Thank you for visiting my Miles for MARSOC fundraising page!! I RAN my VERY FIRST MARATHON and I am honored to have raised a lot money and awareness for the MARSOC Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit that provides benevolent support to Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Marines, Sailors and their families.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016:
Words cannot describe the awesome feeling of completing my first marathon!! I kept a steady pace the entire time, never stopping once to walk except for water, and 4 hours and 18 minutes later I crossed that damn finish line! I swear that around mile 23 I didn't care if I dropped dead right there in the street. But then adreniline happened around mile 24-25 and all my aches and pains just vanished....thank God! The crowd support, from civilian spectators to the marines themselves, was overwhelming to say the least. Even the Colonel in charge of Marine Corps Base Quantico was yelling at us through the bullhorn around mile 22.....makes you feel sorry for the men and women that have to listen to him yell all day every day ;) I ain't gonna lie I may have been more scared than motivated lol. I'm not sure how Chewbaca did in the race but Wonder Woman behind me there in the picture kicked butt and she wasn't even wearing a sports bra! My boobs hurt just looking at her.
As you can imagine this was a pretty emotional race. I saw a veteran running on blades; a lot of marines running with their packs, fatigues and boots on, proudly carrying our flag; disabled children being pushed by their families (go Team Evan!!); the Blue Mile. All of this made running that much easier.
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you that supported me and donated to MARSOC Foundation. Together we raised over $7,100!! And there is still time to donate :)))) Also, don't forget any corporate matching programs some of you (eh hem, Tom) may have. Thank you thank you thank you!!
Until the next marathon......#addicted
xoxo
Melissa
Thursday, October 13, 2016:
Yesterday I was running with my girl Felice (she's training for NYC!) and much to our surprise, we came across a nail salon right smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood! How strange is that?? Look how surprised I am in the photo! Soooooo crazy. I kept thinking what a strange place for a nail salon.....nobody would even know it was here....must be a "word of mouth" kind of place.
I think about a lot of things during my runs. It's a very mental task. People often ask me what I think about during my training. It's a great question. Allow me think long and hard about this and I bet I can come up with something....spit out some thoughts......
A lot of the time I think about all the dead snakes on the road. So many different snakes: long ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones......but it's the really huge ones that make the biggest mess that totally make me gag! Ugh.....
And when I'm with Felice we like to talk A LOT during our runs....sometimes we talk about pretty serious stuff and I often find the right words just really stick in my throat, my mind getting caught up in the emotion of it all, sometimes bringing me to tears, and just when I finally want to take a big breath and say something....the words right there on the very tip of my tongue .....just like that they disappear. Like they just shriveled up and died! That's pretty frustrating....I hate when that happens.
Lastly, and quite frankly, I think it takes a lot of balls, stamina and extreme mental discipline to train and not blow your load early on leaving only yourself, and maybe your training partner, disappointed with your finish. I'm happy to take on the challenge! ok nap time......
Tuesday, October 11, 2016:
Ok, I call bulls**t. Really????? Now????? It appears that while my mind was in it to win it, my body decided to take a detour. Last week I came down with what I thought was just a terrible cold but it appears I have "acute" bronchitis. I don't care what it's called ain't nothing cute about it. It's disgusting. So my training has been sidelined for just over a week. I literally did nothing except go crazy. But today I went on my first outdoor run; a slow.....very slow.....5 miles. I felt meh. Still need to train but still need to take it easy. Lol Those that know me know this is an impossible task! However, being the optimist that I am, I know this too shall pass and I, like Stella, will get my groove back......not that I really ever lost it (wink wink kiss kiss). I am running 10 on the hills with my girl Felice tomorrow morning so fingers crossed I'm on the mend!
THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has donated and for your continued support whether it be monetarily or verbally....the encouragement and positive vibes help! The money helps more which is why I am running this marathon in the first place SO DON'T FORGET TO DONATE! Your support isn't going unnoticed.....USA! USA! USA!!
