web-goddess

Month: January 2010

RunningBlog: Heart Rate Training

When I got my heart rate monitor last month, the first thing I wanted to know was what level I should be training at. I used a number of online formulas to work out my Maximum Heart Rate, which turned out to be 185bpm. I knew I was supposed to be working at 70-80% to increase my aerobic fitness, so I aimed for 130-148bpm. This felt uncomfortably slow, but I told myself that I’d get used to it. A chance Twitter comment from Brandon about “zones” got me thinking though. I did some more reading and found out that I really need to be taking my Resting Heart Rate into account. For several days now I’ve been taking my RHR as soon as I wake up in the morning, and it’s averaged out to 65bpm. (Hey, that’s pretty good!) Okay, so 185 minus 65 equals a Working Heart Rate of 120bpm. Multiply THAT by .7-.8 and add back in the RHR, and I get a target aerobic zone of 149-161bpm. That looks better! That should allow me to push a little more without having to walk so much to stay within the zone.

Updated to add: These things are never simple. The great @runjohnerun is not a big fan of this more complicated formula, and he thinks basing it just on my MHR (as I was doing) is better. He’s suggesting I keep my easy days under 145, and my moderate days under 160. That means I’m back to going SLOOOOOW. 🙁

January 5, 2010
Forms in HTML5

New form controls in HTML5. I’m surprised by how many of them are really only useful on the iPhone. (At least right now, anyway.)

January 5, 2010
Shared today on Twitter

Just completed a 5.12 km run with @runkeeper, check it out http://bit.ly/6yKcSi #RunKeeper

My blog is 9 today. I was proud of that til I remembered there are chicks from my high school class who have GRANDKIDS. http://bit.ly/91KnUL

January 4, 2010
Happy blog birthday to me!
As of today, web-goddess is now officially nine-years-old. We’re comin’ up on a decade, here! I definitely feel like my blogging took a backseat to other media in 2009. I started using Twitter and Facebook more heavily, and I do a lot of my “wacky link” sharing on Google Reader now. Still, I’m going to keep w-g going as long as I can. It’s amazing to look through the archives and realise that nearly 10 years of my life – exciting years! – are documented here. As usual, I’ve compiled some fun statistics to celebrate. (Previously: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.)
- Number of posts: 823 (A 5% decrease from last year’s 868, due to the aforementioned distractions.)
- Number of comments: 1404 (A massive 35% decrease from last year’s 2195. I chalk that up to the fact that most of my commenters how have their own blogs.)
- Comments to post ratio: 1.7 (Continuing the downward trend of the last few years.)
- Posts mentioning the Snook: 161
- Most commented posts: The Anti-Knitting-Graffiti Manifesto (ugh), setting up a FatBet, new w-g redesign (thanks to Matt!), the “No ‘Poo” movement, finally getting my iPhone, and the launch of the 2009 Oscar Contest.
- Top 10 commenters excluding myself: Rachel (138), M-H (71), Bex (46), aim (40), eileen (38), Fiona (37), WeeB (36), red (33), jp (27), and Roceal (26).
- Oscar contest entries: 459, won by Mikey Filmmaker
- Runkeeper total distance run: 650km / 406mi (about 20% less than last year, mostly due to being sick/injured)
- Races run: Mother’s Day Classic, Bay Run 2009, City 2 Surf (fourth in a row!), Rebel Sport Run4Fun, and Sri Chinmoy 7K.
- Finished knitting projects: fourteen, including my “highly-commended” – AGAIN! – Na Craga.
- Cooking successes: Vanilla Creamed Rice with Rhubarb, Spicy Shredded Pork, Lamb and Barley Stew, “Chinky Chonky”, Cookie Monster Cupcakes, Cake Eyeballs, and Mangomisu
- Memorable restaurant feeds: Glebe Point Diner, Knitters’ Tea Party (and again!), Mad Cow, Kam Fook (for Steph and Eva‘s wedding reception), and The Boathouse
- Jobs: just one, thankfully! I am loving being a B.A.
- Websites launched: GetUpGo, Morris and Sons redesign, and Candi – Precious Jewellery
- Trips: knitting retreat in Mt. Keira, Knitters Guild Camp in Kurri Kurri, and Adelaide and the Outback with Eileen and Rodd
- New additions to the family: Mason Anthony Howard, my new nephew
To tell you the truth, 2008 was such a big year for me (running two half-marathons, buying a house, getting laid off and then finding a new job) that 2009 feels a bit smaller in comparison. Looking back, I was sick for most of the winter and spring. I had to cancel my one big race for the year. We both had new jobs, so we didn’t do much travelling. That said, we crossed some pretty big To Do items off our list. We did quite a bit of work on our garden. We paid off the Snook’s student loan, and mine will be gone this year. We’ve got a safety net of savings built up, and we’re paying off our mortgage as quickly as we can. And we finally got wedding rings…

Goals for 2010: Finish paying off my student loan. Run 1000kms in the calendar year. Run the Sydney Half-Marathon in May, and depending on how I do, think about aiming for a spring marathon. Take a vacation to the States to visit family. Go to a BA training course. Learn to sew a skirt for myself. And finally win that damn blue ribbon at the Show. That’s all achievable, right?
January 4, 2010
Discipline

I know it’s from a blog about “manliness,” but this post about discipline is something everybody should read.

January 4, 2010
Shared today on Twitter

My cheek/jaw has been sore for 2 days, like I got punched (but I didn’t). Who wants to diagnose me? I can’t get appt at my doc til tomorrow.

@Justacogitating Just on one side? It’s high up, right below the point of my cheekbone.

@zephyrama @carbolicious Yeah, could be sinusitis. Hope so, that’s easy to fix.

@witty_knitter Teeth feel fine. I don’t think I grind. Some folks online ended up with a surprise root canal, which would suck.

I had all my wisdom teeth out a few years, so I don’t think it’s that.

At the Myer men’s fitting rooms. There is a 1:1 ratio of girlfriends/wives to male shoppers.

Back to work… except I’m sitting in a PACKED doctor’s office. Joy.

Doc says no to sinusitis, TMJ, teeth, etc. Appears to be random soft tissue infection. Starting antibiotics. And now to work!

January 3, 2010
Shared today on Twitter

Oooh, I think the change just hit!

January 2, 2010
Jamie Oliver Knitting Kits

Jamie Oliver Knitting Kits. Neat idea! (Link courtesy of Sally.)

January 2, 2010
New Year’s Eve

We had a fairly low-key New Year’s Eve this year. Fiona and the Sock Victim invited us over for dinner at their place in Marrickville. We had barbecue pork, sauerkraut, baked potatoes, brie, grapes, champagne cocktails, trifle, and all sorts of lovely things. (Many of them supposed to bring luck for the new year!) Then we rocked out on Guitar Hero until the fireworks started at midnight. Good friends and good food are definitely the way to get the year off to a good start.

January 2, 2010
2010 Happiness Challenge

2010 Happiness Challenge
I’ve been following The Happiness Project for a while now, and last week I decided to sign up for the 2010 Happiness Challenge. Gretchen will be designating an overall theme for each month of 2010, and every week she’ll be giving a small resolution for you to work on. January’s theme is “Energy,” and the first weekly resolution is to get more sleep. Which is perfect timing, really, because the Snook and I have been falling into very bad sleep habits over the holiday season (staying up too late and then sleeping in). I’m really going to make more of an effort to head to bed at 10pm every night. (If you take nothing else from that site, I highly recommend you try making your bed. We’ve been doing that for some time now and it really does make a difference!)

January 2, 2010