Training for a winter 5k

Assuming "training" means going out and running a random distance at a random time. This was the first time I've run in a while, but I'm feeling the pressure from a 5k I've signed up for on December 10th. It is a charity 5k (as most are) to boot, so I don't feel I can squirm out of this one and feel good about it.

I read the non-fiction running book Born to Run a few months ago, and was finally fully convinced of what I've suspected for years. Slapping the ground with running shoes is bad for me.

I got hooked on Vibram's Five Fingers "shoes" three or four years ago, but wasn't convinced I could run in them. I told myself I was too heavy, and needed to lose 20 pounds before I could start running in them. I was afraid of injuries. So, despite wearing my Five Fingers while working in the yard, to the airport and even in the ocean, I still favored my conventional running shoes whenever I'd go out for a run, or to do a 5k.

The problem was, after pounding the pavement (quite literally) for two miles or so, one foot would fall asleep. Another quarter mile, and both feet would be completely numb from the shock of slamming into the pavement. I mentioned this to my father, and he revealed to me that he had the same problem before giving up on running because of persistent knee issues. It was more obvious than ever to me that I either had to lose the running shoes, or make some drastic changes to my running style. Past efforts to do the latter have all been pointless in my case.

Backing up a bit, Five Finger shoes appeal heavily to geeks like me for two reasons. First, they buck conventional wisdom, both in looks and function. Second, the solution to "shoe problems" they offer is well reasoned, backed by scientific data and dead simple. About four years ago, I first saw them on my sister-in-law's feet at the beach, and didn't think much of them, beyond the fact that they looked odd. About six months later, I stumbled upon them again, but mentioned in the context of running injuries. It was argued that barefoot running was what our legs were designed for, and these "gloves" for our feet Vibram was making allowed us to run with the confidence of foot protection in urban and trail environments.

For several years, I was convinced that barefoot, or as close to it as possible while keeping the foot safe, was the solution, but feared my foot couldn't handle my weight in a run. After reading Born to Run, I lost the fear, and decided to try it. Even if I only ran very short distances to start out, I was determined to ditch the running shoes and not look back.

Here I am. I just ran two miles with my Five Fingers. I barely broke a sweat. No strain in my knees, no stress or numb sensations in my feet. Most of my muscles from the knees down will be sore tomorrow, but that's okay. They've got some catching up to do.

This Month's Projects

I'm working on a few projects this month, trying to focus on teaching myself some more programming. Once I'm a bit deeper into them, I'll post with more information, but for now, I can say:

• One will be a Java class that does some subnet math.
• The other will be a bit of Python that processes a special type of Twitter account :)

--Adrian

Kids and the Internet

I've decided to start teaching my son (7) how to use a computer and the Internet, to an extent. I've seen how not to do this firsthand and heard plenty more horror stories. There are some things on the Internet you cannot unsee - especially when you're seven.

Additionally, I've been talking to some of my daughter's teachers about designing a "kid friendly/proof" computer for use in the classroom. Being a computer guy, I set to design the simplest possible solution that would work with the least amount of maintenance. Though I use Windows XP (with user permissions heavily locked down) and Google Chrome, this approach will work with any platform, as the only software needed is available on most major platforms.

I use a twofold approach:

1. I filter all content with a web proxy. BlueCoat's K9 what I use, as it is free for home use. I start out by configuring K9 to block everything (commonly known in the security industry as whitelisting). I then allow the bare minimum that I want my kids to have access to, one URL at a time. Right now, I have only Google Maps, Wikipedia, Nineplanets.org, Fraboom and Hasbro.com whitelisted. I also highly recommend turning off the "barking" feature in K9 every time a page is blocked, as it will eventually drive you mad.
2. I monitor the kids whenever they're accessing the Internet with the computer. Wikipedia is a great reference resource, but it covers ALL knowledge, including many subjects children are not ready for yet.

Right now, my kids just use the Internet when they want to find out more about a subject (Wikipedia, Nineplanets), play (Hasbro, Fraboom), or learn more about geography (Google Maps). With this design, I can expand later as I need to.

It can be tricky to get some sites working 100%, as they pull content and data from multiple domains in the background (Google Maps requires around 10 domains to be whitelisted). If anyone is interested in getting the K9 filter from me, let me know in the comments, and I'll post it.