2010 Rocks!

My first visit with Lil'John

2010-01-29T12:54:00.001-08:00

Lil' John (L.J.)

2010-01-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

My nephew less than 24hrs old :)

He is here!

2010-01-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

Johnathan James Fowler, Jr - born January 19, 2010 - 8lbs 12oz - 20 1/2 inches long - born at 7:26 pm! I can't wait to get my baby fix on my newest nephew :)

Will post pictures on Facebook and here when I see Lil' John :)

New Arrival

2010-01-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Baby Johnathan James will be born today! My brother's first baby and his wife Mitzi's 3rd baby! I am so excited for them... I am also in shock that I will be an Auntie to now 8 kids!

A new race bracket

2009-10-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha! Watch out 30-34 age bracket runners... I am gunna compete with you all on my next race... Santa Clarita Half Marathon on Nov. 8th :)

Happy 3oth Birthday too me! I am sorry I lack on updates with this blog... it seems the days are so jam packed with things going on that the last thing I want to do is go on the computer and if I don't go on the computer... I don't update my blog :(

Besides having a birthday tomorrow... I have made lots of changes to my schedule... more fun stuff than workout stuff :P

My routine doesn't consist of tap dancing for the moment... maybe next year I may take a class again but lately I have been catching every cold imaginable and I owe that to filling up my days from the moment I wake up until the head hits the pillow.... I am slowing down a little, NOT!

I am training for Rock N Roll Las Vegas Marathon race taking place December 6th and then in January I plan on doing my own version of HOT YOGA 30-day challenge! In early February I am running Surf City 1/2 Marathon and at the end of February running my 5th marathon in New Orleans during Mardi Gras! You can almost bet that if you don't hear from me I am either running, doing hot yoga, or hanging out with husband/friends/family :)

Jeremy and I are doing great! I relationship is stronger than ever and we are enjoying every minute we are together... My dad is doing pretty well... still unemployed but happy and making do with the economic battle of finding a job. My mom's house is being auctioned off on Nov. 4th and I just hope all goes well with her and her well being.

The family is expanding in 2010 with my brother and his wife expecting a baby boy in January and my sister-in-law Crystal is expecting a boy in March.

I am taking a break starting mid November from Team in Training and will start that back up on January 30th! I just need some sleeping in time... and the 5am wake-up call has been tough lately!

Thanks for checking in on me... love you all!

Disney 8/8/09

2009-08-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our relationship is built on trust :) Although I did end up on my butt, lol!

Swing dancing at Disney!

I got my car back on Friday! YAY!!!! I am so glad to have it back and they did an excellent job! I will take a picture of the car the way it is intended to look! Unfortunately I still have to deal with insurance and other stressful items that go with being in an accident :(

Fly Rights

2009-08-07T11:47:00.001-07:00

The Amazing Fly Rights performed on Saturday 8/1 at the 2009 Camp Hollywood National Championships! They did awesome and I am proud of everyone! Their were 3 teams that performed and the judges gave marks for second and third but ended up in third place!

This is the pose at the end of their routine! I hope someone video taped this and stuck in on Youtube! When I find it I will add it on the blog!

Accident

2009-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday a bicyclist with no helmet hit my windshield! The view from the outside!

This is the view from inside my car!

I was showered by glass on my lap!

Mental images are in my head and for insurance/legal reasons I don't want to elaborate the details on the blog site! I just wanted to let you know both parties are fine (Me and the bicyclist)!

Huntington Beach on Independence Day 2009

2009-07-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Before the parade I went for a 3 mile run with my friend Megan in Long Beach... if I had known the shirts were going to be so cool and memorable... we would have run this race instead! Nonetheless it was a wonderful run :)

Yep I took a picture of some random person's shirt. This is the shirt I would have gotten if I did the 5K race before the 4th of July parade. I did the race last year but not this year! Bummer!!! it was the Centennial and I missed getting the shirt :(

It takes a lot of Boy Scouts to hold up this flag!

My hubby and his dance partner Michelle, dancing in the parade! It was hot and they were tired but Jeremy thought it was worth the hard work!

Now that is a patriotic baby! We start them young out here, lol! This is my friend Gwynne's baby! Isn't she just adorable!!!

I was getting some love'n from Claire! I love to steal her from her momma :)

After the parade I went to Disneyland to meet up with My brother, his wife Mitzi, their kids, and My mom... boy was I tired that night!

Seattle pictures

2009-07-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, when we finished the race... I iced the feet and had a shower then we meet up with my friends family who was coincidentally staying in Seattle during the time we were there. We had a blast but only got one picture! They are such sweet people :)

Back to pictures from Dairy Queen...
The second place winner for most Sticky was Leilanna, almost Age 4

My Niece Melissa and her Mommy enjoying their ice cream!

One thumb up from Amanda saying her ice cream was yummy to Uncle Jeremy before does his half marathon!

I know I haven't been posting much so I thought I would do three posts today :) Tomorrow I am going to the Orange County Fair after work for a healthy dinner (Corn on the cob & a mini cupcake) ! So I definitely won't be posting tomorrow! I will try to post Thursday if I can get on t he computer after work! It's now past my bedtime but had fun updating pictures from Seattle with little tidbits! I hope you enjoy the pictures as they can speak a thousand words, I am to tired to type that much so I thought it would be neat to do it visually this time!
Time to catch some zzzzz's! Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite

Spoons are over rated

2009-07-28T22:00:00.001-07:00

Oh to be three again!

A little story about the time I had with my nieces and nephews. It was hot and we decided to make a run to Dairy Queen and our 3.5 year old nephew Jason ditched the idea of using a spoon to eat his hot fudge sunday and I think everyone in our party really had a great laugh with watching him eat the ice cream. That is except for Jason when I got my camera out and took his picture! I am sure mom & dad had fun cleaning up that mess!

Bling photo shoot and Team Seattle Pictures

2009-07-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Some Serious Bling was earned by completing 2 full Rock-n-Roll Marathons in a year! I wish I could have done the planned four but it wasn't meant to be! The next full will be RNR Las Vegas on December 6th! Woo Hoo!!!!!

We were one awesome group in Seattle!

This is the front of my RNR Seattle jersey for the race!

This is the back... gotta love them Apples :) It was strategically positioned for each butt cheek, lol!

26.2 + 13.1 = 39.3 Music Miles in less than a month!

Music Miles

2009-07-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I received our extra series medals on Saturday in the mail... He earned the 39.3 Music Miles Medal and I earned my 52.4 Music Miles Silver Music Note! They look so cool. Jeremy will be getting his Music note now that he has switched from the half marathon to the full marathon for the RNR Las Vegas event on Dec. 6th! I am so looking forward to that event! It will be my third full marathon this year and Jeremy's second!

I have been so busy enjoying this summer to the fullest! I am not running as much (avg 2 days a week) but really just enjoying laying out at the beach and visiting with friends. Their are so many stories to tell you about Seattle and will try to get them posted soon! The days are just flying by and I am not on the computer that much right now!

A funny thing about this weekend is we were supposed to go to a bonfire but the pits were all taken so it was moved to a friends house and we ended up having hot dogs and s'mores... later we watched a movie outside which was really cool! I am not a good movie person, lol! I can only really handle G rated and my attention span is about 90 minutes. The film TAKEN was PG-13 and 93 minutes long... it was a great movie... I listened mostly because it scared me so much that my body was shaking with the action/suspense in the movie. When I approached the gate to get in my complex their was a man dressed nicely in his mid 20s standing outside the gate. It freaked me out since I was alone in the car. I had my doors locked but once I pulled into my parking space I wasn't going to get out of my car until I saw where that guy was going... he went to a party house across the way... luckily I am a runner so I just ran to my place, locked my door and tried to relax myself to sleep. I know we are in a safe area but I was still on edge from the movie and it is always good to be overly cautious right?

This weekend kicks off our next Team in Training Season... we are small but mighty and will have fun this season!
GO TEAM

The finishing touches

2009-07-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Before I get into anymore pictures or stories I should let you know that I finished the race in5:17:12 ; to watch me finish click on my time and then type in my bib#18182. I was about 17 minutes slower on this race from my first one but the bonus was that I never needed to use the medical tent so I consider that a bonus :)

I will do more stories soon but I want to post some pictures that I thought you may be interested in seeing of my medals and my shirt :)

Port-a-potty mishap!

2009-07-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

While waiting in line to use the port-a-potty before the race a woman in front of me went into a stall to find a California Drivers License in you-know-where! She brought it to the attention of those nearby the line and a woman not to far off realized it was hers. She then DUG it out of the toilet bowl with a wad of toilet paper and put some Anti-Bacterial gel on it to clean off the gunk!

Since we were in Seattle and she probably had a flight out and needed her license she had no choice but to go after it!

Lesson Learned - don't put your ID in your underpants and go to the bathroom!

I told you some of my stories are gross! I am very thankful for always keeping my ID in my hydration pack! I didn't want to offend her by taking a picture of it, since she was already embarrassed! So no picture for this story. I don't think we need a visual anyway ;o)

Stay - tuned for more stories!

I ROCKED SEATTLE!

2009-06-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

This was my view in line for a port-a-potty at mile 17 or so.

At Mile 11 I saw Mt. Rainier as I crossed the Lake Washington Floating Bridge!
*Click on the picture to see the Mountain!

We TNT-ers sure know how to dress up for a party at the Inspiration Dinner the night before the race!

Here are some of our participants getting ready to carbo load at the inspiration dinner!

On Friday we saw our Washington family... we wish they lived closer but enjoyed the day we had together! My nieces and nephews are getting so big!

A little bit Marathon History!

The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 26 miles 385 yards that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The historical accuracy of this legend is in doubt, contradicted by accounts given by Herodotus, in particular.

The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

I think I will post everyday with a story from this weekend since their are so many. Some are gross and some are sure to make you laugh...

To Be Continued...

Feeling better... finally!

2009-06-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know I promised pictures of the event in San Diego but I had a really bad cold that really wiped me out. Sore throat, migraines, sinus issues, and a very bad cough... no fun! For those who know we and my activities it will be a shocker to know that I didn't do ANY type of activity for 5 days. I did do alot this weekend despite the migraine(s) and cough... ran 20 miles, danced a little, coughed during my hot yoga class, and bowled in my league. I have to say I bowled AWESOME too! I have a 137 avg and bowled 149 - 180 - 176! My friend Erin bowled great too she shot a 268 for her second game... what a great anchor for the team!

Click here for the professional pix

I am feeling better but still have a bad cough! This is really my first day of no migraine or severe headache since the night before my race (5/30)!

Tonight I will be celebrating my friend/head coach Paul's 46th birthday at Downtown Disney after work. I will be joining his family for dinner and go with him to get his Disney pass :) afterwards I will go home and get some zzzz's!

On Thursday it will be two more weeks until Seattle! I am so excited to see my Seattle family on Jeremy's side... I will get acquainted with my youngest nephew Jason... the last time I saw him when he was a week old... I think he is 2 or 3 years old now :) We leave on Thursday 6/25! Space Needle here I come!

This weekend I am going to be busy with a party to go to on Saturday instead of Disney and I have my first bowling tournament that morning. I am also going to go see the movie "UP" with my friend Megan! Sunday I am playing it by ear... I have my bowling league that night for sure but I am torn between a 16 mile run by myself or hot yoga... who knows if I am feeling ambitious I may do both!

Have a great day... thanks for checking on me! I can't believe my counter is as high as it is... you guys are doing an excellent job... I will post a few pictures here and I will post all the ones I took on my facebook account... so if you have a facebook account... you can check me on it and the pix I post there too!

::::Hugs::::
Mel

Inspiration and Lesson Learned

2009-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the San Diego Marathon. They only offer the half to TNT participants and since I am with TNT I took advantage of that and did the 1/2 marathon instead of the full.

Why???

Well I came down with a sore throat on Friday and it stuck around through yesterday. While still fighting the sore throat I got a headache which lucky me turned into a migraine that inevitably made my stomach turn Saturday night and I threw up 6 times... which got rid of all the carbs I took in the night before the race! Both Friday and Saturday nights I only got 4 hrs of sleep a night! Upon my return home from doing the 1/2 marathon on a sensitive and empty stomach. I unpacked and down some Nyquil! As a result I slept 11 hrs and am currently at work!

Lessons learned
#1 You can always prepare for a race but can never plan on what will happen!
#2 No medal is worth more than your health
#3 The greatest reward is finishing with friends that you know would never in a million years thought of going the distance by foot of 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

I hope to inspire others in taking on the challenge of completing a half marathon or a full marathon to show that with determination ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!

I had a blast on the course and will post pictures tonight since I will be staying home and trying to rid this cold I caught out of my body! I look back and think about who I (1 person) have inspired to do an endurance event and witnessed their accomplishments. I am so proud of them - Woo Hoo!

Jeremy - My husband and love of my life loves to swing dance and considers that his training for completing a marathon, 1/2 marathons (more to come), 10K's, and 5K's!
Amantha - a swing dancer by heart ran a marathon and now a half marathon
Mandy - Amantha's mom completed her 1st and hopefully not last 1/2 marathon yesterday as the rock star she doesn't know she truly is!

I have inspired others to run/walk unimagineable miles for their personal goals:

Aunt Donna
Cousin Josh
Erin - my best friend and now 5K finisher
Mark - my friend Megan's Brother
Enrietta - Coworker
Sandra - Waitress at my local Carrow's restaurant

The race this weekend was not what I expected or planned. However, it was more challenging and a very fun event! I walked/jogged for 3 hrs 32 minutes and 34 seconds. my jogging was due to the slow walk that I do... apparently I wiggle my hips when I walk and I think that is why I am slow, lol! I mostly ran to catch up to the speedy walkers I was with (Amantha, Mandy, and Mentor Taz). Amantha and I swing danced twice on the course and we took random pictures along the way. I ate a little before the race and then afterwards my hubby and I had a date at the Macaroni Grill after he picked me up at Amantha & Mandy's home.

Overall Jeremy and I had a blast him in Yosemite and I in San Diego (minus the sickness thing). We missed each other and were glad to be in our own bed last night!

Today's Eye Exam

2009-05-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the eye doctor and he wouldn't say they are worse or better... just my prescription has changed a bit. He did tell me that my left eye has developed a stigmatism and that is probably why it twitches off and on.

Other than that, I is OK and no bifocals yet :)

As technology has advanced and my new prescription at hand, I am keeping my frames that I love and putting new lenses in them. They showed me the HD technologically advanced lenses with a pricey cost but I may actually be able to read street signs with them... the main reason I got them is because it will take some of the glare out of my vision when I see lights and since my eyes are sensitive to light, I thought it would be a good investment.

The HD lenses are like watching HDTV vs.. Basic TV and only certain types of patients actually qualify for these lenses. I am one of those qualifying patients. I don't know if it is a good thing or not... but if I can see better than YEAH, plus my insurance covers 20% :)!

Every two years I get new frames... well since I am using my old frames and putty the snazzy lenses in them... I will be getting new polarized sunglass lenses in new frames. The frames I chose are similar to my regular glasses but have the sunglass lenses in them instead... WAY COOL!

I hope this update didn't bore you :P

If I don't post this weekend HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Excitment

2009-05-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

It has been two wks since I updated... super sorry about the lack of updates! Jeremy and I are always staying busy and enjoying life. I know I tend to only talk about what we are doing physically and not what goes on besides exercise... well here is a new kinda post, lol!

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Jeremy spent Mother's Day with his mom and family and I spent mine with my mom and family! It was just easier to part for the day instead of trying to do too much in one day! My brother and I took my mom to Olive Garden and then picked up his wife Mitzi and their kids (Connor age 5 and Alexander age 3) to head on over to Yorba Linda bowling alley. We all had a great time their... I really enjoyed seeing and hanging out with everyone. The last time we saw each other was Christmas... I know, I am BAD!

Last week we had more excitement than we were hoping for IN our house. On Wednesday after my 5-mile run I decided to eat a small bowl of Fruit Loops and then go to Hot Yoga... well I had unexpected company... BEES. Not 1 bee or 2... but 4! Yep, I found 3 and put 2 of them outside since they were alive and then 1 dead one in the trash. I texted Jeremy about the new BEE situation and he found one that I missed that was dead by the bathroom window. We thought it was a fluke but began taking precautions but had no idea of where they were coming in from... On Thursday we went to work and I came home and no bees or so I thought. Jeremy found two when he got home and did his walk through inspection... both were dead... 1 by the bathroom window and the other by the sliding glass door to the balcony. Day 3: Friday, both Jeremy and I were determined to find their point of entry and stop this once and for all... he first stuffed the gaps from the bathroom window and began getting ready for work. I was already ready for work and taking a look out side... I looked around the bathroom window area and no sign of bees... then I walked down the stairs and BINGO first 1 bee was flying around high in the air, then bee #2 joined in and before I knew it I saw 4 bees and they all began to find their way into our bathroom vent. They seemed to have a purpose and I wanted that purpose to end for good! I went in the house and told Jeremy of my findings and went to work.

