Don't break your back going agile

When I was starting my first structured agile project, everyone said it was hard. There are many burnt out folks in the business.

I look at it like one of last spring's projects. I was quite annoyed by a bush at our entrance and suddenly I was in to my knees in dirt, digging out the thing. It took me the better part of a day and I saw no end to it. I just kept digging and finding more roots. The area where is stood was kind of small so I also had big problems finding a good place to stand while working. It was raging hot for a Swedish summer. I guess some people would have just cut the roots at an appropriate depth. But that is not me.

But finally, the thing moved when I shoved it and within an hour I could drag the thing from the earth. Success! Going agile feels sometimes the same. It just get worse and worse and you're at a really dirty small area while everyone else seems to be chilling in the shade.

The risk for physical harm is probably not so great in software scrum as in rugby scrum, but isn't it interesting that the risk for cervical spine injuries are the greatest to the hooker, who should be considered the rugby scrum's scrum master? Take care of your scrum master.

Something I haven't done in a really long time...

Today having to pick up the car from service on a site about 20k from our house, I decided to take the bike. I haven't actually taken the bike where I was going and I haven't taken my bike so far before.

My bike is a Brompton foldable bike and when I was a biking girl last, I used a better hybrid with twenty something gears. But being myself and I, I didn't realise that this could cause a problem before I left my son at daycare and mentioned where I was going (having a foldable bike is one of the best ways to start a conversation) and the woman at daycare started asking if I could really take the bike that far and she wondered which way I was going to ride.

Well, I guessed it wouldn't be a problem. And of course there was non. Well, of course I had to turn back once or twice when I couldn't take the bike on the highway or when the signs didn't show the proper path. But riding 20k in september sun on a 3 gear bike shouldn't cause a problem for a healthy gal under 40. And it was kind of fun going places so near from where I live and being almost a bit lost. Not knowing if you would have to turn back. And the disappointment when the ride was over in just over one hour. I was just getting started but now I was out of excuses for being out in the sun.

Nothing to win and all to loose

Being a cyclist fan, I too was stunned at hearing the news that THE man, Lance Armstrong, is returning to professional cycling.

Unbelieveable. He says it's for the cancer funds he's working with. I wonder if that is enough to win. And I wonder if winning the tour an eight's time is worth taking the risk returning and loose. Being a Swede I remember Björn Borg's fatal attempt at returning to tennis. Leaving at the top was a better choice than returning to the loosers.

But what ever his end result, I look forward to watching mr Armstrong on the bike again. You might say doping, cheating, what ever. But he was a really hard working athlete who to the public never blamed anyone but himself when he failed. And being a women's lib, I can help cheering a bit more when the son of a single 16-year-old working class girl gets to be the best cyclist in the world.

Itching

I'm hurt. I'm in pain. And the worst kind of pain: itching. The scar from the operation must have been scratched today when I was biking and now it is swollen, red and itching. Clear pain I can handle, but itching. AHHHH.

Small bugs are just like that: itching. You know that small spelling error or those labels that are not properly aligned. Or the worst: the switched OK/Canceled buttons in dialog box. The problem with those itches is that they make not appriciate the good things in life or the new funcitionality.

So: get rid of that itch. Fix the small annoying stuff. They mean more than you could possibly imagine. I can place some plaster on my itch but this is a very bad idea when it comes to the itches in applications.

I didn't know it would be that hard...

Following my son the 300 m track (he was running a race for kids that afternoon) in my costume, I realised that it would be much harder than I'd anticipated. The belt made it hard to breath and the cloak made me back heavy. So, I had four hours to let it sink in: this was going to be tough.

The first 4k was fun, besides me becoming thirsty and increasingly warm: I had to have a thin cotton costume under the armour, since it would give me a serious rash otherwise. And this was a rather warm evening.

Soon after, my short breaths due to the leather belt made my tummy muscles started feeling sore. And I had all the hills in front of me.

Finally, it was all about enduring the pain. The large crowd made it possible: a Swedish movie about a templar knight made me an easily spotted figure so there were lots of cheering. And is what the costume class of the race is all about.

The final 2k, I could hardly breath and I was very hot and then, of course, a reported pulled out a microphone and stuck a camera in my face. I don't quite remember what I said, but they probably cut that part since they probably thought I was drunk or something.

