We had a hurricane blow up part of a week of productivity around here, but I still limped along with some middling progress on the yearās goals. Iām behind the targets this year late in the game, but Iām still happy with the results. I can still close the gap on the running target, at least.
Iāve been thinking about an idea Patrick OāShaughnessy wrote about recently on āgrowth without goalsā ā setting up systems to be able to pursue and achieve personal growth without having hard numbers on a scoreboard. Using this site as a public accountability tool helps me to keep these top of mind for continued effort. Iāll have to give this some thought as we near the end of 2020 as to how I want to set up my personal growth systems for 2021. Iām thinking an evolution is in order that creates more space for discovery of new interests without interrupting growth in focus areas.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
588.6 miles
597 miles
650 miles
-8.02
Meditation
1070 minutes
2607 minutes
3120 minutes
ā
Reading
24 books
27.53 books
30 books
-3.53
Reading seems like one thatās particularly absurd to quantify as num_books_read. The dimensions of depth and breath of a ābookā are so all over the place that the metric approaches uselessness as a measurement. Iāve tried to avoid selecting material I choose to read around āmanaging to the metricā; the last thing I want is to end up reading 11 garbage quick reads just to hit an arbitrary number. The purpose is defeated if I were to fall into that trap.
One idea that comes to mind as Iām writing this is selecting target study areas to read about ā something like choosing 4 or 5 topic areas I want to dive deeper in and measure to how many of those subjects I learn more about. A trackable tool to keep me honest would be useful, but Iām conscious of falling prey to simply managing whatās easily quantified.
With the downramp in the previous daily posting regimen, Iāve used that time mostly to catch up on a bunch of new ideas cooking in (and about) Roam, and put out a couple of newsletters, issues 4 and 5 of Res Extensa. (Subscribe here!)
Itās been fun to do so far. Iāve landed on this idea for the last couple of following a theme topic rather than a simple digest of links or interesting things. That could be interesting, but there are a lot of great ācuratorā newsletters out there already. Issue 4ās theme was legibility, from James C. Scottās epic Seeing Like a State, and issue 5 looked at alternate timelines from a couple of different angles.
At this rate, itāll be New Years in no time flat.
Anyway, letās check in on the 2020 goals:
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
534.25 miles
543 miles
650 miles
-8.90
Meditation
1070 minutes
2607 minutes
3120 minutes
ā
Reading
23 books
25.07 books
30 books
-2.07
I made middling progress in areas, like some better runs in the first couple of weeks. Felt good to have some overachieving progress. But then we did a week out of town up in Georgia last week, and my plan to do some trail running didnāt become reality. Between schoolwork (Elyse was still remote-learning from the Georgia countryside), rain, and a surprise tropical storm, much outdoor activity was a challenge, to say the least. We did get in 1 hike, but 5 and 3 year olds arenāt that compatible with long excursions.
I went a full 7 days without running, the longest gap in probably 2 years. While it wasnāt necessarily intentional, itās probably good for health to get some air space there every now and then.
On the reading side, I finished Stephen Fryās Mythos, which is his reimagining of the greek myths. I listened to the audio version which is read by the author himself, and if you know any of Fryās work, youāll know this is the proper way to consume this book. An outstanding rendition of the tales, more accessible than Edith Hamiltonās Mythology or something like Ovid or Virgil classics.
Ross Douthatās The Decadent Society was both thought-provoking in its claims, and occasionally frustrating by its pessimism about the state of western culture. I tend to agree with many of Douthatās views on his ā4 horsemenā of decadence: stagnation, sterility, sclerosis, and repetition. Iām skeptical of, but open-minded to, the theories of technical stagnation that you read about in the works of Peter Thiel and others. Thereās a compelling case to be made that something is going wrong, and Douthat has an interesting take on where he thinks the issues lie. My skepticism is less around the presence of decadence, decay, or drift than it is around the severity of the issues. Itās a worthwhile and provocative read. Along the same lines Iād highly recommend Yuval Levinās takes on institutional decline in his book A Time to Build from earlier this year.
Good news is I closed the deficit a bit on the running goal, even though it didnāt feel like a particularly productive month there.
COVID makes time fly and crawl simultaneously, through some sort of perverse time distortion. There were just no notable events this month to break up the monotony of online school, Zoom meetings, and tame weekends around the house. Maybe the holidays and better weather weāre entering soon will help get us outside some more.
Outside of widening our circles a little from shelter to family and one or two friends, weāre still spending most of our time at home or in outdoor activities.
The start of Elyseās kindergarten over the last couple of weeks really put a dent into anything other than work or supporting her online schoolwork. By the end of the day Iāve been too burned out to do much running or reading at all. Itās also been raining like crazy here over the last week.
I just barely kept it together with the running habit. I just picked up some new running shoes that have me excited to schedule some more longer runs the next couple of weeks.
A quick touch on progress for July. I canāt believe itās already been 5 months since the beginning of the pandemic.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
371.27 miles
379 miles
650 miles
-8.05
Meditation
1070 minutes
1821 minutes
3120 minutes
ā
Reading
17 books
17.51 books
30 books
-0.51
Nothing that notable this month. Steady upkeep on the running goals, but the summer time in Florida is brutal. Really restricts the scheduling if you canāt do early morning or late evening exercise.
Iāve got a couple of side projects going on that Iāve been pleased with the progress on: a couple of things with the website and some work on personal finances that all feel like good progress.
These updates during the quarantine are weird. In some ways time feels like itās standing still, in others it feels like itās flying by. Every day feels mostly the same. Even though some has opened up in our area, weāre still basically in isolation from friends.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
317.49 miles
324 miles
650 miles
-6.62
Meditation
1070 minutes
1556 minutes
3120 minutes
ā
Reading
15 books
14.96 books
30 books
+0.04
It wasnāt that interesting of a month from a goals perspective. Iām continuing to close the mileage gap that I fell into early in the year. Iām hoping in July to bring that one into the green. Other than that, nothing notable this month other than powering on through this quarantine. Seems like itās going to last a while longer now.
Just a quick update this month. With the pandemic still going, lockdown in a state of unknown non-committal from any authority, and the madness going on around the nation the past week, all of this seems kinda trivial. Iām sure weāll power through past it, but Iām just doing my best to keep the habits going. Iām still fortunate to get to plow forward mostly unimpacted by it all.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
257.89 miles
272 miles
650 miles
-14.58
Meditation
1070 minutes
1308 minutes
3120 minutes
ā
Reading
13 books
12.58 books
30 books
+0.42
Iāve been reading some great books lately. No particular update this time on that front, but From Dawn to Decadence is fantastic, I just started Matt Ridleyās How Innovation Works, and Ra is one of the most interesting fiction works Iāve read.
