Learn | Make | Fix | Run

Over the past 2.5 years, I’ve only blogged when I had something meaningful or unique to share. I tend to have more to say when I’m training for a race, but it’s been quiet these last four months. That’s mostly because I’ve been busy with work—and I haven’t had a race on the calendar. That’s about to change. Starting in August and running through November, I’ve committed to a running goal that’s a bit different from my usual solo challenges. This time, others are counting on me. So you can be sure I’ll follow through. This fall, I’ll be coaching cross country . To prepare, I need to rebuild my speed—and that work starts on June 12. Quick 2025 Progress Check-In ✅ I haven’t taken more than four consecutive days off from running. ✅ I’ve been doing core work three times a week since May 26—two solid weeks and counting. ❌ No new PRs (yet) in the 5K, 10K, or half marathon. That said, I believe my form is improving. I’m relying more on my quads and...

Although I only ran two times last week, since I am posting on a Tuesday, I can tell you that I did not break my first goal of taking more than four days off from running. Phew! Last week, the plan was to run an 8K time trial on Saturday. I completed a 15-minute tempo run on Monday. Due to my schedule, I had to skip 11x 1/4-mile intervals on Tuesday. Considering the remaining daylight hours, running a 5K base on Wednesday was better than trying the intervals. Thursday and Friday were set aside for rest days. However, life threw me a curveball, and I couldn't run on Saturday or Sunday. Thankfully, I managed to get out there on Monday. I did S & C on both run days last week (and yesterday), but since I did not try to squeeze in an extra session last week, I missed that goal for the second week in a row. It looks like this week’s plan will mirror last week’s. I can’t run today (Tuesday), but I can run the intervals I missed last week on We...

There’s not much to talk about with my running week. I maintained my first goal of not taking more than four days off running. I broke my streak of completing strength and conditioning work three times a week. I ran four days last week; two were workouts (tempo and interval), a long run, and a base run. I tend to do S & C on base run and recovery run days. However, I only had one base run last week. I was crunched for time and never did my S & C. I learned that I need to plan to do my S & C on days I don’t run, especially if I skip a base or recovery run. Lesson learned, and on to next week.

I reminded myself this week that I have a problem with pacing races and time trials. I let the reptilian portion of my brain take over and throw out any common sense. I assume I am in better shape and have gained fitness, and I try to run at a pace that is outside my abilities. It’s going all out to prevent leaving anything in the tank, only to consume the entire tank before the run is complete. I must train myself to take repeated small bites rather than bite off more than I can chew. Case in point: last Saturday’s 5K time trial. I did not have a clear goal time when I started. I noticed that my base runs had been getting faster at the same low heart rate, so I assumed my fitness had improved. My VO2 max, as reported by my watch, had also improved. The weather was cool (windy, but cool), and I run faster when it’s cool. I wanted to start where I left off in July 2024 and tried to run 8:20/mile, hoping to run a little faster to break my previous time. A little faster turned out to be 8...

Last week, I earned the Garmin streak badges I was working on. I earned my first Run Streak badge for running at least one mile 30 days in a row. I also earned my first 30 for 30 badge for running at least 30 minutes for 30 days straight. Then, I took my first rest day in 30 days. The schedule got busy, and Tuesday wasn’t a great time to run. The same busy schedule happened on Thursday, and I skipped running that day. However, I kept to my goal of not taking more than four days off. Speaking of badges, I thought there was a 15K badge for January. I ran 9.33 miles on Saturday, hoping to earn the badge, but I discovered that there wasn’t one. I also squeezed three S & C sessions in last week. Since I have historically not been good at doing S & C before a run, I sometimes forget and must complete it afterward. The rest days were good for me. After a day off, Wednesday’s base run felt strong. Friday evening’s run was speedy on the track. I...

