technology.

We are not machines but we are enabled to become better humans through invention that quantifies our movement.

feets fixtures

Tools, gadgets, software and soles, the innovation that enables the faster, safer, and bolder movement.

e-feets.

4 days 11 hours ago

It hasn’t been deliberate, me not writing much on my fitness journal that is.

My life, the whole of it, from top to bottom has been upended these past eight months. Almost one hundred percent that has been my own fault. I jumped into the self-induced whorlwind of a midlife career change and have been spending my days pursuing a mix of self-funded adventure, art, and writing.

I wrote a novel.

I started a podcast.

I built the first foundational pieces of a creative practice.

And I’ve just slowly, methodically, and regularly kept up with a post-marathon running maintenance plan.

That last point, and the subject of this fitness journal, is probably the most boring of the list.

I did some amazing stuff, of course.

I ran Chicago Marathon 2023.

I ran some short morning runs in various European cities, including London, Paris and Nice.

I got lost running through Oakland, California.

I adventured, I trained, I just ran.

It was good. And I didn’t really write much of it down.

I’ve been incommunicado. And that’s okay. I may continue to be incommunicado. I haven’t decided what this space is for these days. What role does it play in my daily-writing everything-has-a-purpose creative life? I don’t know. But I just thought, anyways, I’d drop in and say hi. If anyone is still checking this space..

11 months ago

I've been mucking around with adding new technology to this site, including the ability to add some maps to some of my pages. So... why not add a map to my Chicago Marathon planning?

I haven't yet run Chicago so this map is from the Strava community page for the Marathon itself. I've already had a bit of a look at the various loops and various doglegs of the course. It also has an interested elevation profile, particularly that little climb at the end... which seems pretty trivial now, but may not after running for four-plus hours.

1 year 4 months ago

September 2022

I've been recording a lot of zombie time lately.

That has nothing to do with the quickly approaching Halloween season nor with my unfortunate gait that has resulted from a damaged knee ligament. It's just what I've been calling that mental paralysis that results from having free time, a vague list of hobbies, and decision fatigue.

An example scenario:

It's 7pm on a weeknight. I've done a full day of work. We've eaten dinner and cleaned up. The dog has been walked and the kid is hunkered down texting her friends for the evening. It's not a night for a workout so I'm pretty much free to do something else of my choosing.

I could go in the basement and practice my violin (did I mention I play the violin?) A high value. way to spend an hour. Um. What else?

I could sit down with my art gear and do some painting (did I mention I'm into watercolours at the moment?) A creative and relaxing way to spend the evening, perhaps with a podcast or audiobook in the background. Hmm.

I could write a blog post. That would be fairly productive. Though I don't really feel like I have much to write at the moment. What else is there?

I could play some video games. I've been working my way through the latest Assassin's Creed installment and and hour with that would be fun. A chill bit of time before bed. But, then again...

I could watch some television. I have a few shows I've been working my way through. A less valuable use of time, but still relaxing after a long day. Sigh. I really should do something more productive though.

Instead, while I waver back and forth, I flip on the TV and load up YouTube. I'll just watch a five minute video while I try to motivate myself. Virtually, completely, a total waste of time.

Not motivated yet? Another? Another... another... another. Oh look, it's bed time. I've just spent the evening in zombie time.

i've ordered a paper journal

It's a fancy one. It's from one of those companies that makes high quality notebooks and watercolour paper.

How does this fit into a technology blog post? Or into a recovery blog post?

I see it like this: technology or tools that enable us to plan and organize our lives, our days, our motivations in a way that allows us to accomplish our goals may be almost as vital to success as the right running shoes, drinking enough water, or having a good social support network.

I get my runs done (well, right now my swimming laps done) because I timebox. Mentally, at least.

I set a goal.

I pick a time.

I fill that time with the planned activity to achieve the goal.

I'm going swimming on Saturday morning. That's when I'm going. That's when I'm planning on going. That's when my opportunity to go will be. That's when I need to go. If I don't go then, I'll sit on the couch and end up watching YouTube until the time evaporates into nothing.

I'll zombie time my Saturday morning.

And while this may seem like I have my days and motivations under control, really I've just applied this to my fitness and it's a lingering effect of having to be accountable to a running crew. We run on such and such an evening or morning, so we run. Now I've been swimming in those same time slots.

