We Did It! Soaring Eagle Boy Scout Half Marathon recap

Hey all! Happy Labor Day weekend. V here from slightly sunny Toledo. M and I decided to celebrate Labor Day by, well, laboring. Aug. 31 brought the 5th annual Soaring Eagle Boy Scout Half Marathon in fast & flat Bowling Green, Ohio. Quite a ways back we had decided this would be one on our race calendar, and, despite not sticking to a specific training program, darn it if we weren't going to do this race. Which, after assessing the sometimes questionable nutrition choices and unquestionable beer consumption in which we've indulged this summer, we decided was not going to be so much a race as it would be a run. 

M is training for the Detroit Free Press marathon on Oct. 20 (her fourth running of it!) and  I'm in for the Northern Ohio Marathon on Oct. 13. We figured getting a 13.1 long run in (with a bunch of other people) would be a great springboard for our training. 

The Boy Scout half is one that M's done at least twice, if not three times before, and this was my first experience with the race run. I have to say even though the course meandered for about nine miles through nothing but cornfields and soybean patches, I quite enjoyed the run. Since we were using this for training, I employed my "Chatty Cathy Offense." I was determined to talk our way out of this run, just to keep our minds from veering into scary territory that might include thoughts of "hey, are we really prepared to do this" and "oh, gee, I haven't run this far outside since, let's see, APRIL." I was worried at first that M would be annoyed that I was doing this, since in a race situation we do NOT talk, but I know that if she was bugged, she'd feel free to tell me (in a loving way, of course). 

Pre-race faces. Just look confident, right? 

The hydration stations were plentiful and pleasantly staffed by volunteers young and not as young. I took water at every station, thirsty or not, to sip and dump on my back. The kids seeking high-fives were my favorites. That was another fun thing about making this a run, and not a race. If I'm racing, I'm not going to go out of my way to expend energy to slap five with someone. But, really, after seeing how excited some of these kids got, I'm going to revise that policy. It's fun to reach out and helps me express my gratitude for the people who volunteer their time to make it possible for us runners to get out there and do our thing. Who knows, for a young girl, a high-five from a bunch of runners could inspire a future Shalane Flanagan. And we need more Shalanes, lol. 

We sisters hung together until about mile 10. I started to feel the need for speed as soon as I put my earbuds in. I don't know what it is about "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel, but that song makes me move. Weird, right? Once I knew I had 10 miles in, I was able to relax and reel off the last three miles, with the last one being the fastest, at 7:52. I crossed at a clock time of 1:54.30 (chip times aren't available yet), and M was close on my heels to notch another sub-2 hour half for herself. She took home 1st in age group, and I was 3rd in mine (first race organized run as a 35 year old!). 

Medals & pint glasses for age-group winners. Can't go wrong. 

I'm so looking forward to getting deep with this marathon training, now that I feel more confident after this half. If you're looking for a good, well-organized, and fast and flat half, I recommend the Soaring Eagle Boy Scout half! Thanks for checking out the recap. 

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

We're Going Streaking -- Day 14 and Feeling Fine & Day 15's No-Motivation Monday

Happy Monday, all!  What a wonderful weekend it was!  Mine was busy from start to finish and I am sure V's was too.  Jammed packed full of runs, fun and wonderful weather... You haven't heard from us since Saturday due to that exact reason.  By the time Sunday night rolled around, V and I decided it was critical we take a rest day from the blog.  We were both exhausted!

Our last streak update was brought to you on Day 13.  So let's pick up right where we left off... 

Sunday, Day 14 was amazing.  I woke up early and decided to get a long run in.  The sky was overcast and the temps were mild.  I decided I was going to run from my house to International Park, which is located along the water and directly across the river from downtown Toledo.  The route to get there isn't so pretty, but once you are on the towpath leading down to the docks, it is wonderful.  This last weekend at International Park they had The Wall - American Veteran's Traveling Tribute.  It is a replica of the wall in Washington, D.C. that lists the names of all of the fallen military men and women during Vietnam.  It travels all over the U.S.  The next stop was St. Louis, Missouri.  Check out the site to see if it is coming to a city near you.  Definitely worth checking out. The Wall - Traveling Tribute

 (very emotional to see personal notes and items that had been left for some of the fallen soldiers ... to see some pictures set alongside the memorial really hit home)

While I was at the docks, a Marine asked me how far I had run to get to the memorial ... I am assuming me drenched in sweat, donning running shoes and a Garmin were a dead giveaway I had ran there.  I told him I had ran 4.5 miles there and he said "That's really cool!" My immediate response was "Yeah, felt good... But now I have to do it again!"  We both got a chuckle out of that.  Overall, the 9 miles felt good and I kept it right around a 8:10 pace the entire time.

Once my run was over, my family and I headed up to the Tigers game.  We got to witness game 3 of their sweep over the Cleveland Indians!! Go Tigers! Sorry, Sister V and Coach B (they are die-hard Tribe fans)! Sunday was definitely fun!

 (GO TIGERS!!)

