It seems that running 🏃 in the heat improves running performance, even in colder weather, provided the runner is able to deal with performing in high temperatures. Since 30+℃ (86+ ℉) temperatures are expected coming Saturday, it makes sense to train under those conditions, right?

Yesterday I ran 🏃 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 😊 Rest is important, though, crucial even.

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 … Nothing. Meaning what changed was nothing; nothing changed. WTF Apple? I already knew that. Grrr 😡 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 📚

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.

Finished reading: Rampjaar 1672 by Luc Panhuysen 📚

Currently reading: De klokkenluider van de Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo 📚

Currently reading: Rampjaar 1672 by Luc Panhuysen 📚

After having boiled water in a kettle on a gas stove for over 60 years, I finally was able to afford an electric kettle at half price. Instead of minutes it now takes seconds to boil water for a cuppa tea. Obviously better for the environment and my monthly budget, a win-win ♻️🏠

Yesterday I did my first training run of 18 km, on unfamiliar terrain. I expected to be super tired when I woke up this morning, but I felt great, and my resting heart rate was not elevated. Unlike previous times, my first week of marathon training went extremely well 🏃

I think where I went wrong every time in my marathon preparation is by training too hard. One shouldn’t be exhausted after a few weeks. Every session should be doable, tough at times, never too tough. Around races longer than 15 km should be ten days of easy going, and so on 🏃

When I picked the first names—both adjectives—of my cats I didn’t put much effort in it, yet in hindsight their meanings turned out fine. Aziz means mighty, and Maahir competent. Bengal cats are closer to nature than most breeds, and are prone to 😱 mischief and destruction🐱

Living in freedom is awesome. You can go out on your bike, without a helmet for fear of car traffic, nor the need for permits to pass military checkpoints, just to buy some flowers to plant in your garden.

Yesterday evening I did my first marathon training session, a 16 km aerobic pace run. Since I ran alone, I could pick my own route, so I made it a pretty route. I wasn’t fully recovered from the 12 km race 3 days earlier, so it felt harder than it should’ve 🏃

I ran a partial (4 of 12 km) trail (see Strava) in 23℃ (73 F) in 1 hour and 3½ minutes. It felt good and could mean a 4:09 hours marathon result in optimal conditions. I have still 5 months and a lot of training to go to possibly beat my marathon PR from 2004 (3:45 hours) 🏃

Why isn’t Keti Koti an official holiday yet in the Netherlands? It’s the celebration of the end of slavery, 159 years ago. The Dutch were notorious and brutal slave traders in their days. So Keti Koti should be celebrated, since it recognizes a basic human right, freedom for all.

I installed the commenting plugin for micro∙blog, but don’t expect much conversation from people who follow me, since they’re mostly still in bed with Facebook. Also, micro∙blog’s email link activation is still too clumsy to convince non-believers in the free and open web 🕸📔