Training Log Archive: iansmithIn the 31 days ending Jul 31, 2010:
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Saturday Jul 31, 2010 #
Canoeing (Kayaking) 1:20:00 9.35 km (8:33 / km)
Kayaking on the Charles. I went east from the Charles River Canoe and Kayak almost to the Harvard bridge (I turned around at the MIT Boathouse). After a brisk warmup, I did 6x3 minutes on, 1 minute off, then paddled home at threshold pace. The waves and wind were formidable barriers in the basin past the Western Ave Bridge.
Wednesday Jul 28, 2010 #
Note
slept:6.0
To be disciplined means to do what must be done despite your instantaneous state, e.g. if you feel like you have just been hit by a bus.
Strength training (Yoga) 1:00:00 [1]
My office recently started a ten session Yoga program targeted at beginners on Wednesdays at lunch, and I joined for the second session. It did not tax my strength, though my flexibility proved inadequate for certain degrees of motion.
Tuesday Jul 27, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
I had my physical today, and apart from a diagnosed left soleus strain, I am in excellent health. I will have more data when I complete the blood work component of the examination later this week.
It should be noted that I have a superburrito on both 26 July and today.
It should be noted that I have a superburrito on both 26 July and today.
Monday Jul 26, 2010 #
Biking 1:00:00 [1] 25.0 km (25.0 kph)
shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Apart from my regular commute, I biked to Fresh Pond for circuit training with Lori and Stephen. They weren't there when I arrived, so I started biking loops around Fresh Pond, honing my pedestrian-dodging subroutines. They arrived after the first loop, and I biked two more while I was waiting for them to finish 2m training.
Strength training 20:00 [4]
After some drills, in which I was largely a spectator because of my infirmity, we started on a modified version of circuits, including:
tuckups, telejumps, dying bug, metzler devils, kayakers, lunges, cherry pickers, hip thrusts, boat rocks, and supermans
We had difficulty remembering the list of exercises (and inadvertently varied), and an unfortunately large number of mosquitoes have subscribed to the CSU training list and joined our session. As a result, we stopped after two circuits.
tuckups, telejumps, dying bug, metzler devils, kayakers, lunges, cherry pickers, hip thrusts, boat rocks, and supermans
We had difficulty remembering the list of exercises (and inadvertently varied), and an unfortunately large number of mosquitoes have subscribed to the CSU training list and joined our session. As a result, we stopped after two circuits.
Saturday Jul 24, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 36:00 [1] 12.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:4.0 shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
To kayaking, then to my office for several hours of work. I was famished after my kayaking expedition, so I stopped by a grocery store and purchased 4 liters of powerade (at 50 cents per liter!), a pint of blueberries, and four pieces of fried chicken. Between my brief and uneasy sleep and arduous kayaking trip, I am tremendously fatigued.
3 PM
Canoeing (Kayaking) 2:09:43 15.22 km (8:31 / km) +39m 8:25 / km
ahr:149 max:175 (injured)
I decided to go out for a two hour kayaking session for some fitness training. I have seldom been on the Charles in any capacity since I stopped rowing crew my freshman year of college, and the river was more tempting because of my leg injury.
Boating, particularly in small craft is wonderfully serene. Interacting with the environment, moving under your own power, and gliding on the water is freedom! I had expected to be brooding, but the joy of the river and the exertion were too great.
I set out from Charles River Canoe and Kayak near Harvard Square. This experience was my first time in a kayak, and I enjoyed the rhythm and effort very much. I found the experience to rely less heavily on a single muscle group than canoeing, and while the effort was great, the muscle stress was more uniform. I imagine I used my arms more and my core less than I should have; my technique is flawed.
I rowed west on the Charles for 45 minutes until I reached the Watertown dam (with rapids!). Both westbound and on the return, I paddled past a wedding ceremony on the dock of a boathouse on the south shore. On the return trip, the procession was in progress; I hope none of the wedding pictures have a shirtless kayaker splashing around. After passing the launch point, I paddled down to the Weeks footbridge before returning.
