I Am Out Running

Hi friends, V here.

I looked at the note that I had left for Coach B on the kitchen counter this morning:

"I am out running."

Pretty simple; it's a note I leave a lot. But then I looked at it again and thought, "yes, I am  out running."

I am outrunning my stress. I am outrunning poor health. I am outrunning negative body-image thoughts. I am outrunning headaches and heartbreaks. I am outrunning fears of inadequacies. I am outrunning my worries and hurries. I am outrunning things I can't change. I am outrunning poor future choices. I am out, running.

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 I will say that the streak has been outrunning me, though! I promise we've both been faithfully logging the miles. M and I will be celebrating the streak's official end with a 5k race on the Fourth! Here's a recap, in collage form:

Day 31: Day after One Run For Boston relay. One quick mile before my tattoo session...

Day 32: Little over 5K, with right arm wrapped in Saran Wrap and an arm sleeve after tattoo session #2.

Day 33: M and I ran at Pearson, I topped 1,000K on Nike+, and we saw a bear.

Day 34: One mile on Wabash Cannonball Trail, then biking with Coach B.

Checking out Perrysburg history on Day 35.

Day 36: July is chilly; only 66 degress, but great running weather!

Great run for Day 37: Like cruising through a mist tent at Lollapalooza.

Can't believe that this 39-day endeavor is coming to an end! Now the question is do we continue, or do we rest ...?

Have a great holiday! Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other.   -- V

We're Going Streaking: Day Four Forecast -- Speed & Sun

Good evening readers and fellow runners!  Sole Sister M here to start off the report on Day Four of "THE STREAK"!!

I decided today at work that my run was going to be short and sweet.  Sister V and I are headed out tomorrow morning for a 7 miler, so I knew I wanted to keep tonight's run brief.  I didn't just want to head out the door and run though... I needed a challenge of some sort!  Hmmm... I've got it!! Let's see how fast I can run a mile!  In the three and a half years that I have been running, I have NEVER done this!

I got the girls to bed and geared up!! I knew my iPod was coming along tonight.  Music always seems to give me the added boost I need.  I headed outside, set the Garmin and I was off... The first half mile was done at a sub 6 minute pace.  Unfortunately, I lost steam after that.  I ended with a 6:21 pace overall.  My total run time tonight was two miles and I averaged a 7:16 pace. Keeping the streak alive, baby!!

I thought I would have run the mile a little bit faster than what I did.  I didn't throw up though, which leads me to believe that I could have pushed myself a little bit harder.  Even though it wasn't as fast as I expected, this was still MY FASTEST MILE EVER!  Something to be happy about either way!  Annnndd.... improving my mile time gives me something to work on.  I know V and I will have a blast doing some sprints and watching our times decrease!!

To celebrate my fastest mile as of yet, I decided to entertain all of you with a "selfie" of me posing like Usain Bolt.  You are welcome! 

Also, a special Sole Sister SHOUT OUT to Jodi Zeigler who began streaking along with us!  Glad you have you on board, hot mama!

And lastly, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sole Child Lucy who turned 11 today!!! Hope you enjoyed your day!

Hi everyone! V here. I decided to take advantage of the great weather for Day 4 and turn The Streak into a multisport adventure. Our region of northwest Ohio is looking at a stretch of rain coming up, so this could be the last shot at a decent bike/run/swim day for awhile. 

It's my experience that while working at night is definitely terrible for a traditional social life or for any hope of decent sleep before most races, it does have some distinct advantages. One solid perk is that I have my days free to go grocery shopping when most people are working. Can't say how much I enjoy this. But more relevant to this blog is that I have all kinds of daylight to burn, if I want to get up early and get moving. Because Day Four called for more than a run, I broke the news to Harry that I was leaving, wheeled my bike out around noon (OK, so I had slept in some), and headed the three miles it takes to get to the entrance to Sidecut Metropark that I use. 

Best bike ever. Love, love, love. 

