Christmas list 2012

Online
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-forerunner-10-red/

Brighton
http://www.runnersneed.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=RGAR0038BR
http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/details.cfm?ProdID=9975

What trainer next after my (structured) Nike Triax?

Had a good chat to the Irish chap in SweatShop (Brighton) and he's road-testing the Triax 16 due for imminent release; so that seems the obvious choice. But others for consideration are: Brooks Adrenaline 12, Adidas Sequence, Nike Eclipse and Asics 2170. I'm tempted to go off-piste and try the Brooks.

<EDIT>

Tried the Brooks GTS 12 and Nike Triax 15+ and went for the Asics 2170 (top image).

Uses for an infra-red (IR) thermometer

I've just received my Ryobi SW-638E. It was extremely cheap on eBay for some reason: approx. £15.

I initially thought it would be useful for performing a thermal analysis of the house (finding cold spots that require insulation) and checking the temperature of confit oil; but I feel there could be so much more.

Confirming the temperature of the oven
Our oven instructions say not to put anything on the bottom of the oven, which I've not taken much notice of. But the Ryobi showed the back top of the oven was around the dialled temperature of 220°, but the bottom was over 300° as the oven warmed up! So the element must be in the bottom of the oven and the instructions are probably sensible.

Checking heat loss in door panels
I have a wooden front door with several frosted glass panels. The panels measure a good few degrees lower than the surrounding door so perhaps some improvised double-glazing would be worth a try?

To be continued ...


Resources
http://www.allqa.com/IR.htm
http://www.omega.com/prodinfo/infraredthermometer.html
http://food-management.com/food-safety/best-practices-ir-thermometer-use-part-1
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Infrared-Thermometer-and-Its-Uses&id=3840914

Job hunting resources

www.monster.co.uk

www.jobsite.co.uk

www.jobsearch.co.uk

www.executivesontheweb.com

www.exec-appointments.com

c++ things to look at

Delete this 
Uses of virtual 
Mutable
STL

Complete Vietnamese is too hard!

I always learn a bit of the language when I visit a place, but the first chapter of this book I find impenetrable. Perhaps it will get better? We'll see, but for now (as my own learning aid) I will try and break it down a bit.

The tone drills on the CD are fine, but it concludes the chapter with a poem (I think) that Vietnamese school children are tought. I've never felt this steep a learning curve with Pimsleur. There's also no phonetic pronunciation guide to help out.

Vietnamese language resources - IPA

Just the tricky consonants from Wikipedia:IPA for Vietnamese.

Implosive

ɓ Voiced bilabial implosive bạn you

ɗ Voiced alveolar implosive đuôi tail

Nasal

ɲ Palatal nasal nhà house

ŋ Velar nasal ngà ivory "... the sound of ng in English sing."

Retroflex

ʂ Voiceless retroflex sibilant (southern dialects) sữa milk

ʈ͡ʂ Voiceless retroflex affricate

Fricative

ɣ Voiced velar fricative ghế chair

x Voiceless velar fricative không not 

Sibilant

ʐ Voiced retroflex sibilant rô diamond

ʒ Voiced palato-alveolar sibilant (English) vision 

Kayaks

Fenn Swordfish
 

Simplified training schedule

After my initial stab at a schedule I've adopted a much simpler approach. I wonder if the single long run is more beneficial than two shorter ones. And as the weather becomes increasingly inclement the prospect of running home in wet kit isn't so nice. Also, I was managing a complex dry-cleaning rotation system to avoid carry too much to work; but if you concede that you might have to take your whole outfit on your back (except shoes, which are under my desk) then things become a lot simpler.

All training is done in the morning. I have dabbled with a little of resistance training (dumbbells) but I'm not sure I need to do much of that with the rowing. I'm also trying to get all my training into the working week. All runs are on the road; all rows are in the gym at work.

Monday
5K run

Tuesday
5K run + 5K row

Wednesday
Rest day

Thursday
5K run + 5K row

Friday
10K run

Saturday
Possibly a bike ride but at most a leisurely one to the fish market or country pub.

Sunday
Rest day

The Run-Row combo
I'd like to claim it was a planned consequence of in-depth anatomical study (it wasn't!) but a run followed by a row is curiously complimentary. Perhaps because I'm a mid-foot runner and a poor rower?

First reaction to peanuts in a few years

I'm always very careful and was assured there was no peanuts in any of the dishes at a buffet we attended: which was true. However, this was certainly not true for the chutney!

I had a few pieces of chilli mogo, a samosa and a teaspoon of chutney, and within ten minutes I could feel hives (bumps) on my tongue. Stomach ache increased over the next half-an-hour at which point I was sick for 15 minutes, and I then spent the next three hours lying on my back on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor until I felt better. My nose had closed up completely and took another few hours to return to normal function, by which time I was completely ravenous.

