Running Towards Success: How My Half Marathon Training Inspired My Machine Learning Journey Plan
![Running Towards Success: How My Half Marathon Training Inspired My Machine Learning Journey Plan](/content/images/size/w2000/2023/04/Blog-45-Feature-Image.jpg)
Hiya, you know how some people just seem to love exercise and can’t get enough of it and there are those who would do anything to avoid breaking a sweat. If we place this preference on a scale with 10 being an exercise fanatic and 0 being a person with a butt dent moulded into their couch, I place my old self at about 2 to 3. I hated, hated, hated, hated exercise!
But guess what? Life has a funny way of surprising us. Now, I’m that same person who went from groaning at the thought of exercise to running a half marathon! Crazy, huh?
You may be wondering what causes the extreme shift. Well, it all started with a painful life experience that made me reevaluate everything. I realised that I couldn’t keep going down the same path and needed to change. I made a commitment to myself that no matter how challenging things get, I will never allow myself to return to that old self. Embracing a healthier lifestyle is part of this change. So last year, I picked up running.
On the 28th of January 2022, I started my running journey. It was a 25-minute session, of which 6 minutes were running. My then goal was to run 10 km in 60 minutes, non-stop. I achieved that goal on the 12th of May, 2022. After that, I set myself a new goal: to run half a marathon. I enrolled myself in the Blackmores Half Marathon race held on the 18th of September to keep me motivated. I achieved that goal on the 20th of August, 2022. I ran 22.47 km non-stop that day in 135 minutes. I reached that goal a month ahead of time.
Here are a few photos of me running the Blackmores Half Marathon.
![](https://www.dannidanliu.com/content/images/2023/04/Blog-45-Marathon-Photo.png)
I remember a close friend of mine commented on my change. She was surprised at how fast I achieved this. I must admit I don’t think I’d ever been so laser-focused on reaching a goal.
So, why am I telling you this story? It’s come about from a recent reflection. I’ve been trying to learn machine learning for some time, but I’m not happy with my progress. I don’t think I’m progressing at all, actually. I’ve been jumping between various topics and resources without a clear plan. I think that’s probably why I’m feeling frustrated and demotivated.
I asked myself, running a half marathon was not an easy feat, but why could I achieve it so quickly? Putting will and commitment aside, I think one of the important ingredients that made it possible is that I had a very structured running plan, which I followed to a T. Armed with this thought, I’ve created a machine learning learning path for myself. In this blog, I will share my plan with you so that you can help me by keeping me accountable. 😊
Ready for the plan?
I’ve divided the learning plan into several key areas. The plan spans over five months, with a commitment of about 3-5 hours per week.
Each week, I’ll focus on a specific topic. To reinforce my learning, my weekly blog post will focus on the concepts I’ve learned and my thoughts on the subject matter. I think this approach will allow me to track my progression, solidify my understanding, as well as share my journey with others who might be interested in a similar path.
Here is a summarised version of my learning plan, put together with the help of ChatGPT.
![](https://www.dannidanliu.com/content/images/2023/04/Blog-44-Machine-Learning-Learning-Plan.jpg)
I must admit, this plan seems rather ambitious, but I’m determined to give it my best shot and adjust along the way if needed. Wish me luck! 🍀
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