cleveland marathon ambassador

2022 Cleveland Marathon Ambassador

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

I’m excited to share that I’ve once again been selected as an ambassador for the Cleveland Marathon!

Race weekend is back in May with the 5k, 10k, half and full marathon. I’m so excited to be back running races IN-PERSON and in the spring again!

I haven’t started training yet, and life is a little crazier these days with a newish baby and a new job, but the Challenge Series (running Saturday and Sunday) is my favorite and calling my name again! I’ll probably be aiming for the 5k/Half challenge. As part of my ambassadorship, I get a discount code – so feel free to use MCCARNSAVE10 for 10% off registration. And stay tuned for a race entry giveaway coming soon!

Last year was the first year I didn’t run the Challenge Series. At less than 3 months postpartum, and only having started running again for a few weeks, I didn’t have enough time to train for the half marathon. I’m hopeful that this year will let me get in some longer runs and get back into running shape!

In the meantime, here’s how the week went running wise:

Sunday: 4 miles outside! and then a walk with the family
Monday: 4.04 miles outside!
Tuesday: 4.5 miles treadmill
Wednesday: 5 treadmill miles
Thursday: 5.1 treadmill miles
Friday: 4 treadmill miles
Saturday: Rest day – No running, took a 4 mile walk outside instead

I got in TWO outdoor runs, the first time in a while! I went on a run with my brother when he was visiting from Germany, and it was great. Well, not the weather or conditions – it was cold, slippery and icy but the conversation was great at least. It was the first time I had run with someone in several months, and that also made the time go fast.

Sunday it actually got warmish – so I was able to run in capris, and then take a not-so-frigid walk with the family.

Some questions for you:

  • Do you have any upcoming races?
  • Have you been running outside lately?

I’m linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Run Down.

2021 Cleveland Marathon 10K Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

This weekend was the Cleveland Marathon! The race weekend includes several events, including a half marathon, full marathon, 5k and 10k.  As an ambassador, I spent the weekend working the Expo, and running! It was great to be back to an in-person race (my first one since 2020!) but there were several things different this year. Including:

  • I only ran one day — Saturday. This is the first year that the 5K and 10K were on Saturday and the half and full on Sunday — typically the 10K is the same day as the half and full, but they split them up this year, meaning I was only able to participate on Saturday. 
  • No challenge series for me! Because of that, this was also the first year I was unable to run the challenge series! The series includes running an event Saturday AND Sunday, and even when I was 9+ months pregnant with LM, I did the 5K (Sat) and 10K (Sun).
  • No half marathon and less-than-stellar training for me.  Since I’ve only been cleared to run for about 6 weeks, I was unfortunately not able to get back into the best shape and unable to run the half. Still, I signed up for the 10K, with the goal of running it without stopping and hopefully doing it all under 11 minute/miles (a modest goal for me) – one my fastest 10K time was in the low 50-minute range. 
  • New course. Typically, the 10K starts off with the marathon and half marathoners, but since it was a different day, it had a new course, running with the 5K race.
  • New season. Cleveland Marathon weekend is always in May, which means the weather is either SUPER hot, rainy, or freezing (it snowed one year that I ran it!). I didn’t mind having a fall race, though the weather could’ve easily been May.
  • Not feeling my best. I’ll admit that I wasn’t feeling my best on race day. Since I have a just-turned-3-month-old baby, I’m getting poor sleep (fun fact – my 3-YEAR-old woke me up at 11 pm and 1:30 a.m. the night before the race — that doesn’t account for my 3-month-old). Breastfeeding has made me semi-dehydrated. I’m not at my pre-pregnancy weight yet, so everything still feels a little awkward when running. And, I had fallen a week before race day when running and ever since then, my groin muscle has been off. And, I knew we had to rush from the race to another event for my son’s school, so I was anxious about that. 

