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Teach your kids (or yourself) to code

10:17am, 25 Sep 2015
I've been volunteering at an after-school club that teaches kids how to code. It's been a lot of fun, and the kids are really enthusiastic about learning this stuff. We've been using a programming tool called Scratch, which makes it easy to start learning about how to put blocks of code together. There are code clubs everywhere - often they are run by schools, but you can also find them in libraries (if you can find a library).

Anyway, I know how much time my boy spends watching YouTube - if it's not in a YouTube tutorial or walkthrough, then it didn't happen. So I made a little YouTube video last night, which walks through the first of the projects that we've been tackling. We only had 16 club places for the kids at school, and there were at least a hundred parents who were interested in getting their kids involved - so it seemed like a good way to help them all get a leg up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUylXX2BTCE


I hope you like it :-) You'll probably need to maximise the video to see the text on the blocks.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • have you seen the rasberry pi? Wondering if they are good to get
    RuthB2
    10:21am, 25th Sep 2015
  • For less than £30, it's hard to go wrong :-) It's basically a tiny Linux box - so you need to invest a bit of time in learning if you want to get going, but they look pretty cool, and there are a few books out there targeted at introducing kids to the pi. I'm tempted just for myself :-)
    fetcheveryone
    10:27am, 25th Sep 2015
  • The book Adventures in Raspberry Pi is good.
    Adorescience
    10:53am, 25th Sep 2015
  • How many other YouTube videos feature a throbbing watermelon?
    Grid
    11:00am, 25th Sep 2015
  • Sounds like fun...I'll have to remember to look at that. I've been doing terrible things to XSLT for a while now.
    Garfield
    11:16am, 25th Sep 2015
  • My kids got a Raspberry Pi, but then they lost interest in it. Any ideas to get them reinterested? Both my kids learnt Scratch a while back, but school is naff-all help in anything computer-y, they just learn everything they need on YouTube. The other day ds2 told me how the internal combustion engine works and I said 'they didn't teach you that at school, did they?' and he said he'd learnt it on YouTube :)
    fleecy
    11:22am, 25th Sep 2015
  • Raspberry Pi + Minecraft = interested kids FF .... use python to code in Minecraft check out stuffaboutcode.com

    Great going Mr Fetch
    EvilPixie
    11:58am, 25th Sep 2015
  • I second the Adventures in Raspberry Pi and also adventures in Minecraft which also uses the Pi
    EvilPixie
    11:59am, 25th Sep 2015
  • Cool
    Tizer
    12:45pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • We've been using Scratch for a while now and the kids love it. As soon as they have mastered which commands are in which section, they get going on it really quickly.
    HowFar?
    1:32pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • Ahh I've been starting small on some code based stuff - Code monkey is great playcodemonkey.com and he likes an app I got called 'The Foos' which has a similar principle. The plan is eventually getting a Rasperry Pi ;)
    Mikuro
    1:42pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • Is coding what we used to call programming?
    Kittenheels Kath
    1:47pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • This is amazingly useful. Thank you!
    Angus Clydesdale
    1:54pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • KK yes that's it!
    EvilPixie
    2:52pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • Thanks Fetch.... I am the computing co-ordinator in a primary school.... so I might show this to some of the staff!
    K8
    5:43pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • I bought a Raspberry Pi last year. I've never quite figured out what I want to do with it. :-(
    Longwayround [LWR]
    7:59pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • Things have come a long way since I was a kid and messing about with BASIC on my Spectrum.
    Fragile Do Not Bend
    8:48pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • COBOL and Fortran is where it's at :-O
    -x-x-
    9:07pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • Tell me you at least mean Fortran 90
    Badger
    9:21pm, 25th Sep 2015
  • We've also got a Pi but no idea what to do w it.

    Kids love Scratch.
    LindsD
    8:43am, 26th Sep 2015
  • I teach Scratch at our primary, but your video is fab. Is it ok to share the link with our parents? :-)
    stilldreaming
    8:57am, 26th Sep 2015
  • Yeah go for it :-)
    fetcheveryone
    10:38am, 26th Sep 2015
  • It's a long way from punched cards.
    RichHL
    9:39pm, 26th Sep 2015
  • Flo does that she seems to love it
    MissChappo
    10:37pm, 26th Sep 2015
  • Thanks fetch - will let you know how it goes :-)
    stilldreaming
    6:44pm, 28th Sep 2015
  • You really are a very good man Ian...
    Yazoo
    7:53pm, 28th Sep 2015
  • The kids also love a game called code combat - got them interested in coding codecombat.com
    Adorescience
    11:00am, 30th Sep 2015
  • This is great! Thank you 😀
    jude
    8:57pm, 8th Oct 2015


Sticky Training Choices

10:50am, 24 Sep 2015
Just a little change, but one that I know many of you will find useful.

http://www.fetcheveryone.com/training.php

At the top of your training log, there are little tabs for 'Running Distance', 'Biking Distance', 'Cross Training Time' and the like. In future, the site remembers which one you'd previously chosen. So if you're an all-out biker or swimmer, or you're wanting to avoid the running log during a period of injury... this one's for you folks.

Pip pip :-)
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • Nice one. Thanks.
    Grid
    11:35am, 24th Sep 2015
  • Like
    Night-owl
    12:01pm, 24th Sep 2015


Goodies: GetMore water and the Alcatel OneTouch Watch

12:46pm, 23 Sep 2015
There's been a few bits in the news recently about bloggers and vloggers who mislead their audience by failing to disclose relationships with the suppliers of the stuff that they are reviewing. So for clarity (although I've always done this anyway), I've just been sent some stuff by the rather lovely-named Tea and Cake PR, which I will now give you my opinion on. If anyone ever pays me to say anything nice about their products, then I will be sure to let you know - and if they pay me well enough, I will send you all a postcard from the Cayman Islands :-)

Anyway, here's what I've been sent:



The drinks are the easiest to review - they have 200% of your RDA of Vitamin D in them, and they are lightly flavoured still water. I also saw them by the self-service checkouts in Tesco the other day, so clearly they are on a bit of a march. The taste test results:

Me = I liked it, nice flavour :-)
Katie = Ok, but bit of a soapy aftertaste.
The Boy = Liked it (and that's high praise from a fussy eater)
The Step-Boy = Liked it (but too busy playing Battlefield 4 to comment further).

As for the Vitamin D sunshine replenishing qualities - well, I did feel a bit giggly for a few days after. But as far as controlled experiments go, it was hard to rule out external factors, as you lovely Fetchies were pummelling the Paypal account with your voluntary subs.

On to the watch - it's an Alcatel OneTouch - a smart watch with a friendlier price tag than most, being available for typically between 90-100 quid.

Here's an Amazon link to it, so you can see a bunch of pics:

amazon.co.uk

I like the way that it looks - it's all brushed steel, and the black and red strap is quite 'Fetch' :-) The screen is all black and shiny when it's in power save mode, so it looks pretty good. There's an optical HRM on the back, which is promising.

The funkiest bit is probably the end of the strap, which flips open to reveal a USB plug - so you can charge it up without needing any cables with you at all - just a place to plug it in. Because they've made it a lightweight USB connection though, it's a little bit wobbly, so if it's in the side of your laptop on your lap, it can wiggle itself out. But great idea though, and it means that it's waterproof as far as I can tell.

Getting it on is a bit of a faff - at the setting that's right for my spindly wrists, it's difficult to get the whole watch past my chubby hand. I would probably wear it a little bit looser, but whenever I've tried that, the oHRM has complained that it can't measure my heart rate. Maybe they need to step back on the fancy flippy-locky strap, and go for something a bit more basic that makes it easier to adjust for different purposes.

The screen is colour, which is very jazzy to look at, and you can even upload a picture to use as a background - but in order to ensure this doesn't munch up the battery, it turns itself off pretty quickly if you don't press anything. You can configure it to stay on for longer, but with the obvious trade-off. The watch does turn the screen on if it detects that you've turned it towards your face (more or less), so it's not too much of an issue that it's blank most of the time.

There's an NFC tag on it. For the uninitiated, this is a quick way to grab some data from another 'thing' that's NFC-enabled. It's a little bit like those QR codes that you see on things - scan them with your phone/watch/whatever, and it gives you access to some more information. So far I've not found something that I can test it on :-)

In terms of using the interface, it's quite straightforward - tap the face of the watch, and it brings up some coloured blocks representing various features. Tap them to go into them, or tap the bottom of the face to go back. Simple. There are no instructions about each of the features, but then I can't remember reading any manuals for my phone - it's all about exploring, and trying stuff out. So that's what I did.

Heart Rate. It measures this when you ask it to, rather than sampling through the day, like the Fitbit seems to do. The combination of the metal bits in the strap, and perhaps my hairy arms means that the required tightness can be quite uncomfortable :-/

Step Counting. It seems to do this well enough, and I'm guessing it uses cadence to classify your steps as running or walking. No GPS though, so if you want accurate distance and pace stats, it might struggle.

Sleep Measuring. You tell it when you go to bed, unlike the Fitbit which detects that you've stopped moving :-) In terms of looking at sleep patterns, I can't imagine being conscientious enough to remember to start and stop the sleep mode.

Phone calls and texts and the like. You get little notifications of texts, so it can be handy if you don't want to have your phone in your face the whole time; and you can answer calls just by pressing a button on the watch face. I can't get over the fact that you'd still need to have your phone with you though, and struggle to see major benefits in this.

Beyond that, there are a few features that seem colourful on first glance, but they aren't massively useful - like the weather option that comes on every smart phone I've ever seen, and a stopwatch that comes on watches that are a tenth of the price. I do, however like the fact that you can use it to make your phone ring if you're searching for it - but as it relies on a Bluetooth connection which struggles past a couple of walls, it doesn't quite replace getting Mrs Fetch to phone it from her phone :-) You can also set it up to vibrate if you walk away from your phone, to help minimise the chances that you'll leave it behind in the first place. However, in helping to ensure that you have your phone with you most of the time, it almost negates its own existence.

The one exception, where it works very nicely, is that you can control the camera on your phone from the watch. Tap the watch and take a picture. Simple and effective. I like that.

