This is not a picture of Huck

I spent the last week figuring out how to draw this figure with the Statistical/Graphics software R. I don't mean the last day, or the last hour, I mean the last week.

Needless to say, Elaine is the most programming-savvy member of the family. Huck might be a close second.

Run-Walk-Run

I am not a runner, I am a jogger. I jog, not because I enjoy it, but because I don't want to get fatter, and many things I do enjoy require a degree of physical fitness.

Huck really cuts into my frisbee/volleyball/basketball etc, so I've been jogging a little more regularly recently, often pushing a jog stroller.

I don't get too worked up about pace, but lately I've been very slow, creeping well above 10 minute miles when I have Huck in tow. I was primed to be susceptible to advice, which came in the form of an NYT article . (Yes I know its annoying to endlessly cite the Times and NPR, get over it)

The gist of the article and a companion piece here is that breaking up a run into running and walking intervals can be a good training technique and can actually INCREASE speed. Adding in walk/rest periods contributes so much recovery that you can offset the walking with faster running during the run intervals. At first glance, it seemed bogus, but then there were quotes from folks finishing marathons under 4 hours using the technique. I was also compelled by the notion that run-walk-run could reduce fatigue and injury.

Anywho, on today's jog I alternated 4 minute running periods with 1 minute walking periods and low and behold I cut 4 or 5 minutes off my route, with a total pace right around 10 minutes per mile. It feels like cheating to walk in the middle of a run and it doesn't keep your heart rate as high as long, but it's a training tool worth trying if you aren't alrealy a superstar.

Wildflower of the Week: Golden Banner

Lucky for me, my favorite outdoor activity is much easier to do with a four month old than is Travis's. Last Saturday Travis got a little fishing in while Huck and I had lunch, but most of our outing to Golden Gate State Park was spent hiking: a short hike with a park naturalist, and a 2.5 mile hike (hilly and at 9,000 ft) that was quite taxing after our sedentary week at sea level.



Like most babies, Huck loves walking and riding, and he'll put up with the occasional outdoor diaper change as long as it's not too cold.

There's always something good in the NYT magazine

Hale men occasionally tend towards hippyism. Dad had some seriously long 70's hair and Uncle Rosebud drove a sweet VW bus. My occasionally sloppy appearance isn't hate, it's heritage.

I sometimes attempt to directly stimulate my inner-hippy through books. I read some of dad's old Richard Brautigan novels and Confederacy of Dunces with much enjoyment.

Several years ago, I picked up Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for a quarter at a used book sale, hoping for a similar reading experience. I was sorely disappointed, I can't think of a worse book that I actually waded all the way through.

Anyways, Rosebud passed along an article from NYT Magazine that was what I imagined Zen to be before I actually read it. "The Case for Working With Your Hands" uses words like "gestalt" and "metacognition" as unpretentiously as possible to make a case for physical work as a stimulant to intellectual vigor. Nothing in the article should be particularly controversial -- it's pretty commonsensical -- but it's a good summary of the dangers of cubicle-conformity wrapped up in a particular guy's story. Worth a read.

Also worth a read is the latest Point-Counterpoint where Jim and I bloviate on tenure.

Anniversary

Elaine and I have been married 9 years as of today; I cannot believe how fast the time has passed. Thanks to all who have supported our family in large and small ways.

My grandfathers, my dad, and I all managed to hit the lottery in finding wonderful women to spend our lives with. I hope that Huck will be so lucky.

Editorials

I am contractually obligated to link to my new column in PaperMoney, where Jim and I argue over "markets".

Additionally, I thought this was pitch-perfect, great op-ed writing. I don't give a toot about the topic, but the writing was so informative and entertaining, that I read the whole thing .

Mood Lightener

Looking through our recent posts, it seems the page needs something fun on it: