Life is a Marathon...

Time for Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:08:00 +0000

As of Friday afternoon, I am unemployed.

It's a bit scary on one hand... I'm not super excited about not having an income. More than that, I'm not lazy. It's hard to not have a job to go to where I need to use my brain and work hard, etc. Sure, it's a little nice that I didn't have to get up early and that I have spent the morning running errands and then having lunch with the boy. But I'm not going to be content with being unemployed for very long.

On the other hand, it is kind of exciting. I think it was time for a change. I'm really looking forward to being able to focus my time on figuring out what is out there and what I want to do next.

I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but I'm smart... I work really hard... and I do things well. I know that I'll be able to find something new sooner than later, and I'm hopeful it's going to be a job I truly love.

Meanwhile, I am so thankful for my family and friends. Everyone has been so supportive, and I've already got some leads on some potential jobs. (So if you know of anything in Nashville, dear reader, please let me know!)

I've definitely been experiencing a mix of emotions about the matter, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic. One chapter has ended, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next chapter holds.

Planning for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:13:00 +0000

I've been thinking some over the past few days about what I am planning for 2012. I have also spent a lot of time going through everything in my place... reorganizing things to work better for me and getting rid of a ton of stuff I no longer need or use. It feels good to start the year with my home in order.

As I think about the coming year, I feel like it's full of promise and possibilities. It seems that time goes by so quickly, but going to Disney World about a year ago feels forever ago. I know there's really no way to know what this year holds, but there are a few things I want to plan for this year.

Running - I've decided that I want to run this year for the fun of running. I definitely think it is still a passion, but I don't think I care right now about PRs. That doesn't mean I'd turn any down or that I won't try for one here and there, but I don't think I'll be training hard for any specific time in any specific distance. I may change my mind later in the year, but for the next few months in particular I want to run, be fit, and have fun.

Relationships - I want to do my best to fully engage with all of the people that I care about in my life. I think that I am very relationship-oriented and that I am a pretty good friend, but I know that in 2011 there were some times when I was having a hard time and felt liked I needed my friends more than what I was giving to them. I know that's what friends are for, and I'm thankful for the ways they were there for me on the days when I felt a little dissatisfied with life. BUT. I think 2012 is going to be a good year, and I hope that entails having a ton of fun with them. I want to take road trips, run races, and have game nights. I want to meet for coffee or grab a bite to eat or exchange long emails about life. I really want to connect with everyone that matters to me in a way that is unique to our relationship.

Travel and Adventure - I want to continue to travel and go to new places. I am still brainstorming on what all this will include, but I know for sure that I'm going on a ski trip next month and then to New Orleans for the first time ever in March. I'll also be heading up to Canada in June for one of my best friend's wedding. But I hope to plan a few more trips and find many other adventures this year, and I'm down with some of them being more local or weekend type adventures. I know there's a lot in a close radius to Nashville that I haven't done that could be fun.

I do have some other specific goals and plans for the next six months that I'm choosing not to share publicly right now, but when I achieve them I'll definitely fill you in! (Or if you're really curious, just ask... I'm more willing to share on a one-on-one type basis.)

I think it's going to be a good year. I love how January 1 always brings with it a feeling of a fresh start. I'm very optimistic in general, but I just have a good feeling. 2011 seemed to be a hard year for a lot of people I know, and I really believe 2012 is going to bring us all many blessings!

Happy new year!

Final 101 in 1001 Post

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:16:00 +0000

My 101 in 1001 list isn't supposed to end until February 8, but I've decided to call it. I've pretty much done everything or made plans to do the things that still matter to me. and some of the items on the list turned out to not be something important to me like I thought when I first made it.

I'm pleased with the things I've accomplished, and many of the items were less measurable things that I just wanted to stay on top of throughout the process... and not necessarily something I'd mark off as being done.

Overall, this really helped me to try to make sure I did some of the things I've wanted to do. I'm still going to tackle a few more things on the list in 2012 - just not necessarily by the deadline.

I have a few days to myself here at the start of 2012, and I plan to use it to start thinking through what I want to do this year. I also plan to clean out stuff that's hidden in drawers and closets and get rid of anything I no longer want or need. It's nice to do this once a year or so, and I feel like it's time. What better way to start a new year than to get rid of old stuff that is now just clutter?

I've got some trips brewing and some ideas of things I want to do later in the year. I have some personal goals I'm thinking on, some of which are more personal and won't be shared here.

One that I will go on and share? It's time to get back to running. I took some time off in December for a much needed break, but now I'm just feeling lazy. I ran about 5.5 yesterday morning to close out the year, and I'm looking forward to getting back on track with regular runs. I think I may even talk the boy into running a half with me here soon!

Hope everyone's 2012 is off to amazing start!

Goodbye 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:18:00 +0000

I have a confession... I haven't really been doing a lot of reflection on 2011 or resolution making for 2012 just yet. Maybe it's because time seems to be flying by lately, and I just haven't had time to think much about it.

Regardless, I have to admit that it's been a mostly good year... but I also look back on 2011 as being a hard year. Nonetheless, I feel like the year is ending on a positive note, and I'm looking forward to 2012. It HAS to be a better year.

I did some fun stuff and some not so fun stuff this year...

In January, I ran the Goofy Challenge in Disney World.

I met a boy. The boy went on to not be THE boy, but I consider him a good friend now after all that transpired this year.

I got to see my two best friends in Chicago in April.

I ran some other races.

I ran the Ragnar Relay from Madison, WI to Chicago in June and had an absolute blast.

I spent a week on the beach in Florida with my family and got to see the Harry Potter Wizarding World at Universal Studios.

I saw my two best friends again in Chicago when I went to run the marathon in October.

I ran the Flying Monkey Marathon again.

I met a boy, one that is causing me to feel pretty freaking lucky... I'm looking forward to seeing how things go there.