As with (I imagine) just about every smart watch, there's an App for your phone that you can use to configure the watch, and to view the stats that the watch is recording. My most recent experience of this sort of thing recently has been with the Fitbit Surge (which is a bit more pricey at £157ish - Amazon). Unfortunately, the Alcatel app isn't as polished, nor as feature rich. Upon registering my account, I got an email from an address that had Chinese symbols in it, the subject of the mail was "User Center Account-Create Account Success", and it told me that my username was 852680486 - sounds like a bit of user experience testing would improve this sort of thing.

In conclusion, it needs a comfier strap as a bare minimum, and could do with onboard GPS to be a contender for runners. The colour screen is pretty, but comes at a cost; and the features are fairly limited compared to other watches on the market. It's proprietary software, so there's no option to download apps, like the Android-based and Apple options. The usability needs a bit of a leg up, and if you've got a smart phone already, it doesn't add a great deal.

I don't take any pleasure in highlighting the negatives, because the lady who sent them seemed like a nice and genuine person - but I don't think I could have said anything different really.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • If the screen is shiny, can you see it outside in sunlight? Could I see the display anyway without my reading glasses on?
    Silvershadow
    1:35pm, 23rd Sep 2015
  • you have spindly wrists and chubby hands!
    Ocelot Spleens
    2:25pm, 23rd Sep 2015
  • My very first mobile phone was an Alcatel One Touch Easy. It was a blue brick with a flip down front.
    Wine Legs
    4:59pm, 23rd Sep 2015
  • The watch looks interesting.
    Ness
    6:41pm, 23rd Sep 2015
  • I got given some of that water this week too- really liked it. Mango and passionfruit, v nice.
    Gymfreak
    9:12am, 24th Sep 2015


Shirt size guidelines

11:22am, 18 Sep 2015


I've just emailed all the subscribers to double check addresses and confirm shirt sizes - so if you've subscribed, please check your inbox in a few minutes. Here, for anyone still undecided, are the size guidelines for the Fetch Subscribers Shirt:

Mens (chest size)
Small 38"
Medium 40"
Large 43"
XL 46"

XXL 49"

Ladies (chest / dress size)
XS 32-34" / 6-8
Small 34-36" / 10-12
Medium 36-38" / 12-14
Large 38-42" / 14-16
XL 42-44" / 16-18
XXL 44-46" / 20

And here's the subscription links, if you need them. Takforcaffe.

http://www.fetcheveryone.com/standing.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • Will it be a tech T?
    *Anj*
    11:47am, 18th Sep 2015
  • Very clear, thank you. Erm...is it possible for you to let us know the length of the shirts? I usually buy mens as I find ladies cuts a bit short and ridey-uppy. Ta :-)
    Alice the Camel
    12:03pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Anj, yes it's a tech T.

    Alice - I'll check with the manufacturer and post a comment back here.
    fetcheveryone
    12:16pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Have t'emails gone out yet?
    McGoohan
    12:37pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Yeah. Not got it? It'll be the email address you use for Paypal.
    fetcheveryone
    12:43pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • The manufacturer is sending me a shirt in each size, so I can measure any aspect :-)
    fetcheveryone
    1:48pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Thanks a lot, much appreciated :-)
    Alice the Camel
    2:20pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Is it the same manufacturer as the anniversary shirts ? I.e if I know what size I've got In that design I can order the same one :-)
    Gromit
    3:59pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • No, soz.
    fetcheveryone
    4:09pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • D'oh - was looking in the wrong email. Gorrit.
    McGoohan
    7:48pm, 18th Sep 2015
  • Will I get an email? Only paid up today...
    Helegant
    4:49pm, 23rd Sep 2015
  • I only paid up today!
    MissChappo
    10:52pm, 26th Sep 2015


This nearly made it...

2:08pm, 15 Sep 2015
Whilst I was fiddling around with Photoshop yesterday, I came up with this design - but I reckon we'd have to charge more than £50.

Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • I'm fairly sure I'll get commission on that ;)
    Pinks
    2:10pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • My eyyyyyyyyes!
    McGoohan
    2:12pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Ha, brilliant! Maybe sell postcards of that one!
    fleecy
    2:15pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • champagne x
    oldbiddy
    2:16pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • LOL :)
    ndellar
    2:21pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • lol
    Elsie Too
    2:22pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Are you trying to increase or decrease contributions?
    flanker
    2:32pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • we should all get our *own* picture on the back ;)
    JustCommando!
    3:00pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • I definitely approved that design. :-)
    KatieB
    3:13pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • John Inman is alive!
    Llamadance
    3:28pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • You really need to sort out that Unsee button.
    GlennR
    3:58pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • I was being a bit shy on that one...... :)
    eL Bee!
    4:05pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Brilliant! :)
    SarahWoo
    4:46pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • LOL
    Ness
    5:52pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Have the buffs gone onto the back burner Sir Fetch? ;-)
    Seratonin
    8:40pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Love it
    Mummysaurus
    10:48am, 16th Sep 2015
  • They're still on my 'to do' list :-)
    fetcheveryone
    10:53am, 16th Sep 2015


Subscriber Shirt Design

5:19pm, 14 Sep 2015
Here it is:

Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • Now *I've* got wood
    McGoohan
    5:24pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I approve :)
    JustCommando!
    5:29pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Lol McG! Very nice design.
    KimCanRun
    5:33pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Classy! Like it!
    eL Bee!
    5:41pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • As I've already commented on the thread - when it's renewal time I'll be very tempted to go for the level that gets me one of those :-)
    BaronessBL
    5:42pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I "need" one of these! Waiting for my invoices to be paid before I subscribe, save me a little one :-)
    .B.
    5:46pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Oh yes, like that a lot. Can we have it in 'cycle jersey' too, please? ;-)
    Angus Clydesdale
    5:50pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I think I can answer that one, Angus.
    KatieB
    5:52pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • We'll see :-)
    fetcheveryone
    5:55pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Sexy. Matches my car.
    Watford Wobble
    6:08pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Is a v neck too much to ask? Looks lovely!
    RuthB2
    6:10pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • V nice
    Helegant
    6:33pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • * like *
    Ness
    7:00pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I love it - though I wouldn't mind a v-neck ...
    Autumnleaves
    7:17pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Ladies cut may well have a V. This is just the design.
    fetcheveryone
    7:30pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Nice flame detail and waist-slimming design.
    Dvorak
    7:33pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Very very nice I approve :-) no v neck for me tho ta ;-) ( can't please all the people all of the time :-) )
    Gromit
    7:53pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I'll be checking the post in the morning :)
    zuistu
    8:08pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Good luck, but it'll be mid-October.
    fetcheveryone
    8:19pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Oh goody! *like*
    fleecy
    8:59pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Now you have done it. You will need to introduce an upgrade path for cheap skates like me who paid £10 and now wants a shirt. Have you considered a central badge placement?
    mikep
    9:14pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I like the badge over the moob design. In the centre might look like a target!
    McGoohan
    9:53pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Nice.
    Nightjar
    10:05pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Don't think that is flame detail is it? Isn't that just meant to represent folds in the fabric in the sleeves?
    McGoohan
    10:18pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • It's almost tasteful. What's wrong with you?
    RichHL
    11:14pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Certainly beats a car sticker and a pin badge!
    PCleasby
    1:10am, 15th Sep 2015
  • Very nice, what about the web address underneath Fetcheveryone on the back? Just a thought
    Old Man
    8:32am, 15th Sep 2015
  • 👍🏻
    Hollyfairyelephant
    8:40am, 15th Sep 2015
  • QQ - can we check our registered address somewhere? After a couple of moves, mine's probably out of date!
    JustCommando!
    9:12am, 15th Sep 2015
  • I will contact everyone who's paid for a shirt to get sizes, and to confirm addresses.
    fetcheveryone
    9:14am, 15th Sep 2015
  • How would it compare cost wise to ditch the badge for the £50 level, and do a long sleeve shirt? I'm just thinking many of us regulars will have a drawer full of race t shirts, but long sleeve ones are comparatively rare, plus it is winter, and most will also be thinking about Marathon training starting in January.

    Just a thought :-)
    boyband6666
    11:44am, 15th Sep 2015
  • Also I'm not sure which company you are discussing with, but Xempo are doing the new Marathon Talk kit, so might also be worth having a chat to, since they are keen on growing their brand, and doing branded deals.
    boyband6666
    11:45am, 15th Sep 2015
  • Nice. Now go and vote in hammer deathmatch r1g4 all of you. preferably for the steam hammer.
    GregP
    12:22pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • I like the design but I never wear Ts for running - only vest or long sleeves. So I am now wondering whether it would be possible to cut the sleeves off and make a wider neck without removing any of the writing / logo...
    sallykate
    1:13pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Yay for V neck xx
    oldbiddy
    2:16pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • I spoke to the manufacturer today, and it's a round neck :-/
    fetcheveryone
    2:22pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • that's ok, my neck is fairly roundish too
    mulbs
    3:22pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • I prefer a round neck. My neck is round too. Well, roundish.
    jennywren
    6:53pm, 15th Sep 2015
  • Yep, that's a like :-)
    Molesy
    7:04pm, 15th Sep 2015


I've got wood!

2:07pm, 14 Sep 2015
Got to parkrun on Saturday morning - and it seems as though my times have plateaued a bit - I've run three times in the last month, and got 23:46, 23:37 and 23:40. I've been averaging about 10 miles a week over the summer though, so I'm hoping it'll creep down as the mileage creeps up. The other thing that's slowing me down a bit is the congestion at the start - but if I was massively bothered about that, I'd try to get further forward :-) On each occasion, the first mile was nearly 20s slower than the second and third.

But that's enough about the running, other than to note that if I want to get better, I'm gonna have to actually do something about it :-)

After parkrun, I went home with a chocolate croissant for my youngest stepson, who I was minding, as it was 'Back to University' day for the elder two. Then after a bit of tidying up, I got to go on an exciting trip to Wickes, where I spent £20 on wood!