Here’s a quick update from last week on my running goals. I ran another 7 days straight, keeping my goal of not taking more than 4 days off except for race recovery or injury. The silly Garmin Run Streak badge has motivated me to opt for the recovery run instead of the rest day the last two Thursdays. The Run Streak badge is for running 1 mile in a single activity every day for 30 consecutive days. It’s a repeatable badge, and I have never earned it. I’m also eligible for the 30 for 30 badge. It’s for recording an activity of at least 30 minutes every day for 30 consecutive days. It will be a first for this badge as well. I also made good on my second goal of completing strength and conditioning at least three times a week. I did S & C three days last week. There are days when I forget when I get ready for a run and need to do the S & C after my run. My takeaway from this week is that slow and steady wins the race. I feel like I am maki...

Here’s a quick update from last week on my new running goals. I’ve kept my promise from my first goal of not taking more than 4 days off. I ran every day last week (January 6-12). I currently have a 23-day streak if you include today. I also made good on my second goal of completing strength and conditioning at least three times a week. I did S & C for four days last week. I am starting to feel more stable as I do the bodyweight exercises. On January 3rd, I did some 10K pace work and questioned my 8:30/mi. goal pace. Since then, I have done pace and tempo work at 8:30/mi., and the pace is sustainable for 10K. I ran past Quitter’s Day. I hope that you have done the same. Let me know how it’s going in the comments below.

December, in terms of running, was awful. I ran the Zoom Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and needed a few days off after the race. I ran on Sunday, December 1. Then, the girls had extra weeknight ballet practice for their Nutcracker performance. I got chased by a dog on December 6; please leash your dog in public or at least pick it up if it chases after someone and that someone stops so you can pick up your dog. After ballet, I was busy preparing for finals and then grading finals. After spending a Saturday decorating the church for Christmas, I finally had a chance to run on Sunday, December 22. I assumed the 12 Days of Fitness occurred during the last 12 days of the month (like in 2023). You need to record 10 20-minute activities for that badge. With a December 22 start date, I figured I could earn the badge by the skin of my teeth. Then I discovered on Christmas Eve that the window was December 15-26. Nonetheless, I decided to chase the other two December running badges, December Time ...

Last year, I made some long-term running goals that I knew were stretches. I got closer to my goal times but did not meet them. I plan to continue to work towards those times. However, I have two new goals to add for 2025. Do Not Take More than 4 Days off from Running Unless I’m injured or just completed a race, my goal is to not have more than 4 days off from running this year. In August 2024, I had 17 days off; in September/October, I had 12 days off; and in December, I had 13 days off. It’s too hard to return to running after so many days off. I’ve read it gets harder to return to running as you get older, meaning staying consistent is more important. None of these days off were due to injury. I need to ensure consistency with my runs because I don’t like starting three steps back after each extended break from running. Strength and Conditioning After fixing my form and injuring myself doing so last year , I noticed the toll running has taken on my glutes and quads. I need to give t...

The last couple of years have been a journey, from leaping from the elementary school principal’s office to diving into the world of instructional design to where I am today. While I did not know what was in store, I’m glad I had the opportunities I experienced in the last two years. In January 2022, the idea of leaving the principal’s office started to form. I believe providence placed me in charge of the school community during the pandemic, and I was the person the community needed to keep everyone safe and learning. As we neared the end of the pandemic, I knew I needed a break after working continuously from August 2019 through June 2022. I could also tell that times were different, and it was an opportunity for the community to rebuild new traditions after the pandemic. Despite these feelings, I was prepared to start the 2022-2023 school year. An incident in March made me think hard about continuing as principal, and I decided to leave my position. During this time of discernment,...

Our 2004 Malibu LT had a slow oil leak. Over the Fourth of July, it progressed to a small puddle of oil in the driveway. It took some time to investigate the cause and a little courage to turn some bolts, but now the car is leak-free. Here’s a recap of what I did. The car was leaking on the front of the engine, which in this car means the passenger side. Observing the area by the crankshaft was difficult because the splash shield is a two-part component. Upon inspection, the front seal looked like it was leaking. I cleaned it up and the boss around the seal, and put the liner back in place. Cleaned front seal and boss. Almost immediately, the car started leaking again. A week later, when I re-inspected the front seal, it was clean, as was the boss. I thought it could be the oil pan gasket, the timing cover gasket, or the oil filter adapter gasket. I cleaned the area around the oil p...