I haven't put the same sort of time boxing around my other bits of life. I haven't set thirty minutes aside for working through my scales and some music on my violin. I haven't put two hours aside on a Tuesday evening to paint something with my watercolours. I haven't given myself to kill ninety minutes on a Monday before bed enjoying a video game.

Instead, I do none of those things because I struggle to prioritize myself on the fly.

So, I've ordered a paper journal. A calendar with months and pages to do some kind of bullet journaling, time boxing, check list making effort.

People swear by such things to organize their lives.

I'll find out soon if I'm destined to be one of those people.

1 year 6 months ago

July 2022

Having checked (and rechecked) the tracking information from the retailer's website it's become a near certainty that within the next 24 hours my new Garmin Fenix 6X is going to land on my doorstep in a neat little cardboard box.

If I'm counting right, this will be my fifth new GPS watch since taking up the sport (seriously) about 14 years ago.

Did I need to upgrade? My six year old Garmin 3X has been a trusty companion for a lot of years. It saw me through the NYC Marathon, a half dozen mini ultras, and countless thousand of training klicks.

And I get a solid three hours out of a battery charge now, so... yeah, it was time.

Probably. I mean, I could have sent it in an got a battery replacement. Or, realistically, I'm rarely running more than a couple hours at a stretch these days. And ... no, it's not buyers remorse, but these things are expensive.

As my finger was hovering over the purchase confirmation button in one browser window a few days ago, my other browser window was desperately googling for advice on "should I upgrade my Garmin?" There was plenty of posts extolling the virtues of all the new, shiny features that would come from even a model-to-model upgrade, let alone a half-decade multi-model leap. I mean, in the end it's about pace, time and distance, right, but who doesn't want a heart-rate sensor, built in Bluetooth music and wristwatch-based turn-by-turn navigation? After all, I've got run clubs to lead and adventures to surmount, right? Right?

I run with a guy who has never used more than a forty year old digital Timex. He couldn't tell you how far or how fast he runs, but he runs farther and faster and in circles around me, and he's got nearly thirty years on me to boot.

Technology, and in particular brand new technology, in and of itself doesn't necessarily make anyone a better runner.

What are you upgrading?

Technology is a means to gather data, react to metrics, and respond to results. Technology lets us measure aspects of ourselves, and better technology lets us do that in ways that are more responsive to the moment, in the space, and in less intrusive ways than ever before. My new watch is slightly lighter, has a slightly better display (I've become a most-time bespectacled glasses wearer in the intervening years) and lets me ditch that old heart rate strap for a wrist-based pulse meter. It's better in a few ways that really matter... and better in a few ways that are fluff.

What matters and what doesn't?

I won't brag about my great deal, but needless to say I "settled" for the previous model (on super sale) over the brand spanking new version 7 (still full price) which came out a few months ago. That decision was as much about features as it was about price. Apart from a few other minor upgrades, as far as I could tell the major tweak was a touchscreen on the newer version. I leaned back in my chair and recalled my last touchscreen Garmin a few models back, one of the nicer Forerunner models, and how much I loathed that watch in the winter. I run in sub-freezing temperatures for six months of the year and in those conditions, with cozy gloves keeping your fingertips warm, a touchscreen is essentially a button you can't use without numbing your nubs.

What really motivates you?

Some people care about this stuff, too. I admit it. Fully. Unequivocally. I'm a tech nerd. I like new toys, and new toys are a motivator for me. If you told me I had to run with a forty year old digital Timex for the rest of time I may still get out there and run, but I think I'd be a little sad about it. Having some new gear for my chosen sport makes me want to use that gear and push it to its limits. I wear my old Fenix swimming, cycling, walking, kayaking, and up the sides of mountains when I hike with my family. I track my steps and my daily activity. I enjoy the breadth of features, and new features (I hope) will fit into that puzzle of enjoyment and keep me active.

I write these words as I set out in the last week with a new and renewed determination to rebuild and refresh my fitness levels. I'm a couple months after a COVID infection and a couple years into the demoralizing, crushing effects of a global pandemic. New tech, for me at least, is one of the pillars of that big plan, and I'm lucky and privileged enough to have some money set aside to upgrade my experience and crank my personal motivation through the same.

I can't tell you if you should do the same, but I can say if you learn what drives you, what's important to you, and understand that yes, there are tools that can support and enhance the time and quality of your efforts to train, run, and be active, that answer will come pretty easily.