RunCLE40- Lets do this 2017!!

If you are new to my blog, welcome!  And thanks so much for stopping by!  I’m Melissa, a (mid) 30 something mom of 2 of the coolest little guys in the world!  Running is the thing that I do for me, it’s my hobby and my stress relief and I just feel better if I get out there for a few miles. I’m lucky enough to be part of the Cleveland Marathon for the 3^rd year as an ambassador. This year is going to be amazing because it’s the 40^th anniversary race and the Marathon has been geared up since last year preparing for all of the fun stuff to celebrate! And although I have actually completed a full marathon, I have fallen far away from the running bandwagon and after a few months of not really running and enjoying the holiday cookie table a little bit too much. So, I’m starting at the very beginning again. Just putting one foot in front of the other and taking it one day at a time. 

I’m sure many of you have been thinking about how to make this year the best year yet. And if you found me thru the Marathon page you may be looking for some inspiration. I think that my best piece of advice for you is to just get moving. 
Move!!! Just 20 minutes a day to begin with for this month. Just get up, put your shoes on and get out the door! You can walk, jog, run, chase your kid on their bike, walk the dog, or even walk around the block on your lunch break. But just get out there, you owe it to yourself. There are proven health benefits from 20 minutes of walking a day: better mood, more energy, longer life, better memory, weight loss, the list goes on and on! 

 

Everyone is busy, but in the same token, everyone has some source of stress that they would probably love to feel better about. The last couple years of my life I have gone thru a lot of personal stress and running is the thing that I did for me that I know kept me sane and focused.  I did not self-destruct, I got my butt out there and so can you! So, get out there!  Get those 20 minutes done today!
So this is my first week back training and it was honestly a great start! I was able to get some decent lunchtime runs in without stopping (always a sign of heading in the right direction). I made a huge effort to get some kind of movement every day this week and feel like kind of a rock star for it! It was the best way to kick off the year! Here is how my week turned out.

	Workout
Sun	4 miles with Lynanne
Mon	HIIT pintrest workout while the kids were in the tub
Tues	2 miles at lunch
Wed	2 miles at lunch
Thurs	TBT at lunch
Fri	-
Sat	4 mile kickoff run

Speaking of kickoffs, I also joined some of my fellow Cleveland Marathon Ambassadors for a kickoff run yesterday! It was seriously chilly and if it hadn’t been for them being there, I would undoubtedly opted to run the inside track instead. But, I layered on all the clothes (right Rachel?) and made the drive and it was totally worth it!  Spending time with them is always so fun and inspiring!  I ran more than a minute faster than my average pace when I joined them! Just the confidence booster that I needed that I can get back to where I was and where I would like to be!  

 

If you want to get inspired too and hang out with more of the Ambassadors this weekend you can join them at the Fleet Feet in Westlake on Saturday @9:30 for the second kickoff training run! Sign up on the website here. I promise you won’t be sorry that you made it out!
This week I’m super excited because I get to do a Book Giveaway for my fellow Am(bad ass)ador Jill! Did you see how that worked out?  Not that great, OK moving on! Anyways, Jill IS a Bad Ass and I’m super lucky to have met her thru the marathon and even luckier to call her a friend! She published an amazing book and is kind enough to send one of you guys a signed copy!  You can check out her book here! I’ll be doing the giveaway on IG early this week!  

 

As always check out my fellow ambassadors are up to! And hop on over to IG and follow me and the Cleveland marathon there too!