Thursday, March 30, 2006

large dogs



I met the owner of this monster on a snake forum. Well, actually we were talking about spiders, but I digress.


This is the largest dog in Canada. It appears to be uncontested for that crown. At 107kg (235 pounds) I'm very curious about the feed bill.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Uuncontested largest dog in Canada



Sarge, the Boarhound (German bred great danes used for hunting wild boars)

He is 235 lbs, and apparently, the uncontested largest dog in Canada.





Couch potato.


I saw this on the MHS board. What's this guy's feed bill like?


MHS board thread..

Monday, March 27, 2006

More snake issues



I'm in the thick of a new interest. Check in later and I'll be onto something else. In middle age, I've managed to attain a very broad base of knowledge. Stay tuned. :P


I was hoping to get some decent images of my 50/50 California King snake, but it wasn't to be. He's incredibly quick, but handling his fast responses wasn't the troublesome points we finally gave in to.



When I'd handled him previously, I'd become aware that his cloaca was protruding. I was careful not to catch that lifted scale the wrong way, but was concerned that it was like that at all. As it turns out, I think it's part of it's defensive stratagy, indicating he's stressed about the pressure of being in hand.


Garter snakes do it too and will often ooze a subtance that is very foul smelling to encourage you to move on to other interests. I didn't notice any unpleasant smell, but there was enough of the fluid to make it unpleasant to handle. There was a pool of it on the floor before we were done.


Needless to say, the images I wanted will have to wait for another day.


If you follow the tail down with your eyes, you can see the drips flowing down.








He eats like a champ though. From what others were saying about this species, I was expecting a very strong feeding response, but it really wasn't a strike that looked entirely confident. Maybe the move and handling have been a bigger stress factor than I was giving it weight for.



Sunday, March 26, 2006

More images



I'm getting caught up on some of the image processing around here.



This was the snake that started it all.


corn_snake_boo0_750


Manon in full makeup for the recent school production of M.A.S.H.


mash_makeup_750 manon





Bonnie's brother Julien in Quebec is a sports active kind of guy.


hockey_750 Julien


Our beautiful Boo.


bonnie_750


Bonnie's Mama Christine and our own peach, Claudel.


christine_claudel_750


Julien


julien0_750


Bonnie's Papa and Julien.


julien_gaetan_750


Another shot of the corn snake that started the trouble.


corn_snake0_750 manon


Meagan, the chicken killing dog.


chair_750 meagan


Bonnie's pet rat Daisy.


boo_daisy_750


I think this was acting, but sometimes it's difficult to say whether the real Manon has stood up.


pout_750


Another shot of Christine.


christine_750


Julien


julien_750


Christine.


christine0_750


These were taken last night. PU was in the city helping her Dad and the mood at home was pretty light. It's amazing to think of Manon in the terms these images suggest.





hall_work_750


Before work at the hall.


hall_work0_750


Before work at the hall.


hall_work1_750


hall.


hall_work2_750


A throw back of Bonnie and her earlier interest in frogs. Can you feel the poke in your ribs Mum?


frog_750 young Bonnie


A comfortable day in winter. Tom chewed the cat rather than licked it though, so the cat isn't as tolerant of attention now.


tom_cat_750


I made a couple of shorter 60cm cage hooks for snakes this afternoon. Now I can be a bit braver about what I might consider for my collection.


short hooks finished


Saturday, March 25, 2006

More herps



** Edit ** I had to change a bunch of the links here. They should be good to go.


Last night I took Manon and Bonnie into the city to the home of an arachnaculturist. She had several people from the MHS (Manitoba Herpetoculture Society) in for an informal talk about spiders.

The displays were countless. The conversation ranged from herp hunting trips in Peru to successful spider breeding stories. The ever popular black widow and a wide variety of tarantulas were there, but there were also roaches. Big roaches. < g > Bonnie was in like a dirty shirt and had one out and onto her arm in no time. I was less inclined to touch one than run screaming in the other direction.


Our host had saved the weekly feedings for our benefit. A young corn snake and a bull snake were fed small frozen and thawed mice. Many spiders were fed crickets.


There were new world and old world critters. The old world spiders apparently have a stronger venom, but no barbed hairs on the abdomen to irritate the daylights out of ones skin like the new world varieties. There were arboreal, semi arboreal and obligated burrowing spiders to appreciate. Tank after tank went by with the more knowledgeable in the crowd, oohing and awing while excitedly asking informed questions.


