Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide
Preparing for a marathon requires a systematic training plan. RunBox AI coach creates a customized 16-20 week marathon training plan based on your fitness level, goal time, and available training time.
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- Personalized Assessment: Based on your running experience and fitness condition
- Smart Adjustments: Training intensity optimizes automatically with progress
- Scientific Pacing: Based on your target finish time
- Injury Prevention: Reasonable intensity progression to avoid injuries
kuilin race journal | after running kuilin, i will not be a superficial person
Guilin was my second full marathon.
It was also a marathon that I ran with more depth.
Why do I say that?
Because I neither ran in vain nor ran superficially.
I ran in the dark.
You might remember that my first marathon in Guiyang was affected by the rain god, so it was 'beautiful before the run, a mess after the run.' This time, the Guilin Marathon was the rain god's home turf. According to Pengpeng's big data, it had to rain. By the standards of Guilin's world-renowned scenery, it had to be at least moderate rain; otherwise, the rain god would risk a name change.
Five days after the run, I still hadn't become a superficial person.
Given my current level of depth, the rain god's name change is a certainty. As a friend, I had to painfully sacrifice my talent to contribute some low-key, luxurious, and meaningful new titles for him: 'The Walking Sun God,' '18th Generation 3D Barbecue Master,' 'AI Rain Remover,' and so on. All these new titles, including any future ones, are authorized by Little Cotton Flower's Mom for the rain god's free commercial use.
Enough chit-chat, let's get to the main text.
During this run, I discovered that Shen Squid's influence had deeply penetrated the Guangxi and Guangdong regions, even reaching the southwest. During my full marathon, I encountered two runners who specifically asked about Shen Squid. The first was a lady who asked me at the 5k mark if I was from Hangzhou and if I knew Shen Squid. The second was a slightly shy young man who first asked where I bought my shirt. When I said it was a team shirt, he asked if it was Shen Squid's running team. Haha, I just wanted to congratulate Squid on becoming famous nationwide!
If one day this shirt becomes popular,
and sells for ten thousand each, remember to @ me.
I'll only sell it for 998.
02How did I become a non-superficial person?
The first 18k of the Guilin Marathon was run together with the half marathon. Although the road was crowded with participants, the tree-lined path and the morning sunlight filtering through the branches created a beautiful scene. I looked up countless times to admire the leaves with their veins clearly visible in the sunlight, lost in the autumn morning of Guilin, feeling like I was in another world. With the wind blowing, everything felt poetic. So, for the first 18k, I was in a great mood, full of energy, and felt like I could bounce to the finish line, achieve a significant personal best, and maintain a mysterious smile for the entire 42k.
There's a type of goose called 'however'.
However, after 18k, the full marathon and half marathon split, and the number of people on the course sharply decreased, as did the shade. At first, I raised my right hand to block the sun, thinking that having applied half a can of sunscreen, a few kilometers of sun exposure shouldn't be a problem. But my hand got tired, the sun grew stronger, and the shade remained out of reach. No matter how I turned, from 18k to 38k, there were no trees for 20 kilometers, and the sun was blinding. The sun's intensity increased, and I was in trouble!
I went from being angry to being out of breath.
From frequently wiping sweat to no longer needing to wipe sweat.
—The sweat automatically turned into salt crystals on my face.
I was thoroughly subdued,
undergoing a systematic upgrade from the outside in,
finally becoming a non-superficial person,
and receiving a tan vest as a gift.
03Go rain god! Less than 10k to go, persistence is victory!
The rain god had been clamoring for months before the race, wanting to break 4 hours again in Guilin. For this goal, he once abandoned me and Cola Brother in Guiyang, and in Guilin, he enlisted Light Brother, who was about to break 3 hours, as his personal pacer, abandoning poor me again~
(Hmph, men)
Squid can testify, Pengpeng abandoned me again.