xo
Monday, September 26, 2016:
Oh. My. God. It's not the 20 miles I ran today that was hard.....it was having to hold in a s**t for 17 of those 20 miles!!! There is nothing glamorous about this training (other than the smokin hot body I am getting!). This may have been something you seasoned marathoners could have warned me about. Same goes for pregnancy/child birth.....there are just some things I need to know beforehand.....it is not necessary for me "to just experience this on my own". I'm a grown ass woman and I do not like surprises unless they are in the form of super cute gifts for no reason other than you were just thinking about me ;)
This is by far the hardest thing I've ever pushed myself to do. But I have to say this is also the most gratifying and humbling (except for maybe childbirth....that's pretty humbling). It is a lot easier running all these miles knowing I am not running for myself or even my own family. To run for somebody else and their family is by far the greatest gift I can give. Kind of like what these guys do for all of us all day, everyday!! They don't know any of us yet here they are risking everthing for us. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your continued support and for being the best damn group of cheerleaders I could ask for :)
xo
Sunday, September 18, 2016:
Today I ran 18 miles along the Hudson River in NYC so I had plenty of time to think....3 hours and 4 minutes to be exact. What I realized during this run was my training has literally taken me from SEA TO SHINING SEA....from Pearl Harbor to New York Harbor in less than a month! I thought that was pretty cool not to mention patriotic as shit! The American Flag photo was taken aboard the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor on the sunny, bright and beautiful island of Oahu; and Lady Liberty was taken during this run in hot, humid, buggy NYC. (NOTE: both photos were taken with my iPhone.....just check out that air quality!). My face felt like a windshield.....I don't know how much time I lost picking bugs out of my eyes. Sometimes my tears of pain would wash out the bugs. Jkjk there's no crying in marathon training ;) I am actually enjoying pushing myself to what I never thought I could (or would) do. And in light of the recent events right here in NJ/NYC over the weekend I am so fucking glad I am running for MARSOC!! #unitedweSTAND
Thank you as always for your support as I bust my ass....it's looking pretty damn good though.... to raise money for these guys and their families!
Monday, September 5, 2016:
Today, being the spritual gangster that I am, I dedicated my long run (16.5 miles) to not the humans in our Armed Forces, but to our Military Working Dogs. I think we forget about them sometimes. Because I love my dog, Duke (a Belgian Malinois), more than my children (jk calm down), I used his two favorite places as my start/finish 2x: VIPuppy and Preferred Pet. I even stopped by VIPuppy (mile 8) for a selfie with my little man (see pic below.....Duke is at the gate because he thinks I am picking him up). I dubbed this course The Duker :)
Thank you for your support as I run and run and run and run my first marathon to raise money for MARSOC!
IG: meljoyard
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Sunday, August 21, 2016:
As some of you know, I am the daughter of a former US Marine. My dad never talks about it but to say "I just walked around with a clip board all day". Now, I don't know if you've ever tried to sneak in the house at 4am when you were 16 years old and thinking you actually got away with it, only to be peacefully woken up by your insomniac/former marine father at 6am: a gentle whisper and a nudge "good morning, sweet heart. why don't you help me clean out the garage." Oh, this wasn't a question. This was an order. And I knew very well not to argue: my punishment begins now. After cleaning out the gargage for 4 hours, with a terrible hangover and 2 hours of sleep, I was allowed to stop for a quick breakfast. Finally....back to bed! Oh wait, he's just kidding lol. My dad "didn't like" where he kept what looked (and felt) like a cord of wood so he suggested I move it to a different nearby spot only to decide he didn't like it there either so I should move it back to it's original location. At 43 years old, I can look back on this and laugh. I will tell you this was way worse than being grounded for 2 weeks, which would have been the easy, standard punishment. And let me tell you.....I continued to sneak in to the house at 4am but I had to think smarter and be quieter!
As I am training and logging in the miles and hours to run the USMC Marathon in Washington DC on October 30, I think about our MARSOC Marines and Sailors and how it is their job to perpetually "sneak in to the house at 4am". This week I am on the beautiful island of Kaua'i (not missing a run!), and as I dodge chickens and snails and answer the 100 phone calls/texts from my kids asking how much longer I will be, I can't help but think of these Marines and Sailors that are dodging bullets not chickens, and don't get the appreciated interruption of phone calls from their families. I think about how heavy this water belt can be and quickly appreciate the weight of the gear MARSOC Marines wear daily. I think about how hot and miserable I am to train at noon on the hottest week of the summer and quickly realize our Marines and Sailors train in the worst possible conditions all the time. My complaints are mundane. All of our complaints are mundane. I run for those that serve, those that have served, those we have lost, and all of their families.
Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
Many thanks for your support -- you are sending a powerful message to the Marines, Sailors and families of MARSOC that their service and sacrifice do not go unnoticed. Please share this link with your friends and family if they would like to support my campaign. Thank you!