Jeremy sprayed WD-40 up the vent and closed off the two doors (bathroom and sink area) to contain them. I called the HOA and they had a Bee Guy come out to spray the vent... long story short we haven't had a bee in the house since Thursday, yay!

Now for some more exciting news... John and Mitzi are having a baby, uh-oh another Fowler in the world! Yep... they are preggers. This will be John's first baby and Mitzi's third! He is a great dad with the other two but I think since they have 2 boys... she is really praying this one is a girl! I have been getting alot of people asking me lately when we are going to have kids... my latest answer is 2015 (I would be age 36), lol! It is not the true answer but I figure it will get people off our back until I am preggers myself... we do plan on having kids but just not now! We want to do things before kids come... the biggest thing will be to buy a bigger place... our place is 535sf! Right now with the economy in the tank... it doesn't look like we could sell our place for much or any profit right now so we are holding off on selling until the right time and just going to enjoy life! As for being an Antie again, I am stoked! I will keep you informed of their progress!

Breaking News in California... we had an Earthquake last night... it was only a 4.7 and the epicenter was around LAX but felt as far as a 100-miles away. I kinda felt it... as usual I was moving about and actually didn't realize it was an earthquake until it was over, lol! I got home from bowling to find out we were out of a few food items so I decided to bolt to Ralph's and pick up a few groceries... right when I closed my door the earthquake hit us and I thought it was me... that I slammed the door to hard because all I heard was the doors rattling when I was locking the dead bolt, lol! Jeremy called me to see if all was good on the home front and then went back to his dance practice. He will be competing in two months and the team he is on is going to be working double time to get the routine polished... that equates to 3.5 hrs on Saturday and Sunday of hard core swing dancing! I hope they place in the top three... they have been working so hard since the Fall on this one routine! For all my out of state family and followers the earthquake did no damage to any of my family and friends!

Now to marathon news... my knees have healed up nicely and don't hurt when I run anymore... I am still icing after the run for recovery purposes but all is good. We are less than 2 weeks away from San Diego and 5 weeks away from Seattle! Woo Hoo!!!!

He did it!

2009-05-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

After a week of Jeremy going back and forth on doing the 1/2 marathon last Saturday this is what happened.... Friday after work my dad and I went to the OC Marathon race expo to pick up Jeremy's 1/2 Marathon bib and shirt. When I went there on Friday the volunteers working the tee-shirt counter were not very friendly. He ordered a large shirt because they tend to run small... this event they ran to size and when I saw it I knew it would probably be too big on him. The lady wouldn't let me exchange the shirt for a medium and so I went home with the large "as ordered".

He was very disappointed that his shirt didn't fit as he put it "it feels like I am wearing a tent" and then he said he does these races for two things (1. the shirt and 2. the medal) so he wrote me a note stating that he would only do the race if I was able to exchange the shirt for a medium. Well I did pay $80 for this event and the accountant that I am mentally forced me to the expo on Saturday to do the exchange after my team in training 9-miler. The exchange process was painless on Saturday except the parking patrol people wanted to charge me $5 to park to do the exchange... which was free on Friday! Luckily they were nice enough to let me go through without paying because I had no cash on me! After the second round of that expo I went home and took a 3hr nap since the 5am wake up call for team practice was really having an effect on me by then.

Once Jeremy woke me for my nap we went to dinner and then to Disney to dance the night away. By the time we got home and were in bed it was Sunday, 12:30 am and we had to be up at 4:15 am for the event. The lacking of sleep did affect Jeremy's run a little bit but he was the rockstar that I love and know so well as he finished his race with his slowest time but to me it was awesome 1:56:55!

I am a very proud wife! I turned him into a running machine, lol! He now holds a medal I don't have and has 5 medals total. He told me he wants a case to put his medals in but he wants his case in the shape of a surf board! I still out number him on his medals holding a total of 7!

This weekends agenda is going to consist of a 20 mile run with the team on Saturday and dance at Disney that night. I plan on doing hot yoga Sunday morning and then bowling that evening... otherwise it is Mother's Day weekend so I am making myself free for the mom's in my life... My mom Kathy and my mother-in-law Mary!

May 29-31 will be very exciting for us as Jeremy will be heading to Yosemite for the weekend with friends... I was invited but can't go because it is event weekend for me in San Diego running my third Rock N Roll Marathon on May 31st!

I think my neighbors think we are crazy people since we are in/out of our place at odd hours! They probably think to themselves "do these guys sleep?" and the answer to that is... when we get the chance, lol!

Good times!

change

2009-05-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am turning into a weekly poster, lol. This week has been busy with both work and recovering from a knee injury from last Saturday's training. I was scheduled for 16 miles and at mile 14.3 I had a pain in my left knee that even hurt to walk so I called my friend Amantha to come pick me up and Coach Paul to give him my update. Once I got home I took a bath and soaked my knee for a long time and then I put icy hot on the area and fell asleep for my weekend nap with an ice pack wrapped around my knee!

Jeremy and I went to a birthday party and ditched Disney that night and Sunday I began hot yoga which totally helped my knee... I did a hot yoga class Sunday - Wednesday and feel healed! I have toned down the running quite a bit and haven't attempted a run since Saturday's hick-up.

I have been doing a lot of thinking on the running front and am doing 9 miles tomorrow instead of the scheduled 18! Because San Diego marathon doesn't offer a half I am going to take my time and try to finish in 7hrs. Once the race is done and if I feel GREAT I will consider doing the Seattle full marathon... if the results go the other way I will switch to the half marathon on event weekend for Seattle and continue my training but switch to what the half marathoner schedule and not the full schedule... No medal is worth wrecking my knees and I do love/miss running.

Jeremy is scheduled to run the 1/2 marathon on Sunday but has decided not to do it, lol! His reasoning is all the dancing he wants to do... Paul and I aren't running it with him and he would be doing it on his own.... he wants to sleep in and enjoy the great band at Disney tomorrow night "Stompy Jones"!

To sum up this week there has been a bunch of cancellations... Jeremy canceled the race on Sunday... Megan canceled hot yoga because of work.... I canceled running this week due to the knee.... Sally canceled our Saturday get together... LOL

Have a great weekend!

Happy Belated Earth Day

2009-04-23T09:19:00.001-07:00

I hope y'all had an eco-friendly day! I sure had a blast and got some new reusable bags (compliments to Henry's Market and Southern California Edison) to use when I go grocery shopping... gotta love the new tax that is being placed here! If you haven't heard... California just passed the "Bag Tax" and I guess it comes to effect next year. So when it does begin we will be charged $0.25 per bag at the grocery store!

I worked yesterday from 8-8! Yep, I pulled a Jeremy shift, but mine was way funner! We had an Earth Day event at our Fontana project site. Their was a DJ from 99.1 KGGI and he did a bunch of trivia questions... none the less I won a princess tank top with my jeopardy skills. I also had my face painted and ate food from the caterer and also ate some creations from Chef Aaron from the Fox TV Show Hell's Kitchen.

I did make a fool out of myself on winning the tank top. Remember first of all I am a #'s person and not a letters person.... the trivia question was:

What 4 states start and end with the same letter?

My first answer was: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas (LOL)! :::: BEEP WRONG:::: mind you they made sure everyone was aware of my answers with their mike and yes being teased was in my future for the evening!

With the help of others I said the right answer: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Ohio (duh, I knew that!)

Happy Belated Earth Day and Administrative/Secretary's Day! Tomorrow we are celebrating Admin Day and the April Birthday's for our coworkers... lots more food to be eaten. I am very thankful to be running 16 miles on Saturday and then dancing then night away... hopefully the extra pounds from this week will shed too :)
Blessing,
Mel

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today is a day of celebration to Jesus and I am so thankful for all he has given me and my family/friends. Unfortunately I overslept church this morning! I really wanted to go but my body was so tired from the mentally exhausting week I had and long days that I didn't get up until nearly 11am! We have plans at 1pm with my in-laws today and then at 5:30 I have my bowling league.

I do need healing prayers right now with my left knee. I am going to be off from running this week and will be calling my doctor on Monday to get in their office. I am having some left knee pain that has been occurring in mild doses but yesterday it hurt more than normal. I have a goal to complete a marathon next month and one in June. I have decided to not run these marathons to my potential but more for fun and bling. I know I can complete them in the allotted 7hr time frame but I would like to do it without knee pain.

Yesterday my knee hurt from miles 10-13 and then both knees hurt for about 2-3 hrs after the run. I did take a nap yesterday with two ice packs wrapped around both knees... mind you I did run as fast as I could and doing this made me realize that the faster I run the longer it takes for my knees to start hurting. I know Jesus is a healing God and will heal my knee(s) so if you can be in agreement with this prayer for me I would greatly appreciate it!

Besides the knee pain and being on the sidelines this next week I am doing great! I plan on donating blood on Wednesday... I hope my hemoglobin is 12.5 or more so the American Red Cross will take me! I will make sure to eat a hamburger before going in to give me a boost.... as that usually works. I get a hamburger once every 56+ days on days I donate otherwise I stick to boneless skinless chicken breast and turkey breast because it is easier to digest, I hate bones, and healthier for ya....

Be thankful for what you have today! God is good and his mercy endures forever!!!! A healing God to all who believe! AMEN.
God Bless!

Last weekend water stop fun!

2009-04-10T17:44:00.001-07:00

Waterstop #1 Take me out to the ballgame theme from our Temecula Team

Mardi Gras theme from our Team

Crossing the yellow brick road through the wizard of oz theme from the Inland Empire Team

Paul says ready set GO... TEAM!

Honored teammate Emma Borders, Lymphoma SURVIVOR training with me to run San Diego RNR Marathon!

Happy GOOD FRIDAY

2009-04-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

It better be a good Friday after my really really bad Thursday, lol!

Lets just say yesterday began with a stressful morning and I came in at 7am then by lunch time I dropped all of my lunch over the carpet next to my desk (in hopes to work through my lunch) instead I cleaned up the mess with my friend/coworker who was super helpful... By afternoon a copy job "in numerical order" left me with much of the originals all over the floor because I left the copy room for a few minutes... hit many roadblocks at work from morning to afternoon and ended up at home exhausted by 5:30pm and that is just a brief overview of how it began and ended.

Today is going to be much better... I can feel it :)
I will post pix when I get home of some fabulous waterstops we had on our training run on Saturday!

God Bless
Melissa

Sandy Barker speaks to our team!

2009-03-24T22:27:00.001-07:00

Sandy Barker and I after our 6 mile run!

A BIG highlight was during the Team in Training mission moments I met my friend for the first time... we have talked online and over the phone... she told about her son Christian's Journey and their was not a dry eye in sight. She just received her acceptance letter for her organization 501C and is starting this up called Gold Rush Cure. When it is up and running... check it out (don't worry I will post the link here)! It should be fantastic! We walked the 6 miles together and never stopped talking... I know shocker for those who know me... it is funny because I wish we could have done more miles or had time for lunch... I could talk to her all day! Gold Rush Cure is much like Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer (pink ribbon)... except this is geared to get recognition for kids of all ages affected with cancer. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! I am working with her to set up a race that month to recognize these little warriors (gold ribbon)! This is one awesome family that touched so many hearts on Saturday! Sandy you are welcome to join us on Saturday Training Days anytime and we are here with open arms for you!

Viva Las Wages

2009-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

I spent my last weekend in Vegas for my bowling league! Lets just say the bowling part didn't pan out the way I had envisioned. I went in with a 128 average and my three games were (127-125-109) in order to be in the money for bowling I would have needed games in the 150-160 range for all three.

Luckily I wasn't alone in the terrible bowling my team along with all the others noticed much more oil on the lanes which caused our hook balls to not react like they normally do. One guy in our league always bowls around 200 and had a 118 game! Even the President for our league said the scores were low. Then come to find out that the alley had oiled the lanes with double the oil for a tournament taking place the same day.

After bowling came gambling for the weekend and I pretty much lost all the money I brought to Vegas that was MY MONEY! Once I got down to $26 from my original $220 I mentally gave up. Luckily we went to a restaurant in Downtown Las Vegas and the waitress referred us to the Silverton Hotel. This hotel I kid you not was a few blocks from where we were staying at the Worldmark by Wyndham! They had a deal for newbies who sign up for there players card (1/2 price buffet and $10 playing cash)! Before we ate, we played... Here is where things change!

I put the $10 in a penny slot machine and walked away with $31 of my new winnings... I left to go to the ladies room to come back and find a person on the machine I call mine and there significant other on the machine next to it. So I sat in the middle slot machine next to my friends and next to a friendly stranger. I put $10 in the machine and began playing... it didn't take long before I found out that I was playing $0.90 a hand instead of the minimum $0.30 a hand. When I realized the mistake I was going to change it on the next spin. Well I hit a bonus before that happened and got 15 free spins... during those free spins I hit another bonus within that bonus and they gave me 8 more free spins... when the 23 spins were done I had made $50 bucks because it tripled all my winnings from the bet being 3x the minimum...

now that is a mistake that pays!

Happy Saint Patricks Day

2009-03-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot and this morning what do you know... I put on my nice professional looking outfit and no green is to be found...

Results:

Threats of being pinched... I treatened to kick my heals in who dares to try, lol
Virtual pinches on my facebook
Finally drew a happy face on my hand with a green permanent marker thanks to a caring co-worker.

I really do plan on updating some important things tomorrow and pictures too...

Please see my last post if you can spare a few bucks and make my 4th grader niece super happy with her fundraiser to the LLS!

Stay tuned...

Jeremy's birthday dinner at Hooters 3/2/09

2009-03-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

All Smiles and All Tied Up

He really wanted the one off his neck! Mel to the rescue!

And that is what happens when Hooter girls tie balloons on my birthday man turning 31!

Jeremy is loved by all his friends!

Renee, Bob, and Carla smiling for the camera at Hooters

Carla gives a thumbs up to the wipes for her hands... love the quote on the wrapper! She didn't sport her Hooters shirt that says "I recycle boys"

Smiles from Amantha

The Big Climb

2009-03-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Amanda at the pumpkin patch!

Breaking news: My Niece Amanda has decided to participate in the Big Climb on March 22, 2009. The Big Climb is a climb up 69 flights of stairs in the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle. She'll be huffing and puffing, but all in the name of helping The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) fight blood cancers

I am asking you to help by supporting her fund-raising efforts with a donation. Click either of the links below to donate online. If your company has a matching gift, please fill out the required paperwork from your company.

If you prefer, you can can mail checks payable to LLS to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Big Climb, 530 Dexter Ave. North, Ste. 300 Seattle, WA 98109. Please include a note with her name "Amanda Barentine" and "Big Climb" for proper crediting.

Any amount, great or small, helps in the fight against blood cancers.

I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on her progress. Your tax-deductible gift will make a difference in the lives of many.

Thank you for joining Amanda's Team Trailblazers
Click here to visit my personal page.

I know Amanda Thanks you too!

She is a little nervous so any words of encouragement is worth millions to her any messages will be relayed to her as she prepares for THE BIG CLIMB!

Thank you for your support!
Melissa

Bummer!

2009-02-26T11:09:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, little Jason (our honored teammate my first season who is almost 5yrs old) spiked a fever and isn't feeling well. I haven't heard that status but he had to go to the clinic yesterday (and maybe today) because fevers can be dangerous for cancer patients, he has ALL... This is one of Paul's twin son's (my running husband, lol) and he had to leave work yesterday to meet his family at the clinic for blood draws to make sure nothing is lurking in his little body. Praying for his health and recovery so he can go back to being a spunky 4 1/2 yr old.

Also I want to send my prayers to my friend Donna who is taking her last CPA test today.

I am also looking forward to the busy weekend but one that is special. I have a friend who will be coming out to speak of their Cancer Journey this Saturday during our Mission Moments before we head out to do our 6 mile run. I have only known Sandy from her son Christian's Caringbridge website and this will be my third time meeting an online friend in person.

The first one was Gina Cousineau and her their journey with their son Evan who had a genetic disorder only found in males called ALD. The second person is McKenna's mom from MN, Krista... I met her the morning of our first race as TNT participants... I plan on hanging out with her again in Seattle. These families are amazing and I feel led to pray for these families as they are going through a tough time with their losses. These are the reasons why I am with TNT, donate blood as much as I can, on the bone marrow registry, and am on donor lists, click on that link with tissues... the video is a tear jerker but unfortunately is their reality. I just hope I am making a difference too!

Ah man, I just got word that cupcake day has been moved to Monday! Looks like I will need to find another source for my sugar high, lol.
::::hugs::::
Mel

dragging

2009-02-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was definitely a Gwynne dragging me to Yoga, lol! I was so tired that toothpicks were a necessity at around 3pm... I find that when I feel that tired the best thing for me to do is keep on moving! The more my blood flows through my body the more awake I feel... if I sit down, I am history!

