Streaking Solo and with a Friend -- There's Strength in Numbers on Day 24 & 25

Would you rather run alone or with others?  For me, it depends on the day.  I can assure you though that no matter what I am feeling, that when it comes to runs with Sister V, I would always much rather run with her than alone.  The conversations, the camaraderie, that extra push, the laughs ... Those don't happen when you run alone.  I am lucky enough to have forged a friendship that extends beyond girly gossip and your typical chick stuff.  I have a friendship that is based on common interests, goals, competitiveness, positivity, sweat, insecurities, lifting each other up, holding each other back (if needed), laughter, fears ... It's as real as it gets and I am lucky. 

When you run with someone, you get to know the REAL person that stands in front of you.  The nitty-gritty... When you train with someone, you can't hide who you really are. When you are on an 18 mile run and you hurt, want to stop, have to poop, feel dehydrated, are running positive splits and just don't think you can make it... You CAN'T fake that or hide it.  That is what I LOVE about my friendship with Sister V.  It's REAL.  We have learned so much about each other in the short time that we have known each other because when you train together, you are forced to get to know one another.  I couldn't have asked for a better training partner.  She is my sister!

(Love You Like A Sister)

Day 24 -- This was a post-work run and it was beautiful and sunny out.  I wanted to run immediately after work, but had a mishap in scheduling due to Josie (my youngest) peeing her pants at the library.  I had to run new shorts to her instead of heading to the park.  After delivering new shorts, I headed home, changed clothes and got out the door.  I was happy to be running before dark, so I couldn't complain about the minor hiccup in my plans.  I got a solid five miles in, with all miles under an 8 minute pace.  Aside from a semi turning into a parking lot in front of me, the run was awesome.  I even got honked at a couple of times.  I am sure it was the skirt!

I was super happy to have ran and gotten home before the sun set.  I got to throw some chicken on the grill and play with the kids for awhile.  It was nice.  I am definitely going to try and do this more often.  Night runs are fun and all, but going right after work was a nice treat.

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Aww: Ditto, and L.Y.L.A.S. right back atcha, Sister M!  Let me say right now how lucky any of you out there would be to have such a partner in crime. Through the good and the bad of running, it is beyond awesome to know that you have a supportive companion who will have your back through both tough headwinds and gross roadkill downwinds, and will keep you laughing so hard that you actually get ab cramps while running. My half-sisters are a lot younger than me, and we grew up far away, so this sisterly bond forged through the miles is just a total gift to me, and I feel super lucky as well! You know you have a true friend when she not only doesn't complain when you've just GOT to stop at a port-a-john at mile 3.5 of a 6-mile run, but also is there waiting with a camera to catch your expression when you step out of it, too. But more about Day 25 later ... 

Day 24 was super-unbelievably-CRAZY busy for me. But, I'm never too busy to get in one measly mile, right? Coach B and I got up early (for us), deputized the Sole Children to start some mega-weed pulling (my general mantra this year has been "yard work is for suckas," so things where getting pretty junglelike out there), and then we joined them. Four huge lawn bags full of weeds later, I was an achy puppy, BUT had to go food shopping for (drumroll please) Sole Child Nick's 13th birthday party! Woot! Got back, decorated for a luau like a dervish, marinated the chicken, made fruit salad, husked corn, untinned the baked beans, chilled the Malibu Blue Hawaiian, downed a sugar-free Red Bull, cut kebob ingredients, soaked skewers, blah blah blah blah blah blah ... And then I laced up my Virratas and zoomed out the door for one mile before everyone arrived. And, saw everyone in a car heading toward my house about a quarter mile in, lol. So I waved and thought, "Well, see you in six minutes!" It was a great little bash, and we are now blessed with not one, but two teens in the house. You may see a bump in my weekly mileage. (JUST KIDDING! CALM DOWN, KIDS -- LOVE YOU BOTH.) 

That may very well be one of my most favorite pictures of Sole Child Nick.
And I swear, I only had ONE Blue Hawaiian, just don't ask about the size of the glass.

