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2022: Life Updates

2022: Reflecting on the year so far and balancing between boxing, running, nutrition, health – and now real estate investing.

Race Report: Big Chief 50K (2022)

I dive into my overall experience of the Big Chief 50K, and:
• My experience with COVID in training
• How I used live-time CGM data to make fueling decisions
• How the elevation impacted me and the ideal time to acclimate to elevation
• All the rookie mistakes I made this time around
• My overall experience from the Big Chief 50k!

Quicksilver 50K - Coach Ian 31 Miles for 31 Years Birthday Run

Race Report: Quicksilver 50K (31 Miles for 31 Years!)

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  • November 15, 2021December 28, 2021

Over my birthday weekend, I continued my annual tradition of celebrating my birthday running a race. This year, I ran the Quicksilver 50K to celebrate my 31st birthday. In my race recap, I write about the following:
• A conversation with the 100K overall winner, Ryan Ung, who also worked for Supersapiens and wears a continuous glucose monitor during races
• My insights running with the Supersapiens CGM app
• The 100K 1st place finishers glucose strategy for racing (i.e. his minimum baseline for glucose)
• Why most food supplied at races are junk (i.e. M&Ms, Cinnamon rolls, Snickers, Cookies, etc.), and what food sources I chose at the aid station (Sweet Potato, Banana, That’s It! Bar, Nuts, Seeds, etc.)
• Why I chose Spring Sports Nutrition Gels to power my race, in addition to HVMN ketone esters
• How a late-night game two nights prior impacted performance
• How long I plan to continue to running my age in years
• The camaraderie of running
Congrats to Jenn, Christine, and Jaymin for completing their 100K!

East Canyon Marathon Finish

Race Report: East Canyon Marathon

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  • September 12, 2021December 28, 2021

Each marathon that you run is an entirely different experience. I’m always experimenting and learning more about myself, my limits, and my body during races. I dive into my experience running the East Canyon Marathon, and a few other topics below in my blog post:
• How fueling both with UCAN gels and HVMN Ketone Esters helped me feel strong for the race
• Why training miles matter, and why they don’t
• Running in poor air: My decision to run wearing a KN95 mask
• PurpleAir vs AirNow and my AQI threshold for not running outside
• Why I carbo-loaded for this race
• The diminishing returns of fueling
• Muscle imbalances, possibly due to boxing
• The fluid nature of goal setting during marathons
The ideal cadence for running

Big Chief 50K - Coach Ian Cruz

Race Report: Big Chief 50K

I dive into my overall experience of the Big Chief 50K, and:
• Why athletes like Eliud Kipchoge are using glucose monitors to prepare for races
• The best time to fuel during your race (hint: it’s not pre-race as that and the onset of exercise causes a blood sugar crash immediately)
• How my glucose monitor impacted my fueling and race strategy
• Two startups (Levels Health and Supersapiens) and their differing philosophies for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels
• Why I stay away from most gels and how the steady glucose impact of UCAN gels helped my performance
• How the elevation impacted me and how I used my (surprising) heart-rate data to determine my pacing [cont.]

Coach Ian - Audiobook Recommendations

Audiobooks While Running

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  • April 2, 2021October 11, 2021

Audiobooks While Running: A few audiobook recommendations for your long runs! Boxing, Running, Nutrition, Health and Business recs.

Running Mistakes: Lessons From My First Marathon by Coach Ian Cruz

Running Mistakes: Lessons From My First Marathon

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  • December 22, 2020September 10, 2021

Running Mistakes – Everyone makes them training for their first marathon. From not knowing how to fuel, to wearing improper running shoes, a poor stride, or not tapering, nobody gets everything “perfect”.

The biggest issues I had in training for my first marathon were my expectations. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t know how hard it is to BQ. I didn’t realize how much harder the trails are than road races. I didn’t know how to structure the mileage of my run and what burnout is. I didn’t know how to fuel, how to fix my stride, and how to breathe. And I made a few other funny mistakes along the way.

Running Form, Coach Ian

Running Form

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  • December 3, 2020April 22, 2021

How to improve running form to prevent injuries

Training on a Meatless Diet

Training on a Meatless Diet

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  • December 1, 2020September 29, 2021

What athletes and marathon runners should consider when transitioning to a meatless diet and how to avoid deficiencies.