This is the room on the side of our house:



when we moved in, it was just bare block (and as you can see, it still is). It's about 5 feet wide, but about 23 feet long - so it sort of lends itself to being a space for desks and book cases. So I've put in a little stud partition to fence off the washing machine, and the rest is gonna be a place for working, as me and Katie both work from home (no, Katie won't be doing physio in here, but she has lots of paperwork that goes with it).

Yesterday I spent several hours sawing bits of wood, spitting out brickdust, blunting drill bits, and swearing cheerfully. There's quite a bit of pipework to be boxed in, and because the original wall was quite uneven, I've decided to batten the wall to make it even enough for plasterboard. I know Tommy Walsh would probably dot and dab it, whilst doing a piece to camera; but it was all I could do not to give myself some involuntary piercings.

What I did realise though, is that I enjoy doing stuff like this. I wouldn't say I'm especially good at it - my edges are not always square, and I will quite often accept far less than perfection; but I like the absorption in a method, in treating a mishap as just a part of the process, and the way that it sits and waits for you.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • I'm liking the daylight :-)
    Elsie Too
    2:20pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • where's the cafetiere going ??? ;) x
    oldbiddy
    2:24pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Where will the bikes live - in the dining room?
    alpenrose
    2:27pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I'm terrible at DIY and I don't like it. Perhaps I should adopt your attitude and just see it as all part of the experience. :-O Slow at start of parkrun is something that you can easily address. Fast at the end is the important thing! Nice! :-) G
    HappyG(rrr)
    2:28pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • If Katie practiced some of the more outré therapies, you could put rails on the floor and a trolley on top and use it as a rebirthing room. The washing machine could provide an appropriately womb-like sloshing.
    Dvorak
    2:30pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • We were thinking of opening a very narrow cinema, with one column of seats, on a rake. Not an actual rake.

    HappyG - there's a lot of staring involved, and you've got to take your time. And the same goes for DIY ;-)
    fetcheveryone
    2:35pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Our bikes are in the dining room.
    jennywren
    2:51pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Great title ;-)
    Derby Tup
    2:57pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • We have a bike shed for most of the bikes. Ian's bike is still too precious.

    I like the idea of a rebirthing service, but I'm not putting grown ups in nappies. I have my standards.
    KatieB
    2:59pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • DIY today - you'll be building you own furniture next :-)
    bigleggy
    3:08pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • my friend Jack would be proud. :)
    D2
    3:18pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • I would love to have a single column cinema. I'm going to work on that.
    McGoohan
    4:12pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • The person with the most ridiculous hat has to sit at the front.
    fetcheveryone
    4:15pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • FFS Fetch please don't blog stuff like this. I like many others come on to this site to avoid the embarrassment and duty to all things DIY! And there you go, bold as brass, waving yours in our collective faces. Desist or I will demand my £10 back!
    SRS Thats a good attempt at DIY or as it is known in my house DFB (Dad's Fecking Bodge-up) :-)
    Seratonin
    4:43pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Lucky I wasn't drinking tea when I read that title :)
    fleecy
    4:55pm, 14th Sep 2015
  • Oooh, I do heart a man with a drill and slightly imperfect angles ;)
    Velociraptor
    5:44pm, 14th Sep 2015


Humbled

11:10am, 12 Sep 2015
Voluntary subscriptions have just gone past £7500 in total, in just five days, which has really taken me by the superlatives. Thank you! This figure may not cover the entire costs of the website (and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would), but it's a clear message that you folks really care about this website and the people on it - and that's a really powerful tool to ensure that our voice is heard clearly in the right places.

More than a few of you have also been apologetic about not being able to contribute, or about not being able to give more. There's really no need to apologise. The money is undoubtedly very useful, but more than that, I am floating on a massive sea of positivity - your words of support have the sort of power that money can't buy. Thank you.

I will be designing and ordering the shirts this coming week, and contacting you all for size info (doh! that should have been on the form) which means they should be ready to send out by mid-October I hope.

I've had quite a few requests now from folks who want to subscribe, but don't have Paypal. If you've got a smartphone, you can try downloading an app called Pingit (from Barclays). It lets you pay money to any bank account, and you don't need a Barclays account to be able to use it, just a UK current account. Thanks to flanker for mentioning it in a comment on a previous blog.

I've also had a few folks ask about quarterly/monthly options - and I'm still having a think about the best way to do this. The main issues are that with multiple payments, the transaction charges will eat into the payments; and secondly what to do about goodies. But I'll let you know when I've got something in place.

Have a great weekend Fetchies.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • heart
    McGoohan
    11:23am, 12th Sep 2015
  • Wow - and thanks for keeping us informed. And completely unrelated to the subscribing thing.. but thank you for putting my route picture on the home page today too :-)
    BaronessBL
    11:36am, 12th Sep 2015
  • Fantastic. I am waiting for pay day (as always)
    Diogenes
    11:52am, 12th Sep 2015
  • :-)
    Totoro
    12:19pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • :)
    LindsD
    1:16pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • :-) If you're happy we're happy
    jennywren
    1:56pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Whenever anyone spends their money, they are making a small change to how you want the world to be. Fetch is a great community. Thanks.
    PeteFastFeet
    2:18pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • I've donated, but I just wondered if you wanted to put a donate button up the top near add training/profile etc. Could also put the Amazon button up there because I always forget to use it.
    Cheg
    2:27pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Amazing site. Always has been. Thank YOU. x
    DIY Diva
    2:44pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Off to look at Pingit as I do not have paypal... such a luddite!
    Tazsedai
    3:33pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • You'll have to wait until payday :-)
    bigleggy
    4:09pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • I love it too - and my running would not be where it is without it :)
    Autumnleaves
    6:07pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • What Autumn Leaves said.
    Columba
    6:36pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Top banana. *does a high five"
    Boingy
    6:50pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • What Jennywren and DIYDiva, oh, and all the others said :-)
    Kittenheels Kath
    6:51pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • You'll hear from me in a few days - good news about total so far.
    Helegant
    8:02pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Well done Fetch and well done Fetchies, it seems Fetchies are unlike a fair proportion of people that always want something for nothing *applause*
    -x-x-
    8:03pm, 12th Sep 2015
  • Fetch IS my running club so I'm in with some quids.
    steve45
    2:25pm, 13th Sep 2015
  • ..and I'm not bothered about adverts remaining if it generates more money. Leave 'em there as far as I'm concerned!
    steve45
    2:30pm, 13th Sep 2015
  • I love this site too, it's got me through lots of running, two pregnancies, two injuries and at least five returns to running after time off. I'm currently tapping into its wisdom to do some heart rate base training too :-)
    VicksterH
    5:10pm, 13th Sep 2015
  • Sounds like it's going well. Good news. :-) G
    HappyG(rrr)
    10:08am, 14th Sep 2015
  • :-) Happy post makes me happy.
    RichHL
    11:19pm, 14th Sep 2015


New Beginnings

12:00pm, 11 Sep 2015
I took another batch of beginners out today :-)

The January litter have flown the nest, and I know that at least three (hopefully more) of the five are still running regularly and enjoying it :-)

I thought the new term would be a good opportunity to get some more people running, so I got The Boy's school to send out a message to all the parents - and I have four ladies to train up to 5k again. We did our first run on the same path I'd used back in January, and I'm looking forward to that point where they look back on this first run with a smile.

:-)
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • It's great isn't it! We have a new group due to start at the end of the month :)
    Autumnleaves
    12:10pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Awww, that's awesome :-)
    Wine Legs
    12:35pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Cool. I see some of the (no longer beginners) at club and think "I helped get them there". It's nice to be able to do something like that.
    Nightjar
    3:33pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • This is great :-)
    .B.
    6:10pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • I hate to nitpick, but a litter is usually puppies or kittens, and you wouldn't expect them to fly. So I conclude you must be working some kind of magic :) Do you use a C25K program?
    fleecy
    7:22pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Nice one, after 5 months of almost nothing I feel like a beginner again! :-)
    Scooba Steve
    7:28pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Yes of you're going to mix your metaphors you could at least call them a muddle or a gaggle.
    jennywren
    7:56pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Is there no limit to the good things you do, Sir Fetch? Maybe we ought to start a campaign for you to receive an MBE, OBE or summit for your contribution to running :-)
    Seratonin
    8:23pm, 11th Sep 2015


Some more questions answered

5:17pm, 9 Sep 2015
Here are some more answers to stuff that I've seen on the thread, and on my previous blogs :-)

1) Will the shirts be the same size as current shirts?
I'm looking at a new supplier - and they are sending me their size guide, and I should be able to get hold of some samples to measure them up. All being well, we should get the shirts in about a month.

2) What do Natmag-Rodale do?
I don't have a lot of contact with them - they let me get on with it. But I think there are things they can definitely do (like getting hold of companies that want to mail our mailing list; and finding some sponsors for a few of our games; and promoting the site more than they currently do, to increase awareness). I don't mind that they let me get on with it, but I will be doing more to ensure I make the most of what they can offer. Shall we say.

3) Would you like your site back, or is the security of being employed worth more to you?
This is the question that made me and Katie cry yesterday (but in a nice way). I asked her if she knew what my answer was, and she nailed it. I want the site to be the way it should be, and I want to keep on building something we can all be proud of; but my wife and family have to be my first priority.

4) Will you have a totaliser?
We've made just over 4k in three days. I know this is a long way off covering all the costs, but I didn't expect it to come close to that. It's my opinion that this is a significant contribution that shows what the community is capable of, and I think there's more to come (indeed, as I read this back for smelling errors, it's already £4.2K). Your contributions are still coming in at a good rate, and I've been humbled by the number of you that have stepped forward, and by the comments and blogs.

5) How much income do you lose for each user that switches the ads off?
We have around 70,000 individual visitors each month - so even if 1000 users take out the subscription, there's still a significant amount of eyeballs. True, those 1000 may bat above their weight when it comes to the number of pages viewed, but 'uniques' are the bigger draw for advertisers, IMHO.

6) I don't do Paypal - can I send you money some other way?
Thank you. I'm not sure how best to achieve that right now. Send me a feedback, and I'll drop you a note if/when I think of something.

