Putting your head into it.
Run 493: Clone run
Run 493
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:19 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:58
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
BPM: 158
Weight: 164.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3855 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone
Tonight’s run was a virtual replay of Tuesday’s except without hurricane winds to add excitement, though it was breezy.
With most of the debris on the trail cleared, I was able to focus less on tripping/getting clobbered by rogue branches and more on the actual run. And yet my performance was nearly identical, with the pace of 5:33/km only one second faster than Tuesday’s pace. My total time of 27:58 was all of three seconds faster. I’m not complaining, as I was expecting similar performance as I come back from both the extended break and the cold, but it’s always a little weird when I so closely match one run to the next.
One improvement, though, was my BPM, down from 164 to 158, the lowest it’s been on a run in a good while. It probably helped that I fairly plodded the first km.
A complication, though it didn’t result in any difference in actual pace, was the right heel, which was aching a bit before the run, ached during the run and is still aching now. It actually felt better during the run than after.
I also had a weird ten seconds or so as I neared the far gate around the 3 km mark where my left knee suddenly felt funny, but not haha funny. Every time I stepped forward it felt like my left leg might buckle because the knee suddenly didn’t want to support it. It cleared up quickly but was a bit disconcerting. Knee issues for me have been very rare, fortunately. And should remain so, dang it.
Overall, the best part of the run was simply getting out and doing it, to help get back to my regular routine as swiftly as possible.
Plus no trees fell on me.
Run 492: A run with many different branches
Run 492
Average pace: 5:34/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:39 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:01
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 20ºC
Wind: strong with gusts
BPM: 164
Weight: 164.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3850 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone
Tree branches, to be exact. I’ll get to this shortly.
On Friday, May 12 I came down with a rather nasty cold. I have not run since then, a span of 11 days and a total of four runs missed. Sad trombone.
Today, mostly recovered if still a bit sniffly (or it could just be allergies) I headed out to renew my efforts. I was fully expecting to be slower and my pace of 5:34/km saw my expectation met. However, I was expecting something over 5:40 so I’m actually more pleased than anything. Despite the run feeling harder, my BPM was down.
And after a curiously, even strange, long weekend of sunny, warm weather, it continued today so it was very pleasant and mild.
Except for the wind.
A cold front is moving through to the Interior and is scouring the region with winds gusting up to 70 km/h. It was windy indeed on the run, though I only once caught a really good gust that threatened to whip my cap off. I screwed it down nice and snug and it stayed put.
What didn’t stay put were the million or so leaves, twigs, and branches strewn across the trail, so many that in several spots it was impossible to avoid stepping on them. I cleared a few before starting the run, the largest being a branch over 10 feet long and about as wide around as my upper arm. I may not have giant, bulging biceps but that’s still a branch big enough to ruin your day if it bopped you on the noggin. An entire tree came down near the western gate, landing alongside and partly on the trail. I wondered how safe it might be to run at all.
Fortunately, the ferocity of the wind eased up shortly after I started so I emerged without any wood-related injuries.
Here are a few of the smaller branches I saw on the trail. Multiply this by about a hundred or two and you have an idea of what the entire trail was like.
Bad design: Smucker’s Strawberry and Raspberry Jam jars
Why am I picking on delicious jam, especially when I have just had a slice of homemade bread lovingly covered with said delicious jam?
Because Smucker’s has made their strawberry and raspberry jam jar designs so similar that it is easy to grab the wrong one, especially if stores shelve them beside each other, which they tend to do (this is also bad design on the part of stores like Save-On-Foods that do this, placing like-colored jams next to each other on a shelf, which is logical enough, but makes it more difficult to tell at a glance that you are looking at different products).
Photographic evidence:
Note that the color difference in the labels is more subtle when you are actually looking at the jars in-person, anticipating their fruity goodness.
Smucker’s has gone with a standard design here, no doubt to reduce costs and provide uniformity, usually considered desirable for a brand. McDonald’s hasn’t messed around with the look of its Golden Arches for a reason.
However, the similarity extends well beyond what is needed for branding and into the sort of obsessive manipulation that is explained in horrifying detail in books like Brandwashed. The logo and typefaces are the same. That’s fine and expected, and Smucker’s certainly can’t be held culpable for both fruits ending in “berry.” But look at the placement of the fruit. Each jar has six pieces of fruit arrayed identically. Further, the size of the raspberries has been boosted to match the strawberries.
Here are some typical strawberries:
And some raspberries:
Raspberries are cute and small. Strawberries are cute and bigger. Strawberries are bigger than raspberries.
Unless they are on a Smucker’s label, then they have been made equals in the world of fruit.
What this means is it’s easy to grab the wrong jar if you’re distracted, in a hurry or if some other evil shopper has mixed the two types of jams together on the shelf.