"Thank goodness for shade," was my overwhelming thought when I arrived at Sidecut already sweating from the hot bike ride over. The trails in Sidecut wind along the Maumee, and the views can be just beautiful, with cottonwood seeds blowing (and sticking to your sweaty skin -- my arms were starting to look like cotton balls), ducks and geese swimming, and fisherpeople, well, fishing. I got three trail miles in, at a nice pace of 8:20.  

Adventure awaits! 

I traced my three mile bike route home and then -- time to swim! I tell you what, this Ohio girl just wanted to feel the sun soak into my bones after slogging through a long, cold winter. So I swam and swam, and swam some more. 

Look: I caught a Coach B!

I then laid out in the sun for awhile to try to even out the 12 different types of tan lines I get from the different attire required for running, biking, and swimming, plus the strap marks I get from my Garmin and the armband for my iPhone. Because, seriously, a farmer's tan has NOTHING on a multisport enthusiast's tan. I can end up looking like a combination of Dalmatian/zebra. I didn't realize just how MUCH sun I got until I got to work, and the red on my neck and back started to throb with my heartbeat ... 

Don't tell my dermatologist -- this early season burn will be our little secret, OK?  
So, learn from my mistake -- the sun is no joke! And it's no fun to try to run with a sunburn, so find a friend and slather on the SPF. 

The actual time spent running. I can't seem to go fewer than 3. I really intended to just get one in, but it was so nice at the park that I had to keep going. I hope I don't regret it once M and I go for 7 tomorrow! Stay tuned -- I'll probably be a crispy critter limping along, lol. 

Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. -- V.  

Race Report -- V's Try-a-Triathlon

And now, for something completely different ... That's how I was feeling as I stood in the parking lot-turned-transition area set up in front of the Francis Family YMCA at 7:10 a.m. ... barefoot, and in just my tri bikini with a shirt thrown over top. Skimpy is de rigeur for triathletes, I'm told, but most present had the sense to bring A) An extra pair of shoes or sandals to avoid traipsing shoeless on blacktop and, B) Some kind of cover-up. I was standing there feeling like I was in my nightshirt at some kind of athletic sleepaway camp. But hey, it was my first time, and this was going to be a fun learning experience. The crew from the Team Toledo triathlon club was fantastic, in that they were exceedingly friendly and approachable, funny during announcements, knowledgeable, and didn't laugh at me when I asked if I should have a towel in the pool area so I could dry off before going to the bike transition area. "Um, no, you shouldn't need one. You will just get on the bike and ride away wet," said the very nice TT member, in a very beautiful accent. Oh, yes. Of course that was what I would do. After all, this is the same sport where you can pee while on your very- to somewhat-expensive bike. Silly me.

#379, ready to go! (I think ...)

 Well, I set up the transition area, with Coach B's help. Bike -- racked and facing the start, with the saddle on top of the bar. Shoes and socks -- accessible. Towels -- yes. Helmet and sunglasses -- flipped upside down in the most ready-to-go fashion. Bike shorts -- well, shorts. Bike jersey -- no, but I do have a shirt. Race number and belt -- yes, ready to go, with emergency contact information inked on the flip side, just in case.

We get last-minute instructions from Ford of Team Toledo. We check the wall for our wave assignments (I'm Wave 3, yay. Not first; not last.).  We get ready to take the plunge -- for real.

l

I'm in there somewhere, Coach B assures me.

I take my place on the wall in front of my lane and get to know my lane mate. She professes to being somewhat of a lane hog, which I don't really mind, and I told her I generally hug the lane marker. We'll get along just fine. The second wave is all out, so we hop in the pool. There is a call for 30 seconds to go. Then, 10. ("What the hell happened to 20??," I think.) Then, "GO!" Yeah! I'm freestyling/overhand crawling/what have you, and I'm going really fast. I'm going TOO fast. I'm going against well-intentioned wisdom to remember to "not start out the swim too fast!" But, the adrenaline and excitement have combined to make me think I'm Missy the Missile, not Tori the Turtle. Around Lap 5, I feel the fear. I worry about my breath and start to feel that, "Gosh, it's hot in here. Isn't it hot in here? Hello? Anyone?" I hold my own in the crawl until Lap 9, when I kick it into a breaststroke, or at least my version of a breaststroke. I had lost track of my laps (I always do), and am THRILLED beyond belief to see the lane official lower the red "last one" sign into my lane. I turn and burn as much as possible, front crawling the final length. I scramble out of the pool to applause (they told us to cheer for each other; I wasn't doing anything spectacular, but I enjoyed the support) and run to transition, peeling off goggles and cap while trying not to slip!

