Self-Hosted Problem

Self-Hosted Problem

Byrichard

Yesterday I was already out when I noticed that I forgot to restart the audiobookshelf instance on my server before the run. I could either go home, start the server, and run, or I could just go for my run and use the normal app instead.

By normal app I mean using Audible’s app rather than Audiobookshelf. Luckily I have books that I am reading on both apps so I can listen to either one or the other, without having to sync the player to the right place.

One of the issues that I come across, after installing the apps on so many instances is that I do some things so that it boots with every boot on one system but not the next. The result is that if I reboot to move the Pi from one place to another I need to restart the services. If I had not moved the app I would have no issue. Starting audiobookshelf takes a few seconds. It’s just a matter of remembering.

On the other side of things I was worried that playing books or podcasts via Audiobookshelf would be complicated by the lack of a car app but this isn’t the case. If you’re parked somewhere with a phone or wifi signal you can queue the podcast or book you want to listen to, press play and it will play through the sound system. It’s more fiddly than using a car play app, but not by much.

And Finally

Audiobookshelf is a great app that I like to use daily, for podcasts and audiobooks. Once it is set up it works very well. It’s great that it keeps track of what we have listened to and downloads recent podcasts. It doesn’t have a way to automate the importing of books but that will come with time.

Tired of Garmin and Apple, Playing With Casio
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Tired of Garmin and Apple, Playing With Casio

Byrichard

For a while now I have been wearing a Casio and an apple watch or a Garmin and an Apple watch, or a Casio and a Garmin watch or a xiaomi smart band and a casio or a xiaomi smart band and… it goes on.

A Break of Routine

The reason for which I’m flying between so many devices is two fold. I have too many devices. There was a time when I went climbing, hiking, cycling, diving, swimming, on via ferrata and more and I was happy with just one watch.

Collecting

Now, with the pandemic and other factors I seem to have more devices than arms, and no loyalty to either. I believe that it’s due, in part to walking the same loops over, and over, and over again. Every so often I walk clockwise and then I walk counter clockwise. I take the short route, then the medium route, and then the long route, and then the extra long route, and sometimes I backtrack, especially on weekends.

To break from that monotony I think I fiddle with various watches and tracking devices.

We think nothing of wearing a different pair of socks every day, or trousers, or t-shirts, but if we switch between watches, or wear two at once we’re lunatics.

Compulsion

If I wanted to be nasty about myself I’d say that I’m not a lunatic, I’m an addict. I feel the need to preserve my step count on as many services as possible, as a result of which I feel the urge to wear multiple devices each week.

Personal Fitness Tracking

There are two solutions to this. The first is a learning opportunity. Home Assistant and NextCloud have fitness tracking sort of built in. If I worked on updating HomeAssistant automatically, with data from Garmin, Apple, Casio and Xiaomi then I would have by data in a central place, and I could wear just one device at a time as the data aggregator I care about is my own.

Apple and Garmin

Apple and Garmin have frustrated me with their apps. They have taken fitness tracking and tried to make it an addiction. Apple and Garmin want you to push yourself every day, seven days a week for years. I burned out on Apple several times and yet I can’t stop wearing their device. My steps are counted by my phone anyway. Garmin has been faulty on occasion. It has crashed on some walks.

Stop Hesitating

The second solution is to pick one device and to stick with it, without flitting between one and the other. I feel myself drawn to Casio at the moment. I like that it tracks without nagging, and without judgement. I also like that I can go for months or even years without the need to charge.

The Paradox

Garmin, Apple and Xiaomi don’t care about walking as fitness habits, so you wear them every single day, but they won’t mark your fitness as progressing. You’re quantifying for the sake of quantifying, and wearing a casio would be fine.

Yesterday Garmin asked if I wanted to join the beta so I did, but I need to run or cycle for two weeks for the app to provide me with feedback.

And Finally

For years I wore a Suunto, and then for years I wore an Apple Watch, and then I played with an Apple Watch and a Garmin device, and now I feel like experimenting with Casio, as I did when I was a child.
Casio stand out now, because everyone already has an Apple Watch or a Garmin device, but few wear Casio.

Fourty Five Days with the Cloudneo
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Fourty Five Days with the Cloudneo

Byrichard

Intro


On Cloudneo are shoes that you rent, rather than own. They are designed for running but you can also use them for walking. They are designed for dry, warm weather, rather than wet. They are designed to last from three months to six months depending on how quickly you wear them out. They are brilliantly white when new, but within two or three runs they lose their luminescence.