I have made some plans for some trips and races in early 2012.

And along the way, I've found myself surrounded by some of the most amazing people in my life. I am so thankful that I've had friends and family support me along the way this year... people to be excited with me and have fun with me, people to be there in the moments that weren't as fun, etc.

I have a lot to be thankful for from this year, especially the new friendships I've made and the ones I've deepened over the course of the year.

There have definitely been some high points and low points over this year. I'm hoping for some positive changes in 2012, and I definitely want to have a lot of fun. I have a feeling that there will be many more high points than low points this year. I sure hope so anyways!

So in the words of The Counting Crows, "and there's reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last.."

A Very Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:13:00 +0000

I hope that everyone has had a very merry Christmas this year!

It's definitely been a busy Christmas season for me... it seems like something was going on every day between all of the family gatherings, my sister's graduation, parties, and shopping.

Just before Christmas, the boy and I went to a tacky Christmas party. Definitely a ton of fun!

On Christmas Eve, I insisted on my friend Erin joining us for dinner. We had an awesome meal and enjoyed a quiet evening in with the family and our neighbors. I plan on celebrating New Year's Eve with this girl, too!

Christmas ended up being a really nice day. I had taken Tucker home with me to my parent's house, and he enjoyed running around with their two cats and playing with all the wrapping paper.

Dexter in particular found Christmas to be exhausting....

My sister and I are definitely spoiled, and we both got some nice presents.

I got to see the boy for a little bit before he heads out of town on a family vacation (excited for him, but also jealous!)

All in all, it was a pretty great Christmas season this year. I ended up with some cool paintings of famous sights in Nashville that I can't wait to hang, and I also got a nice little collection of Vera Bradley items that will come in handy.

I love giving presents, and I think that all of my friends and family really loved their gifts this year. It's always so fun for me to watch them open them.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas! I'm looking forward to a few days off work and celebrating 2012. I know it's going to be a good year. I'll have to start making some plans for some trips and races soon to tell you about!

Race Report: Santa Hustle Half Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:06:00 +0000

This weekend, I went with my two girlfriends Jenny and Andrea to run the Santa Hustle Half Marathon in Sevierville. I haven't been to Gatlinburg in a few years, so I knew it'd be a fun weekend trip. We headed out on Friday and found that our hotel room was quite nice. We had opted to not stay at the Wilderness Lodge where the race was being held in an effort to save some change. We made a good choice.

On Saturday, we went to get our race packets. We were super excited about our Santa hat, beard and shirt. It was going to be a blast to run in them the next day!

Then, we drove into Gatlinburg and had brunch at The Log Cabin. They have amazing blackberry crepes.

We wandered around Gatlinburg for a while and checked out all of the little shops. It was pretty cold, and I have been having some sinus issues. I can't say I was in the mood to shop, but it was fun to roam around and hang out with the girls... and taking some photos.

We visited a cat store in Pigeon Forge that I remember going to a few years ago. This sweet little cat climbed right in my lap when I knelt down to pet her!

We hit up the outlets, and I did buy a sweater at Banana Republic. We grabbed a yummy dinner at Johnny Carina's before heading to our hotel to watch a movie and crash.

The next morning we donned our Santa apparel and met up with Andrea's sister who was running the 5K.

Everyone was wearing the Santa items so we took off in a sea of red! Before long, we came to the first candy stop!

There were several candy and cookie stops along the race course in addition to the normal water/Gatorade/Gu stops. No complaints here. I even found a guy with a box of tissues once. Since I still had a stuffy nose, I was excited about this!

We all agreed there was no reason to push ourselves. We wanted to just run and have fun. All three of us ran together and chatted for the first 5 miles or so. The course was an out and back, and while there were a few long inclines, it really wasn't as hilly as I thought it might be.

Andrea and I ran the rest of the race together, talking and taking in the sights of Sevierville/Pigeon Forge... sights like this one...

The race actually went by pretty fast, and we crossed the finish line in 2:15:52. I'll take that considering I haven't really been running much lately.

The medal had Santa on it!

All in all, it was a pretty fun event. It's definitely the kind of race that I think is best to do with friends just for fun. It was a great reason to get away to the Smokies and have some girl time for the weekend, too!

My 5th Annual Christmas Party

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:56:00 +0000

On Friday night, I held my fifth annual Christmas party for all of my friends. This is my second year to do it in my apartment, and unfortunately I just don't have room here for the giant tree I bought when I lived in a house. I was doing good to fit the 20 guests in my place. :)

It's always so much fun to get everyone together for a bit before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.

We sat around and laughed and talked for most of the evening over our snacks and drinks.

We hung out a lot in the kitchen where all of the food was hanging out...

Oh yeah... there was a keg. This is the first time I've ever had one at my party. Everyone also brought some awesome snacks for sharing.

All night I kept saying how I should really have everyone over more than just once a year. We all got to talking about having regular game nights starting soon.

One day, I hope to be able to have the kind of party where I take care of everything and have an awesome presentation instead of having to cram everyone and everything in my little apartment and ask everyone to bring something.

But for now? This is pretty awesome. I love being able to get everyone together!

101 in 1001 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:56:00 +0000

I honestly think I'm going to abandon the list soon... I've done pretty much everything I still care about or have plans to do the few that I still care about... things have just changed since I made the list, and I have decided I'm ok with that. So we'll see!

2. Run at least eight marathons -Well, I hit number 8 this month when I ran in the Flying Monkey Marathon. Good times!

8. Get a massage (or other special reward!) after every completed marathon - I didn't really feel I deserved too much since this wasn't much of a race for me (more of a training run), but I did treat myself to a little shopping.

39. Learn more about how to start a business - I read several books last month and continued to check out some stuff to get some more knowledge. I'm definitely just brainstorming right now.

