Baltimore Running Festival Recap

Way back in July, Justin and I shared a Where Have We Been?!? post, thinking that we would start updating this little blog a bit more frequently… That hasn’t exactly happened. In that post, we shared about all of the things we were busy doing – like job searching, running, and blogging. We could excuse the lack of posts since then with the fact that, perhaps unfortunately,… not much has changed. Well, things have changed (drastically actually!), but we’ve still found ourselves job searching, running, and blogging…

Wow, really exciting post, right? Nothing’s changed, blah, blah, blah… Well, I’ll try to spice it up for you a bit by sharing with you about our fun* weekend in Baltimore! (*the term “fun” I realize is somewhat individual – some people would find our weekend torturous!)



If you’re already a friend on facebook or a follower on twitter (yes, I convinced Justin to join twitter! WIN!!!… now getting him to see it’s value is a different matter…), you may already know that we traveled to Maryland this weekend to participate in the Baltimore Running Festival, which is comprised of a full and half marathon, as well as a relay and 5k.

Justin and I have been training for many, many months in anticipation of this event. Like, way too many months if you consider all the early Friday nights (in preparation for Saturday runs) and weekday 5:00 a.m track workouts… But I’ll stop complaining because, hey, we choose this, right? The thing about training for really anything is that it really begins to consume a ton of your time, conversation, and physical and mental energy. We were both more than ready to see if and how all our hard work had paid off (and to eat some crab cakes… the true motivation for all these shenanigans).

When we registered for Baltimore, we thought we would be living in the city and drive about 20 minutes to the start of the race. Due to our change in situation, 20 minutes became… oh… nine hours. Fortunately, the drive from Cincinnati was relatively easy (despite some early morning stomach issues for me) and the red, orange, and yellow-leaved tree covered mountains were stunning. It’s drives like these that make me realize just how beautiful this country of ours really is. We got to Baltimore on Thursday evening and checked into a hotel. We headed over to the race expo, which was expertly laid out to make you walk about a mile through hundreds of vendors selling superfluous running gear in order to simply pick up your race bib. Tricky little devils. We managed to make it out only slightly poorer than when we started, with me picking up a lightweight headband to keep my ears warm on race day.

On Friday we went out for a short run to keep our legs warmed up for Saturday, running at an easy pace for a couple miles near the stadium. Not sure if you’re aware, there are some shady parts of Baltimore. Shocking, I know! Fortunately we were able to stay in safer spots and only ran in daylight there. We spent the rest of Friday visiting the Baltimore Aquarium and exploring Fells Point. On a side note, have I ever mentioned on here Justin’s love affair with aquariums? He almost proposed to me at the Newport Aquarium, in fact… but I guess thought better of having sharks overlook our special moment. Something about omens or ambiance or something…

Anyway, after a few delays, Justin parents’ flight finally made it in and we were able to grab a quick dinner and get to bed. 5:30 a.m. came when it usually does on Saturday morning – too freakin’ early. Fortunately, we were pretty anxious about the race and didn’t have much trouble getting up. After some stretching and a breakfast of peanut butter on whole wheat bread (gourmet, I know), we headed down to the starting line. Justin looks really excited on the way…

     

One of the very cool aspects of this race was getting to run through Camden Yards to the finish.

Justin and I posed for a quick photo before separating for our individual races – me the 5k and him the marathon. We were both pretty nervous, but you can’t tell, right? You also probably can’t tell how cold I was. I was literally shaking and my teeth chattering – which I much preferred to sweating before the start, but still wasn’t all that comfortable.


Justin’s marathon had a start time of 8:00 a.m., so around 7:40 he headed to the starting line and his parents and I looked on.



He looked so happy when he started! This would not last…….
 
As Justin headed out on his first few miles, I lined up at the same starting point for the 5k with about 3500 other runners. I was jumping up and down trying to stay warm, but still could not feel my toes. This didn’t seem optimal for being about to use them for 3.1 miles. As the race got underway, I still couldn’t feel them, which was an odd sensation. But I realized there wasn’t much I could do except move forward, so that’s what I did. I was (unpleasantly) surprised to see that the first 1.5 miles was uphill – a steady but challenging incline. I had only started training on hills and I was glad that I did, despite still feeling a bit unprepared for the incline. Per usual, I started off a bit too fast, but had a hard time holding back when a 10-year-old Justin Bieber look-a-like passed me. I just couldn’t have that. I pushed a bit harder and was neck and neck with the kid for the next mile or so, when he took off and my energy failed me a bit. Despite my newfound competitive edge, I managed to not totally blow my reserves and kept pushing.