I woke up on Day 25 of the streak ready to rock it with M! We had thought about getting in a 10-mile run in,  but ended up scaling it back to about 6. Which was fine by me, as I 'm still working out some calf crampy issues -- the foot feels GREAT though. We explored some new concrete-jungle paths, breathed in some toulene fumes from the refineries ringing the area, saw some really neat old gravestones in a (new to us) cemetery, and even visited Navarre Park (I even explored its port-a-john -- there was a lot of food at the birthday luau, what can I say). 

Mmmmm: Fume-y.  This scene makes me hum "My City Was Gone" for some reason.

M runs this city.

And, two slightly demented runner chicks. 

The best part of Day 25, though, was finishing and getting to play with M's Sole Children! These are two great girls, and their friend, too. I think we were happy to have an excuse to use the swing set and also play with sidewalk chalk while drinking our post-run java.

Hey there, happy campers!  

Look out, girls! Mom's gonna get you both in one swing!

Whee! Thanks, Lu, for showing me how to do this!  

Love You Like A Sister

Chalk outlines, courtesy of Lu and Mia.

Fun, fun, fun summer  morning. It was like being a kid again, but with coffee. And then, we went off to our grown-up jobs, but kept a smile in our hearts for the rest of the day. :-) 

I hope that you all find that kind of joy doing what you love, too.

P.S. We are LESS THAN A WEEK from the One Run For Boston cross-country relay! I got a call from the Reynoldsburg Police Department that they want to support us, and are giving us a motorcycle escort during our 7.5 mile relay leg! How cool is that? We can't wait to document it and bring you the sights and sounds of this inspiring event.  

We're Going Streaking -- The Rundown on Days 17 & 18

It's THURSDAY!?  Where has the week gone?  Time is certainly flying and we have both completed Day 18 of The Streak!  It's Sister M reporting to give all you loyal readers the rundown for days 17 and 18 of our running adventures!

Day 17 was a VERY long day for me.  I had a lot going on and pushed my run to the very last minute.  I am talking like 11:15 p.m. last minute.  In all honesty, it ALMOST did not get done... I knew how disappointed I would be if I let that happen, so I knew I had to get out the door for one mile.  I had no excuses and I certainly did not want to let myself or Sister V down. 

This was one of the most ill-prepared runs I have EVER participated in.  Let me go ahead and break this down for you:

• First and foremost, I was EXHAUSTED.  Long story short:  I totaled my vehicle the night before so I spent the day dealing with impound, the DMV, insurance, etc.
• It was 11:15 p.m. and there was a tornado warning (or talk of one) and thunderstorm warning in place for our area
• It was raining.
• I was too lazy to dig clean socks out of the laundry basket, so I ran sockless.
• I was too lazy to dig a headband out of the laundry, so I didn't pull my bangs back (yes, I know I need to put laundry away).
• The only sports bra I could find was a Victoria's Secret PINK yoga sports bra.  It is very cute, but offers ZERO support (I NEED support). The rest were in the washer... Or in the laundry baskets and we all know I wasn't digging through them.

Everything added up to what should have been a bad run.  Overall, it really wasn't.  It was less than 8 minutes of my life and it was OVER!  And I was STILL in the game! Yeah, baby!! I was in bed before midnight, I slept like a rock and the streak was alive!

(The pic of me is pre-run. I didn't look as happy or pretty once I was done.  I looked like a drowned rat)

Day 18 (today) has been great compared to yesterday.  I still pushed my run to the end of the day and didn't get out the door for my run until 10:15 p.m.  The weather was cool and calm and it felt wonderful to get outside.  I got a solid three miles in.  It was fast and sweaty!  I just ran from my house around the hospital grounds across the street.  Smooth sailing this evening, folks!  And my first mile was under 7 minutes!! 

 (I tried to get a picture of the cool fountain they have on the hospital grounds, but it didn't work too well!! Use your imagination, people!!)