45. Give money to people who are fundraising at least 4 times a year - I love being able to support people and their causes.

68. Go to three concerts per year - I went to see Lady Antebellum at the Ryman. It was awesome.

95. Watch one new movie per month, minimum - This month I watched season 5 of Dexter. It's not a movie, but I say a season of tv counts.

96. Read one book per month, minimum - I read a book that a friend told me about called Why Men Marry Bitches. It's bascially about how at the end of the day, guys really want a girl who is independent and not one to just go along with everyone he says and does. It's been a nice reminder that I'm single because I won't settle for anyone who doesn't love me for me.

Race Report: BoroDash 4-Miler

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:21:00 +0000

On Thanksgiving, I headed to Murfreesboro to run in the BoroDash 4-Miler. I ran in the Boulevard Bolt for the past 5 Thanksgivings, but after reaching my goal of sub-40 last year I decided to retire from that event and try something new.

I've never run a 4-miler, so it would be an automatic PR for me. I knew going into it to not have high expectations as my legs were still tired from the marathon that Sunday.

It was cloudy and cool, but I stayed pretty warm as I ran. My legs definitely felt like lead and I was running slower at the end than I was at the beginning, but I had a strong finish.

I ultimately clocked a 34:46, meaning an 8:42 average pace. I was really surprised I did even that well!

Surprisingly, everyone got a medal!

I went home and convinced my parents that we should go have breakfast at Waffle House before I enjoyed a nice nap.

Later that night, I felt like I had definitely earned my Thanksgiving dinner!

Race Report: Flying Monkey Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:15:00 +0000

On Sunday November 20th, I ran in the 6th Annual Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon in Percy Warner Park here in Nashville. This was my second year in a row to run it.

When Matt and his wife picked me up to head to the park, I made a comment that this just might be the last time I do it. The course includes over 3,000 ft in elevation - both up and down. Sure, we train out there all the time... but that usually involves running the 11.2... not running it twice and then some. There was also rain in the forecast. It was cloudy, but it wasn't raining just yet. Fortunately, it wasn't too cold (in the 60s) so I ran in my Marathon Maniacs tank top and some shorts.

Once we got to the start, there was a Marathon Maniacs group photo. This race was one of the three I ran last year to qualify.

Matt, Amy, Liz and I do a lot of training together and planned to start the race and see how things went. We are all Marathon Maniacs, so it was fitting that we were all running this crazy local race together.

Before long, it was time to start. Liz quickly took off, but she has trained better than the rest of her so we were happy to see her go off to see what she could do. Matt, Amy and I stuck together and started chatting and catching up on life.

Around mile 2, it started raining. I knew it was coming so I was prepared for it mentally. I've run in the rain many times, but this was my first full marathon in the rain. I hate running in a hat, but I had it on to keep the water out of my contacts and know that as long as my eyes were dry, I'd be ok.

The three of us chatted and realized after the first hour that the time was actually going by rather quickly.

The rain was pretty unrelenting, but we got lucky that it wasn't all that cold out when you were running. I hardly noticed that I was soaking wet until after the race.

We came up on the half marathon marker and all agreed that we were totally fine with running a 5-hour marathon like what we were on track to do.

We continued talking and letting the miles pass by, and we all agreed it seemed like we were seeing less of our fellow runners this year than we did last year. I couldn't imagine running this race alone and was so thankful to have the company of Amy and Matt.

Around mile 19, we saw Matt's wife and grabbed some Twizzlers. A few miles later our friend Andrea was working a water stop and had some more Twizzlers. I have decided this is one of my favorite things to eat during a marathon. A few miles from the end, I grabbed some Pringles at a water stop and decided they may be my second favorite thing to eat. Or maybe I was just running slowly enough that I was starving and could handle something like those items.

Before long, we hit mile 25 and pushed our way to the finish. It's crazy, but it's the first time that Amy, Matt and I have finished a full together.

We managed to finish in 4:54:58, just shy of that 5-hour mark we had been talking about at the half marathon point.

The rain did stop over the last 2-3 miles, but it picked back up again shortly after we finished. This race is usually so fun to hang around after, but we were all too wet and cold to stick around for too long.

Oddly enough, we did manage to run the second half in about the same time as the first! Our pace definitely fluctuates a bit with the hills, but it cracks me up we did the last mile in 9:31. We were clearly ready to be done!

Later that evening, there was a post-race dinner at Mafioza's so we all went. It's always fun to eat a TON of food and hang out with other runners and discuss the race.

Race Report: Mayor's Challenge 5K

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Back on Sunday, November 13th, I ran in the Mayor's Challenge 5K here in Nashville.

Mayor Karl Dean has really been focusing on initiatives to help the people of Nashville get fit and healthy, and the 5K was being held on a Sunday afternoon downtown for FREE.

It turned out to be a sunny and warm day, but it was crazy windy!

Here is the boy and me before the race.

We were just running for fun, so we stayed together the whole time. The course was super hilly, and due to the wind I had trouble even running downhill!

The finish was on a hill (lame), but we pushed it up and finished in 26:45.

It was a fun way to be involved in something positive here in Nashville, and we enjoyed seeing other friends out there!

Marathon #12

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:35:00 +0000

On Sunday, I'll be running the Flying Monkey Marathon... this is my second time to run it, and it'll be my 12th marathon.

Today, we got this email from the race director... Awesome.

"Oh dear.

It looks like it may rain. Doesn't it. And you have clicked refresh on weather dot com some 623 times over the past 3 days. But the forecast has not changed, has it. Oh dear. What are you gonna do?

This is what you're gonna do: you will come out Sunday morning and run the Monkey. Cripes people. It is just rain. What did you think Monkey would be? A walk in the park? No, it's the Monkey. You are supposed to suffer. For 26.2 miles. Maybe more. Rain? Meh. So you get wet. And after you finish, I expect you to stick around and enjoy the food and drink and camaraderie. Don't like getting wet? Put on a jacket.

