Mel On..."Fun" Run (okay, okay, okay)

Yesterday's new trail run was awesome! Also awesome, today's "fun run" with Bri!  I've been looking forward to this "run" all week (a run incorporating sprints, hill work, and calisthenics).......okay, okay, so it doesn't sound that fun when you get down to it...and a couple times during it I honestly thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest...but it really was fun!

Mel On...New Trail, New Trail!

I really enjoyed exploring a new trail today with my friend, Sarah!  I have been wanted to go down this trail for about a year now but was always too scared to go by myself.  I knew where it was and kinda where it ended but had no clue where to go once I was on it.  Thankfully, Sarah had run this several times before so she knew a few loops to try and we even got a little brave and went our own way a couple times.

It turns out it hooks into my favorite loop near my village!  You can also get to several other trails from there too...I can't tell you how much this excites me!!!  Here are some pics from our run (come on, you know I had to take pictures).

Mel On...10-Miler (including HILLS)

I started today off without a game plan.  I just knew I wanted to run 10 miles and include some hill work but that is about it.  The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS and I couldn't wait to get out there!

Since I wasn't sure what route I wanted to take I thought I'd just let "the route take me."  I ended up going up "THE HILL" and doing a 2-mile loop (uphill 1 mile, downhill 1 mile).  Seeing as how I rock on the downhill (key word: downhill), I thought I would go back up one more time...

Mel On...Recovery Run

We got back from Nice last night and I thought the best way to stretch these stiff legs out was to go on a nice little recovery run with some friends of mine this afternoon!

I will never get tired of this view!

The weather was perfect and I really enjoyed the nice 5 mile jog/walk with my friend, Maria, who was going on her first run since taking a year off to have a baby...and she ran 3 miles without stopping her first go-around!  Rockstar!

Mel On...Rock-n-Roll Nice (Official Photos)

"If you never have a 'bad' day, you're probably doing something wrong; if you never have a 'good' day, you're definitely doing something wrong." ~ Mark Remy

Mel On...Rock-n-Roll 10 Miles du Carnaval

Well...that was amazing!  I came no where near my time goal but after last night that flew out the window anyway!

I did okay the first couple miles with the adrenaline pumping (around a 9:20 pace), which was faster than what I was aiming for, however, each step felt like I was raking my feet along hot coals they burned so bad! That, coupled with the fact I only had four hours sleep, my legs were still sore from yesterday, and my bag ripped on the way to the race and MY CAMERA BROKE before I could take a single photo, really did not make for a happy Melanie.

Mel On...NICE!

Hey, here's an idea...it's probably not smart to walk 7 miles, hike up a waterfall, go to a late-night light parade, get lost, and not go to bed before midnight on the eve of a 10 mile race...just saying.

But the good news is that we found the expo, I was able to pick up my bib and race pack, and we got to see some really cool things and make some awesome memories.  I can probably forget my time goal (1:45) tomorrow but at least I know I will PR since it's my first 16K!

Mel On...Tapering for Nice (and, of course, getting sick)

WHY?!  WHY is it that every time I begin to taper for a race I always seem to get sick? And, I'm not talking my "Sunday Sick" but congested, can't breathe, no appetite, exhausted, crabby sick.  Every.  Time.  

It's like I can almost pencil it in on my training calendar because I know 90% of the time it is going to (or has) happened.  I know I put a lot of stress on my body, but come on, you would think it would be happy with me for relaxing it a bit!

Anyway, so here I am packed and ready to go.  I take a photo and send it to my friend, Billy, to make sure I'm not forgetting anything important (and 9 times out of 10 I am!).  I also tend to freak out a bit and pack and re-pack everything a gazillion times so if I have photographic evidence of everything I put in my suitcase I'm less likely to spaz out about it...but not entirely...

Mel On...Run Quickly and Carry a Big Stick

So, you know how I take like a gazillion pictures when I run new trails (scratch that...on pretty much any trail I run)?  WELL....it turns out that my obsessiveness pays off because those pictures got me home yesterday when I got "misdirected" exploring a new trail!

I knew it was bound to happen...I've been getting a little too brave for my britches here lately and I have zero navigational skills so I should have known not to go down this trail.  But, curiosity got the best of me and, well, I went...

Mel On...Training Update (and another new trail!)

Last week was a very rough week for me.  My body and I have not been the best of friends here lately and I think it's because I've been pretty mean to the ole' gal.  The past month I've been doing anywhere from 15-18 miles a week plus 4-5 hrs. of cross-training. Last week I put in 21 miles and 6.5 hrs of cross-training and slipped on a trail and busted up my right side/hip.  Needless to say, my body noticed...

I've been trying to be "nicer" (i.e., getting more rest, stretching/foam rolling more, doing some yoga/deep breathing routines, visiting the aqua-massager, etc.) but it would just be easier if my body just did what I wanted without talking back.  Seriously, she's a B.

Mel On...Running and Coping

This has been a very hard week for me.  My aunt passed away on Monday, my birthday. She was an amazing woman. Always smiling, ready to talk, lend a hand, tell a story...I could go on forever.  I love her sooo much and it hurts sooo bad to know that she is not here anymore.

Her funeral was yesterday.  I planned to go on a run in her honor but I couldn't pull myself off the couch.  It hurt too bad.  It was rainy and cold, a perfect match to my mood.  I just couldn't do it.

I woke up today and the sun was shining and I couldn't sit any longer. I laced up my shoes and ran.  I didn't know how far or how long I was going for, I just knew I had to run. I just wanted my body to hurt for a reason other than sadness. So, I ran.  I ran and I cried and I ran some more and cried some more.  A vicious cycle.  I went until I couldn't run anymore and I had no tears left.