I am so, so proud of Sister V and myself for keeping up with this streak!  It is going to feel awesome when we are done and I have a feeling a couple martinis will be consumed in celebration!! I am looking forward to tomorrow (Day 19) because V and I will be hitting the pavement together and getting an early morning run in!  Can't wait to see my sis!!  Stay tuned to see how we did!

 Hey all! V here. Well, my Day 17 & 18 were opposite sides of the coin for me for sure. I looooooved Day 17. I haaaaaaated Day 18. 

I got out early on Day 17 and decided to run past some of my favorite scenic spots in and around Perrysburg. My city is fairly historic (Fort Meigs from the Battle of 1812 is here, and it's named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry who won the Battle of Lake Erie -- "Don't Give Up The Ship," remember that from history class?) and its location on the Maumee River affords many great views. 

River view from the Perrysburg/Maumee bridge, right at the spot that Lucas and Wood counties meet.

View from the aptly named Riverview Park

 I ran down to the bridge, circled back and said hi to the Commodore, and then cruised back toward home. I wanted to slow it down a bit for this run, as the past couple of days have been speedy for me. I accomplished this goal and said good-bye to the run portion of Day 17 and hello to the eight-hour, sitting at a desk work portion of Day 17. 

The dashing Mr. Perry. 

 I developed some foot pain while at work, and was forced to go shoeless to try to alleviate it. I got home, whined to Coach B, iced, applied Tylenol cream, whined to Coach B, and went to bed hoping it would be better in the morning for Day 18. After some stretching and whining, I decided that Day 18 would just be a one mile test run to see if I was injured and how injured I might be. 

The treadmill seemed the best idea for a one-mile test run, so I could keep it soft. 

I kept it slow and decided that running actually felt better than walking did. I also decided that I was going to wear only supportive shoes from here on out. I don't want to irritate my metatarsals any further and risk having to ditch the streak. M and I are planning to hit the streets or trails tomorrow, and I want to be able to do some distance greater than a mile! 

In happy news: my One Run For Boston T-shirt arrived today! I am so excited to take part in this relay race. I believe that as of right now (June 14), a runner has the baton in Texas and is working his or her way east. Check out One Run For Boston for the latest updates. Also, USA Today did a great article on the relay. Check it out! 

Representing Ohio in Stage 237!!! 

I hope to have a happier run report for Day 19. I finally get to run with my sis again, so no matter what it'll be a good time. 

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

One Run For Boston -- Why We're Running This Once-In-A-Lifetime Relay Event

In this uncertain world, there is one constant that you can count on this summer. You might be at a cookout, swimming, at work, watching a drive-in movie, or even sleeping. No matter what you are doing, at any time between now and June 30, you can stop and say to yourself, "Right now, at this very  minute, one of more than a thousand runners is making his or her way across the United States clutching a lighted torch that says 'One Run For Boston.' " 

The design concept of the baton, created by UK artist Jon Parlby, is based on a lily flower, representing a symbol of strength, hope, and solidarity for the One Run runners and Boston.

 On June 6, One Run For Boston, the first-ever cross-country relay, began near Los Angeles. The brainchild of three Brits, the nonstop relay is scheduled to conclude June 30 at the Boston Marathon finish line. The relay covers more than  3,000 miles and is raising money for those most affected by the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon. The relay spans 14 states, and runners from the United States and beyond are running day and night to get the baton to the finish line. There are 319 stages, and each stage varies in length from as few as 5 miles to about 12. The stages can consist of one solo runner, a smaller cadre of up to 25 runners, or be a big group stage in which up to 500 runners can participate at once. It is up to each runner to decide, plan, and navigate the exact route they will take between the specified start and finish points for their stage.  

