Hello gang, happy Monday! I don’t know about you but I’ve been overtaken by Olympic fever the past few days.  I have never before been all that into the two-week competition, but something is definitely different this year.  Maybe it is because I spent my junior year of college in London, and every aerial shot of the city brings on intense pains of nostalgia.  Maybe because I’ve gotten to know the Karwoski brothers, and I’ve come to realize the intense dedication it takes to be an Olympic level athlete.  Perhaps my increased interest is due to the fact that I’ve begun taking my own workouts more seriously.  Or maybe I’m just more patriotic in my old age.  Whatever the reason, I’ve been completely enamored.

Anyway, it has encouraged me to exercise more.  I dug the old iron gym out from the back of my closet tonight and put it to use.  Can’t say I was terribly satisfied with my results, but at least I’m actually using it again.  Oh, and I signed up for the Rock N’ Roll Los Angeles mini-Half Marathon on Halloween.  If you read my post last week I was flirting with the idea, and over the course of the week I decided to do it.  Should be a fun day and good practice for my half marathon a week later.  Maybe I’ll wear a costume or something.  Plus that day will mark my third year anniversary as an Angelino!

Alright, I’m gonna go watch some swimming.  See you all next week!

-Derek

The Vogt Family traveled to the Poconos this weekend, which offered a great opportunity to get a different workout in today.  It’s about time somebody besides WAO regular Erich Raschid put a hiking trip together.  Below are two pictures from the 2.5 hour hike at Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvania.  Drew and Megan Vogt are in the first picture, with Matt Vogt and his new puppy added in the second.

I spent part of the weekend in Delaware myself, and woke up to a nice 3 mile run among the chicken houses, corn and soybean fields that Milford is famous for.

Enjoy the week.

-Team Baltimore

Great workout with my younger brother in NH on Saturday. Couple sets of squats, pull ups, chin ups, pushups, one legged dips and a nice row in on a single skull. Great to have a motivator around all the time. Especially while we check out Europe for the next few weeks. Keeping up with the hostel workouts will be key. But no matter how bad our situation may be Not a day goes by without thinking of the troops in those rough conditions a lifestyle. Thoughts and prayers. AR. NF. NR.

Nick

The Olympics are finally here!!  There are many reasons why I love the Games.  It is so inspiring to see all of the talented and determined athletes compete.  We come together as a country and feel the emotions that come along with winning the gold and breaking records.  It is a time to show our patriotism by supporting our country as a little act of thanks.  In these 17 exciting days of competition, may we remember those in the military who are just as talented, determined and devoted to our country.  Every time you workout, let the thought of the athletes and military that represent the US push you that much further.  It certainly will make me!

This morning I had a great run…while donning by Olympic gear, I ran a quick 4 mile loop around the lake.  It was a cool 70 and just a perfect way to start the day.  I even went as far and downloaded the Olympic theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bXy72_4X8w) to listen to for a little more inspiration.  With that…GO USA!!!

Tim is traveling for business attending a conference at Dartmouth and he asked me to post on his behalf. Tim has been working out all week running 2-3 miles a day. He is running in Hanover, NH, a very beautiful area for running, very green and hilly. The scenic landscape certainly made those 2-3 miles of personal time very enjoyable.

On a slightly different note, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the 365 Day Challenge runners and bloggers who generously give up their time each week to workout on behalf of our military families. I know many of you have very busy schedules balancing personal and professional demands and finding time to not only workout but to also post to this blog is not an easy task.  To many, posting a paragraph or two each week may seem like a small act, but these consistent small acts, when taken together, over a long period of time add up to an great act of charity. Thank you for your time, your commitment to our cause, and belief in our organization. Keep up the fantastic work. -Matt

Its been a crazy couple of days. Driving from Los Angeles to New Hampshire. Over 3500 miles. Lots of pushups and ab workouts to stay awake and healthy. Just reminds me how great a country we live in between the badlands of South Dakota to Yosemite to tons of amazing cities with all sorts of interesting people. Landed in Ithaca for a little while this morning and was able to go for a row with my brother, the world class rower, and some of his former Cornell teammates. Great to get back out on the water.

AR. NF. NR.

Nick

What another incredible summer day! Got up @ 6:00 & met Jay at the Mines Fall path and ran a 5K. We have never really measured it but know from how fast we pace ourselves and how much we talk! It was a pretty good run along the Nashua River, under the highway and back again to the parking lot. We were talking about how quickly the Timberman Triathlon is coming up in August & how we both need to step it up as it is a tough course! The normal way for us to train in the past has been to swim 2 days in a row; bike 2 days in a row; run 2 days in a row & then rest. I will have to brick tomorrow & swim first with a short run afterwards. It will be fun to have Lauren & Tim at the lake this weekend to do some training!

Bear, Tim & I went on two incredible hikes this past weekend! One was the bridle path on Rattlesnake & the other was Red HIll. Both views were magnificent at the top but even better was the company! We went first thing in the morning both Sat. & Sunday……such a perfect way to start each day! Tim is recovering quite well from his surgery. I’m very impressed with his goal to compete in the Timberman on August 18th.

So many reasons to be thankful for all that is around us and those around to share the daily little things. Nick & Alex should write a blog about their cross country trek from LA to NH. That would be quite an interesting read!

Lots of love from the GG xoxo~

Donna & Lauren

Said goodbye to my boy Karwoski on Friday.  It was sad to see him go, but I’m excited about his inevitable achievements in the years to come.  He’s gonna do big things out on the East Coast and I couldn’t be happier for him.  As long as I get a ticket to the 2016 Olympics that is…

I guess that means I’m holding down WAO365 Los Angeles on my own.

I had a good six-mile run in the neighborhood this evening.  Been slowly working up to 13 miles for the Malibu half-marathon I’m running with my mom in November.  I got an email today about the Los Angeles Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon in October, and it really tempted me to sign up.  I really enjoyed the San Diego Rock N’ Roll and I imagine Los Angeles will be just as nice.  Plus it is on Halloween, which will certainly add to the festivities.  I’ll let you know next week what I decide to do.

Hope everyone is doing well.  Keep working hard!

See ya next week!

-Derek

It was a rainy weekend here in Baltimore. The picture below was taken from right outside my front door.

The rain was plentiful, but it helped to really cool down the air temperature, which has been a nice break from the crazy heat we have had the past couple of weeks. We did have some breaks from the rain, during which members of Team Baltimore got out and got active. We didn’t have any group runs this week, but a couple of us went out individually and ran through the beautiful streets and downtown Baltimore, incorporating great views like Fort McHenry and the Inner Harbor.

Today I went for a run in my old stompting ground…Chicago! It has been so hot there the past several weeks, I was fortunate to get a bit of a breeze down by the lake front. 

We had a great night with good friends, and burned several additional calories dancing!! 

Xoxo Granite girl subbing in for Mr. Saturday!!