I learned something about myself today: as much as incorrect grammar and graffiti separately bother me, graffiti with poor grammar frustrates me more than the sum. Evidently displeasure adds non-linearly. I read "Who do you row for?" marked under a bridge. That remark is acceptable as dialog in a motivational movie, but as an enduring marking on the public domain is unacceptable.
Boating, particularly in small craft is wonderfully serene. Interacting with the environment, moving under your own power, and gliding on the water is freedom! I had expected to be brooding, but the joy of the river and the exertion were too great.
I set out from Charles River Canoe and Kayak near Harvard Square. This experience was my first time in a kayak, and I enjoyed the rhythm and effort very much. I found the experience to rely less heavily on a single muscle group than canoeing, and while the effort was great, the muscle stress was more uniform. I imagine I used my arms more and my core less than I should have; my technique is flawed.
I rowed west on the Charles for 45 minutes until I reached the Watertown dam (with rapids!). Both westbound and on the return, I paddled past a wedding ceremony on the dock of a boathouse on the south shore. On the return trip, the procession was in progress; I hope none of the wedding pictures have a shirtless kayaker splashing around. After passing the launch point, I paddled down to the Weeks footbridge before returning.
I learned something about myself today: as much as incorrect grammar and graffiti separately bother me, graffiti with poor grammar frustrates me more than the sum. Evidently displeasure adds non-linearly. I read "Who do you row for?" marked under a bridge. That remark is acceptable as dialog in a motivational movie, but as an enduring marking on the public domain is unacceptable.
Friday Jul 23, 2010 #
Note
I feel a bit like General McClellan sometimes. He was a commander of the main body of the Union Army based in Washington, D.C. during the early Civil War. McClellan was a meticulous organizer - he drilled, trained, and prepared the army better than anyone else, but when the time came to strike, he proved indecisive and unable to act. Even though his force was far superior to the Confederate Army under Lee during the peninsular campaign, he called for reinforcements, dug in, and lost his advantage. He was a brilliant organizer, but an incompetent commander.
My life up to this point has consisted of preparations, a building of strength, and a refining of skill. I have given some thought to the question of "what do you want to do with your life," but evidently not enough to be convicted. I want to live a life of purpose, but what does that mean? I suppose I want happiness, but how is that defined?
Our society is an optimization problem - sustaining the set of people on finite resources. The solution our society has found is not optimal, of course. But an individual's life can also be described as an optimization problem - we try to make decisions that maximize some objective function.
And so the obvious question: What objective function should I use? (or, eerily, what objective function am I presently using?)
My life up to this point has consisted of preparations, a building of strength, and a refining of skill. I have given some thought to the question of "what do you want to do with your life," but evidently not enough to be convicted. I want to live a life of purpose, but what does that mean? I suppose I want happiness, but how is that defined?
Our society is an optimization problem - sustaining the set of people on finite resources. The solution our society has found is not optimal, of course. But an individual's life can also be described as an optimization problem - we try to make decisions that maximize some objective function.
And so the obvious question: What objective function should I use? (or, eerily, what objective function am I presently using?)
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
My mighty steed is breaking down and is in dire need of maintenance. As soon as my roller blades arrive in the mail and I have an alternate form of transportation that requires neither running nor walking, I will get it repaired.
Thursday Jul 22, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:5.0 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
I may stop logging my commute, since it's not demanding enough to constitute training. However, it's useful for tracking mileage on my bike and my activity in general.
Commute + IHOP.
Commute + IHOP.
Wednesday Jul 21, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:5.0 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Supreme Allied Commander Gimpy goes to work. Among my reflections of social conventions, I have been thinking about the mechanism by which we choose spouses.
Tuesday Jul 20, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:8.0 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Set up a doctor's appointment for next Tuesday to get the leg checked out and quite possibly amputated and replaced with bionic prosthesis.
