6-mile run time

So after my group completed our 6-mile run this past Saturday, we clocked in 1 hour and 45 minutes. That's approximately 15 minutes longer than our 5-mile run two weeks ago.

This weekend, we're going to try to increase our run/walk ratio from 2:2 to 3:2. We've only got 3 miles so we're going to try it out on a shorter run to see how everyone does. Updates on how we do later on this week.

Run Sleep Party

Hi folks!

First of all, I just turned 27 a couple of days ago. Secondly, I'm running 6 miles today, by far the longest distance I've ever had to run in my entire life. Tonight is also my birthday party. On the agenda today...

6:00 am - 7:15 am EAT AND DIGEST BREAKFAST
7:15 am LEAVE FOR GOLDEN GATE PARK
7:45 am PACE GROUP LEADER MEETING
8:00 am 6 MILE RUN
10:00 am LEAVE GOLDEN GATE PARK
10:20 am LOOK FOR PURPLE SHOES
11:30 am SHOWER
12:30 pm SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP
6:00 pm GET READY FOR PARTY
8:00 pm PARTY @ THE HUNDREDS STORE
9:45 pm MEET @ ELEMENT LOUNGE
10:00 pm GET INTO ELEMENT LOUNGE
10:05 pm PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stayed tuned for an update on how my run goes today. Wish me luck. I think I'm gonna need it today.

~*~*RUN MEL RUN*~*~

Time Summary

Mile 1: 36 minutes
Mile 2: 30 minutes
Mile 3: 42 minutes
Mile 4: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Mile 5: 1 hour and 27 minutes
Mile 3 (#2): 46 minutes

Okay, so in my last post, I asked if my 3 mile run this weekend would be better than my 3 mile run 3 weeks ago. By looking at the summary above, it doesn't seem like it since the times are 4 minutes apart. Sure, I ran 4 minutes slower than before, but I also left training yesterday feeling like a million bucks. I remember 3 weeks ago, my run/walk ratio was set higher than it should have been, which caused me to run out of gas quickly. Yesterday, I ran/walked the whole way without feeling like I was going to pass out. My group did really well and I even got compliments from my pace group members saying that I was "on it." That felt good too. I really have to keep up with my maintenance runs this week. I have a 6 mile run on Saturday and after that is my birthday party.

I've got to run (not literally). Have a happy Easter everyone!

Newsflash

I'm not ready for a 3:2 run/walk ratio yet. Just came back from my first maintenance run of the week and pushed myself too much. I had to stop halfway to adjust my shin brace and put the support on the front part of my leg. Oh, and piece of advice, don't run up Ora Way! I found out the hard way that Ora Way is the steepest hill in my neighborhood. Nice view. Bad for running.

Now I'm sitting at the dining table eating Filet Mignon with an ice pack strapped to my elevated leg. Lesson learned...stick to the 2:2 run/walk ratio (at least for now).

Can I run 3 miles faster than I did 2 weeks ago?

So the last time I ran 3 miles, I completed the run in 42 minutes. Now, that was with a 7:2 ratio. I currently run at 2:2 pace, which conserves a lot more of my energy. This gives me reason to believe that I'll be able to complete it faster than I did originally.

I have a maintenance run tonight. I think I'm going to try increasing my run/walk ratio from 2:2 to 3:2. Having my shin brace certainly will help with the pain.

Fabulous Run Today!

I was skeptical about being able to do my 5 mile run uphill today, but actually it wasn't all that bad. As a matter of fact, I feel great! The other 4 members of my pace group totally flaked on me so I was left by myself. The 2 pace groups below me also only had 1 member in each, so I got grouped with them instead. Unfortunately, we were the last group to start and finish. We started at Fulton Street and Great Highway and the 3 of us gals did a 1.5 mile run straight up a hill past the historic Cliff House. The most brilliant piece of advice from my coach this morning was, "Walk up the hill." That helped conserve so much of my energy, which saved time in the end. The descent wasn't bad at all and neither was the view. It was clear enough to see the Pacific Ocean and the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park. Once we reached the bottom of the hill, we were to continue for another 3.5 miles to Noriega, turn around and run back to the training site. The thing that I was worried about most was my left shin since the previous weeks left me with horrible shin splints that would take me out for the entire day. Earlier this week, I invested $17 into an Ace Calf/Shin Splint. This sucker is AMAZING. Normally, I'd be chillin' on the couch with ice on my shin, but today, I feel great!! Know what else is amazing? Well, there's a lot of things, but during my 4th mile, I started getting a little hungry, so I started popping Jelly Belly Sports Beans in my mouth. That gave me just enough energy to complete that last mile. So all in all, I guess you could say that I had a pretty fabulous run today. Since I started training 5 weeks ago, I've consistently added approximately 10-15 minutes to my finish time even with the increase in distance. Pretty good.