Books, images, and some nicely matched and innovative nachos and salsa helped a whole lot of sleep deprivation on my part, go down a little easier.


Too many very late nights!.


I was out to see Jason Collett this week too. My eldest wanted me out on my birthday. The Pyramid Cabaret was made even thinner in quality by Collett showing up inebriated for work. It was brutally sad, but apropos. So much so, that I had a very good time with the company I kept irrespective of the disappointing performance. It's good to have some distance with those days myself.


I was organising some images and deciding where to commit to hosting some of my habits in imaging and thought I'd post so all interested could be caught up and others could learn to avoid them


Bonnie's little girl getting a whiff of a live rat.


I smell a rat - 05 female bp (ball python) or Python Regius


I missed capturing the iridescence, but the focus was reasonable. Tweaking this little digital is sometimes tricky. The next time I buy one, I'll likely buy it very carefully around the support for excellent macro functions.


Scales close up on the male bp





This is mine now, but I've yet to get a better image. They are an very fast species of snake. He's a real brute on the musking too. He drips a foul smelling liquid when he's unhappy. Yuckerooosville!


My male 50/50 California King snake at Tim's


Thanks for the hand with the drilling ideas Dad. These are easy to make and cheap too. today I used the same technique to open up a side door. Slow and steady wins the race with tarra cotta drilling. < g >


Tera cotta hide


Some of these I've posted before.


Manon and the Brazilian red tailed boa


I love these snakes. I managed to turn down a very attractive sale this weekend. Go me!


Dream snake. Tim's Irian Jaya Carpet python


Kevin's new mountain horned dragons.


mountain750 Kevin's mountain dragon


mountain5_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


mountain4_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


mountain3_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


mountain2_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


My favourite shot of the series.


mountain1_brighter higher resolution shot


mountain1_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


mountain0_750 Kevin's mountain dragon


My adult male python regius. He weighs in at just under 700 grams and measures just over a meter in length.


towel3 male bp


I like this shot too. It shows off how big he is I think.





hanging0 male bp


My favourite of the spiders last night.


rosie_750 MHS meeting at Sheri's


towel male bp


arm0 male bp


arm male bp


leg0 male bp


leg male bp


An old favourite.


casey


One through ten here are a series about making a snake hook.


one 03_06


two 03_06


three 03_06


four 03_06


five 03_06


six 03_06


seven 03_06





eight 03_06


nine 03_06


The finished product.





Can you hear the garlic singing? Spring is underway.


garlic_scrubs 05


More that I think some have seen before.


pre_shed - king


Both these post shed images of Bonnie's ball python were so remarkable. The change to a bright new skin is remarkable to witness.


post_shed_3_1_06_750 05


post_shed0_3_1_06_750 05 female bp


Yum. Another few thousand in camera purchases and I might even be happy.


Female bp The close up feature of this camera is becoming more familiar. I got some definition in the iris.



preshed_750 - male bp


That's iridescence the camera isn't portraying well on the top of her head.


head - female bp




Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Darwin awards



Of course you all have checked the 2005 Darwin awards. Did you see anyone you recognised?




The hard line isn't cheap!



The Hard Line to Save Son - by TOM BRODBECK


This was in the Winnipeg Sun this morning:


Caroline, a single mother of two teens, said she was running out of options when she sent her troubled, quarrelsome 14-year-old son to a military-style, private boarding school in Ontario last year.

Technically, it's not a boot camp. But as a rigorous, highly disciplined academy that teaches respect, loyalty and responsibility, it may as well be." Read more...



I can't believe that a harder line would have done me any good. God knows, they tried. Spanking and whatever negative input only served to hack away my self esteem and destroy any hope of a positive self image.


My parents are wholly off the hook on this. What chance did they have to do anything differently than they did? I'd guess next to none, given the models they came to parenting with. What was standard wisdom then was much different than now.


With our youngest (12), it seems I've had some success softening the hard line, PU (whif) finds it second nature. We absolutely pounded the school on these issues this year. Not a ball was dropped on my part and I hounded every move to make it as accountable a process as I could. The pattern for years has been that by Christmas break things are beginning to fall apart and by spring break it's chaos.


Yesterday Manon brought home a glowing report card with unprecedented levels of performance. Even with the thickest teacher she managed a 75%.

Fight!
Ian

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Snake hook construction



Mum, you'll have to be patient with me. You've seen the pattern before. heheh I took an hour after work and made myself a kick ass snake hook. There's nothing quite like having a shop is there? It's the sweetest thing I do in life is to hammer out something like this where the gratification is almost instant. I really should do more of it.