Meditation hasnāt gotten folded back into the routine yet. Iām going to leave the goal in my updates and plan to get back to it and catch up by year end.
April was the first full calendar month of COVID lockdown. In the beginning of the month I started getting comfortable with the working-from-home setup. I have a decent desk setup and a large master bedroom-slash-office space, which until early March Iād barely used since we moved in. Itās gotten a workout now for 2 months of all-day work. Iāve got one of these adjustable desks thatās nice and wide, with plenty of light in the room, so aside from the zero separation between work and life zones, itās not too bad.
In this past week though the strain is coming on. Some of it is certainly the 2 months of social separation from anyone (which is especially bad for the kids, which is, in turn, bad for us), but I think working as a distributed company is weird, too. Productivity has still been high, and since we were already about 30% remote anyway, it hasnāt been the huge adjustment for us that it has been for many others.
Letās look at the goal progress:
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
198.46 miles
215 miles
650 miles
-16.54
Meditation
1070 minutes
1034 minutes
3120 minutes
+35.7
Reading
11 books
9.95 books
30 books
+1.05
So I fell off the schedule completely in the middle of the month on the meditation practice. I went a few days without doing it, and then just fell apart with consistency. There wasnāt a specific reason other than laziness, and not building it into a morning routine as I had planned. Iām not sure what Iāll do with the practice, but I do intend to get back to it. One thing Iāve still got to get figured out is a more solid morning routine to create the transition from personal to work life more smoothly.
I closed the gap pretty well on the running schedule. The weatherās been unpredictably cool out a lot for Florida spring. We typically have the occasional cooler temperature in April, but this year we had a lot of days in the mid- to upper-70s to work with, which was fantastic for workouts. The kids have been along for the ride on many of them, probably most of them. It helps to get them out of the house; we usually go over the neighborhood bridges and go near some of the water and look for any manatees, fish, and whatnot. With that mild weather there have been some beautiful days to get out lately.
I closed out a bunch of books Iād had in progress for a while. Iāve referenced Martin Gurriās work a few times here recently, and his The Revolt of the Public is one of the most insightful books Iāve read to explain the modern state of affairs with the culture war, political landscape, social media, and more. It was a lot broader than Iād expected, but highly recommended.
Arthur Koestlerās Darkness at Noon is a classic Iād had on the list for a long time. Very glad I spent the time with it. A grim work of historical fiction about Stalinist Russia and the Great Purge.
So March has wrapped, probably the longest month weāve had in many years.
The shake-up in schedule, work-life patterns, and disruptions in everything from kids, to family, to day-to-day activities played absolute hell with my progress on goals.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
141.04 miles
162 miles
650 miles
-21.01
Meditation
860 minutes
778 minutes
3120 minutes
+82
Reading
6 books
7.48 books
30 books
-1.48
Letās start with the āokayā news. On the meditation front Iāve been doing alright, but made a decision to switch from using Headspace to Oak. This was partially to shake up what was feeling like a lack of improvement, but I recognize that the tool is not the problem when it comes to disciplined practice of any sort. After reading Tomās comments on Oak, I decided to give it a shot. Iāve been preferring unguided modes to help work on concentration myself; the cues can actually be a distraction in that way once you know what youāre supposed to be doing. Will see what happens here over the next month with our new normal.
Running was an unmitigated disaster this month. Way too many days off and missed for no particular reason other than the mental disruption in the daily flow. Itās counterintuitive that more time indoors and at home would make less time for running (it really hasnāt), but not having clear breakpoints in the day, plus the kids being home 100% of the time, has made this a difficult adjustment for things like exercise. Iām going to make a concerted effort to do mid-day runs with the kids in tow, even if that means higher quantity of shorter workouts. Iāve got to figure out a way to get a pattern going again.
Books appear behind, but donāt feel that way. Iāve done exactly what Iād intended all along at the start of the year, which was reading longer, deeper books ā quality over quantity. Iāve really enjoyed the thread Iāve been following with the history of tech, and Iāve got a few more in the queue Iām looking forward to.
A quick update for February. No big revelations or movements on goals, just slight progress.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
97.76 miles
107 miles
650 miles
-9.09
Meditation
600 minutes
513 minutes
3120 minutes
+87
Reading
4 books
4.93 books
30 books
-0.93
Iāve struggled with building longer meditation sessions into my routine. I think the only way itās going to happen is if I can get a pattern of sitting down in the morning before the kids are up. At night things are just too unpredictable ā kids might stay up late, too tired, have to do runs, unmotivated.
Running was a little better than last month. I stayed a bit ahead of the curve through the month to close the deficit a bit, but still had several multi-day-off periods.
As Iād mentioned in my Goals post at the start of the year, I plan to read some deeper books this year so I reduced the total number. A focus on quality material and better retention is the priority. I also have about 6 or 7 in motion right now, which is abnormally high even for me.
I just committed to my first race of the year, a 10K in the St. Pete Distance Classic. Sort of a seat-of-the-pants commitment, but should be able to do a competitive personal time (maybe a PR if I feel good enough). I promised to do more races this year, so gotta stick to the plan.
The weatherās cooled down for the weekend, and a 6:30am start time should make it comfortable for a speedy run.
The first month of 2020 is already in the books. 31 days blew by already?
Itās been a rollercoaster of a first few weeks, with some vacation at New Years, shot out of a cannon with a reinvigorated team at work, a trip to Miami, and a trip to Jacksonville.
I already fell behind on the targets with all thatās been going on. Once I can fall into a better rhythm with some normalcy in the schedule (which should be happening over the next couple weeks), I think Iāll be fine to catch up.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
43.14 miles
55 miles
650 miles
-12.07
Meditation
350 minutes
265 minutes
3120 minutes
+85
Reading
2 books
2.55 books
30 books
-0.55
My runningās been reasonable, if not frequent enough to stay on track with the increased goal over last year.
Reading I intentionally re-prioritized some longer stuff, and Iāve been working through a couple that are great so far, but one in particular leads down all sorts of Wikipedia side trails while reading it.
I finally got around to updating my local tracks database with all of the 2019 Strava data. Iāve been lax about updating it since I completed the Shore Acres project in the summer. Here are some fun snapshots:
This one shows how much of the St. Pete area I covered. Almost finished Snell Isle, as well, but missed a few segments. I might polish that off this year then work on the downtown area.
