Ruck Review: GoRuck Challenge Class 1165

Hello again! Sorry for this late post, but you knew that I had post a review about my first GoRuck Challenge ever! On September 12 Jill and I embarked on our very first GoRuck Challenge in honor of the fallen heroes of 9/11. Although I had made many training promises right after our GoRuck Light in July sadly I didn't do any of it. :( I don't want to say that I went to this event "cold," but let's just say I heavily relied on my crossfit training to get me by.

 

I was a bundle of nerves when Justin dropped us off at the mall. But we had to take a selfie beforehand. The calm before the storm if you will ;)

 

At first we didn't see anyone, but as we walked closer to the Smithsonian castle. We saw them. Hundreds of people all anxiously awaiting the cadre and their instructions.

Of course with any GoRuck event we kicked off with the "welcome party." A series of PT drills to get the night started off right. As soon as we began the first exercise I knew that this was nothing like the two GoRuck Lights I've done in the past. We quickly found out the Challenge is definitely not double the duration and intensity of a Light. After a hearty round of PT which included the ever famous "tunnel of love" and centipede push-ups (I still can't get the hang of those!) we split off into groups and were assigned a cadre. Ours was Cadre Luke, a fellow University of Maryland alum. :)

 

During a GoRuck event, you have to get to certain locations within a time cap. And of course when you don't make it to the destination in the time allowed you get penalized with PT. Obviously our first mission to the White House ended in an epic fail since we were still figuring out how to work as team. 

 

Flutter kicks in near the White House gates? Why not?

 

 

Next we headed to the Lincoln Memorial where we did a series of partner sprints and of course more PT for those who weren't sprinting.

 

Serving up pain...like a boss...

 

We had to make our next destination so we did the last sprint up the Lincoln Memorial stairs as a team.

 

 

Now I'm not going to tell you about everything we did because each event is different and each cadre is different. And even if you get the same cadre twice, you'll still get a different experience because it all depends on what kind of mood he's in, LOL. But! I will tell you my favorite thing during our challenge was when we had to "veg" up Marine recon style ;)

 

 

And of course with every challenge, you gotta get wet!

 

 

Just flutter kicking in the Potomac River...nbd...

 

A shot of me dumping the water out of my ruck! It was the easist way to get all the water out without taking the backpack off.

Before I forget I must give a huge shout out to our shadow, Aaron Wyche. He followed our group from beginning to end and he was the perfect shadow! He took these amazing pictures and was always there to offer help when needed (i.e.: "Can you watch our stuff while I jump into the Potomac?"). Thanks again! :)

 

As the night turned to day we crossed into Virginia to visit the 9/11 Memorial by the Pentagon and then back to DC...

 

Carrying various team weights along the way...

 

 

Jill is always surprised how often she gets carried at these things!

 

 

We stopped by the World War II Memorial for an awesome group shot!

 

 

We were on the home stretch...

 

But we weren't done yet! When we got back to the starting point it was time for...you guessed it..more PT. Here are the shortest girls doing log lifts (which of course includes my sister and I). By this time I had a permanent "poopy face" on (as Cadre Luke called it), but I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and I definitely wasn't going to quit now! 

 

Photo credit to Nick Schrein

When we finally got our patches, I was exhausted, yet happy! In my bleary-eyed sleep deprived state, I realized that this was the hardest thing that I have done in my life so far. It was difficult at times and I can't tell you how times I thought about quitting, but I'm glad I didn't. 

 

To conclude, my sister Jill said it best on her Facebook page: "I wouldn't have been able to endure the 19 miles over 12+ hours without my team to embrace the suck with me. We suffered in silence in honor our fallen heroes who would give anything to have the ability to even feel pain. Never thought I'd be grateful for pain until now; it means you're alive. I'm not gonna lie and say it was fun, but it was good livin'!"

PS...people have asked me when I'm going to do the next one and I must say I haven't signed up for another yet. But let me know if you want to do one, I may just join you for the action ;)

You Down With AirBnB?

Yeah you know me!

*sung to the tune of "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature*

As the title indicates, Justin and I are "down" with AirBnB as we are hosts on this home/room sharing website. AirBnB stands for Air(mattress) Bed and Breakfast. Created as an alternative to expensive hotels, hosts on this website can rent out sofas, rooms and entire homes. Basically, as hosts on this website we open our home to travelers by renting a room out in our house (Yes complete strangers! Dun-dun-dun!). DC real estate blog, Urban Turf, provides a great primer on AirBnB here.

As discussed in the Urban Turf article, we had to get some licenses in order to rent out a room legally in the District (it varies by state). I also made sure we got the proper inspections done because that was the only way that Justin would let us participate--we had to be fully compliant with the DC laws of course. ;)

Click to see our listing

With our prime location in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, DC, we get a ton of inquires! We received so many inquiries that we have to decline some of them for various reasons (e.g.: Justin's exam week in school, family visiting, etc.) After all, we do want some time for ourselves every now and then. ;) We even get inquires about intern housing for the summer, but we aren't quite ready to host a young 20-something in our home for three months quite yet. ;)

Yes, there are some cons to this process, but to me they are minor. You have to sacrifice some of your privacy and obviously share your space. The language barrier between some of our guests got to Justin more than it did to me. Of course on the pro side we have gotten to meet some interesting people from all over the world, and everyone for the most part has been really nice! Additionally, I can't leave out the monetary benefit. For the few months that we have been doing AirBnB, we have earned enough money to remodel our upstairs bathroom. So if you ask me, I think the trade-off is worth it.