Maybe it won't rain. But if it does, you will get to run "the year it rained at Monkey". How cool would that be? You got me kinda hoping it does.

Sunday. Plan to arrive before 7:30. Plan to start by 8am. Plan to complete the Monkey, regardless of weather. Earn your medal and shirts. And after you finish, plan to stick around eating the good food, drinking the good drink and hanging out with your fellow Monkeys. The party will go until 3 or so. And plan on celebrating the rain.

See you at packet pickup. You can punch me then.

Monkey is coming. Think Monkey.
Trent"

Race Report: Ragnar Relay TN 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:56:00 +0000

This past weekend, I ran in the Tennessee Ragnar Relay. This was my second year to run this relay, and it was my third Ragnar event. I think these kinds of events are really growing on me. They are so much fun.

We spent the night in Chattanooga on Thursday, and we headed to the start line for our 9am start. Here is the team and our awesome van drivers at the start of the race.

I was in van 2 this year to get a change of scenery. Because of that, the start was a little anticlimatic. We had quite a bit of time to kill until we would take over as the active van. First, we went to Cracker Barell and had some coffee and breakfast. Then, we made our way to Jasper, TN where the first major exchange was located.

We stopped at the CVS (one of few places in Jasper to stop for any reason), and a sheriff pulled up to ask us some questions about the race. Several team members decided to have a little fun and pose for pictures by the car when he wasn't looking. Another man walked up and actually had handcuffs and anklecuffs (I think we was a retired sheriff or something), and he offered to let us put them on for some funny pictures.

We headed to the major exchange and checked in for the safety meeting. I volunteered to be the person to hold everything up during the meeting, so that made it a little less dull for me as I practiced my Vanna White skills. Then, I was able to catch up with a few people I knew on other teams who were still hanging out at the exchange.

Before long, we were finally taking over. Our first runner was the brave soul who had to run all the way up Monteagle. I was not envious of his leg. While we waited at the top, I found what may be Jasper's main tourist attraction.

I was runner 10, so this meant I ran 4th in our van. We finally rolled into Tracy City, and I started getting ready to take over and run my first 6.4 miles. It was close to 4:30, so I had to go on and put on my vest and blinky light. Fortunately, I'd finish the run before it really got dark.

One of our teammates had a magic wand, so she blessed me before my run.

And then I thought it'd be fun to take some photos with the eagle. Before long, we saw Sandra running in. I grabbed the slap bracelet, and I was off!

About 30 seconds later, I rounded a corner and found two medium-sized dogs who started barking and chasing me. I started running faster and assumed they'd just kind of chased me for a second and back off. Then I felt something in my calf. I started yelling at them and running faster, and one of them kept jumping at my calf. I felt teeth and screamed at the dogs, and they took off. I got a little ways down the road and paused to check... I definitely had a scratch of some sort, but I was ok and just kept going.

I listened to my music and tried to enjoy the perfect running temperatures. I had a bit of adrenaline from the whole dog biting me thing, and before long I was closing in on the exchange. I managed to run an average 8:25 pace! I guess dogs do make me run faster. I had a few hills, but it wasn't terrible so that may have helped, too.

I told my team that I had two kills and that they were men. We rejoiced. Then I told them I had been bit by a dog. We cleaned up the scratch with some alcohol pads (it was bleeding so it stung like crazy), and then put on some neosporin and a band-aid. I was sure it'd be fine, and it made for a good story. Battle wound so to speak.

It started getting dark, and we soon turned it back over to van 1. We found an Italian place in Cowan, and we enjoyed a really delicious meal. By this point, my team had started cracking jokes about whether or not I was going to start foaming at the mouth... or I'd sneeze and someone would tell me it sounded like a bark. I think what I love most about relays is how your vanmates become like family. I hadn't known any of them except one guy who was in my van in Chicago before the weekend, but now we're all old friends.

We were able to rest a bit, but then we took back over again in Lynchburg. My second leg was 4.1 miles through Shelbyville around 3am. It was eerily quiet and lonely out there, but I flew through it (and over the hills) and clocked an average 8:38 pace. I even had a couple more kills. I'd been telling the team that the sooner we all ran, the sooner we got to sleep. We all took that to heart!

We soon turned it back over to van 1, and we headed to a teammate's home near the next exchange to climb into beds and nap for two hours. I woke up feeling ready to go.

We took back over again for the last time in Cool Springs. I was ready to get my last run behind me, and before long we were at my exchange.We snapped some photos before I took off again...

I took over and set out on my last 6.1 miles.

Don't worry, I caught that girl right away.

My last leg was through the Belle Meade area. It's not too far from where I live, and I run around there frequently. I was feeling strong for the first four miles, and when I passed my team in front of Percy Warner Park I was thankful we didn't have to run IN the park.

I started fading over the last 2 miles. I had some tough hills in this leg, and it was almost 2pm on Saturday. The temperature was very close to 70, and I was WARM. I kept pushing, and I soon rolled into the exchange after getting a couple of kills and averaging a 10:00 pace.

We had two more runners to go. It wasn't long before we sent the last one out and headed to the finish line on riverfront in downtown Nashville.

We soon saw our 12th runner, and we joined him to run across the finish line. We did it!

We enjoyed some free pizza and beer, but we were all exhausted and ready to get home. I think we looked pretty good considering we'd only slept about 2 hours in the past 34 or so hours.

I had SO much fun running in this event again. Relays really are a blast. It's definitely not about winning. It's about getting out there and having fun while running and when you're hanging out with your team. I have met so many new people from running these relays, and they are all so much fun and such a pleasure to know!

I crashed hard Saturday night, and then I took it pretty easy on Sunday. Recovery from these events is a bit tougher for me than it is after a marathon. I'm always just so exhausted from not sleeping... and hungry all the time!