But then it was over, and yes, I will do it again. Not as a knight, but as something else. And perhaps some of my friends has the nerve to make the run wearing a costume as well. I kind of like the multi person customes.

Running a race tomorrow

Tomorrow evening it's time for Midnattsloppet, a nightly 10k run in central Stockholm. Like last year, I'm going to wear a custume. I had some kind of promise from a couple of friends who were coming with me but I'm not surprised to find myself alone wearing the costume of the Knight's Templar. Well, it's their loss. I'm going to have a wonderful time. I hope.

Silver for Sweden

Hurrey for Gustav Larsson and Emma Johansson. Isn't it just wonderful that a small cycling country like Sweden getting two silver medals in the Olympics. And those are the only Swedish medals up to now? Hurrey for Gustav and Emma!

First exercise since collapsing...

Today I went down to the gym for a solo spinn on a spinning bike. The guy there looked at us and asked where we'd been. Haven't been there for a month, or six weeks to be precise.

Well inside one of the nice owners fetched a bike for me: the spinning room was in use. And then he asked if I wouldn't be interested in being a spinning leader during lunches. Well, I couldn't resist the challenge so two weeks from now I need to get my show together. I've selected the first day I can do real exercise as the first session. But there is no return. When I got back to work the owner had already put it on the schedule. So I've spent the evening selecting the music.

Since I'm a biking freak, I'm of course going to fit this in like a race. The best spinning instructor I've biked for had her little trip which she took her class on. Mine is sited in Italy, with two rather large inclines and a heavy finish sprint. I hope the eventual visitors survive. I hope I survive. It is now almost five weeks since my last run. Well, at least I'm not working this evening.

Longing for runs...

Today it's been two weeks since my last run. It was hellish and after I'd finished at work, I knew that I was to sick to run. During these last weeks I've been glad to (in the following order)

1. Lie down without crying from the pain
2. Moving in bed without too much pain
3. Walking around without too much pain
4. Walking to daycare without pulling a sweat

And now, a week after removing the gall bladder, I want to run!!! I'm so ungrateful, looking at all those runners and feeling sorry for myself not being able to be out there. I should be happy that I'm recovering but I'm only longing for that first run in five weeks from now.

Finishing the race

Just turned Product Owner and there by leaving the sweet safety of the scrum team, I've gotten a better view at what is the hard core challenge with agile development. So, what is the challenge? Well, seeing to that the right stuff gets installed on the user's working environment and seeing to that the wrong stuff don't end up there. Well, that's easy, isn't it? Well, it's not. And like with a Marathon, it's not the first 30k that makes you a Marathon runner, it's the 4,2+ k. Every centimeter counts. Every centimeter. It doesn't help if you're the best the first miles if you're not making it to the finish line. And the right finish line. For the right race.

So, how do you get there? Well, like with a Marathon, you have to prepare. Set a pace. It's no use that before starting to train setting up a full schedule a year in advance. You get sick, you change your plans. But you need to set up a pace, decide how you're going to accomplish the goals. Etc. And you have to decide on the right pace. If you've never run before going for the under 2 hours schedule is probably a very bad idea. You also need the right stuff. Good shoes, for one. You probably don't need the best shoes in the world. But they should work for your schedule.

And then you start running. Following the decided schedule. Evaluating and think if you're moving in the right direction. Changing the schedule can be a good thing but if you half through the schedule decide on doing a cycling race instead, you've probably invested time and money on things you won't need. If accidents happen, you adapt and learn. And so you build your strength.

Racing day. Time to deliver. First, you need to get to the start line. Be on time, be prepared. Preparation never makes you finish a race, but the lack of it results in failure. And you run, you learn and you adopt. And if all goes well, if there are no accidents and if you're fully prepared, you come to the finish line. That is the way it is. And standing there, on the right side of the finish line was what you wanted. They you just want to prepare for the next race.

Running after rabbits

It's January 14th, and I'm already starting to wear spring clothes while running my morning runs. It is dark and wet, but it's not winter. The problem is that there are still some icy spots so most of the times I can choose between icy or getting my feet wet. So, no, this is not my favourite running weather. But I can't complain. It means less stuff in the rug sack which I use while running to work.

