Learn | Make | Fix | Run

Hal Higdon’s eight-week Advanced 10-K training program has been very intense. Last week (Week 4), the program had a cut-back week with a 5 km (3.1 mi) simulation run at the end of the week. It was nice to ease off the mileage this week for some additional recovery ahead of the time trial. The simulation was a success. For the past three years, I have used the same route in my neighborhood for 5-K time trails. To make sure that Strava counts it as a 5-K, I now run 3.13 miles. I finished in 25:25, and Strava calculated my 5-K time to be 25:13. My previous best was 25:49, and I am now halfway to my goal of a sub-25 minute 5-K. I still need to work on pacing. I have successfully been running 400 m (.25 mi) intervals at 7:20/mi (4:33/km) and 800 m (.5 mi) intervals at 8:00/mi (4:58/km). However, when running the 5-K time trial, I could only maintain an 8:00/mi for the first mile. How has your running week been? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

The parts for my next car repairs have arrived. I have new sway bar links to replace my existing links that have deteriorated boots. I also have a new fuel sending unit to replace my erratic, malfunctioning gas gauge. I plan to get to the sway bar links soon. I need to use up more of the gas in the car to lighten the tank before I look at replacing the fuel sending unit. I’ll keep you posted as the projects progress. What are you working on? Please share in the comments below.

It’s been a busy three months. With repairing a head gasket, attending a bachelor party, running a marathon, and traveling to a wedding in the rearview mirror, I’m finally ready to start my transition into instructional design (ID) in earnest. I’ve been dabbling with ID for the past four months. I’ve learned through LinkedIn courses and identified that I have transferable skills for the role. For the past couple of months, I have been thinking about making a portfolio and showing that I could use the software. This week I have taken concrete steps to make my first portfolio. The purpose of my blog is to share what I have learned with others. I plan to take my readers along with me as I learn. I hope that these blog posts help someone in a similar place as me. I write for the average person who might be repairing or making something at home or work. I write for the shade tree mechanic who might need the inspiration to tackle a project. I write for the amateur runner trying to get one pe

Last week’s workouts have me questioning my 10 km (6.2 mile) goal pace. My goal for this training block is to make a new PB. Eventually, I want to run a sub-50 minute 10K. My 10K personal best (PB) from a November 2021 time trial I ran in my neighborhood is 53:48 (8:40 min/mi; 5:23 min/km). My recent magic mile time was 7:13; Jeff Galloway’s Magic Mile Calculator suggests that a 51:34 10K (8:18 min/mi; 5:09 min/km) may be possible. I set my sights on an 8:20 min/mi (5:11 min/km) pace for a sub-52 10K (51:47). I have been using Hal Higdon’s 8-week Advanced 10K training program . During the first two weeks, I was able to hit the paces for the speed work, pace runs, and tempo runs. Last week I struggled with both the pace run and tempo run. I’m having difficulty determining if the weather, wind, hills, diet, and fueling affect my pacing or if I am biting off more than I can chew. I looked back at my training log, and the last time I trained for a 10K was in the fall of 2021. The goal was

My latest fix was an in-ground irrigation sprinkler repair. The process was relatively straightforward, and I learned some lessons along the way. Finding the Leak The first step was to find the general area of the leak. This was effortless since the water was pooling up quickly. The second step was to cut out the grass. I used a trench shovel. Its sharp end cuts through the boundary edges of the area of concern nicely. It also cuts under the sod, like a spatula, for easy removal. I put the sod and dirt on a piece of cardboard to make putting everything back easier. The third step was digging down to find the leak. In my situation, the swing elbow that connected the flexible pipe (funny pipe/swing pipe) to the hard sprinkler line was broken. It turns out an unlicensed Christmas light sidewalk arch installer decided to drive a rebar through the fitting. I did not have a 1/2-inch swing elbow and needed to make a quick trip to the big box store. Fixing the Leak and My Learning Moment When

Pre-wedding, 5-mile base run with @run_for_clarity . I hope he had additional clarity for his big day. I know he was clearly making to correct decision. Except for races, I am primarily a solo runner. I fit my runs around the schedule that works best with my family's calendar. These days it's midday runs during the week when most of the world is working. Last week I had the opportunity to run twice with friends. While I was pleased to meet my goals for my speedwork sessions earlier in the week, the week's highlights were the runs with friends. These were shorter and faster than prescribed in my plan, but the benefit and joy of running with others far exceed the benefit of following the program. Are you a solo runner or a group runner? Please share in the comments below.

I have started an eight-week training block to run a faster 10K (6.2 miles). Toward the end of my marathon training cycle, I noticed that my running posture was not as good as it could be. During the taper, I realized that I was not “running tall.” With only a few weeks left before the race, I decided not to change anything with my form, and I promised to take a closer look in my next training block. In this block, I started right away by evaluating my form and taking cues from my IT (iliotibial) band issues from the marathon. I knew that I needed to work on driving my hips forward. My natural running position is “back in the saddle,” I knew I needed to push forward to engage my core. While driving my hips forward, I found myself running taller. Here is the progression from the week. Monday, May 29 3 Mile (4.8 km) Recovery Run I needed to keep reminding myself to push my hips forward and run tall. Tuesday, May 30 5 Mile (8 km) Run with 2 Miles (3.2 km) at 1