7) Can I pay quarterly / monthly?
Bear with. Again, let me see what I can do. It makes things a bit more complicated, but in theory it's entirely possible :-) And thank you :-)

8) Can I buy some merch in order to help?
I will still do hoodies/buffs/shirts etc from time to time - maybe even caps. But the issue with these is always that I need to buy in some sort of bulk, and that often means I need to build up quite a bit of interest to make it generate any extra cash.

9) Will it make me run faster?
If you pay in loose change, yes.

10) Can we have your liver?
No, you can't. Seriously though, I nearly put that on the badge.

11) strava has segments.
Yeah, but we've got Checkpoints. Which I need to make betterer. Any suggestions?

12) Are there other monetisation (yeah, that's a word unfortunately) ideas that would work?
I'm open to suggestions, and there are several irons in the fire right now. Mailouts from companies that want to speak directly to our users will potentially generate a biggish chunk.
But whilst I've got your attention, and thanks to a suggestion from Bru-Bru, I came up with one today. We are a network of people, linked by running, but we do all sorts of stuff. Those of us who need business can advertise to other Fetchies. Locally, this can be anything from plumbers to physios to piano tuners; and nationally, there are various amongst us who are web developers, copywriters, coaches, legal eagles, and so forth. And in the spirit of the same faith that has got us to this point, let's make that opportunity completely free, on the understanding that those who benefit from that connection can make a donation to the site to reflect that.

13) Do Paypal take a chunk?
Yep - on £10 it's 50p, on £50 it's £1.90. All payment services have a fee per transaction (let me know if you know of a better one). It's why the corner shop has a minimum spend of a fiver.

That's me done for now :-) I'm off to read the comments on my swimming blog.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • Please someone tell me I'm not the only one who sees the thread title and says 'Praying for fetcheveryone' and thinks OMFG, what dreadful thing has happened?! And then realised it's Paying for fetcheveryone!
    Sorry, as you were. Great job fetch :)
    fleecy
    5:30pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • So you,re swimming, you,ve bought a bike and you still run, have you posted on "smell..." yet?
    Waiting on answer to 6 above.
    Dai Bank
    6:26pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • Barclays Pingit could be a good alternative to Paypal - Free app and it's completely fee free, I don't mind using Paypal at all to pay for stuff generally but in this case I agree with others I would much rather every penny I send you (And I will be...) goes to you rather than lining Paypals pockets.
    Scooba Steve
    8:17pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • You don't need a Paypal account to make a paypal payment. Other than that most banks now support paying cash by sending it to a mobile number or email address.
    flanker
    9:11pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • Er, yeah, sorry for Q3 :) Just wanted to check that it was going the way you wanted! Will add to £4.2k at weekend.
    Crash Hamster
    10:36pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • 9) Will it make me run faster? If you pay in loose change, yes.

    Worth the money alone - where do I sign ?? :-)
    Mr. K.
    10:37pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • Consider me volunto-subscribed...
    McGoohan
    11:14pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • 4k already :)
    plodding hippo
    5:12am, 10th Sep 2015
  • What Flea-Sea said.
    GregP
    9:23am, 10th Sep 2015
  • I would *deffo* subscribe if I got a badge saying "I've Got First Dibs on Fetch's Liver" ;-)
    DazTheSlug
    11:53am, 10th Sep 2015
  • No-ones ever had their liver taken out by us and survived!
    Molesy
    12:15pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • Have we tried this yet Molesy?
    CStar
    3:00pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • Just sent you some dosh. Apologies for not being more but it reflects my current usage of the site and, indeed, my bank balance. It will at least pay for a jewel on your running shorts!
    Blunderwoman
    4:30pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • I'm liking point 12 :-)
    fraggle
    4:37pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • I've fmailed you Fetch, this is serious stuff! :)
    Jono.
    4:43pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • Would a bank transfer be free rather than using paypal ?
    buttscratcher
    10:23pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • Paypal fees are 50p on £10, and £1.90 on £50 - unfortunately most payment systems charge a similar fee. But if you have a smartphone, you can install an app from Barclays called Pingit, which lets you send money from one bank account to another. Send me a feedback if you want to do that.
    fetcheveryone
    10:30pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • I'll be bunging you some dosh once I've sorted some other things, if you could factor me into the T shirt sizing that'd be appreciated (Super Large) ;-)
    Corona
    8:45pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Google Payments are cheaper I believe, and a lot less of an awful company.

    Square payments I think are even cheaper still.
    boyband6666
    11:25pm, 13th Sep 2015


Swimming

10:18am, 9 Sep 2015
Thank you to everybody for your generosity in subscribing!


I've been swimming once a week since the end of June, and I'm chuffed and shocked in equal measure. I've been doing half a mile each time, and trying to improve the way I do stuff.

I don't think half a mile is a particularly common distance - there seem to be a lot more times in the database for 750m, but half a mile works best in a 33m pool :-)

I'm still not very fast. Out of 256 PB's at 750m (I'm guessing the majority of those were part of a triathlon too, so probably not 'all out' efforts), I'd fit in at 226th place (adjusting my time down to 20:21 for 750m). I'd need to take off another 30 seconds to move up 10 places, and 5 whole minutes to get to half way. But I'm happy with where I am, because I started off in 254th place.

A lot of the improvement has come from slowly reducing and then cutting out the breaks, which in turn is because I'm coping better at breathing during swimming. Today I only had one little stop after length 19, to let a bunch of faster swimmers come through - which is a big improvement on a whole minute spent gasping, several times per session.

I can do a length whilst breathing every four hand pulls (does one hand pull = a stroke, or do you need a left-right hand pull combo to constitute a stroke? Matron?), and it feels very glidey, but I can't get enough air to continue like that. I'm breathing out through my nose - is it more effective to push the air out through your mouth instead? I feel like I'd need to practice that to get co-ordinated. So when I can't do four-pull breathing, I switch to two-pull, and I'm much better at maintaining that. I did try three-pull, but it's as bad as my dancing.

I've started thinking about how I can turn more effectively too. I shan't be doing any of those underwater roly-poly shenanigans, but my current technique (touch the wall, stand up, skip a few steps to the right-hand-side of the lane, turn round, push off) could definitely be improved.

I'm enjoying the whole optimisation process :-)
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • are you mirror-signal-manoeuvring before making your turn Fetch?
    mulbs
    10:30am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Lol. Katie was behind me, and her description suggests I look like a crab scuttling along the side :-)
    fetcheveryone
    10:34am, 9th Sep 2015
  • I like 3-stroke breathing so that both sides get used but it does take longer to perfect :-) crab swim
    JenL
    10:39am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Yeah, I reckon I could get asymmetric shoulders if I carry on this way :-)
    fetcheveryone
    10:43am, 9th Sep 2015
  • On the breathing, make sure you get your lungs empty while your face is in the water. Lots of people try to breathe out when they lift their heads and then don't have time to breathe in as well before it's time to get their head back in. Breathing out through your mouth might be more efficient, or you might find that water starts to go up your nose. Try both and see which works best for you. Do keep trying the 3 stroke breathing because it will be helpful in the long run. Try swimming arms only while you are practising it (use a pull buoy to support your legs), it's one less thing to have to think about and you will probably find that you don't get out of breath as quickly.

    You can make your turns more efficient without learning to tumble turn. Open turns would involve grabbing the wall, pulling your knees up while you swing around and pushing off. Eventually you will find that you can do this without lifting your head up to breathe but concentrate on getting the movement right first before you try that! There are some great instructional videos on YouTube if you search 'freestyle open turn' which explain it much better than I can.
    Luiz
    11:01am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Breathing every 4 is unusual. Every 2 is ok and, as Jen says, every 3 (or bilateral breathing) makes for more balanced training and is also a useful skill to have. What is your position in the water like? Your body should be as flat as possible front-back and also balanced left-right. Head down, water breaking around forehead. Roll to breath rather than lifting your head.
    Angus Clydesdale
    11:03am, 9th Sep 2015
  • I breathe out through my nose - I find it more effective than through my mouth - main thing is to make sure you do whatever it takes to empty your lungs properly. My natural rhythm lends itself to bilateral breathing but I'm more comfortable one side than the other. I'm probably 256th on that list though!
    sallykate
    11:04am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Check out Swim Smooth - swimsmooth.com - you can dip into the site (or book) and find the answer to any questions. It's packed full of tips, a great site to browse around and then pick just one aspect to try out at your next session. You don't have to start at the beginning and work through. They say to give it 2 weeks and the bi-lateral breathing should begin to feel right.
    Nightjar
    1:54pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • I'd try and get the hang of breathing every third stroke - it really does make for a more balanced effort and like a lot of things, once you've got the knack you'll wonder why you found it so difficult at first. Open turns are something I started to try and learn last winter when I realised how much my turns (not dissimilar to yours ;-) ) slowed me down in pool aquathlons. I haven't been in a pool since I discovered lakes this summer but it's something I intend to work on once I'm forced back indoors. I'm guessing I'm 256th in the league table :-)
    LazyDaisy
    4:40pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • League table what? Just to point out too that 750m may be Open Water so faster (for me at least) than in the pool with all that turning round and letting people go etc...

    Breathe out into the water, using mouth. Bilateral (every 3) works best for balance and going in the right direction I find but it took some getting used to. Now when I'm told to breathe to one sided I can't do it!
    JustCommando!
    5:25pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • So many tips. I've been swimming with the tri club once a week since March and my 400m time has gone from 11.10 to 9.45 😀 so many technique drills, so much to learn.
    If you practice too much with the wrong technique your muscles will learn and it will very difficult to unlearn, get some coaching! Breathing every 3 is a start point, honestly it will make allthe difference and stop you getting injured. Watch your hand placement. Straight out in front, not coming in to a midpoint or crossing over. Kick from your hips not your knees.. Floppy ankles. When breathing to the side pretend you have an apple under your chin and it cant fall out. Same when you're swimming along, head down, lead with a point just above your hairline. Hips up. Your propulsion comes from the push back from your hip with your arms. But above all, get someone to video you and offer tips or get some coaching before you're stuck with bad habits or injury. On that cheery note, well done and keep going! X
    jude
    6:21pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • i'm struggling with my swimming/breathing too. a friend of mine observed me swimming recently and said the thing i could do to make the single biggest improvement was be aware of where my head was in the water. i had it too low, so it had 'too far to go' before I came up for air. having my head a bit closer to the surface - as someone else has said, around the forehead area is good - has made the worlderististist of difference.
    GordonG
    9:36pm, 9th Sep 2015


Some responses to your comments

9:12am, 8 Sep 2015
The response to my rather nervous posting yesterday was very special, thank you.

