With 2017 swiftly coming to an end, really where has the year gone, I have been signing up for races left and right it seems like.

I wanted to take a post to share with you all what races I'll be running in over the next couple months! I will also encourage those in this area to join up and let me know if you'll be there, I love making new runner friends!!!

Here we go:

Race #1: The Blue Note 5k on October 7th.

Starting at the Muny in Forest Park we are going to be running through Forest Park and back to the Muny lot. This race is taking place on the St. Louis Blues home opener and it's also the inaugural Blue Note 5k! I'm looking forward to taking part in this race, which I will be doing with my Mom!

Race #2: The Quivering Quads II 13k Trail Race on Octover 28th.

Taking place at Cuivre River State Park, we will be running roughly 8 miles of trails. This race is limited to 500 participants and we will be taking off in waves to avoid clustering of runners. This will be my first ever trail race and I couldn't be more excited. I will also be running this one with my Mom as well... She is where I get my love for running from!

Race #3: Arnold Turkey Trot on November 23rd.

I have to say this is probably the race I am most excited about. I have always wanted to participate in the Turkey Trot, okay maybe not always, but the past couple years I've been jealous of those who were able to swing it. Our Thanksgivings don't start until later in the afternoon so time in that manner was never an issue. However, the past couple years our boys have been young enough to where getting them together and packing up for an entire day of family would take hours and I would be so exhausted trying to get everything done. This year the boys are not only going to be cheering me on they will also be able to run in the children's dash after the 5k! Both my boys love running, I mean what kid doesn't?! But I have been really wanting to cultivate this love and can't wait to see them go with all the other kids on Thanksgiving morning! I will also be accompanied by my Mom and also a couple of my friends as well! Definitely going to be such a great way to start Thanksgiving!

On top of these three races my Mom and I are going to be volunteering at the Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run on November 4th/5th

I am planning on running this race next year so I figured it would be a good idea to support the race this year and volunteer my time. On top of that I also thought it would be a good idea to get an idea of how this particular race runs. I am looking forward to helping out the runners and cheering them on while working at an aid station. I am really excited to learn from these runners and their crews and also to be able to help support a race with my time!

So if you're going to be around during any of these races I would love for you to sign up and run!!!

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So it's been a while since I have written here. I honestly just felt a little overwhelmed with some stuff going on and just didn't have the drive to keep up with intriguing and quality content, instead of writing just to put something out I figured taking a break would be the best thing to do.

So much has happened the past couple months and I can't wait to catch everyone up and rekindle my love for writing in this space at the same time!

The last time we checked in I was in training for a half marathon, the Vine to Wine Half on September 9th! I originally was planning on a Full Marathon, however an injury occurred so I decided it best to take it a little slower and only go for the 13.1 this year!

The Vine to Wine has come and gone and I wanted to share my experience with everyone here!

My husband and I decided that we were going to stay overnight the night before in the town that the race was being held, Greenville IL (we are in the St. Louis, MO area). It was a little over an hour away and I was afraid of being super stiff the morning of had we chosen to drive in race day.

The race offered a 10% discount at a local hotel for all race runners, it was a very reasonably priced hotel and with the discount it was even better. I was quite happy with where we stayed, however I wish they had had a little bit of a nicer workout room (I had planned to run a mile or two when we showed up to the hotel before going to pick up our packets, however only one of two treadmills was working and a lady was already occupying the one, so I wasn't able to get in any run).

We checked in and hung out at the hotel for a little while. My husband attempted to nap and I went down to the pool, put on the BibRave podcast and just sat with my feet in the pool and listening to that weeks podcast!

A little before dinner time we headed over to the winery (The Family Vine), where the race was going to be held, to pick up our packets. We also sat outside, indulged in a couple beverages and ate dinner. My husbands brother and his wife were also running in the 5k and chose to join us that evening to stay the night and met us for dinner and drinks as well!

We headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night. I sat out all of my gear and took the obligatory #flatmelissa photo for Instagram.

I slept pretty well that night and was ready to get up and get going when my alarm went off on race day. I woke up, got dressed, made some coffee and headed down to the continental breakfast. I grabbed half a bagel with some cream cheese. I was struggling in the bathroom department and had hopes that I would be able to go before the race at the winery, this did not happen and had some major effects on my running.

We met up with a couple of our other friends, who were also running the half, who drove in that morning, at the winery. I will say this race was super nice because it was probably one of the smallest races I've ever run in. I liked how the starting line wasn't crowded and we were able to get right up front and not feel crowded.

Countdown commenced and we were off. The first few miles went quite well, the course was gorgeous and we were under nice shade. I was feeling quite strong at the beginning and had every intention of PRing that day.

Around mile 6 everything sort of fell apart. My bathroom issues came back to haunt me, the heat started setting in and we were no longer running under any shade. To top it off the course was quite hilly and I just hate hills and have always stunk at running them, I'm attempting to work on this so courses like this don't defeat me.

Either way I clocked in at 2:44:27 which was in no way close to my goal or my half PR.

I felt defeated about mile 10 and knew I wasn't going to be back by my predicted time so I shot a text to my husband just letting him know that other than feeling poopy everything was fine, it was just going to take me a while longer. He was extremely supportive and sweet, bringing me to tears on the course. I was sure to thank him for being so supportive and caring in that moment, because it was what helped me finish the race!

Crossing that finish line has never felt better, I was so glad it was over and also so proud of myself for completing the race!

After the race we got our wine glasses and wine tasting and hung out for a bit. We all decided to go and get some lunch at a local Mexican restaurant and then headed on back home.

All in all I would say the weekend was successful and the race was very well organized and the course was gorgeous. The only problem was with myself and my inability to get past certain elements of the race and my own body. I am very proud to have finished and to have also stuck with a training plan, hitting all of my long runs and making it a priority instead of pushing it off like I have always done in the past!

I have many more races coming up this Fall and have already began planning out my 2018 races. I'll be getting into all of that in another post!

Well I think that about sums up my Vine to Wine experience and I would highly suggest checking it out if you're in the Midwest and looking for a nicely ran and lower key half marathon to run!

(All photos credited to my husband and brother-in-law)

I hope everyone has a great Monday and hope to see you back here next time!

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