On Monday, I found that my dog bite had bruised. I went on over to the doctor just to be safe, and he thought it was healing nicely. He did want to give me a tetanus shot since I hadn't had one in who knows how long, saying that there could be bacteria on the dog's teeth from chewing on things, etc. Now my arm is more sore than anything else! I also don't think I'll ever have any trouble remembering when I got my last tetanus shot!

101 in 1001 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:10:00 +0000

October ended up being a fairly productive month for me with the ole list...

2. Run at least eight marathons - I ran the Chicago Marathon again.

8. Get a massage (or other special reward!) after every completed marathon - I opted for a mani/pedi after Chicago, mostly because I got an awesome coupon for the combo. It was an excellent reward!

45. Give money to people who are fundraising at least 4 times a year - Yes.

67. Go to the ballet (not The Nutcracker since I've seen it twice) - I saw Cinderella at TPAC last week. It ws so good! It also made me miss ballet, and I had to go home and try on my old pointe shoes.

95. Watch one new movie per month, minimum - This month I watched Source Code, Limitless, and Soul Surfer. All were excellent.

96. Read one book per month, minimum - I've been reading up on some books about starting a business. Ideas are brewing.

Run for Mercy 5K

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:10:00 +0000

This past weekend was the 3rd Annual Run for Mercy 5K. Once again, I served as the race director of sorts and helped plan this event with other staff members and volunteer committee members.

Here I am with Amy!

My friends are awesome, and many of them came out to participate in the event!

For the most part, everything went smoothly. We had a few small issues, but we'll only improve next year! We raised a little over $50K, so no complaints there!

I also ran the race. Unfortunately our course was a little short, but I was pleased with my time considering that I'm not used to running in the super cold air yet!

After the race, some of my friends and I headed to Jackson's for brunch. We had a great time, and we spotted these guys who were heading to run in a red dress race of some sort.

After brunch, several of us headed across the street in Hillsboro Village to Sam's to enjoy a little college football.

It was definitely a fun day! I of course promptly went home and crashed with exhaustion. Planning an event is a ton of fun, but it also wears you out!

Chicago Marathon Part 3 - After the Race

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:35:00 +0000

After the race, we headed back to Steph's to clean up and rest.

I was feeling pretty good (granted, my feet hurt... but I'll take it), so I decided to just power through and not take a nap. I was concerned if I let myself nap for an hour, I'd wake up feeling worse or cranky.

We hung around the house for a bit before meeting up with some others and going for dinner.

By the time we got home from dinner, I knew I didn't have much left in me. It was nice to just enjoy a quiet evening at home with some of my favorite girls. I don't get to see them often enough!

Then we got the bright idea to take some family portraits, ha!

This one was a fun idea!

On Monday, Steph and her husband were back off to work. I had breakfast with Amanda and Nick before they headed out to make the drive back to Toronto.

I was feeling even worse than before... maybe because I was sick and had run a marathon the day before, ha. I took the train to the Loop and made my way to Niketown.

It was a mad house in there! They were out of the shirt I wanted, but I ordered it online and then set out to do some shopping on Michigan Avenue.

It was neat seeing at the Apple store how people had been leaving notes to honor Steve Jobs.

I didn't buy anything, but it was fun wandering in and out of all the big stores. I also enjoy seeing all the other people walking (or limping) around and showing off their medals and race shirt.

It was a GORGEOUS day to be walking around in the city.

I met up with Steph for lunch before heading back to get my stuff and make my way to the airport. I had stopped at Walgreen's and got a few things to take for my cough and congestion. I was definitely feeling awful, so I was glad to be heading home.

I was exhausted by the time I finally crashed Monday night, but it had been an excellent weekend. I really needed it right now! I'm so thankful to have had so much fun and to spend time with some of my closest friends. It was also really fun having my Nashville running friends at the race, too. We're already talking about finding a race to run together somewhere else soon.

Here's the race shirt and medal... I was less than impressed with the shirt design.

Here are the shirts and the pint glass that I purchased. I LOVE the second shirt. So much fun!

Chicago Race Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:09:00 +0000

Thanks to Amy, I finally got my race photos off the ole internet.

Here is Matt and me somewhat early in the race.

This is a good bit later in the race... I'm not sure where exactly, but I am sure that I was hot and tired.

Here I am somewhere around mile 20?? 22?? I just know it took everything I had to try to look ok for the pictures.

Here I am right at the mile 26 marker... that I was very happy to see.

Heading to the finish!

Finishing! (Although my time was actually 5:12 and not the 5:35 the clock is showing.)

Shortly after the finish - happy to be done!

Race Report: The Middle Half 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:28:00 +0000

On Saturday, I ran in The Middle Half in Murfreesboro. Not only was this the fifth year this race has been held, it was also my fifth time to run it. I always love running this race since it starts, finishes and runs all around the MTSU campus. It's fun to go back up there and remember how I ran there all the time in college.

Because I had run the race all five years, I even got this really sweet Brooks pullover with the race logo embroidered on it in addition to the Brooks long sleeve tech shirt all runners receives. it was really cool to get something extra for streaking this race. I fully intend to keep running it in the years to come.

My mom and sister were also going to do this race - it was mom's very first half!

We found a few friends at the start line.

I planned to walk with my mom and sister. I made it about 10 minutes and realized I just couldn't do it. I am not cut out to walk when other people are running. I knew that I wouldn't run my best race six days after running a full, but when mom said she wanted me to run if I wanted to I decided to just take off.

It ended up being a fun little game. By the time I decided to run, we were already in the very back of the crowd. It was neat catching up and passing people and pushing myself to see how much time I could make up. I saw a few people I knew along the way, so I'd jog with them for a bit and say hello. It was nice just being out there for fun and not worrying about the clock. I also saw spectators I knew along the way.