Fueling Whilst Running: It’s Not Limited to Long Runs I usually take fuel in the form of gels for long runs. I typically consume gels during (not before) runs that take me more than an hour and a half. In addition, I will take a gel before the race starts for half-marathons and marathons. Last Saturday, I had a 5K time trial scheduled as part of my training plan. After completing my warmup, which consisted of a 1-mile jog and four strides, I decided to consume a gel. Many factors worked in my favor that day. The weekly mileage was reduced like a cut-back week, and the weather was much cooler. I dialed in my time trial pace from my last attempt (8:20/mi.) and let it rip. I had negative splits and a 2024 PB! I was 5.5 seconds away from a true PB. I averaged 8:09/mi and ran 5K in 25:31. I am still determining how much the gel contributed to my physical performance and whether or not there was a psychological advantage. On Monday, 10x 1/4 Mile Intervals were on my schedule. This workout in...

This summer feels much warmer than last summer. I want to share my not-so-earth-shattering tips for running in the summer. Run Early On these hotter days, I try to get my runs in earlier. The added benefit is that if you run early, your run for the day is already accounted for. Run Late Sometimes, due to other commitments, I can’t run early. I break out the headlamp, and I run late. The run early and run late combination can lead to some interesting phenomena. A couple of weeks ago, my late run was on the day people put their trash out for pickup. My early run was the next morning, and the trash cans were still out there for pickup. This also highlights that some of the runs feel like doubles since there are less than 12 hours between the runs. Keep Easy, Easy On the days I need to run during the heat, I remind myself to take my easy days, easy. If I have a speed workout scheduled for the day, I run the warmup, any recovery periods, and cool downs easy. Leapfrog Towards the Shade As it...

I had two thoughts as I prepared this blog post.  I wish I would have run earlier! Yesterday morning, I went out for a run to beat the afternoon heat. Although I woke up around 7 a.m., I started my run at 9:30 a.m. Part of my hesitation was the lack of desire to run eight quarter-mile intervals at my 5K pace. Of course, once I was out there, I had no problem completing them and was happy with my progress. However, at 9:45 a.m., the sun broke through the clouds. It was not unbearable, but if I started earlier, I could have done the bulk of my workout with partly cloudy skies. I wish I would have started my 10K training sooner! I was looking at my statistics in Garmin Connect and saw that I logged 36.5 miles for the past seven days (July 9-15). The last time I had a volume of miles almost that high was in late April/early May, and those weeks topped out at 33 miles. As I wrapped up my 5K training, I was in a no man’s land regarding a disciplined training plan for about a month and th...

I have lots of thoughts floating around in my head. The TLDR is that I am ready to work for a 10K PB. As I mentioned in my post two weeks ago, Motivation Factors and Running , I need more than a loose plan to get me out the door. With the recent heat wave, chasing a 5K PB was insufficient motivation. I even lost the motivation to post a blog last week. Two weeks ago, I ran twice for a total of 14 miles. Last week, I ran six times for a total of 25 miles.  I have lost fitness, and I know I have lost the desire to run a fast 5K. I reflected on what I have accomplished. I set a 2024 PB in the 5K with a time of 26:02. I missed my goal of running faster than my 25:25 PB. However, I did get faster because I started with a 26:41 5K in the middle of the training block. When I set my goals for the year, I said that if I did not hit my 5K goal in the first block, there would be a chance in my 10K training block. Let’s see what happens. My last 10K PB was ...

