Running Update: Rob and I are virtually racing along the Oregon Coast

On July 1st Rob and I started a virtual race along the Oregon Coast.  I committed to doing ten races in 2020 and had no idea I would be racing in this format.  I have to admit that it has been pretty fun. Rob and I chose the duathlon category which is running and bicycling.  NOT a biathlon. A biathlon is that event from the winter Olympics where the athletes ski and then shoot at a target.  

So far we have banked 205.24 miles and are 58.64 percent of the way there.  As a team we virtually started at Brookings, passed through Coos Bay and are approaching Newport. We are in sixth place out of  twenty seven teams.

That is fantastic considering Rob had quite the long weekend battling diverticulitis in Salem Hospital in mid July and had to rest from his workouts after his discharge. Virtually he made it to about Gold Beach.    Then virtually he rode in a bike trailer attached to my bike or I pulled him while I ran (can you imagine if that REALLY happened). 

 It was also very difficult to workout in Michigan due to the humidity our bodies are not used to, no access to a gym, and a somewhat full schedule. I did squeeze in an eleven mile bike ride with my sister on the Kent Trails.  I rode my Dad's 1986 Schwinn 10 speed that sat dormant for a few years.  He said, "I can't promise you that you won't get a flat tire."  The gears were a little wonky.  Derek rode my dad's current bike and he was barely tall enough to reach the pedals.  Kara rode my mom's bike that reminds me of Mrs. Gulch's bike from The Wizard of Oz.  It was a little too big.  She could get off it pretty well but it was more difficult for her to get back on.  She was a real trooper.  We were the quite the crew.

Derek, myself, and my sister took a bike ride in Michigan.

  Now that we are home we are back to our workouts.  Me mostly running outside and riding Orange Mango.  Rob rides the stationary bike at the gym and goes for long walks on his day off.

 We did go on a fifteen mile round trip ride a few days before Rob landed in the ER.  I have the endurance and Rob is better at navigating through traffic and planning routes.  So together we make a pretty good team.  

My bike to the left is a rebuilt Schwinn and I am told the frame is from around the year 1982.  I named it Orange Mango since I love the color orange, Orange Mango Cascade Ice drink, and it reminds me of Sunkist Orange soda I loved in the 1980's.  Rob's bike is also rebuilt but the frame is the same one he had as a high schooler.  His bike does not have a name.  The kids called it Cobweb because he did not ride it much but I think it needs a new name!

I also forgot to share about the 10K I did in June with my friend Emily.  The Salem Paddy Pint race I was supposed to run the doom and gloom weekend when COVID 19 shut everything down went virtual.  I still got all the swag and had to download a race app to record my time. We picked a Saturday morning and chose Minto Brown Park as our race destination.  All week the weather predicted cool and cloudy which is perfect for running.  Needless to say it rained hard the entire time.  We were pretty soaked.  But we saw a cool owl perched in a tree.  There were many runners out there and the dog park was packed.  So we were not the only crazies. Our time was 59:09 which is not my PR.  I believe it is 54:44. Considering the nasty weather we did pretty good.

Emily and I ran a 10K at Minto Brown Park

Rob and I have until September 30 to virtually reach Astoria but I think we will make it there by Labor Day weekend.  I am not sure what race I will be doing late summer/early fall but I am almost certain it will be virtual.