One Mile Per Hour

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thenorthwind
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One Mile Per Hour

Post by thenorthwind »

Full disclosure: I'm not exactly sure what the point of this thread is---it's part film recommendation, part training "advice", and part "look at this thing I did"---but there's enough slightly mad people on here that I think someone will find it interesting. I'm not even sure where to start, so I'll just start at the beginning...

A few weeks ago I ended up (no idea how, there were probably algorithms involved) watching some videos by a guy called Beau Miles on YouTube. If you don't know him, he's done some ultra-running and kayak expedition films, but also some videos where he's just being a slightly bonkers Australian doing something whimsical, like eating nothing but beans for 40 days, and being endearingly chipper about it.

"Run The Line" is typical of the genre, and is well worth a watch: https://youtu.be/rxCghemtjjM

But the video I'm really concerned with is "A Mile An Hour": https://youtu.be/EvT5XS7j-Dc

[Spoiler alert!] He has a load of unfinished projects and odd jobs in his old barn (which is rather envy-inspiring BTW), and he attempts to do as many of them as possible in 24 hours, in between, every hour (roughly) running a mile round the block, and so running a marathon in the process. Them crazy Aussies - rather him than me: I don't even like running.

I showed this to my girlfriend, a distance runner, who said "we should do that!" And so somehow we ended up doing it. Kinda. We have a shed-load of jobs, some big, some small, to do on this house we bought in the autumn, and we both struggle to get them done. Typically, she goes for a casual 10 mile run, takes the dog for a 2 hour walk, and then collapses in a heap, and suddenly the weekend's gone. I'm terrible for procrastinating on stuff, getting stuck with tasks, especially where decisions need to be made. Or sitting down and browsing the forum for 5 minutes and then realising an hour's gone by. And we both spend a prodigious amount of time eating (and in my case, making and drinking coffee).

So we drew up a plan for a Friday off work. We'd go for 16 hours, doing roughly 10 minutes of exercise each hour. I decided to mix it up, since we were theoretically only allowed one session of outdoor exercise a day then (so 16 would be taking the proverbial), and I don't like running anyway. Sixteen 10 minute bike rides didn't really appeal, so a drew up a fairly random schedule of running round the block, different interval sessions, cross-training (which is like running but you can watch YouTube videos), and a couple of errands where the ride there would take 10 minutes each way.

Long story short(ish) - it was was a pretty productive day, ticking off loads of jobs that had been waiting for that spare hour that never came for ages, and I got plenty of exercise, and earnt a guilt-free day of relaxing on Saturday. We were both shattered by the end, but satisfied with what we'd achieved, and felt we'd really earnt a beer/glass of wine by 10 o'clock, having been on the go since 6.

There's something about having to go and do something active that punctuates the day and keeps the mind focussed - perhaps it's forcing you to stop thinking about whatever it is you're doing, but not totally switching your mind off that makes it so effective. Also, breaking jobs down into what you can do in 50 minutes, and imposing a deadline probably helps.

What does this have to do with bikepacking? Probably not a lot TBH, but a couple of days before I'd listened to a talk with Sofiane Sehili and Jenny Tough. Someone asked them whether they were spending a lot of time on the turbo trainer during lockdown. I was reassured to hear them both say, no, they don't get along with them, since I won't go near one either. (The recording is here if you're interested: https://komoot.zoom.us/rec/play/tcEucOj ... CmwVE29m3d)

Around hour 13 or 14, I was pondering this, and realised that the day I'd just spent was similar in many ways to a long day's bikepacking, and might not make bad training. The early start and late finish. The sustained activity, with short bursts of higher intensity (akin to a long climb). Using different parts of the body (riding/hike-a-bike). The constant mental management of time vs. progress. Nutrition (I realised I needed to eat fairly constantly, but not too much at once). Only my arse hurt less.

As I said, I'm not a big fan of running. I do like the odd fell race---the category A ones where there's more scrambling up a hill quickly and controlled falling than actual running---and every couple of months, on average, I can be found at the end of the local parkrun, having been convinced by prospect of brunch afterwards, saying "I'd forgotten how much I dislike running." (Yes, I have a short memory.)