It turns out that the police blocked the wrong road somewhere along the way in the second mile, and a large portion of the runners ran an extra half mile. It was corrected before I came along, but it was all I heard people talking about for the rest of the race.

There are a couple of portions in the first few miles where there are out and back sections. It was fun getting to see people I knew and wave hello. I saw a couple of friends that I felt sure I could catch up to.

Around mile 7, I caught up to my friend Rachel. I had managed to make up enough time that I was averaging 10:00 minute miles. Since I had walked the first 10 minutes or so, I knew this meant I had been running pretty fast for the past hour to make up that much time.

I could tell that I needed to back off a bit or else I'd crash. I was glad to find Rachel, and we chatted as we ran the rest of the race.

I also found my cousin Mark at the end.

Rachel and I finished in 2:10. It was a far cry from the 1:52 PR I ran here last year, but I'll take it. I had a ton of fun, and that's what has been mattering to me most lately. I was also really feeling the marathon I had run when I hit mile 11 or so.

I got some food and spent some time mingling with some other friends before finding a spot at the finish line to wait for Meredith and mom.

They finished walking it in 3:45. We were so proud of mom!

We got our medals and headed home. Mom was definitely worn out. We got some food (Sonic - yum!) and then settled in for an afternoon of napping.

I fell asleep on the couch and woke up once to find all three cats on me (I had taken Tucker home with me for the weekend.) He had gotten up before mom snapped this photo of the other two cats napping with me.

The Middle Half is by far my favorite half marathon in the area. I think it's even better than the Country Music Half. I'll be there again next year if I can!

Chicago Marathon Part 2 - Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:15:00 +0000

I woke up Sunday morning around 5:30am and felt pretty rested. I had slept hard and only woke up once about an hour before the alarm, and I had not trouble going right back to sleep.

I got ready, and then I headed to the train station to make my way to Grant Park. A man on the train started talking with me, and we made the exchange to the next train together and continued chatting about races we've run and our thoughts on the weather.

I met up with my three Nashville friends who had also come up to Chicago for this race.

We used the bathrooms and made our way to the start. They had started closing off corrals (which I think is a bit silly) and we had to merge into a corral where people planning to run 13:00 miles were lined up. This was a bit annoying, but I also didn't care too much since I had generally low expectations for the day.

I hate to make excuses, but the honest truth is that I hadn't trained well, I knew it was going to be too warm for me (it was already in the 60s at 7:30, and I do not do well in heat), and I was feeling worse with the sinus issues (I had more phlem than desired and had developed a cough).

We had all agreed that we'd probably be running our own races today, but Matt and I managed to run together for about the first 8-9 miles. I knew that I was holding him back, and I also knew I wasn't feeling too chatty since I didn't feel well... so we quietly parted ways. I was glad to know he went on ahead and finished 30 minutes before me.

Shortly after we parted ways, I got to see Steph and Amanda around mile 9ish. I felt ok, but I let them know I was definitely running slower than I had hoped. I felt like since I knew there was no way I was running a really good race that I might as well not push it too much. I wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of my weekend.

I very rarely have to stop to use the bathroom during a marathon, but I had to pee like no other about this point. I had been making a point to drink at each water station since I knew it'd be getting warm, but I think I had gotten a little ahead of myself. I definitely added 6-7 minutes to my time with this stop, but seeing as I wasn't going for any goals other than to have fun and finish I didn't mind.

I do think I scared some of the people standing in line with me because I got to coughing and couldn't stop. I probably made them think I might throw up or something.

I kept plugging along, and I could tell that it was starting to warm up quickly. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

I remember hitting the half marathon point in 2:30 and thinking to myself that I might have it in me to negative split. I tried to keep a steady pace, and I was actually feeling pretty good all things considered.

I also thought about how even though I was running slower, I was having a lot of fun. It's just neat to soak in the crowds of spectators, the fellow runners and the city. I didn't even bring my iPod because I wanted to enjoy my surroundings.

As I got closer to mile 16 where I'd see Steph and Amanda again, I heard someone say my name. It was Amy! I hadn't seen her since she and Liz took off ahead of us at the start. She told me Liz had headed on her way within the first mile or two. Amy and I chatted briefly about the heat and about this not being our best race ever, and then I went on my way.

I soon saw my girls again, and I stopped for a quick second to pose for pictures and to say hello. I let them know I was definitely having some issues with coughing and knew this would be a 5-hour marathon for me, but that my spirits were high and that I was thankful to have them out there supporting me. (Seriously, they rock!)

After I saw them, I told myself that I would be happy if I could make it to mile 20 without an extra walk breaks. I always walk for a few seconds at water stops so that I can drink without getting it all over me, but I figured if I could make it to 20 without walking then it'd be ok to start bargaining with myself a bit.

Somehow those next 4 miles went by pretty quickly (not because I was running faster, because I wasn't), and when I reached 20 I found myself questioning if maybe I could continue on without walking. By the end of mile 20, I realized this was a dream. HA.

I still managed to keep running for the most part. I would allow myself a walk break at each mile marker and each water station. My legs were feeling heavy. I was coughing like crazy. But I was getting it done.

I knew to watch for the gals around mile 23, so when I passed the mile marker I started watching. I finally saw them, and it was SO good to see familiar faces again. I was moving quite slowly, but I said hello and kept pushing on. (It turns out that their men had joined them as well, but I was so out of it I didn't even see them. I was thankful later though to hear they had come out!)

The last three miles were a sheer battle of my body vs. my brain. I knew that I could get it done. It was fine that I was running it much slower than ideal. I was just happy to be back in Chicago and having a fun weekend. Nonetheless, I still had those last 3 miles to go before I could continue hanging out with my friends.