If my next statement sounds cheesy, that’s because it totally is… But I really did continue to think about the incredible girls of Girls on the Run throughout the race. At one point I ran past a group of young teenage spectators and thought to myself that these were exactly the type of girls I was running for – bright young girls full of hope. I thought about the videos I had spent the previous week watching documenting the amazing achievements of the girls in the GOTR program – some of them bursting with tears of pride at completing a 5k. I kept these girls in mind as I pushed forward. In the end, I managed to achieve my goal of setting a new personal record (PR) of 24:40. I was exhausted, but all I could think about was racing to see Justin at Mile 13.

Unfortunately, I missed Justin at that mile, so I headed back to the finish to make sure I was in place to see him cross. His parents were stationed there and together we waited in anticipation for him to complete the race. Here he is coming towards the final 100 meters… I told you he didn’t look quite as happy! But we’ll cut him some slack as he did just run 26 miles at a really fast pace.






While he didn’t quite make the sub-three hour mark he was hoping for due to some unexpected hilliness, Justin did an absolutely amazing job with a chip time of 3:05:32.



He shaved 15 minutes off his PR and qualified for the Boston Marathon in April! I was a seriously camera happy, insanely proud wife! It took a while for Justin to recover from his delirium (he barely recognized me when I ran up to hug him) and fatigue, but once he did he was ready to celebrate his accomplishment with a big lunch and a long nap. Okay, we all were….



I just want to take this moment to (again) be cheesy and say thank you to all of the amazing people in our lives who supported us in achieving our goals this weekend. Thank you to everyone who sent texts, facebook messages, emails, and voicemails with words of encouragement, and an extra special thank you to those of you who donated financially to support me in raising money for Girls on the Run! You are all amazing!

Now, Boston anyone?

Where Have We Been?!?

Wow. It's July. Mid-July even. Soon to be Late-July! Where does the time go?

It's been quite a while since we last posted on here and, seeing as how you all are so invested in keeping up-to-date on our lives, we thought we owed it to you to let you know we haven't been sitting around eating bon-bons. Speaking of, I'd really like to try a bon-bon at some point in my life... But I digress. So what have we been up to? Well, here goes...

Besides finishing up internship (seven weeks!!) and Justin finishing up his MBA (four weeks!!), one of the biggest tasks for us right now is getting Justin employed. Well, not just employed, but in the best possible position for him to utilize his skills (and hopefully make money?). The student loan sharks are going to be swimming up to our door soon, and it would be nice to have something for them =) Justin's currently looking for a position in marketing or brand management in the Baltimore area. Job searching is not fun, particularly not for a position a new city where you don't really know anyone. Justin's been extremely pro-active and diligent (are you surprised??) and we're confident he'll find something perfect. But it's tough day to day...

The next thing that's been occupying way too much time and brain-power is running. We're both training to race at the Baltimore Running Festival in October. As those of you who have trained for a race know, the actual running is only one aspect of the time-commitment. There's also mapping routes (love www.MapMyRun.com), stretching, cross-training, and complaining to your spouse about how sore you are. 

We've also been trying to learn Spanish, mostly so we can eavesdrop on our lovely friend Lucia when she talks on the phone to her family. In reality, we've both wanted to learn Spanish for a long time, and we bought Tell Me More, a Rosetta Stone-like program, last December as our anniversary gift to each other. Romantic, right? I had all these visions of cuddling up and learning sweet phrases to say to one another... Little did I know that learning Spanish on the computer would cause more bickering than anything else we've ever done. Mostly over who gets to hold the mouse. It's bad. But we're sticking with it and learning to compromise!

Another major time-sucker has been blogging. I started a blog back in April called Nourishing the Soul that I'm sure most of you have heard me mention or have checked out. It's amazing just how much time blogging occupies!! I think I always thought that that I would simply sit down, write my little thoughts for the day, hit "post," and be done... Oh, no. I have found myself doing a great deal of research for each post, as well as spending lots of time keeping up with the blogging community and learning more about this whole new field.

Besides that we've been busy with weddings, trying to cook new recipes, finding a new apartment in B-more (post to come soon on that!), trying to hit up all the spots in Philly we haven't made it to yet, planning some upcoming camping trips, and trying to stay in touch with our family and friends, whom we miss A LOT!!!! We're hoping to keep this blog more frequently updated as well... But that will have to come second to SLEEP.

Biker Babes and More Cowbell

Below you'll find some photos that I took at the recent Philadelphia International Championship,"America's top international cycling classic, and one of the richest and most prestigious one day races outside of Europe" (according to Wikipedia). But beyond that, it's one hell of a party! We had heard about this event when we first moved to Philly, and looked forward to it all year. Unfortunately, Justin had class all weekend and so I was flying solo. You can check out all the photos on my facebook page, but here are a few highlights: 

There were hundreds of professional cyclists and many more cycling enthusiasts and spectators taking part in the day. 

There were also a few spectator dogs, and the poor things were super hot. I guess I should feel worse for the cyclists riding the ten 14.4 mile loops (156 miles)... 

