St. George Marathon

Nope...it wasn't Tyson and I running this year, it was his parents & sister that ran it and they did great! Each of them cut off a significant amount of time for their finishes. It was fun making posters the night before, and video taping at each of the spots we went to.

Some things that I will remember:

• Me waking up the night before realizing that instead of putting 'crying' on the poster I put 'burning' which made it make NO sense whatsoever. I had to fix it that morning with limited supplies but we got a ton of laughs from the runners when they saw it. Some even stopped to take pictures of the sign.
  
• Loving the feeling I was getting that night when they were stressed out and I was calm, collected, and enjoying that I wasn't the one running this year.
  
• Holy canolli - St. George gets FREEZING on those October mornings!
  
• Hitching a ride with grandparents and all in the back of some guys' pickup truck to get to the top of Snow Canyon because the traffic was absolutely a mess.
• Screaming our lungs off at the runners and family as they passed us. (again...being super happy that I wasn't doing it!)
  
• Getting emotional as the runners crossed the finish line, it's truly an emotional sight!
• Tyson telling me that he now wants to do another one (because their times are now faster than his)...there's no way I'm doing it with him, but he can go for it. Maybe I'll train for a half when he's training for the full.
• Getting mad at Tyson as he ate Jessi's complimentary finisher Ice-Cream :0) that bum. (She did let him though)
  

AWESOME JOB GUYS!!! You make us proud!

July 4th, 2009

This year for the 4th of July, Kristina and I ran the Freedom Run 10K. I tried to keep up with her the whole time (she is super fast), and did so for most of the race. She sped off at the end after I coaxed her into doing so...I didn't want to hold her back anymore :) that's what friends do right?! I don't remember what times or places we finished, just that I was completely exhausted from running so fast and up those dumb hills they strategically placed at the finish line as well. Seriously what were they thinking?

You can see me in the top pic all full of energy...then compare it to the bottom pic. I was pretty much thinking "Dang-it now I have to exert more energy to lift my hand and wave to the camera!"
At least I don't look as bad as the guy running behind me!

And here's my hubby who was there for picture taking and emotional support. Note that he's run once since the marathon last year.
I think it's time for him to do these with me also!

After that we got ready superfast! and headed to the annual Horrocks' 4th of July Breakfast which had great food. We had some friends over that night for some steaks on the BBQ and watched deer come right up into the backyard while we were eating. We then headed over to the Cutrer's for some awesome fireworks. It was hilarious watching the boys try to light as many fireworks as possible and stick them on the ladder without causing too much bodily injury to themselves.

June Happened...

...and I never blogged about it, so here goes!

{Tyson assembles his GW School of Law plates}

{Laura goes to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang play with Teri (Ty's mom)}

{Laura's first sighting of fawns in person!}

{...what's new right?}

{Trying to find things to do with my spare (husband-less) time. Teri and I make strawberry freezer jam. My first attempt...ever.}

{Finally bought my own car! 2007 Pontiac Torrent...love it!}

{Do you like? I haven't had it short since I was 8 and my mom did a bowl cut to me. Told her right after if I EVER to ask her to cut it short again to NOT do it! Famous words of an eight year old I guess. Went out on a whim and had my BFF cut it...and I love it! Now I can officially have my hair short and look okay with it if I ever get bored again.}

{Cousin's baby blessing. She married Tyson's good friend from High School. Total coincidence}

{5K with Kristina (the BFF). We did awesome. Training for a half marathon in September. I love that girl!}

{Our support 'group'. Won the hat after the race and it looked better on Jake so I gave it to him... after-all he did wake up super early and drive us over there! Thanks Jake! I'm so glad you and Kristina met online. hee hee.}

P90X the X-treme Home Fitness Workout

Well one of our New Year's resolutions (like everyone and their mom), is to get lose weight and get into shape. Ty and I decided to buy the P90X workout DVD's and try them out. I had heard about this program awhile ago, and we recently had some friends purchase these and love them. After a week of not missing a workout here are some of the thoughts I had before, during, and after P90X came into our lives.