It's funny. I really thought I'd be more disappointed that this race didn't go the way I had hoped back when I first signed up. I felt really peaceful with running a slow marathon and just enjoying the sights and sounds along the way.

The hardest thing about the end is that there was hardly any shade for the last 7 miles. And I had seen a sign that said the heat index was up to 83. UGH. I was hot. I was debating if I was sweating enough. I was drinking water and gatorade at every station. I ran through every hose spraying water on the runners (so thankful for those). I took the icy sponges each time they had them to give out. But I was miserably hot. (I went on to find myself sunburned as well.)

Nonetheless, it wasn't long before I finally hit that last 1.2 miles. And then the mile to go sign. And then the half mile to go sign. And then the one hill of the race and the 26 mile marker.

It took me 5:12 (including the potty stop), but I finished. And I couldn't have been prouded.

5:12 is the time of my very first marathon. One I had actually done the training for. One I ran on a cloudy and cool and perfect day. One where I felt great.

So I suppose it's kind of cool that now I can show up sick and undertrained and in the heat and run as well as I did during that first race when I was better prepared and conditions were ideal.

The worst thing about this race is that you pretty much walk a mile back to the reunion area. I grabbed drinks and goodies and a foil blanket and a cold towel and my medal and all that jazz and slowly made my way to find my friends.

They cheered as I walked up, and I let them know that "you know you're a marathon runner when you double fist with Gatorade and beer."

We celebrated that we had all survived the race!

We hung out for a little bit hoping to reunite with Amy. She had asked me to let everyone know she was back there and to not feel like we had to wait. We had all hoped to meet up so we waited a bit and reminisced over the race and the heat and how none of us did as well as we once hoped but that we still all enjoyed ourselves and had a good day.

When we decided to head on, I let everyone know I was craving a Jamba Juice (we don't have those in Nashville, but they are SO good.) It turned out to be the perfect post-marathon snack.

I was happy. The day may have gone differently than what I had once thought, but i had adjusted my expectations and was able to really enjoy myself and have fun. Sure, a 5:12 is nothing to brag about... but I ran my 11th marathon. I got it done. And I did it when I probably shouldn't have due to heat/illness/lack of training. Maybe that's stupid, but I walked away feeling proud that I could still get it done anyways despite the odds.

Chicago Marathon Part 1 - Expo and Pre-Race Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:28:00 +0000

On Friday, I flew up to Chicago for marathon weekend. I knew that I wasn't trained as well as I'd like, I was definitely a little sick with some sinus gunk, and it was going to be 80+ degrees on race day... so I headed up with simple expectations to have fun in one of my favorite cities with some of my favorite people!

I met up with Stephanie and one of her friends for drinks before our Canadian friend Amanda and her boy made it to town. It's always so fun to be back with my two best girl friends again!

We grabbed breakfast the next morning where I put away scrambled eggs (with cheese), bacon and two pancakes to start prepping for race day.

Then, my friends set off for some shopping while I hit the race expo. In hindsight, I should have taken the extra vacation day and flown up Thursday night so I could do the expo Friday while my friends were at work/driving to Chicago, etc. It ended up taking the whole afternoon so I missed out on shopping with my crew. Oh well.

I got to the expo and was a little disappointed to find that this year our names were on the fake wall of the Nike booth instead of on the wall outside of Niketown on Michigan. Nonetheless, I took the time to find my name.

I couldn't help but laugh at the warning that conditions would be "less than ideal" for marathon running. This felt like a big understatement between the weather and my sore throat and stuffy nose. I had also developed a canker sore that was killing me.

Does anyone know what this odd symbol in the 26.2 is supposed to mean? I've never seen it before.

I made sure to grab a free photo in front of the green screen.

Honestly, I was disappointed in the expo this time around. Maybe I had SUCH a great experience when I ran this in 2009 that anything else pales in comparison... but I kind of thought it was reasonable to expect it to be as good as it was then. Maybe it's less interesting to me because I've seen all these same booths at numerous other races?

Part of it was definitely that I could tell that everyone is hurting financially... I got WAY less free stuff, and what I did get was sample sizes and not full sizes like I got in 2009. I don't mean to be greedy, but this race is expensive so I kinda hoped to walk away with a bit more than this.

My friend Amanda works for an appliance company and appeared to have a small heart attack when I showed them the Affresh dishwasher cleaner and pointed out it was the most random item. Apparently she's needed a bunch of them for a client and can't get them... now she knows it's because like 40,000 of them where in the Chicago goody bags. HA.

I was also disappointed in the race shirt (photo to come later). It was white for starter, and the design was uninspired. Maybe a clever ploy so that we'd buy more of the other merchandise? I mean, it worked on me... I bought a few things (photo to come later on those, too).

I reunited with my friends so that we could head to the grocery store to pick stuff up for dinner. Steph and her husband were amazing and allowed me to invited my Nashville friends over for a spaghetti dinner. I managed to impress Amanda's boy... I ate salad, a huge plate of spaghetti, several pieces of bread, and some of both desserts... when I hit that point, I believe he said, "Wow, you can really put the food away!"

All in the name of prepping for a long run.

I also had a bit more wine than I probably should the night before a marathon, but I figured I had no time goal and wanted to have a fun weekend all across the board... so why not?

Here's the three of us the night before the race.

After dinner, it was time to get serious. I showered and shaved my legs. I got my number and my name thing Steph made me pinned on my shirt. I laid everything out for the morning and somehow managed to sweet talk Steph into setting her alarm for 5:30 to make sure I was up.

I headed to bed and managed to fall right to sleep and stay there until my alarm went off the next morning for the race!

Marathon #11

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 18:53:00 +0000

Oh yeah. I'm running a marathon in Chicago this weekend.