After some reflection, I have a viable model for accounting for the social constructs and human communal behavior starting from two principles:
1. We have a preference function that orders any set of possibilities
2. As living, sentient organisms, we prefer to live, and this motivates the preference function. We prefer states that increase our probability of life (though our preference function is not perfectly optimal). If we lacked this quality, we would not survive to procreate.
This is not overly surprising, and something of an obvious conclusion. However, today, a number of pieces fit together in ways they hadn't before. I was specifically pondering the question of why I care about the well-being of other people, or why my utility (preference) function has some dependence on the utility functions of other people. This is one extension of my pondering of morality and social systems more generally.
After some reflection, I have a viable model for accounting for the social constructs and human communal behavior starting from two principles:
1. We have a preference function that orders any set of possibilities
2. As living, sentient organisms, we prefer to live, and this motivates the preference function. We prefer states that increase our probability of life (though our preference function is not perfectly optimal). If we lacked this quality, we would not survive to procreate.
This is not overly surprising, and something of an obvious conclusion. However, today, a number of pieces fit together in ways they hadn't before. I was specifically pondering the question of why I care about the well-being of other people, or why my utility (preference) function has some dependence on the utility functions of other people. This is one extension of my pondering of morality and social systems more generally.
Monday Jul 19, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:4.5 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Strength training 30:00 [4]
I met SGB, Lori, and Presto for our increasingly routine circuit training. We were joined by feet, who was in Boston for a conference, and who apparently has changed his primary club membership away from CSU. We will face a different feet in October. Ross was busy running intervals on Summit Ave and was detained by other commitments.
We completed three cycles of ten minute-long exercises, including:
Tuckups, telejumps, rotating planks, kayaks, metzler devils, pushup rotations, one-legged hops, lunges, hip thrusts, and dying bug.
I lack stamina, particularly on the abdominal exercises like tuck ups, kayaks, and even the dying bugs. I will grow stronger as we do more of these sessions, and I look forward to full faculty with my left leg, which would enable much I have excluded - the telejumps, metzler devils, and some of the drills.
We completed three cycles of ten minute-long exercises, including:
Tuckups, telejumps, rotating planks, kayaks, metzler devils, pushup rotations, one-legged hops, lunges, hip thrusts, and dying bug.
I lack stamina, particularly on the abdominal exercises like tuck ups, kayaks, and even the dying bugs. I will grow stronger as we do more of these sessions, and I look forward to full faculty with my left leg, which would enable much I have excluded - the telejumps, metzler devils, and some of the drills.
Sunday Jul 18, 2010 #
Note
slept:11.0 (injured) (rest day)
Saturday Jul 17, 2010 #
Note
slept:6.5 (injured) (rest day)
I RICE'd and Froyo'd my injury in good company. It turns out that versions of Google's Android OS have charming names like "Cupcake" and "Donut."
Friday Jul 16, 2010 #
7 PM
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
slept:8.0 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Strength training 15:00 [5]
I joined Lori and Stephen for a Jospian torture session. While elements of our group suggested we attempt four cycles of ten one-minute strength workouts, we prudently concluded to complete three. However, a large cloudburst started halfway through the second cycle.
I was impeded in some of the workouts by my malfunctioning left leg, but I improvised - in lieu of metzer devils, I did squats, and in lieu of the jump-lunges (I forget their more creative name), I did calf raises.
I was impeded in some of the workouts by my malfunctioning left leg, but I improvised - in lieu of metzer devils, I did squats, and in lieu of the jump-lunges (I forget their more creative name), I did calf raises.
Thursday Jul 15, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
(injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Wednesday Jul 14, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 1:06:45 [2] 22.25 km (20.0 kph)
(injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
All about.