Mile 1: 36 minutes
Mile 2: 30 minutes
Mile 3: 42 minutes
Mile 4: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Mile 5: 1 hour and 27 minutes

Check out that progress. Now wouldn't you want to show your support? It's time to get ready to head to see my family for my nephew's birthday, but before I go, I'd like to extend my special thanks to all of my generous donors. I am so grateful for your support!

Have a wonderful day!

~*~*RUN MEL RUN*~*~

What's in store for Ms. Run-Mel-Run this weekend?

Oh, how about a 5 mile run....UPHILL!

This will literally be the longest distance that I have ever run at one given time. Since I'm the pace group leader, I'm gonna need to step it up big time! Oh, and it's supposed to rain this weekend. This should make for a pretty cranky Run-Mel-Run.

Just a reminder....keep those donations flowing. I have exactly 44 days to reach my goal of $1800 by May 2. Now, May 2 is not the absolute last day to get the donations in. The Foundation will gladly continue to take donations up until Race Day! Plus, who wouldn't want a free shirt for placing a $30 (or more) donation? If you have any questions about this, please let me know.

Run Mel Run

I ROCK!

After a week of being sick, I decided to get off my butt and tackle a 4 mile run. I've had a running nose and a hacking cough for the past few days, but I didn't let that get in the way. Since my group cut out early last week, I was elected Pace Group leader by default. I was in charge of motivating my group and letting them know when to run and walk. It sucked a little bit because I was stuck behind everyone. My shin and both ankles were throbbing the whole time. Although at the very end, I totally sprinted to finish.

On the drive home from Golden Gate Park, I couldn't have felt better. Despite feeling physically drained earlier in the week and not doing any maintenance runs, I feel great!

I ROCK!

~*~*RUN MEL RUN*~*~

Don't forget to get those donations in. If I raise $219 more dollars by next week, I get a cool AIDS Marathon hat.

What can you get for $30?

Designed by my friends at RAH! Clothing

The Run That Counted

A couple of days ago I kept debating whether I should skip out on Jon's party so that I could be prepped for my run. Well, I went to the party. I made sure that all of my running gear was laid out and that my alarms were set. I had an energy drink beforehand and wasn't tired during the party. We got back at about 1:30 am. About an hour after we got back, I passed out. By then it was 3:00 am and I needed to be up at 6:00 am. So, let's skip to my run.

I got to the training site a little before 8:00 am. Remember, this was the run that counted since I'd find out what pace group I was after I finished. I had my run/walk ratio set at 7:2, in other words, run for 7 minutes and walk for 2. I guess I was a little overambitious with that or so I found out later. The coaches released us into the Park. I felt like I was doing pretty well. Well, that was until I reached the Bison Paddock, which was the mile marker. I thought that's where our turnabout was because that's where it was last week. Boy was I wrong. I still had another half mile left to go. On my way back and during my homestretch, there were 4 Team In Training runners in front of me and were in my way. Miraculously, I had this huge boost of energy and ran faster than I did when I started. This is a good thing. Our training manual points out that we should conserve our energy for the last stretch of the run since they take our pictures at the finish line, so we gotta look GOOD. So I clocked in at 42 minutes for my 3 mile run. Not the best time in the world, but that's okay. As I mentioned before, I'd rather start off in a slower pace group and work my way up. The goal of my pace group is t0 run a mile in 15 minutes and my run/walk ratio should be 3:2 or 2:2. Hmm, good to know. I still felt great after my run, so I decided to award myself with a nice breakfast from Squat and Gobble.

So here's my time breakdown so far.

1 mile = 36 minutes
2 mile = 30 minutes
3 mile = 42 minutes

Not bad, eh? All of my times are so close together.

Today's Sunday. I'm taking the day off today. Have a good one!

Oh, and don't forget to get those donations in. My t-shirts made their debut on Friday night and you get one for making a minimum donation of $30.