It's funny... I haven't packed yet (though I did finally make the list of what I need to pack and went and got my suitcase from my parent's attic). I haven't checked the race website. I haven't made any set plan with regards to going to the expo on Saturday. I've barely made plans with friends for finding each other AT the race. And I have looked at the weather, but mostly just so I know how to pack and not because I'm too concerned about race day.

Maybe it's because it's my 11th marathon and I know what to do. Or maybe it's because I'm just kind of in a bit of a funk so it's not really a big deal right now.

I'm more interested in just going to Chicago and seeing my friends than I am the race. The race I have only kind of halfway trained for...

It's just funny how your plans change. When I registered for this race on February 1st, I was sure I'd train hard and go up there with a goal to break 4:00. Instead, I've barely gotten enough long runs in (and definitely have skipped a lot of other runs) and I just want to enjoy the course, the city, my friends and new people I meet along the way. I don't care in the least what the clock says.

It feels good to be going up there with no set plan for the race, but at the same time I kind of can't believe myself that I didn't do what I intended to do all along.

It's going to be a fun weekend. It's going to be a fun race.

It just isn't going to be what I had originally intended, and that's ok.

Race Report: Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15K

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:11:00 +0000

I kicked off my fall racing season on Saturday with the Shelby Bottoms Boogie 15K. This is the third year in a row that I ran this race, and it is still one of my local favorites.

Last year I ran a PR for the 15K distance in around 1:17 and placed in my age group. This year? Well, I'm definitely not in as good of shape as I was last year. And there's this little race called the Chicago Marathon coming up on Sunday. So I figured that it'd be wise to just run it for fun as a last long-ish run for the marathon.

I didn't wear my watch so that I could force myself to run by feel. I didn't want to push it. I listened to my music and made sure to keep a steady pace. I allowed myself to pick it up a bit in the last two miles, but I still didn't really push.

There were a few moments when I questioned why I paid money when I wasn't really racing, but I knew that I liked this event and that chances were good I wouldn't have run at all if I hadn't signed up.

I finished in 1:23:45, which ended up being exactly a 9:00 average pace. I felt really good, and I was glad that I ran faster than I thought I was running. I could have sworn I was running more of an average 10:00 pace.

Then, I promptly went to brunch with friends and ate biscuits and gravy with a side of cheese grits.

Not even kidding.

101 in 1001 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 23:33:00 +0000

Hmmm... if you read my last post, then you'll understand it when I say that I may be losing my steam on this list as well. I guess over 1,001 days, you definitely change and certain things just aren't as much of a priority. Nonetheless, I did a few things in September.

45. Give money to people who are fundraising at least 4 times a year - I did this in September.

68. Go to three concerts per year - Nashville has free outdoor concerts for 6 weeks in the fall each year, and they are pretty awesome. I went to three in September: K.S. Rhoades and the Nashville Symphony, Los Lonely Boys, and Edwin McCain and Ten Out of Tenn.

95. Watch one new movie per month, minimum - I watched The Beaver, The Last Song, and Something Borrowed.

96. Read one book per month, minimum - I read Emily Giffin's Love the One You're With.

On My Life at the Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:07:00 +0000

I keep thinking about my time in Disney World back in January. I don't really know why, but at these random moments during the day I think back on that trip and the races and the time in the parks with my family... and I want to go back.

But it's not that I specifically want to go back to Disney... I think I just like how I remember feeling at that time. I don't like to go backward in life, so I'm not suggesting that either... It's hard to explain.

Nothing is wrong. My life is good. There is much to be thankful for.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's been this subtle shift in me internally. I have spent a lot of time thinking about it and trying to nail down a specific reason for it, but there's really not one despite a few things that may be an obvious reason. When I get honest with myself, those things really don't have much to do with it at all and to say they do would just be me trying to assign a specific cause when there's not one.

I just feel different right now.

Writing on this blog isn't really as important to me as it was before. I don't want to stop writing altogether (so please don't delete me from your Google Reader), but I think for now I may just use it for race reports and the occasional update. I'm still reading the blogs I like daily, but I don't feel the need to spend a lot of time commenting.

Running is different for me. I still love it, and I'm not about to stop. But I don't care to do it quite as much as before. And I know I've written about it a little before, but my goals are drastically different than before. I really just want to enjoy it and have fun, and I don't want to set time goals and training goals and expect myself to keep up with those kinds of expectations.

Eve my day-to-day routine feels different despite being pretty much the same.

I'm totally fine, but something has just shifted in me. I can't really explain it.

Nonetheless, it may mean that I continue to be a little less present in the blogosphere. If I do decide in time to discontinue blogging, I'll let you know. For now, still expect to hear from me... just a little less often.

Race Report: Warrior Dash

noreply@blogger.com (Melanie) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:42:00 +0000

This past Saturday, I tried something new: Warrior Dash!

If you don't know about Warrior Dash, the jist is that it's a 5K where you have about 10 obstacles to get past... the last being a huge pool of mud.

Several friends and I decided this would be a blast!

We decided that a little face paint would be in order.

When we got to the race, we found The Mystery Machine. SO fun!

Here's our before picture.

The race was a total blast! We hardly ran because the obstacles were tough enough that we needed the space between them to recover. We climbed a lot of walls.. some by rope, some by cargo net... and there were a fair number of ways to get down the other side as well.

It was definitely a challenge since I don't have a ton of upper body strength. I'm also a little nervous with heights so maneuvering myself over the wall was interesting each time.

Swimming through the pool of mud at the end? More fun than I would have expected.

Here's our after picture.

We went to get hosed off and enjoyed our free beer and some food. Then, we had to take a photo in our awesome Viking helmets!

It ended up being such a fun and different kind of race, and it was so fun to share it with friends. We were cracking up at ourselves so much during the race, and we didn't even care about our finish time.

I'm definitely in a season where I'm kind of only interested in having fun with running. I probably have not been training so well lately, but I've been having a blast with the things I've been doing!