This was my first half marathon, and only time running out on Fort DeSoto. Great spot for this. Might try to do some of it for fun during the winter while itās cooler. It was about 78Ā°F at 7am when the race started that day.
This is what my common running routes look like. This spot out at the end of Venetian Isles near my neighborhood is one of my normal routes. Looks wild to see how many times Iāve been on that sidewalk.
When I was out at FOSS4G in San Diego in the spring I got in a couple of long runs. The Mission Bay area is beautiful.
Just getting started on 2020, about 32 miles in so far. Iām a little behind schedule on my pace for 650 miles, but should be able to catch up and keep it going.
Continuing my summaries from a couple weeks ago, this post covers some statistics on running throughout 2019.
I track all of my runs with a Garmin fenix 5 watch synced to Strava, but also have been logging each one to a spreadsheet as I complete them. That way Iāve got an easy dataset to work with for analyzing and charting the results.
Hereās the overall breakdown of stats for the year:
Stat
Total
Total Distance
615.55 miles
Total Duration
86 hours, 32 minutes
Total Activities
148
Average Distance
4.16 miles
Average Pace
8:26 minute/mile
Average HR
156 bpm
Total Calories
66,431 cal
Best Month
September (88 miles)
Worst Month
March (39.6 miles)
September was my big training month for the October half marathon (August was decent too, at about 70 miles).
2019 was my best running year by a wide margin. I got the fitness up to the point where 5-6 milers are pretty easy (when pacing), and the half proved that I can go even farther with a little preparation.
Iāve got new marks Iāll be aiming for in 2020, but probably wonāt have time to post about the plan until into January a bit. Next up will be the map showing the yearās running coverage.
The goal at the start of 2019 was to hit 500 miles running this year. Tonightās run pushed me up to 602 miles for the year, with a couple of weeks left to go.
150+ miles more than any prior year
Through the mid-summer time I was only averaging 42 to 45 miles a month, which was barely keeping me over the pace mark week to week. I would log my runs and watch the moving plus/minus number I track and see myself float above for a couple days, below for a couple days, hovering around the pace for hitting 500.
In August I made the commitment to run the Halloween Distance Classic half marathon at the end of October, so August through October had me attacking a rough training plan to prep for the race. Mileage increased up to 71 and 88 miles, respectively in August and September. That really accelerated me beyond the pace and I crested 500 before I even finished the half (which I finished with under 10 minute pace).
I havenāt yet decided what I want to target for next year. Thereāll likely be a couple of races and some kind of mileage target, but nothing crazy. Iāve got too many other things I want to spend time on. But Iām glad I was able to stay healthy enough to push forward to the best health Iāve ever been in.
This was a busy one. Between the All Hands earlier in the month and the week off for the holidays, those are brutal to maintaining the routine (though great to get a break and spend time with both workmates and family, respectively).
Here are the stats with one month left to go:
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
574.02 miles
457.53 miles
500 miles
+120.53
Meditation
3503 minutes
3340 minutes
3650 minutes
+163
Reading
51 books
45.75 books
50 books
+5.25
Once I hit the 600 mile mark on the running in the next couple of weeks, Iām planning on taking the rest of the year off to see if I can rehab the foot and ankle pain thatās built up. Iām past the goal line now on a couple of these, which feels good.
The big achievement this month was the culmination of the half marathon training, ending October by finishing my first one.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
520.12 miles
416.44 miles
500 miles
+103.68
Meditation
3208 minutes
3040 minutes
3650 minutes
+168
Reading
47 books
41.78 books
50 books
+5.22
The other notable movement was surpassing the 500 mile goal, which happened on this run and I didnāt even realize it at the time. I was able to knock out the mileage goal 2 1/2 months early. Back in March I definitely didnāt expect to be much over the target at all, let alone a full 100 miles beyond the pace mark. At this rate Iām pretty confident in hitting the 600 mile mark, especially with the nicer weather around the corner. I might do one more race in December, likely only a 10 or 15K.
This month I finally finished The Federalist, which Iād put down for a while. I made extensive notes throughout it. Iām looking forward to flipping back through for a refresher soon. Such a phenomenal work to put together such a deep, thoughtful, still-relevant rationale for strong but limited governance.
The other read this month that definitely made my ābest ofā list for the year was Tracy Kidderās The Soul of a New Machine. A riveting story of a small team developing an early minicomputer. This story had to be one of the inspirations for Halt and Catch Fire, turning rooms full of geeks into a fast-paced drama.
Today I finished my first half marathon. Felt great until about mile 10 when things got a lot harder. The final mile was painful, but I got it done and even ended up pushing it to under a 10 minute mile average pace (a goal I decided to shoot for around mile 8 when I was still feeling good and thought I could push myself).
On a misty Saturday morning in Vienna, on a course specially chosen for speed, in an athletic spectacle of historic proportions, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya ran 26.2 miles in a once-inconceivable time of 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds.
An architectās manifesto on how teams can rethink the design of baseball stadiums:
Fans want to feel that the club has bought into them, and a bolder model of fan engagement could give them a real stake in the clubās success. One of the most promising recent trends in North American sports is the way soccer clubs are emulating their European counterparts by developing dedicated supportersā groups. These independent organizations drive enthusiasm and energy in the ballpark, and make sure seats stay filled.
Instead of just acknowledging and tolerating the supporter group model, weāre going to encourage and codify it in the parkās architecture by giving over control of entire sections of the ballpark to fans. Rather than design the seating sections and concourse as a finished product, weāll offer it up as a framework for fan-driven organizations to introduce their own visions.
In September the training push continued for the half marathon. I did a personal record 88 miles in the 30 days, for an average of just about 3 miles per day the whole month. Somehow Iām not dead yet, but the aches and pains were there to prove it.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
460.88 miles
373.97 miles
500 miles
+86.86
Meditation
2893 minutes
2730 minutes
3650 minutes
+163
Reading
42 books
33.66 books
50 books
+8.34
I think Iāve got the joint, knee, and foot pains to a manageable stage and seem to be turning the corner on that. My post-workout stretching process has been more diligent, shoes improved things, pacing, and proper rest days inserted in there. Iām really looking forward to the weather playing nicely in October and getting the temperatures down, at least a little.
The best books this month were for sure the two short story collections I read: Ted Chiangās Exhalation and Ken Liuās The Paper Menagerie. Both of them phenomenal blends of fantasy, speculative fiction, and historical science fiction, with imaginitive and thought-provoking short stories and novellas Iām still thinking about.
