Goal Update
For some reason when the snow all melts and it becomes warm enough for me to run outside, I feel nothing but joy. And then the allergies hit me smack in the face and cause me to be dysfunctional at best for a week or two. So yay for warm weather and allergies! Luckily, I will be over the allergies soon and I can blindly struggle through biking (on my trainer) and running trails without my contacts in to make it more of an adventure race for the next week.
Weekly update
Miles Swam: 0 [2.89]
Miles Run: 18.32 [340.79]
Tacos Ate: 17 [298]
Miles Biked: 53.24 [721.65]
Things I worked on
The CNC control box was mounted, then removed in order to install the T-track and skins. Not sure what I did this past weekend, but I didn’t quite get it ready to go. While calibrating the machine, I did end up breaking one of my custom acrylic GT3 belt clips (bummer) so I had to engineer a solution (duct tape) to hold until I can cut out a new one out of a little more ductile material.
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| Z-Carve with T-Track [halfway] installed |
I also began designing new structural plates for my disassembled original X-carve. From all the upgrades I did, I can basically make a second CNC machine using the remaining parts and buying a new control board. Call it poor planning on version 1? I call it blind luck as I will soon have two machines for the price of one! (don’t quote me or do the math). I plan on purchasing a Smoothieboard and then making a sick control box where I can swap between a CNC/laser engraver/cutter and a 3D printer. Eventually when I make enough money with the machines to pay for themselves I will buy yet another control board to have 3+ independent systems. Don’t judge.
A lot of my time was spent studying for the PE exam I will be taking a week from Friday. Next week will be slow as well, but then I should be free to make some awesome stuff! Stay tuned.
Favorite Podcast of the Week
If you have been following my blog for the past 15 weeks (wow this is going quick!), you have probably read a few rants about diet. I am always trying to adjust my diet to help me get to that next level of performance mentally and physically. Everyone that knows I train a lot believes I can pretty much eat anything I want to replace the nearly 1,000 calories I burnt running, biking and/or swimming that day. While this is true (my weight has fluctuated only +/- 10lbs from my Junior year of high school - today I am 5 lbs lighter than I graduated), I have found that a ‘bad run’ correlates directly with a ‘bad diet’ day. This podcast (and book that I will read after the PE exam) confirms my findings - diet can derail anybody’s running. Take a listen, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Favorite Quote(s) of the Week
"You should take the approach that you're wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong" - Elon Musk
“Don't create new products, solve problems.” - Numerous
Random of the Week
For some reason I have been in a big running mood this week. Maybe it has been because I have had several runs outside, maybe its because I am crazy/have a problem/[insert your excuse why you don’t run]. While relaxing or getting ready to call it a night I have found myself reading numerous articles on running training plans, running nutrition plans, running shoes, running gadgets, races to run, etc. At the end of last year when I made those sweeping goals to run 1000 miles, eat 1000 tacos and bike 2017 miles (swimming is still a battle - I’ll get there), I also thought, wouldn’t it be fun to qualify for Boston. Training on the treadmill has me in possibly the best shape I have ever been in April - I feel great and ready to push myself to that next level.
For those who have heard of the race predictor on Garmin products, there are varying reviews, but I believe there is no reason I can’t hit those goals. Honestly, the only reason I can think of why I haven’t run much faster than 7 minute miles for any extended period of time is fear. For some reason I set 7 minute miles as an arbitrary maximum pace for nearly anything from a 5k to a marathon. While I do need to run 7:05/mile to qualify for Boston (and effectively enter the 90th percentile of marathon runners), there is no reason I shouldn’t be running a 5k way faster than that. My immediate goal is to push myself and run a 5k at a 6:00/mile average (which my race predictor says should be my half marathon pace). Next will be a 10k in under 40 mins, then a half marathon in under 1:25, and finally a sub 3 hour marathon. Enough rant; time to run!
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| Predicted pace for each distance: 5K - 5:35, 10K - 5:47, 13.1 - 6:04, 26.2 - 6:21 |
What are you going to push yourself to do tomorrow? in the next week? the next month?
Time to write post: 45 minutes
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