I chewed up an antihistamine as soon as I felt the warning signs and had another after being sick. They were the drowsy variety and I think this helped me rest while the effects subsided. Today I have a bit of a sore throat (from the vomiting I suppose) but otherwise business as usual.

Cycling technique resources

* http://www.outsideonline.com/blog/outdoor-adventure/celebrities/the-top-11-cycling-technique-tips.html
* http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/technique-break-your-cycling-bad-habits-27997/
* http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/beginner-technique-five-common-cycling-mistakes-22915/
* http://www.cptips.com/tech.htm
* http://www.bikesplit.com/bsa4.htm
* http://www2.bsn.de/Cycling/articles/Cycling_techniques.html

Rowing resources

CATCH | DRIVE | FINISH | RECOVERY

Tutorials
http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2008/03/indoor-rowing-technique/
http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2008/03/indoor-rowing-training/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqVmMd7FdAA&feature=related

Enjoying this guys:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rowingwithcalmwaters

Key points (for me)

* Knees to chest

* Chin to bow at end of drive

* Chain level

* Lats with arms

* Roll core

Clubs
http://www.shorehamrowingclub.co.uk/aboutus.html
http://brightoncrew.org/crew/?page_id=1860

Peanut allergy

I'm off to Vietnam in six months so I asked my GP for a referral to the allergy clinic. Just been for my appointment and there are no desensitisation programmes available through the NHS (or privately) and I wasn't rechecked on the skin test because it's only five years since my last one.

So that's a bit disappointing.

I have private healthcare but they won't cover anything that the NHS doesn't. The chinese medicine guy at the top of the road did a pulse reading and concluded poor lung function is affecting my immune system and causing my allergy. He prescribed a course of acupuncture and some tea and pills. Kinesiology people are getting back to me.

The kinesiologist didn't ring me back!

I will look at participating in a desensitisation trial.

To be continued ...

Don Letts 6 music Spotify playlist

Hard to find his remixes, though!

Don Letts 6 Music

Channel 4 House Party Spotify playlist

http://open.spotify.com/user/1138470165/playlist/7bbEq5nqIBDJgKHqIbGJpm

Things to read after Fear and Loathing...

According to JK:

Rum Diary
    - A little calmer but great

Hell's Angels
    - Possibly my favourite

Fear and loathing on the campaign trail
    - If you're interested in politics of US in '70s.

The great shark hunt
    - Includes the seminal The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Deprived.

Lat pull down with pelvic floor squeeze

Do a standing close-grip lat pull down, but as you reach the bottom of the movement rotate your pelvis around your hips towards the bar.

Release your psoas

I've only recently become interested in the psoas muscle and its effects on running. But is actually very well studied in yoga and other disciplines.

Resources
* http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/169/?page=3
* http://touchoftao.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/overview-of-psoas-muscle.html
* http://earthbalance-taichi.com/2012/01/psoas-muscle-in-tai-chi/
* http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Gray430.png
* Relationship to bulging belly

Calculating optimum fat burning heart rate

From a WikiHow article.

1. Resting heart rate (calculated with the excellent Android heart rate monitor)
62

2. Maximum heart rate = 220 - 37
183

3. Heart rate reserve = step2 - step1
121

4. Lower THR is 60% of step3 = 121 * 0.6 + step1
134.6

5. Upper THR is 80% of step3 = 121 * 0.8 + step1
158.8

So my target heart rate is 134.6 at the fat-burning end, to 158.8 at the cardio end.

First run at 85 bpm

I did a 1 km very slow warmup then popped the headphones on playing the 85 bpm Spotify playlist posted earlier in the week. It felt like an insane pace, but the subsequent 2.5 km was my quickest so far.
(While the playlist is not mixed like a Dance compilation, the gaps do provide a nice pause to gather your focuses.)

Combining commute and training schedule

I have built my training into my daily schedule; but it does take some organisation.

The commute
I used to drive door-to-door but rising petrol costs have made it economically equivalent to public transport. So I catch the train and run or walk from the station. And it's great! An hour reading, or music (or a snooze) is so much more enjoyable than staring at a queue of cars. And I'm sure I've saved a few quid (and calories) on car snacks.

Per week this equates to:

    Walk:   10 km
    Run:     17.5 km
    Gym:    one hour

I use a 3L CamelBak - which is overkill hydration-wise - allowing me enough room for socks, pants, tie, 40 cm x 40 cm micro-fibre towel and an ironed shirt (which mostly comes out still ironed at the other end). Shower gel and shoes I keep in the gym locker and my trousers are in constant rotation at the dry cleaner.

I use walk days to ferry supplies of yoghurt, crackers and shower gel as necessary (rather than run with them). I also have a small umbrella should the weather turn inclement. (Or course, when you're running the weather doesn't matter.)