Gwynne is doing great with yoga and I think she is loving it too! I enjoy doing exercise with friends and I am glad I found something I can do with Megan and Gwynne... I don't think they have met before, hmm! Maybe we could do a three musketeer yoga day!

The over achiever that I am, looked at my running schedule after my run last night... the schedule said 9 weekday miles and I did 10! Also this week I have completed 4.5 hrs of hot yoga... tonight I am looking forward to my tap class, but not looking forward to grip of laundry that has accumulated from all the yoga and running... another late night is ahead of me!

I am not very sore today and I am finally waking up... I am looking forward to 3:30 today as we are celebrating a birthday at work and I am picking up cupcakes from Sam's Club (my fav.)

Tonight is our weekly pizza night for Jeremy and I... another yummy thing to look forward to :)

Happy Thursday!
Mel

Butt Kicked

2009-02-25T11:30:00.001-08:00

Megan and I enjoyed the Monday class together and now Gwynne has joined hot yoga forces :)

Two words explain how I felt yesterday and continue to feel today in a lesser degree. Yesterday I decided to go back to hot yoga as it is supposed to help with soreness... and it did! YEAH! I dragged Gwynne to it and she had the same results that I had on Monday, we both lost 2lbs in a 90 min class. I found out that you burn 600 calories in a class and then the rest of the weight loss is water weight. I think I burned around 1100 calories yesterday with my 5 mile run and then the yoga class, whoo hoo!

I like the way my skin feels after yoga; it is so much smoother and also I felt so much more relaxed when I was done that I slept like a rock! It is amazing... I bought a pass that lets me in 20 consecutive days, don't worry if you find out I am going a lot... I am not getting addicted but using the pass to my fullest extent possible with my already busy schedule!

Tonight is another run and then hot yoga... I will be doing tap tomorrow and then 4-5 loads of laundry to prep for the busy weekend ahead!
Happy Hump Day!
Mel

Hot Yoga

2009-02-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

Yep, I am trying something new today, hot yoga. I always like trying new activities out and this one may help my flexibility as I can't even come close to touching my toes. I am doing this with my friend Meg at a facility near my house. I have done Pilate's and yoga before but I get frustrated at my lack of flexibility... I am hoping the room that is 120 degrees will limber me up some.

Yesterday I had my bowling league and the verdict is unknown since our opposing team didn't show... but the important thing is WE all bowled great! The other team can make up their game w/in 2 wks so we may have to wait awhile to know who won what!

Other exciting news is that Jeremy has this Friday off from work; giving us a date night this Friday where we will go out to dinner and dance the night away at Atomic. I do have my TNT training in the morning so we may take separate cars so I can get a few extra hours of sleep. Jeremy's 31st birthday is next Monday and we are celebrating it this weekend... it kicks off on Friday with date night, Saturday a birthday dinner with friends at Hooters, and Sunday a birthday celebration at his parents (that is where he will get my gift to him)!

Other than missing my tap class for hot yoga today this weeks other activities remain unchanged. My tap class ends in late March and I am trying to decide my schedule my weekday activities for the next 10wks. I am really thinking about taking 1 tap class and then maybe trying jazz on Tuesday nights after my run... if I really like this hot yoga thing I may add that for my Monday night activities occasionally... I am a little worried for the jazz class because I have no rhythm but I am hoping maybe the class will improve it. I love my tap classes and can't afford taking all three classes (2 tap and 1 jazz) at the Senior Center... so I gotz to choose wisely... but its my curiosity that is making me want to try jazz, lol!

My bowling league is 3 weeks away from playing in Vegas. I am excited to get away from my routines soon and I hope to come back richer not poorer. Interesting fact about vegas: Did you know that the average person who visits Vegas, gambles $500 in a weekend. I don't think I have ever brought that much money with me to Vegas! I guess I am not like the average person, lol!

Happy President's Day to you!

2009-02-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

I work today and am very thankful for that, with the uncertain economy and all!

We had the best weather this weekend, it was cold but beautiful and DRY! I loved the DRY part of it. I am so glad the storm waited until Monday to bring rain to the southland. I am loving the rain from inside my office today with my heater on my feet.

The best part of it is that I can take a day or two to relax and watch a movie at home. My Netflix turnaround time has been horrible and I am hoping this rain improves it even if it's only temporary.

Due to the Holiday, the Senior Center is closed and for me that means no TAP class. If the rain stops for a while I may run after work but then again... a nice warm meal and vegging in my warm home with a movie on sounds even better.

Tuesday I usually run with Paul and he has other commitments so it looks like another day to veg on my calendar to me. That means I need to have a good run on Wednesday with Paul at the Back Bay. The weather should be back to normal and dry, so that will help with the running bit.

Thursday is tap and then no activities until Saturday. I am taking much of this month easy on my legs and feet and running when it fits into my schedule... I really beat up my body the last month with the marathon and then two weeks later doing a half... I don't want any injuries so I am really concentrating on other muscles to workout... like my arms and abs...

I have to tell you that yesterday bowled awesome and we won every game last night (7 points) that was amazing. I had a 444 series for three games and my normal series is around 375! We had two players out and managed to win all the games! In a month and a half I think we have won only one game = 2 points, so last nights victory was much needed! We go to Vegas in 4 weeks and I am really looking forward to a mini getaway! I hope I bowl great and win some money :)

Stay dry!

Sunshine

2009-02-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today was the most beautiful day in a while. It was super cold out here for us California folks. I think it was in the 30s at night and 50s during the day...

I have been really enjoying life so far this week. I think it helped going to work on Sunday and feeling less stress from my desks being a muck... as I have been cleaning and organizing everything so I actually know where things should be... the result is about two feet of paper that needs to be filed and sorted through.... maybe its reallocation that makes me feel somewhat accomplished but when the mess is off my floor at work... WOW! My office(s) will look nice! Yep I have two jobs, offices, and even e-mail accounts in one building... how special is that!

Onward to the exercise bit, yesterday I had my tap class and we are doing a number to "All that Jazz" from Chicago soundtrack which is really fun. I love the choreography that Renee does.

Today is my normal run day but since it isn't raining and Paul was busy I decided to do 3 loads of laundry.

Tomorrow however we are running the back bay route and I am really looking forward to running around their since it has been a LONG time!

Thursday is a continuation of Monday with both predicted rain and my tap class... I take two classes so it has a chance to sink into the brain and communicate to my feet!

As the rain is supposed to continue through Monday it should make for an interesting weekend but with as much normal activities as we can. I am getting my hair done rain or shine. I haven't had it cut since November and it really needs it!

Saturday we train rain or shine because as my last post explains you never know what can happen on race day then depending on the weather we will plan on Disney if it is not raining to hard. I am hoping we can have somewhat of a nice dinner that night too.... with all those romantics out their restaurants are sure to be packed... they should get married and then normal loving less romantic folks like my hubby and I can enjoy an evening out, lol! See what marriage does to a woman's perspective on Valentine's Day!

Sunday I am supposed to hang out with my mom and I have no idea what my mom and I will end up doing and then I have bowling that night! As for bowling, we lost every game last week. This week we will be bowling with 2 out of 4 players and I hope we can manage to win some games. I think we won 1 game in the last month... I am not a poor sport but come on!

New Bling

2009-02-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Here I my medals up close, click on the picture to see more detail.

So many wonderful memories and lessons learned...

From the Right is my first half marathon "Pacific Shoreline. I fell in mile 4-5 and ran with bleeding hands the rest of the race with a finish time of 2:45. I seriously didn't train properly for this and I was bed ridden for the rest of the day, lol!

The brown wooden board was my second half marathon right before getting with team in training and it poured down buckets of rain the whole time. It was my first time running a race with a friend and who better than Gwynne to share that with! We finished that race in 2:39! It was so cold that day... Gwynne and I went to the Sauna with hot chocolate and turned up the temp to 150 degrees!

The board in between was the race I just completed Feb. 1st. That was my third consecutive year doing the race... notice my long-board legacy club piece on the medal. I also got a shirt for being in the club :) I had my fastest race (finish time 2:00:16) and had a lot of people on the course that I knew from Team in Training... and it was fun running it with Paul and Jeremy!

The castle is my biggest medal so far and it was an amazing day. Gwynne was 6 mos pregnant with Claire doing a run/walk. Jeremy beat me by 5 minutes and my finish time was 2:01! I beat Paul and had a bunch of friends their both on the course and at the finish line! Disney really puts on a good show and makes the race really spectacular even if you have to run through the streets of Anaheim.

Santa Clarita was a beautiful run in November and my birthday weekend. I didn't have my best race due to both getting over being really sick and unexpected female issues but it was definitely a nice run and I finished in 2:10!

I have to skip to the one with the red ribbon! June 1st was my most emotional race ever! I cried "literally" at every mile marker from 21-26 running with an Ohio TNTer and cancer survivor! This was the most meaningful race and I will never forget this as long as live. Where my family, friends, and complete strangers made this happen by donated to the cause and helping me with not only the fundraising challenge but the challenge emotionally and physically! I couldn't have done this out any of you!

The Blue ribbon was a lesson learned! You never know what is going to happen on race day. I had been planning to run my best marathon and doing it with Paul. Instead I ran it mostly with Jeremy in the beginning and walking with him the last eight miles... I had the most fun on this race! Just knowing I could beat Jeremy at something was great but better yet I felt so good throughout the race and had fun getting strangers to the finish line with my cheers on the course while I was with Jeremy was just AWESOME!

It is always fun remembering the good times and thinking of the future races... I only touched base on the races that gave me medals... I have 18 race bibs and all with fond memories that if I could sit down long enough would be a super long entry or a short book. I am unfortunately missing one bib from the Stump Jump race last year in Tennessee... I know it is around here somewhere... it just has to be! I had a blast on that race and getting a taste of a REAL trail run course that no California trail run is sure to top!

Thanks for riding along as this journey continues...

Busy Rain

2009-02-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

A very busy and rainy weekend is passing. I am actually at work right now getting some things organized and done before the work week. I am so thankful for my job and that I am busy enough to NEED to work on a day off.

Our first training run was yesterday and it drizzled a bit but for the most part the weather cooperated for us. I had so much fun with our new team of over 100 participants. I am going to show off my shirt of iron patches and such next week, in hopes to inspire others to use a talent like that to either fundraise for or better yet they can put their names on their shirts so I can put names to faces... I don't know how teachers can remember their students names...

Back on track, yesterday after the training I went to a Mexican restaurant with Paul (head coach) and Diana (team captain) and then went to a Hush party, lol! It was very interesting and fun! After that Jeremy and I went to dinner and Disney.

Dinner was very entertaining as we sat a booth next to the register and soda fountain.... not a good place to sit last night. Balloons popped sporadically that evening and a hostess dropped a glass of sprite right behind me, which nonetheless showered me pretty good and misted Jeremy. Luckily it dried up pretty quick and we weren't very sticky. Then we went to Disney and danced some even though it was a pretty quite night at the park due to the rain scaring people away! It poured towards the end of the evening and I was so exhausted from being up at 5am for TNT that by 11:30 I was toast!

Today I slept in and now I am at work. I have bowling tonight and plan on having fun... even if we continue our Streak'n Striker tradition of losing more games than we win!

I do have some pictures to post but it will have to wait until my computer at home cooperates with me... stay tuned.

Mucho Better!

2009-02-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

I guess I should really pay attention to the weather report, lol! I am really not properly dressed for rain... I am wearing a short sleeve shirt and decided that a sweater wasn't necessary for today's wardrobe.... I can plan better for this weekend since it seems to be sticking around until Sunday!

I think my spirits have been lifted since the last post. It is amazing what signing up for your next marathon can do to raise your spirits. My next race/marathon is going to be San Diego Rock'n'Roll (RNR)! I am doing this race mainly for the bling (aka medal) and extra medal that you get for completing two RNR marathons in a calendar year is a music note. I am not stopping their Jeremy and I will be (hopefully) going to Seattle to make a visit to see family in the area and also for some activities... (swing dance venues and the RNR Seattle Marathon/Half Marathon).

Now the fun part is training with the team to get me there physically... I just need to figure this out financially too... since taxes didn't pay off to finance these events for me.

I am not sure what other races will come about after Seattle in June. I know we are doing RNR Las Vegas Marathon/Half Marathon on December 6th but all other races will be put on hold as I REALLY would like to sell our condo and get something bigger VERY soon.

My extra medals this year with doing 4 RNR marathons will include two music notes, triple crown, grandslam, and the four-titude! The only thing that could make me happier is doing 7 RNR events and getting all the medals in the link... money is the only thing stopping that from coming true in 2009! My priority is a house and I need to get focused on that!

This Saturday is our first team in training pow-wow for the summer season. I hope it is fairly dry... but regardless of what the weather does... we are bound to have fun!

When your down, remember things could always be alot worse... that is what helped me change my mood yesterday :)

I am however missing my Tennessee Family really bad right now. Just knowing that a visit this year in nearly impossible.
:::Peace:::

Feeling better but blue

2009-02-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Sunday I should have played a losing song.... after missing my goal time at the race by 16 seconds, my bowling league team lost every game, and I didn't win any money in the Super Bowl Pool at work... I decided to go to bed and boy did I sleep good.

My tap class on Monday went well considering all the pain I was still in from the race... and my feet seem to be feeling better. They sure took a beating on Sunday. I was surprised at how sore my legs were and still are actually a little bit sore...

Yesterday I donated blood and had a blast at the American Red Cross... the donation was quick and painless (considering your saving a life)... as I sat in the chair getting a pint taken out of my arm. I chatted with the volunteers and we made it enjoyable. Afterwards I went to Gwynne's and played with the baby while she caught up on her laundry. did my taxes and

The only downer from yesterday would be doing my 2008 taxes. I found out that we owe a grip to the state and get practically pennies back from the Feds. Last year was my first year full time from graduating college and so my income level nearly doubled... for that I am punished by the state. It could be worse... if I actually was lucky enough to get money back... this wonderful state of California will be issuing IOU's because they are broke and have budgeting issues! That is just horrible... that is going to cause more people to change the deduction status so they will get their money on each paycheck and force more to owe to the state every year... since they can't pay them back!

I would like to live in any other state... unfortunately my hubby is SOLD on California so I must make do with this horribly run state! I hope I didn't offend anyone, if so, I am sorry... just venting!

Things could always be worse and for that I am THANKFUL!

Personal Record Breaking Day

2009-02-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

A new addition to my collection! Check out my longboard legacy status! You get that if you do this race 3+ consecutive years!

Surf City 1/2 Marathon results are in and we all broke our personal records today!

Jeremy ran a 1:52:13 on his third 1/2 Marathon and surprisingly seems to beat it at every race by 2min. So lets see if he will continue his trend at the Orange County 1/2 Marathon on May 3rd.... he will have to do a 1:50!

Paul and I ran the first mile together before his first and only pit stop. He caught up to me at mile 11.5 and then passed me up! He made his PR of 1:59:43 ~ Way to go Paul!

I have mixed emotions about this race! I am happy to have beat my personal record from Disneyland half marathon but was sad that I missed my goal finish time by only 17 seconds! All I really wanted was to finally be a sub 2hr finisher and I ran a 2:00:16! I guess it could have been worse, I could have missed it by only one second and that would've really bummed me out! I am however happy with my new record and ready to work on my pace to accomplish that goal on my next 1/2 marathon... look out!

Besides running a strong race today... I am getting ready to see my friend Erin's first/new townhouse and then we are off to bowl in our league. I did try and take a nap before eating lunch but my stomach kept me up!

As a result of this race I have a blister on my right foot under my big toe and on my left foot I have a cluster of blisters that shape a hidden Mickey! I am planning on see a doctor on my foot that has been bothering me and is now really aggravated since this race and then Tuesday I donating blood if my iron count is high.

I have so much more to say about this past week and if I have the energy tonight... I will post again... otherwise I will tell all on my lunch tomorrow :)
God Bless!

PF Changs pix cont.

2009-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

I likey my medal :)

This is us bundled up before the race in 40 degree weather!
Right to left in the back row... Jeremy, Paul, Nick, Nicks Mom,
Right to left in the front row... Me, Diana, Melisa (my mentee), Ashley and her husband Mark

Pictures before the race!

2009-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

The team at 5:30am on race morning

Post Pasta Party team picture the night before the race!

Me an my hubby! We are super excited to eat!

Having fun, see I hydrated... my tongue is red.
Here is my Head Coach Darin and and his wife Dionne in the green shirt. Our Campaign Manager Vicki on the right!

GO TEAM!