Just as soon as the weekend got here, it was over.  Monday morning got here way too fast and let me say I was NOT excited about it.

 (I wanted NOTHING to do with this morning)

The alarm went off at 6:34 a.m. and I had full intention of getting up, ingesting coffee and gettin' my streak on... However, that is NOT what happened.  Instead I crept downstairs, sat on the couch and began reading the news on my phone.  Next thing you know, I was jolted awake, it is 8:15 and I am in an uncomfortable upright position with my phone in my hand.  There was no time to run at this point, so I had to push it to after work.

Running after work wasn't all that bad.  I really had ZERO motivation to do it, but I did get to round up the family and go to the YMCA, which was nice.  My husband actually joined me this evening which is EXTREMELY rare.  

(it is nice having the Y membership so everyone can go, if need be.  Josie really enjoys the kids area and the "teachers" they have in there... and Scott & I got to spend a little time together as well)

(first time he has used the Y pass in God knows how long... it's now or never though since he signed up for the half in Detroit!!)

We both did the eliptical, upper body strength training and just over a mile apiece on the treadmill.  It wasn't the most amazing run on earth.  My speed was good but I just wasn't feeling it.  I am VERY glad I kept the steak alive though and went to the gym.  Tonight was a "one and done" kind of night!  One mile that is!!

Sister V and I will be very honest with you!  Some days are far easier than others.  Today just was not a day full of "oomph" and it definitely lacked in the motivation category!! Tomorrow, however, is a new day and I am hoping that we both wake up renewed and excited for day 16!!

Some days, it's just a feat to get out the door...

Hey all! I'm so glad to be back home and plugged in with you all! Coach B and I had a great time camping in the Irish Hills and hanging with some friends we hadn't seen in awhile. I will say they aren't kidding when they say Irish HILLS. I did run both mornings I was there, though I got a later start on the second morning and just did one at the campground. 

I was feeling like I needed to run again, though, when I got home -- kind of like a "welcome home" to myself, and also because (and this might sound counterintuitive) I was really, really sore from the hours of sand volleyball that I had played earlier in the day. Running muscles are just not the same as sand volleyball muscles, though I'm not really sure there is such a thing as a "throwing yourself on the ground and digging out serves from the back row"  muscle. So, I got home, added my new #bostonstrong shoe medallions to my Virratas and I was out the door, just for 3 miles, I said. 

I felt just fantastic running at night -- I don't usually get to do that. So, I went and then before I knew it, I had done 4 miles. I thought, "that's good -- one more than I had thought I'd do. Yay me." And then, I happened to glance at my Nike+ and notice that I was 0.8 miles away from breaking 30 for the week. And so ... I had to go run another mile. Some people call these junk miles -- for me, they are OCD miles.  

Uhh, yeah. So that was a total of three runs on Sunday. Makes sense, right?

 And on Day 15, I woke up feeling like a truck had pretty much hit me. Wow -- that's a lot of upper body soreness to deal with! Lucky for me, my legs feel pretty good, but I'm like a giant bruise from the waist up. So, I really had to bargain with myself to get the heck on the treadmill and just pound out one measly mile. Seriously: It is about 8 or so minutes out of my day; I can do this. But fortunately for me, my jam came on: 

Damn you and your catchiness, Robin Thicke ... 

And so, it was off to the races. Or at least off for a mile. I tried experimenting with keeping my hair down, since I wasn't going to be running long. And I learned, nope: don't like that much. 

I wasn't much in the mood for it, but I didn't quit and the streak lives on. Like M said: Here's to hoping Day 16 finds us both in slightly better frames of mind! Hope your streaks are going strong too! This will be my mantra for Day 16: 

Happy running! Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. -- V. 

We're Going Streaking -- Day 13 Country Roads & Campgrounds

Well, V and I will officially hit our two week mark in the streak tomorrow!  Pretty remarkable for both of us!  I can't lie, there have been a couple days where it has been difficult to squeeze a run in or I just plain haven't wanted to, but I am always very happy (and proud of myself) once it's done!

This weekend is busy, busy for both of the Sole Sisters!  V is unplugged and camping for the weekend but was able to send me a quick collage to keep me updated and stay accountable.  Looks like she got a solid 5k in surrounded by nature!  Can't beat that!  I know the weather was perfect at home and where she currently is, so I am sure it felt good!  Great job, V! Can't wait for you to get back so we can catch up!

(not too fond of her staring at me like that... I may have to have a word or two with her)

My weekend is pretty busy as well.  I started it this morning with a run accompanied by fellow streaker Jodi Zeigler.  It was nice to catch up and run in her neck of the woods.  She lives in a rather rural area so it was wonderful to run and not get stuck at crosswalks and worry about city traffic!  We got a solid five miles in and Jodi said she needs to work on talking and running... She wasn't quite used to it and I think I gave her lungs a real workout today!

(those are her horses, dogs and goat you see in the above pic... I think the dogs wanted to join us, but I have a feeling they would have ran us instead of us running them!!)

