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2026 catch up and summary

By Orangy -
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Wow. I can't believe I have not updated this blog for almost a year. Time does fly when you are busy! Here is the recap of the first 7 months of 2026. After Portage Lake Triathlon in 2025, I ran the Akron marathon (#7!), the half marathon at Run with Scissors (which was officially canceled but we ran the course anyway), and the 50K at Regal Beagle. The 50K went well and I waited until the last minute to decide if I wanted to run the 25K or the 50K. I bit the bullet and signed up for the 50K because my training was kinda going well.  Half marathon in Brescia, Italy 2026 started off with a half marathon in Brescia, Italy, in March. We signed up for this race because we had Delta credits in the account due to the flight cancellation in December. We used the points to buy tickets to Milan then I found a half marathon in Brescia. So, it was a quick getaway Europe trip :)     Pleasant Valley Duathlon in May Four days before we left for France, I did a duathlon at Mohican State ...
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Last triathlon in 2025 - Portage Lake Triathlon (Sprint)

By Orangy -
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My training was on and off since I came back from Portugal in July of last year. There have been a lot of life changes and adjustments. I also took the students to Thailand on the study abroad trip in May so I lost 2+ weeks of training. That's why I made the decision to defer Ironman Ottawa to next year (thanks so the Flex90 program).  I came back from Thailand in July, and 2 weeks after that, I did an Olympic distance tri in Buffalo, NY. It was a hot and humid day and I struggled greatly. I signed up for that race because I thought it would help me get ready for the Ironman but after I deferred the IM race to next year, I was stuck with this race.  The race was actually very nice. We swam in Lake Erie, which was pretty choppy and I had minimal training in open water. However, I finished and that all that mattered.  For the Portage Lake sprint tri, I decided to sign up because 1) I wanted to know where I am in the training and 2) I wanted to do one last tri race before it...
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Back in the game after a year! First triathlon race since 2023

By Orangy -
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 Woahhhhhh it's been a while since I updated this blog!  I just saw that the last blog update was in January 2024 O_o All I can say is "life happened".  In 2024, we spent the first half of the year in Portugal. I received the Fulbright award to conduct research and teach in Lisbon for 4 months. We ran several trail races when we were there including the Azores Ultra Blue Island, which I considered the most beautiful race I have done to date. Chef Pat also ran his first trail race there (10K). I am so proud of him :) Then, we were really busy adjusting back to life in NE Ohio after we came back to the US in July. Many things happened that kept me busy from training and updating the blog. I ran my 6th marathon at the Akron marathon in September and did a couple of local trail races here and there but nothing long or eventful.  While I was in Portugal, FOMO led me to sign up for IM Ottawa (the new venue in 2025) in August 2025, and I kind of regretted it. I took a break...
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Last race of 2023 - Fly Green Charity run in Bangkok

By Orangy -
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*Late post alert* Last race of 2023 was the Fly Green Charity Run 10K in Bangkok, Thailand. We signed up for this race because I wanted to keep myself active while in Bangkok. This race happened to be near my house in Bangkok so it was perfect.  I signed P. up for the 5K distance. The race started at 5:30am to avoid the heat and humidity in Bangkok. This race was organized by Thai Vietjet Air and every participant will receive a discount on their plane ticket (500 THB coupon for the 10K distance and 300 THB coupon for the 5K).  The event did not have many participants (not as many as we thought it would). They also gave out their mascot for the first 100 runners who crossed the finish line at each distance so we both got it.  The route was nothing new. It was a typical 5K loop around the park and the 10K had to run it twice. Because the race had an environmental theme, the medals were made of recycled plastic.  What I like about races in Thailand is the post-race foo...
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Sissy run at Run with Scissors

By Orangy -
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This will be a short blog because I had nothing much to update since the last Akron marathon post in terms of running/triathlon.  October was crazily busy (as always) and I tried my best to keep my head above water (barely). There were so many things going on at work that I could barely keep up. That said I was not running/biking/swimming much in October. Also, I was exhausted all the time and did not have much energy. The weekend before the race I went to run on Loop the Lake course with friends. Despite the slow pace (12 min/mile), my HR was up to 170-180 bpm and I started to wonder what was wrong with my body.  The week leading up to the race was packed with events, teaching, meetings, and other activities and I did not really have time to rest much. After talking to my coach, I decided to drop from the marathon to the half marathon at Run with Scissors because I wanted to give my body a break.  Race morning - It was raining when I woke up. I also slept through the ala...
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2023 Akron marathon & 5th year pin

By Orangy -
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This year's Akron Marathon was special to me.  First, it's the 5th marathon that I ran at this race so I was invited to join the loyalty club and attend the pinning ceremony at the expo.  Second, I signed my husband (P.) up for the half marathon. This is the first year that he got to experience the Akron marathon vibe.  Third, I talked the Dean into sponsoring the College of Business relay team and I formed a 5-person relay team with other faculty and staff who I knew were runners. Our team name was #ExperienceBusiness Trailblazers.  The week leading up to the race was not ideal. I had a lot of things going on at work and did not really have the time or energy to do anything else. I went out for a short run for 2 days during the week but I guess it was a good taper? On Friday, I met up with other team members and we walked to the packet pick-up together. It was so much fun to see the race vibe and other folks I knew. At 5pm, I attended the pinning ceremony where they...
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Portage lake triathlon - Olympic distance - Still recovering from the Ironman

By Orangy -
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The Portage Lake Triathlon was a result of my existential crisis race sign-up after the Ironman Mont Tremblant. Again, after the A race of the year, I fell into another big "what's next?" hole. After talking to my coach, I decided to do the Olympic tri at Portage Lake.  I did this race in 2018 after the Canal Corridor 100. It was already 5 years ago and I forgot how hilly the bike and run courses were (please blame it on my post-100-miler brain). You would think I would learn a lesson about signing up for another race after a big race while my body is still in recovery mode? Nope... Leading up to this race, it was pretty insane. The semester started one week after the IM Mont Tremblant (2 weeks before the race). Then, 1 week before the race, I came down with a cold, which seemed to be spreading around here while trying to write 2 research proposals and teach classes. The day before the race I volunteered at Youngstown Ultra Classic Trail 25k/50k and went to the Rubber Cit...
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