There have been quite a lot of questions and comments, and I wanted to go through them and respond. I thought that it'd be better to do it here in my blog, so that it's easier to round everything up. I'm sure it'll generate more questions and comments, but that's ok :-)

So here we go... I might paraphrase the questions/comments a bit, to group similar ones together...

1) isn't everything free on the internet?
Unfortunately no. In the spirit of full disclosure, it costs about £60k to run this website per year. The amount of money generated from advertising would cover a quarter of this cost AT BEST. Other sites like strava MapMyThingy, and so forth all have free options, but all the ones I've seen will ringfence the best features behind a premium membership. strava is £40. As per my letter, I don't want to do it like this. I know that there are some people who just can't afford to pay, and I do believe that the internet should be as free as it's possible to be. The point I'm trying to make is that if enough Fetchies support this voluntary scheme, we can do just that - and I can stay focused on improving our training tools for EVERYONE.

2) what will the extra money bring?
Well, it'll pay my salary. As per the letter, Natmag-Rodale have covered these costs for the last eight years, and have not batted an eyelid. In that time the income has never matched the outgoings. They do have quite a lot of sites, most of them with a heck of a lot more users - so it's also an opportunity for them to see whether this could work in other places I guess. I'm not expecting that anyone will make a fortune out of Fetch, but I would feel a hell of a lot better knowing that we can stand on our own two feet as a website. But another thing your support does is send a message to business people - it says 'this is a way of doing things that can work. Give the users what they want, and they will support you.'

3) I don't really want the sticker / badge.
Fair enough. I wanted to offer a token of thanks. This is all new to me, and perhaps with a better knowledge of how it's working, in 12 months time we can look at some alternative useful stuff :-)

4) Can't we just club together and buy Fetch off Nutmeg-Roedeer? ;-)
If you want to do that, go for it. But they've supported the site financially, and given me total freedom to be at your beck and call for the last eight years, so I've little to complain about. I would like it if they were more proactive in spreading the reputation of the site, but beyond that, they've been absolutely great.

5) Will it put newbies off from joining?
I hope not. My database shows me who's been around the block a few times, and so I'll be emailing the letter out to the folks already in the database; and putting a few links around the site; but there won't be any restrictions on who can do what.

6) What will happen next year?
I can't imagine doing a second car sticker, but I like idea of a unique design for the shirts and also the pin badges. The smaller items cost about £1 each, give or take 20p; and the shirt will be £10-£15 (it'll be technical btw). Let's concentrate on this year for now, and we can work out what to do next year when we get closer to the time.

7) If I pay, will you add a feature to the site for me?
I have and will always do my best to keep evolving the site to meet the needs of all its users. If you want to ask me stuff, just use the feedback link that's at the top of every page (if you're on the mobile site, it's down at the bottom). Everything comes through to me, not an army of elves, and I do my best to respond to everyone - and I'm getting better :-) I have a Wiki on my computer (Wikipedia, that's another site that uses the voluntary model), and I keep notes on everything that needs updating - so I have a mine of improvements to make.

8) I haven't got a Paypal account
Click the 'Subscribe' button, and when it takes you through to Paypal, there should be a link for those of you that want to pay with a debit/credit card. Thanks!

For anyone wondering what the hell this is all about, here's the link:

http://www.fetcheveryone.com/standing.php

That's everything for now, but keep your comments coming :-)
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • Will the t-shirts be same sizes as current Fetch shirts? There's quite a lot of variety over what constitutes XL these days.
    Angus Clydesdale
    9:17am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Thanks for all the answers, I really like the transparency you are approaching this with. You've got my money, I hope you get enough to keep doing what you're doing and also make a decent wage.
    chunkywizard
    9:18am, 8th Sep 2015
  • So (sorry me) my head can follow where my heart instantly took me yesterday. Thank you, most honourable Mr. Fetch.
    Sharkie
    9:28am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I think your timing is good. Income from adverts is not to be relied on. The updates planned for both apple & Android are both likely to make ad-blockers much more common as people realise how much of their monthly data allowance is chewed up by the ads and the tracking technology.
    oi you
    9:29am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I like the approach you are taking, by asking those who can afford it to pay and those who cannot don't need to. It reminds me a bit of the parkrun approach where you can make voluntary donations to support the scheme, but essentially it's free to all users and that's one of the main reasons it's so successful.
    Ferdi
    9:29am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I like all this very much :-)
    jennywren
    9:32am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Great answers Fetch and as always, love and admire your approach and attitude. Hope this all works out for you and the site. :-) G
    HappyG(rrr)
    9:33am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Thanks for the answers. I'm known among my friends as the sort of person who has always left their wallet at home when it's my round in a pub, or in other words tight as a duck's wotsit, but I think you (and other Fetchies) have convinced me to cough up!
    BaronessBL
    9:35am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I too am impressed with the honesty and integrity shown by the way you've made the initial ask, and in answering the queries above (I like the idea of a car sticker - be handy for gatherings like Endure24!) - those event-clip thingies for race numbers would be good too (hint hint!). Really hope the response is good :)
    Autumnleaves
    9:46am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I think it is worth pointing out to Fetchies that don't choose to contribute that there are a couple of simple ways of supporting the site financially without having to open their wallet. A lot of people use ad blockers for example. I use one although turned it off on some sites like this one. You might be surprised how many folk don't realise that the ads generate revenue even if they're not clicked through - if this was made clear in a friendly way, perhaps more ads would get shown.
    Grid
    9:58am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Good answers, Mr F!
    Supplemental questions, if I may?
    What do Nutsack-Hearst do? They might cough up the difference in running costs, but they don't seem very enthusiastic.
    Do you, personally, in your heart of hearts, want your site back or is the security of being employed worth more to you? (if that sounds like a loaded question, please just pretend that I phrased it better, so that it comes across as 'just asking, with no judgement meant or implied')
    Hearst magazines; they're the same family as Patty Hearst, right?
    Crash Hamster
    10:01am, 8th Sep 2015
  • In the interests of openness, would you consider having a Blue Peter style totaliser displayed on the site ?
    Heavyweight
    10:27am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Also I'm interested in how much advertising income you'll lose per user, when you switch the adverts off.
    Heavyweight
    10:30am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I have no issues whatsoever with the annual donation Fetch, and have done so, I've got so much from this site over the years. Also interested in the answers to Crash Hamsters questions though! You do an amazing job.
    Gymfreak
    10:41am, 8th Sep 2015
  • On point 8 where it says click through to pay by credit card etc - at that point if you don't have a paypal account it makes you set one up. I do have a paypal account but for those that don't wish to have one is there an option that avoids using paypal altogether (what about sending you a cheque in the post or meeting in a pub carpark and handing over an envelope full of cash ;-) )
    BaronessBL
    10:45am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I'm in.... where else can I count to a million.
    D2
    10:48am, 8th Sep 2015
  • The bit that surprised me most is that Fetch is not already self-supporting given its membership and footfall. It makes me wonder what is in it for NatRoMag, I'd somehow assumed that the Fetch database of users and all our data was somehow valuable to them?
    Diogenes
    11:47am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I'd also be interested in the difference between the subscription money and the ad revenue that will be lost as someone above asked. Also, do people like me (AB+ users) harm the income that the site gets from ads?

    Could I help the site by buying a new hoodie instead of subscribing?

    Will probably donate though. As a suggestion though, a site I used to go on before had a voluntary sub model and part of what they had was the ability to gift a sub to another member. That could be worth implementing?
    RunningRonnie
    12:17pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • When I pay up (which I will do as soon as I heave myself off the sofa to go and get my purse) will it make me run faster? And I also had the same thought as RunninRonnie about the Ad-blocker people like me. I feel a bit guilty now. Soz.
    LazyDaisy
    1:32pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • As usual I pick up on these things 2 days later than everyone else. It may be an idea to split your £50 donation into manageable chunks like they do on the shopping channel. 3 easy payments may attract more folk to go big!
    Tizer
    1:45pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Happy to pay, as I've been using the website since 2010, gained loads of advice and met lots of cool runners. will have to wait until end of the month for payday :-)
    Sazzahazza
    2:39pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Wow 795 views. Is that a record? :-)
    GimmeMedals
    2:40pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Ignore that - I've just noticed yesterday's tally!
    GimmeMedals
    2:41pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Will contributing make me irresistible to the opposite sex? Or the same sex? I'm not fussy.
    McGoohan
    3:19pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • You're already irresistible enough McG ;-)
    fetcheveryone
    3:33pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • GM No alas that is a round black thing with a hole in the middle, sorry couldn't resist the humour ;)
    Night-owl
    4:29pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • What is Spinache?
    Jigs
    4:55pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • It's a new form of cross-training :-)
    fetcheveryone
    4:57pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Do you make more money if we click on the ads?
    CaptainDad
    5:52pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • A bit. Also a bit every time they're displayed, in quite a lot of cases.
    fetcheveryone
    5:54pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Seems I can't avoid PayPal and I want to avoid PayPal. Can I end you my jar of 20p's?