Feeling lucky

2009-01-26T11:12:00.000-08:00

This weekend was very relaxing compared to last weekend. I went to show off my medal with Coach Paul and Diana and we missed the team as they went out earlier than we thought they would. After visiting with the TNT Support crew we left and took Paul home while Diana and I went to a CPR class, where we can now say we are Certified! This is a requirement for TNT Assistant Coaches to do... and we did it! I hung out with Paul and Diana after in the process of dropping her off and we had some fun with their cute twin boys! Later that evening I met up with the hubby and we headed to Disney for Dancing and went on the Space Mountain ride.

Now why would I be feeling lucky and where did I get the $20 to put in the Super Bowl pot for 4 squares on some grid thing (not a bid football fan)?

Whoo hoo, my bowling league average went up 2 pins after last nights performance (123 to 125) with my 3 games equaling a 151 average last night (146-150-159)! I like improving in all my hobbies... Although we only won 1 game (2 points) last night, I had a blast.

To top off the night I decided to play the 50/50 drawing during the bowling league and they picked my ticket. I usually only play once a season and actually had the $5 cash on me to get in on it this week, so I decided to do it. Erin did all the work... getting my tickets and filling them in for me with my name and team #... and that is how I turned $5 into $20 for super bowl!

The funny thing is Erin and Sharyn on the team (daughter and mom) always play 50/50 and usually encourage me to join in... well this time it paid off! Yippee!!!!

It was a great ending to an unmotivated day. Yep, even Mrs. Energy has moments of unmotivation! I ran 5.5 miles yesterday morning because Head Coach Paul talked me into it. Then I dragged my feet with doing laundry all day, while preparing my 2008 documents so I can itemize my deductions for this years taxes.

Weird, I don't know why my last post has funky spaces in it... I think it thought everything I typed was a hyperlink?!?
Any-who... have a great Monday!<

I will post a picture of my medal tonight along with some random shots of phoenix complements of Mentor Nick's camera!

Rock n Roll Pictures are in!

2009-01-24T16:58:00.000-08:00

I found out today that the pictures are available for purchase so this weekend we will buy some pictures but for now you can look at them on from the website... I think they turned out very nice, except the part where they cut me off or Jeremy off as we briefly held hands for the picture, lol!

Here is the links

Pires, Jeremy

Pires, Melissa

We were a bit sore on Monday and Tuesday but spent this whole week recuperating as we rested and ate everything we wanted. Monday is back to the grind for us where I am going to stick to my better eating habits, training for future races including next weekends Surf City Half Marathon, and adding core training to my routine.

Jeremy recovered better than I ever expected and actually quicker than any other race he has been in.

I think he has the bug in running races or maybe its the competitive nature that we both have but he told me that he is doing the OC Half Marathon on May 3rd and that I can drop him off at the start and then drive to the finish area to pick him up. His main focus is to earn a medal that I don't have. I think it is cute so I will purposely not run that race so it could be one of his own. I run that distance very often during the training for a marathon.

I have decided to do two more full Rock'n'Roll Marathons (RNR) this summer... San Diego, again and then Seattle. The reason for this is #1 I am assistant coaching this season and #2 you get bonus medals for doing the RNR series offered by Elite Racing. My goal is to do 7 RNR races this year... so far I have 4 definite marathons this year and will look into 3 half marathons if the costs isn't to great! It is a goal and not one that has to be done but would be cool to complete!

The RNR Marathons to be completed in 2009 are:

Phoenix, AZ
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA
Las Vegas, NV

The RNR Half Marathons that I would love to complete are

Country Music in Nashville, TN
San Antonio, TX
San Jose, CA

The first two in the half's require a lot of buttering up the hubby and are not likely to happen, but I will get lots of Blue Bonnet, lol!

I gotta run (not literally) and get ready for Disneyland swing dancing tonight. Tomorrow I am surprisingly sleeping in and then doing laundry before my bowling league!

To be continued!

I am back!

2009-01-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

I would have done a post last night but boy was I exhausted. I went to bed at 8:30pm and woke up with a killer migraine at 6:15am... I took some meds and rested until 7am and am doing great now with little soreness.

First I would like to say, I couldn't be more proud of Jeremy and his accomplishment yesterday!

On Saturday when we arrived to Phoenix it was nice but warm as the temps were in the low 80s. We went to pick up our packets, bibs, and shirt then headed to the pasta party and ate more than I want to admit.

Yesterday morning we were up at 5:00am to get to the lobby by 5:30am for our team pow wow and pre-race picture. Before the race the temps were cool and in the 40s. I wore throw away sweats and gloves that I tossed off at my last port-a-potty stop just minutes before the race. Jeremy and I began our race at the end of the pack because of that last bathroom stop so the corral starting really didn't apply to us. It was nice starting out with Jeremy and I was hoping to run with him the whole way but after the 10K split he took off on his race pace that I couldn't keep up with. We ran passed Diana and my mentee Melisa as we caught up to the 4:30 pacer group and was feeling good at with keeping up with them while Jeremy caught up to the 4:15 pace group at felt great their. I lost the 4:30 pace group after the half marathon split as they were running a little bit faster than their pace and I had to make my first pit stop at mile 14.

One more pit stop was needed at mile 16 as my tummy was not agreeing with me. Then at mile 17.5 I caught up to Jeremy who was walking due to his feet and legs cramping up. I made my last pit stop and then caught back up with Jeremy. I was still running a good race but decided to walk the remaining 8+ miles and make sure Jeremy was doing ok. I had a blast on the course. I can honestly say that I had the most fun on the course and doing this race, just ask Jeremy!

I cheered everyone on, especially Team Purple (TNTers from all over the USA), my new goal was to lose my voice from cheering. Some random runners told me good luck with that goal and since I still have my voice I didn't succeed, lol! I got many thank yous for helping people on the course and some shocking looks for the energy that I still had on the course, while everyone going by us or that were around us looked pretty tired and were pushing themselves to the finish line.

Their were a few differences from Rock-n-Roll San Diego and Rock-n-Roll Phoenix...
#1 the support on the course: I felt that the support in Phoenix came more in waves and were more spread out than in San Diego, kudos for San Diego.
#2 the course was flatter in Phoenix and much more doable than the San Diego course... kudos for Phoenix!

Overall, I found more silence on the course yesterday than San Diego... the majority of the cheering came from TNTers and while running with a pace group.

Jeremy and I finished the race with an average 13 minute mile at 5hrs and 40 minutes. I am very proud of his accomplishment and loved walking with him to the finish! Knowing I could have finished before him was good enough for me. Doing so would not have been cool, afterall we all get the same medal no matter what are times are!

We made it back to our hotel room in just enough time to get a quick shower and have Coach Paul take us to the airport . Once we arrived at the airport we ate Burger King and boarded our plane. It was a quick flight that lasted about an hour but it was just long enough to let the soreness set in. When we got up from our seats to get off the plane it took everything we had to walk as normal as we could to the car where my father-in-law picked us up at the airport. We visited with his parents for a few hours and had a wonderful home cooked meal. When I got home around 6:30pm I knew my time awake would be limited since I was drained from my day filled with excitement.

Our next race is Surf City 1/2 Marathon in 11 days and I am going to aim for sub 2hrs, making this my best race time (PR). This week I am not running but I will go to my tap class on Thursday, I have my CPR class on Saturday after showing off my medal to the other TNT team getting ready for the Surf City, and will be bowling in my league on Sunday!

I can't wait to post the picture link. I am sure to be buying some of them too... look for it on my blog in a few weeks

Have a great Monday and thanks for all your support throughout my second marathon journey... YOU ALL ROCK!

Medal Display case & Phoenix Jersey

2009-01-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here is the case that my friend Bob made for my medals, in two weeks we will have two more additions to my collection :) His craftsmanship is amazing and I love it so much. Jeremy loves it too... he wanted me to show off my hardwork instead of keeping them wrapped up and stored away in a cabinet. He and Bob were so right!

Pictures are in... my dad and I spent 3 hrs getting these iron-on decorations stuck to the shirt... but oh, was it worth it :) Remember when I did San Diego... Decorated Race Day Singlet, I realize my style is much like other talented people but I love the Phoenix look. I think the music notes add a fine touch to this singlet although cactus or cacti would have been preferred. I love both my singlets...

Well I gotta catch some zzzzz.... my plane leaves in the morning and I still need to get a long shower in before I hit the hay.

Wish me luck! Here More pictures from my first marathon in San Diego Marathon!
Melissa

Coaching!

2009-01-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

This week has been a full one and I mean literally. I have been getting ready all week for this event and now it is approaching! Tomorrow at 9:20am we fly to Phoenix and on Sunday we fly back at 4ish...

Last Saturday at Disney I tumbled on my feet... walking is never my strong suit, lol! It was a sight to see as I treaded ahead of my husband and our 6 friends to Space Mountain at Disney... then I tumbled and bounced back up... no real injuries though... just a hefty bruise on my hips right side.

Tuesday was an exciting day as I was picked by Asst Coach Paul who is now the Head Coach for TNT as his Asst. Coach... My friend Amantha is one of 7 mentors... so next season is sure to be a blast.

I will post again tonight when my jersey shirt is all decked out with bling! I also am going to post pictures of my medals in the hanging frame... compliments to my friend Bob who created it!

Jeremy decided to run the full marathon w/o training for it and has decided to walk when needed! He is in Corral #4 (4:00 approx. finish time) , while Paul and I are in Corral # 6 (4:30 approx. finish time).... Sunday when I get back home I will post actual results...

Have a fun-filled weekend... I know I will!
Coach Melissa (love the ring to that)

Extended Forecast

2009-01-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Race day anticipated weather report is low 44/high 71! I am buying some throwaway sweats for the morning so I don't freeze. Now I need to decide do I wake up at 3am with the team to hitch a ride to the starting area or sleep in a bit and walk 1 mile to the start.... hmmm, more sleep and a nice little warm up on the muscles may win the decision.

I completed 8.5 miles out of 12 that was on the schedule during the midweek. Tomorrow is my last training day with the team before the event and we are doing 10 miles... I get my purple jersey to decorate desert style and will post pictures this weekend with its design... I can't find any cactus iron on patches at my local craft stores... so this weekend I am going to Riverside to visit a friend and hope to find a cactus to put on my back next to the word Phoenix :)

I am gearing up for the event... this time next week I will be packing for my trip... whoo hoo!

I am global :)

2009-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

WOW! Today I saw some new countries visiting my blog on my site! This is an exciting surprise for me... I thought I would list the countries since I struggled with geography and the dots were unclear....
1. Spain
2. Argentina
3. Mexico
4. Canada

Today is a cool day for me but my friend Gwynne on the other hand is having her hands full. She is 41 weeks pregnant and 10 days over due on having her first baby... a girl! She is being induced today so say an extra prayer for her and her baby girl that the delivery goes as smooth as one can go!

Yesterday I had an interesting evening at my tap class... we are doing a routine the the Chicago Overture and boy was I struggling last night... it was quite a site to see! My balance was good but the communication gap between my brain and my feet were funny... I was the girl who looked at the girl in front or on my right just to try and get the pattern down and always a few beats behind them. After that I went home and made Chicken Parmesan for dinner and watched Kung Fu Panda!

I still have that pestering cough from the cold that hit me on Sat 12/27 and I think I have had two good nights of sleep since that date too... I hope that today it will be different... that I will actually sleep the whole night through! I don't know if it coincidental but 12/27 was the last day I have ran, the first day I started feeling sick, and the last time I could remember sleeping good! Since I am running today I hope I get a good nights sleep :)

What is with pre-race jitters too... I have some aches and pains that are mentally occurring which physically hurts... this always happens before a race, lol! I am ready to tread Phoenix, now I am just counting down the days.... 12 to go!

Oh... I need to mention a loyal follower... my dad! He hasn't had much recognition in this blog... so he says! I love you dad and thank you for always checking my blog, increasing my hits, and of course being a virtual passenger in my car! Friday nights is Dad's Day and we usually watch a movie and eat dinner together! This Friday is "The Duchess"... Always good times :)
Luv y'all
Mel

Look at my game!

2009-01-04T21:07:00.001-08:00

The white sheet is the print out from the front desk.... they announced my achievements on the intercome! High Game, High Series, and 1st Ham Bone all in one day!

Upclose and personal.... notice the WON 7 at the bottom left hand corner.... that was our first night this season where we took all the points!

Check'n out my print out a little closer

Here is the monitor showing my games and oh'look we creamed the other team by 121 pins

Tom Stolp and his team "Damn 10 pin!" where happy for me but sad to lose all the points! When I got a turkey they said.... "We surrender!" Little did they know I was going to get a ham bone in the next frame.... unfortunately the nerves took a hold of me in the 10th!

Pictures speak 1000 words right, well I did have my best night bowling ever! My average is only a 121! Funny thing is I buckled under the pressure! Let me just tell you that my hands were so sweaty and the powder and blower at the ball return didn't help matters.... then I was lets just say SHAKING with nerves in the 10th frame! I have never had 4 strikes "a.k.a. Ham Bone" in a row in my life until tonight! Also Streaking strikers took all seven points tonight! I am stoked! The only two things this kills is my average and our opportunity to make last place and get towels, lol! I am happy about killing those things! I hope I get this again real soon and end up getting my 200 game before this season finishes up in March! I could really use this game when I bowl in Vegas... I would so have lots of money in the bowling sweeps!!!!

I hope my excitement shows on here because I have been exhausted all day... since I spent the whole night last night coughing up a storm.... yep I am still getting over this cold thing that has kept my energy level low... although I think the relaxed state I am in was the cause of my success tonight! Darn the last frame though... I wish I could have held it together and picked up my spare.... that would have given me the 200 game! Next time will be different!

Next week I am getting back in the swing of things! I have tap class starting up and running on Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday.... I haven't ran in over a week and feel a bit sick'n lazy but I am looking forward to my week!

Except for the work part.... I have my first end of year closing with my new job and monthly tasks at hand coming up.... feeling a bit overwhelmed on that front!

I am loving the hits on my blog! I am nearly at 2000 and looking at my map I am in awe of the locations that have been viewing my site.... very exciting stuff for me.... thanks everyone for making my 2008 a great year and for continuing ride along for my 2009 adventure!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T13:55:00.000-08:00

A week ago today I ran 20 miles and had started to feel slightly under the weather... well a whole week later I am finally feeling a little better. I have had two nights of good sleep! I am really needing to kick this colds butt really quick and get back to my game plan of running! This year is going to be great I know it! I have been sick a lot these past few months so I know I will have several months of health coming to me!

January 18th is just around the corner... I am planning on running my 2nd marathon with my hubby this time! He hasn't been training like I have but I am sure he will do fine! I of course will recover quicker!!! PF Changs in Arizona here we come!!!! We fly out in two weeks on Saturday morning to fly back after our marathon completion the next day! Talk about a quick getaway... I am ready to rock'n'roll....

Upon our return we are taking a break from running for rest of the week! I then we will begin running a little bit to prep for the Surf City half marathon on Feb. 1st! This will be the first time doing to endurance events so close together for both Jeremy and I!

2009 calendar of events

March - Bowling tournament for my league
June - Jeremy is planning on doing the mud run at Camp Pendleton... I will watch on the side line since getting muddy isn't for me! Also in June we may run RNR Seattle Marathon
July - San Francisco 1/2 marathon
October - Long Beach 1/2 marathon

Besides all the running and bowling events we plan on doing this year... we have set aside some goals for 2009! Jeremy and I are getting financially ready for our next big step this year... buying a bigger place! I know economically the time is almost right for purchasing but we must sell our condo to purchase the next home. We are both hoping for an actual house but anything bigger than a studio condo will feel like a mansion to both of us! Heck, having a bedroom would be nice! We love our place though but we are feeling like it is time to move on! This goal is set to happen either end of 2009 or early 2010!

I hope 2009 brings much joy to all of you this year!

Melissa

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

I hope you are staying warm and dry. I am currently watching the rain fall out on my balcony and am wearing my Make Room for Santa running gear just waiting for a break in the weather.

I have been super busy preparing for Christmas and can honestly say it was a great morning with my brother, his wife and their kids... we went to Denny's for a late but filling breakfast and then headed home. This afternoon will be spent with my in-laws and I am gearing up for the turkey dinner and cheesecake assortment that we are bringing for dessert... These are the reasons why I should run today! I feel sluggish and need to get out and do some miles! Now only if the weather will cooperate!

Since it is been exactly 20 days since my last post... I totally apologize! I am not able to post as frequently as before! I hope that will change but for now it is just really hectic!

Friday, Dec. 12th I had a work pot luck and enjoyed tons of food... then Saturday I ran 18 miles and the picked up my race packet for the "Make Room For Santa race" that took place on Sunday, Dec. 14th. When I picked up the packet at Chick's Sporting Goods.... AT&T had Sanya Richards Track & Field Gold medalist signing autographs and She signed one for me... she asked if I was running the race since she noticed my goodie bag and I told her I was doing the 10K but I wasn't sure of my performance since I had just completed 18 miles.... her response was "you don't mess around; you mean business"... I took that as a compliment since she obviously means more business than I ever will... it was such a nice compliment from an accomplished athlete representing our Country.

