How To Run Faster

I often read other running blogs and drool over how these women have the time to sip coffee and go on long runs in the morning. Jealous.

Most of my mornings involve me rushing off to work, spilling coffee all over myself and then squeezing in a quick 30 minute run after work before whatever I have to do that night. All that to say, I wish I had more time to run. I don’t. So, to get the most bang for my buck, I have been doing speed work. While speed work is great and can help you run faster, it can’t take the place of long distance runs.

An example of a treadmill speed workout a la Megan:

0-2 minutes – 6.0
2-4 – 7.0
4-6 – 8.0
6-8 – 7.0
8-10 – 6.5
10-12 – 7.5
12-13 – 9.0
13-14 – 6.0
14-15 – 7.0
15-18 – 7.5
18-20 – 6.5
20-21 – 9.0
21-22 – 6.5
22-23 – 9.0
23-24 – 6.0
24-25 – 7.5
25-27 – 8.0
27-28 – 7.5
28-30 – 7.0
Cool down.

I dare you to try that above workout and not be exhausted, butt fully kicked and feeling amazing! Ok, well, if you are not an experienced runner, I DO NOT encourage you to try this workout. This is simply what I have found works for me. 🙂

I hear people ask all of the time, “How can I run faster?” The answer is simple, yet complicated. It requires a lot of practice, hard work and sweat (yuck). People will give you so many tips on how to run faster, but as ridiculous as this sounds, if you want to be running faster, you have to, well, practice running faster! It will be uncomfortable, but pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is the only way to do it!

Because I haven’t had much more than 30 minutes to get a run in lately, I decided today that I would get more than my usual (as of late) 3ish miles….I hopped on the treadmill (aka DREADMILL– ugh boring!) and busted out 5 miles. It was harder than I thought. I alternated between 7:45 min miles and 8 min miles…a lot slower than my race pace, but still pretty good.

When I was done, I was DRENCHED in sweat. I headed home to shower and grub.

I think I hurt. Ok, I know I hurt.

Maybe I need to add more of these toasted marshmallow milkshakes to my diet to give me more energy. Yes, that is the key to running faster. 😀

Happy Birthday!

the beautiful birthday girl and i

today was so fun! i went wine tasting to celebrate one of my best friend’s birthday! bee couldn’t make it because he had to be a responsible busy bee and work…boo! after i got gussied up, i made myself some iced coffee, some toast with peanut butter and banana (favorite breakfast everrr) and headed out the door. (note: i made the coffee way too strong and i was wired. like wiiiired. i sang some glorious melodies at the top of my lungs with no.one.in.the.car. much to the delight of my fellow freeway drivers who stared at me with crazy eyes.)

weird photo shoot before everyone else arrived.

after a fun caffeine-fueled drive to Temecula, i arrived, greeted the birthday girl and sipped on some goods. i only sipped a couple tastes because i was driving, but the little i had was delicious! who knew temecula produced such grape juice goodness?!

after some tasty tastings, we were hungry and headed over to one of the wineries where we had reservations for lunch! amazing! the weather was perfect, and the food? ridiculous! i ordered a flatbread pizza with sliced pear, gorgonzola cheese, proscuitto and arugula…DROOL! =D

the whole gang getting ready for some serious nom nom

they brought the birthday girl two little pieces of a vanilla bean cheesecake. yum! luckily, i was sitting next to her so i was in the prime location to snag a bite (or two. fine, three when she wasn’t looking).

bright sunshine, good food, good fun…GREAT day!

two megan’s and a jill 🙂

now i’m home hanging with the bee man and my parents are bbq’ing….tri tip… can i get an amen?! mmm.

tomorrow is father’s day! going to start off the day with a nice run then spend the day with my main men! 🙂

i’m weird. oh, you knew that?

ps have you seen the show Shark Tank? b and my dad love it, and while i pretend to be on my computer not caring, i secretly think it’s awesome! watch it. you’ll get hooked.

Let It Out!

life sometimes sucks.

you already knew that.

so, here it is: today, i beg you to let it out. i give you permission (if you feel like you need it). scream, kick, cry, punch a pillow, write it out and yell from the top of your lungs. go ahead, i’ll wait.

done? ah. felt good, huh?

i needed that. did you? i feel like you did. if you feel like you don’t, then you really need it because da-nile ain’t just a river in Egypt, people! my mom says that. it’s cute. she’s cute. i love her.

excuse the above rant, but i’m just not one to pretend like life is perfect. a lot of the time it just plain blows. we live in a sick world. have you noticed? don’t turn on the TV, it’ll just exasperate the problem.

but, wait.

old, rusted barrel i found in a pile of trash on top of hill overlooking the ocean in Thailand. proof that love and beauty exists amidst the garbage.

there’s more. there’s joy. there’s love. there’s generosity. there’s beauty. there’s ice cream. so, i encourage you to find that “more”. please don’t deny the pain in your life and the aching heart of this world. refusing to move through (or even recognize its presence in the deepest parts of yourself) your pain, heart break and struggles will only cause more grief and will pave a road of destruction. you will become a bulldozer, trampling yourself and anything in your path. believe that.

you ought to identify those cracks in your bones and take steps toward healing. why? so you can better enjoy the “more” of life.

i wish i had chocolate chip cookies to talk about or the peanut butter chocolate cake i’ve been dying to make…or that this whole thing would be simply about the fact that mcdonald’s ice cream cones bring me a childlike happiness that i can’t explain. oh, and that their diet coke is the best diet coke in existence (not like i drink that artificially-sweetened garbage or anything, uh hum)…

but no. today’s post is just what it is. recognizing the reality that life is not, and will never be, perfect on this side of eternity (a harsh reality to accept), moving through it with a heart of acceptance and seeking the “more”…the good, the great, the grand. seeking it by creating it.

all that being said, when i go on my daily lunch time walk today…i’m making a bee-line to the golden arches with a dollar in my pocket.