• The project I started yesterday was finished today with some annual plants, replanted from the planters that stood in front of my house before. Of course, Iโ€™ve watered and fertilized them ๐ŸŒบ ๐ŸŒฑ ๐Ÿ 

    Micro garden filled with flowering plants.
  • I donโ€™t have a front garden, so I made one. I call it a micro garden. My cat Maahir seems to enjoy it ๐ŸŒธ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿ 

    cat behind window checks the new micro garden with plants temporarily on the sidewalk
  • This morning I had a resting heart rate of 42 beats per minute, the lowest measured in my life so far. I know running buddies who (claim to) have a HRrest as low as 34 bpm. Yay for supercompensation, the superior form of adaptation in sports physiology ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿฉบ

  • Preparing for a 10 km race this afternoon, 15.00 hours local time (CEST). With faster shoes and 3 kg weight loss I should be able to beat the 50:02 I ran six weeks ago, though itโ€™s 5โ„ƒ warmer today ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ

    Wish me luck, please, TIA!

    Pile of sports apparel and such.
  • Tried the new HOKA ONE ONE Carbon X 3 running shoe๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ ‘Twas an instabuy.

    Aaand, I got a discount on an already low price. It’s not the Nike Alphafly super shoe, but more affordable and still awesome for a slowpoke like me.

    single black running shoe

  • Sand from the last ice age exposed by human activities and excessive grazing.

    panoramic view of sand plane surrounded by forest
  • Now MyFitnessPal has become a festering pool of ads, I’ve switched to Lose It! It hasn’t the nice integration with Garmin Connect, but do I really need that? I need to get to a healthier weight than my current overweight.

  • On my long run this morning I saw the heather in bloom ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐ŸŒธ

    heather in bloom
  • One of my cats had to be vaccinated. He never leaves the house, so this is a big deal to him. The vet was nice to him and he got a clean bill of health, including his teeth. Now, back home, he seems himself again, busy grooming๐Ÿฑ

    cat in a carrier
  • It seems that for certain personalities, the 30-day challenge is counterproductive. Giving out virtual badges is demotivating for people who donโ€™t feel enthused by daily schedules @jean @manton

  • I’m happy that some have reconsidered skipping the race I’m competing in this afternoon, just because of the heat. A fit person, well hydrated and heat adjusted, should be able to run 15 km in 31โ„ƒ (88โ„‰) at a slightly slower pace. Nothing epic about those circumstances, at all.

  • I’ll be running in summer heat this afternoon, around 31โ„ƒ (88โ„‰), soโ€”aside from waterโ€”having a route for a 10 miles long easy pace run would be handy, especially if it’s uploaded to my Garmin watch ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ

    Map showing running route, 16.56 km long.

  • It seems that running ๐Ÿƒ in the heat improves running performance, even in colder weather, provided the runner is able to deal with performing in high temperatures. Since 30+โ„ƒ (86+ โ„‰) temperatures are expected coming Saturday, it makes sense to train under those conditions, right?

  • Yesterday I ran ๐Ÿƒ 21 km as a workout, alternating between marathon pace and 20 percent slower than MP. I expected to be extremely tired the day after, but I am not. Today’s a rest day, though I feel I could run. It’s a good feeling ๐Ÿ˜Š Rest is important, though, crucial even.

    Crossroad in forested area
  • I bought a jump rope. Jumping rope is a skill, so it takes time to learn. The urge is to go for broke, but that will get one injured. Slow and steady seems best, focussing on technique rather than volume.

  • New Dutch laws about e-vehicles (bikes, scooters, etc.) are mostly concerned about safety, because motorists expect the vehicles to be human-powered (slow). Of course, cars are the main cause of traffic accidents, so if e-vehicles can lower car-depency, that’s a good thing.

  • I got a notification from the Apple Health app, for a new trend in my sleep habits โ€ฆ Nothing. Meaning what changed was nothing; nothing changed. WTF Apple? I already knew that. Grrr ๐Ÿ˜ก Notifications are useless!

  • I suppose I never was an enthusiastic follower of anything (for long). Now I’m back to supporting zero people on Patreon. It’s not like I’m out of money; I’m out of enthusiasm for more than two months already for this channel.

  • Finished reading: De klokkenluider van de Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo ๐Ÿ“š

  • Even Victor Hugo was aware of innovation leading to disintermediation of centralized power, leading to more individual freedom, though not necessarily to more happiness. See this video by The Francophile Reader, and of course Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.