My race was a success Bib #303! I placed 18 out of 47 in my division with a 59:45 finish time (9:37 pace) I ran with Paul and here is a picture of us running... of course I am cut off a bit on this picture :(

Last Friday started off the weekend with a wonderful Christmas Party and then on Saturday I ran 16 miles with the team in training crew, took a long nice nap, then STARTED my Christmas shopping with Jeremy, had dinner at Sam's Club and then headed out with my friend Alan to see Dave Koz's Smooth Jazz Christmas performance along with special guests (Jonathan Butler, Jeff Golub, and Keiko Matsui) at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts... that show was awesome and we were seated in the center 5th row in Orchestra.... unbelievable! My boss had extra tickets and he was so nice to have me be a part of that! Sunday came around and my friend Erin and I went to Glen Ivy Day Spa and spent nearly 3hrs getting pampered, which included an 80 minute Swedish massage! Then we had a pot luck at our bowling league and bowled terribly because we were stuffed and relaxed! We lost 7 out of 7 points!

As you can see by my update that running hasn't taken place much the last two weeks... I really need to get back into the groove of my usual schedule! I plan on starting back full force on Monday... so look out! Both this week and next week my tap class is on Christmas break so I am not even doing that.... YIKES!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I will post before or on New Years to update you on more upcoming events...
God Bless,
Melissa

This is from Keiko Matsui's Website... it was spactacular!

dave koz, keiko, santa, jeff golub, jonathan butler in oakland (photo courtesy jane higgins)

Happy Holidays and Best New Year's Wishes To You All

Love, Keiko

Oh Christmas Tree....

2008-12-05T22:13:00.001-08:00

2008 Christmas Tree *compliments to Harry & David

2007 Christmas tree... my happy decorating!

I feel the need to splain, like Lucy Ricardo would say!

Anyone who knows me and my quirks... knows how much I love Christmas! IT is MY most FAVORITE time OF year! I love it so much that at like 5am the day after Christmas I wake up to go Hallmarking... That is where I pick up my ornaments from the current offerings at 50% off the retail price.

Then every year I look forward to getting my collection down on the day after Thanksgiving and turn our 535sf home into a winter wonderland...
Keep in mind that this craze dates back to my birth year (thanks to my mom)... and those dating that far back are part of my "retired collection"

That is how every year goes... well this year is my different type of year!

Notice the last post has pictures of my hubby and I... well out of compassion for him... I decided not to bug him too much about my tradition. We compromised on the tree issue and purchased one from Harry & David!

Today was delivery day... exactly one week later than normal! The good news is it is real, comes fully decorated, and make our place smell good! The bad news is... no Hallmark ornaments this year :(

Good tidings to all and to all a goodnight...
I have to be up in 7 hrs to run 16 miles in the morning... silent night to all!!!

Thanks for checking on me

Pictures are in...

2008-12-04T20:15:00.001-08:00

Check it out, Jeremy is wearing is wedding band and I am sporting my 1940's circa vintage watch... a present from my hubby :)

The pictures are a little grainy but I will try to get a better quality on the scanner next week :)

I love the pictures... tomorrow I get our Christmas tree delivered from Harry and David... a picture of it will be on here this weekend... so check back soon!

Happy December 1st!

2008-12-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a great turkey day! I was very thankful that the rain stopped just in time to run my races. The Long Beach Turkey Trot had a 7:30 5K or 10K, 8:30 10K, and a 9:30 5K! Jeremy and I did the 5K at 7:30 and the two races that followed. I finished the first 5K in 26 minutes and Jeremy beat me with a finish time of 23 minutes... the next race we both slowed down a bit and the final race was just fun... Jeremy ran and I had a great walk with my friend Trish *Carla had a migraine and couldn't attend :( Once the races were complete, we ate at Hof's Hut and enjoyed a hearty breakfast! Then we got cleaned up and ate some Turkey fix'ins!

Friday we went to our friend's birthday party.... Happy Birthday Wendy!!!! And had the BEST Turkey Taco's and Key-lime Cheesecake EVER! Saturday was TNT training and I did 9 out of 14 miles and then Disney with the gang! Sunday I went to my friend Megan's house and we watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", that was a shocking movie... not for kids!

Sunday was also my bowling league... we won 5 out of 7 points :) That was a good thing since we are in 30th place right now out of 31! We have nowhere but up to go! If we don't do well... here come the towels for the "Striking Strikers"

Overall it was a restful and relaxing 4 day weekend. I was good about not planning anything for my weekend and just letting the pieces fall where they did... it was very nice!

I am super excited to be getting our pictures from JCPenny Studios.... I can't wait to show them off! I hope to pick them up tomorrow but if not then Wednesday will definitely be the day!

Thanks for stopping by, I am going to catch some zzzzzz before Jeremy heads to bed.... it is a first come, first serve thing and i like to take the majority of the bed, lol!

:::Good Tidings::::

Dodgers

2008-11-25T21:53:00.001-08:00

WOW today really was nice and the weather people said it was going to rain... well that never stopped me! For confirmation check out my post from February (Half Marathon Record Time!)!

I got off work at 6pm instead of the normal 5pm and then got ready to run with Paul... the weather still was holding up until the very end of the run... as we were heading to my in-laws home (our starting point) I heard a noise and then asked Paul what that was... he said... it's rain! Sure enough it just came down on us!

I was wearing my brand new shoes too! Well they are drying up now and weren't too terribly wet but still... I thought we were going to dodge the forecast! I guess I need to work on that part in training.

It is currently POURING down rain with a wonderful display of lightning and thunder! Our first sign that the seasons have indeed changed.

Tomorrow's forecast continues and Turkey day has a 30% chance of rain... in California terms that means the chance of rain is slim to none. If anything we may get a light sprinkle!

I think my main fans are family in Tennessee and my family/friends are in California... It would be cool to get more stamped states though, so if you have friends or family in other states... send them my blog address and help me get more states marked on my cluster map...

::::Snuggle and Stay Dry::::
Melissa

Turkey Trot'n & Happy Thanksgiv'n

2008-11-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

If you would like to join in on the fun or would like more information... click here :)

My weekend was very relaxing... Yes, I did run 20 miles on Saturday and dance a few hours at Disney after my hair appointment but the stress free weekend was just what I needed to rejuvinate me for this short work week :)

I would like to encourage you to sign up on my buddy map. I would love to know where all my fans are located...

Sunday was my bowling league day and I think whoever decides who bowls together... sure had a sense of humor yesterday... Our bowling league name is "Strikin Strikers" and we bowled against "Big Knockers"... the president said I could be on both teams, lol! Well the Big Knockers kicked are butt... we did win one game by three points but lost the other two games by a landslide! Truely we didn't stand a chance... they had over 400 pins handicap and we are at 160 or so... therefore we needed to spot them around 250+ pins to win a game! This season we are in last place in our division and getting close to last place in the league... last place folks get towels and first place gets trophey's... I think we are shooting for towels this season! At least towels can be used instead of getting a trophy and having it collect dust.

Today after work I have tap class and then I am going to support a TNT participant with their fundraising event at Lucky Strike and bowl for practice :) Tomorrow I will run with Coach Paul and then on Wednesday it is R & R afterwork... I will pick up our packets for the turkey trot race and then hang out with my friend Megan who is having knee surgery today and will be on the road to recovery by then. Thursday is Turkey Trot Day and eating lots of turkey taco's and pie! I am bringing the pie and fried apples!

Lastly, Jeremy and I got our pictures taken at JC Penny and they look cute. The pix should be ready for pickup December 2nd... I will post them here on the computer if I can get it scanned and formatted right... otherwise they will be in this years Christmas cards :)

If I don't get a chance to post again on here...

HAPPY TURKEY DAY! If you are vegitarian... Happy Tofu Day!
Melissa

Turkey Trot'n in Long Beach

2008-11-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Next week is the turkey trott... I ran twice this week and am struggling on keeping a good pace! I hope Turkey Day is different! I want to be around 9/min miles with a finish time of 55-60 minutes! This is a race where you don't get a medal at the end, lol! You get a pumpkin pie and the satisfaction of running to put less guilt on the Thanksgiving Day feast! It is a blast! I can't wait!!! Jeremy and Coach Paul are running the 10K race and I have two friends Trish and Carla who are walking the 5K!

My area skated the fallen ashes from the fires and I am so glad! Last year around this time we had fires like this and it just rained ash for almost a week at our house... we didn't get one drop all week!

Tomorrow is dance and then I am resting up for a 12-miler on Saturday! I may do more than that since the Honolulu folks are doing their 20-miler that day! We will see!!!!

Thanks for checking on me!
Mel

Operation OC, helping neighbors affected by the fires

2008-11-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone,
This is in the works, compliments to myTNT head coach Darin!

The purpose of this blog is to ask for your help for the victims of the recent OC fires. If there is a burden on your heart to help out, then please read on.

On Saturday, November 22, 2008 from 7 am to 12 noon at Heritage Park in Irvine, there will be an opportunity for you to drop off items to be directly donated to help these folks. All items donated will be delivered to Operation OC, a local charity that is willing and able to take our donations and get them right where they are needed free of charge to the victims.
Here's how this will work:

The following list of items is provided by Operation OC to address the most imminent needs of the fire victims.
*** IF you are donating clothing for fire victims, please make sure that it is new or gently worn. If you have items that you’d like to donate to the Orange County Rescue Mission for the everyday needs they have in helping the homeless, etc. you need to have those items in a separate bag or box labeled “FOR RESCUE MISSION.”

Always Needed Basics

Ready-to-eat food (cereal, powdered milk, canned meals, canned fruits, canned vegetables)
Infant care (diapers, baby wipes, baby Tylenol/Motrin, formula, diaper rash cream, thermometers)
Toiletries (bath towels, wash cloths, hand towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, combs/brushes, deodorant, laundry baskets, laundry detergent, Bandaid, Neosporin.

Special Needs

We are in need of gift certificates to Target Stores, local restaurants, gas gift cards, and phone cards or the money to purchase them in bulk.

If you do not have any of these items and would like to make an online donation, you can do so at: https://www.rescuemission.org/1donate/online/donate.htm

PHASE 1
Go through your pantries to find any of the items listed above.
We will try to have some extra boxes, but if you have some too, that would be great!
After our training on Saturday (the Winter TEAM is revving up for Honolulu in December and P.F. Chang's in January!), we will take all of the donated items over to Operation OC to drop them off.

PHASE 2
If you don’t have the chance to drop off your donations this Saturday at Heritage Park, you can drive the items to the Operation OC yourself.

One Hope Drive, Tustin, CA 92782 (Mon—Sat, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) 714-247-4300

They know we are coming on Saturday and are prepared to accept all of our donations.

Note to GPS and Mapquest users: in the event that the new One Hope Drive address does not yet display on your GPS device or on Mapquest, please use the previous address: 15635 Landsdowne Road, Tustin, CA 92782

If you would like more information on Operation OC, please click the following link:
www.operationoc.com

Please consider helping the victims of these fires through these tough times. Together we can make a difference.

Pass this on to ANYONE you think might like to help out...we would love to have a huge turnout for this drive!

For a map on how to find Heritage Park in Irvine (corner of Yale Ave and Walnut Ave near Irvine High School), please click the link below. The drop off will be at the back of the parking lot by the recreation center (where Team in Training usually meets each Saturday for those who know): Heritage Park, Irvine (click to view map)

Fires

2008-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend has come to an end and I am finally able to update :) Yesterday while running with my mentee Melisa she pointed out the fires from a distance. During this run her phone had gone off 3 times and she didn't know why! Well the answer became apparent after the run and when she was heading home she found out her area has been evacuated in Yorba Linda!

My mom's house is close to the Green River fire but not close enough for evacuation. My brother and his wife were in between fires (Anaheim Hills and Yorba Linda) and were unaffected also!

Therefore no loss in relation to my friends and family are to be reported :)

The air quality is just terrible... it smells bad at times but since the wind has died down... that has gotten better and good ol' Huntington Beach looks pretty good.

Last night Jeremy and I went to Disney and boy did that make us thirsty! It was so dry and being in the City of Anaheim didn't help since that put us closer to the fires. The plus to this was that the dance floor at Carnation Plaza was nice due to the ash droppings... it made for a slipper floor and that in turn makes it easier to dance!

Before Disney I went to my friend Gwynne's baby shower that was also in Anaheim. This got cut a little short as the road closures started to worry some guests... Gwynne did make out like a bandit with bouncers, swings, clothes, and a bunch more goodies though.

So my weekend began with a 14 mile run - then baby shower - ending with Disney .... notice the lack of napping involved... so today... I slept in until 11:15am! That is right, I missed church by a landslide! I slept so good that I think I am going to take my shower and try and get more sleep before I tackle all that work on my desk tomorrow!

For those of you new to my blog or haven't heard yet! I gotta job promotion starting November 1st as an Accounting Manager for CenterStone Communities. I am in the hands-on learning process right now and this adjustment is taking a toll on my abilities to write to you in my blog as between work and hobbies.... I end my days sleeping so good that Jeremy has mentioned my snoring to me on more than one occasion this week!

Thanks for checking on me! I do not plan on running again until the air quality changes but in place of running I will get some exercise on my wii fit and I have tap on Monday (tomorrow) and on Thursday. I am hoping by Tuesday or Wednesday I will be able to get in some miles... we will see!

Good night and have a blessed week!
Melissa

Pictures and update

2008-11-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

Hey there... here are some pictures that I thought you may enjoy seeing... sorry it has taken so long! I have been super busy at work (I got a promotion) and trying to keep up on my routine of marathon training, tap/swing dancing, and bowling in my spare time. YIKES! I have a lot on my plate!

This is hanging on my fridge and is from my second cousin Kaitlyn, she and I had a blast in TN while I was visiting! We miss each other very much and I love the artwork and letter she sent me while I was traveling home exactly a month ago tomorrow!
This is the arrangement from my co-workers! How sweet is that! My office smelled wonderful!

This is the Witches Brew arrangement Jeremy picked out for my birthday... I love the orange roses and the vase looks cool too... notice the candy I got on my birthday from the Fall Festival at my dad's church... that was the leftovers! We had to make a big dent in it to have the candy fit in the bowl!

This picture was taken the day after Halloween at Disneyland... the picture is dark but in real life they decked out Disney very nicely for my birthday!

Santa Clarita 1/2 Marathon pictures are in... Click on our names to view the pictures... we haven't bought any yet but when we do I will post them so you can print the pictures...

Melissa Pires

Jeremy Pires

Coach Paul

This was a rough race for Paul and I... the non-trainer Jeremy beat his record by nearly 2 minutes with a 1:54 finish time. I had a 2:10 finish time and Coach Paul had a 2:08! It wasn't my best race but it was fun! I hit a wall at mile 6 which is highly unusual for me... but when my body got hit with the cold and flu just weeks before the race... I did this just to finish.

I had dinner tonight with Paul and his wife Diana... so I got home really late so be prepared for a long entry tomorrow as my energy is depleted tonight!

Tomorrow will be more in depth, I PROMISE!!! Enjoy the pix :)

Thanks for checking in on me...

Love,

Melissa

Surprised... I got lots of flowers

2008-10-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

I just got flowers from Jeremy... its called the witches brew... it is funny because he was upset last night and I didn't know why... he thought I saw the e-mail from pro-flowers.... which I didn't! I did go on his e-mail and he saw me do it... to get his bib# so that Coach Paul can pick up our bibs for Sunday's race... He then showed signs of being upset... and I was clueless to why his mood changed so quickly! Long story short... I was SUPER surprised and he ended up changing his e-mail password so I will no longer be able to go on it. Not that I go on all the time... only when I know their is an e-mail more for my needs than his going to his account like the race info.

I also got a beautiful arrangement from work! My new office smells delightful!

:::SMILES::::

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-10-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday... and Happy Halloween!

I am not shy so I will tell you that this is my last year in my 20s! Next year I will be 30! I am getting closer to qualifying for Boston Marathon! In 20 more years and if I can still run this pace I have now! I can go to Boston, lol! The things us runners think about!!!!

This week I was able to make it to my tap classes on Monday and Thursday. Also I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and Wednesday... my next run is on Sunday for the Santa Clarita 1/2 Marathon and then after that I am going to rest a bit and then go bowling for my league.

Today's BIRTHDAY agenda is :::drum roll::: lunch with my friend Donna! I get off work at 3pm :) Go to Lewco and close the books after work.... pick up dad and meet my whole family at his church for their annual Fall Festival.... swing by Starbucks for a Grande Frap.... and head to Atomic Ballroom with Jeremy to Dance my birthday away!