Circular – Use – Reuse


These shoes are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the shoes we wear. They are made from beans, rather than petroleum based products. Once you’re done with a pair you send it back to the manufacturer, so that they are grounded back down and turned into a new pair of shoes. In theory you never own them. In practice they are just extremely easy to recycle.


Comfort When Running


I have run with them in heavy rain, sunny weather, through grass, mud and a river that was running down a road. I was so used to the trail glove 7 that I had to get used to normal shoes, and the difference in the feel and centre of gravity. I found that with these shoes my ankles rolled on uneven terrain. I attribute this to being used to barefoot shoes, rather than a design flaw.


With some running shoes I notice that I feel knee strain if I run too hard, or after a certain distance. I find that with these shoes my knees feel okay. I have run five or more kilometres several times.


Slippery when Wet


The shoes are designed for warm, dry weather so when you’re running in Switzerland, over slippery surfaces you will slip and show that you were a snowboarder or skier multiple times. They’re sub-optimal for rainy and muddy conditions. When it’s raining water will make its way through to your socks within seconds or minutes. The one advantage with these shoes is that they’re made from such minimal material that if they get wet they dry by themselves overnight, ready for the next day. Shoes that dry quickly don’t need to be waterproof because they dry fast.


Walking Comfort


Although they are not marketed or purposed as walking shoes I have used them on a variety of walks. They felt good until I tightened the laces. I could feel a pressure point where I had accidentally flipped the lace around. When I identified that this was the problem they were more comfortable to wear, once again. When I run up and down the stairs in this building they’re quieter than other shoes.


Mud Removal


Although the shoes are mediocre to bad in mud they are very easy to brush clean once you get home after a run or walk. This is important to me. In Autumn, Winter and Spring shoes can get very muddy. The lack of tread that makes them bad in the wet makes them great for cleaning. A few brush strokes and they’re clean, ready for walking indoors.


Cost


These shoes are designed to last for about 600 kilometres, as are most shoes, so if you run or walk a lot you will replace them sooner than every six months. After 45 days of use, but without a clear idea of distance, although at least 75 kilometres the only signs of wear are a slight loss of tread on the front of the shoe, and a discoloration on the rest of the shoe. Running in muddy and flooded conditions has that effect on shoes. If you walk and run 240 kilometres per month you will replace them within three months.


If you replace your shoes after three months they have cost you 105 CHF. If you replace them after six months they have cost 210 CHF. The more you walk and run in them, the sooner they need to be replaced, and the more rational they are to own.


Limitations


At the moment Cloudneo shoes are designed for running on asphalt, rather than mud or gravel. They’re good on dry surfaces but tend to slip on painted road surfaces and slick mud. If it’s raining your feet will get wet although despite running in 6°c temperatures my feet did not get cold.


Niche Use


I walk eight kilometres per day. This comes to 720 kilometres every three months. If I replace my shoes every three months then I go through four pairs of shoes per year. By using the Neocloud shoes for walking and running the shoes that I used for three months are recycled and reused for the same purpose.


And Finally


You have a month to see that the shoes fit. They prefer for you to test them for fit indoors, so that the shoes do not get dirty as this would result in them being recycled too early, rather than reused by someone without recycling. The minimum contract duration after the one month trial is six months which comes to 210 francs. If you use one pair per six months they cost that to own. If you replace them after three months this falls to 105 Francs.


It doesn’t bother me that shoes are not weatherproof but it does bother me that the sole doesn’t have grip on wet and muddy surfaces. Yesterday I slid several times walking out of the village. With other shoes I wouldn’t. They need to provide shoes that are good in wet and muddy conditions so that this becomes a year round solution, rather than in good road conditions.


These shoes are not worth 210 CHF, and at 105 CHF they’re still expensive compared to other options. I feel that this is a six month experiment, to experience high end running shoes but that when I can I will end the contract.

A Good Run

A Good Run

Byrichard

It’s good to vary between walking, cycling and running. I even threw in skateboarding but I am not confident at that sport yet. The beauty of walking, cycling and running is that these are sports that you can do straight from home, without getting into a car, and without having to put up with other drivers. The one drawback is that dangerous drivers endanger you on every outing, but that’s another topic.

