Zen Habits — Simple Productivity -
Enjoying this site, particularly the latest article which is 5 simple tips for making a fresh start. Love the one where you reinvent yourself every day.
“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha
I am supposed to be driving to Birmingham tomorrow at about 6:30am (also known as stupid o’clock) and I just think it might not be happening.
Where I live, we are forecast 40cm (16 inches) of snowfall overnight and the picture doesn’t look much better along the entire 160 mile drive to our offices. The plan was then to drive to Tewkesbury, stay overnight, drive to Cardiff and then home. Sounds like a recipe for getting stranded somewhere a long way from home.
So, no decisions yet but I may just be working from home for the rest of the week.
So everyone else has returned to work (largely the case) and here am I using up last years holiday. But of course the phone has rung a few times and the emails have been flooding in….
I know it is my fault, as I have conditioned everyone to the fact that if they contact me when on holiday I will respond, but it blurs the line as to when I am doing what I want to do or my colleagues might be taking advantage.
There are upsides to me of course: I still have to respond to said emails and calls when I return to work (Wednesday) so clearing them out as I go reduces the load of the 1st day back; I am introducing myself back to work gently rather than a big hard hit on Wednesday; I’m involved, and being a control freak this is important, and I get engaged and influence things that would otherwise progress without my input.
So, in what will soon be recognised as the blog of a workaholic I am prepping myself for day zero when I start work officially for 2010. The first day will be an early start, a packed suitcase and a 160 mile drive. Following that days work I’ll then drive a further 45 miles to a hotel which is en route to my location for the second day of work. And so it begins…..
3.25 mile Beach Front and Road Loop Run -
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21672981
The running is not coming any easier at the moment. This is my third short outing so far in 2010 and now totals up to 11 miles so far.
The roads still had ice on them when I went out in the early afternoon and it really was a bit on the cold side, but frankly my times are just way off the mark and so far away from personal best times that I wonder if I will ever see them again.
Oh well, for me it is about keeping to my 60 miles each month target and I should be past trying to hit personal best targets but it is a hard habbit to shake off.
Still in love with the Garmin Forerunner 405 though and most importantly the data it collects and the analysis software on the website. What you see from the link above is a small sample of what is available to a registered user of the site.
I have lots of apps on my iPhone, including Tumblr. I am very selective and they don’t stay on there long if they don’t earn their keep. However, one that I really like is called Red Laser. I am sure I don’t use all of its features but it works for me as simply as this:
Genius!
“Drink Coffee. Do Stupid Things Faster and With More Enthusiasm”
Garmin Connect - Activity Details for 4 Mile Road Loop -
Today I increased distance by 10% as I am starting to break in the new running shoes. Clearing 4 miles was an important event as this distance would have triggered my left foot numbness that I have been experiencing the past few months.
I’m not saying the condition has gone away but if these structured Triax allow me to go further then all the better. I was running 9 or 10 miles at a time before the condition arose so I’d like to get back to that distance by the end of February.
Gently does it.
First time out in the new running shoes. Felt really odd going from neutral and superior cushioning of Nike Vomero to structured support of Nike Triax. Kept it slow and sensible for the first outing and if the weather permits I can put some miles in over the next three or five days by gradually increasing the distance.
No numb foot this time out but that normally comes in around 4 miles on a Road surface so just short of trigger point this time out.
Click on the link above in the title if you are interested in the details and the GPS map of today’s outing.
I am not normally one for resolutions but for some strange reasons I am not only motivated to have some but to write them down. In writing them down I’m also hoping that I will give them some focus. Here goes:
1) Run 720 miles during the year – I enjoy running but it also allows me to eat and drink what I want.
2) Be more considerate to the feelings of others - honesty is sometimes best kept in restraint.
3) Try only to give opinions when they are asked for.
4) Spend less time in hotels – maximum of 150 nights away in 2010.
5) Have a holiday – a proper one not the weekend city breaks I normally call holidays.
All very achievable I think.
Have a great NYE and a prosperous 2010.
Hoping for a quiet night tonight. I used to be one of those people who went out every single night of the week and then found Christmas Eve and New Years Eve a complete nightmare when everyone else came out to play. No taxis, no service at bars, no room to turn around….
Plus, I just cannot take the excess anymore: Waking up worse for wear, whether due to too much alcohol or just not enough sleep.
So it may seem boring and it may appear unsociable and perhaps it is but I also feel the need to remain sober in case one of my teenage daughters suddenly needs picking up from somewhere. Maybe an early night is the order of the day, the New Year will still be there when I wake up.
And, if I do stay up, there is always Jool’s Annual Hottenanny – what’s not to like?
OK, so I went to a proper running shop to buy my shoes. My old Nike Vomero 3s were 10 months old with 600 miles on the clock and they had certainly lost their cushioning. The Vomeros were neutral shoes and that made them great in terms of cushioning but only 30% of runners are neutral runners so it was most likely I wasn’t one of them. Sure enough, the expert quickly identified that I slightly pronate and has prescribed a pair of Nike Triax shoes. I did try the Asics but the transition from Neutral to Support was enough without adding in Nike to Asics.
I know I could have bought the shoes way cheaper over the Internet but it really is worth having the expert advice and being properly fitted. Particularly at my age I am very conscious that I need to look after my joints so getting the right pair is paramount.
Looking forward to giving them a try…..
Lemur, Lemur, Lemur, Lemur….
One of many photos I particulary like from a visit to Whipsnade Zoo.