Saturday our TNT training has been canceled due to the Santa Barbara event and the low attendance for our Honolulu and PFChangs peeps... It will resume on schedule on the 8th and I have a 16 miler next weekend :) I love it and can't wait!

Thanks for the birthday wishes... I love the cards I have gotten and the msgs inside the cards!
have a boo-tiful and spook-tacular day :)

Stump Jump pictures are in!

2008-10-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Looky what I got a hold of! Pix from the Chattanooga Stump Jump 12-miler!

The first two pictures are at about mile 5 and the third picture is me starting out the race at 8:30am (5:30am my time) the last picture is a pre-race photo as we hear the announcement about the Yellow Jacket sightings and other possible encounters...

This week as been very much an adjustment period. I got news on Thursday that I have been moved from my Accounting Assistant position with CenterStone Communities... the builder company I work for... to a promotion "Accounting Manager" for the company full time! I also got the news that they wanted me to continue worker for Woods Group Architects in my free time and of course I will continue to help my in-laws with Lewco in my free time as well :) THINK that will keep me busy... u betcha!

I am finally over the flu and today was my first day back on the running front! It was so nice to get back out and run some of my free energy off. I then celebrated my promotion and my health by getting take out food tonight for dinner!

Yesterday I had tap class after Centerstone and when I got home from that I worked on my Lewco paperwork to get ready to close the books for the end of the month. At work I had a blast celebrating my birthday and my co-workers birthday... we had ice cream cake from Baskin Robins that was delicious! This is quite funny considering I had my 6 month check up at the dentist at lunch. After lunch... I picked up the cake and some pepperoni pizza and breadsticks to eat at work.

ALL the breadsticks made up my lunch as it was easy food to eat while driving... then I got to work and squeezed in a slice of pizza... and a few hours later consumed a large slice of yummy ice cream cake! Information I didn't tell the dentist at my cleaning! Nonetheless it was also a celebration for yet again NO CAVITIES! I have only had two cavities my whole life... so I am happy to report no more have brewed up!

Thanks for checking in... I plan on running tomorrow and dancing on Thursday!

Stay Tuned!

Flu and Cold Season

2008-10-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I bet you are wondering where on earth has my posting gone! Well I came back from TN on 10/12 and by 10/14 I had come down with a real butt kicking cold that I still have even today! Also if that wasn't enough I got the flu on Monday this week! My doctor said I was his first flu case this season... a first that I hope NEVER occurs again! Today I am venturing back to work now that solid foods are no longer an issue but still sticking to crackers and soups without the help of nausea meds!

I did have the most wonderful time in TN! I will post more on that when my energy is up! I just wanted to let you all know that the Spunky Mel-enator is getting back on her feet and I am counting my blessings that I am not getting IV fluids today! The visit on Monday was hilarious to say the least by the way... He called the trash can my girlfriend and this awful stuff that I had to drink to settle my stomach a cocktail! I reassured him that my favorite cocktails are blended and have a cherry on top... NOT menthol flavoring and creamy! I didn't need to use my girlfriend on the visit which was nice and that evening at about 6pm I was able to begin holding fluids down! I was scared at that point because the shot they gave me to help nausea if it didn't work I would have to go back in on Tuesday (yesterday) for another cocktail and shot. That didn't happen and I thank GOD for that! Today was the day if both cocktail visits didn't work that I was to be admitted... another thank GOD! God is good and my healing is present!
Amen

Two Days until Transit

2008-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went running and boy was it hot at the Back Bay. My car said it was 90* and it was a dry heat on top of it! Both Coach Paul and I struggled but made it through... he was thinking about only doing 4 miles and in my heart I wanted to do 6! So I pushed him to 6 miles and in the end he thanked me! That was my last run before the race!

TNT ~ The number of participants are low this season and that is not too surprising considering the economy and all! I was talking to Paul during the run and he said that ONLY 7 people will be left on the team after Halloween! I hope they added wrong because that is really low! Last year he said they took 19 people to PF Changs! The difference between last year and this year also lies in the changes of TNT! They split up the 1/2 marathoners to the Spring Season and the marathoners to the Winter Season because of the length of time it takes to train for the distances... I just hope that the Spring TNT Happy Halfers equal at minimum 12 people and that our marathoners all recommit to the team by the deadline, Oct. 27th! On that note, 2 out of 7 are for the Honolulu, HI Marathon and the remaining 5 are for PF Changs... I have 3 of the 5 participants that are doing PF Changs! I hope they do recommit! This is my first time mentoring and I would love to keep my remaining mentees!

Vacation is near! I am going to be super busy the next couple days getting me ready for the trip and my dad! We leave at 8:45am and arrive at our destination at nearly 9pm! My race is at 8:30am the next day! Wish me luck on the Stump Jump run and I will have my camera so be prepared for beautiful pictures (not of me but the scenery) I will look like a mess.... hopefully not but it is likely!

I am so excited to see my family and on the same note I will miss Jeremy terribly. His vacations are by bidding process and he couldn't get the time off! In fact, this yr he even has to work on my birthday! Last yr he was able to get it off and this yr he wasn't so he has to work :(

If I have a chance to post on vacation I will... if not, I will post upon my return on the 12th!

Say a prayer for a safe and fun trip for my dad and I!
:::hugs::::
Melissa

Laughlin Trip

2008-09-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

I am back from Laughlin! Jeremy, Megan, Sky, and I... had a blast! I do believe that Sky was the biggest winner last weekend! It was his birthday and anniversary celebration of the happy couple Megan and Sky for 1yr dating!

We ate a lot of food... hitting the buffet twice. We didn't go to the restaurant mentioned in a prior post! It was too expensive and we ended up getting a buy one get one free buffet coupon while shopping on Saturday which totally SOLD me to going back to the buffet.

The drive was nice! Traffic was low (5hrs to Laughlin and 4.5hrs home for 300 miles each way) and when we entered into Nevada state line we saw a beautiful light show (lightning in daytime)... that was a first for me. Lightening continued through the night and into Saturday morning. Sunday morning we left at 8am and got home in time for my much needed hair appointment before the bowling league! Boy am I recouping! I realize that when I am not in my OWN bed, sleeping in is impossible! I did sleep pretty good but nothing beats your OWN bed!

Friday night before we met up with Sky and Megan, Jeremy and I went to the buffet and then took the boat cruiser to the Riverside for a nice walk to help digest our food. The Riverside hotel had a car show with the majority of them being classics. They were really cool... even if you weren't a car fan... it was neat! We ended up walking back to our hotel which is a LONG walk!

Now to Saturday (the bulk of our mini vacation) We all didn't drink that much, surprisingly... I think my stomach was so full with food that anything else was just WAY to much! We had breakfast of champions in the morning "McDonalds" and then took the boat cruiser to one of the hotels and walked across the street to the outlet mall and movie theatre... We ended up watching the movie "Eagle Eye" and then shopping! After we were loaded with new clothes... we took the boat cruiser back to our hotel and had dinner... eating TOO much food led to a long walk around the river... A thing Jeremy and I did the night before "Friday"! We took the boat cruiser to the first hotel "The Riverside" and walked to the "EdgeWater"!

Our gambling consisted of:

Jeremy: goldfish penny slots, Wheel of Fortune quarters, and Keno
Me: Wheel of Fortune dollar slots, goldfish penny slots, video black jack, and Keno
Megan: I got her hooked on the goldfish penny slots, she played Wheel of Fortune, Hitchcock game, and Keno!
Sky: Played so many slot machines including the ones mentioned above but had the highest return on video black jack!

The only downside to our vacation was the bugs! Nats (sp?) were all over the place... grasshoppers were too! So at night when they were swarming around... we didn't talk much, instead we hummed our words, because you know I can't keep quite!

Good times!

Vacation mode

2008-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am getting into vacation mode and have started to book my calendar to get all my necessary things done before my trip to Tennessee. This weekend is Laughlin and I am pretty much ready for it since it is only 3 days! I have VERY little free time on my hands from here on out though.

My hair is starting to get long... for me! So I booked an appointment to get it cut before TN and the only day I could do it is this Sunday so before bowling and after the 4+hr drive home from Laughlin I hope to make it to my 2pm appt. I won't be getting highlights until after my trip because #1 it is too expensive and #2 takes too long and I am too busy!

That is the jump start into my preparation for TN. It doesn't end their as I will need to do much needed laundry on Monday (after Laughlin) and then do laundry again on Thursday to pack that night for TN. As for my workout routine it will be normal with Monday & Thursday attending my tap class and Tuesday & Wednesday running around back bay for my midweek mileage! Friday is my travel day and then Saturday is the Stump Jump run in TN.

I ran 8 miles yesterday and plan on doing 6 today. I am sore but it's a good sore! Jeremy made cookies last night so I have plenty of yummy snacks to get me through the rest of the week. I am running 9 miles on Friday morning before we depart to Laughlin... I don't want to run their by myself I am not much of a late sleeper anyway! This will take care of my goal of 23 miles this week... as I am getting back in the swing of things in training for my Marathon 1/18/09!

Warning: I don't think I will be posting much until mid October due to my traveling arrangements... so be prepared for lots of posts and pictures upon my return!

Please pray that we have a great time this weekend... the weather is good and for our safety while we concur the 300 mile journey to Laughlin on Friday and back home on Sunday.
All that being said... thank you for tuning in for some Melissa LIVE!
:::Signing out:::

1st day of Autumn "Fall"

2008-09-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

I am celebrating with my heater under my desk in my office and a sweater on... My office always is set to the "ice berg" setting....

I am loving life! My hubby is off work from his evening job this week so we are making Waffles for dinner tonight after my tap class... which he is going with me to watch me tap and to watch the whole class as a whole! Then tomorrow I am running 6-8 miles the Back Bay with Paul and then I will be home for some time with my hubby before he goes to Atomic to dance that evening. On Wednesday I am running 6 more miles with Paul at Back Bay, then I will be home with Jeremy... (after my shower) we are going to have a Netflix movie night and watch "Leatherheads".

Thursday will be fun... Jeremy may go to a swing dance place after work and I am ditching my tap class for my mentees... we are going to The District in Tustin and working on getting as many raffle/auction items for our event on October 25th. I hope my sacrificing tap class will get them closer to their fun-raising goal and gear them to get more items on their own for the raffle/auction portion for the event.

Friday will be a wonderful day... I am getting up early to go for an 8-miler while I let Jeremy sleep in a little bit. Then around 10am we will begin our road trip to Laughlin, NV... we plan on arriving their in time to settle into our hotel at Harrah's and having a nice dinner at the Mark Twain restaurant. Later that afternoon/evening... Sky and Megan will be arriving to join us for a fun-loaded weekend.

::: Happy Trailing:::

A Happy Friday indeed!

2008-09-19T10:04:00.001-07:00

Can I just tell you how much I love Friday's

Next Friday I will be heading to Laughlin.
Then the following Friday I will be on a plane to TN... I am so looking forward to the race, family visits, and of course the food!

I hope you enjoy the pictures from the last post! This is my official last Friday to work until Oct. 17th!

:::Peace::::

Recouping

2008-09-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

This week has been a WEEK! I got some sort of bug on Tuesday and I have been recuperating ever since. I think it was a mild case of food poisoning and am finally on the road to recovery. Of course this hit me at about mile 4-5 on my Tuesday Back Bay run... which caused me to walk the rest of the way to my car to finish my 6-miler!

Ever since then I have been eating soup, cereal, and now graduated to steamed rice. I have had cake and cookies too...

Saturday I plan on running 7-8 miles with the team and I hope to help some teammates with their milestone be it their first 7-miler or 8-miler! On October 4th I will be running my 11 mile trail run and I will do this thinking about my team and their first Double Digit Day. My team will have hit their first 10 miles on the day I run my first 11 mile trail run just 2,000 miles away.

Other than that I have been resting, relaxing and recouping.

I will be back to the swing of things starting Saturday! YIPPEE!!!!!

As for my team... I have 4 mentees and they are doing great! I have the least number of mentees out of all the mentors... but our ROAR is stronger!

The whole winter team is planning an event on 10/25 and it is going to be a swing style thing with yummy chinese food. Amantha has donated her time to teach dance and my friend Peter K. who if the founder/owner of Back In Time Entertainment has donated is time to DJ for the event. Jeremy is going to step in and help with the lead portion of the swing class!

How exciting!!!!!

The count down is on. I leave for TN in two weeks from tomorrow morning. I can't wait. Also tomorrow will be my last Friday working for 3 weeks straight! I am leaving for Laughlin next weekend and then TN for 10 days! I so need a break from my daily routine! It will be great to do this SO soon!

My plans are mainly to learn how to rest and relax... I thought R & R mean't run and run some more....

Thanks for checking in... I am going to post some links below for Disney Pictures. I haven't bought any yet as the price to download or get a CD is $79 each and their is two of us... Jeremy and I! YIKES!!! $158 to come up with! Their are great ones so check them out....

OK I am heading to bed. zzzzzzzzzzz

Dancing with mice!

2008-09-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Surprise appearance on the dance floor at Carnation Plaza in Disneyland:

Amantha leading Minnie Mouse... picture 1 & 2
Melissa "Me" following Mickey Mouse... picture 3 & 4
Jeremy leading Minnie Mouse... picture 5 & 6

lots of firsts!

2008-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

How do you like the new look, I am going for a Fall theme and some Good'ol Tennessee colors... Go Univ. of TN!!!!

Yesterday I ran 6 miles with Coach Paul and today after work I plan on doing 8-9 miles... we will see how that goes since I am working all day too...

I started a new tap class this Monday and I love the the song. My tap teacher's parents wrote the swing piece. It has no words but a lot of Spunk!

I am getting really excited for my trail run this October 4th! My first 11 miler in an uncharted path... I have only been on Signal Mountain once! My Cool Cuz lives their with her wonderful hubby and 3 kids. .

This race is going to be special on so many levels: My family out of state can see me finish a race (even my dad), my first long distance trail run, my first race out of state, and of course my the fact that I am actually starting the race at my oldest second cuz elementary school... is way COOL!

After the race I have no idea what they have planned for us to do. I am just so excited that in 3 weeks I will get to see them all again! I love them from over 2000 miles away!

This Saturday I am running 6 miles with TNT and then off until Tuesday on the running front.

Miles accomplished this week will be 20 if I do 8 today. No bowling this week but the new league starts up next week!

On the home front, Jeremy is signing up for the Surf City 1/2 Marathon on Feb.1, 2009. We are doing wonderful and enjoying life. My dad's right arm is healing nicely - per doctors... dad thinks he needs a 2nd opinion! Pray his hand heals and is cast is off before our trip on Oct. 3-12!

That's about all that is going on here.
:::PEACE:::

The lovely story

2008-09-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

First... I am letting my body rest and not working out on until this Saturday for the 4-miler with TNT!

Now the story you all have been waiting so patiently for!

Jeremy won... yep I got beat by him... fair and square! As I said in previous posts... if I beat my own past record time of 2:18 I would be happy and if I beat him too... that would be icing on the cake! I am very pleased with my new record of 2:01... who needs icing anyway, lol!

With my help, Jeremy beat me! He did say I was hard to beat and he couldn't have done this without me...

The morning of the race we made it to Disney at 4:30am and they let everyone get into their corrals around 5:15am. The race was awesome... as always Disney out does any race I have been too. Mickey and Minny had their running gear on... they don't run but they sure looked cute. The monorail stopped on West St. with all of Mickey's friends sticking their heads out and waving at all of us as we started the race... 14,000 of us out their. The well organized race had three waves and each had their own start time. I was in the first wave at 6am and Jeremy was in the second wave at 6:10am.

Off I went before him... in order to beat him I had to finish at least 10 minutes faster than him... although are start times are different the race is based on when your foot crosses the first pad at the starting line and ends when your foot crosses the finish line (aka: chip time).

Speaking for Jeremy... he did great the first half of the race. He started to feel as if he couldn't finish at about mile 7! I gave him Sport Beans by Jelly Belly with Caffeine in them and a shot blok... these things help supply the things you lose in an endurance event... like salt, electrolytes, etc. So at mile 7 he began with a shot blok and it did nothing for him... then from their to the finish line he would pop a sport bean at every mile... that got him to the finish line in 1:56!

I did finish the race first but my time was 2:01! This means although he started later than me he was able to make up 5 minutes... and if I was 5 minutes slower he would have passed me or we could have finished together!

I didn't know where he was on the course or how he was doing. I did know that he hadn't passed me, because I kept a good look out for him. I was in front of the 2:00 pace group... that help people finish at that time. I ran with them when they caught up to me for a few miles and then they ran past me around mile 10 but where in my visual the rest of the race unless their was a turn ahead. I high five'd a bunch of people throughout the course (Girl Scouts, Cheerleaders, High School bands, spectators, Police officers... you name it they got a high five)! I always appreciate the cheering at a race... it keeps me up to speed!