    Do you get much from the Amazon link? I do all my shopping through that and I'm an Amazon addict...
    jude
    5:55pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • I'll fmail you jude :-) The Amazon link donates about 5% of whatever you spend (10% if it's shoes).
    fetcheveryone
    5:57pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Me too, D2! And I quite like the Race Portfolio and Training Log too! Donation made.
    ♪♫ Synge ♪♫
    7:41pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Oooooh 1123 views! Is that a site record?
    GimmeMedals
    8:37pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • No hesitation here. Less than £1 a week for a community of friends, a way of storing and revisiting all my run stats and a car sticker?? Sold :-)
    Winniefree
    9:12pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • I'm in... just hesitating over whether or not I want a T-shirt.
    Columba
    9:44pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Next year's 'free gift' for paying should be a pair of jewel-encrusted racing underpants surely ;-)
    KinkyS
    10:37pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Think I will pass on that KinkyS :)
    -x-x-
    8:16am, 9th Sep 2015
  • I want to give, I really do, but Paypal sucks. I haven't used in years, I have limited access. I jump through the hoops to get access it says it's a success and yet I still can't give. Will try again tonight.
    Cheg
    8:45am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Wow, can't believe you get as much as 10% for someone buying running shoes off Amazon, that's way more than I though it'd be :-) It just so happens I bought a pair a couple of nights ago, so, kerching !!!
    K5 Gus
    9:15am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Keep the car sticker Fetch, I like the idea. :-)
    Pedro_Perez
    9:55am, 9th Sep 2015
  • Don't paypal take a chunk of what ever someone pays? I want to not use paypal but it won't let you.
    hurricanehamlyn
    5:12pm, 9th Sep 2015
  • I haven't commented before now but I'll definitely be contributing Fetch. I just haven't got round to it yet and might need to wait until pay day now. But Fetch is and has been a pretty awesome part of my life, so have no issue paying a subscription fee x
    neems
    3:58pm, 10th Sep 2015
  • Fetch has been part of my journey. And always will be. Good on you Ian. Long may it continue....
    smoke free
    8:34pm, 11th Sep 2015
  • Paid today, but I'm happy for the ads to continue on my page if it helps to fund the site. Fetch is special to me, even though my running is an exercise in windmill tilting.
    Helegant
    4:48pm, 23rd Sep 2015


Standing on the shoulders of Fetchies

3:57pm, 7 Sep 2015
Could you have a read of this please Fetchies:

http://www.fetcheveryone.com/standing.php
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • fair play, is this live now Mr F? I wouldn't go anywhere else, you know that, right?
    mulbs
    4:04pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • It is mulbs, yep.
    fetcheveryone
    4:05pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done, thank god I can get rid of those bloody ads :) And happy to support you in your jewel-encrusted running pants. You do a fabulous job and I appreciate that improving the website requires resources. I hope people who can afford to will support it, a world without fetch would be bleak indeed!
    fleecy
    4:07pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • I appreciate how hard that was for you to write. Will definitely sign up as soon as finances allow....
    MazH
    4:09pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done - having done our 'Pay what you like' Concert last night, I see this in a particular light today - aside from the training stuff, blog, forums etc etc - can't put a price tag on everything that Fetch has brought - hope you get lots of support :)
    Autumnleaves
    4:11pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • I cannot begin to imagine how dull and full of non-running rubbish my life would be right now without this place and the truly wonderful people I have met because of it. Even if they do make me sign up for races :-) I'm on board.
    PaulaMc
    4:19pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Go Popeye ;-)
    mulbs
    4:25pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • And you get free events like the TBC organised for you with magnificent mementoes, Paula :)
    fleecy
    4:32pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Yes, yes you do!!
    PaulaMc
    4:40pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done! Am proud to have shoulders. :-)
    Sharkie
    4:43pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done - seems a small thing to do
    Lorraine
    4:43pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • This'll have to wait for payday, but yeah, I'm in.
    emdee
    4:45pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Also done , my running club subs are cheaper but my running club is no where near as happy or useful place so its worth every penny :-) keep up the good work !!
    Gromit
    4:47pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done. Happy to support this site, which has given me so much encouragement and support :)
    jennywren
    4:54pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • It'll have to wait till Thursday when I have a proper computer as I don't trust this phone not to sell my details to Nigeria
    McGoohan
    4:55pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Hmmm. I didn't see that coming. Will be interested to see how much response you get to voluntary. How many "active" fetchies are there? 5,000? Even if you got £10 or £25 out of half or 1/4 of them you're talking 30 - 60K. Is that really "useful" money to a big company like NutMeg-Roedeer? Anyhoo, I suppose I would pay £10. Or £15. Don't think I'd pay £50. I've got 2 shirts and a buff already. And a tattoo. Not a criticism in any way of your work, the site, the community etc. All brill. But I think someone in Big Office needs to have another wee look at their goals? Good luck. :-) G
    HappyG(rrr)
    5:02pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Hmmmm, suddenly looks a little naked now the ads have vanished :-)
    HellsBells
    5:07pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • HG - the response so far has been really quite amazing. And as per the message, the goal really is to get the website to a position where it can look after itself, so I can concentrate on making it gooderer. It's totally down to you whether it's something you want to do (hence voluntary), and I appreciate all the support you've shown over the years :-)
    fetcheveryone
    5:10pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Been logging my runs since 2006 on this site. Quite happy to fork out a tenner. Will do it in the next couple of weeks... Promise !! :-)
    Disco Dave
    5:18pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Love the pin badge design by the way (and I'm a designer in my day job ;-) - no really, I AM. )
    Sharkie
    5:19pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • No sir, *you* rock. Srsly. I'll pay whatever it takes to get one of snazzy pin badges. :-)
    Kittenheels Kath
    5:21pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Happy to contribute. I do have a question though.Who is currently making up the shortfall for running the site?
    plodding hippo
    5:32pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Happy to contribute. Fetch is such a great site. The money is on the way.
    Captain S
    5:38pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • I'll do anything for a car sticker :-)
    minardi
    5:38pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Woohoo! No more adverts :-)
    jennywren
    6:01pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done. And the advert free 'Fetch' is great. Love it!
    -x-x-
    6:13pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done. I do have to wonder though why MegaMag Corporation bought you out in the first place.
    Molesy
    6:45pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • fully support this initiative!
    Ferdi
    6:53pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Oooooooooooh! THAT looks better :)
    Velociraptor
    6:57pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Having just re-read what I wrote please don't think that was criticism of the site in any way because it wasn't meant that way. I just meant that they seem to have taken a very hands-off approach, to the extent that - apart from the disclaimer at the bottom of the page - no-one would know they are involved. Since they are big business, what's in it for them?
    Molesy
    6:59pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done.
    I quite agree about Fetch not having a "Premium subscription", it would destroy the community feel of Fetch by creating a multiple tiered members base.
    Having no ads makes no difference to me since I use Adblock Plus and get none anyway.
    Flatlander
    7:37pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • I've been wondering from day 1 how Fetch could pay for itself. Signing up now unless it requires my email account, which is broken (thanks, virgin media).
    ChrisHB
    7:40pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • no option beyond paypal? I don't like using too many things that change their Ts&Cs every few weeks.
    ChrisHB
    7:41pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • I'm happy to pay to use Fetch. It's more than just a running site, innit!
    GimmeMedals
    7:48pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • What every bugger else said :)
    LindsD
    8:04pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • On a train but will do it tomorrow. Fetch is priceless.
    icemaiden
    8:10pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • £25 on it's way to you next week. Keep up the great work.
    Wooters
    8:31pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Joined the wagon :)
    snogard
    8:31pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Yes
    Lisrun
    8:36pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Done :) Just wish I'd got a bit more cash at the moment for the top option. Don't know what I'd do without the lovely people here. Hope you get lots of subscriptions and keep up the good work :) x
    Corrah
    8:38pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • much better without the ads :-) thats £10 well spent :-)
    fraggle
    8:44pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Am I the only one pondering the chafing dangers of those pants?
    Totoro
    8:49pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Happy to pay a little ground rent ;) I can't seem to do it though - I don't have (or want) a Paypal account and for things like race entries it's always been fine just to pay with a card but not have an account. This says I have to have one?
    Carpathius
    9:03pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Remind me at the end of the month, please.
    DeeGee
    9:16pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • More than happy to pay - keep up the good work!
    Happy Cat
    9:27pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Oh wow, there's now a big empty spot where comparethemeerkat were trying to entice me to buy insurance based on the fact that I'd already been to their site and got a quote. Can the car stickers be of the removable type so I can build up a collection?? :-)
    Nightjar
    9:43pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Happy to donate - always been a wonderful site :-)
    Debbie G
    10:26pm, 7th Sep 2015
  • Don't know if anyone pointed this out but spinach is spelt without an 'e' I think. Keep up the good work.
    chunkywizard
    7:22am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Hello Popeye! Keep up the good work :-)
    Mrs Jigs (Luverlylegs)
    8:54am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Remember when you first let the adverts in and I begged you to let me pay to not see them and you said it was never going to happen? Just checking before I say "told you so". Off to subscribe now. :-)
    Angus Clydesdale
    9:13am, 8th Sep 2015
  • eats humble *pie*
    fetcheveryone
    9:15am, 8th Sep 2015
  • damnit, why isn't that an icon yet? :-)
    fetcheveryone
    9:15am, 8th Sep 2015
  • So, I need to fork out £25 for that car sticker I wanted? Bit steep, innit? ;)
    Hanneke
    9:19am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I'm a sucker for a T shirt, so I'm in!
    Happy to support the site that has helped me become a "real runner" with marathons and Triathlons under my belt
    I'd be lost without my log
    Love the humour on the blogs and forum too, gets me through many a long day when I should be working

    Like now ;-)
    Nicholls595
    9:28am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Like this porkpie?!
    Angus Clydesdale
    9:37am, 8th Sep 2015
  • I know, nobody likes a smartarse ;-)
    Angus Clydesdale
    9:37am, 8th Sep 2015
  • Funded my contribution by cancelling my RW subscription, which I meant to do ages ago. Best not tell your overlords .
    Heavyweight
    10:36am, 8th Sep 2015
  • 100% behind you on this. You really couldn't be any fairer. Fingers crossed the initiative works and you get what you need! :-)
    Boingy
    10:53am, 8th Sep 2015
  • A very small price tag for all that fetch has given me
    Mummysaurus
    11:39am, 8th Sep 2015
  • done - I'd be lost without my log as well - even if it's just to prove (as if my waistband didn't) what a lardy arse I'm getting
    macca 53
    12:16pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Oh is it only Paypal? I won't use them on principle. Any other way?
    jude
    4:56pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Not at the moment jude, sorry.
    fetcheveryone
    4:58pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • I will contribute immediately after the implementation of either of my two most recent feature requests ;-)
    DazTheSlug
    5:47pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • Can you remind me what they were? I might have filed them anonymously in my Wiki :-)
    fetcheveryone
    5:55pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • 1) user control over whether races in your race list are included in your PB list

    2) breakdown of Fetchpoints by activity they were generated by

    you pooh-poohed them both at the time, so I doubt you have them on your backlog ;-)
    DazTheSlug
    6:11pm, 8th Sep 2015
  • The far left radical in me says "but EVERYTHING on the web should be free" (more on that when I've managed to read Paul Mason's Postcapitalism about how the sharing economy creates a paradox in capitalism that threatens its existence) , while the capitalist in me says - how the hell have you managed this many years without asking for subscriptions (and how have your employers)?

