Mind the Gapp

  • Using Claude for a 1/2 Marathon training plan?!

    This is…pretty good.

    24-week half marathon training plan

    April 20 → September 27, 2026  ·  Returning runner at 58

    Easy run
    Long run
    Cross-train
    Tempo / race
    Rest

  • Run the Chicago Lifetime 1/2 marathon in the fall? Sure…

    I ran this race back in 2009 and have been wanting to do it again ever since.

    The Life Time Chicago Half Marathon is a flat, fast course along Lake Shore Drive — a great setup. It’s at the end of September in Chicago, which makes for ideal running weather and…the last time the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

    I was a bit younger then which will make the prep work a bit harder. Whatever.

    If you’re interested, here’s my invite link: https://letsdothis.com/share/69deac54cff0cef3984795f8

  • Time to read again

    As happens, life has overtaken my reading. Time to get back to it.

  • Amelia Earhart

    “The most effective way to do it to do it”

    Pretty good.

  • Meet Edith

    Edith is/was a feral cat born in May of 2025. She was hanging around after her mom and the other feral cats we had hanging around left (they are still around just not around our house). It was pretty cold outside during January and we decided to coax her inside the house. She and our other cats get along fabulously.

  • 2026 – Multiple Books Completed

    Been awhile since I did an update. I’ve been traveling which is always a good time to get some reading done. Let’s see what we got:

    1. Butcher’s Crossing, Author: John Williams – 01/24/2026
    2. The Unforgiven, Author: Alan LeMay – 01/25/2026
    3. A Blaze of Glory, Author: Jeff Shaara – 01/25/2026
    4. Everything is Tuberculosis, Author: John Green – 01/25/2026
    5. As the Crow Flies, Author: Craig Johnson – 01/28/2026
    6. A Serpent’s Tooth, Author: Craig Johnson – 02/02/2026
    7. Any Other Name, Author: Craig Johnson – 2/15/2026
    8. Life and Times of America’s Banana King, Author: Rich Cohen – 02/20/2026

    All of the above books were pretty good. Number 1 and 2 are Westerns and rest vary on subject matter.

    Everything is Tuberculosis was the book that I learned a lot from. I didn’t know that tuberculosis was so prevalent.

  • Meet Koi

    We’ve had Koi since September 2024 (Sept. 4th to be exact). The only way I can describe her is joyful.

  • Vacation time…

    I’m heading off on a week’s vacation and looking forward to it. Hoping to be able to get a jump on this year’s book list. I’ve got quite a few candidates which I’ll list out later.

  • 2026 – Book Completed – Clown Town

    This is the ninth book in the ‘Slow Horses’ series. I enjoyed it but it is not as good as the others in the series.

  • 2026 – Book Completed – Hell is Empty

    Another Craig Johnson book. Love his style of writing and I enjoyed the story.

    Note that the cover is wrong. Netflix dropped the show and Paramount picked it up.