7 PM
Biking 1:05:03 [4] 17.63 km (16.3 kph) +63m
(injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Lori set an interesting street-O course in downtown Boston. I am unable to run (or even walk, really), so I biked the course. It was a tricky challenge because of the numerous one-way streets, the taboo biking on sidewalks, hills, and difficulty moving through tight crowds in the North End. I encountered Ross at controls 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9 despite my best efforts to pull away from him. However, the next few controls were in Charlestown, and I was able to get up to speed. My leg felt good until control 13, where I got off my bike and walked up some steps.
Afterward, Ross, Stephen, Lori and I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. I had a curious experience when parking my bike; a young woman stopped on the sidewalk and asked if I "got so muscular just from riding bikes." Two decades of nerdiness kicked in, and I was so flummoxed that I answered her question literally rather than interpreting her remark as an invitation. Whatever her intent, meeting someone at 9 PM on the streets of downtown Boston is dubious.
In any case, dinner was excellent with lots of good conversation. The people at the restaurant at which we were eating wanted to close, so we were a bit rushed at the end. Topics of discussion included Lori's lab predicament, the nature of spicy foods, the extent to which we control our interests, dueling with porridge at Sunset, fencing with celery, and so on. I have been pondering whether our preferences and choice of activities are choices, are determined a priori by our brain structure, or are consequences of our experience. It may be a consequence of all three.
My fortune cookie, as requested: "Alas! The onion you are eating is someone else's water lily."
Afterward, Ross, Stephen, Lori and I went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. I had a curious experience when parking my bike; a young woman stopped on the sidewalk and asked if I "got so muscular just from riding bikes." Two decades of nerdiness kicked in, and I was so flummoxed that I answered her question literally rather than interpreting her remark as an invitation. Whatever her intent, meeting someone at 9 PM on the streets of downtown Boston is dubious.
In any case, dinner was excellent with lots of good conversation. The people at the restaurant at which we were eating wanted to close, so we were a bit rushed at the end. Topics of discussion included Lori's lab predicament, the nature of spicy foods, the extent to which we control our interests, dueling with porridge at Sunset, fencing with celery, and so on. I have been pondering whether our preferences and choice of activities are choices, are determined a priori by our brain structure, or are consequences of our experience. It may be a consequence of all three.
My fortune cookie, as requested: "Alas! The onion you are eating is someone else's water lily."
Tuesday Jul 13, 2010 #
Biking (Commute) 30:00 [1] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
(injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Monday Jul 12, 2010 #
Biking 1:15:00 [2] 31.25 km (25.0 kph)
slept:6.0 (injured) shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
Commute. I went out to Lexington to meet with Pete Lane and discuss NEOC plans.
I biked down the Minuteman bikeway in the serene and peaceful twilight. The only sounds were that of my bike and the air rushing past my ears, and apart from the dim glow of the sky, the only light was from my bike lights; the trees shrouded my surroundings. I was alone with my thoughts, and in the quiet stillness, I felt strong. I have so many questions, and I am frustrated by my inability to reason my way to answers. However, I am resolved: regardless of whether answers exist, independent of whether I find them, no matter what comes - I will never yield. I suppose it is because of my forebears (i.e. the bears who came before me) that I have the will to live, that it is the biological mandate of every organism to arbitrarily want to live because those that did not have died out. It may be that this desire is not motivated by some purpose, that it is arbitrary and without reason. Even if my choices are illusory, I act because I choose to act; I do because I choose to do; and I live because I choose to live.
I biked down the Minuteman bikeway in the serene and peaceful twilight. The only sounds were that of my bike and the air rushing past my ears, and apart from the dim glow of the sky, the only light was from my bike lights; the trees shrouded my surroundings. I was alone with my thoughts, and in the quiet stillness, I felt strong. I have so many questions, and I am frustrated by my inability to reason my way to answers. However, I am resolved: regardless of whether answers exist, independent of whether I find them, no matter what comes - I will never yield. I suppose it is because of my forebears (i.e. the bears who came before me) that I have the will to live, that it is the biological mandate of every organism to arbitrarily want to live because those that did not have died out. It may be that this desire is not motivated by some purpose, that it is arbitrary and without reason. Even if my choices are illusory, I act because I choose to act; I do because I choose to do; and I live because I choose to live.