After my run with Jodi, I headed into work for a brief work meeting and then hit up some local garage sales... I scored a pretty sweet set of colorful Tupperware in case any of you readers wondered.  Then it was off to lunch with a great friend of mine!  Mama Meg!  She always brightens my day and is just a great source of positivity!  I am a firm believer that real, strong women uplift each other.  It is why it is so important to surround yourself with like-minded people!

(lots of laughs and love at lunch today!)

After lunch, I had to pick up Sole Child Lu from a softball game and then it was time to head home and get ready for the sprint car races at Fremont Speedway!! A customer at work gave me the tickets so I thought I would give it a whirl! I had NEVER been to anything like it before, but it was a blast.  The kids LOVED it and we will definitely be back!  

We were joined by fellow streaker Allan Detrich, his wife Mary and their son Noah.  As you can see, the Sole Children has a fantastic time.  I was happy to catch up with Allan and Mary since we hadn't seen them in quite awhile.  Good thing we grabbed a bite to eat beforehand... Those races were no place to chat!  Super loud, but totally fun! And yes, the most important thing to little Jo was her grape sno-cone... Oh, to be three again.

Well, readers, runners and fellow streakers... Thanks for reading and we look forward to another fabulous run tomorrow in the sun!!

In the words of V-Money: Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to each other.

HAPPY NATIONAL RUNNING DAY!! Plus: Gone Streaking -- The Day 9 Recap

 Happy National Running Day everyone! We're so excited to celebrate our national holiday with all of you in spirit when we hit the road today. The holiday poses a single fill-in-the blank phrase for us: "I RUN ____" making us consider just why it is we opt to lace up our shoes and go outside or hit the treadmill. Why DO we do this? For us Sole Sisters, we have a list as long as our arms (that doesn't necessarily mean V's list is shorter and M's is longer, mind you...), so it's hard to distill it to one pithy little phrase.  So today, we run for all the reasons we already know, and for the reasons we've yet to find out -- for the truths about ourselves and each other that will reveal themselves out on the wooded trails, the sweaty dreadmill treadmills, the open roads, the long stretches of beach sand, the hard mountain paths, and beyond. Thanks for being along for the journey, runner friends. Here's to hoping your path brings you peace and truth, health and happiness.

AND  we are happy to say ... THE STREAK IS STILL ALIVE! M picks up where we last left off:

OK, so V and I made the mutual decision last night to sleep instead of blog!  This was probably one of the BEST decisions she and I have made in awhile ... Well, aside from deciding on how we are going to celebrate National Donut Day (stay tuned).

Yesterday was Day 9 of our streak and we are right on track!  I must say, this is the FIRST time that either of us have ran this many days in a row!  It was another beautiful day here in the Midwest and we both took full advantage of what Mother Nature had to offer!

I was able to get another 5 miles in right around sunset at a 7:38 pace.  Like I said, the weather has been amazing, so I wanted to soak it in!

As you can see in my pic, I horsed around with the kids on the swing set!  Those rings are no joke... A few flips and holding myself upside down and my arms were feeling it.  V says I am like a big kid and I will agree 100%!!  Once I was inside, I pumped out some push-ups and sit-ups for good measure.  Overall, a fantastic workout!!

Lastly, I need to mention to all you readers that I am officially registered for the Detroit Free Press Marathon that takes place on October 20th of this year.  This will be my fourth year running this race and my goal is to PR.  Not that me registering for Detroit is a newsflash, but what I am about to tell you next definitely is... My husband, who half the time is unwilling to run a 5k unless I threaten him with violence, has decided to run the half-marathon course that Detroit offers!! I am beyond excited about this! He will have to be dedicated to a training program, but I have confidence he can do it! If anything, I know some seriously good blog material will stem from this!

Have a great day all and remember, today is National Running Day!  Get out there and get some miles in!!

 Hey all! V here. Yep, Day 9 was a good one for me as well. I had told Coach B that I'm just going to head out for 1 ... and he said "whatever; there's no way you're just going to run a mile." Well, isn't he just the wise one. It was a gorgeous day and so, no, there was no way just a mile would do, so I stretched it out to a 5k to take advantage of the cooler temps and brilliant sunshine. Sometimes you just have to run what you feel -- some days it's best to slow down or stop if you're hurt, and some days if you're feeling good you should *ahem, pardon ME Nike* just do it. You need to learn to read the signs as a runner.

And that's what the signs were telling me on Day 9. M and I will get to run Day 10 together during the National Running Day event in Sylvania, so we'll keep you posted on that as well. Plus ... big doings are being planned for National Donut Day on Friday. We'll keep you posted.

Plus: School is OUT for the summer! So, we hope to get our Sole Children involved in the running world as well. As you can see, my whole sole family is thrilled that school is out:

Celebratory dinner marking the end of school. I think everyone got a little stir crazy.

Have fun out there, everyone!!

Also: happy to report that the streak is still going strong for Sara near Cincy and Debbie in Delaware. We have a few more jumping on the streak too -- let us know how you're doing out there!
Be kind to yourself. Be kind to each other. -- V