The cyclists start at the Art Museum and work their way to Manayunk. This shot is on Main Street, a relatively easy stretch of the race.

Thousands of spectators of all ages lined the streets, and the roofs...

They passed out cow bells to ring when the cyclists passed by. I love this little one's sunglasses =)

I was amazed to see all the marshals, police, and other race officials. It's incredible how much planning and structure goes into an event like this. I love the look on this marshal's face!

And here they come! This part of the race is called the "Manayunk Wall" and is an insanely steep (17-percent grade) hill that is basically like pedaling up a vertical wall. I can attest to this from walking up it. It sucks.

This is my AstraZeneca ad. Sorry, Dad.

Sweet, huh?

I loved people watching. At this house they were doing jump rope with a land-line telephone (you can tell if you look closely). Drunk people jumping rope = extraordinarily smart. 

Friend and fellow intern, Josh, with his bell!

I think this is my favorite. I love the look on the face of the guy in green. He's like, "Oh, no you don't!"

Farmer's Marketing

Justin now has four classes left to complete his MBA. Four classes now stand between us and a cramming-for-the-next-exam-free lifestyle. We haven't both been out of school since we met, so it'll be quite a change for us both to be on similar schedules and both have an income (despite the fact that mine should really only count as half of an income)... But back to the four classes. One of these classes happens to be held over the course of three weekends this summer, which did not please me at all. Summer weekends are so precious! However, I devised a plan that while Justin is spending between 8-12 hours per weekend day learning business-y things, I am going to try to take advantage of the plethora of farmer's markets in Philadelphia. 

This weekend I checked out the Chestnut Hill Farmer's Market, which is about 20 minutes from where we live. It was small but packed with tons of beautiful fresh food and some not so beautiful (but I'm sure tasty) cuts of meat. There were stands of comfort food, sushi, baked goods, prepared Italian salads, Mexican fare, fresh flowers, and even a sign shop that sold one with the phrase "Gone to Therapy" that I was tempted to buy...  I took some photos while there that you can check out below. I had a hard time, however, due to trying balance a camera with bags of stuff I bought and the horrible fluorescent lighting. Oh well... I'll be more prepared on my next trip. 

Falling in Love in Graduate School: A Photo Recap

With our commencement ceremony just a few days away, I got to thinking this weekend about the past five years of graduate school. I generally try to avoid thinking about this because it at times causes a post-traumatic stress reaction, but since avoidance is part of the problem, I tired to willingly embrace the memories (yes, going a little ACT on you). Of course, not all of graduate school was traumatic. In fact, much of it was stimulating, challenging, and even, yes, rewarding. And perhaps the most rewarding thing to come out of graduate school is the friends that I made along the way (and meeting my husband of course!). Yes, you figured it out - this is to be a mushy post. You may want to quit now if you aren't fond of the "we'll be BFFs always!!!!!" and kumbaya type of entry. But if you are, I'm sharing some photos I've dug up (electronically, of course) highlighting the (friendship) road to the doctorate...

This was on the night of my 21st birthday at the end of first year. I had to go the entire year without drinking!!!! (read with sarcasm) We were waiting until midnight to go out. I don't think Shannon made it ;-) 

So many nights spent at the Hofbrahaus. We could always count on John as a partner in crime. 

The good old APAGS Halloween Party. Could always be counted on for inexplicable drama. 

The Holiday Party was one of my favorite events. Professors chugging from flasks in the bathroom just can't really be topped. Oh wait, it can when they then start dancing. 

I cannot believe Shannon wore the controversial t-shirt to the Reds game. Well, maybe I can. 

Again at Hofbra - this time with my then future-husband in tow. He's always been our favorite sixth wheel!

After our second year we received our Master's, which was unfortunately kind of anti-climactic. We were back in class three days later. However, it was still a reason to celebrate. Mmmm, Montgomery Inn!

Mulligan's on St. Patrick's Day - pretty much the best holiday ever celebrated. 

APAGS Summer Party at Dr. Hellkamp's 

After much talk, we finally planned and took our much anticipated trip to Vegas. This photo is from an evening I call "The Best Night of My Life." That's about all I can tell you. 

And then the wedding festivities began, and I was so grateful to have these girls with me every step of the way! First up, the Couples Shower Tequila Shot. Doesn't everyone do that?

Then the Bachelorette Party!

And then a pre-wedding Obama Rally ;-) 

And finally, the Wedding Day. I was so thrilled to have these ladies by my side. This deserves a few pictures... First, my loves with my love.

Pre-Wedding, Post-Shot @ MLTs

Mid-Wedding

And Post-Wedding - perhaps my favorite picture ever. 

So thank you to my girls for your support, humor, and love over the past five years. I could not have done it without you. 

Love,

Ashley