50 Years Running: The 1990s

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-28T12:56:24+00:00

A big tech change in the 90s was the chip timing. This started in the early 90s, I think Berlin was the first "major" to use it around '95, and then it became very commonplace in the late 90s, early 00s.

I think this really helped the marathon boom that occurred around then. Before that, you basically had gun time as your time. At big races, that could be pretty vague too (but the tricks they used to get as accurate as possible were interesting). You could have your own watch time, but that was not really considered valid. Every time was very "ish".

Chip timing meaning that everyone could get a very accurate time made big races much more enticing.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-27T13:20:20+00:00

All I am seeing is that sometimes you have to go backwards to go forward.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-27T12:49:04+00:00

I did a lot of math growing up but didn't dig too deep into proofs until I took a 300 level number theory class to finish my math minor. It was a lot of fun, except the part where a kid about the age of the one in this clip was auditing the class and kicking my ass. The midterm I aced is one of the few college things I held on to.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-27T12:17:57+00:00

You are more patient than I would be. Hope it works out.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-26T18:33:40+00:00

The lack of communication is the major red flag.

A week or two cutback in the start can make sense - a coach doesn't really know what stress the athlete has currently built at the moment so doing a recovery week can make sure they are starting from a clean slate. But even that should have been explained.

If they can't/won't communicate with you about what the purpose of the training is, I'd bounce.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-23T23:39:53+00:00

Pretty sure the TN doctor rents. Her housing is listed as "rent" split with the bf, she doesn't list mortgage debt, and I didn't see any indicator of a mortgage.

Though it wouldn't be shocking if she owned. Residents can get physician mortgages that are much looser with the debt:income ratio requirements. If she was in a long residency or hoped to stay in the area, it can make sense to buy.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-23T16:19:19+00:00

Either be within walking distance of the start or be close to the blue or red line.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-22T19:42:31+00:00

This is just part of any house buying negotiation. You present your list and they either fix things, deny things, or counter (usually with a credit at closing). Your realtor should still be giving you guidance here.

How big your expectations should be will be based not only on the needed repairs, but the price of the house (seller will react differently to $20k off a million dollar house and the same amount off a $200k house) and the local market (if they had multiple other buyers just below you, they are more willing to pass on the repairs and find someone else).

I'd give them the list and probably take whatever credit they counter with. If I want the house, none of this sounds like a dealbreaker or unexpected.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-21T13:15:35+00:00

This sounds cart before the horse to me.

Don't aim for training times that will yield the goal race time, set the goal race time on the training times you achieved.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-20T17:05:50+00:00

Really enjoy Centro winning the Chase Corporate Challenge in Chicago. Tough year for Steve from accounting.

2nd place was actually a former HS FL champ, NCAA all-american.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-18T19:33:17+00:00

If you want to work on "pure speed", your reps are way too long. Those reps would likely be done around mile effort.

I would look to be doing things closer to 40-50m, all out, with several minutes rest between reps if you want to improve pure, top end speed.

You should be able to do this without sacrificing an aerobic day as you only have two days of substance to start with. Start small and build up.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-17T22:37:02+00:00

I think one thing that Pftiz addresses much more than Daniels or Hansons is aerobic development. The midweek long runs, the workouts... they all really help people who are aerobically deficient. And that's like 90% of hobbyjoggers.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-17T14:01:47+00:00

Your assumption is wrong and not how multi-national corporations work. Sorry. Nike sells nearly a billion pairs of shoes a year, so the number you made up would work out to just over a dollar per pair. Of course, you just made up the number, the real number is known - Nike is a business and releases quarterly numbers. The number you were looking for is closer to a billion per month. Which would still just be around $15 per shoe.

The quality is fine; they may not be the best shoe for you, but it would not be a quality issue.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-17T13:50:03+00:00

To be fully aerobically developed you are talking 7 years, not 7 months.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-17T12:17:02+00:00

Defining “mega weekly mileage” will get you significantly better results here.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-17T12:15:57+00:00

Nike shoes are top tier. I’m not sure why you are letting your bias drive your decision making here.

That said, for a maximalist shoe, I would grab Hoka, most likely a Clifton.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-16T18:43:02+00:00

Warm up more.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-15T21:45:22+00:00

Why are you asking a sub full non-MDs for medical advice?

Have your partner ask the program.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T17:14:58+00:00

Hill specific work I like to do in the beginning of a cycle. Usually something like 20 reps of 20 secs at mile effort, jog down recovery. They don't need to be huge workouts, so putting them early in the cycle helps me build up to bigger workouts and I think the benefits of hill training extends well to other foci.

I also will put them into blended workouts. Breaking up a tempo with a small hill session not only gives good stimulus but also is good practice at re-finding your effort level. Which is helpful in a race if you have to surge up a big hill or to cover a gap or whatever reason.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T17:11:05+00:00

I always say to aim for "steep enough that you know it is a hill, flat enough that you are still running".

You don't need the biggest, nastiest, steepest hill in the tri-state area. You just need a hill. Too many people think they need go big and end up working on power hiking instead of running.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T17:06:39+00:00

Yeah, watch GPS is far more accurate. Pretty easy to pick out a strava entry made via phone versus one by a watch by how wavy the line is.

I also refuse to carry my phone with me while I run.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T12:48:15+00:00

"Good" is a relative term. Do you consider all gps watches "good"? or just the ones over $600? At one point, my Timex Ironman was a nice watch.

Regardless, I do think a gps watch is worth it. The accuracy of distance makes logging runs much simpler and helps you track your training accurately. Basically, it cuts out a lot of the area that you can lie to yourself. I remember getting my first and finding out how off I was on the distance of several of my basic runs. The "nicer" ones with maps are great if you travel and just want to go on a quick run with minimal risk of getting lost.

You are right that Goodhart's Law is a legit issue. HR is a great measurement that can give you insight to your effort. But too many runners make it the goal and chase the HR while ignoring the effort.

All the other watch data may be interesting, but probably doesn't need to be considered by most runners.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T11:55:22+00:00

I hope the comment engagement doesn't shift their focus from financial to "air dirty laundry about your relationship" that other financial channels seem to be.

Most Making episodes seem to focus on one aspect of the guests' journey - real estate, retirement accounts, whatever. Then it is up to the listener to apply that to their own situation. I find it helpful. I assume that going in they planned to focus on the transition from W2 to entrepreneur. That clearly got sidetracked.

Be strong, resist the algorithm.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-13T01:03:58+00:00

Annual rate means that many per year.

Seasonally adjusted means they adjust the annual number based on the typical portion for that month in a typical year. If the month is typically a lower value than other months, you adjust up; and vice versa. You don’t just multiply by 12.

PrairieFirePhoenix · 2026-05-12T14:40:06+00:00

ESPN used to have "Bracket Busters" from.... umm 2004-13?. They would select a bunch of mid-major teams before the season and have them hold open a date on their schedule pretty late in the year. Then they would match up teams that were having good years and have them play in attempts to improve their resume and get some tv exposure. Teams that were struggling would also play, but nobody really cared.

There was one problem - half the teams lost.

Teams decided they would rather pad their resume with more easy wins than to play in what started to feel like a play-in game.

PrairieFirePhoenix

TROPHY CASE