Trail Running 101

Trail running has become popular in recent years, offering a unique way to experience nature while providing a challenging workout. Did you know that trail running has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century? 

A bit of history

Trail running, also known as mountain running, is a sport that involves running on trails or in the mountains, often over rough terrain and steep inclines. The sport evolved from cross-country running, which originated in England in the early 1900s as a way for athletes to train for long-distance running events.

In the US, trail running became popular in the 1970s as a way for runners to escape the city and explore the great outdoors. The sport grew in popularity in the 1990s with the establishment of trail running races and the formation of trail running clubs. Interesting fact: The number of organized trail races grew by 1,000% from 2008 to 2018 globally. It is a popular activity worldwide, with thousands of races and events occurring every year. The sport has evolved to include ultra-distance races, multi-day stage races, and even adventure runs that involve navigating challenging terrain and obstacles.

28km or 18mile at Rancho

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The 2022 Year Summary – Books And Running

In the past few years (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013) I’ve been summarizing the year on sports events (Ironman, running, biking, snowboarding, etc.) and books.

Here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed most in 2022.

A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini – I first read it around 2010 or 2011, but early this year, I went back. It is a sad and powerful story of love, friendship, and the enduring human spirit. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of women and a moving depiction of the struggles and triumphs of life in Afghanistan. Yes. You will cry (just like I did).

“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens – A beautifully written and moving story about the power of survival, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring mystery of human connection. It is a captivating and heartwarming tale that will stay with readers long after they finish the last page. Yep. There is a Netflix movie that you can watch but like the known phrase, “the book is much better!”

Numbers don’t lie by Vaclav Smil is an exploration of the key global trends shaping the world today and how they will impact the future. Smil, a renowned scientist and author (whom I need to thank Mr. Gates for the intro), examines a wide range of issues, including population growth, economic development, energy, resource use, and environmental change. He uses data and statistical analysis to provide a clear and nuanced view of the key trends shaping the world today and the implications of these trends for the future. Throughout the book, Smil discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by these trends and offers insights on navigating them. He also highlights the importance of addressing these trends in a holistic and integrated way and the need to consider their complex interactions and implications. This is a thought-provoking and engaging book that offers a fresh perspective on the key global trends shaping our world. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the forces shaping the future and how we can prepare for and address them.

Noise by Daniel Kahneman explores the concept of “noise” in decision-making and how it can lead to flawed judgment and poor outcomes. Kahneman, a Nobel laureate in economics, argues that noise is a pervasive problem in decision-making and can lead to biased and irrational conclusions. He defines noise as random or unpredictable variations in judgment that can distort or obscure the underlying reality. Noise can come from various sources, including individual biases, the influence of emotions, and the complex and uncertain nature of the world. Through examples and case studies, Kahneman demonstrates how noise can lead to flawed judgment and poor outcomes in various contexts, including business, finance, and politics. He also offers practical strategies for reducing noise and improving decision-making, including using statistical analysis and developing more robust decision-making processes. It is a thought-provoking and insightful exploration of the role of noise in decision-making and how it can be addressed to improve judgment and outcomes.

How Nike Became Nike

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it.

Any entrepreneur and/or a runner should read it. Such an amazing story of a startup (they didn’t have this term back in 1962) that fight against the giants (e.g. Adidas, US customs, Tiger etc’) and succeed to win. Big time.

It’s told by Nike founder and CEO Phil Knight and he does a great job to describe the inside story of the company. From the early days as a one man show startup and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic and profitable brands.

In 1962, fresh out of Stanford business school, Phil Knight traveled the world. When he visited Japan he was able to get a deal with Tiger (well known brand at the time) and with fifty dollars from his father he created a company “Blue Ribbon Sports“. They had many issues and problems (like any startup) but in the end, Nike’s annual sales last year top $30 billion. The story between these two extremes is fascinating.

It’s a candid and humble memoir. Knight details the relationships he had with the first employees and the (many) risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream. He is a real problem solver and keep learning on the go but the most impressive quality I learn about him is the relationships he was able to make (with very few words) with athletes, employees and friends.