With all that, my goals were:

  • Have fun. Remember that I GET TO RUN and am so grateful and lucky to be able to, especially 3-months postpartum!
  • Run without stopping. Try to run the whole thing in the 10 minute/mile range (my fastest training runs were close to 11 minute/mile pace)
  • Help out. As an ambassador, I was planning on volunteering at the EXPO and working the information booth. This meant I could answer questions and meet people who were running.

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Weekly Run Down + Cleveland Marathon Giveaway Winner

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

Now that we’re officially less than one month away from the Cleveland Marathon events, it’s time for me to buckle down with my “training.” I need to decide what event to race and it all comes down to – how in shape will I be in one month? 

As you may know, I had a baby less than 2 months ago, so I’m not at my prime running shape right now. I got cleared to start running again just 2 weeks ago, so I don’t think I’ll be ready to run a full or half marathon in a month, sadly. But I’m excited to run/walk the 5k or 10k and be back at the in-person event!

You may have seen I did a giveaway for free entry on Instagram — the winner was just announced. Congrats to @carijeanne!

If you didn’t win – there’s no need to fret. You register here and use my discount code: MELCCLESAVE10 for 10% off.

GIVEAWAY! (2)

In the meantime, here’s how my running looked this week:

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2021 Cleveland Marathon Giveaway

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re now nearly one month away from the Cleveland Marathon events! The race weekend is scheduled for October 23-24, and includes several events, including a half marathon, full marathon, 5k and 10k. 

If you’re interested in signing up or the race, I have good news. Not only can you register here (and use my discount code: MELCCLESAVE10 for 10% off) but you can also enter my giveaway on Instagram! AND I’m accepting extra entries here – simply comment here (especially if you’re not on the gram, this is the entry for you!) about what race you want to run if you win, and I’ll add you to the random mix. 

I’ve run the challenge series every year since it started, before kids, with kids, pregnant, etc. sometimes running the 10k, sometimes the half, and it really is a race that has a special place in my heart.

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And if you’re still reading, here are a few of my favorite memories from the past Cleveland Marathon events.

In 2016, I ran the race 8ish months pregnant with FW. It started sleeting during the event (I did the 10K), but my friend (and running buddy) Erica was at the finish waiting for me with this amazing sign!

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In 2017, I had a new spectator to watch me run – FW!I did the half marathon. 

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In 2018, I was super pregnant – i.e., the race was the week of my due date! I ran/walked the 5k and 10k. B even “ran” with me for the 5k, carrying FW on his back!

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In 2019, I finally made it to the starting line for a photo with the other marathon ambassadors! The race was a hot one, but I had decided just to run the race my own pace and have fun, stopping at every water stop.  FB_IMG_1558312569984

I had a great time volunteering at the race expo with my other fellow mother runners, and one of them even inspired me to start a running streak, which I did in 2020-2021 (I ran for 420ish days straight).43876

Another thing I’ve loved about running the race has been meeting some great new friends. One of these great people is (another) Melissa C! We’re both hosting giveaways together, so be sure to check out hers too. 

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I can’t wait to see what this year’s race holds and hope to make some more great memories! And don’t forget to enter my giveaway and if you don’t win, register with 10% off discount code: MELCCLESAVE10.

GIVEAWAY! (2)

Questions for you:

  • When is your next in-person race?
  • If you want to enter the giveaway – which race would you run?

Postpartum Running – Week 2

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

This was my second week of running after GM was born, and it’s going alright! I’m trying not to get discouraged by how slow I am (for me) and how my body can’t run for too long (again, for me). Instead, I’m trying to rejoice in the fact that I’m back running and feeling good for the most part!

After last week’s first few runs, I was SORE. My shins hurt, my back hurt, and even my abs (or lack thereof) hurt! But a few days in, I started to feel relatively normal again and less sore as each day went on. My back is still hurting after running, but I’m hoping that as things get back to normal with my body, that will go away soon, too.