But I was so sold on the 1mph idea that I wanted to try and recreate it more faithfully. So yesterday, I wrote a list of 12 tasks I thought I could do in an hour, and set out to do a loop of my block, 1.2 miles, on the hour, every hour, for 11 hours - a half marathon in total. My legs hurt after about mile 3, but that's to be expected since I never do any running. An hour of standing on my tiptoes scraping paint off a wall between miles 6 and 7 was not helpful. But all but two small tasks done, some others I wasn't intending to do, and ran 13.1 miles (1:49 moving time, since you asked, though I realise that's not the same as 1:49 elapsed before anyone gets excited).

So there you go. I told you there was no point.
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Richpips
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by Richpips »

I've seen a couple of his films. The mile an hour one was great, plus all the other things he achieved that day. :-bd
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RIP
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by RIP »

Thanks for airing that. Clever that is. Apart from the running part - I'll save that for when I'm late for trains, which is never :smile: . I'm going to give that a go next week but "task for 45 mins every hour, then bike for 15 minutes round the park".

Best bit? "we'd really earnt a beer/glass of wine by 10 o'clock" obviously.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by Taylor »

It's a good film that, liked the recycled paddle making Too.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by shutupthepunx »

enjoyed that, thanks northwind
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

Very interesting Dave. I now realise that most of my days are a little like that. I have certain jobs or tasks that I need to do throughout the day and they mostly take place around the same time each day. Between those jobs, I'm fairly free to do whatever Dee likes, so my days tend to be a chunk of 'work' followed by some physical exercise followed by a chunk of 'work' etc. The 'work itself may be of a physical nature or not. It's very true that when time restraints are tighter, productivity appears to increase.

I also have no real concept of time - I very rarely know what time it really is or what day it is as in my world there is no difference between a Wednesday or a Sunday, ie, my routine doesn't need to vary in accoradance with the days of the week. This in part has lead to what might be decribed as 'living with the seasons' which means in summer days are very long and plonking my arse on the sofa will rarely happen before 9.30pm. Obviously, the increase in productivity throughout summer is quite striking.

Anyway, I appear to be rambling now but interesting stuff :-bd
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by RIP »

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 6:27 pm to do whatever Dee likes
:lol: :lol: . Sounds familiar. Same as "Yes we are married. What's hers is hers, and what's mine is hers".
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

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thenorthwind
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by thenorthwind »

RIP wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:16 pm Thanks for airing that. Clever that is. Apart from the running part - I'll save that for when I'm late for trains, which is never :smile: . I'm going to give that a go next week but "task for 45 mins every hour, then bike for 15 minutes round the park".
:-bd

Although I don't enjoy running (did I mention that?), running for trains is a different matter. Some of my most enjoyable running experiences have been within/to stations. The feeling of hurling yourself breathless through the doors just before they close is a reward in itself. Of course what normally happens is you arrive at the empty platform looking like a plonker, or leap onto the train just in time for its scheduled departure, only for it to sit for another 5 minutes.
Taylor wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:20 pm It's a good film that, liked the recycled paddle making Too.
Despite not owning a canoe, I felt a strange urge to make a paddle after watching that. When he said he'd kept a bit of timber he found in a skip through several house moves, I thought we might be long lost brothers :oops:


I did wonder when I was writing that if your average day looked not too dissimilar Stu. I admire your self-motivation. I don't think I, and possibly many others, would be productive under those conditions. It must be a satisfying way to live if you can do it though.

I've wondered about trying to apply a similar idea to my work (which is largely desk-based - totally at the moment). I struggle a lot with focus. What I described above isn't sustainable for more than a couple of days, but a lite version might inject some sort of vigour into my daily routine, which is lacking without any physical activity.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I did wonder when I was writing that if your average day looked not too dissimilar Stu. I admire your self-motivation. I don't think I, and possibly many others, would be productive under those conditions. It must be a satisfying way to live if you can do it though.
I've pretty much worked for myself my whole life Dave, so know no different really. I think it's perhaps a character thing too; I've always had a strong desire to make things / solve problems so that tends to provide the motivation ... living with Dee helps too :wink:
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by JohnClimber »

"A Mile An Hour": https://youtu.be/EvT5XS7j-Dc

What a brilliant film,,, I sprayed my beer all over the keyboard at the sight of him on his mower going from right to left across the screen :lol:
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by frogatthefarriers »

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 6:27 pm It's very true that when time restraints are tighter, productivity appears to increase.
True. The job that’s left until the last minute, only takes a minute to do.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by redefined_cycles »

Thanks Dave.. you just reminded me that the shed needs painting, little uns pedals and BB (hope it arrives am) applying, outhouse and shed need a tidy, little uns bookshelf needs completing, Stans cassette needs slackening off to 40NM, maybe the ratchets could do with flipping too, bike needs riding (yes, a job in itself), EDCO carbon wheels ebaying, wProof pants need posting, backdoor cubbyhole hanger thingy needs organising....