Enjoy it!
…And go for a run.

Marathon Check List And Tips

Every year (since 2007) I’m trying to do few marathons.

Why?

Well, it’s a long answer for another post. But the short one (and I guess the main reason) is that it’ a lot of fun and a great sense of accomplishment. I’m sure others, have many different reasons.

In this post will focus on the check list. It’s part of an app for the google assistant that I’ve created last week.
You can use this app to make sure you didn’t missed anything, just ask “OK google, talk to Marathon List And Tips”.

Here is the check list(s) I’m using in order to make sure everything will work as plan. It’s important to remember that in such a long race, things will go wrong. So don’t be surprise, stay calm, slow down and think how to solve the issue. In most cases, there is an easy solution and you already being in similar situation in your long training runs.

Nevertheless, we all like to be as ready as possible and a check list is a great tool for that.

Below are 3 lists I used. In your hand bag are all the ‘must have’ things. The other lists, also contain important stuff, but you can send it in your suitcase.

OK Google Talk To Runner Trivia Game

Last week, I had some time to do some fun stuff with Actions on Google. The result is a new trivia game for runners and people that like to learn new things.

I used the new templates for Google assistant app. It’s super easy, all you need is to copy a google sheet and update it with your questions and answers.

Got a topic you are passion about? Give it a try!

You can see below how a typical game will look like on the assistant. But it’s also fun to play it on Google Home.

You start by calling the game with something like “OK Google, talk to runner trivia game“.

Golden Gate Relay Run – Progressive Web App

On May, We (a team from Google) are going to run from Napa Valley to Santa Cruz. It’s a relay 191 miles race or as some call it: “The longest party in CA”. There are teams of 12 members that will run 36 legs (3 legs per runner, 3-8 miles each) through 36 cities and… across the Golden Gate Bridge at midnight. All that is in support of Organs R Us.

Btw, if you want to help us, please donate.

In a quick effort from few Googlers, we came with a nice script that took a KML file and compile the information so we see all the legs of the race on one page.
The goal at the beginning was to print it so we could have it with us during the race. However, the final results is a little progressive web app (you can get it also at: https://bit.ly/ggrr1 ) that is working offline so you can save some trees and still see all the details for your next leg. If you do want to print this page, you can find this ‘printer friendly’ document useful.

2015 Year Summary – Code, Books And Running

Overall, it was a very interesting and busy year. A quick overview on some of the fronts that kept me busy.

Code

On the coding front, it was a year that the ‘progressive web app‘ revolution started. It will be interesting to see what developers will build during 2016. You can see the main projects that kept me busy on this blog (e.g. monetization, startups, web forms) and on my project site. It always great fun to meet developers around the world that are passion on the same topics you are. Here are a few presentations that I gave.

I started to push the monetization efforts, both in code (e.g. like this demo or this article on Autofill) and with two courses with Udacity . Check out the courses, they both great (and yes – I’m totally objective on this one).

Running/Biking

On the running front, I had the pleasure to run all over the world. From “down under” to Europe, San Francisco, New York, Barcelona, Paris, London and even in the holy land. On the cycling part, I had the pleasure to participate in 110mile event that few good friends in CA organized – It was one big loop, from Mt. hamilton to Livermore and back. There were also, a lot of good rides in Ben Shemen and other woods.

2014 Summary

2014 was a busy year.
In few moments of reflection, it feels more like 3-4 years. Anyway, let’s try to see where was the interesting stuff on this blog.

The Web

• New projects’ site
  After two years, I’ve decided to go with a little ‘makeover’ to the site. It’s still work in progress, but we can see the improvement so the trend is good.
  
  
  
• Top Posts
  • Yahoo finance hidden API – It’s an old post, but I guess people are still looking for ways to get fresh finance data.
  • Debug NodeJS like a pro – NodeJS ecosystem keep coming to this one. It’s still not trivial, but the solution in the post give you an easy option to debug your JavaScript code on the server-side.
  • Chrome OS
    • How to prevent your Chromebook from going to sleep
    • Install ChromiumOs on your old laptop
    • How to make your Chromebook even faster
  • How to use indexed DB simplest