It could be solved by simply making the picture on each label distinctive while keeping everything else about the label identical. The most obvious fix would be to scale the raspberries to be a bit smaller then slap more of them on the label to compensate. Make it a veritable cornucopia of raspberries. Have them in a cornucopia. Something.
Anything less is just bad design.
Book review: 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The novel of 2001 was written as the film was being shot and apart from the ultimate destination of Discovery being Saturn rather than Jupiter, it sticks close to the film’s plot (apparently they couldn’t get the look of Saturn’s rings quite right for the film).
The book is short, giving it more of a movie tie-in feel than one would normally expect in a Clarke novel. And–as Clarke admits in the foreword–the novel makes explicit a lot of what is otherwise left to the viewer to interpret in the film.
While I enjoyed the book, particularly the detailing of life aboard the Discovery before Hal goes bonkers, its brevity ultimately left it feeling a bit unfinished. That Clarke ultimately wrote a sequel (and then two more after) is not surprising, as the conclusion feels like the end of a first act.
As a companion piece to the film, it perhaps fares better, providing more explanation for those wanting it. The depiction of the enigmatic aliens helping to shape humanity is intriguing but again, cuts short at the end.
While this is not an essential work of Clarke’s, it’s still a solid read but may be best for those committing to the entire Odyssey quadrilogy or those interested in learning more about what was going on in the now-classic film.
One head cold, two lists
Two lists after the sudden and unwelcome arrival of a head cold four days ago.
List 1:
Things I have missed since getting a head cold
- two runs
- one writing group
- my daily activity goal as per the Apple Watch (four days so far)
- work (on-site)
- going outside (two days)
List 2:
Things I have achieved since getting a head cold
- sneezing
- runny nose
- stuffed sinuses (goes great with #2)
- headache
- mild fever
- coughing
- sore throat
- sleeplessness (one night, see immediate item above for explanation)
- conversely, plenty of napping during the day
- weird dreams
- possible addiction to NyQuil (not really, but it has probably saved my sleep 3 of 4 nights)
- work (a little that I could do from home on the fourth day)
This one bugs me because it just seems so random and out of the blue. Friday I was fine, Friday night I was sick. Weekend shot, missed work, behind on everything again, going in when still not 100%, missing runs after finally getting back into a regular routine. Why haven’t we cured the common cold, anyway?
Book review: Steal Like an Artist
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a quick little inspirational tome designed to help spur creativity, supplemented by Kleon’s quirky choice of photographs and his own hand-drawn art and notes.
His advice, backed up by quotes from notable creative types, is sensible while some of the particulars reflect what works well for him but may not work so well for everyone else. He cheerfully recommends jettisoning anything you don’t think will work for you.
Some of his ideas are interesting–having both a digital and analog desk, keeping a simple logbook (not to be confused with a diary or journal) and having a praise file for days when you are feeling down or uninspired. Others, like a giant year-long calendar you can X off each day as you complete tasks, I am less sold on.
The enthusiasm and spirit with which he presents his advice are bound to get you motivated to try something, though. And his drawing style is weirdly cute. Recommended.
Never mind the flying cars
All I want from the future where technology is grand and filled with miracles is a cure for the common cold.
Which I caught late yesterday, perfectly timed for the weekend.
Grr.
Book review: Brandwashed
Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Martin Lindstrom’s Brandwashed is in many ways not surprising to those who are familiar with the lengths that companies will go to in order to market their products. What still surprised me, though, was how improved technology has allowed these companies to propel their efforts to new, absurd and downright creepy heights.
Whether it’s carefully-arranged store displays presenting illusions designed to elicit specific emotions or memories, efforts to market not just to adults, teens and children, but even to babies, or the use of sophisticated data-mining to target individuals with a disturbing level of precision, Brandwashed paints a picture of a world in which we are constantly bombarded with messages–usually subliminal–to buy certain products and services.
Lindstrom’s perspective is that of an insider, and he cites not only numerous case studies and marketing campaigns, but some he has orchestrated directly himself. He comes across a bit apologetic at times and even tries to reveal some of the good in these insidious techniques, like attempts to woo consumers toward more green products, but he also rightfully raises concerns over privacy and reach.
The book focuses on a different aspect of marketing in each chapter and the style and tone remain light, even as Lindstrom reminds us of how the flat where George Orwell wrote 1984 now has 32 closed-circuit cameras mounted within 200 yards of it.