"But, Joanne! What about if they wreck your place or steal something?"

First off, we don't host guests without us being home ourselves. Thankfully, Airbnb has a really good insurance policy in those types of instances, and guests have to be verified though the website. As hosts, we are in no way obligated to accept every inquiry to stay in our home. As a general rule, if it doesn't feel right (listen to your gut feeling!) then don't do it!

It's pretty cool that this is a worldwide thing. Although hosting might not be an option for less metropolitan areas, I did see listings in Louisville, KY for Kentucky Derby weekend, with prices around $500/room (!!).

So what do you think? Is this something that you would do?  Of course, if you are our friend or family you get to stay with us for free! ;)

Women of Washington Redskins: An Evening with Coach Mike Shanahan

Did you know that the Washington Redskins has a club especially for its female fans? It's called the Women of Washington Redskins (WOW), and I just became a member not too long ago. Shortly after Memorial Day, WOW hosted a special chalk talk with Coach Mike Shanahan at Redskins Park in Ashburn. The event filled up fast, and I was glad that I signed up. I had never been to Redskins Park so I was looking forward to it!

I had to hustle after work to make the event (traffic going that way is terrible!), but I was treated to some wine and appetizers to nosh on upon my arrival. Yum!

 

Notice the sleeve. You better believe I had to rock the burgundy and gold before I came.

 

The room where the chalk talk took place was also the same room where the actual team watches game film.

They even showed a highlight reel of last season to get us pumped up!

Larry Michael from Redskins TV did the introductions. He sounds the same in person as he does on the radio!

Finally, Coach made his appearance, and he was ready to answer some questions! Excuse the blurry pictures, I was still getting the hang of the camera on my new phone. One thing that's certain is that Coach looked really sharp in his light gray suit!

The ladies asked a wide variety of questions from player specific questions to which player they should choose for their fantasy team (aka: the Alfred Morris "sleeper").  Some ladies even asked what Coach got RGIII for his wedding. It was pretty neat that he was open to answering all of our questions... 

After the Q&A session, it was time for the tour of Redskins Park!

I thought the weight room was pretty cool. Everything was emblazoned with the Redskins logo.

And look at this 150 pound dumbbell! Can you imagine a linebacker curling these? They might as well curl me! ;)

We walked by the Players' Club, which is an area exclusively for the players. No coaches, media, or visitors allowed...

Then I took some shots of the Wall of Fame.  Apparently there is a replica of this wall on the club level at FedEx Field.

Sean Taylor!

Here's a shot of where they eat. As you can see, it's a basketball court converted into a dining area.

They had several display cases in the rear the entrance of the facility. Here is Slingin' Sammy Baugh's original helmet. Can you believe how thin it is?

And of course you can't leave Redskins Park without taking a peek at the Super Bowl trophies!

Me with the trophies. Photo bombing my own picture, LOL.

Overall, it was a great experience! I had a great time at Redskins Park, and I hope WOW does more events like this in the future.

Washington D.C.'s First Costco!

If you know me, you know that I am huge Costco fan. I love the quality, prices, and the overall value of all their products (even their very own Kirkland brand, it's awesome!). If you have ever wondered if it would be worth it for two person household to have a Costco membership, Justin and I would be the first people to tell you that it is so worth it!

Last week, the Nation's Capitol opened their very first Costco. You may have heard that even the Vice President visited! Since Justin and I have visited several Costcos in the DC metro area, we figured it was high time for us to visit the newest Costco right in our own backyard (or Northeast DC, to be exact ;)

Here's a picture of Justin in front of the spanking new Costco. We got there pretty early so the parking lot wasn't that crowded. There was ample parking and it was pretty easy to navigate the parking lanes (unlike the Pentagon City location which can be a cluster-you-know-what). 

The other picture is a shot of the squeaky clean aisles. Again, since this is a new location and we went early it was pretty easy to get around...just give it a few months ;)

We wasted no time filling our cart with fresh produce, cleaning products, and a whole lot of food. Since we had been traveling for the past month we put off doing some major grocery shopping so when we got to Costco we went all out. Check out me with Santa! They had a great selection of Christmas decorations, but we had no room in our cart. :(

The best part of our D.C. Costco shopping experience? The liquor! Woo hoo! Due to area liquor laws, Costcos in Northern Virgina and Maryland are not allowed to sell liquor so I was in awe when I saw amazing Patron boxed sets (perfect for gifting!), Costco-brand liquor and top-shelf brands. I purchased the huge bottle of American Kirkland brand vodka for a reasonable $13, while Justin bought the big daddy bottle of Makers Mark--something you can never have to much of!

Open Wide!!

What cracked me up was when the cashier looked at us and said, "Man, you got a lot of stuff!" I had to giggle because she had yet to realize that at Costco, "You big or go home!" LOL! With our two carts in tow, I think we pissed off the person behind us who only purchased a shrimp cocktail. #noob. In the end I would say it was successful trip and an overall good experience! As with all Costcos, they carried different items than the other Costco we go to (i.e.: they didn't have Almond Breeze milk, Kirkland brand flea and tick medicine, and a few other items), but it's location and the fact they carry liquor might put it over  the edge. :)