Think that'll be enough... might see if little un wants to go for a quick blast between jobs. Thanks for the writeup and sorry for sharing out my list :smile: .... I love it when managing to catch the train !
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by Bearlegged »

RIP wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 5:16 pmBest bit? "we'd really earnt a beer/glass of wine by 10 o'clock" obviously.
I assume this is working on the 24hr clock, not the 12hr version.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by RIP »

Nah, last two digits of my binary clock :smile: .
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by whitestone »

Not watched the video yet but I'm sure I've seen this as one of those "Victorian gentlemen's" challenges, possibly between either colleges at Oxbridge or between gentleman's clubs as a wager.

The "trick" was to run the first mile at the end of the first hour and the second at the start of the second hour then you had nearly two hours of rest before doing the same for the third and fourth miles. Repeat until the wager is won.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by techno »

I can't be the only person that hates him can I?
"finished my phd...
..run marathons..
..build a table & a million other jobs in a day"

feck off.

I've never had the sort of energy or motivation to do anything that intense. i couldn't even finish the film :lol:

(obviously i don't hate him and am in fact envious of his energy and focus. good on him.)
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Post by Dave Barter »

techno wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 12:59 pm I can't be the only person that hates him can I?
"finished my phd...
..run marathons..
..build a table & a million other jobs in a day"

feck off.

I've never had the sort of energy or motivation to do anything that intense. i couldn't even finish the film :lol:

(obviously i don't hate him and am in fact envious of his energy and focus. good on him.)
I didn't really get it. Why not just do a load of tasks and then run a marathon? I could not equate the reason for the two things combined. It just seemed like an excuse to make a quirky film. The tasks were too hipster for me as well. I'd do a lap of Brixham then clean a load of poor show off the fridge door. Then another lap and unblock the shower drain full of helen's hair. Then a lap followed by the annual dusting of the living room etc... God I'm a miserable sod these days.
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thenorthwind
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by thenorthwind »

frogatthefarriers wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 10:18 pm
Bearbonesnorm wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 6:27 pm It's very true that when time restraints are tighter, productivity appears to increase.
True. The job that’s left until the last minute, only takes a minute to do.
It even has a name: Parkinson's Law.
redefined_cycles wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:19 am Stans cassette needs slackening off to 40NM
I can save you a bit of time: whatever torque it's at, it'll be fine :grin: Your list of jobs sounds very similar to the sort of things that are on mine!
Dave Barter wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 3:01 pm I didn't really get it. Why not just do a load of tasks and then run a marathon? I could not equate the reason for the two things combined.
It's a fair question, I wondered that to start with. But I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't. Some people might be able to though. If I set out to do all the tasks, I'd likely get bored/distracted/generally demotivated and end up doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing at all. And not get any exercise (I wouldn't go for a ride, since I'd feel guilty for not doing the things that I'm not doing anyway. Human brains are weird right?). If I just went out and ran a marathon, or even a half marathon, apart from no being able to stand up, I'd end up spending the rest of the day lying down and/or eating. The short bursts of exercise work to keep you (me at least) going, keep some momentum up.
Dave Barter wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 3:01 pm The tasks were too hipster for me as well. I'd do a lap of Brixham then clean a load of poor show off the fridge door. Then another lap and unblock the shower drain full of helen's hair. Then a lap followed by the annual dusting of the living room etc...
But everyone needs a reclaimed timber paddle! :lol: No, my jobs were much like you suggest---on Friday they included cleaning the hoover filter---though a few were a bit hipster, I'll give you that: the first time I tarted up an old cork by stapling a coffee sack to it.

