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.