Schedule
All walks and runs are 2.5 km, apart from Friday morning when I alight one stop further down the line for a 5 km run. All gym sessions are half-hour high-rep upper-body training. 

	Morning	Afternoon
Monday	walk	run
Tuesday	run + gym	run
Wednesday	walk	walk
Thursday	run	run
Friday	long run + gym	walk
Saturday
Sunday	hot yoga

85 bpm running/cycling songs

In ChiRunning Danny Dreyer recommends a constant cadence: adjust your speed by altering stride length not tempo. This playlist is intended as an aid to running at his optimum rate (he actually runs at 90 bpm). I actually find it very quick but I will persist.

M.I.A "Paper Planes"
Gorillaz "Clint Eastwood"
Beastie Boys "Pass the Mic"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Morcheeba "Slow Down" (Never attempt to run to Morcheeba, ever!)
Transplants "Gangsters & Thugs"  (double time)
The Cure "Boys Don't Cry"
Lenny Kravitz "Always on the Run"
King of Leon "Crawl"
David Bowie "Young Americans"
Wintersleep "Weighty Ghost"
Arctic Monkeys "When the Sun Goes Down"
The Verve "Bitter Sweet Symphony"
Beastie Boys "So What'Cha Want"
Tricky "Black Steel"
DJ Shadow "Scale It Back"

This is just a taster so do try the full Spotify playlist. It starts with the proven good running tracks and becomes more experimental as you progress towards the end.

(The initial playlist was based on Davet's comprehensive list; but it's grown with songs I've tapped out on an Android BPM counter.)

They lied?

Doesn't mention what they lied about but somebody is clearly quite cross about it.

International TV stations

http://broadband-television.com/tv/index.html

Doctors and nurses

Ideas for a hospital themed party

Lab coat
Dark rimmed specs
Clipboard
'70s doctor
Stethoscop
Examination gloves
Pens

Misc
Sort out SLR

Pose running resources

http://www.posetech.com/
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/pose-running-technique.html

Roux tasting menu

Menu
White onion velouté, shredded ox cheek, smoked bone marrow on toast

Smoked haddock, Crabapple, watercress

Charred onions, pearl barley, wild mushrooms

Coley fish finger “sandwich” tartare sauce

Crispy lamb breast, Swiss chard cannelloni

Pre‐dessert

Caramel set custard, whiskey, apple water

Coffee and petit fours

Wine
Château Cabezac Rosé 2009 Minervois, France
Le Gavroche Viognier ‘Cuvée Michel Michel’ “Biodanamic”2010 Michel Chapoutier, Ardèche, France
Gavi di Gavi ‘San Pietro’ D.O.C.G 2009 Cantine Scrimaglio, Nizza Montferrato, Piemonte, Italy
Chablis ‘Terroir de Chablis’ 2010 Patrick Piuze, Burgundy, France
Rioja Crianzabn 2005 Bodegas Amezola, Spain
Moscato d’Asti, ‘Grani di Sole’ , D.O.C.G, ‘sweet sparkling’ Cantine Scrimaglio, Nizza Montferrato, Piemonte

Essentials for a trip to Viet Nam

Visa (need to send passport - group application?)
Epipen
Peanut desensitisation
Fishing kit (telescopic rod?)
CamelBak with filter
Mozzie spray
Mozzie coil
Malaria pills
Running
Yoga class
Cooking class
Micro fibre towels
Sun cream
Torch

Weather
Average temperatures for Ho Chi Minh City (South) and Hanoi (North).

Resources
http://wikitravel.org/en/Vietnam

Considerations for a bespoke shirt

* Single cuff with cuff-link
* No creases ironed in the sleeves
* Buttons white or black
* Small collars
* Long shirt tails

Collar 16.5"
Chest 42"
Arm 36"

Belly

Even the belly of the beast enjoys a little tickle once in a while.

Europe according to Charles the Great

See Wikipedia.

Sarongs

Two sarongs don't make a right.

Brighton Marina chart

http://www.visitmyharbour.com/viewchart.asp?chart=58D07782168D53481

Hug

Nothing rallies a team like an awkward group hug.

List of investment banks

barclayscapital.com

db.com

ml.com

gs.com

rbs.com

morganstanly.com

citigroup.com

lloydsbanking.com

maninvestments.com

btm.com

mwam.com

bluecrestcapital.com

glgpartners.com

Bisque

Bisque in the eye: is there a more middle class injury?

Bribery

I cannot be bought; however, my signing hand has had one hell of a day and does enjoy a nice Chianti.

Work life balance

I think my life balance is fine. I just need to trick somebody into doing some of this damn work so I can go surfing.

Careful now

Economy of words. Never forget that. Ever.

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Flip flops

Waterproof cases

Coloured desert boots

Kurt Geiger desert boots.

Fixed speed bikes

Preparing for Summer on the beach

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