While the thrust of the book remains as potent in 2017 as when it was originally published in 2011, some of the observations are bound to raise a few eyebrows just six years later (likely in dismay):
On the male side, there are colognes attached to the famous names Justin Timberlake, David Beckham, Usher, Tim McGraw, Andre Agassi, and even Donald Trump. “We are confident that men of all ages want to experience some part of Mr. Trump’s passion and taste for luxury,” said Aramis president Fabrice Weber.25 Actually, it appears they don’t. In one of the few cases where putting a celebrity name on a product didn’t work, a few years after it hit the shelves, according to one gimlet-eyed blogger, Donald Trump for Men could be found on clearance at T. J. Maxx for $8, down from $48.
Brandwashed is an easy recommendation for anyone wondering just how far companies will go to get us to buy their stuff (which is a lot further than most probably imagine).
Run 491: Mini-slugs and surprising no-rain
Run 491
Average pace: 5:15/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:24 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 26:28
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 12ºC
Wind: light to moderate
BPM: 172
Weight: 164.0 pounds
Total distance to date: 3845 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone
I know myself well enough to realize the best way to get back into regular after dinner runs is to not think about them.
In other words, just change and go. So I did.
I had incentive to run fast–it had been raining hard most of the day and the clouds overhead were fat and dark, just waiting to dump on me. I fairly boogied and kept up the torrid pace even on the walk back. By some miracle, I stayed dry.
I got off to what felt like a solid start and by the midpoint was actually feeling pretty good. I even turned up the pace in the final km, which was my fastest at 5:01/km. My overall pace was a peppy 5:15/km, nine seconds better than Tuesday and 32 (!) seconds faster than Saturday.
This is also the first time in awhile I’ve done three runs in a week, just like in the good old days.
Despite being 12ºC (hooray for yet more unseasonably cool weather), I actually felt pretty comfortable wearing just a t-shirt (well, and shorts. I’m not ready to start pantsless jogging quite yet).
I am pleased by the lack of cramps or other complications and by the general energy level I maintained. I was expecting a lot worse, really.
There were a lot of tiny black slugs on the trail. I have no idea why. The rain, perhaps. That also helped give the run that old-time feel, like when I would run at the lake and it felt less like jogging and more like “dodge the slug” because you don’t really want to squish a bunch of slugs when you’re running.
Overall, a very solid and encouraging effort. Excelsior!
Run 490: Post-dinner and post-shoelace
Run 490
Average pace: 5:24/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 7:02 pm
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 27:11
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16ºC
Wind: light
BPM: 166
Weight: 166.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 3840 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone
Tonight was one of the first times since the switch to Daylight Saving Time that I actually ran after work. It is surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) difficult to get motivated to run after working all day and coming home both kind of tired and a bit hungry.
But a small snack later and I was off.
Well, after replacing the shoelace that snapped just as I was about to head out. Both pairs of Horka Speedgoats have now suffered broken laces. Stupid goats. This compares to two pairs of New Balance MT110s that I ran over 1,000 km in with nary a fray in the shoelace fabric.
I scavenged a set of laces from a pair of runners I’m not using and they actually match fairly well. I then tied the right one too tightly, causing that foot to ache a little on top during part of the run. Whoops.
It was mild and cloudy, which also meant little wind. The sky seemed to threaten rain but held off.
I felt much more energetic than Saturday and that showed in my pace of 5:24/km, which is an astonishing 23 seconds faster than my previous run. The gentler and wider river trail lends itself to greater speed but I wasn’t expecting something quite so dramatic. Even my BPM was down to a more reasonable 166 (matching my current weight, sadly).
The trail was sparsely populated, with only a few people out. I know it is terrible in a way but I like having fewer people around when I run. Less chance of a collision, let’s say.
My music of choice was Billy Joel’s very-80s The Bridge. I always skip the song “Modern Women” because I can’t stand it. Just thinking about it sets my teeth on edge. Anyway, it came up and I double-tapped the pause button on the earpods remote, which means “skip to the next song.” Somehow it got interpreted as “fast forward” so I was subjected to the song but in a simulated chipmunk voice. This did not enhance it.
I turned to Siri on the watch to skip to the next song but Siri just shrugged and said, “I dunno what’s going on.” What was going on–or more precisely, not going on–was the Music app on the iPhone. It had crashed again, something it’s done a bunch recently. I figure this is because the phone and attendant contract are paid off and I’m being nudged to get a new one. I’ll have none of it! (for at least four months minimum)
Anyway, I’m pleased by tonight’s run. Thursday, which looks to be soggy and cooler, will be an interesting comparison.
C is for Carrot
Yes, I realize I am way behind on these. I’ll catch up somehow!
Program used: Sketchable, Photoshop CC 2015.5
Hardware: Surface Pro 3 and pen
Photoshop was used to crop and resize the image and to add the text.
I bumbled my way through Sketchable, learning a few more things. The following is a very crude depiction of Angry Carrot, with no shading at all. Think of him as an untextured polygon from a late 1980sPC game.
I’ll try to revisit this one later if I make it through all 26.