The last time I bent .250" rod was for a bike rack to fit on my road bike. I actually hauled that thing out last year and cleaned some of the bird crap off it. I think I'll finish the job and buy new rubber for it and get back to doing some cycling. It'll off set some of the running.

I put in my three miles in an absolutely brilliant sunny day. No wind, and so blue it was tough to go back inside. I was slow and heavy with whatever is ailing me, but it was nice to be out anyway. I didn't have to yank on Tom's chain once! That's a first. He's got some "go" that boy. He's absolutely trashed Megan's dish. Someone on the MHS board suggested filling the base with concrete. I thought that sounded like a good plan. However, stainless steel is an even better bet I think.









I'm so glad not to be in the city at this time of year. It's still so bright and white here, even as the sun gets carried away with the heat of spring pushing in. I found a snow sliding saucer sunk down a foot by the house today. I guess the sun's heat had soaked into the dark blue colour and melted itself down toward the dirt. Nothing showing in the garden yet, but soon. This spring I'll be jumping on the tiller early to try and beat back a bit of the pasture for a garden on higher ground. I'm sick of moss! My luck it'll be all drought for years to come. I'm hedging my bets by keeping some of the old garden going. Mother nature always finds ways to keep ahead of me though, so I'm sure to learn something new again this year.


So here's the construction series for the snake hook. It turned out well I thought.


The head cut off from the shaft of the golf club.





Turned and drilled the plug to fit the shaft and the hook material then cut it off and later trimmed it up.





Here's the plug fit over the hook material.





The hook material fit to the plug.





Bent, but unfinished hook.





Close fitting hook in the plugged shaft.





The finished hook.





The smoothly rounded hook tip.





The flat flat. :P





The finished snake hook.





Spring



You know it's spring when...


the garlic at the bottom of the pail is just a collection of wasted bits of culls from the fall harvest.


We've had little sun this winter, but today was brilliant. I ran a slow three miles at lunch and loved the solitude of where we live. Not even the sound of distant traffic to distract from the glory of the day. I ran for thirty some minutes and never once saw a car in the middle of the day. What a neighbourhood.


The down side is that I can't keep my eyes open. Apparently if one is going to run, one needs to sleep.


And now for something completely different. I found some outstanding Irian Carpet Pythons at a really good price.


garlic_scrubs



Sunday, March 19, 2006

Another one home



Another Royal Python home safe and sound. I went to hear a guy talk about chameleons last night in the city. He's breeding them in his bedroom. :D You gotta love enthusiasm.

The talk was amazing, but the best was being taken into see these guys get fed.


We had watched a DVD about chameleons that was well produced and full of good information combined with lots of amazing images. Then we were taken in to see these guys nab food out of Wade's fingers.


I didn't know the tongues were quite that long. Their tongues are 1.5 times their body length. It's quite a show to see them grab food. A good time was had by all and I got to bring home another snake. It's a male ball (Royal) python to be a mate for Bonnie's. We'll have to wait a few years, but the prospects are good for having some nice looking "normals". He's about to shed, so he's blue eyed and blind as a bat. Apparently he's been quite quiet for a few months which is common through the winter. That is to say he hasn't eaten in ages.





I tucked him into his new home in a simple lab type set up in the shop. I bought a display tank at a good price last night to show something off. I really want an Irian Jaya Carpet Python, but I may have to go back to work for a while first.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

snake shots



The forked tongue of the serpent.


Another tongue shot


The same only different. :P


The irredecent character is very attractive live.


There is a live rat over there! She's obviously settling in.


A head shot.


Close up shots are not easy to focus with this camera, but this shot got the eye details pretty well.


My new California King snake isn't keen on being handled when it's blind as a bat. Go figure! The milky eyes give away the pre molt stages.



Friday, March 17, 2006

Egg loving



I don't eat my eggs like this.
I promise.

dead duck, and chickens too



Sometimes it's difficult to be a dog owner. Especially one with chickens. For fifteen or more years, I've bred a back yard flock of layers. Yesterday it all went for naught. Our indoor dog got off her line outside while I was in the city and killed 19 birds. I've four layers and a muskovy duck left. So sad.





On a brighter note, I'm the proud owner of a California King snake.





I brought it home last night. I could never have imagined myself being a snake lover until recently. I was scared of snakes until I was forced to suck it up so my kids weren't raised with unfounded fears. Life is weird if you try. :P


Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Google launches map of Mars

Google Mars.