When I finished... I felt pretty good! I was pooped but good! I never ran so fast in my life for that long and it took alot out of me! I had a chance to eat a banana real quick and hit the port-a-potty! When I was done and walking back to the finishing location... their he was... more pooped than me but with a few minutes that had passed... I knew I was finished and that Jeremy won! I was hoping for some miraculous chance that I was the winner but soon it was confirmed online!

It was funny because we both had our cell phones on us to find each other and we never needed it! It was easy for us to spot each other after the race and we were together from their on out! Then when we went to the finishing stretch of the race to cheer others on... Gwynne's hubby Joe... was leaving the restroom as I was walking to the woman's restroom! Joe and Jeremy talked... we ended up running into him without the need of our cell phone yet again! Gwynne would text Joe on her mile marker every time she passed one. When we saw Joe... she was at mile 10! We did see her finish and I high five'd her too! She Rocked at 6 mos pregnant with a time of 3:19!

We also ran into our Team in Training friends Suhkraj, Diana, Paul, Dennis, and Shari! It was a blast.

Later that evening Jeremy and I were getting sorer by the minute... and I had to bowl for my league! The first game I did well but we lost by 23 pins... after that my games went down hill... I was tired and I think even today I am still recouping from lack of sleep on my 3 day weekend! We won the second game and lost the rest so we are out of playoffs! No trophy for us but their is always next season, right! I believe we are keeping our name... "Streaking Strikers" and the next league begins on 9/21!

The next day we were pretty sore... I bounced back by Tuesday and Jeremy bounced back by Wednesday. He and I are registered to run two 10K's by the end of the year:

Turkey Trot... Thanksgiving Day in Long Beach
Make Room for Santa... Dec. 14th in Irvine

I plan on running with him until he passes me :) I have come to realize that he will be faster than me but I hope to one day beat him! I think the 6'2" Jeremy and me at 5'2" is like watching a chihuahua and a golden retriever run together!

I hope this made sense to you guys!

:::Hugs:::

Melissa

And the Winner is...

2008-08-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Jeremy :)

JEREMY PIRES #5617
Age: 30 Gender: Male
Clock Time: 1:56:36
Distance: HALF MARATHON
Clock Time: 2:07:40
Chip Time: 1:56:36
Overall Place: 1216 / 10849
Gender Place: 913 / 4442
Division Place: 134 / 661
Age Grade: 50.8%
5K: 26:02
10K: 52:39
15K: 1:21:33

MELISSA PIRES #3001
Age: 28 Gender: Female
Clock Time: 2:01:49
Distance: HALF MARATHON
Clock Time: 2:03:13
Chip Time: 2:01:49
Overall Place: 1718 / 10849
Gender Place: 510 / 6407
Division Place: 81 / 1125
Age Grade: 54%
5K: 28:40
10K: 57:03
15K: 1:25:56

Stay tuned for the lovely story!

Disney Headliner

2008-08-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

What a crack-up!!! Disney has made headlines for the 1/2 Marathon taking place this weekend: http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/2008/08/26/disney-half-marathon-to-snarl-downtown-anaheim-traffic/

If you are going to be there to cheer us on... this article is good for road closures!

PS: I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and finished it with a time of 45:18! That is 8:58 average pace per mile!!!! I am stoked!

Jeremy ran 5 miles yesterday and did very well too!

GOOD TIMES!

Disney excitment!

2008-08-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

This week is all about letting my body rest up for Sunday! I am running today around 4-6 miles and then on Saturday for team in training for 4 miles! I am so excited for this weekend and not too long ago I found out it was a 3 day weekend! Oh, how I will need that!

I had tap class last night and I have it again on Thursday and that is all I have planned for my exercising this week! I may go swing dancing tonight but that is up in the air until 7:30pm... if I feel like attending and have showered... I will go! Otherwise I could lay around my house... and watch a movie... that does sound much more relaxing, don't you think! I am going back and forth on that and will be a spur of the moment decision, I am sure!

This weekend is full of excitement... after all the Disney Challenge is less than a week away! Saturday after TNT I will be getting my oil changed and car washed... then we are heading to the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Expo where Gwynne, Jeremy and I will get our race bibs, race chip, and other goodies that will prepare us for Sunday! I might even go shopping for Disney attire! After that we will head on over to Finbars for some yummy Italian food and carb up for the race!

I will stay home the rest of the night and get my rest so I can run my fastest 1/2 Marathon EVER! Of course, all I need to do is beat my best time of 2:18, but sub 2 hrs would be awesome... I don't know if it is possible this weekend but AWESOME it would be!

Sunday's wake up alarm is 3am! The race will start at 6am and will be finished by 9:30 to allow the park to open up for its guests. When the event is over I am heading home for food and sleep and then BOWLING!

YES you heard me right! We are still in play offs, which is a GREAT thing! We won our match last Sunday and are now in the top 4 of 18 teams in our league! GO STREAKING STRIKERS... it would be so funny to actually win a trophy with our team name on it, lol! That match was such a nail biter! We lost the first game and won the second game, leaving the third game as the deal breaker... that pressure got so intense that we were actually tied on the third game in the tenth frame! To conclude the tenth frame we won that game by +1 YES, you got it right... 1 pin! YIKES, now we are in the third round and the next match is the same day as my race!

Wish me luck and say many prayers... the race is at 6am and the bowling league is at 5:30 pm! See why I need a nap! The 3am wake up call doesn't help my beauty sleep, lol!

That just about wraps me up. I will try to post before my race... until next time!

:::HUGS::::
Melissa

Go 169!

2008-08-21T08:37:00.000-07:00

Peters Canyon Trail Run on Thursday August 7, 2008 see my previous post for details on the butt kicking race. It was only 5 miles but it felt like a half marathon while on the course. I saw the camera man and changed my face expression for the picture.... I more or less looked like a female version of the guy behind me in the white shirt until I saw the camera...

Not bad for a first trail run. More to come I am sure.... afterall I did buy a new pair of shoes for this... and they need to get 300 miles on them so I don't waste my money on trail shoes.

Good Times! I love a challenge!

Tapering down

2008-08-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was my first mentor training day and we did 2 miles. I met our participants and can honestly say that they are all so cool! Later that evening Darin and Dionne (head coach and assistant coach) went to Disney and I got Darin to dance with me on a few songs. We had a great time and stayed until the park closed! It is kind of funny but I was thinking about my friend Amantha and how I inspired her to do a marathon... even though her love isn't in running or walking... she is a dancer at heart! Darin and Dionne are coaches for TNT and they are runners/walkers at heart... I talked to them and they have begun swing dancing. They are fast learners... let me tell you!!!!

Sunday I did my big miles before the half marathon... Coach Paul and I ran around the beach for 13.1 miles! I did the miles in 2:15 which beats my record in San Diego at 2:18! I am hoping to have an official time better than both of those ones! My goal is to mainly beat my time and if I beat Jeremy next Sunday that will be icing on the cake... just kidding honey :)

This week I had tap class yesterday... today and tomorrow I am running 5 miles (1mile less than last week on each day), tap dancing on Thursday, then in training on Saturday I am running 3 miles, and Sunday I will finish it off with 6 miles and bowling.

BOWLING ROCKS and so does our team... "Streaking Strikers" are in play offs... that started on last Sunday and we won 7 out of 7, which keeps us in the running [my fav]! It starts out with 16 teams, this Sunday is 8 teams [we are one of them] and then next week if we win a minimum of 4 points we go to the next round and will be in the top 4 of the league.... if we win that one we will play for championship title and get big trophies! I will keep you posted on this! Last year our team was 2nd place... the season that just past... we were bumped out of the running the first week... I would love to win championship title... (their is 18 teams on the league and as of now we are in the top 8)

No Disney for me this weekend... I am hanging out in the HOT Riverside area and visiting with my friend (more like non-blooded sister) in her neck of the woods... pray for cool weather as the temps are 10-20 degrees hotter their than at my places... and also pray for no traffic since it is a long drive for me (1 hr away). It will be fun whatever we do... we haven't seen each other since March! Jeremy is hanging out with his best friend Sky, while Megan and Carla are hanging out together... so we will all be paired up doing other things this weekend!

GO TEAMS (running and bowling)!!!!

Melissa

Wrapped up

2008-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not keeping to my promise of updating on Monday. This weekend that just passed was full of fun and excitement. I did play a round of mini-golf with my in-laws and niece who was visiting from Washington... I came in 3rd place overall out of 6! In everything I do... I usually end up in the middle, lol!

I had a full day on Saturday that started out with a 6 mile run, then I showered and made it to TNT kickoff... had a big lunch and headed to Corona for my brother's wedding reception party... I left their after about 2hrs of partying and went to Disneyland and danced until the band stopped playing around 10:30! I was out like a light in the car ride home that night... followed by another shower and more sleep I woke up at 8am and celebrated my 5yr wedding anniversary.

We had a very relaxing day... he napped while I played my Wii game for 2hrs, then we went swimming and had a VERY big dinner. My in-laws got a new dog so we introduced ourselves to "Bella Pires" after dinner before heading home for some much needed R&R!

Monday I went to tap class and said by farewell's to my niece as she headed home on Tuesday (yesterday).

Tuesday I ran with Coach Paul and then had dinner with my parents... together and what an interesting dinner that was, lol! I think I was 12 when I did that the last time! I then headed home and took care of things around the house... I made a dinner that ended up in the trash... I guess I should follow instructions and not deviate from them (who would have thought their was a difference between tomato paste and diced tomatoes)... the Chili creation was very watery to say the least!

Today I am not going for a run as I originally planned... I will be running errands and doing my laundry before it grows like last week's nightmare of 6 loads... I think I am at 3 right now which is much easier to handle and much less time consuming!

Thanks for checking in...

Training started yesterday for my next marathon... PF Changs Rock in Roll Phoenix - January 18th!

GO TEAM!

Results are in!

2008-08-08T16:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's trail run... kicked my butt to say the least! The first hill was HUGE... and I was defeated after running it 75% of the way... which means I walked up that thing for the remainder 25%. Overall, I did well... and better than expected. I placed 56th place out of 170 with a pace of 9:47/mi. and finished in 48:51 minutes. I have a whole new RESPECT for trail runners and admire their efforts. I do know that the Stump Jump run in TN is going to be one not for time but for pleasure... but if my time is good... that will be icing on the cake!

The other good news is that I didn't fall or get an injury and I am not sore today!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me and Kick off for Team in Training. I am so excited to meet my mentees!

I will update on Monday... Stay tuned!
:::Peace:::

A big day!

2008-08-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today at 6:15pm I will be running my first trail run and trail run race... it is only 5 miles but from what I hear the trail kicks your butt. After the trail run I am going to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) and picking up dinner for two! Jeremy and I get a treat tonight, not that we need it but my friend Amantha is fundraising tonight their and I need to support her and the LLS/TNT!

If you live near a DQ make sure you buy a blizzard today... all proceeds go to a good cause... for more information visit this site: www.miracletreatday.com!

WOW, yesterday was busier than expected. I am still recouping! I went to Sam's Club, the grocery store, and did 6 loads of laundry. By the time I was done, showered, and ready for bed... it was 11pm! I was on my feet from the time I got off work (5pm) to 11pm! Nonetheless I slept great but woke up late this morning... at least I made it to work on time :)

I didn't run yesterday but I sure felt like I had with all my errands! Tonight after my race I am planning on getting dinner and vegging on my bed for the evening... I hope this actually happens!

Stay tuned...

:::huggles:::

Soon to be trailing

2008-08-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

A busy weekend ended and a busy week ahead! I ran 10 miles on Saturday around Irvine's Famous Turtle Rock! For those who don't know it... since it isn't really that famous... It is a LONG hill and about 4 miles to go around! That thing kicked my butt! After that I went home and relaxed a little bit... then I hung out with friends and ended my day at the Happiest Place on Earth... Disneyland! We swing danced a little and rode some rides :)

Yesterday a friend of ours had a pre-anniversary party for us and also her parents whom we share the date with... On August 10th we will be married for 5yrs and her parents will be celebrating their 60th on the same day. They were at our wedding and it was awesome! The day was filled with yummy burgers and snacks, swimming, and dessert! Afterwards I went to my league and bowled a 130 average! It was a fun-filled weekend!

This week, as I mentioned above is also going to be busy... here is the bullet pointed version!

Monday - Tap dance and pre-bowl for this Sunday
Tuesday - Run 6 miles and lots of laundry
Wednesday - Run easy 5 miles
Thursday - 5-mile Trail Run at Peters Canyon in Tustin... breaking in my new trail running shoes (FINALLY)!
Friday - Dad's Day... dinner and movie
Saturday - Kick-off for Team in Training Winter Season... NAP... Luau Reception for my brother and his wife... Dancing at Disney!
Sunday - Anniversary... we haven't planned anything yet but I am open for the hubby

That about sums me up! I am hoping that Jeremy and I can run on Sunday together to get him ready for our August 31st Disneyland 1/2 Marathon! He has been doing better on his ankle pain and I think we will be a go for Sunday! Let's call it Anniversary Miles, lol!

Stay tuned on my progress this week... I am stoked!

Mucho Better-o

2008-07-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am feeling much better... I slept 10hrs and woke up 4 times last night! My throat is a little scratchy and I am still stuffed up on my right side... at least I can breath on my left side!

I have a little more energy today and I hope it can carry me longer so I don't go to sleep at 8pm like I did yesterday. I will be attending my tap class tonight and I am hoping Jeremy will come with me like he did on Monday! Tomorrow my dad and I will have a dinner/movie night and then on Saturday I am getting up early for a 10mile run with Coach Paul. I am starting to store my energy now, lol!

The Disneyland Half Marathon is exactly one month from today... I have 4 weeks to get Jeremy up to 10 miles! Their is a little set back I haven't mentioned yet! On Sunday Jeremy hurt his ankle running. I think it was due to pushing himself real hard too fast. Sunday I did a 5 mile walk with my friends and Jeremy was too join in and we were going to run. He decided not to join after all and he went for a run on his own. I don't know how many miles he did but I think it was around 8 and he had not ran more than 6 prior to this... mind you he also took about 2 weeks off of running in between his 6 miler and 8 miler, hence the injury! All week he has told me that he learned his lesson and every day he is icing is foot! So I think when the pain subsides we will get him back on the running wagon and get him to his 10 miles with this week off from running to heal. I imagine next Saturday will be a 6 miler, then the week after 8 miler, and the week before race day 10 miler!

Thanks for checking on me :)
:::hugs:::

Still Stuffy

2008-07-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Kmart in Diamond Bar, lots to clean up after the earthquake yesterday... so glad I don't work retail anymore. The magnitude changed from 5.8 to 5.6 to 5.4! No major injuries or damage reported :)

I have regained a little bit more energy today... last night I was up alot because I couldn't breath out of my nose. Once that cleared up thanks to Nasonex at (1-2am) I fell fast asleep. Unfortunately my alarm clock tells me to get up and go to work at 6:45am so I am tired in that regard but the reduced energy that I felt the last two days has subsided.

No working out today. I plan on running 10 miles on Saturday, lets hope that works out!

Right now I would love to sleep in a normal position (not propped with pillows) and for a long period of time. Only 4 more hours of work and I can try and make that happen!

Earthquake update

2008-07-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

It was centered in Chino Hills. It’s been downgraded to 5.4 but it caused damage to runways at Ontario Airport , John Wayne and knocked out a radar unit at L.A.X., as well as breaking a water main near UCLA.

Travel may be affected ~ Mel

5.8 Magnitude Earthquake

2008-07-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

The earthquake was centered in Chino Hills... about 26 miles from my work! All my family and friends here are fine! I am doing better, lol! I am on cold medicine and work next to railroad tracks so we feel shakes all the time... This one was different and me being on medicine didn't help matters. I was already dizzy and lightheaded... it took a few extra seconds to realize it wasn't a choo choo train going by and then I said "Oh Sh*t, it's an earthquake" while on an important phone call at work! Got to love my professionalism, lol! Thank the Lord for my door being closed in my office... I could have gotten in trouble. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_re_us/california_earthquake

So now that you know I have a cold, it's minor but it has completely taken away all of my energy. I began feeling "punk" yesterday morning and thought it was allergies... NOPE! Later in the day that felt like FOREVER... I realized it was something more... (sore throat, stuffy, and energy depletion)! It took all of my willpower to attend my tap class... I have missed an entire week and felt the need to go even while feeling punk! Afterwards I was supposed to attend a non-mandatory TNT meeting... I canceled... took a benedryl and went to bed!

Woke up this morning and still not feeling well... the appetite is still their but energy is still LOW!
Today before our earthquake, I canceled the OC Fair plans with my mom for tonight and canceled my running for tomorrow with Paul and Amantha. Today and tomorrow are for me to rest after work!