    I don't think there can be any argument ultimately that we should be paying something for a site/community which offers this much value and offers such a great response to user feedback for building new features, unless someone else out there wants to spend the next 10 years of their life building an equivalent for free? Great work. And as someone who has to do e-commerce myself, give anyone who slap who say "what else is there apart from Paypal" and treat them to a 60 minute lecture on e-commerce gateways and banks and ridiculous expense and un-necessary complications when attempting to do it any other way :-).
    Chrisull
    3:15pm, 9th Sep 2015


Funtleks

5:14pm, 2 Sep 2015
That's my new word for a game I'm playing at the moment. I invented it just now.

It's a cross between fartleks and fun, but it's probably neither.

I've been looking at the 'speedmarks' data in my training log, and wondering whether I can beat my best 400m time. So in the middle of an otherwise sedate run, I will go hell-for-leather for a couple of minutes, just to make sure I cover at least 400m; and then I trot onwards for as long as I feel like, to recover.

Today I did 4 miles, and I did two 400m funtleks. My best time in August was 1:32 (admittedly, I only started on the last day of August), and today my first effort got me a 1:31 :-)

I suppose it's all a prelude to doing a proper training programme (one more week before school starts again), and getting used to running fast. I'm having fun with it.
Click here to suggest fetcheveryone's blog for today's highlights.

Comments

  • I might do some funtervals
    McGoohan
    5:28pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • If you can go a second faster each time you try.........
    minardi
    7:12pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • how does one see ones best ever for a distance without looking at all possible runs with a fast segment ?
    Bazoaxe
    7:30pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • I'm going to try funose running.
    Watford Wobble
    8:26pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • Sounds like too much enjoyment to me. There were probably smiles at some point. It's not good enough. Running is SRS BZNS.
    RichHL
    8:41pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • Bazo - click the Speedmarks tab whilst looking at your log.
    fetcheveryone
    9:02pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • that is a cool feature, I can see me losing lots of time checking it out, maybe a wee addition to your about this user page showing your best speedmarks?
    iaincr
    9:19pm, 2nd Sep 2015
  • That's a good tool, although I think it may need some tweaking since a few of my 400s come out as 35 - 43 seconds, but that could be due to the vagaries of my Garmin!!! If only I could run that fast :-)!
    Flatlander
    7:57am, 3rd Sep 2015
  • It's all too much to contemplate, I'm off for funzzzzzzzz...
    Angus Clydesdale
    9:12am, 3rd Sep 2015
  • Unless I am missing the obvious that shows me the fastest for runs for the period I am viewing and not the fastest I have ever recorded. To work that out would need to view say each year and sort them and compare.....
    Bazoaxe
    12:34pm, 3rd Sep 2015