A few highlights from this week:

  • I got in my longest postpartum run – 4 miles!

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  • I finished logging miles in my Saucony Kinvaras. I’m at 400+ miles so far and I can tell I’m done with them. What shoes should I get next?

Here’s what this week entailed:

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Back to Running!

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

This week was exciting — on Friday, I got the all-clear from my doctor to resume running again!

At six weeks postpartum, I’ll be honest with you – I don’t feel 100% like myself. Unlike with my two other kids, I’m not feeling back to normal right now. But getting the OK to run, made me SO excited and I can’t wait to get back into shape!

With that development, here’s what this week entailed:

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Virtual Race Recap: Cleveland Marathon Virtual 5K

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Well, here I am, 30 weeks pregnant (10 more to go!) and writing a race recap that I didn’t know I’d be writing.

It’s not a true race recap – like most of my races this year, there were no water stops, starting line, finish line or even crowd support. This weekend should’ve been the Cleveland Marathon race weekend. Every other year, since they announced it, I’ve participated in the Challenge Series (where you run on Saturday and Sunday and get a cool medal and additional swag!), but this year, the race is virtual right now, with a fall race (schedule TBD) in-person.

This year, I’m excited to hopefully run a fall race — I’m looking forward to have something to train for after giving birth and getting the okay from my dr (hopefully in early September). As long as the race is early October or later, i should be fine with running it hopefully!

But, I couldn’t let the virtual event just happen and not participate, especially as a race ambassador. So even though I’m by no means in racing shape these weeks, AND the fact that we were out of town, I knew I couldn’t NOT join the event. So, I signed up for the 5k, with the goal of running the entire thing (these days most of my runs are actually run / walks) and crossed my fingers to hope for the best.

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Here’s how the “race” went: 

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1 More Week

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 10 Comments

In one week, I’ll have completed 365 days of my running streak!

It makes me nervous to put that in writing. What if I’m jinxing it? What if I get sick or injured in the next few days? What if I can’t complete a year? Who knows what will happen in the next few days, but hopefully the next time I share a running post, it’s to say that I’ve completed my year of running.

Again, this week had its ups and downs. I had a good run one day, but most of the days I felt tired, big and ready to quit. I’ll blame it on being 26 weeks pregnant and bigger than I can remember ever before. But, the one good run powered me through my week and gave me hope that I’ll be able to run more in the future!

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Good Run Bad Runs

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

It’s amazing what much one good run can do for your mood, self esteem, and overall well being.

For most of this week, I had so-so to bad runs. Runs where I told myself, just get to one mile without stopping and then you can walk for a minute. Where I reminded myself that I had “less than 2 weeks to go to get to a year in my running streak.” Runs where I also completely doubted myself and doubted my ability to keep running throughout this pregnancy.

And then Saturday came along and after a full night’s sleep and beautiful weather, I finally had a good run. No, a great run. A run where the walking was minimal, the weather was PERFECT and I was able to get in under 12 minutes/miles, even with walking, for the entire 5 miles. And at 25 weeks pregnant and day 352 of my running streak, I’m really happy about that.

So, even though this week is my lowest mileage week in 2021, I ended the week on a high note.

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21 Days

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

As of Friday this week, I had 21 days left. 21 days left until I get to 365 of my run streak.

It’s crazy to me to think that in just under three weeks, I’ll have run every day for a year. I started in 2020 during the pandemic after doing my virtual half marathon. And, I just haven’t stopped. I’m now 24 weeks pregnant, which means if I keep this up, I’ll be about 27 weeks when I get to 1 year!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. This week was a pretty good week, and “very Cleveland” as they say in terms of the weather. It was in the 70s two days, which meant we at outside for lunch AND dinner. And then it snowed at least an inch on Thursday – and the snow stuck for a little over 24 hours! I’m hopeful that that was our last April (and spring) snowfall and we are in the clear for at least 8 months….but we’ll see.

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