Weāre moving into the final quarter of the year going strong on all of the goals. By the end of the month Iāll be able to report back on my experiences with the first 13.1 mile race of my running career.
Iām almost at the two-month mark since upping my mileage at the beginning of August. I did about 72 miles in August, up from an average of less than 50 per month the prior months of the year. With 3 days left in September Iām over 80 miles, with a couple of runs left to do:
A few notes on how thatās gone so far:
Slowing down my pace has been essential to push the activity durations higher (obviously, to lower the average HR).
After the first couple of weeks I started to get foot pain on the sole of the feet. Of course the distance increase is going to add stress all over, but Iāve also tried improving posture by standing up straighter and pulling the shoulders back, while also keeping the cadence more consistent.
To help with the foot pain I got some better shoes to help with supporting my very-high arches. Anecdotally so far this has helped a lot. The On shoes Iād been running with are light and speedy, but lack support for my feet.
Running while monitoring my HR zone is helping a lot to get in the distances Iām targeting. On longer runs I just get my HR into the range I want and adjust pace and cadence to keep it there.
Once I get past the half-marathon, Iāll probably reduce the number of weekly activities but raise my average miles on each one. Back-to-back days are leading to some morning soreness I could avoid with more rest days.
At this rate I should easily break the 500 mile goal, and probably reach 600.
This month I made a concerted effort to kick it into a higher gear with the running. Mid-month was the start of the Strava training plan Iām going to try and follow for race preparation.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
372.51 miles
332.88 miles
500 miles
+39.63
Meditation
2563 minutes
2430 minutes
3650 minutes
+158
Reading
36 books
29.96 books
50 books
+6.04
The longer mileage is feeling good. I wasnāt sure what to expect when doing longer times with only single days of recovery in between, but itās really not bad. The latest few runs have actually felt great cardio-wise right up until the end. The limiters at the moment are the heat (nothing I can really do about that) and some calf muscle and plantar fasciitis pains in the left foot. Iāve been doing lots of stretching and foam-rolling after runs, though, to try and counteract that, which I think is working alright so far. Iām trying to pace my mileage increase so I donāt end up with a real injury that really throws a wrench into the plan.
For books this month the most notable was the finale to Cixin Liuās Remembrance trilogy, Deathās End. I havenāt had the time to write up many thoughts yet on that series, but itās up there with the all-time best science fiction, for sure. Another pleasantly surprising read was Simon Winchesterās Pacific, which is a broad history of events and places on the Pacific Ocean since the 1950s. Itās one I plan on writing a longer piece about sometime down the road.
So thatās August in the can. Having pushed the running to 40 miles over the pace mark, I think I should be able to get to +60 at least by end of September, perhaps even higher if weather and health permit.
Our SNI running club on Strava keeps expanding. Weāve got 12 members now and counting. Two people are committed to marathons in the fall, and two of us to half-marathons.
Somewhere in reading about marathon training I read that the community aspect of the training plan is one of the most important: finding a group of people around you for mutual support and motivation along the way. Proper training (aside from the physical effort) is time-consuming and requires consistency to get 4 or more activities in per week, without falling off the wagon. It certainly helps to have the visibility of those around you keeping their habits going as a motivator to push yourself.
When we do our semi-annual All Hands events with the whole team in the office for a week, we now have something of a tradition of doing a group run sometime when weāre all together. I think weāve done it for 2 or 3 years now pretty consistently. It looks like the upcoming November event weāll be mobilizing about 15 of us or so to get out there and do at least a 5K. Thereās a half-dozen of us that are real active and do this routinely, but itās awesome to see the communal gravitational pull working, attracting many to join in who are really just trying to get moving on building the habit.
Thisāll be right after my half-marathon, so it might be the first recovery run after that race.
When I committed to the half marathon for October, I also enabled one of Stravaās Summit training plans to keep me honest on the times and distances I should be ramping up with as I prep for that race. My personal goal isnāt to hit some target time in the half; itās mostly to finish in a comfortable time frame. I chose a plan that has a 10-week training course, 4 activities per week with rest days and/or cross-training in between.
Over the last 3 weeks Iāve been trying to manage my activities by duration and heart rate zone rather than just running with no plan. Throughout the year up until now Iāve been doing pretty high paces (sub-8-minute miles), but at that level I canāt keep the times up or the HR in the right ātempoā zone. Iāve been consistent with keeping under the threshold zone for my midweek runs for about 30-45 minute lengths. Iām particularly happy that Iāve gone 3 weeks in a row with long runs on the weekend and hour-long continued effort in the right HR zone.
Weāll see what happens tomorrow and this weekend as I kick off the training plan. Itās set to start next week, so my long run this weekend will be the pre-training benchmark for the 10-week program.
Iāve already crested the +20 mile mark over my yearās goal pace with my increased times and efforts this past month. With this lead up to the half marathon, I could be in the +50 territory by mid-October.
Iāve committed myself to running my first half marathon, coming up in October. This sort of happened on a challenge from a couple folks at work. I didnāt really intend to throw something like this into the schedule that could interrupt my regular goal progress, but in looking at Stravaās training plans, their half marathon one starts mid August and scales up in a way I think I can tackle relatively comfortably. It starts off with easy runs in the 40-60 minute range, with weekend long runs up to 75-90 minutes. Iāll need to bring the pace down from my recent patterns if I want to build that level of endurance.
August 19th is the first day of the training calendar. Going to grind on until then and see if I can get comfortable with longer sustained times.
I had surprisingly good results on goals this July given how much was going on all month.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
300.57 miles
290.41 miles
500 miles
+10.16
Meditation
2270 minutes
2120 minutes
3650 minutes
+150
Reading
33 books
26.14 books
50 books
+6.86
On the exercise front, I was able to get the same quantity of runs in even though we started out with the holiday weekend, which always makes sticking to patterns and habits challenging for me. Plus all month long has been exceptionally busy (more than usual) at the office. Iām planning on starting up a more formal training schedule in August in prep for a couple of long races later in the year, so I already tried to incorporate some long runs on the weekend at a lower tempo pace to start building the endurance. I got 46 miles in versus the 42 from June. For the first time this year I officially closed out the month 10 miles ahead of the pace mark.
On a different exercise-related note, Iām trying to bring cycling back into the regimen, mostly for cross-training with the running routine, but also because I enjoy being able to commute to and from the office.