Back to yesterday, to my surprise Jeremy decided to attend my tap class. He sat in the back and watched as we tapped away for the full hour. OUR Super Guest for the night... I let my tap teacher introduce him to the class as I am stage fright even with my tapping friends! He may make another appearance on Thursday night.

This week is going to be a bit different for me and it's definitely for the better (except for catching a cold). Jeremy is off work from FedEx this week... taking a vacation! So all of my friends and family besides Jeremy are put on hold as this week is for me to spend extra time with my wonderful hubby!

Another announcement I didn't mention yesterday is my brother John got married in Jamaica to a wonderful sister-in-law Mitzi on July 28th! I don't know much of the details since I am in California and couldn't afford a trip to Jamaica but here is their site: http://www.mywedding.com/johnandmitz/index.html! Their will be a Luau Reception at my mom's house on August 9th at 4pm, which I will definitely be attending! That will be a big weekend for me!

August 9th is Kickoff for TNT from 8-12 then I have the Luau Reception 4-? and will end our day at Disney at midnight!

August 10th is our 5th Wedding Anniversary and I am spending the whole day with my love!

Lots of excitement around here the next couple of weeks!

I plan on running long miles (10mi) on Saturday... so pray this cold leaves me just as fast as it came on! Also please pray for the Chino residence and all those affected by the quake today. Pray that we have no injuries, deaths, or severe damage! Thank you!!!

:::PEACE::::

Staying Busy :P

2008-07-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to you!

This weekend was super busy for me. I ran 8 miles on Saturday with Coach Paul and then on Sunday I got a group together and we walked 5 miles! It was great having a bunch of people to hangout with and walk many miles together. I didn't realize how hard it is to walk that many miles non-stop! Apparently our pace was terrible on Sunday (2hrs for 5 miles)... that is WAY to long! Disney Half Marathon has a time limit of 3.5 hrs and that is for 13.1 miles! So this weekend we are planning on doing 6 miles and hope to pick up our pace for the walkers! On Saturday Paul and I ran 8 miles and the average pace was under 10 minutes per mile (finished 1:19)! I think I am best to stick to running, don't you agree? LOL!

Thanks to Amantha, Gwynne, Sukhraj, and Diana who joined in on the Sunday fun!

In my bowling league, I bowled great! Well... anytime I bowl over my average (119) I think it is great! My games were 124-131-145 = 400 scratch series! We won 5 out of 7 points last night which was greatly needed since we have maybe took 4 points in the last 6 weeks, lol! Most importantly we had SO MUCH FUN!

This week I plan on running on Wednesday (6 miles) and Saturday (10 miles)... I may go for a 6-mile walk on Sunday with the ladies, if nothing is going on at the home front!

Jeremy did lots of miles yesterday too... he has some ankle pain and has been icing it as much as he can... it is getting better but I think he pushed himself too much!

I have a mentor meeting today and tap class... Jeremy is off work (FedEx) this week so we are looking forward to some extra quality time! Tomorrow I am going to the fair for the last time with my mom while Jeremy goes dancing at Atomic. Wednesday I am running with Coach Paul and then hanging out with Jeremy until he goes to Strutters Ball Swing dance venue... Thursday we are chilling out together in between my tap class and our work schedules.... then Friday... I believe he will be out dancing again... as it is his favorite thing to do and I will hang out with dad...

Thanks for making this page such a success.... I am only 10 more views away from hitting 1000!

Sorry for the lack of updates. Since the last event NORMALCY has hit my life! Not much new to report but I am hoping that changes as soon as TNT Mentoring kicks off on August 9th!

Jeremy and I will be married for 5 yrs on August 10th... I am taking off from bowling that day and having a romantic day with my most wonderful hubby in the world :) WOW... time flies!

:::Hugs:::

Pumped

2008-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am running 6 beautiful miles along the Back Bay... my only day of exercise during the week... I will make up for it on the weekend though since I surprisingly don't have much going on! I am hoping Gwynne and Amantha meet up with Coach Paul and I!

Yesterday's BOOT CAMP MENTOR MEETING... rocked! It was 2 hrs but they provided Domino's pizza and for that my tummy was grateful! Seems as though non-profit organizations know patience! The Staff ordered the pizza at 5:30pm and since it was donated aka FREE... the pizza didn't arrive until 7:30pm! That is right 2hrs later!!!! So when it arrived I ate 3 slices, had 2 cheesy bread sticks and two cups of Sprite! My stomach doesn't know patience!

As a Mentor, I am assisting in the recruiting aspect of TNT! Anyone who has followed this blog and wants a piece of this excitement can join at www.teamintraining.org This WINTER 08 Season is going to be a blast with 3 events offered that are both runner and walker friendly! Team in Training info meetings are available in your area just click on the above link to find one! Who knows... I may be there to answer your questions! Here are the events offered:

Santa Barbara 1/2 Marathon, November 1st
Honolulu Marathon, December 14th
PF Changs Marathon and 1/2 Marathon Rock'n'Roll Phoenix, January 18th

As a participant... all costs are included in your fundraising so you don't pay anything out of pocket! They really do make the fundraising easy! If I could do it... so can you! That is if you are interested, of course!

I am doing RNR Phoenix! I would love to do Honolulu, Hi but I think I will wait until Jeremy and I can take extra time off and make a vacation of it! So look out in 2009 or 2010! I will rock that event then!

Can you tell I am pumped, lol!

:::GO TEAM:::

Official TNT Mentor!

2008-07-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was so surprised to find 960 hits on my blog... WOW, I love it!

This week was really busy! I managed to tap dance on Monday and Thursday, swing dance last night, run 5 miles on Tuesday, and 6 miles yesterday morning! I feel like I am back in the swing of things with 11 miles accomplished this week.

I AM A MENTOR! Whoo Hoo! I am so excited. I actually got the news last Saturday. I had my first meeting yesterday and I have two meetings next week (Monday and Wednesday) I am so excited to be able to inspire and help others with their fundraising to find a cure for cancer!

Also I just finished my thank you cards for my first marathon through TNT! They turned out great... I hope everyone gets them soon by mail! If I don't have your address and you donated or offered any other support like prayer... I would love to send you a card... e-mail me at melissapires2003@yahoo.com and I will get one out to you! Believe me when I say I felt the prayers. I hit the wall at mile 19 on my marathon and after that I may have looked tough but boy was I really pooped! I put a cool picture on my Thank You cards and I think you will enjoy it!

I have my bowling league tonight and I hope we WIN all the games!

This week will be very busy and unfortunately tap dancing doesn't fit in my schedule this week so I will be absent! With Monday's Mentor Meeting and Wednesday's Team in Training Info Meeting. I will not be exercising those days. Tuesday I will get a nice run in with Coach Paul, Gwynne, and Amantha! Thursday I should be at my tap class but Jeremy took off that day from work and we will be at the fair. I am actually meeting him up there after work because I couldn't get the time off! My tap teacher is performing at the Plaza Stage on Thursday and he is video taping it so I can see the routines! I have a good friend dancing 6 tap numbers and 2 jazz numbers!

That about sums me up! I should shower and eat before bowling! I think others would appreciate it!

:::Peace:::

Train Wreck

2008-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

This week has been a struggle. I haven't ran because of my pulled leg muscle... then I had a food allergy causing upset stomach and cramping... I have 2 parties to attend to this weekend and at least the nausea has left my body and same with the pain in my leg.

On a funny note... I caught myself from a fall down my stairs and hurt the foot opposite from the leg that hurt, lol! TRAIN WRECKER!

I donated blood on Tuesday and I am so glad that I could do this selfless act to help others in need... my next appointment is on Sept 2nd.

Still no word on TNT Mentoring... today is the day that we find out if we are on the team as mentors... LORD I HOPE ITS ME! I have faith in the outcome and the anticipation is truly killing me...

I did manage to tap one day this week and that was my only source of physical activity... definitely out of the groove this week. Next week I will be back on track... I can feel it!

Our July 4th Experience

2008-07-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July celebration! Jeremy and I ran a 5K race before the Huntington Beach parade. It was a great run and both of us put our all into the race trying to finish with the best time!

My stats were my best ever!

Female ages 25-39 placed: 16 of 93
Overall 438 of 1774
Pace: 8:34
Time 00:26:39

Jeremy's were even better...

Male ages 30-34: 14 of 63
Overall: 209 of 1774
Pace: 7:35
Time: 00:23:36

As I ran my fastest ever... the last 1/2 mile was hard... even though the distance was short the speed really had an affect on me... towards the end I started to back off and it was then that a guy behind me complimented me by saying " you have been pulling me the whole way with your great pace... finish your race strong" That kept me up to speed and he finished two people behind me. That was so cool!

Jeremy had is first racing experience and did an awesome job... I was very impressed! He told me he couldn't run that pace for 13 miles though, well either could I with my pace, lol!

I thought we were going to head home after the run and to my surprise he decided to stay for the open 5K, kids races, and even to the beginning of the parade where two fighter jets welcome the parade as it starts and the police helicopters fly in the sky. We didn't stay for the parade as our location is at the end of the parade so we left after the air shows were done. We were hungry and desperately needed showers. After Carl's Jr. and showers we both took a nap... after all we were up at 6am for the race!

In the evening it sounded like a war zone in Huntington Beach, which is hilarious considering Fire Works are illegal in our city! I bet law enforcement had their hands full in our area, lol!

To say the least, we had a blast!

We are excited to do the Disney half marathon and Jeremy is feeling confident to do well! We have plans on running 8 miles this Sunday before a birthday party that afternoon!

We ran his 1st 6 miles ever on Sunday (7/6) and did great. I on the other hand pulled a muscle in my leg and I am still recovering. I had to cancel the trail race tomorrow and plan on taking it easy until Sunday... with hopes to run 8 miles!

:::hugs:::

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our Independence Day :) I am already in red, white, and blue!

Jeremy and I get up at 6am for our 7am run down the Huntington Beach Parade zone. I believe my in-laws will be coming over around 9ish to park in our gated community and watch the parade. It will be a nice day, sitting around 80 degrees and having no real plans this weekend should make the three days both relaxing and entertaining... as we are usually too busy for our own good.

Be Safe!

Mentoring?

2008-07-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I did it! I filled out my application to become a Mentor and I sent it in the mail. I should hear from TNT on July 11th to see if I have been chosen. I hope I am... the only thing that could deny my mentorship is the fact I will be missing 3 Saturday runs in a row... 1 for Laughlin and 2 for my Tennessee trip! If this is the direction I am supposed to take, God will do his work! So I wait and see and of course have faith!

Today I decided that I will run Mile Square Park. I am going to have fun out their and hopefully I will feel a breeze in this 80* weather! Did you know that your body temperature increases 10-20 degrees when you run! That is why runners like to beat the heat and it is easy to start a run in 50-60* weather! I am not a morning person so I will take the heat like a tough girl!

Yesterday's tap class was challenging! I love my cross training exercising... it is so much fun!

3 Days until Freedom... remembering the soldiers who fough so hard for our freedom and risked their lives for us! Keep the Families in your thoughts and prayers!

Gotta run! Thanks for checking up on me and my hubby!

Patriotic Melness

Monday Madness

2008-06-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Breaking News:

I am now technically a full-time employee. I have been working less than full-time hours as a bookkeeper/office manager for Woods Group Architects and have been asked to come on board with CenterStone Communities. The president for Woods Group is also a partner in CenterStone so I will be working 10 hrs for Woods Group and 30 hrs for CenterStone. I am so excited by this invitation and I know that God was behind this all the way as the pieces fell right into my lap without my knowledge! In this change I am gaining so much and I praise God for his works in this offering!

Yesterday was my sister-in-law's birthday... Happy 28th Birthday Rachel! We had a party which included great BBQ food and yummy strawberry cake w/ strawberries and ice cream! Jeremy and I ran 4.6 miles and I went bowling too! I bowled my highest game this season yesterday with a 163 first game and then I must have got cocky or lost my energy because my other games were down the tubes... with a 101 and a 93!

With my new work hours 8-5 Monday - Friday... I am going to stop working out in the morning as it is hard to get up at 6am, this means that as long as the sun is shining after work I will work out then... so 5:15-5:30 is when my runs will begin... Once I am done with my runs then I can hang out with all you fabulous people!

Today I am tap dancing... we are learning a routine to "Sing, Sing, Sing" which is a fast song... I really sweat during this series! On Tuesday and Wednesday I am running after work and then on Thursday I continue with my tap class. Friday this week is Fourth of July and Jeremy & I are celebrating at 7am with the HB race before the parade! Fun times are sure to be had! No set plans after the race so call us or me and lets wing it with fun times!

Recap of last weeks mileage accomplishments

Jeremy 4.6 out of 12 goal miles
Melissa 12.7 out of 14 goal miles

This week's goals are

Jeremy 12 miles
Melissa 17 miles

Happy winds-day ~ Pooh

2008-06-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am well rested today. I went to bed last night at an early 10:30pm and woke up bright and cheery this morning at 5:30am... I actually got out of bed around 7am and then did a 4.5 mile run in the cool morning beach air.

The run was nice and the weather was perfect (in the 60s)! The heat wave has given us a break :)

Accomplished miles, this week (so far)
Melissa 8
Jeremy 0 (he is scheduled to run tonight and tomorrow)

We are running 6 miles on Sunday and it is supposed to be 85*! This will be his first 6 mile run, whoo hoo!

Yesterday I had a blast with my friend Erin! We went to the Huntington Beach Street Fair that takes place every Tuesday. We had a tasty hot dog and coldstone ice cream (birthday cake remix) ! The mixture didn't agree with me so next time I will try something else!

The OC Fair starts up 7/11-8/3 and I plan on going at least 3 times! I love fair food and the whole atmosphere! I will go once with Jeremy and friends, another time with mom, and another time with dad! The fun part about it is each visit is a whole different experience. My dad is all about the art exhibits, Mom is all about the shopping experience, and my hubby is all about the food! I love it all and it's so hard to fit it all in one day so spreading it through 3 days periodically throughout the span of the fair works great for me!

TTFN (ta ta for now ~ Tigger)

Running out of juice!

2008-06-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a tap only day.

I got to bed at 1am and then was up at 7am for my first morning run by myself in a VERY long time! It is so much more motivating when you have a team with you on morning runs. I beat the heat, lol! Actually it is just naturally cooler in the mid 70s today!

I guess getting up early and running on an empty tummy with little sleep can slow your pace down... I had an average pace of 10:50 today :P

The best part of running this morning is that I don't have to do any exercise after work! I am doing this tomorrow too but the good news is that I am going to bed early tonight!

I am not a night owl... Jeremy thinks I am turning into one because the last 3-4 days I have been going to bed late... it's been fun things... but I need to get back to my normal routine of 10ish!

Running achievements this week (so far):
Melissa 3.5
Jeremy 0

I am taking it easy on the running and only doing one activity a day. Yesterday was tap, today is running, tomorrow running, and Thursday is usually tap but this week I have a TNT mentor meeting... it's my summer break schedule until mentoring begins August 9th :)

I am so excited to become a mentor! TNT Coach Paul says I am in... I just need to attend the meeting and fill out the application like everyone else!

(:::: YIPPEE::::)

So. Cal. heat wave is still lingering...

2008-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have to really pysch myself into the whole running thing with Huntington Beach temps in the 90s...

Jeremy and I went to Disney on Saturday and danced the night away... and sweated the night away too! Yesterday we ran 5 miles in 90* weather... and managed to keep (his) average pace of 9:18/mi. which is equiv. to 7 mph on a treadmill... I thought I was going to pass out from overheating, lol! I don't like it too hot or too cold... 70s is just right in my book!

Well he kicked my butt. I stayed with him the whole time, behind him though! His long legs was his saving grace! We did 5 miles and I told him the half marathon is like doing that 2.6 times... he knows that the 13.1 miles is going to be a challenge for him and TRAINING is necessary! He did really well running the miles on the schedule I gave him and this weekend we will get him up to 6 miles...

Helping him train for the 1/2 marathon will help me improve my pace. He is 6'2" and I am exactly 1ft. shorter than him at 5'2"! If I can keep up with his pace... I may finish the Disney race in 2hrs! WOW!!!! So he is training endurance and I am training at his speed... a win-win situation! I am glad the Pires Disney Challenge is not a competition anymore and we can work together to achieve our goals! It will be interesting to see how we do on race day, so stay tuned!

Last week we accomplished how many miles?
Mel: 13.5 miles
Jeremy: 11 miles

This week's goal is what?
Mel: 16.5 miles
Jeremy: 13 miles

We are continuing to dance 3 days a week and I am enjoying my bowling league on Sundays!

NEXT WEEK....

Is our first race together... we are running the Huntington Beach 4th of July 5K race... before the parade!

I will run my hardest short run while out there with hopes for placing in the top 10! I don't know what the competition will be like... it is a good goal though... I will update next Friday with the results and story!