Sunday Jul 11, 2010 #
Event: Skyline Trail Run
Note
slept:4.5 (injured) (rest day)
Despite my injury, motivated by a desire to get outside and enjoy the company of others, I attended the Blue Hills Skyline race. I was chagrined to not be running the race - which I missed in 2009 due to a Pawtuckaway Training Camp - but it was a pleasant way to spend the morning. I bonded with Presto, took pictures of the group, helped out by handing out popsicle sticks to record the order of finishers, and chatted with meet organizers Paul and John. I also met a Serbian woman with whom I discussed my impending trip to Croatia, though I forget her name. Afterward, Lori, Stephen, Presto, Andy and I went swimming in Houghton's Pond.
As seems to be an invariant of my life, I have been wrestling with many difficult questions about life in general. I am dialoging with a good friend from high school about the nature of morality and happiness, and I have been reflecting on social convention and patterns. Answers are fantastically elusive, and conjectures are very difficult to test. I think the only way to function is to make assumptions to provide some logical foundation for our decisions and daily activity. Completely abandoning all assumptions invites madness.
I am reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, and in a section on circumstances under which he reasoned to violate his resolution to be a vegetarian, I found this remark amusing:
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do.
As seems to be an invariant of my life, I have been wrestling with many difficult questions about life in general. I am dialoging with a good friend from high school about the nature of morality and happiness, and I have been reflecting on social convention and patterns. Answers are fantastically elusive, and conjectures are very difficult to test. I think the only way to function is to make assumptions to provide some logical foundation for our decisions and daily activity. Completely abandoning all assumptions invites madness.
I am reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, and in a section on circumstances under which he reasoned to violate his resolution to be a vegetarian, I found this remark amusing:
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for every thing one has a mind to do.
Note
It is not necessary that I find the answer to the question why a proposition is true, but it is necessary that I ask. This, of course, assumes that the proposition is true.
Saturday Jul 10, 2010 #
ARDF 1:00:00 [2] 6.0 km (10:00 / km)
slept:3.0 (injured) shoes: 201004 Inov8 X-Talon 212
Lori and I went to Breakheart Reservation to train on the 2m band for ARDF. We each set two transmitters and set off to find the other's two. I had well-founded concerns about my left calf, which gave out after about five minutes of running when I was setting the transmitters. By the end of the session, I was in agony, and even limping back to the parking lot was painful.
I don't know what the nature of the injury is - perhaps a muscle strain or tear - but I have complete range of motion when I am not putting weight on the foot. Contracting my hamstring causes discomfort. When I put weight on it or try to run, the sensation is like there is a vertical metal rod in my leg that heats up. At its peak, there is a burning sensation up and down my calf all the way to the foot.
Today's session was very frustrating; in addition to my physical hindrance, I had difficulty finding the controls and extracting information from the receiver. Nevertheless, I am glad to have gotten out, and Lori and I urgently need training time. Even wrestling with the equipment is somewhat useful. I will take at least five days off and refrain from significant physical activity (which unfortunately may include stairs).
I don't know what the nature of the injury is - perhaps a muscle strain or tear - but I have complete range of motion when I am not putting weight on the foot. Contracting my hamstring causes discomfort. When I put weight on it or try to run, the sensation is like there is a vertical metal rod in my leg that heats up. At its peak, there is a burning sensation up and down my calf all the way to the foot.
Today's session was very frustrating; in addition to my physical hindrance, I had difficulty finding the controls and extracting information from the receiver. Nevertheless, I am glad to have gotten out, and Lori and I urgently need training time. Even wrestling with the equipment is somewhat useful. I will take at least five days off and refrain from significant physical activity (which unfortunately may include stairs).