Iāve still been able to squeeze in reading time somehow with a couple of really enjoyable fiction reads in The Dark Forest and Lovecraftās Call of Cthulhu collection, two that have been in the backlog a long time. Both are well worthy of longer write ups at some point. Iāve just now cracked open Liuās final installment of that trilogy: Deathās End, which has to be an exciting climax given how original and expansive book two was.
Iām 3/5ths of the way there now on the running target, feeling good. Letās see how early I can hit all these marks.
Wearables have become such a big market these days that thereās a wide variety of options to pick from if you want to monitor activity metrics. From the basic Fitbit step counters to more ruggedized outdoor watches to full-blown smartwatches, thereās a device for everyone.
Iāve been a devoted user of Garminās activity tracking watches for years now, starting out with the Forerunner 220. A couple of years ago I upgraded to the fÄnix 5 model, one of their highest-end watches.
I used the 220 model for about 3 years for run tracking. It was always reliable for me ā water/sweat resistant, long enough battery life, and provided accurate GPS data. Because I also wanted to monitor heart rate during activities, I also used to use the chest strap HR monitor to feed that data to the watch. It worked reliably for a long while, but I think the contacts got corroded and the data started to get wonky after a time. Iād see huge surges in HR for no reason that would suddenly drop back down to normal.
Iāve now been using the fÄnix for a couple of years and have loved it, one of the better devices Iāve ever owned. After a good experience with Garminās Forerunner series, I felt confident enough that Iād get benefit out of one of the higher end models. Letās walk through some of its best features.
Multisport Activity Tracking
One of the things I didnāt like about the Forerunner was that it only supported recording run activities. The fÄnix supports over a dozen activity types, indoor and outdoor, like cycling, climbing, swimming, and more. With the Forerunner it would still log GPX tracks that could be exported and treated however you want, but when synced to Garmin Connect or Strava, it would consider every activity a ārunā. With fÄnix when you select a different activity type, it gets picked up accurately in both sync services and treated differently for metrics reporting.
There are some differences between activity types in terms of instant feedback on the watch display. For example, between runs and rides, you can have different ālapā lengths to notify you of progress along an activity. So the advanced features like HR zones, pacing, and other things differ in how theyāre fed back to you while youāre active.
Iām interested in incorporating swimming into my workout routine and to see how that would work with the watch.
HR Monitor
Having the HR monitor built into the device has some great advantages: mostly that itās always on, and always available. I like that I get passive tracking of heart rate all the time to be able to see the resting heart rate during the day and during sleep (more on sleep tracking in a moment). I donāt have a good sense for the accuracy of the measurement with the on-wrist infrared sensor, but it seems generally consistent with what I used to see with the chest strap. To me itās mostly important to have relative consistency between activities, and that I can see it in real time during activities. When Iām running I usually switch the watch display to view HR, which tracks amazingly closely with how I feel during a run. I can see a measurement of when Iām on the limit, so I typically use that readout to pace myself.
Battery Life
This is one of the best features about the fÄnix, to me. Garmin reports 2 weeks of passive usage, 24 hours of active usage, which tracks pretty closely with my experience. What I tell people is that it lasts so long that I usually donāt remember exactly when I last charged it. This is the main reason that the Apple Watch has never interested me. I like the idea of richer apps on a wristwatch (especially with the phoneless-but-still-connected capability of the Series 3), but having to charge something every night is a nonstarter to me.
Sleep Tracking
Given that I wear the watch all the time, the sleep tracking is an easy side benefit. Ever since reading Why We Sleep recently, Iām more interested in prioritizing long enough sleep cycles (which with children simply means going to bed early). The watch reports not only sleep time, but also sleep stages somehow, through some combination of heart rate monitoring and movement tracking it buckets your sleep time into deep, light, and REM sleep stages. I donāt need hyper-accurate reporting, so this is a slick feature to get for free with an exercise tracker.
A rare example of 8+ hours of sleep
Iāve heard about the Oura ring as well for more detailed sleep tracking, but itās a bit pricey for something I donāt have a big problem with right now. If I want to get more sleep, the simple solution is to prioritize it (which I donāt do well).
Smartwatch Capability
Through Bluetooth pairing, the fÄnix also supports integration with push notifications from the phone. This can be convenient sometimes, but Iāve honestly never used it that much. Probably the most utility for me is quick access to turn-by-turn directions while in the car or on my bike. Quick readout of SMS and instant messages is convenient, too.
Strava Integration
You can set up Garmin Connect to sync with a number of services, including Strava, which is the only one I use for activity tracking. The main feature it has tied to Strava that I like is that with Segments in Strava, any segments you add to your favorites transfer to the watch for live progress tracking. Itās a feature they call Live Segments, and itās cool because itāll give you live feedback on your performance against your previous efforts and the KOMs from your friends. I love the ability to challenge myself on my own personal records on common routes.
The syncing works pretty flawlessly both with Garmin Connect and Strava. Never had a problem making sure my data is always up to date.
Any Downsides?
Itās been a rock-solid device for me, overall, with no major drawbacks.
The custom charging connector is probably the only downside, and not too acute because of the long battery life and rarity of needing to charge. Itād be much smarter for Garmin to use USB-C or micro-USB, but I donāt know what would motivate a custom interface. Given that the connector plugs in perpendicular to the watch back, itās possible that thereās not enough thickness to fit the receptacle for a USB-type connector. Regardless, the need for a special cable to charge is an annoyance. I have keep one at home and a spare at the office so I can charge anywhere.
Overall itās a very solid device, and Iād consider buying other Garmin devices down the road.
I tried this out the other night on a run. The technique makes some intiutive sense that itād reduce impact (or level it out side to side anyway). Surely to notice any result youād have to do it over distance consistently. But Iāve had some right knee soreness that I donāt totally know the origin of, so thought Iād start trying this out. I found it takes a lot of concentration to keep it up consistently. Iāll keep testing it out.
A neat historical, geographical story from BLDGBLOG:
Briefly, anyone interested in liminal landscapes should find Snellās description of the Drowned Lands, prior to their drainage, fascinating. The Wallkill itself had no real path or bed, Snell explains, the meadows it flowed through were naturally dammed at one end by glacial boulders from the Ice Age, the whole place was clogged with ārank vegetation,ā malarial pestilence, and tens of thousands of eels, and, whatās more, during flood season āthe entire valley from Denton to Hamburg became a lake from eight to twenty feet deep.ā
Turns out there was local disagreement on flood control:
A half-century of āwarā broke out among local supporters of the dams and their foes: āThe dam-builders were called the ābeaversā; the dam destroyers were known as āmuskrats.ā The muskrat and beaver war was carried on for years,ā with skirmishes always breaking out over new attempts to dam the floods.
