on you unless its a jingle bell run.  Really?! Is it necessary for you to jingle all the way home in March- no! Save it for the jingle bell runs!
• If you are walking, move to the back of the pack at the starting line! I run pretty slow (12ish min miles) so if you are in my way I am passing you like 3 seconds after the start you should realize that maybe you should start at the very back of the pack.

Just A (Not So) Short Run Race Recap and Sunday Plans

    This one will be short and sweet.  Yesterday the hubs and I did the Just a Short Run. There is a 5k, 8.1 mile, 1/2 marathon, and  a 30k for this race.  I did the 8.1 mile and the hubs did the 30k and it is one of his fave distances to run.  The weather was freeeezingggggggg and I swear even with gloves on I was going to have frostbitten fingers. We were both intersted to see how we would run being that we just did the half on Sunday.  It actually turned out well for both of us! I knocked 6 minutes off my time from last year and finished in 1:40:40 and the hubs knocked about 4 mins off his time from last year and finished in 1:59:37 and came in 5th place OVERALL! This was his first overall placement so I am super proud of him :)
    The race ended kind of rough for him though. I was cheering him on about 100 yards from the finish like "Good job babe- bring it home" ( anyone else feel really lame cheering for people? I always feel like i say dumb stuff lol). He crosses the finish line and I run over to him continuing to embarass cheer for him. Then I see him bend over (maybe he just cant breathe- oh no this is taking a bad turn). "Good job babe-oh... let me know when your done puking!"  He felt better after that and we stuck around for the awards- he won a whole 15 bucks ha. I told now he just needs to get 5th in a big race and win like 10 grand kthanks. 
    Our race bibs have a 10 bucks off any Asics purchasae of 100 bucks or more coupon on them and I spotted these shoes at the Houston Expo and I still want them very badlllllyyyyyyy. So I'm hoping I can get these soon even though they are technically for triathletes. I am a triathlete- I try LOL.

    Anyway I'm off to a Pilates class and I am making Chicken and Biscuits in the crockpot for Dan and my parents tonight. My parents finally got a new end table so they are bringing us their old one that matches our coffee table so my family room will almost be complete soon! Oh and I can't wait to see what happens on Army Wives tonight! eek!   Hope everyone has nice relaxing Sunday!

Rock CF Half Marathon Recap

A Day late but here we go :)

"I take driving very seriously"

 We drove about 4 hours to Grosse Ile, Michigan, but first we stopped at Beef Jerky Unlimited and tehy seriously did not allow pictures inside!

Elk, Buffalo, Alligator, Kangaroo, and Antelope

We got some exotic jerky to try and then just a few more miles until we arrived at the Grosse Ile High School for packet pickup!

A map of where all of the runners came from

course map around the island

After that we went for lunch at Sharkey's where we got Saginaki which is a Greek flaming cheese- it was delish!

 We asked our wonderful waitress what there was to do on the island and she mentioned there was an alpaca farm right down the road.  So off we went!

I got some yarn for my gay husbands

 Then they showed us all the alpacas they had.  I asked to pet one and the guy picked one up and handed it to me! They are  a lot lighter than I thought- all fur.  They are SO soft. 

"this one is still nursing- put your pinky out and she will suck on it"

this is the alpaca that the cream yarn came from

 Following that we drove around the island to get a feel for the course and headed to our hotel. We went to sleep pretty early and we were up at 5am to head to the race.  It was very cold but other than that the first 7 miles were super flat and the scenery was amazing. Canada or Michigan on one side, mansions on the other.  From miles 7-11 the course was pretty hilly and very windy. Luckily Dan finished his run and found me about mile 9/5 and kept me motivated for the last few miles :).  Both of us were very close to our PRs but no such luck! I finished in 2:43:53 (about 2 mins off) and Dan finished in 1:22:05 (5 seconds off).

finishers medal

 I'm going to share a little post race specialness with you all- my ass cheeks rubbed together and managed to chafe this race.  Yeah wtf I know.  Sorry if that was TMI but I was like really Jules how did this happen. 
After the race we got all cleaned up and headed home but we wanted to stop at a winery first.    The Pentamere Winery was the closest to us so off we went! 

They have their own fermentation tanks in the store!

It smelled amazing because they just emptied this one

We ended up going home with 6 bottles- 1 for my parents for puppy sitting

We also found out this is just off the road that we take to my in- laws so we will be back :)

we saw this gem on the way home