C • Leg 2
Thursday Jul 8, 2010 #
Note
slept:6.5 (rest day)
1. While walking to the grocery store, I was thinking about my emotional responses to stimuli. I like to know the answer to the question "why," though there is the risk of circular argument. I want to understand why I feel the way I do in response to stimuli chiefly because unlike thoughts and actions, feelings are not completely within the realm of my control. I then asked myself the obvious question - why? I think it is because understanding things makes me happy or increases my utility. I then asked myself the same question - why does understanding increase my utility? The circularity of my thinking amused me greatly and I burst out laughing in the grocery store, casting my sanity into question among my fellow shoppers. I suppose I must assert axiomatically that we are a curious species (or I am a curious individual), and that mysteries compel our attention.
2. My utility increases when I increase the utility of other people. In general, I like people; I particularly enjoy helping people solve problems. When others are confronted with an obstacle - even one as simple as a task, like moving - I derive great satisfaction from aiding them. Camaraderie and sharing life with others also brings me similar satisfaction, though I am more selective about the individuals that bring me satisfaction than with my problem solving efforts.
I was pondering why that is - why my utility increases with that of others, why I enjoy helping people, and why people matter so much to me. I can arrive at many different explanations - that this is an evolutionary behavior, that it is a social convention, that I have been taught to love, and so on. One of the core tenets of Christianity is to love your neighbor as you love yourself; this was very consistent with my empirical observation - that general compassion greatly improves the utility of society.
Ultimately, I have concluded that while there may be a very complex justification for why I care about people, I have promoted it in my own consciousness to an axiom. I axiomatically care about others, and that understanding is kind of cool. Ironically, it is a very self-centered train of thinking particularly for me to share with others, but after all, this is my log. I hope it did not decrease your utility to read it. :)
2. My utility increases when I increase the utility of other people. In general, I like people; I particularly enjoy helping people solve problems. When others are confronted with an obstacle - even one as simple as a task, like moving - I derive great satisfaction from aiding them. Camaraderie and sharing life with others also brings me similar satisfaction, though I am more selective about the individuals that bring me satisfaction than with my problem solving efforts.
I was pondering why that is - why my utility increases with that of others, why I enjoy helping people, and why people matter so much to me. I can arrive at many different explanations - that this is an evolutionary behavior, that it is a social convention, that I have been taught to love, and so on. One of the core tenets of Christianity is to love your neighbor as you love yourself; this was very consistent with my empirical observation - that general compassion greatly improves the utility of society.
Ultimately, I have concluded that while there may be a very complex justification for why I care about people, I have promoted it in my own consciousness to an axiom. I axiomatically care about others, and that understanding is kind of cool. Ironically, it is a very self-centered train of thinking particularly for me to share with others, but after all, this is my log. I hope it did not decrease your utility to read it. :)
Wednesday Jul 7, 2010 #
9 PM
Biking 1:01:32 [1] 19.9 km (19.4 kph)
slept:6.5 shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
I have restricted myself from running until Saturday. I intended to take a complete rest day, but I was feeling antsy. I figured an easy bike ride would give me an opportunity to relax, think, and enjoy. I was careful to take it slow - mostly staying in the 2-6 gear. My left calf felt excellent during the ride, though my left knee started to ache slightly. Apart from two traffic-motivated instances, I stayed below 30 kph.
Tuesday Jul 6, 2010 #
7 PM
Biking 24:00 [2] 8.0 km (20.0 kph)
shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
To and from Fresh Pond. On the way home, unencumbered by the 2m receiver, I stopped at Anna's and procured burrito sustenance. I also ran into my second old MIT friend of the day - Dwight Chambers. We talked briefly; he is leaving Boston in 9 days and entering an MD/PhD program at Emory University.