Hereās one example, like a scene written by Victor Hugo transplanted to New York State: āA hundred farmers, on the 20th of August, 1869, marched upon the dam to destroy it. A large force of armed men guarded the dam. The farmers routed them and began the work of destruction. The ābeaversā then had recourse to the law; warrants were issued for the arrest of the farmers. A number of their leaders were arrested, but not before the offending dam had been demolished. The owner of the dam began to rebuild it; the farmers applied for an injunction. Judge Barnard granted it, and cited the owner of the dam to appear and show cause why the injunction should not be made perpetual. Pending a final hearing, high water came and carried away all vestige of the dam.ā
This is something we launched a few months back. Thereās nothing terribly exciting about building SSO features in a SaaS product ā itās table stakes to move up in the world with customers. But for me personally itās a signal of success. Back in 2011, imagining that weād ever have customers large enough to need SAML seemed so far in the future. Now weāre there and rolling it out for enterprise customers.
So thatās a wrap on the month of June. This was my best month so far in terms of a consistent plan and feeling more productive with staying on target. Even with an out-of-town trip to visit the Cape and Jacksonville for a few days, which threw a brief wrench into the running plan, I was still able to climb enough above the target line get to my highest mark so far.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
253.54 miles
247.95 miles
500 miles
+5.59
Meditation
1920 minutes
1810 minutes
3650 minutes
+110
Reading
28 books
22.32 books
50 books
+5.68
At some point mid-month I was actually about +10 miles over the goal line for running, but a 4 or 5 day break for that trip chopped it back down. Itās okay, though, since thatās exactly the point in overachieving for brief periods ā creating the flexibility to go off-schedule if needed. I completed the Shore Acres running project, got under contract with a buyer for the old house, and had an all-clear follow up visit last weekend.
Weāre halfway through the year and still tracking on all the goals. Letās see what Julyās got in store.
Earlier this week I finished up my personal challenge to run all of the street segments in my neighborhood, Shore Acres.
Hereās the breakdown of stats to get there:
Total distance: 125 miles ā by my rough calculation there are about 39 miles of streets in Shore Acres, but it takes significant overlap running over past ground from my house to hit new streets
Total activities: 36
Average run: 3.5 miles
Longest run: 5.2 miles
Started: March 22, 2019
Finished: June 20, 2019
This was a fun challenge and added extra motivation for me to keep getting out there consistently. As I talked about in my post on habits, any form of personal challenge or goal-setting (even if manufactured) that forces you to get it done is a good one.
Now that this is complete, Iām planning to move on to Snell Isle to the south. Why not keep painting the streets with GPS tracks?
This yearās annual target for running (pinned at the 500 mile mark) has me trying to figure out my own personal flow ā what it takes to get a consistent, comfortable process for building the habit. The number one factor consistency: making the appropriate time and not breaking the promise to myself is the foundation of being able to hit the target.
Itās also important to get your kit in place. One of the great things about running is its minimalistic nature. You truly need nothing but your own body and motivation to get started. As you get into it (and depending on your preferences for style), you eventually figure out a consistent set of gear that works for you.
This has been my consistent setup now for a few months for every run. I always have the AirPods and my watch on me, so thereās very little required to always have what I need. The headlamp has been a game-changer for night running, which I do a lot. Really makes me feel much safer even when running in the neighborhood.
Iāve really loved the Cloudflashes with their extreme lightweight build, minimal form factor, and still-decent support. Strava reports that Iām approaching the 300 mile mark on the shoes, and the wear is showing in the heel of the sole pretty bad. This week I ordered a pair of their new Cloudrush shoes that I should get in a couple of days that Iām excited to try out.
If you told me 5 years ago Iād be running 5K distances routinely like it was nothing, Iād have thought you were crazy. Now itās a habit I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to. Just goes to show that (for me) consistency, good gear, and some stretch goals can really change that perspective.
For the second half of the month I got into a good rhythm with every-other-day running. I was even able to push almost 5 miles beyond the pace target to end the month. I started running with the kids again in the jogging stroller, which I havenāt done really at all since Elyse was little (2015-16). Itās good because it gets them out of the house, adds some cargo to push for additional workout, and gives Colette a nice break if I take them when I get home at the end of the day.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
211.61 miles
206.85 miles
500 miles
+4.76
Meditation
1595 minutes
1510 minutes
3650 minutes
+85
Reading
22 books
18.62 books
50 books
+3.38
I was able to do more of what Iād talked about doing in previous months with more frequent, shorter runs rather than having to force the longer ones to stay on pace. Consistency is everything when working on a long-term goal like this. The last 8 sessions have been in the 3-4 mile range, which I feel works well right now ā a good balance of exercise without taking too much time, so I can still squeeze them in later in the evening.
With my reading Iāve got too many threads open at the moment. Iām bad about getting 5 or 6 books in progress simultaneously, so sometimes it takes me longer to finish them up. This month I read Matthew Walkerās excellent Why We Sleep1, which is an excellent scientific deep-dive into how sleep works and all of the interplays between sleep quality and other health factors. Iām looking forward to writing up something longer about it here sometime in the next few weeks when I have time.
June has quite a bit lined up both personally and professionally, but I donāt see anything in the way of plowing through on the goals all month.
Iām making quick work of the streets of Shore Acres. Yesterday I set up a quick and dirty local database that I could load the tracks into. Iām just using the GPX export feature on each activity and the ogr2ogr command line utility to import each one.
Now I can see the streets get painted as I complete the job.
I ran a quick calculation on the street centerline data to estimate the total distance of roadway and counted about 37 miles. Once Iām done with each section Iāll tabulate how much total running it took to cover all the combined distances.
With all my commitments each day between work life, kids, and other things, itās hard to fit exercise into the schedule. Combine that with the struggles I have personally with rising before the kids to get running in, and the only option left is running at night.
For the past 9 months or so Iāve been pretty consistently running at night time after the kids are asleep ā anywhere between 9 and 10:30pm. I actually enjoy it, even though it took a while to get comfortable making that commitment to still get out of the house that late. Itād be easy to be lazy and ātoo tiredā to go. That does happen occasionally, but Iām usually pretty good about keeping myself honest if I mentally commit to doing it earlier. As we move into summer, night running is also essential to help keep good pace and avoid the brutal Florida sun and heat.
