Tax the rat farms#

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 23:38:09 +0000

That title needs a bit of explanation, I suppose. It's from a Discworld novel, can't remember which, where the city is having such great trouble with a plague of rats it has resorted to offering a bounty for each rat tail brought to the Palace, and even this has not staunched the tide. The Patrician, on being told about the problem, simply said "tax the rat farms"

Point being, of course, that performance metrics for behaviour that you wish to encourage are going to encourage people to do exactly that, so you need to be careful you're actually measuring what you want, and not just something that's hitherto had a correlation with it. Like when I wanted to improve my pedalling cadence on my bike, the easiest and most effective possible way to do so was to get a cycle computer that measured it. And don't get me started on software development teams that measure productivity using KLOC (happily, none of the places I've ever worked have had such stupid ideas, and I think that the practice probably died out generally decades ago)

In the meantime, I'm going to make the following two observations about my off season training this year: (1) I really really wish I'd been measuring something, (2) but subjectively, I feel great. I just have no idea at all if it will translate to actual performance in races.

• Last Friday: LFNS cancelled (see previous entry), went to Queensway instead to skate on ice. First time in twelve months on a blade which had less than 13" between front and back, took me some relearning - and first 30 minutes getting the confidence to crossover. But having done that, isn't the outside edge just an utterly gorgeous place to be?
• Weekend: doing Firebrox renovation stuff. The end is nigh, surely
• Monday: plyo/weights
• Tuesday it rained, RC was cancelled, rest. A bit stiff in the evening from Monday
• Wednesday: unofficial RC and slow skate home. Bit stiff in morning, seems to have worn off

To look forward to this week: oficial RC tomorrow, LFNS Friday, techniquey stuff Saturday, and a long skate in the New Forest on Sunday

Did I mention the Bunnyblog here yet? The secret is now out in Week on Wheels and on SerpentineRoad