1. Wow I am going to look good in a swimsuit for our cruise!
2. I wonder if this is really as hard as people say it is.
3. I'm definitely NOT posting our 'before' pictures on the blog...unless we have killer bodies when we're done, then I will.
4. Holy cow that is a lot of DVD's...at least I won't get tired of the workouts.
5. These people are INSANE! How the crap can these people do that many pull-ups?
6. I'm sore...really sore.
7. I think we need to work on our diet plan because the food is just cancelling out all the crazy workouts we're doing. Starting this week we are eating healthier.
8. Yoga is really really hard. My body totally wasn't meant to move that way! I wonder how this even compares to regular yoga.
9. Will the soreness go away already?
10. Why wasn't I just born skinny and in shape?
11. Seriously, just kill me now.

So all of your people wanting a killer X-treme fitness plan, you should get P90X. It also comes with a really great nutritional guide that we need to follow more - with recipes and everything. I will keep you posted on how things are going! At this point I can walk without limping anymore so I think that's a good sign :0)

Marathon - Laura's Update

Training gear: over 1,000 dollars

Pairs of shoes worn out: four

Number of pounds shed: zero

Total Poweraid's drinken: about 50

Hours spent training for marathon: I don't even want to know

Number of leg bands bought to try to fix things: 6

Number of arguments with your spouse on a long runs: over 10

Finishing a marathon with your family: PRICELESS

Here are some pictures of the marathon. I am still learning how to do the Mosaic look with a group of pics so some people or body parts may be cut out but we will all just have to deal with it and that's just dandy with me...one day I will get it right. If you want to see them closer you can click on the link.

Anyways - I 'dido' everything Tyson said in the previous post. Finishing this marathon was one of the hardest experiences both physically and mentally I have ever gone through, and it was worth every minute of it. Yes Tyson, it was worth all of the arguments we had on the long runs because we needed electrolytes or whatever they call it that makes you happier... let's just say that you DON'T want to be around me when I'm exausted, hungry, and need my electrolytes :)

The morning of the marathon was really cold. It felt wierd getting up and metro-ing to the starting line in the dark with thousands of other people. The treck just to get to the beginning was way too long for my taste but at least it warmed our muscles up. It was fun socializing with everyone while we waited for everything to start. Almost all of that socializing time was spent in the porta potty line. I swear I have never seen any lines that long to use a bathroom in my life....and I have also never seen so many people doing their business in the bushes on the side of the road.

The first 8 miles were really nice. The weather was perfect and I was probably burning more calories weaving in and out of people than actually running. It was really cool running up to the water station and seeing hundreds of marines all decked out in their camo holding out cups of water and PowerAid smiling at you and cheering you on, eventhough you know you look and feel very gross and sweaty and are sure that the interesting smell in the air is you (or your hubby running alongside you).

At about mile 13 I still felt pretty good but kept reminding myself that it was just going to get harder the more we ran because we were only half-way done. The orange station was also nice, but I couldn't enjoy it to it's fullest because the whole time I kept imagining myself totally biffing it into the asphalt on one of those dang half-eaten tossed oranges on the ground...slipping Chaquita Banana Style.

At mile 18 I was trying to people watch to make myself not even think about running; and around mile 20 when we ran on the bridge and knew we wouldn't be picked up by the slow bus was when "THE WALL" hit. Man that sucked. Literally one minute Jessi is asking me if I'm even feeling any pain at all because I'm just running along all fine and dandy feeling great, and then BANG the wall hit me smack in the face. I never wanted to quit, but I sure did feel stupid that I actually wanted to run this thing...I mean whose idea was this anyway?! Tyson kept reminding me that it was mine (probaby so I would stop asking it).

Around mile 22 I felt like smacking everyone that was on the sidelines trying to cheer us on and telling us that we were almost done..."We still have more than 4 more miles people!! I'd like to see what you look like at this point!...Do you even realize how long 4 miles really is?!" Then as we kept running there is a section where you run past the people about 2 miles behind you and we saw Tyson's parents and grandpa. That was pretty cool, and cheered me up knowing they were going to finish also.

One of the worst parts was the end when you know you're almost done and then you somehow can't see the finish line because there is a FREAKING HUGE HILL right before it. Whoever put that whole thing together was insane...they have either never run a marathon or just wanted some amusement while watching people finish. Tyson started racing Jessi up that thing and I was just thinking "I don't have anything to prove - just go and wear yourselves out...I'm just fine running at this pace you crazies!" Needless to say Tyson got a few brownie points for staying next to me and finishing. We were able to watch his parents and grandpa finish also which was pretty cool. It was an emotional sight seeing soldiers running with healed battle wounds. One guy only had one leg and was trucking along, and that was neat to see.