I wasn’t happy with my 5K time trials and decided to do more workouts closer to my 5K goal pace last week. The first workout was set for 25 seconds slower than my 5K pace, and the second was set for 20 seconds slower. The end results were two of my fastest 5K runs in 2024. I haven’t hit an all-time personal record, but I have been chipping away at breaking 25:25 and getting closer to my sub-25-minute goal. During my second workout, I decided to use the Virtual Partner feature on my Garmin Forerunner 620. My 5K was set up as a workout in my watch with three one-mile repeats and a 0.13-mile run. (I set an extra 0.02 miles to pay the Strava tax.) I set the virtual partner to 8:25/mile. The Virtual Partner display has two metrics: Time Ahead and Average Pace. I assumed that the time ahead was for the entire run. I completed my first mile and was 8 seconds ahead of pace. I looked at the watch in the middle of the second mile, and my pace was 8 seconds ahead. I assumed that I needed to maint...

The time trial to conclude my 5K training has not gone as well as I hoped. Injuring my toe delayed the trial by four days. My glutes were still sore from the last workouts of the block, and I took another rest day. On my first attempt, I felt like I went out too fast and ran out of breath too quickly. It was 72F, and I scrubbed the run after 20 minutes. After the run, I examined the heart rate data and observed I hit Z5 after the first mile. 27:30 On the second attempt, I did not go out as fast, but I couldn’t pick up the pace. It was cooler but windier. I hit Z5 1.5 miles into the run and completed 5K in 27:30. 26:41 I compared my second attempt with the 5K time trial I completed a month ago. That day, it was 59F and less windy. Because of traffic, the route was altered with a slightly lower total ascent. I finished in 26:41. 26:18 My second-fastest 5K was on the day I should have completed a 10K time trial last year. My fueling was “off,” ...

Is the Third Time the Trigger for Treatment? I have had a recurring toe injury, and I need to figure out what I can do to keep myself from being sidelined in the future. A Brief Recap On April 11, 2023 ( Lessons Re-learned: Haste Makes Waste and Listen to Your Body ), I ran a 4-mile recovery run in Z1. I worked on posture and running tall. After the run, I ran five strides and did some core work. I felt pain in my big left toe after the core work. The next day, I had some toe pain while walking. It felt better to run than walk. Like an idiot, I decided to run 10 miles at my marathon pace. I did not have much pain in my foot until the last mile. I chalked it up to jamming my shoe on my foot on my recovery run. I lost four days of running. The pain was so bad I considered going to urgent care. On June 25, 2023 ( Injured Again! ), I ran a 3-mile recovery run in Z1. After the run, I ran five strides, did some core work, and stretched. Toe strain developed after the run and into the night, ...

I have been reminded of a phenomenon as I wrap up this current round of 5K training. I did not see it during my marathon training blocks because I typically run recovery runs after speed workouts. However, I see it in my 5K training on the day after running intervals. For some reason, running a base run after a hard run results in a faster overall run. I don’t know if the body is primed to do more hard work the next day. I don’t know if it’s psychological. I do know from the data that the runs are faster-paced when compared to base runs that are not preceded by a hard run. I have talked to other runners and then have experienced this too. Have you? Do you know why? Please share in the comments below.

There is not much to write about from last week’s training session. Then again, training is supposed to be ho-hum. It’s a daily grind, laying one brick at a time, paving the road to the next start line. I am particularly proud of last week’s tempo workout. According to Hal Higdon, the tempo run is supposed to be a continuous run with an easy beginning, a build-up in the middle to near 10K race pace, and easing back and slowing down toward the end. He says you need to listen to your body and can’t use your watch to figure out your pace doing this workout. However, I find that difficult to do. Last Wednesday’s workout consisted of a 10-minute warmup, a 25-minute crescendo to 10K pace and decrescendo, and a 5-minute cool down. The app breaks down the tempo into five 5-minute blocks. I modified them to my paces rather than what the app suggests. My paces were 9:09/mi (marathon pace), 8:40/mi (half marathon pace), 8:10/mi (10K pace), 8:40/mi, and 9:09/mi. It was warm and windy, and I found ...