ARDF 30:00 [3] 4.0 km (7:30 / km)
(injured) shoes: 201004 Inov8 X-Talon 212
Lori and I met up for a quick training session at Fresh Pond. When there are only two of us training, we each set one band and then run the other band. This can be repeated indefinitely within time constraints. I had prepared all the baggies, transmitters, batteries and receivers earlier today. I had put a streamer with each 80m transmitter so we wouldn't lose the bags if we dropped them, but Lori thought the streamer was intended to mark control locations. In the future, setting streamers is a good idea; even on short, sprint courses, it's very hard to find the tiny transmitter within 1 minute.
To start, I set a tricky 2m control set while Lori set the 80m band. While I was running Lori's course, I noticed very loud interference, probably from Ham radio users. My left calf also started hurting considerably during my run, and I was limping at the end. I reset the 80m controls while Lori finished the 2m course and retrieved SGB; she then ran the new 80m course while I picked up the 2m controls. It was a reasonably productive session, but I am incapacitated. I will RICE it for the next several days.
I ran into an old high school and MIT friend, Daniel Armendariz, who was lounging in the park with his girlfriend Melissa.
To start, I set a tricky 2m control set while Lori set the 80m band. While I was running Lori's course, I noticed very loud interference, probably from Ham radio users. My left calf also started hurting considerably during my run, and I was limping at the end. I reset the 80m controls while Lori finished the 2m course and retrieved SGB; she then ran the new 80m course while I picked up the 2m controls. It was a reasonably productive session, but I am incapacitated. I will RICE it for the next several days.
I ran into an old high school and MIT friend, Daniel Armendariz, who was lounging in the park with his girlfriend Melissa.
Monday Jul 5, 2010 #
7 PM
Biking 30:00 [2] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)
shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
To and from Bellevue Pond. I arrived about twelve minutes late (ugh).
Orienteering 50:00 [3] 5.0 km (10:00 / km)
slept:6.5 (injured) shoes: 201004 Inov8 X-Talon 212
Brendan set a training course at the Fells starting from Bellevue Pond. It was a bit novel since we don't regularly use that region of the map. I am clearly out of practice - about the only action I was habitually doing was using my right hand to take splits on my left wrist (though I wasn't wearing a watch). I completely neglected reading ahead and planning my exit for the first few controls.
It was a productive training session, though; the woods were reasonable passable, and the marshes were dry. I was attacked by some mosquitos, but most of those encounters were in the parking lot rather than the woods. I plan to run the course again - possibly this weekend - and retrieve streamers. My lower left calf was hurting considerably at the end; I have upgraded the discomfort to a formally logged injury.
It was a productive training session, though; the woods were reasonable passable, and the marshes were dry. I was attacked by some mosquitos, but most of those encounters were in the parking lot rather than the woods. I plan to run the course again - possibly this weekend - and retrieve streamers. My lower left calf was hurting considerably at the end; I have upgraded the discomfort to a formally logged injury.
Sunday Jul 4, 2010 #
11 AM
Running 1:29:19 [1] 16.35 km (5:28 / km)
shoes: 201002 Asics T918N
Long, easy run. I intended to make a Kennedy St - Museum of Science loop, but the July 4 festivities completely blocked off the Esplanade at the Hatch Shell, so I doubled back to the Harvard Bridge. I continued my audiobook To Say Nothing of the Dog; the matter-of-fact humor is accentuated by the English accent of the reader. The tongue-in-cheek commentary amuses me most about the book.
My left Achilles and possibly Soleus muscle ached painfully after the run, which is tremendously discouraging. I hurt worse after this run than after the New Bedford half. I attribute this to a more difficult week, hotter temperatures, and no food before my run.
My left Achilles and possibly Soleus muscle ached painfully after the run, which is tremendously discouraging. I hurt worse after this run than after the New Bedford half. I attribute this to a more difficult week, hotter temperatures, and no food before my run.
