2013 Marine Corps Half Marathon

Yesterday was the running of the 6th annual MC Half - and my second running of the race. It is a great race. Lots of Marines supporting the runners and lots of other volunteers. The people of Fredericksburg go all out, lining the streets and playing music from their houses that line the course. Last year I was a tiny bit disappointed as I wanted to finish under 1:50 but was 32 seconds shy of that goal. This year I had two great races under my belt, a strong Van Metre 5 miler and a strong Cherry Blossom, both where I set personal bests in those races so my goal was to get the 1:50.

For those that follow me you will know that my Personal Best for a half-marathon is just over 1:44. The Marine Corps Half is very different though. It is a hilly course. There are rolling hills all throughout and though they may be small there are lots of ups and downs and they are taxing. Then of course you have Hospital Hill, which everyone hears about and dreads, but those of us that have run it before know that Hospital Hill is followed by a short flat piece and then a climb up and over the highway that is even more taxing.

I woke early and had a good breakfast, Canadian bacon, toast and fruit and headed down to Fredericksburg. I arrived at the start line with about 10 minutes to spare after taking care of all my pre-race stuff - so I was set. I started fairly close to the front of the almost 6300 runners - I think it only took 38 seconds to get across the start line after the gun start. Oh I should clarify - the Marine version of a gun start is a Howitzer. I had planned to start hard and then relax a bit mid-race so I could be ready for the big hills near the end. My 10K split was under 50 minutes - about 8 min/mile. The next 5 K I ran at about 8:15 so I could relax a bit and fuel up for the hill. The next 5K covered the big hills and I kept that at under an 8:40 and finished the last mile plus at the 8:15 pace before I started the hills. It felt really good. The final finish time - 1:48:00 - a solid 2 minutes ahead of my goal.

Next up - NorthFace Trail half-marathon - in two weeks.

Happy Mothers Day

This weekend is a great weekend. As a family we use this weekend to celebrate all the Moms in our lives. For us that means the kids spend Saturday celebrating Stepmom Saturday and then celebrating Mothers Day with their Mom on Sunday.

For Stepmom Saturday we grilled and then the girls took Laura to see The Great Gatsby at the Alamo. A great theatre to see that movie in.

For me Sunday means thinking about my Mom and being thankful that she is still as healthy and strong as ever and that she is still willing to talk to me after all I have put her through. The piles of pancakes and bacon she had to cook to feed me. The gallons of milk. The wondering where I was, as a small kid exploring our as a teenager out "with friends". My willingness to jump first and think later - usually as she is bandanging something up.

Thanks for tolerating me and thank you for setting an example of how to be the supportive parent. I love you.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Happy Birthday .... eh!

Today is Tika's birthday ... and now is legally able to do anything anywhere.

Not quite current ... but I love this picture

OK that is not a "Get out of jail free" card but she has hit that point in her life where her age going forward will not be the "I can't wait til I'm 15 so I can get my permit" "I can't wait until I am 18 so I can vote" "I can't wait until I am 21 so I can go to bars". From here on it will be - I can't believe I am ....

But we do wish her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. We are so proud of you. You have created a life for yourself that seems to make you happy. It has challenges, we know that, but you live up to those. You do know that no matter what we will always be there to help you out as well ... and I know your friends all feel the same way.

For today we do not want you worrying about things. Have a fun day and we will celebrate again when we see you in a couple of weeks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

The Upgraded Grill

Added a smoker to my grill which already had a charcoal and gas side. I cannot wait to smoke a lamb leg

A Day in Atlanta

Last evening I returned from a quick 24 hours in Atlanta. It was a work related trip and not actually a full 24 hours in Atlanta - a 5 PM flight from Washington to Atlanta and a 5 PM flight back - but I did make the most of it.

The hotel was a great hotel. A new building with suite style rooms that are very nice. New appliances etc and a large bathroom. The room was actually larger than my first apartment. It was also located right downtown near Centennial Park which meant it was easy to find a place to grab dinner the first night. We found a nice brew pub that served very good casual fare. Their lamb sliders though were FANTASTIC.

The next morning we headed to our meeting in the northeast part of Atlanta and grabbed breakfast at The Original Pancake House. I think everyone knows I love pancakes and this place had GREAT pancakes. I did get a bit ambitious and had their full stack - 6 large blueberry pancakes - and of course I left a few bites (literally on the plate was 4 small bites).

