Learn | Make | Fix | Run

It’s CIM Race Week, and I am excited for this Sunday. Last week, I ran six times for a smidge over 29 miles. This week, I have 2-mile recovery runs on Tuesday and Friday, 4x 1/4-mile intervals for five miles on Thursday, a 3-mile recovery on Saturday, and a 26.2-mile point-to-point run from Folsom to Sacramento on Sunday. Pace Plan I have been training for 9:20/mi. marathon pace. I believe it is a reasonable pace since I have maintained it for 10 miles in training and have danced with that pace during the taper base runs while still in Z2. However, I aim to run a sub 4:15 marathon (9:43/mi. pace). Running at 9:20/mi. pace will give me a 10-minute buffer if I need to use the restroom, tie a shoelace, or walk through an aid station or two. I will use the splits from FindMyMarathon.com for a 9:20/mi pace with a conservative start and negative split. The website accounts for the changes in elevation for the CIM course. The difference in splits aligns with the voluminous internet advice fro...

Admittedly, I watch too many videos on YouTube about running. A few of the channels I watch are based in Europe. They use the word kit to describe your running clothes, and I find myself using this term, too. They also use the word niggle to describe a minor doubt, objection, or complaint. The likelihood of a niggle during the maranoia phase is elevated. I developed one last week. Below, I share what caused it and how I fixed it. I was getting towards the expected mileage out of a pair of running shoes. I was also coming off my peak week of mileage. Unfortunately, I have become lax in stretching post-run. This was a perfect storm for developing even tighter calf muscles, which led to pain at the back of my heel. Fortunately, it was not an injury and just a niggle. Thankfully, I wasn’t sidelined from running. I started stretching again and removed the old shoes from my running rotation. I am back to normal. Overall, last week’s runs continued to teach me lessons. My hill repeat session ...

I have completed the training portion of my marathon preparation plan for CIM. Six hundred twenty-seven miles, 111 hours, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds later, I am in the taper phase. Last week, I had the best 20-mile long run of my life and averaged 10:15/mi. Friday’s 10-mile marathon pace run average pace was 9:11/mi. with splits between 8:49/mi. and 9:36/mi. My planned marathon pace is 9:20/mi with a range of 9:09-9:44/mi. I will need to work hard to stick to my race pace, but I am feeling very prepared for the marathon on December 3. The taper phase is also the maranoia phase. This is the first time I have made it through a training block without injury. This makes me extra paranoid about my taper. I’ll continue to do what I have been doing for the last 15 weeks to stay healthy and try to keep the mind games to a minimum. Thanksgiving is around the corner. Are any of you preparing for a Turkey Trot? Let me know in the comments below. If you are near San Jose and want to avoid the crow...

I have had pounding headaches when I wanted to rip out my eyeballs. I always thought those were migraines. Maybe those weren’t migraines and were terrible headaches. As you know, I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice. I did not sleep at a Holiday Inn last night, nor have I played a doctor on TV. However, according to Dr. Google, I experienced a migraine with aura for the first time on Sunday. I share my experience with those unfamiliar with this phenomenon. I had heard of the term aura but did not know what it meant. All of a sudden, during dinner preparation, although I hadn’t, it felt like I stared at a bright light like someone had taken a flash photo of me. I saw it in both eyes. Soon after that, parts of my vision field started to get blurry. I still had the bright spot, too. It wasn't enjoyable, but I kept pushing forward, preparing dinner. A little zig-zag pattern was floating across my field of vision. I decided to take out my contact lens. Immediately, I felt li...

Peak training week for @runcim262 has arrived. After a cut-back week of almost 39 miles, 59 miles are on the books, ready to be run this week. Last week, a little heat/humidity training came back as a storm prepared to enter the area. Other than that, it was a solid week. One interesting run was the day after I received a flu shot. I found it difficult to keep my heart rate down during the workout and had a headache for miles 2-6. That night, I went to bed early because I was tired. I am pretty sure that I was feeling the side effects of the flu shot. Now, that we are on the standard side of daylight savings time, this Saturday’s 20-mile long run should be easier to accomplish since I will not need to wait for enough sunlight to run and still get my early afternoon activities completed. Besides that, I have a 10-mile marathon pace run on Friday, a rest day on Thursday, 8 x 800 meters on Wednesday, and a 5-mile recovery today. Yesterday, I ran a muggy 10-mile base run. This is the final...

I’m not a ChatGPT expert, but I have tried using it in several applications. Sometimes, after I write a blog article, I will ask ChatGPT to summarize my article to see if my point is clear. I have also used it to generate suggestions for article titles. I recently used it to generate a spelling test to review spelling words with my daughter. When we practice spelling, I follow the format of saying the word, using it in a sentence, and repeating it. I create the sentences on the fly, and frequently, I use multiple words from the spelling list simultaneously, making it difficult for her. In addition, I have issues with singularity/plurality or tense when I create spelling tests on the fly. For example, for the word transport, I might want to say, “Bob is transporting his sister to practice” or “Bob transports the cargo to the warehouse,” which does not match the actual spelling word. I thought about it some more and realized this task was perfect for ChatGPT. ...