In running, the training is often what gets to you before the race you are training for. It took me three training blocks before I was able to get to the starting line for my first marathon. The primary reason for that was because I was not focused on getting the training done but was totally focused on running my first marathon. In other words, I was focused on the outcome and not on the process.
I recently wrote about the 5 keys to being a grounded runner. One of those keys is to focus on the process of running…
Brad Stulberg recently published a book titled The Practice of Groundedness, and as the title suggests, it is about the principles of being a grounded person. If you are not familiar with Stulberg, he is an executive, athletics, and life coach who has written or co-written two other books on getting the most out of your life and your work — Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox.
I am going to discuss five of Stulberg’s groundedness principles and show you how you can apply them to your running practice. I am a firm believer in taking my running seriously without…
In my last article I covered how to declare variables and how to assign values to variables. To cement this knowledge, the programming student needs to learn how to read code that declares variables and assigns data to them, how to write code that declares variables and assigns data to them, how to read a program template that uses variable assignment, and finally how to implement the program template on a unique problem.
In this article we’ll practice these skills using the Variable Swap template, which demonstrates how to swap the values of two variables by using a temporary variable…
There are almost as many marathon training plans as there are marathon runners. Almost every one of them emphasizes a long run each week that grows in length from 10 to 20 miles. Some work up to just one 20-mile long run, while others have the runner do it two or three times before their race.
There is one, though, that does things differently. It’s called the Hanson Running Project (HRP) Plan and its unique characteristic is that the long run is capped at 16 miles. …
In this article I will introduce you to the primary C++ data types and how to form and assign values to variables. After that I will introduce you to the Variable Swap program template and use this template to reinforce how variable assignment works.
C++ Data Types
There are five primary data types you need to know in order to write useful C++ programs. These types are: int, double, string, char, and bool.
The int type is used to represent whole numbers, such as 1, 100, 1256, and 2389887 (commas are not used in numbers). The range of numbers that can be stored…
Most amateur runners are busy. We have jobs, families, and other interests that compete with our running time. But many of us are also serious runners who have running goals that require that we maximize our training time to the extent that we can. And we also need to do some auxiliary training to keep our bodies healthy and to improve our running. In this article, I’m going to demonstrate how I manage to train at least fifty miles a week and still do some strength and core training without cutting into the other activities that make up my life…
Hello. Welcome to a series of articles on how to learn to program in C++. This series will start with the very beginning topics of C++ programming and continue through creating and using pointers. The topics I’ll cover in this series are similar to the topics you would encounter if you took a college-level course in C++ programming.
I’ll be presenting the programming topics using a sequenced approach to learning programming. This approach was first brought to my attention a couple years ago when I was browsing the proceedings of the 2019 Computer Science Education annual conference. In it I…
I love reading running training plans. I find it very interesting to see how different coaches help runners work towards reaching their racing goals. As you probably know, though, there are almost as many different training plans out there as there are runners to use them. How do you decide which training plan is best for you and your goals? I’m going to show you a way to combine training plans in a way that merges the general philosophy of the training plan with your level of ability, as well as your goals for the race in question.
Training Plan Overview
I am…
As I’ve become more interested in racing and not just recreational running, I’ve started spending some time watching workout videos showing elite runners doing their workouts. Here is a guide to three of the best YouTube channels featuring running workouts and runner interviews.
Workouts Involve a Lot of Standing Around
Before I get into my guide, however, I want to mention that one of the most surprising things I’ve found after watching hundreds of hours of videos is that elite runners spend a lot of time standing around getting ready to do their workout.
They get to the track or the road location for their workout, stand…
I like to read running training plans. Each plan has its own philosophy. Regardless of the distance you are training for, some plans have you running three hard workouts per week and some plans have you running two hard workouts per week. Some plans stress short intervals and some plans stress long tempo runs instead. Some plans have you rest two days per week and some plans have you rest one day per week.
Every single training plan I have ever read have one thing in common — they are based on the seven-day-per-week training schedule. …
Mike McMillan
Mike McMillan writes about computer programming and running. He is setting up his new web site at https://michaelmmcmillan.com.
