Learn | Make | Fix | Run

I shaved off three minutes and eight seconds for my third consecutive personal best last weekend at the California International Marathon. Thankfully, the race times are going in the correct direction, although I wish I had seen more improvement. Here’s what I learned. Pace I tried my best to take the first half slow; however, eight miles were faster than planned, and five were slower. My half marathon time was 24 seconds faster than planned. The second half was slower as my old archenemy, iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), decided to join me. Nutrition and Hydration During the excitement of the first half, I found it challenging to remember to drink on schedule, so when I did, I was forcing it down. The weather was slightly cooler than my last 20 mile long run. As for nutrition, at mile 15, I could tell my fourth gel from mile 12 wasn’t sitting well. I decided to stop gels until I felt better around mile 18. I hadn’t practiced carb loading before my long runs. I believe my body was tell...

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...

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...

The past week was full of surprises, from headphone headaches to procuring personal bests.  Headphones I received my new earbuds. They seemed to work well the first two days; then, one earbud did not pair. When I attempted to re-pair the earbuds, something was oozing out of the earbud or charger. Since then, I have received a replacement, and it works better so far. Maybe I had a dud. Garmin Running Badges This year, Garmin has been awarding quarterly badges for running 300 km (186.5 mi.) They also have an Ultimate Running 2023 Badge for completing all quarterly challenges. I earned both only 27 days into the fourth quarter. I was so surprised that I achieved this badge so quickly. Monthly Mileage PR and Counting Considering I earned the quarterly running badge, it is no surprise that I was near a monthly mileage PR. With two days left in October, I have completed 215 miles. I am on track to surpass 225 miles by the end of the month. My previous PR was 208 miles in March 2023. Prog...

My new headphones did not arrive in time for my Saturday long run. I had a lot of time to do math as I ran. I was thinking about pacing for CIM. I was running in heart rate zone 2 and averaging 10:30/mi. My original goal for CIM was to run 9:20/mi. However, I am still determining my pace for the race. I started calculations with a 10:00/mi. pace and determined that it would take 262 minutes to run a marathon at that pace. (10 x 26.2 = 262) That’s 4 hours and 22 minutes, and it would be a PB for me. Then I realized that for every minute faster, you could take 26.2 minutes of the total time. (You move the decimal place over to the left one place.) A 9:00/mi. pace would be about 3 hours and 56 minutes. Extending this principle, for every 1/10 of a minute (6 seconds) your average pace drops, you can take 2.62 minutes off your total time. Next, I realized that for every 30 seconds faster, you could take 13.1 minutes of the total time. A 9:30/mi. would be about 4 hours and 9 minutes. After t...

I have reached one of my favorite parts of Hal Higdon’s Advanced Marathon 1 Plan. I completed my first of three 20-mile long runs. In my mind, I am a taper away from a marathon. My work over the next four weeks of training is icing on the cake. Considering my recent history of stomach issues, I am glad I can practice fueling and hydration on last Saturday’s long run and dial it in for the remaining two. I bought some Nuun Lemon Lime Endurance since it will be served at CIM. The flavor was just right, not too strong or weak, and not too sweet. The Nuun had 16 grams of carbs (the SOS Hydration I had been using had 6) but half the sodium as SOS. It worked as well. I drank the Nuun every mile on the half-mile starting at mile 4.5, but my 16 fl. oz. soft flask only got me through 16.5 miles. I’m contemplating using a double scoop or taking two soft flasks. If I go with the double scoop, I will likely run out of water since I have been drinking all 1.5L on my long runs. There are water fount...

