More about Us

After reading SUAR's hilarious post, we decided to "consider ourselves tagged" and answer her questions.  Disclaimer - we are not NEARLY as funny as this lady is (and definitely not as fast).

1. Best run ever? 
Jess: My first ultra marathon - The Old Dominion 50-miler in Woodstock, VA.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I loved every second of that 9 hour and 51 minute adventure and met some amazing folks!
Jennifer: My third half marathon. I ran with a friend and her husband, and we managed to chat the entire time and surpass our goal time!

2. Three words that describe your running? 
Jess: Steadfast, clumsy, slow
Jennifer: Middle-of-the-pack (that's one word, right?), improving, mental

3. Your go-to running outfit? 
Jess: The t-shirt I got in my first 5k ever (from 1994) and my USMC black shorts....sexy, I know.
Jennifer: Almost any pair of my Nike running shorts and a dri-fit t-shirt from a triathlon, and sadly, my inserts because running without them is not feasible right now:(

4. Quirky habit while running? 
Jess: Snot rockets - no, it's not pretty, but it is a necessity!
Jennifer: I count. Nothing in particular, but I find that it helps pass the time.

5. Morning, midday, evening?  
Jess: Morning unless work gets in the way.  I'm more likely to run first thing in the day, less time to come up with excuses for why I can't do it.
Jennifer: Well this certainly took a personal turn...oh wait, you're still talking about running. I'm definitely a morning person...for both. (and for the same reasons mentioned by Jess)

6. I won’t run outside when it’s ______
Jess: Sleeting.  I'll do rain, snow, or wind, but sleet is a no go. 
Jennifer: Super dark. I can do pre-sunrise, but when it's really dark, it's just asking for an injury.  

7. Worst injury—and how you got over it.  
Jess: Crossing my fingers and knocking on wood here, but I've never had a serious running injury.  I had PF really badly, but what runner doesn't and I fixed that by running less and biking more.
Jennifer: When we were in 3rd grade, Jess and I were on the track team. At practice one afternoon, as I gracefully loped around the track, I managed to somehow fall into a hole (off the track) and broke my arm. Yes, I may quite possibly be the only genius with such an injury. I got over it when - after two days of telling me to suck it up - my dad took me to the hospital, it was pronounced broken, and I received a very shiny, very brand-new Sony Walkman.

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when ______
Jess: I wore my first running skirt EVER and ran a 5k PR during last year's Oceanside Turkey Trot.
Jennifer: I placed 3rd among female participants at a local 10k and I was pushing the Weasel.

9. Next race is...
Jess: no idea.  I just got back from Afghanistan and I'm still deciding whether I'm up for the Blue Water Triathlon in Oct.
Jennifer: The MCM!

10. Potential running goal for 2013? 
Jess: Hoping to find a 12-hour race that doesn't get cancelled and see how that goes.
Jennifer: We've just moved to NoVA, so my goal for the next year is to get comfortable running all these hills. Right now, I just do my out and back runs because all I can think about is how much it will suck running back up!

Cleanse + Long Run = Terrible Idea

I've been following various running blogs for about 2 years now. Many of them have included at least one (some many...SUAR) stories about "accidents" while running. Well, it's finally my turn to tell my tale.


On Saturday morning, I hopped out of bed, kissed my husband, and said, "I'm off for 6 miles, even though I should do 10." (MIL & FIL are in town and BIL was in-bound Saturday morning, so I was planning to cut it short.) He replied, "Don't be a puss." So what did I do? Of course, I changed my plan. Heading out on a 5 mile stretch just outside our neighborhood, I was feeling ok and managing an 8:16 pace. It's pertinent to mention at this point in the story that earlier in the week, Jason and I decided to do an herbal cleanse in an effort to recover from our European vacation. Without getting too graphic, over the last few days, I've been spending an increasing amount of time in the bathroom. I hit the turnaround and was still feeling good. 


Shortly after my RunKeeper App told me I'd completed 7 miles, I felt a sudden movement...NO I did not soil myself, but I came really close. I stopped my watch and searched for a place to take care of business. We live in a relatively rural area, and luckily there was a small stretch of woods I was able to climb into. Unfortunately, we live in Eastern NC (home to many, many pine trees), and the offering of pine needles wasn't providing a Charmin-like alternative. Thinking quickly, I dropped my shorts, and ended up using my underwear instead - the shorts have a lining thank goodness, so running commando was fine by me! While it wasn't a pleasant experience, I was feeling better, so I started running again.


No more than a mile later, disaster struck again. I was still 2 miles out and not about to give up one of my socks, so I changed my route and tried to get into a local volunteer fire station in search of a toilet. I pounded the windows and doors to no avail and once again, found myself among a small strip of trees:

Notice how you can see STRAIGHT THROUGH the "woods!" Lucky me:) I ended up finding a few dry leaves and relieved myself for the second time in an hour and a half. I finally arrived home to be greeted by my FIL. I said, "I had a bit of a situation. Let's just say, I'm no longer in possession of my underwear and I need to take a shower." 

So it's official...I Run, Therefore, I Am is an official running blog, complete with our very own poop story!

Now, what's your story?!