Mel On...Rock'N'Roll Madrid Half Marathon

After getting over my pity party the other day and finally being able to stomach something besides bananas and chamomile tea, we left for Madrid on Friday.  I still wasn't feeling 100% but the excitement of traveling to a new place, the whole race atmosphere (and maybe a few pitchers of Sangria), finally qualifying for my World Rocker Medal, and my husband convincing me (in his own loving way) to "put my big girl panties on," I snapped out of it!

Mel On...Plans Change and PRs Happen! (9th Deutsche Weinstrasse Half Marathon)

Last night I was too excited to sleep!  We had a hectic, early morning (thanks time change) but we made it to our meet up point somewhat on time and caravanned to one of the designated parking lots outside of Bockenheim, Germany for shuttle pick up to the 9th Deutsche Weinstrasse Half Marathon!

Mel On...3rd Annual Cuddeback Memorial 5K

Today was the 3rd Annual A1C Zachary Cuddeback Memorial 5K.  This is the second year I have ran this race and it just keeps getting better!  There were hundreds of runners, supporters, and volunteers who came out to remember the life of a fallen Airman and raise money for an amazing cause!

A1C Zachary Cuddeback was an outstanding invidiual who was tragically taken from us on March 2, 2011 at Frankfurt International Airport, Germany by a misguided individual targeting the United States military.  A1C Cuddeback was one of the two Airmen who lost their lives during the shooting, while two additional Airmen were critically injured and had to undergo numerous surgeries to recover from the incident.  A1C Cuddeback served as a vehicle operator/ dispatcher for the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron (VRS) for over a year and was an integral part of the VRS family.  He is survived by his mother, father, and brother in America. -- 86th VRS

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..."People of Walmart" Fun Run

This has been a pretty awesome training week!  My mind was going a little crazy from the unexpected (but much needed) hiatus I took and I was really excited to get back out there...

It started with my favorite route around our village, then I explored some new trails, got my butt kicked in kick-boxing, sneaked in some Quick Core, survived an Amanda workout, went on a cross-training hike, attacked some hills, got my weekly dose of FemFusion, busted out some sprints on the track, and ended it with a hilarious, early-morning 5K!  Whew.  I am REALLY ENJOYING my rest day today!

The 5K was awesome!  It was put together by a wonderful chick in our running group (shout out to my ladies!) and involved dressing up like "People of Walmart!"  I haven't been that excited to be up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday in a long time!

Mel On...25th Annual Christmas Market Run

I have been wanting to do this run for a long time and seeing as this was my last chance to do it...dagnabit I was going to run it!  I didn't care my feet were still angry at me from the marathon, or that I was up until 2 a.m. being disappointed by Alabama football, or that I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy head, or that we I misjudged our timing and we had to get dressed and leave our house in less than 15 minutes.  NO EXCUSES MEL! No excuses.

And let me tell you....IT WAS WORTH IT!

Mel On...Race Results and Official Photos

31st Athens Classic Marathon Unofficial Results SANDERS MELANIE Bib 10299 Country USA Age Category F < 35 1st Half 02:57:21 2nd Half 03:11:43 Rank 7.904 Rank Gender 1.119 Rank Age Cat. 414 Time El.Time Net Diff Pace (min/km) Speed (km/h) Start 09:20:12 01:11 00:00 - - - 5km 09:59:43 40:43 39:32 39:32 07:54 7,59 10km 10:38:37 1:19:36 01:18:25 38:53 07:47 7,71 15km 11:21:48 2:02:48 02:01:37 43:12 08:38 6,95 21.1km 12:17:32 2:58:32 02:57:21 55:44 09:08 6,57 25km 12:53:38 3:34:38 03:33:27 36:06 09:15 6,48 30km 13:41:24 4:22:24 04:21:13 47:46 09:33 6,28 35km 14:27:59 5:08:59 05:07:47 46:35 09:19 6,44 40km 15:12:14 5:53:14 05:52:03 44:15 08:51 6,78 Finish 15:29:15 6:10:15 06:09:04 17:01 07:45 7,74

Mel On...My First Marathon - Part 2 (The Race!)

(Check out Part 1, Pre-Race: Here)

I don't know how to sum up 26.2 miles of awesomeness...the feeling crossing that finish line is indescribable! Here are some of the pics I took along the way, along with all the moments I never want to forget!

• The feeling (every emotion in the world x10) at the start line.

• Hearing the announcer wish us, "love, a good race, and good health" before our countdown.
• Getting so excited seeing each kilometer sign...especially since my Garmin crapped out on me with 20 miles to go.

Mel On...My First Torch Run!

 Last night I ran the 34th Annual Torch Run in Rodenbach.  This was a local 7K that I've wanted to run since we first moved here; however, life happens and I missed the last two.  So, even though I was still a little sick and it was raining all day, this was my last shot to run it and I'm so glad I did!

Mel On...RAB Half Marathon

Like I said, yesterday was the Ramstein Half Marathon.  I went into it thinking I would use it as a good training opportunity for the full and raise money for the Million Mile Run while doing it.  I wasn't going to focus on speed because I had already run a long-run that week.  However, after talking to my friend Billy, Kadin's dad and an amazing friend and running coach, I decided I was going to change that plan!

After giving me some much-needed training advice, Billy told me that he was sponsoring me for the Million Mile Run at $2 per mile.  Kadin's favorite number.  So that was it...I was going to try to finish in 2:22!