That day it was really hard to walk for me. I felt like someone took a hammer to my kees for 10 minutes straight and left me there. They throbbed just sitting down at Carlyle for dinner that night. I went to work the next day and was still hobbling around. Jessi described it pretty good by saying she felt like a dear just being born and has no idea how to walk. I think it felt more like a deer just being run over by a semi...twice. We did heal though. I was able to walk normal on the 3rd day after the marathon. Eventhough I was cursing the name of whoever invented the marathon and vowed to never run one again (this was around miles 24-26.2...and 2 days after) I think that maybe I will be so inclined to do another one.......maybe.

All in all it was a great experience. And I would describe finishing a marathon as one of those huge goals that makes you wish you wrote a list of everything you want to do before you die, and put FINISH A MARATHON in all caps and bolded, just so can have the satisfaction of crossing it out in red marker immediately after you finished the dang thing and are actually able to metro home and hobble through your front door. THAT is how I feel about finishing a marathon, which I can now say I have accomplished and it will be checked off my list.

Tyson's account of the Marathon

I am sure Laura will do a better post later on, with pictures, but for now you will have to accept my account of how things transpired.

First of all, it was great to have the opportunity to train with my wife and run the race with my entire family. My sister Jessi, Laura, and I ran the race together while my mom, dad, and grandpa stuck together. All of us did the run walk method where we would run for 3-5 minutes and then walk for 1 minute. If anyone is considering doing a long race, this is DEFINITELY the way to do it. And to anyone considering running a marathon, I would recommend to anyone to do at least one. It was a great experience and really helped me realize what I can truly accomplish.

Leading up to the race we ate enough Italian food to last at least a month. On Thursday we had pizza and then did pasta on both Friday and Saturday night. Now all the restaurants were really good, but that much Italian food is just too much.

Saturday night no one slept very well (I think Laura might have). My sister was not feeling well which kept my parents up, and I was just nervous that I would oversleep. Sunday morning we all got up and got ready then took off to the starting area. I was so nervous that I wanted to throw up, but I am used to that feeling from all the football days.

So we got off at Pentagon and had to go to Runners Village to drop off our bags. I would bet we had to walk a mile and a half to get to the actual place and we had to stand in amazingly long lines to use the porta johns. Luckily we got to see one of the coolest flyovers. The Marines flew in an Osprey. It was amazing to see the size of the blades and the machines maneuverability. After all this we got undressed (down to our running clothes) and froze while we deposited our bags. Then it was off to the "starting line."

My goodness, the starting area was packed. The starting gun (a howitzer) went off right at 8 am but it took our two groups 10 minutes to make it to the actual starting line. There were just that many people racing. Once our foot with the race tag went over the line, the race was on.

Everyone seemed to start out well. The first 8 miles of the race had a lot of uphill but the rest of the run was moderate. My sister's knee started to hurt her around miles 3 or 4 but she toughed it out really well. Running down Spout Run was really scenic and taking the bridge into Georgetown was amazing because there was fog and church steeples sticking out of it.

The last long, steep hill was about mile 7-8. It was horrible; I could smell someone cooking sausage. Talk about torture!!! After our walk break on the hill, I just took off (and the girls kept up) just so we could finish the darn thing. After that, we ran down through Georgetown (past all the shopping and some of our favorite restaurants). Next we passed the Kennedy Center and followed the river down to Haynes Point.

Haynes Point had the half way mark but was still desolate. As we passed the golf course I started to think how much I wished I was golfing instead of running. Oh well, there will be time for that. About mile 14 I started to not feel very hot. I all of a sudden became really tired and exhausted. I started to worry that maybe I had drank too much water or had not had enough. However, I had done all the training and was not about to quit.

Up to this point, I remember all the different sites we passed. After this, all I remember is running. I briefly remember running behind the Lincoln Memorial but do not specifically remember passing any museums. I remember seeing the Capital but not much else about it. I even remember passing the Holocaust museum but that is because it was at mile marker 20 which meant you had "beat the bridge" and did not have to get picked up on the "slow" bus.