After our meeting I wanted to have lunch at a place I have been trying to get to for about 5 years - Gladys Knight's and Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles. Chicken and waffles is a southern thing but done right it is great. Jeff, who I was traveling with, was up for it but wondered how hungry I was after the breakfast I had - but I am never one to disappoint when it comes to eating. We got to Gladys's place at a good time - not too busy and I ordered up their original waffles, a southern fried chicken breast and some house potatoes (shredded potatoes with peppers, onions and cajun seasoning). I can safely say I was not disappointed in having to wait 5 years to final eat there.

So when someone asks what I do in Atlanta for a day I can safely say I eat a lot of good food :-)

A busy weekend ....

We had a great weekend. Grant it was a bit cool for mid April but it was sunny and there was lots to do.

Saturday started with our normal walk over for coffee and then I did some garden work to make sure I had all the stuff out of the way as I was going to spend the afternoon doing the final upgrade to the Jeep - putting on a new rear bumper and tire carrier. Over the last few weeks I had upgraded the suspension system, put on new wheels and tires, a new front bumper and a new winch along with upgrading the battery system. I had been able to do all the other work myself but this rear bumper was heavy so I enlisted Dave and Jukka, a couple of my old Canadian friends to help out.

We spent the better part of 3 hours doing the install. I say the better part as breaks for beer interrupted and the actual elapsed time was like 4 hours but that include the congratulatory bourbon and cigars. The install itself is not tricky but there is some precision needed to make sure the tire weight is carried right on the carrier and I had to drill a couple of extra holes in the frame to add some extra bolt points. That meant putting on and taking off the bumper 2 times before the final install. But it does look good.

Sunday myself and Laura had an afternoon event, we will get to that, so I picked up Sam and Kris after my morning run (a nice 6-3/4 mile run - legs were a bit sore from the lifting the day before) and we headed out for breakfast. Silver Diner was Sam's choice and I actually loved the idea. We ended up at the Silver diner where Laura and I first had a breakfast date and I, of course, had pancakes. The girls seemed to love having breakfast and I think I will need to do that more. A quick trip to the mall as we drove Kris back to GMU and we headed home so myself and Laura could get ready to head out.

Our Sunday afternoon was to join the other barrel owners at Barrel Oak Winery for a spring tasting. We were hosted in the barrel room and they had snacks and, of course, lots of wine. The crowd was a mix of people and dogs. One couple had two beautiful Newfoundlands, another a wonderful greyhound and of course many more. We had some great wines and met some great people. Brain Roeder, the owner of the winery was there to greet us and we got to meet some of the other staff that we have only emailed with. The highlight was finding Laura's barrel with her plaque on it. She was very excited. They have not used our barrel yet so we are anxious to see what they will put in it.

We will be doing our custom case this fall so the spring tasting was a great time to see if any of the new varietals would be of interest to us. Maybe we will need a couple of more trips back to make that final decision :-)

2013 Cherry Blossom Sunday

Yesterday was the annual Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. This was my 4th running for this race and it is one race I always enjoy running and yesterday was no different.  It was a bit cold at the start although it was forecast to warm up so when I got ready to head down I threw on just some shorts and a long sleeve technical shirt to run in.  I grabbed an old fleece to keep me warm at the start line which turned out to be a good idea as a bit of a breeze made it a bit cool.

I started the race in the red wave,  the first wave behind the elite runners, and I managed to be in the front part of the wave so fewer people to have to run around.  The start was nice and fast and I quickly got into a pace that was comfortable. I did end up having to run around a few people who did not seed themselves properly - if you are an elite runner why are you plodding along at a 11 min/mile pace before mile two?  In general I was running with a great crowd,  friendly, polite and keeping a great pace.  When we hit mile 6 at the top of Hains Point Park we did hit a strong winds right in our faces.  It made it cold and was creating some chop on the Potomac but did not show us down.

The last few hundred meters, up and over the rise by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, was great as I had left a bit in the tank so I kicked it a bit to cross the finish at the Washington Monument. I had two guys come up to me after - one saying how my kick motivated him and a second to say how he had been spotting me all through the race,  due to my orange shirt,  and how great a race I ran.  It is always nice to get some compliments on the course.  Finish time was 1:17:33 - more than 10 minutes faster than my first Cherry Blossom in 2009 and another personal best for the course by 1:42. It was a great race.

The race was not the best thing about the day though.  After grilling some burgers and squash for the girls for lunch the 4 of us headed to the Mason Centre forthe Arts to see the Russian National Ballet Company perform Swan Lake.  Kris had wanted to see a ballet after I told her about Alice in Wonderland that Laura and I had seen at the Kennedy Center, so I got her 4 tickets to Swan Lake for her birthday.

The performance was wonderful. The company has some wonderful artists,  both dancers and set designers.  The lady dancing Odette impressed all of us.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the performance and it made a great end to a great day.