On race day, I, the rain god, and Light Brother took a photo together in Zone C, chatting. This photo was reminiscent of the one in Guiyang, haha, except Cola Brother was replaced by Light Brother. But Cola Brother accompanied me for my first marathon, so my current worldview is that all men are unreliable, except Cola Brother.
The rain god's desire to break 4 hours was as intense as the number of energy gels on his waist: he had 8 energy gels... Generally, a full marathon requires at most four energy gels. Something unusual was definitely going on, and my subconscious quietly told me that the rain god was going to crash today. I hinted to the rain god that I might catch up to him, and he patted his chest and said:
'If Little Cotton Flower catches up to me, I'll hang up my shoes!'
I kept track of the rain god's time while running, and finally, at the 25k mark, I saw the rain god and Light Brother at the 31k return point. At that moment, the rain god looked pale, his eyes were lifeless, and he was sweating profusely, even gritting his teeth. Before I could give him a puzzled look, Light Brother quickly added, 'He's not going to make it!' I shouted to the rain god within 3 meters, 'Rain god, keep going, persistence is victory, less than 10k to go!' I don't know if he heard me, but later the rain god told me that Light Brother had actually told him there were still 11k to go, and he deflated. He finished in 4:19, cramping at 36k.
Uh, I don't really want to take the blame for this.
After all, to prevent the rain god from hanging up his shoes, I also cramped.
04Cramping for the first time, I was in trouble.
I never thought I would have anything to do with cramping. I'm a lively young lady, and cramping doesn't fit my persona; it's really frustrating.
The principle of cramping is actually very simple: it's mainly due to an electrolyte imbalance, a lack of calcium and sodium ions in the body, also known as inorganic salts. That's why long-distance runners need to supplement with salt tablets. I brought four salt tablets and took them at 15k, 25k, 35k, and 40k. In theory, I shouldn't have cramped.
But I never expected the sun to be so intense. From a lively little fish, I was roasted into a salted dried fish, flipped back and forth on the way there and back, 3D grilled evenly until I cramped. At 38k, I was breathing smoothly and clear-headed, but my right leg cramped unexpectedly. I stopped to stretch, walked slowly, and then started running again, feeling good. But as soon as I sped up, my left leg started cramping too. This repeated several times; my body and mind wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't cooperate.
The last 4k was stop-and-go. I was a bit angry, and the photographer even captured it. My expression really showed how annoyed I was, haha.
I safely finished in 4:41.
I felt very calm and not uncomfortable.
Whether cramping or walking,
anger aside,
it's all part of the experience.
You can see that the half marathon pace was relatively stable and smooth.
Looking forward to avoiding the sun next time.
Rain god,
please work your magic.
05Unexpected encounters on the road
Before cramping, a young man ran up to chat.
'Are you Indian?'
I was stunned for 10 seconds, '...uh, am I that tanned?'
'No, no, uh...'
I slightly sped up.
(This might be the culprit behind my cramping)
We almost crossed the finish line together.
We even had a photo together, haha, it was quite interesting~
(The young man who asked if I was Indian is the one on the left in the bottom photo)
'Hi, Little Cotton Flower!'
At the post-race expo, there was a free stretching area. I took a look but there were no available spots, so I was about to head back to the hotel to stretch on my own when I unexpectedly ran into a Guilin runner, Yang. We met on Codoon and had never planned to meet in person, but the unexpected encounter happened, and we recognized each other. We quickly took a photo together, had a brief chat, and then parted ways again.
I think this feeling is particularly good.
No need to know each other for long, no need to know each other's identities, not even names. As long as we exist, there's a chance we'll meet. When we do, we greet each other and wish each other well.
After the run, I posted on Codoon, and many runners said they saw me but were too shy to tap me on the shoulder or were afraid of startling me. Actually, everyone should be braver. Even if we don't gather for a meal, at least take a photo and cheer each other on. It's these unexpected encounters that make our marathon journeys more meaningful.
So, feel free to tap me on the shoulder.
November 17, Yangxi Half Marathon.
December 1, Bao'an Half Marathon.
December 22, Huangpu Full Marathon.
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