So back to the race, I trudged it out from mile 14 to mile 20. My body was sore and my mind was BEAT!! At mile 20 we went across the bridge into Crystal City. I will forever hate that bridge. It seemed SO long; I honestly felt it would never end. However, my sister and wife kept me in it (we all did a great job of helping each other). Finally we crossed that bridge.

In Crystal City we ran past our apartment (I think - don't remember much at this point of the race). We were just past mile 23 when we passed my parents and grandpa going the other direction (means they had just passed mile marker 22). Our group had started to slow down but we all decided there was no way we were going to let them catch up to us. How embarrassing would it have been for two 22-year-old girls and a 25-year-old guy to get beat by a 49, 51, and 69-year-old? I could have never shown my face at home again.

So we took off back towards, and past, the Pentagon. At this point of the race no one was passing us and we were actually starting to pass people who had hit their wall (I tell you, the run-walk method works). The last 3 miles felt like a marathon in an of itself. Your legs feel like they are stuck in concrete and your mind just wants to quit. At this point you have to just block it all out and go one step in front of the other.

At about mile 26, Jessi (my sister) looks at us and says she will meet us at the end. She then started to pick up speed. I told her no way was she meeting us there and I took off also. Then two thoughts crossed my mind. First of all, I had trained with my wife and wanted to finish with her. I looked back and noticed she was not into the whole "lets sprint out the last .2" idea. Second thought, my sister and I are competitive. Over the hundred feet or so that we competed, our speed continuously kept picking up. We would have both died trying to beat the other. Needless to say, I dropped off and stayed with my wife (what a good husband, right?).

I did push Laura at the end and I don't think she liked it. Our last walk period ended right before a really steep hill that took you to the finish line. At that point I was thinking, holy crap this is done, time to kick it into gear. I took off and Laura had that look on her face like, "what the hell are you doing!!!" However, she did keep up. We finished the last hill and made the turn to the finish line. At that point my quads, thighs, hamstrings, and nearly every muscle in both legs completely locked up. No way was that stopping me from finishing while running. Luckily for me, Laura and I were running the last few hundred feet next to a wheelchair hand-crank guy who had an American Flag up the entire way. Needless to say, the crowd was going wild for him which luckily gave me more energy.

Laura and I crossed the finish line at nearly the exact same time - 5 hours and 39 minutes and 43 seconds. My sister beat us by 39 seconds (I am fine with that because had I not stopped to stretch when her knee was hurting, then I would have won). I am just glad the 3 of us were able to run together the entire way and kept motivating each other. My parents and grandpa finished 19 minutes and 30 seconds behind us.

Laura and I both got a little emotional as we stood there at the finish line. It was amazing to see everyone pushing themselves and realizing what we had just accomplished. To have done it as a family made it that much more special.

After both groups had finished, we went as a group to receive our medals (which are really cool) and got our pictures taken in front of the Iwo Jima Memorial. Needless to say that within minutes of the race, we were all REALLY sore. It is amazing what the body can endure.

All of us were first timers and we all finished the race in under 6 hours. In my opinion, that is an amazing accomplishment. We went 6 for 6 in under 6. We got lucky with the weather. The weather the day before and day after was horrible but Sunday was perfect. So perfect that some of us got sunburned.

In addition, my grandma was such a great support person. Coming up the last hill there she was in the front row screaming and cheering for each and every one of us. She seemed very excited for us but was probably equally excited that it was not her running.

Some thoughts I had while running: It was amazing to have all the Marines cheering you on while handing you water or Powerade. Some times I wanted to tell them to shove it and run it themselves (not really, I was just exhausted), but all in all it was awesome to see these tough, hardcore Marines wanting to see everyone succeed. It was also amazing to see all the people running in memory of someone lost in battle. You couldn't help but tell them thankyou for the fallen one's service. I even saw one guy running with a prostetic leg and a ton of scars on his back. I am assuming he was injured in Iraq of Afghanistan considering his age. Heck, I even met a guy who has run 241 marathons with 60+ of them BAREFOOT! Crazy.

To finish, who would have ever thought that I would run a marathon. I had always had the philosphy that if it was longer than a football field or basketball court, then we had cars (or bikes in the worst case scenarios).

