From rssfeeds@jmason.org Thu Oct 10 12:32:02 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: yyyy@localhost.example.com Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1]) by jmason.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A161416F17 for ; Thu, 10 Oct 2002 12:32:01 +0100 (IST) Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1] by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0) for jm@localhost (single-drop); Thu, 10 Oct 2002 12:32:01 +0100 (IST) Received: from dogma.slashnull.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g9A804K13846 for ; Thu, 10 Oct 2002 09:00:04 +0100 Message-Id: <200210100800.g9A804K13846@dogma.slashnull.org> To: yyyy@example.com From: diveintomark Subject: Six Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 08:00:03 -0000 Content-Type: text/plain; encoding=utf-8 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-988.3 required=5.0 tests=AWL,T_NONSENSE_FROM_00_10,T_NONSENSE_FROM_10_20, T_NONSENSE_FROM_20_30,T_NONSENSE_FROM_30_40, T_NONSENSE_FROM_40_50,T_NONSENSE_FROM_50_60, T_NONSENSE_FROM_60_70,T_NONSENSE_FROM_70_80, T_NONSENSE_FROM_80_90,T_NONSENSE_FROM_90_91, T_NONSENSE_FROM_91_92,T_NONSENSE_FROM_92_93, T_NONSENSE_FROM_93_94,T_NONSENSE_FROM_94_95, T_NONSENSE_FROM_95_96,T_NONSENSE_FROM_96_97, T_NONSENSE_FROM_97_98,T_NONSENSE_FROM_98_99, T_NONSENSE_FROM_99_100 version=2.50-cvs X-Spam-Level: URL: http://diveintomark.org/archives/2002/10/09.html#six Date: 2002-10-09T19:54:41-05:00 Actually, 5.6. I clocked my “long loop” today and discovered that the run I thought was 6 miles is actually only 5.6. And the “short loop” I thought was 5 miles is actually only 4.6. I have an off-by-0.4 bug. This is very upsetting. I've lost 0.4 miles somewhere. If anyone finds them, can you please let me know? Thank you. I ran 9 miles last week, and 10 so far this week, even taking into account my off-by-0.4 bug. I fear I am turning into a runner. My father and I made fun of runners when I was growing up. He used to say that you never saw a runner smiling. We'd drive by runners, point at them, and say, “Look, another runner... not smiling!” This weighed heavily on my psyche in my formative years. So it is with some measure of shame that I admit that I am becoming a runner. Becoming a runner is actually not that difficult. Not surprisingly, it involves running. There's other stuff, too, eventually, but running is the important part. If you can run a mile, run a mile. If you can only run around the block, run around the block. Tomorrow you'll run around the block, and the next day you'll find you can run around two blocks. And next week you'll find you can run a mile. Then one day you'll run a mile, then stop to catch your breath, then get invigorated and run another mile. And then you're a runner. That's it, really. It's not complicated. You run, and you run, and you run. And one day, you discover that shoes are important, and that the old sneakers you threw on the first time you tried out this running thing out aren't actually very good for running. So you go buy new shoes, and you run, and you run, and you run. And later, you discover that stretching is important too, so you stretch and run, and stretch and run, and stretch and run. There's other stuff too, but it doesn't really matter until you're already a runner. You learn about differences in running surfaces. And how many miles you should really put on one pair of shoes. And when in the day you should run to maximize calorie burning. And how to train for a marathon, and so forth. Don't worry about any of that now. Just run. Running is key. Otherwise you're just another fat schmuck lying on the couch reading _Runner's World_.