Comfortable

Although I was worried that I would regret running with barefoot shoes, after wearing them for over six hundred kilometres I can say that they were the right choice. The reason for which they were the right choice is that now, rather than run two kilometres before my knees hurt I can run for five kilometres and reach the goal I wanted to achieve. I wanted to be able to run five kilometres comfortably, and I can.

No Extra baggage

For this run I took no backpack, no lumbar bag or any other form of bag. I had my phone, some cars in case, and my house keys. I don’t usually run so light. I didn’t expect rain. I didn’t expect to feel thirsty, and I didn’t expect to need the external battery pack, to recharge the phone. I didn’t even take earphones.

The Route

Originally I was thinking of running the usual route, to avoid being near homicidal car drivers but I noticed that there was a village party, which I didn’t want to run through. I changed my routing and it had me run up a steep road for several hundred meters before turning left and heading down towards the lake, and then turning right along the motorway. That’s not really the point. The point is that I routed it perfectly, so that I stopped running just as I got to a busy road where I sometimes have to wait for cars to pass.

Quiet

It was quiet on this run. I saw one or two walkers and one runner. In a different age, and time, I might have said hello, but in this day and age it is better not to. She was doing interval running, but when she had a rest interval she took the rest part more seriously than I do. When I’m told to rest I walk at full speed. That is my rest pace.

It was busy with dogs and walkers on another route but I always avoid routes where I expect to meet dog walkers. I don’t want dogs to jump on me, and force me to overcome my desire to run away.

And Finally

Running allows you to experience the same route as you would walk, in half the time. It’s a way of enjoying the outdoors, without devoting the same amount of time. I would not replace walking with running, because I like taking the time to walk that route. By walking you can read a lot of audio books, but you also take a break from sitting and being indoors.

By running I am forced to look at where I’m going, as well as to think of how my feet are hitting the ground. I consider the route. Today I surprised a heron that hid behind some trees. It saw me and flew away.

The Case for Trail Glove 7

The Case for Trail Glove 7

Byrichard

Yesterday I went for an after lunch run. It was the seventh of Septembre and despite this I felt myself getting warm. The air temperature is currently around 29°c in September, when it should be declining to 20°c or less. It’s warm, and almost uncomfortable. I don’t know whether it’s because I was running, rather than walking or cycling, or because the humidity is higher. In either case we have had summer temperatures for months now, and the weather never changes. It’s always warm and sunny.

When it’s constantly warm and sunny there is never a valid reason for not spending an hour or two in the sun, which gets in the way of being indoors, working towards other goals.

No Suffering

Despite the trail glove 7 I use having 500+ kilometres on them they still feel fine. They are the best running shoes I have used in a while. I don’t know whether it’s because I gave myself time to heal from training over winter, whether it’s because my ground strikes have changed, with the wearing of barefoot shoes, or if they are just better for people like me to run in.

Not Instant

I still walked around 500 kilometres before I started to use them as running shoes, so my stride type, and foot positioning had time to adjust to this shoe type. Now I am benefiting from taking the time to transition from one style of shoes to the other. I have managed three 5 kilometre runs, without pain or regret. I consider this a victory, given how much some running shoes can cost. These are cheap.

Possibilities

If my knees do not hurt as I run, then I can consider longer runs once again. I set myself the goal of five kilometres because I knew that if I tried for 10 or more kilometres I would feel pain. If that pain is no longer an issue then new doors open up. The aim isn’t to push until it hurts. The aim is to confirm that five kilometres are fine, and comfortable, and then extend my range.

And Finally

I got so used to wearing minimal shoes that normal shoes now look absurd to me. it’s funny to see how used we are to seeing the thick soles of normal shoes. If normal shoes had not let me down so quickly after purchase I would have continued wearing normal shoes, but now that I have made the switch I am happy with the new style of shoes.
If winter ever comes I might revert to normal shoes, but for now minimalist shoes are serving me well.

Running in Trail Glove 7 and Thoughts on The Venu 3

Running in Trail Glove 7 and Thoughts on The Venu 3

Byrichard

For the second time in a few days I ran over five kilometres in the Trail Glove 7 shoes without my knees or other parts of my body suffering. With other shoes I would have stopped after two kilometres but for some reason I can run further with Trail Glove 7

Fewer Runs Per Week

At the moment I am running 5k but one or two weeks elapse between runs so my body has time to recover and adapt to running. My knees are under less stress as a result.