I'm pleased, honored, and humbled to let you know that the Sole Sisters and Coach B are in charge of Ohio Stage 237 -- E. Livingston Ave. outside of Columbus to Etna, Ohio. We have a 7.5 mile stretch that we have to map out and not screw up.  I can tell you now that I did have a mild freak-out session when I learned that the person who was originally taking command of our stage had dropped out, leaving me to plan the path -- from nearly three hours away. I've never been to Reynoldsburg/Pataskala, Ohio, yet here I am studying maps and charts and satellite images to make sure our little part of the 3,000 miles doesn't cause the whole relay to be thrown off track. As of right now, 22 other people are welcome to come and join us (after you donate your $50 relay fee) -- we are scheduled to step off at 9:45 a.m. on June 25. The location is near the Parkview Presbyterian Church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio (6969 E. Livingston Ave.). If you'd like join us, either leave a message in the comment section if you need more information, or just sign up for our stage at onerunforboston.org and we'll see you there.

The bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line affected me deeply, and more viscerally than any other tragic news story has since Sept. 11, 2001. I have been involved in newspaper journalism since my college days, starting around 1998. Usually, I can withstand the daily barrage of fatal car accidents, missing child cases, domestic violence incidents, and overseas terror attacks that I have to read about every single day. I guess you could say I've become hardened to it, as both a defense mechanism and as a result of overexposure. This, for me, was quite different. Coach B and I had woken up early on Marathon Monday to watch the start of the marathon, eat breakfast in bed, and take in the spectacle of the elite men and women running at their unearthly speeds. 

Rita Jeptoo and Lelisa Desisa Benti were the women's and men's champions of the 2013 Boston Marathon, finishing well ahead of the bombings.

At this time, the Glass City Marathon was about two weeks away, and Sole Sister M and I were still dreaming about qualifying for Boston 2014. For me, it was a quiet goal and I hadn't told anyone outside of our small training circle. But I dreamt of it, and was wishing for it, and every step I took was in the hopes that I would be good enough to make my qualifying time at GCM. That Marathon Monday, Coach B and I watched the conclusion of the men's and women's elites, then went back to sleep so we would be rested for work that night. I woke up around 1 or so, then hopped in the shower. When I came out, I turned on CNN like I usually do to get caught up on the news world. I heard the report of explosions before I saw them. At first I thought it was probably some car bomb in Iraq or something similar, which I'm unfortunately pretty inured to. And then I looked at the TV. And saw -- wait a second, that looks like a race course; that looks like a scene I am intimately familiar with. That looks like a finish line. I had the flash of realization: that is no desert outpost -- that is BOSTON.  That is what I'm working for, that is my goal, I was just watching this earlier this morning -- Oh, my God, what is happening here? 

I started crying, and I honestly couldn't stop. My runner friends and I texted back and forth: Have you seen what's happening? Do we know anyone there? What happened? Who's responsible? How many are hurt? People have died? Oh, my God. Just hours later, I was in the newsroom, facing reading and laying out stories about the bombing and selecting photos to illustrate all that had happened on Boylston Street. It was honestly one of the hardest days I've ever had at work -- mercifully at one point my boss saw how upset I was and sent me outside for air so I could try to gather myself.  It was like that to some degree every day up to and beyond that Friday when the bombing suspect was finally apprehended, which gave some measure of closure though the thought of both the victims still hospitalized and the fact that this storied running tradition was marred by a senseless act of violence was enough to make my blood boil. 

If there was one thing I was dead certain of, it was that these terrorists had picked the wrong subset of people to target. If you  think a runner, especially a distance runner, is going to be intimidated or back down, I'm sorry but you are very, very wrong.  Just a few days out from our marathon, we dried our tears. We redoubled our efforts. We dedicated our running to those who no longer could. We felt a fire in our bellies. We raised money. We raised awareness. We toed the start line at the Glass City Marathon. We swallowed down the lump in our throats during the moment of silence. We celebrated the starting gun. We ran our asses off. We hugged at the finish line. We screamed out with joy that we were going to Boston, baby.  

There aren't many things you can be sure of in this world, but there are two I am counting on right now. One, there will be a runner from now until June 30 making his or her way to Boston -- making a triumph out of a tragedy. And two, that third Monday in April, you will count me in Hopkinton among the thousands massed at small Massachusetts town -- ready to reclaim a storied marathon that is poised to come back, Boston Stronger. 

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