Transition 1, or as I like to call it, the public dressing room.

Speed laces were awesome. Really made getting the shoes on fast.

So, I find my bike and dry off my feet. Struggle to get semidry feet into socks, struggle into the Lycra shorts over fairly wet bottoms, and slip my feet into my Sauconys, sans struggle because I bought a pair of elastic speed laces. I pull my shirt on, put my sunglasses in place, and strap on my helmet. Can't go ANYWHERE without the helmet. I lift my bike from the rack and run/walk to the bike start. Once I pass the  start line, I hop on and take a right out of the YMCA, embarking on the first of two "Bedford blocks" that will total eight miles. As Ford said at the beginners' clinic the previous day, the roads were going to be rough because, "This isn't Sylvania. Sorry." That made me laugh then, and keeps me aware of street conditions as I pedal down the rather rural roads. My first act on the bike, once I'm in a decent rhythm, is to reach back into my zippered pocket of my shorts and rustle around until I find *TA-DA* chewing gum. Oh, sweet relief. I pass cheerful, encouraging volunteers, and smile and say thanks to as many as I can. I mentally assess where the roadkill is to avoid breathing in the next time around. Feeling good, I increase my speed for the second lap and actually pass a couple of people. I finish the second "Bedford block" lap and bring it on in to the Y. 

Smiling, because the best part is coming up -- time to RUN.

I'm so happy to start the final leg -- the 2 mile run. I dismount at the transition line, run the bike back to my rack spot, and load the bike back up ... in the most awkward fashion possible. 

Uh, so just back it in here? You mean, make the bike go backwards and then somehow
get the saddle to rest on top of the bar?

Well, after a time of wrestling with it some, I finally park my bike in a stable position. Helmet comes off, race number is spun around to be in the front, and, in a last-minute decision, I decide to go sans shirt and just run in my tri bikini top. This proves to be a good move -- it is pretty warm. I take off and try to remember just where that run course starts. 

Oh, that's right. I'm supposed to run by the rehab place. I get my bearings and start my run. We run by the Dumpster (as Ford promised), and then turn left onto a lightly wooded, large-stone path. This feels great, but am actually glad it's just 2 miles. I pass a couple of people, circle the ball diamonds at Indian Creek Park, and loop back out onto the large-stone path. I say "mahalo" to fellow runners coming in for no discernible reason, and then I can hear cowbells and cheering, and charge for the finish. I have enough left to sprint (so I should have worked harder somewhere), so I tear it up and make my way to the inflatable "Finish" arch. 

Almost done!

I am medaled, watered, bagel'ed, banana'ed, and happy. I just basically "speed-dated" three sports in under an hour, and I really had a great time doing it, even when I thought I might be the last person out of the pool. The triathlon is definitely an event to be respected, no matter what the distances are. Thanks to Team Toledo (ahem, you are all now my teammates -- I hope you don't regret this...) and the Francis Family YMCA for a great first tri experience. I'm in. 

I eat triathlons for breakfast, ROARRR! Not really; I eat peanut butter bagels ...

Sunday's Stats: 

Victoria Dugger Wave 3

Bib #379 

250 yard Swim: 5:34

T1: 2:08

8 mile Bike: 29:17

T2: 1:03

2 mile Run: 16:15

12th overall/53 participants

6th overall woman/36 women

4th fastest run

13th fastest bike

25th in swim

T1  -- 22nd

T2 -- 23rd