Watching the London Marathon live. Elite women run a separate race here.

Instead of the pseudoscience of the sitting-rising-test to score life expectancy, there’s actual value to be able to sit on the floor and get back up, but safely and sensible, much like a toddler does, using hands, legs, and a bit of coordination. See this YT video.

Yesterday I passed 1000 km this year. If I keep this up, I’ll pass 3000 km early December this year. As you would expect (or maybe not), I’m not fast, on average 6:44 min/km (10:50 min/mi). That’s because I only run 20% fast, and the rest slow, to keep my running hobby sustainable.

With 3 half marathon races finished, 6 planned, and a regime of strength and conditioning exercises, am I over-preparing for my 2023 fall marathon? From experience I know you can’t over-prepare, as long as you don’t get hurt 🏃‍♂️

Three times is a charm, it seems. After the first two half marathons I ran this year my hip muscles were very sore. However, on April 16 I only finished tired, not exhausted. I also ran the best time this year, without going all out. My PR was safe, though, with more than 20 minutes to spare 🏃‍♂️

I tried the 10 kg kettlebell again, using exercises for runners, not too long, yet long enough to raise my heart rate and feel the resistance of the weight. Now I’ll increase the reps slowly over the weeks, concentrating on technique. In a couple of months I should be able to handle two kettlebells.

I’m reminded by my DOMS that even a measly weight of 10 kg represents a serious challenge to my undertrained (read: old-man) leg muscles. I’m happy I didn’t buy the recommended two kettlebells of 16 kg (36 lbs) each. Since I don’t have a driver’s licence, I’ll pay to have those delivered 🏋️‍♂️

I bought an “el cheapo” kettlebell so I can start strength training to be able to handle two 16 kg (36 lbs) eventually. I appear to lack the strength in my body to do my slow long runs of 26+ km without being exhausted afterwards. These long runs I’ll need for marathon training.

I also gave Superagent a 1-star review, because I think asking for money for a blocker that’s easy to circumvent is a bad practice. Obviously, website owners want manual cookie consent; it’s the law. Automating cookie consent seems to be legal, though. Mind you, I’m no lawyer.

Superagent is now asking for a subscription. Since it really didn’t work for me—I was still seeing cookie consent pop-ups—I decided to delete the iOS app.

The Secret to Drawing Overwhelming Detail! by Stephen Travers Art on YT.

The main secret is to draw the effect of detail rather than detail itself.

Don’t you hate it when scientists are unsure if running on soft surfaces can result in injuries? The best advice (given how little is known) seems to be to avoid soft surfaces if you’re tired and stiff in your legs and hit the road instead 🏃‍♂️

The fact that using OpenAI requires an account & credit card should give pause to thought. It’s using serious amounts of energy. It clearly isn’t a toy and should be used sparingly if you care about your impact on the real world. Entertain yourself with books 📚 instead, if you find yourself bored.

Drawing from imagination is always a struggle for me, while for some it comes naturally, so it seems. Mind you, I used references, as is the smart thing to do. The hand is drawn mirrored, though, or it’s held on the other side of the head.

Doodling while watching YouTube videos. From my history:

• Make ‘Em Laugh, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Heal The World, Do-Re-Mi, Day-o (Banana Boat Song), A-team theme, Mannix theme, Singing In The Rain, Eye Of The Tiger, The Avengers theme, Adventures of the Gummi Bears theme, Colors of the Wind

So I (sorta) took part in the March 2023 photo challenge of micro.blog. Only I didn’t take photos, but made sketches, mostly with pencil on paper. I did use the prompts. However, I didn’t always post on the appropriate day. Of course, I wasn’t included in the daily grid of photos.