This morning I spotted a woman on top of the steepest hill on my morning run. A rabbit, I thought. Then NOOOO. No running after rabbits. Since I'm running on an empty stomach, I must be careful and take it slow so I don't push myself to hard: running empty on fuel is not the best way to start a morning. So, I said to myself: don't you try catching her.

But what my inside thought was a completely different story. So, I chased after her. Of course. Well, I was pretty nice and didn't linger in front of her after I'd passed. I just got moving. You might think I felt some kind of pleasure, but I was to tired to even think that. I'd moved to survival mode having 2k left to run. I thought I would die when I got to work. Well, I did not deserve something else, either. But it feels good knowing that the focus on shorter ranges has increased my speed. (well, I do something to put the blame on.)

Running 2007

Time to do a retrospect on the year's running activities. I've run three times a week, besides from the three weeks after Stockholm Marathon, in which time I cured my knee. I didn't complete the marathon, due to a bad step, but my knee healed and I haven't been affected since then. During the autumn I've turned to running shorter distances and tried increasing speed: the longest run has been 10k:s. Not many, but I've cut five minutes from my 5k runs.
The only races I've completed are one 12k run and a 10k run, the later dressed as an oriental dancer. The latter was the funniest and I plan on turning back to the Eastern theme next Autumn, when I plan to resurrect a Spartan warrior.

I've been healthy, besides from the gall bladder problems, which hasn't hindered me from running: on the contrary: running is one of few things that help, though it's somewhat painful.

What about next year: well, running in costume is really fun and is something I'm going to keep up. 10K runs are perfect for that since it's no issue running so short distances. I'm going to keep running shorter distances (less than 20k) but should increase the distances a little bit. Running to work is really nice and of course, I'll keep that up. So, nothing fancy but lots of fun.

A fast run

I'm so longing for next week when it will start getting lighter instead of darker. I don't care for the daylight in other respects that during my run. But I enjoy being able to see when I run. I've never fallen during a run but the combination slippery and dark is just an accident waiting to happen.

Today, I decided on a short run on the ordinary track. It normally takes 25 minutes but today, when I was about 10 minutes away from the finish, I saw a guy in my age, out for a morning jog. I saw his outfit and knew he's a beginner. A beginner of the more serious kind but yet a morning. I don't know why, but that starts me up. I was going to hunt him down. So, the run took 20 minutes instead. I was almost dead when I came home: it's no use catching another runner if you're not able to increase the speed after you've passed him. Being passed myself is not an option.

Next week is the last week of the sprint at work. And like with my run today, it's all about getting the things done. Keep you posted.

First winter run

You who live in a colder climate but don't run during the winter might have reacted to my latest post on winter running. She didn't mention that it's icy. Well, I've never fallen while running. I believe that I can feel how icy it is and try to run where it's not too icy.

This morning was really icy but if just keep up the pace, I don't have any problems. I often move my heel back and forwards to feel how icy it is. Or perhaps I'm just stupid. I felt like that when people having problems walking straight saw me running this morning.

But, how was the run: fun, because icy also means I have something to concentrate on while running.

It's winter

I can't believe it's less than 3 weeks since I wore shorts while running. Today it's winter. And tomorrow the first morning winter run is due. Running during the winter is a little bit colder, wetter and means a little more clothes. The upside is that winter running is one of those little things that constitutes the difference between a runner and a guilty conscience. So, here are my top tips:

1. wear good clothes. I actually like the clothes for nordic skiing and cycling better than the stuff for runners. Except the padded pants. Remember the wind and use wind stoppers.
   
2. when it's really cold, wear a face mask made for sporting (yes, you look funny, but when it's below -10C, it means all the difference). I've been out running when it's been below -25C and wasn't affected at all.
   
3. buy some cotton gloves. I buy mine in a store for worker's clothes. they cost almost nothing so I can buy many
   
4. just keep up the habit, running during the winter is no difference than during other times, except in your head
5. run to work. take a change of clothes the day before. it's the best way to start a new day and then you won't have to think about it
   

Easy listening

My IPod Nano took a splunge for a couple of weeks ago and was soon after pronounced dead. The guys tips and tricks didn't work. My first thought was going out buying a new one. Being a satisfied customer, that felt like a good choice. But my needs are dual: in the evenings I listen to audio books while falling asleep. And when I'm out running I listen to music. Well, I can use my Touch for the books and the Nano is actually a bit clumsy when running. I have to wear the arm band and the hazzle with the cables. So, I bought a Shuffle instead. I'm a very happy runner. I keep it just under my chin and there is almost no weight, no cable and no arm band. I feel free like a bird.