Correction - Marine Corps Marathon

So my wife and family pointed out that I made a mistake.

If you go to the Marine Corps Marathon website then you can register to track runners. All you have to do is put in the name of the person you want to "track". I know we are going to be moving so fast that it will be hard to track us (ya right). Once you register, you will receive a text that lets you know the progress made.

To everyone that has given us words of encouragement as we have endured our training, thank you for your support.

Marathon Week

Holy cow, I cannot believe the marathon is upon us. Laura and I have trained hard (for the most part). We have both had our share of aches and pains, but in the long run we believe it will be worth it.

We are pretty excited because my entire family is running the marathon with us (mom, dad, sister, and grandpa). The marathon itself should be entertaining because of all the festivities, the crowds, and the route.

If anyone lives in the area and wants something fun to do on Sunday mid-day, feel free to come cheer us on. I am sure we can use it the last 6 miles. The Marathon kicks off at 8:00. Our goal is to likely run it in roughly 5 hours and 30 minutes which means we could finish anywhere between 1:30 and 2:30. It all depends on how the bodies hold up. With a miracle we may finish around 1:00 but I doubt that. Heck, if you don't want to go down too early, you can track our progress via computer or cell phone. You just have to find out our number (we can tell you come Friday afternoon).

If anyone wants and info on the events or where to watch you can go to the Marine Corps Marathon website (linked). If you look at the map, we run down Georgetown, through all the monuments, to the Capital, through Crystal City, and then finish at Iwo Jima.

our official LAST long run...eek

Us trying to smile through the pain of our throbbing muscles...I'm obviously doing a better job than him.

I forgot to post about our General Conference weekend. Well that Saturday didn't anything too exciting...except the fact that WE RAN 20 MILES!! It was officially our LAST really really long run. This Saturday we are doing 10 and then the next Sunday is the marathon. I try not to think about it too much because I start feeling like I'm going to throw up...ok so yah I'm really nervous. And it doesn't help that my right knee started hurting real bad on our last Saturday's long run but that's life. I've been trying to take lots of IB Profin and icing it. Tyson did amazing on the 20 miler so we should be okay. At least that's what I keep telling myself over... and over... and over again :)

Anyways - so that night while Tyson went to the Priesthood session I was completely wiped out so I stayed home and gave myself a mani and pedi while watching Pride & Prejudice. I love that movie! Sunday conference didn't start until the middle of the day East Coast time, so I woke up and made a good breakfast and convinced Tyson to bike with me to Old Town Alexandria to feed the ducks at the river. (We don't really like the heels on bread so it worked out perfect). The only problem was I didn't really realize how far away that was from our apartment, and I thought it woud loosen up our muscles, but it just made them worse. Yah that's the last time Ty is going to listen to me, but it was still really fun.

Sometimes Tyson doesn't like smiling for pictures...we're working on it.

Marathon Month

My cute mother-in-law mailed Tyson and I an October package that was marathon themed just in time for our long run today. They bought us a bunch of Cliff Shots (some gummy blocks that give you energy), new running socks that were much needed, and some new drink tablets to put in your water while on your run that was pretty good. I feel so lucky to have such great in-laws, and we are excited but nervous that the marathon is this month. It should be fun to have all of Tyson's family out here running with us. We had to run 20 miles this morning and averaged 12:30 minutes per mile which is pretty normal for us. I'm just glad this is our last really long run before the Big Day on October 26th! Wish us luck!!

Marathon Training 101

The first rule of marathon training -- DON'T DO IT.

The second rule of marathon training -- before training, hire a good marriage counselor or divorce attorney.

Just kidding. It really is not THAT bad. However, it is true that when your blood sugar level drops and you become more dehydrated you become more easily irritable. Luckily for us, we have not had this happen much besides a one or two very hot and humid days.

The training so far has been going well. This past weekend Laura and I ran 18.11 miles. It was the hardest run to date for us, but a lot of that was because we did not run or work out for two weeks due to a multitude of excuses. Things should improve in that aspect, but we are happy that we were able to complete our run under the required 14 min/mile mark.

Both of our knees have had some aches and pains but mine were the most extreme. I believe that I now have it under control (if anyone needs tips on this, feel free to ask). We found this last week that if we walk a decent amount the night after our long run our legs feel much better.