Just when you think your training is going in the wrong direction, it changes direction. My recent half-marathon experience was not the race I wanted. I was nowhere near my A, B, or C goal. It made me ponder if I picked a proper-sized marathon goal pace of 9:20/mi. On Tuesday, I needed help keeping my 9-mile base run in Z2, which made me question my easy pace. My Wednesday hill repeats felt like a slog, but I hit all my interval times. My Friday marathon pace run at 9:22/mi. was close to my original marathon pace of 9:20/mi, but I finished the run wondering how to sustain that for another 15 miles. Saturday’s 19-mile long run looked good for the first downhill and flat 8 miles. The next 1.5 flat miles to the turnaround point and the 9.5-mile return were not as good. It did get progressively hotter. I preferred a faster average pace but kept it in Z2 or lower for 92% of the run. The lack of wind meant less dust and pollen, which made this better than the 17-mile long run two weeks prior...

I learned many logistical lessons last weekend (some not race-related). It was not the race I wanted, but I would rather learn these lessons now instead of learning them on December 3 at CIM. Here are the lessons I learned. Give Yourself More Time before the Race While I gave myself enough time before the race, I did not anticipate the backup of cars on the off-ramp. I should have considered how long it would take to pay for parking. Since I was in race mode, I only had my driver’s license and one credit card when I attempted to pay for parking. My Discover card was accepted at the convention center parking lot the day before and was not accepted in the parking lot where I parked. (I thought the same organization operated both lots.) I needed to return to my car and get my other credit card. After waiting in line for the second time, I was late for the start of my corral. I had enough time to go to the bathroom before I got in the last corral, but I did not have time to warm up. Being ...

Last week, the wind wreaked havoc on my run, but not in the way you might expect. Yes, there was a headwind as I went out on my loop, but there was a tailwind on the way back. As always, the headwind felt like it hindered my forward progress more than the slight boost from the tailwind. In the end, it should roughly balance out, and the wind wasn’t causing me issues keeping my heart rate in zone 2. The allergens in the air that came with the wind had a detrimental effect. I ran three loops, and halfway through the second loop, I realized I was having difficulty getting a full breath of air. My airways were restricted from the allergens, and I could not provide enough oxygen to my muscles to work at my typical easy pace. Race Week This week is my tune-up half marathon. I’ll run the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon on Sunday in preparation for CIM. If you’re running either, please let me know in the comments below.

I’m finally coming to terms with my long run pace and HR training. I know you shouldn’t associate a particular pace with a heart rate zone. There are a variety of factors that can affect heart rate. However, the Run With Hal app gives you an “overall” quality letter grade, a “last 9 days” letter grade, and a compliance score with each workout. Sadly, I am motivated to keep my compliance score between 100% and 120% and my letter grade an A. If I want to earn an A and compliance greater than or equal to 100%, I must run at least 10:30/mile for my base runs and long runs. To reap the benefits of heart rate training, I need to keep it in heart rate zone 2 (Z2). I’m okay on the base runs in my flat neighborhood, but it falls apart on my long runs on the trail. Last weekend, I stayed in Z2 and averaged 10:28/mi. on the downhill (five miles) and the flat (six miles) and 11:49/mi. on the uphill (five miles). It’s not steep, but the 160-foot ascent over five miles makes me 80 seconds slower per...

I know I have already posted “ The Plan is Merely a Guide ,” but I am taking that to heart as I move into my next three weeks of marathon training. Recently, my friend @run_for_clarity asked me about my experience with the Run with Hal app. He started a week with a rest day (which was preceded by a long run). Then, the app scheduled two recovery days in a row, followed by a speed day, base day, pace day, and long run. He ultimately looked at the posted schedule on the Hal Higdon website, which looked much “ saner ,” and rearranged his runs to match the website. Last week, I finished a step-back week with a 7 mile marathon pace run on Friday, a 10 mile long run on Saturday, and a 3 mile recovery run on Sunday. Monday’s run was scheduled as an 8 mile marathon pace run, and a 5x hill interval session was scheduled for Tuesday. I was puzzled by two intense workouts back-to-back. Wednesday was a rest day, Thursday was an 8 mile base run, Friday was a 3 mile recovery run, Saturday was a 16 ...