I love this. Bells and whistles. Now one can learn the details of the martian landscape just like it was my home planet. Well, almost.

Monday, March 13, 2006

detaching with love does not mean disengaging

These are the tools to move toward emotional health.

I posted what's listed below tonight to an ongoing thread on the addforums.com site.  I thought it might be of interest to some others.  

This started for me in earnest last year at this time with another post to addforms.com.

=================

None of my hyperlinks followed to the cut here.  If you want better formatting for the intended embedded links you are best to go to the first link above if this is of interest.
Ian

Wikipedia is taking over my life. :D I am so grateful for the resources of the Internet.

I'm having a discussion elsewhere about detachment and ended up finding some more solid information. I was surprised that the term was misleading to some. It's been mistaken for something more closely related to disengaging, which is not the same thing at all.

The link to emotional detaching at Wikipedia was very clear about the terms. I use it almost exclusively in relation to the second sense.

In the second sense, it is a type of mental assertiveness that allows people to maintain their boundaries and psychic integrity when faced with the emotional demands of another person or group of persons.

Second sense: mental assertiveness

Emotional detachment in the second sense above is a positive and deliberate mental attitude which avoids engaging the emotions of others. It is often applied to relatives and associates of people who are in some way emotionally overly demanding. A simple example might be a person who trains themselves to ignore the "pleading" food requests of a dieting spouse. A more widespread example could be the indifference parents develop towards their children's begging.

A more extreme form of this has been called "tough love," meaning letting someone go through a painful life experience without interference for the sake of its greater educational value. This can be an excruciating experience for loved ones, who must avoid the urge to step in and rescue the person from that pain (but thereby interfere with the loved one having a much-needed growing experience).

This detachment does not mean avoiding the feeling of empathy; it is actually more of an awareness of empathetic feelings that allows the person space needed to rationally choose whether or not to engage or be overwhelmed by such feelings.

Referred at this Wikipedia entry is a link for developing detachment that I found really solid too. It's titled Tools for handling control issues.

Content:

* What is detachment?
* What are the negative effects not detaching?
* How is detachment a control issue?
* What irrational thinking leads to an inability to detach?
* How to develop detachment
* Steps in developing detachment



Emotional contagion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Emotional contagion is the tendency to express and feel emotions that are similar to and influenced by those of others. Emotional contagion may be involved in crowd behaviors, like collective fear, rage, or moral panic, but also emotional interactions in smaller groups such as negotiation, teaching and persuasion contexts. It is also the phenomenon when a person (especially a child) appears distressed because another person is distressed, or happy because they are happy.

To date, most clinical research has focused on the effects on non-verbal (and often non-emotional) displays, and relatively less has been studied about the impact of contagion effects on emotional feelings. Emotional contagion and empathy may be related, but the nature of such a connection has not to date been explored either.

The concept of insulating oneself from emotional contagion is called emotional detachment.
I still feel very strongly that this is an important element in my personal development. It spans the universe in it's impact on how I relate to every important element in my life. I could never have too much from this skill set.

So much of this gets to the heart of how we might be manipulated or how we may do the manipulation consciously or not. If I could stand to enquire more deeply, this would feed many avenues of interest for me.

happy kids are what I'm after... me=kid!


Julian Beever



Julian Beever has some new ones posted. This guy amazes me. I've seen most of these, but the new ones were worth another trip to his site.




Hey! Someone's awake!

Good news by my estimation. Maybe we still can be an independent country.

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1160

The Alberta government last week introduced Bill 20, which is designed to stop compelled disclosures of personal information under the USA Patriot Act. The bill creates fines of up to $500,000 for violating provincial laws governing disclosure of records. The fines arise for violation of the following provision:

"A person must not wilfully disclose personal information to which this Act applies pursuant to a subpoena, warrant or order issued or made by a court, person or body having no jurisdiction in Alberta to compel the production of information or pursuant to a rule of court that is not binding in Alberta."

With B.C. and Alberta leading the way on this issue, the pressure for action at the federal level should continue to grow.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Life in the fast lane



OK, so I've developed a thing for snakes. Actually, it's all those reptile, amphibian, arachniphoia type things. Always interested in perception. < g >


I do not want to be first on the scene for this shipment though.




Saturday, March 11, 2006

Perspective



Some of these I'd seen before, but some were new. I think these sidewalk perspective chalk drawings are so cool.


Then I found stereo images. I hadn't seen these before.