Since you didn't ask, here's what in the 16-hour shift:
Baked some bread (that wasn't really on the list, it was happening anyway)
Fixed up the next box that had got damaged in the wind
Put new/longer zip pulls on some of my jackets/rucksacks
Sanded and wax polished some shelves I made for the living room (by hand - ill-advised adjacent to an upper body HIIT session)
Screwed an outdoor workbench I made together
Dropped a loaf of bread round to a friend
Put my Lunar Solo up to measure up for a second zip and reclaimed said zip from an old project
Picked up some flour from another friend (10 mins ride each way)
Drew a plan for a new cover for the sofa
Labelled my drawers in the garage
Covered aforementioned corkboard
Painted a bit of old particle board and put it in an Ikea frame to make a "white"board (actually green)
Cleaned the house a bit after all the doing stuff
Hung a sock-drying thing I made from an old wheel up
Sewed my slippers up where they'd come apart at the seams

In between:
2x1.2 mile runs
3xHIIT session, various
2x10min cross-trainer (currently stuck on max resistance) sessions
4x10min rides
1x15min yoga session
...roughly: it all went Pete Tong at the end when it started lashing it down and I didn't fancy going out for a 10 minute bike ride and spending 20 minutes drying off and getting changed

I CBA to recount Friday's list now but you get the picture :cool:
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by redefined_cycles »

thenorthwind wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 9:57 pm
redefined_cycles wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:19 am Stans cassette needs slackening off to 40NM
I can save you a bit of time: whatever torque it's at, it'll be fine :grin: Your list of jobs sounds very similar to the sort of things that are on mine!

Lol... not true. In my case, the first time I overtorqued (with a non calibrated mechanical Draper expert wrench from dads tool box of many many years ago) and once out on the bike I kept getting slipping of the hub. Seemed like the hub (DT swiss ratchet) kept missing its engagement. A quick turn back off the Thru-axle and all got sorted on the trail. Hence my reasoning for knocking a few NM back :-bd (but I'm no engineer and you know better) which seems to have done the trick on today 1.5 miler with the little one...

I made a nice list and although didnt manage a run or a cycle every hour, its been a rather productive day. Thanks for opening the thread and reminding me of lists and ricking things and getting on with jobs :-bd
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by sean_iow »

I enjoyed that, thanks for the recommendation :-bd I did make me laugh when he stared mowing the lawn after it had got dark :lol: Why not do that job when it was still light* and then do one of the indoor jobs in the dark?

*It was a good bit of cinema when the mower came into shot and I can imaging that he had the idea for the image of the mower appearing and then arranged the task to suit. Having made my own little film recently I find myself looking at films in a different way now and as well as watching the content I'm thinking about the process.
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by redefined_cycles »

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Yesterdays and todays lists. Lets see how I gets on. No running involved but a nice bike ride God Willing in between at some point (thats appropriately later enough in the day that I dont end up knackering my fasting) :-bd
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by thenorthwind »

redefined_cycles wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:37 pm but I'm no engineer and you know better
Quite the opposite Shaf, it sounds like you've got it figured out, but that is an odd one I've not heard of before. I never use a torque wrench on them, but I don't do them up very tight - never had one come loose. Glad this helped you get some bits done though :-bd
sean_iow wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 7:22 am I enjoyed that, thanks for the recommendation :-bd I did make me laugh when he stared mowing the lawn after it had got dark :lol: Why not do that job when it was still light* and then do one of the indoor jobs in the dark?

*It was a good bit of cinema when the mower came into shot and I can imaging that he had the idea for the image of the mower appearing and then arranged the task to suit. Having made my own little film recently I find myself looking at films in a different way now and as well as watching the content I'm thinking about the process.
I wondered that too! I just thought he hadn't thought it through, but you may be right. Artistic licence I guess.

After a spectacularly unproductive, even for me, day at "work" yesterday, I decided to try and apply some of the principle to my job. The difficulty is that tasks aren't so easily broken down and I often have no idea how long they might take. But I thought the regular exercise thing might help, and if it didn't, I'd at least have done some exercise and no work instead of just no work.

The result: reasonably productive day (hard to quantify) - definitely better able to focus. 3x10 minute cross trainer sessions, 3x10 minute HIIT sessions and 2 short dog walks. One slightly confused dog. It could just be the novelty, and may not be sustainable, but if I can keep it up I'm definitely going to get more work done, and be fitter, but probably spend less time discussing the relative merits of different tent peg materials with you lot :wink:
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Re: One Mile Per Hour

Post by voodoo_simon »

Love it!

Obviously it’s great as an experiment and not something you’d do each weekend :lol:

Think I put the film down in films to watch during isolation, so I’m quite the fan. Thought of doing something similar, perhaps not a marathon but maybe something like a half purely based on I like my early night in bed :roll:

Well done TNW - think it’s a great achievement and that’s quite a list of jobs done :-bd
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