Our Current Lives Happenings

I thought that it would be good for Tyson and I to give everyone an update as to what we have been up to lately. Tyson has finished his second year of law school at George Washington here in DC and is currently working at a firm in Arlington called Bean Kinney & Korman and is loving it. He is working on a lot of real estate transactions with the partners and is getting a lot of hands-on experience. He has also worked on some trusts & estates, commercial litigation, and bankruptcy. Ty has one more year left of law school until he graduates. He has been applying to quite a few law firms for when he is done. It is crazy to me that students apply to firms a year in advance! He is extremely interested in doing real estate law but it is hard with the market that we have now. Luckily he is also is interested in business law and bankruptcy. It is kind-of stressful for me to not know where we will end up after law school. His work asked him to continue working there during the school year which he is pretty excited about as well.

I am currently doing payroll for a company out in Old Town Alexandria called VIPdesk, and LOVE the people I work with. They are really neat. One great aspect of this company is a lot of people work remotely (my supervisor lives in Canada) so if we do move, I will be able to stay on with them and still work. I love that the people there are very laid back as well which reminds me a lot of working in California. The great part of my job is it is flexible hours so I can choose when I go in, and leave. I can work four 10 hour days and get one day off during the week if I like. AND I get to wear jeans...how great is that?!

We just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary by going to Philly to see Les Miserables which was amazing. We will post pictures sometime this week hopefully. Tyson and I are also training for the Marine Corps Marathon that is in the end of October. My cousin, and Tyson's parents, sister, and grandpa are going to run it with us as well so we are really excited for that. We ran 16...yes count that...16 MILES last Saturday and felt pretty good after. Don't get me wrong we were exhausted afterward and just wanted to lay there and not even exert the energy to shower (let alone breathe), but hey...we did it. We have never run that much in our lives, and have learned a lot with this whole process (so if any of you are training, or want to train for one just know that you CAN do it, no matter how out of shape you may be)! This whole goal is pretty much all because of my dad who runs marathons and now triathlons who said that we should train for one because it is an amazing experience.

Anyways I just wanted to keep everyone posted. There are many more updates below on our adventures on the East Coast, and there will be many more postings to come!!

Marathon Update - - Double digit run

I have been meaning to update everyone on our marathon training, but I wanted to wait until we got into the double digit runs. It sounds so much cooler to say you have ran 10 miles than it does to say 9.

So far things have been going pretty good. It is very rare that both Laura and I have "good" running days on the same day. However, we do a good job of motivating each other even though the one having the "not so good day" is never happy when the other one tries to push them. To date, we run anywhere between 10min-30sec miles to 12min miles. Usually we are below 11 so that is good.

Both of us have been fighting some slight injuries but are surviving. Laura hurt her rib somehow and had to take a few days off but is doing much better now. Early on in the training I felt a pop one night in my upper leg and it gets tight towards the end of every run, but I just have to keep running. The worst thing for me was on yesterdays' 10 mile run was at mile 8.3 when my left knee started to shoot with pain!! It was hard to just push off on it yet alone go up and down hills. I may take a few days off but am sure things will get better.

NY training -- even though this is out of order (our NYC post will be coming soon). Laura and I had the opportunity to do some training with my family while we were in New York City for vacation. Our hotel was in Times Square, so we were only a few blocks from Central Park. We decided that running Central Park would be a good way to make sure we did not miss a "long" run. It was so much fun to run through Central Park because it seems that is something only done in the movies. However, we had a BLAST!!

Williamsburg + Triathlon = Good Times!

So just as an overview - my dad is amazing! In 10 years he has run 14 marathons (one being Boston), and 5 triathlons (2 half-iron mans, 2 olympic, and 1 sprint). He has time goals and almost always reaches those goals. He is the one who convinced me and Tyson that we can run a marathon.
My parents and grandparents came in town awhile back because my dad was participating in a half-iron man triathlon in Virginia. I drove down after work and met them to see the big race the next day. Here are some pics:

His bike was awesome! Before people start they have to check in and they write their age on the back of their calves so people know when they are getting their butts kicked by a 50 year old...and my dad beat most of them.


Swimming was the first event. He even had the transitions down pat. He would hustle back from swimming, take off his wet suit, and then without even putting his biking shoes on he was off! This is right before he finished the whole race...and then right after.