This week, I had access to a scale. I weighed myself nude before and after a 7-mile run. I did not drink water during my run. I was three pounds lighter after the run. Then, I consumed 32 fluid ounces of Gatorade. I weighed myself again nude, and I was two pounds heavier. I realize that sweat rates change based on environmental conditions, but I was surprised that I had lost three pounds of water weight. I wanted to approximate the fluid ounces of water that I lost. I was reminded of high school chemistry class when the internet refreshed my memory that one milligram of water equals one milliliter (and one milliliter equals one cubic centimeter). While I enjoyed that walk down memory lane, I found a rule of thumb that 1 liter of water was approximately 2 pounds of water, and in this game of horseshoes and hand grenades, a liter of water was close enough to a quart of water. I lost about 1.5 liters (48 fluid ounces) of water in my run – three pounds – and refueled with 1 liter (32 fluid...

  My two biggest takeaways from running last week were related to listening to podcasts and running posture. I have talked about podcasts slowing me down in the past. (" Are Podcasts Slowing Me Down or Do I Just Need the Rest? " and " Podcast Experiment Results and Marathon Prep Week ") On Saturday, I scheduled a 13-mile long. I have not listened to music or podcasts while running for the past three months and was looking forward to catching up on some of my podcasts. My headphones were only partially charged and stopped working about eight miles into my run. When I looked back at the data from my run, I saw that I was faster and more into Z2 running the last five miles of my run. The last five miles were net uphill and should have been my slowest. I need to relegate podcasts for my recovery runs. During the long run, I continued to work on running with good form – running tall, with hips up and forward. At the end of the run, I could feel the burn in my lower abdom...

I affirmed my choice for my current training plan this week. When I started this training block, I vacillated between Hal Higdon’s Advanced 1 program, which I used for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon, and Hal Higdon’s Advanced 2 program. I liked the idea of running more pace runs and speed sections in Advanced 2. However, I was coming off a 10K training plan and sick of doing speed work. Intuition told me that concentrating on slow miles would be better for me. I compared the mileage in both plans, and Advanced 1 appeared to have more miles. Therefore, I chose the Advanced 1 program for CIM. This week, I realized I could compare my current training block to my last one since the workouts are the same. I can see that my base runs are faster while staying in heart rate zone 2. I can compare my long runs and my interval runs. I have read a lot about marathon training that it isn’t one workout that gives you a Boston marathon qualifying time. Instead, showing up daily and laying one brick o...

While the heat has not been oppressive, it has hampered my efforts to run when I wanted to run this last week. I am using heart rate training as part of my preparation for CIM. Many factors affect heart rate, such as sleep, caffeine, stress, heat, humidity, time of day, hills, and the list goes on. This past week I concentrated on mitigating heat. My recovery runs are meant to be run in Z1. They are supposed to be slow, so I wasn’t as worried about getting these runs in during the heat. However, my first recovery run was at 7:58 a.m. on Tuesday, with a 68°F start. My second recovery run was at 1:44 p.m. on Sunday in 83-86°F heat. I bounced like a pinball between the shady spots in the streets on this run and walked the last quarter-mile while staying in Z1. My personal heat index when running is to add 10°F to the ambient air temperature. Anything over 72°F ambient takes its toll on me. My base runs are meant to be run in Z2. They are intended to be easy. My first base run was at 8:18 ...

I have started my next training block. My goal is to run a sub 4:15 marathon at the California International Marathon (CIM) on December 3, 2023. I will run a tune-up half marathon in San Jose at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon nine weeks out on October 1, 2023. This time I will be using Hal Higdon’s Advanced Marathon 1 plan. I thought about using his Advanced 2 plan, but I rather have endurance over speed. This time I'm concentrating on running tall, hips up and forward. I felt it in my glutes during the last four miles of last week’s ten-mile long run. I added clamshells to my core routine. I might add in a dynamic warm-up and foam rolling this block. What are you training for? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.