Most of the miles Iāve done late were down on the waterfront toward downtown St. Pete. Thereās a nice set back trail down there which is well-lit, so safety and visibility never worried me that much. After the move though Iām running mostly in the neighborhood where the street lighting is a lot less consistent and the sidewalks arenāt always great. I posted last week about the headlamp I got, which I tested out last night:
It worked great ā comfortable to wear, plenty bright without being overkill, and adjustable to point down in front of me for good visibility. Today was a 90 degree heater, so it feels good to have an added level of safety for keeping up the night runs where I can get in miles without melting in the sun
For no particular reason I decided to try and run every street segment in my neighborhood. A while ago I saw this project from ultrarunner Rickey Gates where he ran every single street in San Francisco. Of course my neighborhood is a fair bit smaller, but attempting it will keep things interesting. You can already see the progress zigzagging through the street spurs of waterfront property, with canals in between each row of houses.
Iāve been doing a route regularly out onto Venetian Isles. This will mix it up and give me a chance to see the rest of the neighborhood. If I get it done soonish Iāll extend to Snell Isle to the south. My plan is to also download all the track line and point data and create a custom map.
This is an interesting project on GitHub for syncing data from the Strava API for analysis from a local database. Iāve had my eye out for some way to do this cleanly ā to use the Strava Activities API to sync each track and its metadata to a local Postgres database. My interest is in being able to put the tracks on a map (mostly), but some of the analysis shown here is pretty cool, too.
In this authorās case itās about cycling data. I want to be able to run SQL on the global archive of activity data, like so:
Since I do so many of my runs at night (even as late as 10-10:30pm), Iāve always been mindful of being visible for safety. Until we moved last month, I used to drive down to the Coffee Pot Bayou area and run on whatās called the North Bay Trail, since runs in my old neighborhood were boring. That whole route was on a dedicated trail set back from the street, so visibility was less of an issue. Now that Iām doing most runs in the neighborhood, even though the sidewalks are good, there are plenty of crossings that can be sketchy in the dark. So I bought a headlamp to try out.
I havenāt gotten to use it yet, but will likely be doing some runs in the evenings over the next week.
One feature I do really like to make it a multitasker is itās got a red light mode. Really meant to be used in outdoors activities to preserve night vision when doing things like checking maps or looking around in your tent, Iāve already found it useful for reading in the bed at night. Usually Iāll only read my Kindle Paperwhite in the bed since itās got a nice low power backlight, but this is great because it allows be to read paperbacks in the dark, as well.
I was able to stay on track this past month toward my 2019 goals.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
164.51 miles
164.38 miles
500 miles
+0.13
Meditation
1285 minutes
1200 minutes
3650 minutes
+85
Reading
19 books
14.79 books
50 books
+4.21
Weāre still in the throes of prepping our old house for sale, so between that and work at the new house, thatās occupying a good bit of time. I have a goal to have the house listed in the next couple of weeks, so thatāll be a relief to have successfully behind us. With our All Hands early in the month and a trip to San Diego right after, staying the course was a challenge to make the time. I mentioned last month wanting to do a higher volume of shorter runs. I did a bit better, with 11 runs instead of 9. With a more regular schedule Iām sure I could improve further.
Meditation practice has been steady. Iād still like to work in longer sessions, but I feel the only way Iāll get that done is to wake up early and get started before anyoneās up. Iāve tried 20 minute sessions in the evening once or twice, but by then Iām too tired to focus properly and I end up dozing off. Practicing early in the morning will be a challenge, but Iāll give it a shot a few times this month if I can and see how that goes.
Found via Tom MacWright, a slick and simple tool for doing run route planning built on modern web tech. It uses basic routing APIs and distance calculation to help plan out runs, which is especially cool in new places. I used it in San Diego this past week to estimate a couple distances I did. It also has a cool sharing feature to save and link to routes.
I mentioned scientist Vannevar Bush here a few days back. This is a piece he wrote for The Atlantic in 1945, looking forward at how machines and technology could become enhancers of human thinking. So many prescient segments foreshadowing current computer technology:
One can now picture a future investigator in his laboratory. His hands are free, and he is not anchored. As he moves about and observes, he photographs and comments. Time is automatically recorded to tie the two records together. If he goes into the field, he may be connected by radio to his recorder. As he ponders over his notes in the evening, he again talks his comments into the record. His typed record, as well as his photographs, may both be in miniature, so that he projects them for examination.
I thought this was an excellent rundown of remote work, who is suited for it, how to manage it, and the psychology of this new method of teamwork.
Letās first cover values. Remote work is founded on specific core principles that govern this distinct way of operating which tend to be organization agnostic. They are the underlying foundation which enables us to believe that this approach is indeed better, more optimal, and thus the way we should live:
Output > Input
Autonomy > Administration
Flexibility > Rigidity
These values do not just govern individuals, but also the way that companies operate and how processes are formed. And like almost anything in life, although they sound resoundingly positive, they have potential pitfalls if not administered with care.
I found nearly all of this very accurate to my perception of remote work, at least from the standpoint of someone who is not remote, but manages and works with many that are. Iām highly supportive of hiring remote. With our team, weāve gotten better in many ways by becoming more remote. And another (perhaps counterintuitive) observation: the more remote people you hire, the better the whole company gets and managing it.
Month three is in the books. A seriously eventful month for us, so Iām surprised I was able to stay ahead of the curve.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
123.65 miles
123.29 miles
500 miles
+0.36
Meditation
975 minutes
900 minutes
3650 minutes
+75
Reading
15 books
11.1 books
50 books
+3.90
We closed on the new house on the 15th, had an out-of-town trip to Jacksonville right after. Plus there was packing, moving, and child-management throughout. With all that going on Iām surprised I was able to stay on track, particularly with the running. I know last month my main observation about my performance was the fewer, longer runs I was planning to avoid. Turns out I didnāt do a great job. This month Iāll chalk that up as intentional ā all of the time commitments this month made me push harder on the days I could run to make sure I could get in the miles and stay on track.
Thereās still plenty to be done on the house front, but weāre past the worst of it. For April, Iām going to target more frequent runs in the ballpark of 4 miles and see how that works.
We just crossed month number two of the year, so hereās another pulse check on how Iām tracking against some personal goals for 2019. Iām tracking on all fronts, slightly better positioned against the pace marks than I was at the end of January.