Different Foot Attitude

With normal shoes I would rely on the heel of the shoe to amortise the shock that is then transmitted to my knees. With the Trail Glove 7, especially warn out ones I tend to land on the front of my foot and absorb some of the shock before the heel hits the ground. I also adapted my walking style after several months of walking in various barefoot shoes.

Running in the Grass By the Side of The Road

When possible I was running in the grass by the side of the road. This lessens the forces that are at play. I think my body does benefit from trying to run along a softer route.

1 KG of CO2 Saved

According to the Suunto App my run saved one kg of CO2 yesterday. That’s good for the environment. If I get in ship I could run to the shops and back, rather than using a car and I would save more, benefiting the environment.

For an activity to count as saving CO2 it has to start at point A and end at point B. If you start and stop in the same place it does not count as saving Co2. This is a shame as I think that walks that start at home and end at home, without the use of a car save CO2.

Quick Thoughts On The Venu 3

Looking at headlines the two unique selling points are that it can track naps, and that it is more wheel chair friendly. The drawback to this watch is that it is a 500 CHF watch that wants to be a smart watch and a fitness tracker rather than a sports watch. For this reason I have little to no interest in it, despite liking siestas.

And Finally

The Apple Watch Challenge for this month is to stand for 12 hours a day for at least fourteen days. That’s not a challenge. That’s forcing me to wear the watch, like an addict, for 12hrs, to stand. I don’t want watches to make me stand. I want watches that let me live my life, and track how my fitness is improving, or degrading over time, without using “addiction” as a motivator. That’s why I like Suunto.

Conclusion

I don’t regret getting the Trail Glove 7. I find them comfortable for walking and running, especially on grass and soil, by the side of roads.

80/20 Running into Practice
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80/20 Running into Practice

Byrichard

I have been putting the 80/20 running rule into practice. The principal is simple. Instead of running to your max you run at a comfortable pace for most of your running instead. Instead of pushing yourself to be fast, you push yourself to have endurance. You train at a pace that is 80 percent or less of your maximum, to perform better when you race.


Train for Endurance, Not Speed


The concept is rational. You could train to your max but by doing so you tire yourself emotionally, physically and mentally. Instead of improving you hit a wall. The 80 percent rule builds on the idea that by training consistently at a lower intensity 80 percent of the time you build stamina and endurance.


With the Garmin program by Greg I find myself having to slow down, rather than speed up. I find that I need to run at a pace that is easy, rather than strenuous. With other coaches they say “do 150-200 steps for 30 seconds, then do glides etc.” Others say “Run this distance” and “Now run that distance”.


I prefer the coaching I have now. “Run at this pace for that duration” It isn’t about distance, and it isn’t about duration so much as it is about pace. I have to consciously tell myself to slow down, to take it easy. It isn’t that far from running pace. I know I can run faster. I need the discipline to slow down.


I am avoiding speed because I want to keep my knees from hurting. I want to strengthen them gradually, by training at a lower intensity, to give them the time to adapt and toughen up. This isn’t about speed. This is about being able to run sustainably for longer distances, without discomfort. Today I felt that I am getting to that goal. I felt that I could run for longer.


A Dog Chase


I actually stopped running because a dog, that was not kept on a lead, showed interest in me, and then charged me. I left the road and it followed, so I stopped in a field. For an instant I was convinced that I would be bitten today. It felt that way. I thought it had finally happened again.


Normally I would avoid a car, especially one that stops there, because usually dogs jump out and tend to charge. I didn’t turn around and change route. My habit of turning around and choosing another route, is justified after what happened. I hate that I keep being attacked. No, the dog didn’t bite me, but it did run after me. Dogs do that. That’s why I walked with hiking sticks before. That’s why on one route I picked up a big branch.


Dogs scare me. They threaten me several times a year. If I had continued running it would have bit me. I had to stop, so that it would stop. I am tired of overcoming my fear of dogs on every walk. I am even more tired of having my fears confirmed by these attacks, several times a day. I class a dog that threatens or runs after me as an attack.


Next time I will walk the other way. I will not walk towards a car that is stopping. Once again my fear is justified.

Mischievous Shoelaces

Mischievous Shoelaces

Byrichard

Today I went for a run earlier than usual and had to deal with mischievous shoelaces. They decided to come undone at least three times during the first three kilometres before I finally got them to behave.


I went for a run earlier than usual because rain is forecast for this afternoon and if I go after lunch then I get rained on. I prefer not to run in the rain, if I can avoid it.


