... is what I think of constantly while running long distance these days. One step at a time, slightly pushing myself and striving to maintain that consistent pace throughout the run while listening to the body.
My running buddy (Nupur) and I ran non-stop 9 miles on Oracle trail and completed in almost 2 hours (running the first mile at 12min/mile pace). We did take three quick waterstop breaks on the way to stretch and grab some gatorade. It was a hot day and the trail (mostly concrete) is not shaded, but the flat course and the cool breeze made it easier.
The waterstop volunteers were kind enough to make the gatorade concentrated which helped us keep going till the end. There was also a kid playing tabla at one of the waterstops -it was lovely! :) Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who make our runs possible and smooth week-after-week. Hats off to you guys!
Here's where that question comes from, a really touching and inspiring video:
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Wild Cat @Rancho
It was hill training today. We ran 4.5 miles on the wild cat trail at Rancho. First half was a steep climb, was running out of breath faster, so walked most of it until the vista point. Gorgeous view of the valley from the top and Shiva gave us a quick tour :)
Thank God for the water I was carrying, but I need to find an optimum way for the fuel belt to stay stable on my waist -it seems to be bothering me a lot during the run! :(
Second half was a breeze! Felt like an altogether different world, lush green and very well shaded... Oh did I forget to say we spotted a few deer on the way, yea :)
Slight pain in the achilles towards the end but what a wonderful run!
Thank God for the water I was carrying, but I need to find an optimum way for the fuel belt to stay stable on my waist -it seems to be bothering me a lot during the run! :(
Second half was a breeze! Felt like an altogether different world, lush green and very well shaded... Oh did I forget to say we spotted a few deer on the way, yea :)
Slight pain in the achilles towards the end but what a wonderful run!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
7 miler at Sawyer camp
This is one of my favorite trails since it is very scenic, mostly shaded and we get to run by the reservoir. Started the run early morning with the larger group. Some experimentation with my new fuel belt and it makes me happy that I ain't running with my iPod anymore, rather enjoying running with my buddies. Need my watch to time the run and pace myself. Had a slight pain in my right achilles, wonder if the calf hurt has moved down to achilles now. The knees felt some discomfort towards the end and after the run. Guess, I need some cross training and strengthening for my knees.
But more importantly, we finished strong. 7-miler seems longer if you are running by yourself but the team makes it seem like a breeze. It is challenging to organize the runs on this trail operations-wise, especially the water stops, with no close access to road, etc. Hats off to the Ops team and all the volunteers that make it happen!
Go Team Asha!
But more importantly, we finished strong. 7-miler seems longer if you are running by yourself but the team makes it seem like a breeze. It is challenging to organize the runs on this trail operations-wise, especially the water stops, with no close access to road, etc. Hats off to the Ops team and all the volunteers that make it happen!
Go Team Asha!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Collaboration vs. Confrontation
There are some instances when collaboration works best while some other instances when you just need to confront, defending your design –either of the 2 extremes hurt. Extreme confrontation "alienates" the design team from rest of the product team while extreme collaboration may lead to “design-by-committee”. Most occasions call for a blend of the two with some needing more of one than the other. So the tough question is when should you use what?
While involving (collaboration) most of your product team in design is helpful to align them to your design vision, it turns out to be highly expensive, since it calls for driving consensus. And it is not the responsibility of the design team alone to get everyone aligned. Crucial items like product branding, dashboards, critical workflows, etc. need involvement of the larger team and thus make collaboration an important tool. However, it is not the designers' sole responsibility to drive consensus.
In such situations, a clear decision making model plays an important role -the decision making board (which includes the design team) should make the final calls (after doing the needful, perhaps consulting other stakeholders outside the board from time-to-time). It should be the board's responsibility to convince rest of the product team about the decisions made and thus drive consensus. Now, if the design team strongly feels that a decision strongly violates the design vision of the product, they have to use confrontation but in a collaborative way, to convince the audience, making them feel heard and after having carefully thought through the other possible options laid out. This strategy works well for non-crucial design items as well but you need to decide how much time and effort you can afford to spend on these (involving the board vs. design team handling it alone).
Confrontation by itself has never won any battle but tactical collaboration can go a long way and is a great tool for designers.
Bryan @ZURB has similar thoughts on this –read his blog post on building design consensus
While involving (collaboration) most of your product team in design is helpful to align them to your design vision, it turns out to be highly expensive, since it calls for driving consensus. And it is not the responsibility of the design team alone to get everyone aligned. Crucial items like product branding, dashboards, critical workflows, etc. need involvement of the larger team and thus make collaboration an important tool. However, it is not the designers' sole responsibility to drive consensus.
In such situations, a clear decision making model plays an important role -the decision making board (which includes the design team) should make the final calls (after doing the needful, perhaps consulting other stakeholders outside the board from time-to-time). It should be the board's responsibility to convince rest of the product team about the decisions made and thus drive consensus. Now, if the design team strongly feels that a decision strongly violates the design vision of the product, they have to use confrontation but in a collaborative way, to convince the audience, making them feel heard and after having carefully thought through the other possible options laid out. This strategy works well for non-crucial design items as well but you need to decide how much time and effort you can afford to spend on these (involving the board vs. design team handling it alone).
Confrontation by itself has never won any battle but tactical collaboration can go a long way and is a great tool for designers.
Bryan @ZURB has similar thoughts on this –read his blog post on building design consensus
Alameda -the killer trail!
Ran my 6miler @Alameda, Fremont on a super hot day (about 90F) The trail is concrete and not very well shaded but the good part is that it is relatively very flat.
I enjoyed the run at a slow consistent pace, finishing it in 1hr:20mins. Not bad eh! :-) SF First Half within 3hrs seems doable with some more speed and hill training.
I enjoyed the run at a slow consistent pace, finishing it in 1hr:20mins. Not bad eh! :-) SF First Half within 3hrs seems doable with some more speed and hill training.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
MTT
And I realize that I do look forward to the weekend long runs with the whole enchilada ;-) It is lovely! I love Team Asha!
Running "one step at a time" is my mantra these days. Soak in the moment, enjoy it and pass it on. Another beautiful sunny day in sunnyvale.
Till later, enjoy the gorgeous day!
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