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
84.06 miles
80.82 miles
500 miles
+3.24
Meditation
660 minutes
590 minutes
3650 minutes
+70
Reading
10 books
7.27 books
50 books
+2.73
With meditation practice Iāve widened my plus gap more than last month through some longer sessions. Experimenting with longer 15 or 20 minute sessions has been positive, but I donāt want to push that too far and demotivate the daily routine. Iām also still working out how to best fit that practice into my schedule in a consistent way ā inconsistency in the timing (sometimes morning, sometimes night) makes it challenging to do longer sessions.
I came out ahead on the running this month. Not losing a week to illness like I did in January certainly helped, but I was able to do a week-long trip out west without disrupting the routine too much. One thing Iāve fallen into over the last couple weeks is fewer, longer runs rather than frequent, shorter ones. Itās been okay for the most part, but I could see that irregularity breaking up the pacing too much, so I need to do better about an āevery other dayā general goal. Having 2 or sometimes 3 full days off in there requires 10K+ distances to be able to keep on pace (Bill actually wrote on this topic recently, also). Every so often I have an evening where I go out with an intent to do 3.5 to 4 miles, but end up stretching to 6 just because I feel good. Itās fine for that to happen occasionally, but I donāt want to risk injury. Yesterday I did a 3.5-miler with a half-numb mouth (I had just gotten a filling at the dentist less than an hour before), so that was interesting. But I kept on pace!
There were a couple of great books in my reads for the month. In particular John McPheeās Coming Into the Country is one Iām looking forward to writing about soon.
I havenāt had much time lately to spend on my cartography projects, but that should change in the next couple of months. Iām still rolling with the daily writing routine. Thereās no sign of a shortage of topics to write about. I thought this would be much more challenging than it is, but I guess (like any habit) the key is routine. I tend to write longer-form things in spurts where Iāll add to 3 or 4 posts in one sitting so I gradually can build a backlog of content. Post ideas come to me at all times of day, so having a ubiquitous capture method to always log those somewhere is helpful to keep track. Making the time for writing each evening definitely takes commitment. Getting a bunch of it done while Iām āin the zoneā helps to lighten the load on other days where I donāt have the mental bandwidth to write very much. For example, on a long flight a few weeks back I wrote about 3 or 4 posts in one sitting.
In other personal news, weāre under contract for a new house in Shore Acres, which is exciting. Will post more here as that develops!
On to March. Weāve got a visit to Jacksonville, Elyseās spring break, Disney on Ice, and some other fun things planned.
We just touched down in San Jose this afternoon, here for the SaaStr Annual conference. An uneventful flight through LAX, arriving around 1pm local time here in California. One of my favorite things about westbound travel is the ability to get here with enough time to check things out the same day.
As I like to do with a new city, I got out on the road for a run to explore a little. The Guadalupe River runs through downtown San Jose right near where Iām staying. Even though the weather was not playing nice, there was a clear spell before sunset so I decided to get a couple miles in and check things out.
The river was just about to bust over the bank, with the rain rushing northward toward San Francisco Bay. The cold and my lack of preparation for a wet run cut me a little short, but it was nice to get the opportunity right when I got here. If one of the mornings in the next couple days yields nice weather, Iāll be out there for sure.
This is the first year I set some goals on a few things. Iāve never been strongly goal-oriented, so I thought Iād put some stuff down to hold myself accountable and see if it helps build some healthy habits into my routine. Also, I thought it might be fun, as long as the goals were aggressive but attainable.
For the month of January, hereās how things stack up with each area. Weāve got my progress in the first column, the pace mark I should be at to keep on target, the total goal, and āplus-minusā is where I net out against the goal:
Activity
Progress
Pace
Goal
Plus-Minus
Running
41.77 miles
42.47 miles
500 miles
-0.7
Meditation
340 minutes
320 minutes
3650 minutes
+40
Reading
5 books
3.82 books
50 books
+1.18
I ended January technically behind on running, but caught back up with a 4+ miler today.
Iām ahead of the pace on the other fronts. After 1 month it didnāt feel like a stretch to achieve any of them. Meditation is all about building it in and making the time. Running is about committing and not backing out even when I donāt feel like it. And reading more or less comes naturally, but it leaves little time for things like TV and whatnot. The running target has definitely felt the hardest to keep up with. Part of it was getting behind with a head cold the first week, but even without Iāve got to put in about 10 miles per week to make it happen. What that first week did was demonstrate how hard it is to catch back up after going 8 miles or so into the negative. Too many days missed (vacations, illness, other commitments) could really screw me up.
The experiment was designed to test a theory in motor learning that distinguishes between directing your focus internally or externally. A large body of research suggests that focusing externally, on the consequences of your actions rather than on the actions themselves, produces better results. For example, youāll do better shooting a basketball free throw if youāre told to focus on seeing the ball go through the rim than if youāre told to focus on the angle of your elbow or the motion of your wrist. Focusing internally on the details of your movements disrupts the āautomaticityā of these familiar actions.
Iāve been thinking about this since I mildly injured my knee a couple months ago, trying to diagnose what may or may not be wrong with my stride or cadence that couldāve contributed. This research makes sense to me intuitively that overthinking form in a running stride, golf swing, or basketball shot could force you to overemphasize a particular phase of the motion. The caveat the article points out is that this holds true for experienced runners tweaking their form. If youāre a novice or have never really learned proper form to begin with, the risks of changes negatively impacting performance are lower.
After a tumultuous 8-10 months since last summer, Iāve gotten regularly back into running the last few months. I did over 50K in distance during August. I havenāt checked, but that must be a personal record. There were 2 weeks in a row with 3 10K runs a piece in there. Running late in the evening has turned out to be good for multiple reasons; I can always guarantee the freedom on the schedule and the weather is more manageable at 10pm in August and September.
But I think all those long runs in that spell screwed up my right knee. None of those runs that month felt bad ā in fact quite the opposite. Each one felt great, during and after. But a week or so later I had a really uncomfortable morning run, only a few miles and every bit past the first felt terrible. Fatigue in the calves and ankles, higher-than-normal heart rate. I think a combination of overwork, dehydration, and poor warm up combined to mess me up. The next several activities felt better, but the knee pain would be noticeable each time ā not so much during activities, but the next morning.
On the advice of Caleb, I bought a wobble board and a foam roller to do better with my post-workout routine. The foam roller to avoid fascia injury and loosen muscle fibers, and the board to work on ankle and knee stability. Iāve only been using them for a week, but weāll see how that cool down activity helps the joints feel better.
The last 3 weeks or so have been busy, with the All Hands week, tons of personal family events, and other various things. Iām hoping to get back on a consistent pace through the rest of the year as the weather gets much more tenable and enjoyable.