It rained anyway, but light rain. The type that doesn’t soak your clothes and you down to the bone. It was rain that is noticed, but doesn’t stick around. It evaporates by the time you’re done with the run.


Today’s run was meant to be a 5.6km run and I did run most of the distance, except for the three stops to retie shoe laces, and a short walk when I felt I didn’t have much energy after yet another climb. A run that should have taken half an hour took fourty minutes. I did not feel as energetic as sometimes and this wasn’t helped by having to stop and start a few times.


I’m on week 11 of 12 of this training program so when next week is done I will be able to try another training program. The aim will still be 5k, but with a better time.


And Finally


I am trying to develop a running habit but I still don’t enjoy it. I still struggle to run the required distance. With cycling I struggle to go at a certain speed, or over a specific distance but I don’t find it as hard. Walking comes naturally to me. I don’t struggle. Walking and cycling feel natural. I haven’t reached that, with cycling. The day that I can daydream whilst running is the day that I will have achieved my goal.


Cycling and Running

Cycling and Running

Byrichard

I like cycling, hiking and climbing rather than running but I read an article that makes me think that cycling and running are incompatible. In one sport the leg becomes a spring and as you run it becomes fine tuned to reflect the energy back into forward motion whereas in cycling torque is key.


Why Do Cyclists Have Bigger Legs explores the physiological difference between running and cycling. Specifically a runner wants muscles that are springy and provice forward motion whereas as cyclist wants to provide torque and downwards force to propel the bike forwards. Apparently trail running and cycling are better friends because both require more strength and power to “raise” the body.


“Any cyclist who has ever tried running will know, those first few runs can lead to quite a bit of discomfort in the Achilles tendon and lower gastrocnemius (calf) muscle.” As I type this blog post I can feel that pain in my achilles tendons. I can feel when I’m running, compared to cycling and that’s why I try to increase the distance I run gradually. I know that my heart can cope with running, but I don’t want to strain my tendons, ligaments and joints too much. I don’t want to end up injuring myself.


The article explores the need to generate a lot more force in cycling than in running. This is especially true when climbing steep gradients. When you’re on a steep gradient you need to be able to press down with a lot of force, for extended periods of time to get to the top so it makes sense not just to have good cardio health but also the muscle strength to follow.


This shows that although cycling feels like a cardio sport it isalso about building the right leg muscles to cope with the demands of the sport. I often trained my upper body for climbing when I went to the gym but I didn’t train it for cycling. For cycling I used Zwift so I didn’t notice whether my legs changed in shape or volume.


I read this out of curiousity and interest.

Running In High Winds
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Running In High Winds

Byrichard

Yesterday I tried running and walking in high winds. I have cycled and walked in high winds but I had not yet had the sensation of running in high wind and it is quite interesting. In cycling you feel that the wind pushes your bike to the side, and you counteract the wind.


With running in high wind I found that if I ran with the wind then my body behaved as a sail and I could feel the wind pushing me faster than usual. Of course the legs and cardiovascular system need to keep up. It’s when you turn perpendicular to the wind that it becomes interesting. As the feet lift the ground the wind pushes them laterally so that the right foot bangs into the left leg. I had to avoid tripping.


wind speed and weather information
wind speed and weather information


According to Strava the wind speed was 40km/h. According to Garmin the wind speed reached 59 kilometres per hour. Coping with the cold is the second challenge. In such conditions you want to be dressed warmly. The more of you is covered, the warmer you remain.


Before the run I went to take video of the waves by the lake. I got hit by a few waves and my core body temperature fell. I then went for a slow walk where I could really feel the cold again. I didn’t expect to run. I was cold. Staying home made more sense.


I ran. I expected I would turn around and give up. I didn’t. I turned and my back was to the wind, and that’s when the wind eventually started to push me forwards and I had to fight it from pushing me too fast. Usually I reach a river, I run beyond it, and then I run down to the village and continue from there.


Yesterday I reached the running goal, and turned to head home. That’s when I turned into the wind, and had to walk into it. I stepped forward, but sometimes I had no inertia due to the force of the wind. I had to wait for the wind to slow, before being able to continue my walk.


This was the type of wind where only eccentric people, and dog walkers, walk. It’s the type of weather where you want to be wrapped in layers and protect as much as possible from the cold wind. I had a cagoule and a cap. I tilted my head downwards, and used the visor to protect myself from the wind, and to prevent it from blowing off.


I will leave you with this: an article about the consequences of the high winds.