How we see things is fascinating. Our minds eye is another matter entirely.


A tone of examples.




Winnipeggers

You can hardly call yourself socially conscious if you aren't there.

The West End Cultural Centre is hosting an evening with Jello Biafra. If you don't know who his is please don't be judging books by their cover. He's a bright boy and has spent a life time engaged in wisdom that matters.

This should be an interesting show. I grew up on the west coast of Canada and The Dead Kennedys were very much a part of the local scene there. I had a lot less grey hair then. In those days I was a wavy shoulder length strawberry blonde. For some that know me, that may be hard to imagine, but like Jello Biafra I don't pine for any of it.

Friday, March 10, 2006



The beauty and horror of Chomsky is in his keen knowledge of history.


Audio: World in peril, Chomsky tells overflow crowd


There are dire consequences to the current direction of the U.S. foreign policy, said Noam Chomsky in a speech Saturday at Binghamton University. Among those consequences, he said, is a nuclear Armageddon.


"Under the current U.S. policies, a nuclear exchange is inevitable," the 77-year-old MIT professor said in his presentation, "Imminent Crises: Paths Toward Solutions." He spoke to an over-capacity crowd in BU's Osterhout Concert Theater.


Recorded 03/04/06




=======================


Logic out the window at the White House: By Gwynne Dyer


Another formitable intelect.

Tuesday, March 7, 2006

Manitoba has only 8 species of reptiles



Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network listings for Manitoba




Yo-yo you!



Kick-ass yo-yo demo.




So, you want to be a watchmaker.



God only knows why, but some people just need to walk to a different drummer. That's a good thing.


How to Clean & Oil a Watch: A Beginners Guide




Sunday, March 5, 2006

Figure and Ground



I keep looking at this and liking it more and more.

Saturday, March 4, 2006

Quote of the day.



A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read: Mark Twain




River City Reptiles



Whoohoo! A speciality store!


This link will only work for about 24 hours I think, so beware. River City Reptiles doesn't have a web site that I can find.


If you're interested in such things, there is a rocking good forum of local breeders and enthusiasts at

Friday, March 3, 2006

Manitoba Native Species



I would never have guessed so many. Living on the Roseau River we get our fair share.


Manitoba Native Species of amphibians and reptiles.

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Land of the free



A great moment for guys like me.


Some commentary.


The type of journalism that comes out of shows like the CBC's The Fifth Estate clearly define Canada for me. Documentary film and keen sharp journalism is one of the few bright lights I see in our country.


Writers like Katie Mallick and Rick Salutin have helped to keep me alive in the hope that someone is awake to the bigger picture out there. I tend to the depressive side and these writers are part of my daily diet of recovery.

An Empirical Study




This falls squarely under the catagory of "Oh those engineers!"


On the Effectiveness of Aluminium Foil Helmets:


Abstract
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
Read...





Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Saving Our Democracy (USA)



Maybe change just isn't possible. History is a brutal reminder of that I suppose.


The Abramoff and DeLay corruption scandals make it clear that now more than ever we need publically financed elections.


This is the prepared text of Bill Moyers' remarks from an eight-day speaking trip in California on the issue of money and politics.

images from Iraq



A small photo gallery of images from Iraq.

How do you run your best first marathon?



From my favourite running forum and my current guru.

Some Food for Thought:

Many programmes advise on the exact mileage that runners should cover when training for a marathon. This begs the question of what science tells us about the optimum training distances for marathon runners. In fact, there are few studies of the actual distances people run in training for a marathon. Thus, we do not really know what the optimum training distance is for the majority of novice marathon runners. The distances advocated in this programme have been arrived at empirically, but are compatible with the findings of a study by Grant and others.(1) When evaluating the training patterns of 88 runners in the 1982 Glasgow Marathon, Grant and colleagues found that that average distance run in training was 60km per week for the 12 weeks prior to the race, and this ranged from 24 to 103km. This study also debunked two important myths. Firstly, there is no relationship between weekly training distance and marathon time (as shown by Franklin and others)(2). Secondly, despite their apparent inadequate training, the runners did not slow down dramatically after hitting their predicted ‘collapse point’ at about 27km. Thus, they could find no evidence to support the collapse-point theory proposed by Ken Young(3). This theory holds that runners who do not train more than 101km per week ‘collapse’, and are reduced to a ‘shuffle’ when they race more than three times their average daily training distance for the last eight weeks before the marathon. Finally, as in the Franklin(2), these novice marathoners were unable to predict their marathon times accurately. However, the accuracy of their predictions did improve the closer they were made to race day. Peak Performance – Tim Noakes

One thing we all have to remember is to do what works best for us whether that is 3, 4 ,5, 6 or whatever days of running gives you the best performance results with the least chance of an injury and is compatable with your lifestyle.