Sometimes you go for the more expensive solutions, trying to meet two different needs and you end up with something that doesn't really suite any of the use cases. Both in development and buying stuff.

Belgian chain and the weekest link

In cycling, there's a concept called Belgian chain. It's based on the concept of the effect of drafting. It's estimated that when you lay directly behind another cyclist, you only need two thirds of the effort compared to laying all alone. If you're part of a large bunch of cyclists, the effect is dramatic.

Sometimes during a professional cycling event, the pulse of some of the riders is displayed on TV. The guys riding up front may lay on the border of what they can cope while they guys in the middle may have a slightly higher pulse than you get from ordinary walking.

So, what do you do if you're ten guys out cycling: well, if the conditions are right, you might try the belgian chain. The guys in the left lane work themselved upwards and when they are up front they spend about 15 seconds there before moving right and the downwards in the right lane. Why: you don't spend so much time in the front to get exhausted. All share the burden of the wind.

I can sometimes see a good agile team as a team trial cycling team doing the Belgian chain. Beautiful to watch. Effective and building trust.

And like with development you might say this doesn't work if not everyone is as good as the next. Well, if one or two of the guys can't cope they stay in the back and just rotate there. And if it's a good team, that's OK. Everyone is entitled to a "bad day" or perhaps the Belgian chain is not their cup of tea. Those guys repay some other day. And that is also important in the agile team: understanding that "good" and "not as good" is a question of task and day. But of course, if someone is always lurking in the back, perhaps they should find a more suitable sport.

Helping people not to endulge in illness

Electromagnetic sensitivity was the subject of one of my absolute favorite podcasts, Skeptoid. You often hear that there is not enough research in the area and I was amazed on Brian Dunning's extensive list of recent and valid research. Since this is an illness found mostly in Sweden and the UK, most of the studies were from these countries.

The podcast, which I really hope you take your time listening to, especially if you hear about this condition, also touches an important issue: strengthening a person's perception that somethings is bad for their health makes that true by increasing their stress. And long time stress can cause physical problems. In other words: if someone believe that they are exposed to something that makes them sick, they become just that.

We are sometimes tricked into concurring with someone making these claims (even if we know they are absolutely ridiculous just not to make them sad or just to be "nice"). Sometimes we hear someone saying that they will get the same decease as a near relative. And by enforcing that claim, we help making them sick. So, if someone says: I'm going to have bad knees because my mother has bad knees, they might stop exercising properly or start walking really wearily and in that way getting themselves some bad knees on their own. So, instead, what should you do? Well, in the case of the bad knees you might suggest a good exercise program to help them in case they do get bad knees. And if they start exercising they might feel some joy from that and might forget about those bad knees. And perhaps avoid them all together.

Lessons learnt from cycling, part 4

Looking at all the old movie clips from the Armstrong era is both fascinating and sad. I'm so happy to have followed it when it happened and I'm sad that we'll probably never see the likes of him again. So, I'm going to finish this series on lessons learned from cycling with yet another classic clip. Have you ever been skiing in the Alps? Have you ever thought about cycling up for one of those mountains? Or perhaps three or four in a day? And just be off cycling the next day or week, or weeks.

In the end, it's all about who can endure the pain and have the insight so see the possibilities. When it hurts like hell you can just stay with the others or you might excel. In this sequence, everyone was hurting. But one of the guys saw the possibility to win. For some, mediocre is just enough. For some, winning is everything. (And yes, the road in the end is the road the rode that day, and that was not the only mountain on that day...)

Lessons learnt from cycling, part 3

And we can't talk about cycling without talking about not giving up. Doing your job. Lance Armstrong had a guy on his team ho had financial troubles. He was whining about that all the time, and his capability was affected. You could really feel sorry for the guy: his former team had not payed him, and it seemed like he wasn't to get his money. So, he was not getting in time to his practice. Unacceptable to Mr Armstrong.
Armstrong talked to the guy: Get on your f*cking bike or I'll get someone else to do it.
And that how it is, it is not a fair world, and it's not about everything being good all the time. If you want to be the winner, sometimes you just have to get on your f*cking bike and get going. It's not like someone else will do it for you.