Saturday Jul 3, 2010 #
Strength training 45:00 [3]
Today, I helped Krishna and Emilie move. The two apartments were fairly close to each other - one near Davis Square, and the other east of Porter, but the new apartment is better in almost every respect. The posse of movers included Emilie's parents, Krishna's coworker John, and Nora and Darren, both of whom are in Krishna's handbell ensemble. We moved everything from their old apartment into a truck, and then from the truck into the new apartment. Afterward, we had pizza and carrot cake. There was good camaraderie, and we all relished Germany's 4-0 victory over Argentina. I discussed what it was like to move to a new city with John.
Friday Jul 2, 2010 #
Note
slept:6.0
Self-restraint is an interesting phenomenon, particularly in the context of achieving happiness. We can define a utility function for each of the outcomes among a set of choices (though curiously, happiness does seem to have a scale, whereas utility is just an ordering on the set of outcomes). I have observed that our desires are often independent of the utility function, even when we are aware of that function.
For instance, I have a large bag of M&Ms. I know consciously that my utility will be maximized if I eat some now and save the rest for later. However, my desire is to continue eating M&Ms until they are done, even though I know that I will get a stomachache.
It is only by application of self-restraint that I can make a decision that maximizes my utility. I suppose that we can conclude that our desires are indicative of instantaneous utility maximization (a greedy algorithm or some gradient function), and self-restraint is the conscious intercession and moderation of those desires in pursuit of an optimal solution to a global utility function.
I should note that in the course of writing this note, I have eaten about 6 oz or 900 calories of peanut M&Ms. One might wonder about the utility of abstract contemplation and reflection of utility.
For instance, I have a large bag of M&Ms. I know consciously that my utility will be maximized if I eat some now and save the rest for later. However, my desire is to continue eating M&Ms until they are done, even though I know that I will get a stomachache.
It is only by application of self-restraint that I can make a decision that maximizes my utility. I suppose that we can conclude that our desires are indicative of instantaneous utility maximization (a greedy algorithm or some gradient function), and self-restraint is the conscious intercession and moderation of those desires in pursuit of an optimal solution to a global utility function.
I should note that in the course of writing this note, I have eaten about 6 oz or 900 calories of peanut M&Ms. One might wonder about the utility of abstract contemplation and reflection of utility.
9 PM
Biking 28:48 11.0 km (22.9 kph)
ahr:144 max:161 weight:81kg shoes: Trek 7.1 FX
I originally planned to go on an easy, 30 minute run. However, as I will go on a long run tomorrow, I needed to husband my remaining mileage. Instead, I set off on an aggressive bike ride. My intent was to bike a Museum of Science - Arsenal Bridge loop, but near the Museum of Science, I got a double flat. I don't carry extra tubes or a pump with me, so I had little choice but to walk home. I didn't want to roll my bike on its rims for two miles, so I lifted the bike onto my back. I found a position comfortable enough to run for some distance, but using my shoulders as shock absorbers was too taxing to the run the entire way.
Running 10:00 [2] 1.5 km (6:40 / km)
ahr:114 max:168 shoes: 201002 Asics T918N
Thursday Jul 1, 2010 #
10 PM
Running 1:11:08 [2] 13.24 km (5:22 / km)
ahr:149 max:169 shoes: 201002 Asics T918N
I went on an evening run around the river, with the objective of running at a slower pace (> 5:15/km). I deliberately regulated my breathing to 4/4. Conditions were pleasant with a temperature of 17 C and a dew point of 9 C. I listened to To Say Nothing of the Dog. It was a beautiful night to be alive. Earlier today, I had pondered the poem In Flander's Fields, which is one of my favorites.
Lately, my left calf has started hurting in much the same way my right was about two months ago. It's presently a mild pain, but I'm considering taking a break from high intensity running for a time.
Lately, my left calf has started hurting in much the same way my right was about two months ago. It's presently a mild pain, but I'm considering taking a break from high intensity running for a time.