This is right after he finished and realized that he did reach his goal and qualified for the USA Triathlon National Championchip this October in Las Vegas. He was working to qualify soo hard and did it! He said he has never worked so hard in his life to finish a race! My dad was third in his age group, 63rd out of 326 total participants.


We toured around Williamsburg...Here is my mom standing in front of a huge wysteria tree...I'm not sure if the spelling is right =0) We ate at a tavern there and the food was pretty good.


The governor's palace back in the day was pretty cool. They decorated the walls of the entry room with all guns, muskets, and swords.


We celebrated my birthday that weekend and went to Legal Sea Foods. It was good...as usual. My grandparents are so cute! While I was at work and Tyson was studying for finals they all toured the city. Here is a picture of my grandpa in front of the WWII memorial which is neat because he served in it. My dad said when they were walking through the Air and Space Museum my grandpa saw the MinuteMan Missile/Rocket and said "Hey I remember working on that exact missile!" I thought that was pretty cool. It was a fun weekend!!

Turtle Soup

The other day when Tyson and I were on one of our long runs (I think it was the 7 miler), I looked on the running trail and saw a rock right in the middle of the road with some cool grooves in it. I was going to pick it up but then thought to myself to not act like a little kid and keep cool rocks... when we jogged past it I looked back and saw that it was moving!! I ran over to the "rock" and picked it up and saw that it was the cutest turtle EVER! It's shell was about the size of an oreo, it was that small. My head immediately started trying to think up a way to keep this cute little turtle, knowing that Tyson would never let me do such a thing.

"Tyson, I'm going to take Turbo home!" (I named him pretty fast thinking that it would make him as attached to our new found friend as I was.)

"No Laura, it's illegal to take wild 'animals' out of their habitat."

"Yah but we are actually saving Turbo from being run over because he was walking toward the freeway!! He will turn into turtle soup!!! How would you be able to live with yourself?!"

"How are we even going to get him home when we aren't even done with half of our run? Huh?"

".....I KNOW!! We'll put him in the shade by these trees and I'll bike back to where we put him and save him...again! We'll be like heroes and it'll be an awesome story...plus you know how much I want a pet, and this isn't even a cat or a dog!"

"We'll go to PetsMart and see if they have any turtles we can buy."

We then took a picture of him and set Turbo down by some shade and water. I have officially come to the conclusion that my hubby doesn't like pets and we will probably never get one...at least for now. I joke that when we have kids I will be just as bad at them when it comes to keeping cute animals. They will be like "Mom!! We just HAVE to buy the hermit crab and some really cool shells for it...or...Mom, we HAVE to take care of the lost puppy!" and I will be like "Of course we do! That will be so much fun!" haha I've been like that since I was little and it hasn't gone away.
Oh, and for the record - we did end up going to PetsMart and they don't sell turtles...
So for now all I have is a husband that doesn't like pets, a plant, and memories of Turbo... the cutest turtle ever.

Marine Corps Marathon - here we come!!

We did it!! Tyson and I are officially registered for the Marine Corps Marathon which takes place on October 26th. We are soo excited, and even more nervous to be actually running a marathon but it should be great. It all started when my dad told me that I could do it when I was expressing my amazement towards how many he has participated in. FYI - I still need to post about my amazing dad who started running marathons when he was 40 and 10 years later he has run 14 marathons and 4 triathalons (2 being half-iron mans). He just qualified for the Nationals so he will be participating in their Vegas triathalon this October....

So anyway, I didn't really think I could because I have WAY short legs and am a better swimmer than runner! My Dad bought Tyson and I a book that he used as a guide to run his first (and all) marathons. It's called "Marathon" by Jeff Galloway, and it is amazing. It actually didn't take very much convincing at all to get Tyson to run it with me. He even really made me want to push myself and sign up (I have a hard time trying new things when there is a chance I could fail at it so I tend to not try things like this) but Tyson was all GUNG-HO and I love that about him! We are going to be doing the Run-Walk Method which I've heard works really well. I will let everyone know how training is going as it starts this week too!! And we won't go back on it now because it's $88 to register and we bought the marathon's training shirts and everything.

**WISH US LUCK (we're going to need it)!!!**