Jennifer suggested marathon programs start at 50 mpw and that intensity is one way to increase your performance if you cannot put in greater miles. That is partly turn, increasing the intensity (pace) and duration (the long run) is a way to increase your performance but we always should be careful that we are not carried away by stats or myths. The common myth is to finish a marathon you need to get up to 50 mpw and this is not supported by the research or even programs such as Hidgon's intermediate that maxs out of 45 mpw and is generally less. Galloway with a 26 mile long run has 1.5 hours more of running so that again is mid 40s at the peak. If you are over 40, you can even reduce that by 25% and Higdon's master's program has a max of 34 mpw with two days of cross training.


Here are some more things to chew upon.

I found the article that stated 4 days of running per week seems to be the optimal amount to maximize your performance. This was based upon a review of research:

Hickson – increase intensity of runs, significant increase in performance. Same results with Mikesell.

Decrease intensity – significant decrease.

Decrease duration of runs – short term no effect, long time 10% reduction in performance

Reduce frequency – number of days per week from 6 to 4 – no change in performance.

Increase intensity v increase of volume – increased intensity group outperformed. (Gaskill)

Dudley, Pollock, Hansen, Wenger and Bell all found increasing duration – when you do run you run longer – increase in performance.

Dolgener – 4 or 6 days a week of marathon training – no difference.

Crews, Busso – 3 or 5 days a training per week – no difference.

Mutton – 4 days of running v 2 days of running and 2 days of cyclying – no difference.


For marathoners – elite athletes that have a greater volume of their training at higher intensity the better they did. But for novice marathoners – weekly mileage is a poor predictor of marathon performance. But as one became more experienced, the mileage became a better predictor.


King – 3 days a week of high intensity out performed those who trained at lower intensity for 5 days a week over a 2 year period.



Lies, Damn Lies and Stats: Most of the above noted studies had between 70 – 250 people. So we are talking about broad generalizations that clearly do not apply to everyone. Plus the biggest point we may miss is that studies show us how to maximize our performance BUT generally never discuss the risk of injury. I read one study that sort of did: Those only do interval training in the short term out performed those who only did farleks and those who combined both approaches but the those who combined the approaches did better in the long term because the interval only people had a higher rate of injury. Doing a 20 mile run with two or three other runs at high intensity may allow one to increase their performance IF they get to the starting line plus who knows what the accumulated effect of all this will be. Plus, just because it is the best thing to do may not make sense when lifestyle is also considered. How many can afford to run so hard 3 or 4 days a week that for the rest of the day we run plus some other time is reserved ONLY for recovery.


Consider this with the discussion of genetics – at best our performance can be effected 45% by our training but most studies seem to suggest 25% or so. We also know that a fairly healthy person can run 20 miles. With proper pacing and hydration, how much training is required to get one to the finish line, to the finish line with a smile, to do the best they can do? No one really can answer that. Training programs based upon successful elite athletes might give us a clue, but then again, it would seem the mileage only really matters when you are an experienced elite athlete but even then it has to be the right mileage – the proper long run, the proper intensity.


This was written to say if you believe you are just muddling through and unsure, guess what, so is everyone else. There seems to be agreement that at least 3 days of running a week is necessary. That the long run is important and one should try to get to at least one run of 30 K. If you want to finish a marathon faster you will have to run faster in training but the risk is a greater chance of injury. No point in being able to run a 3:30 marathon if you on crutches the day of the race. As a novice if you missed that 8 K run or added an extra 20 K run, no one will be able to tell you your time, but with your training you stand a better than 90% chance of finishing the marathon.
_________________
"Run like hell and get the agony over with."

It shed it's skin perfectly!



Wow, what a difference a day makes! The new ball python shed it's skin today. It's so flipping bright now I could hardly recognise it. It's also so much more active. Now will it eat is the question! That's the million dollar question. I'm no snake expert, but the transformation in temperament leads me to believe that it's a possibility at least.


It was so quiet ever since I brought it home and this morning it had spilled water all over the place and was on the move. Very cool. It came across as a completely different animal. I couldn't resist taking some images with the old camera. Boo's go mine in Quebec, dang.


image #one and image #2