About Me

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

Blog Archive


Expand All
2024 (30)
March (11)
I can eat fifty eggs
Oscar the Grouch :-(
If a Fetch fails in a forest...
Trialling a new weekly update email
Lasting Power of Suspicion
Fetch Virtual Challenge 2024 *bunting*
Swittle's Funeral
Cadence
Tea & Trails Podcast
Down to my last pen
A bench for swittle
February (8)
The Lightning Struck Tower
Swittle
Cholesterol
This year so far in pictures
Three Noahs
Fetch is as strong as you make it.
100k - what do I need?
Paywalls are BS: I'm on a podcast!
January (11)
Chasing Round Numbers - A Cautionary Tale!
MOTM - Decision Made (and a competition for EVERYONE!)
MOTM - a chance to rethink
Training Home Page updates
How much walking will I do?
Training Plans - Further Updates
Training Plan List
Butter Police
Why no app?
Useful Chat!
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
2023 (136)
December (6)
Nearly forgot...
Jam today
Removing another bit of Google's invasiveness
Fancy an extra challenge over the next 12 days?
Chewie, we're home!
Two tips for today's advent challenge
November (13)
Spammy McSpamface
40 days and 40 nights
EfM confirmed!
New Training Log Beta! 😲 (aka Change Is Not Good)
Escape from Meriden
Waiting for your training?
Route of the Century?
I didn't know I owned a nutcracker
Design our anniversary shirts/vests!
Holiday Reading - plenty of fiction :-)
Swimming in a metaphor
Hello
Off World
October (11)
Fl'update
To think I tried to mop it up!
Vote Please: How many F'Laps will you try to do?
F'Laps 2024
Long Run
So it still needs a name...
Front Garden Ultra?
The Boy is a man!
Festive Fetch Calendar
Creative K's
Signs
September (7)
Training Edit Screen - time to ditch it...
Stock check
The Doctor K Cup - October 7th!!!!
Removing the training edit screen
A Happy Applecart
Happy 19th Birthday!
Forgotten pictures
August (14)
Just in case
Weekly Total Hours
Dim Brys Dim Chwys
All hail our robot overlords!
Your local parkrun
Fool on the hill
Survey Follow Up
A survey?
Did you know?
I made a thing
VC Day
FBI Agent
What keeps you going?
Be careful what's in your paste buffer (and July training update)
July (13)
Delight
Respecting your eyeballs since 2004
Hot Stuff, coming through
Ocean Colour Scheme
18 years, 10 months, 13 days and counting...
Ooof #fail
Our listings need you!
Pics from the end of the swim
A whispered, half-remembered dream
Try the Heatmap!!!
Teaser
100 Running Words (and my June summary)
July Virtual Mile
June (8)
Last Big Swim
I can't be the only one...
Which is the real me?
#EveryoneDay
The legendary sixth samosa!
WSW Main Page Layout Changes
May Summary (contains swimming!)
Hoodies pre-order closes at 10am
May (17)
A new WSW challenge
Tagging images
Hoooooooooooooodies!!!!!!!!!!!
Another Sweatshop Competition
Did you get an email?
Fifty Years Ago - Part VIII
Fifty Years Ago - Part VII
Fifty Years Ago - Part VI
Help on a slippery slope
Fifty Years Ago - Part V
Fifty Years Ago - Part IV
Fifty Years Ago - Part III
Chuck-off: Round 2
Not my king?
Fifty Years Ago - Part II
Fifty Years Ago
And that was April
April (10)
Centurion Safari!
Sheep treats (and a routes feature)
And I’ll sail her up the west coast, through villages and towns.
15,746 places to 💩
Track Your Blood Pressure
A couple of quick fmail updates
Rusty Metal and a Cycling Grudge Match
Please help me kick the fmail tyres!
Onset of Summer Watch. Have you got Onset of Summer? +fmail!
Premium?
March (10)
And that was March
Try the new fmail system
Can you help my boy?
Tell A Friend?
Some Sweatshop Competitions
Sign up to our 2023 Virtual Challenge
Review: FORM Smart Goggles
UTMOST vs Treadmills
33,258
Embranglement!
February (13)
And that was February
This year's Virtual Challenge
What does Points make?
Automatic Everything Collector
Peaky Finders
FAO Fitbit users
My favourite training graph
You've got this.
Coffee Survey (for my stepson)
Access all the tips
Tiny Usability Changes
Cod science
Hot Tips
January (14)
Monthly Infographic Bug Fixes
No, but really...
Have a play with the monthly infographic
It's not ready yet, but...
Introducing Fetch Premium
Help me design a new Monthly Infographic...
Still following?
Fettle
Definitely Not Betting
Do you follow? (plus burp chat)
Advance warning for stalkers!
I'm back (and the Fetch LS, SS and NS shirts preorder is open)
Attention Fitbit Users
Review 50 albums in 2023 (badge!)
2022 (144)
December (8)
Treasure Hunt Day 1 - the best gift
Important updates to the Fetch Relay
Introducing the Fetch Relay 2023
Who Am I? (Solved, thanks) And How Am I?
Confessions :-)
12 Days of Christmas Treasure Hunt
Chewie, we’re home!
A few pics from the Foffice :-)
November (24)
Yesvember - Day #30 (and Festive Fetch Calendar Eve!)
The Fetch Festive 160.934 :-) [Yesvember #Day 29]
You'd better watch out... (plus Yesvember Day #28)
Brace Yourself (and there's one spare bobble hat!) and Yesvember - Day #26
Hats in the post! Plus Yesvember Day #25
Look what arrived!
Yesvember - Day #24
Training Graph Manager - usability update (Yesvember Day #23)
Yesvember - Day #22 - Cheating?
Last chance to enter the Advance Performance comp
Yesvember - Days #11 thru #14 (plus Jumpy Boy)
Weather on the training home page watch. Have you got weather on the training home page? (Yesvember - Day #10)
Oh, and... it's Yesvember - Day #9
Another bit of the internet fenced off
Yesvember - Day #8 - taking steps
Yesvember - Day #7
Yesvember - Day #6
Yesvember - Day #5
The curse of swimming GPS
Yesvember - Day #4
The Les Mis effect
Yesvember - Day #3
Yesvember - Day #2
Yesvember - Day #1
October (15)
October gives way to Yesvember!
Anyone fancy a threeway?
More thoughts on races
Racing, post-pandemic
Contracts exchanged!
Competition Time!
Last call for Flobble Hats
A record year for swimming?
Woburn Lido
Order your Bobble Hat! If you like.
I appear to have entered a race! (plus new Garmin import queueing system)
Eric the Eel
Get your hobbit on
The Doctor K Cup: Saturday 8th October!
I felt the touch of the kings and the breath of the wind
September (16)
Take This Bus To Cuba
Fetch Bobble Hats
Trumpeting
Training View tweaks (switch maps, game overlays, mile markers)
Training View tweaks (and a play button bug fix)
A long ride and a cold swim.
Play Button
UTMOST Wava & Bike Division Rebuilds
New UTMOST leagues for cyclists and WAVA fans
The Doctor K Cup
Chance encounters
Do I ditch our Facebook stuff?
A keeper, from my feedback inbox...
Ultra distances - update
Adding ultra distances to Fastest Fetchies league.
Try the new Training Groups pages
August (11)
Training Groups Update - Coming Soon
Garmin Queue Issues
Donations without reference numbers :-)
New Elbow Laws
No longer the 3398th fastest Fetchie over 10k!
Pulling counties into league tables
What was I thinking?
County Champion?
Just bear in mind that you asked for this.
Wahoo and Coros users
How to make half a million quid (batteries not included)
July (6)
Club Listings
Book giveaway :-)
Updated Race Portfolio
Updated Targets Page
Exactly ***1*** Spare Ladies L Cycling Jersey
Search All Blogs :-)
June (10)
Imagine you could search all the public blogs...
Banking Scandal at Fetch Towers!
7pm on Baker Island #everyoneday
#EveryoneDay - Sunday 26th June 2022
Spare Challenge Coasters
The North West Passage
Feature Request Voting - Know Your Limits!
UTMOST Division 8: YIKES!
Shepperton Weight Gain Programme
UTMOST Division 9! Sub-50 10k :-)
May (16)
Four hours left :-)
Division 10: No hope of escape?
Book giveaway :-)
Division 11: No place left to hide
New HR Analysis
They're here! Well, not exactly *here*, but...
A quick Darth Mode update
Darth Mode! And a few biscuits for the hyperdrive.
Division 12: Two hours of pushing broom
Dark Mode: Beta
PB Potential? Fancy a quickie? ;-)
Division 12: Running Out Of Road?
Thank you everyone!
Making UTMOST moves :-)
Do you want a Fetch shirt?
I did my UTMOST :-) (plus new sharing infographic)
April (7)
Today's plan
NEW UTMOST BADGES!!!!!
A plug for some races
Raspberry Pavlov
Win a book :-)
United Colours of Cross Training
A little Streetview adventure
March (11)
The lockers are a pound.
Advice for Gym Noobs!
Feedback made easier
#EveryoneDay June 26th 2022
Fetch Virtual Challenge 2022 🎈
Thanks Chunky: parkrun routes!
Sniffer Dogs
Yikes!
Fetch Cycling Jerseys - Update
Route Plotting tweak
The Crow: A Pipedream!
February (7)
Fetch Kit Spares
Updated Race Listing Pages
Introducing Rundle!
I appear to be training for an OWS event!
Fetch Cycling Jerseys!!!
Does you wantz free shoez?
Post Office tomorrow - kit spares
January (13)
Updated Flanci Design (now with more Fetchness)
Badge Collection Graphic!
Updated elevation trace
Book Lists :-)
Updated sharing infographic - do you like it?
Spare Fetch Kit
Badge page refresh / feature requests
Flanci / Fetch Leggings
New Badge Pages
New hill badges
Join me on my fitness journey!
Are you the farmer?
Blog every day challenge - finishers
2021 (187)
December (14)
Book List
Ten years ago today...
A big slobbery elephant snog.
If you don't like hills, this must be getting tiring :-)
When does a hill end?
Hill finder - prototype v2
Hill Finder - prototype
2022 Targets
Chewie, We’re Home! Happy Fetch Independence Day!
Embed badges, plus a new badge :-)
Updated people page
Seeking map
Streak Watch
The new Fetch buffs are here…
November (23)
Almost there...
The Fetch Library
Update your thread titles
Ascent dissent
Mute a thread
Shortcuts
Training Import Queue
I fell off (but not really!)
Croeso i Fetcheveryone. Ydych chi'n siarad Almaeneg, Swedish neu Eidaleg?
New mobile nav
Last call for shirts
@
Just a trim please
Brought to you by wind power
300 miles later
Golden Ticket Shocker!
Banjobax (aka KOG)
Home and Away kit preorder - with long sleeve option
A little competition - win a copy of Daniels' Running Formula
Garmin testers - thanks
Add your grub stops!
Points Of Interest: Grub Stops
Garmin-owning testers wanted
October (19)
New home and away shirts and vests
Benchmark league - a few more updates
Benchmark league table
Hill areas
Preorder is now open!
'b'uffs then
Necktube design #1 & #2
Buffs (well, neck tubes)
Report dodgy GPS stuff
An apology for people who follow my training
New cycling and swimming badges
New Conquercise Feature: Grids
Sprouting a tiny biking antler :-)
Have a try of the cycling gradient analysis
Struggling with my big ring
Cycling: gradient vs pace
A question for cyclists
For Doctor K
Shan't.
September (14)
New comments (FID 1212)
Forum post previews
Garmin imports with a snippet more info
Gallery upload options
Golden Tickets
"No need to panic donate", says Williams
Forum Quotes
Spoiler Alert!
20th of March and all that.
Have you signed up yet?
This bit of crappy Upminister nearly cost me my f***ing life.
A guide with no pages
To steal a catchphrase from a wise lady...
Multiple choice polls
August (11)
Pre-Race Training - Updated
A connection!
New Member of the Month sponsor
Best Weeks - bug fixes
Your Best Week Ever
Rainbow Kit - preorder is open
Age Bests - filtering out the mistakes :-)
Sign up, sign up, for the Doctor K cup
A message from my lovely wife ❤️
Another batch of rainbow kit?
Spares: Event Clips, Swim Hats and a few rainbow tops
July (10)
A bunch of site goodies :-)
Hello kitty
Holy Simmering Mercury Batman!
Settings
A heart rate question
Sleepy Shuffle?
365 graph
Slipping on ma noob shoes
Meatronomes
World's Sexiest Bridges
June (11)
Benchmarks - a *tiny* little improvement
Race Leaderboards - some small improvements
Race Finder - Update
Up there ^
Routes - more updates
Last call for FE Event Clips
Server update
Minor code problem
Some little updates to your route list
Feature requests - two years on!
More than just a rainbow
May (8)
Rainbow Kit - update on delivery time...
Fetch Ron Hill Cycling Jerseys
Pre-order your rainbow kit now :-)
Jimi Hendrix vs Run DMC
The return of parkrun - a poll
Something in the woodshed...
Default to walk
A tour of the Fetch Office
April (11)
Instabanned :-)
I has Instagram
Fetch Event Clips
FERC
Castle Challenge Coaster!
My chess rating
Jab - symptom watch
This just in...
REVIEW: XMiles selection box
Let FE pay for your coaching qualifications :-)
Castle Challenge - A Quick Blog
March (18)
The Fetcheveryone Castle Challenge
Running vs Cycling Cadence
Fetch vests and shirts (and swim caps)
Elevation vs Follow Roads
£500 of England Athletics courses up for grabs!
TomTom users
Music by year: 1993
10k Analysis: Part 7 - Length of Training Runs
Music by year: 1992 (plus some 1991 additions)
Bot sniffing win :-) plus daily blogger count!
User profiles
10k Analysis: Part 6 - Training Pace Again
Time to update your injuries :-)
User profile - sticker button.. EDIT and race standard
More user profile adjustments
User Profile tweaking
Cute story of the week*
10k Analysis: Part 5 - Training Pace
February (17)
Year on Year mileage comparison
Elevation graphs
It's all kicking off in chess club!
Music By year: 1991
10k Analysis: Part 4 - Weekly Training Habits
Tagging virtual races
Chasing rainbows
Rainbow Shirts
Lance!
Blog writing improvements
10k Analysis: Part 3 - Accuracy of human predictions
Music by year: 1990
Smacking bots
29 slices - my seven days of dinner
10k Analysis: Part 2 - Age and Performance
Pass it on
10k Analysis: Part 1 - Distribution of best 10k times
January (31)
January
Mobile Usability Team Helping All Fetchies...
Salmon Ramen Recipe :-)
Salmon Ramen (for TBR)
Backup dog
The best GPS watches in the world... volume 1
Pick it...
People who liked...
Obscure bugs
Zen & The Art of Heart Rate Training
FIT file import - temporary issue
Keep the change, ya filthy animal
The honeymoon is over
Dirty data
Mobile Usability
Oops
Readership!
Stay sticky
It's Hip To Buy Squares
Related Threads - Exposé :-)
The Batshit Association
Jobs
Tag Team
Feed the monster!
An ad for Fetch Chess Club :-)
Estimating VO2Max
Three little birds
A not uncommon swelling
Church Mouse January
Honey, where's my super suit?
Not here.
2020 (128)
December (6)
Blog A Day 2021?
9 years ago today
Chewie, We're Home! Happy Fetch Independence Day :-)
Be Prepared
Becoming an effluencer
A few Fetch Mugs left
November (10)
The Festive Fetch Calendar is back!
FIT file import
Mugs!
Thank you, mysterious Fetchie!
Chess
UTMOST in the age of COVID-19
This'll cheer you up for sure...
Lost in translation?
Annual Infographic... updating now.
In theory...
October (11)
Training Plan Analysis
Mini plans with the training plan
5k with The Boy :-)
Welcome to tomorrow
Thank you
Become tradeable!
Pre-Race Training Volume
Doctor K Cup Week
Last orders
Advice for a friend
Trader Makeover
September (6)
The shop is open!
Hoodie Colour!
New Fetch Hoodies
A big up/holler!
VO2max
A benchmark derailed by GPS data *nerd*
August (8)
10k analysis
Officially a Sheepy Shuffler!
Pi Watering
Pre-order Avoid Everyone Face Masks
I got sent these...
Other sites? :-O
Benchmarks - an infinitely configurable set of ladders.
Try the monthly infographic :-)
July (10)
Update on Monthly Training Infographic
New Infographic
Monthly Summary (with a little tweak)
A quick Garmin update
Open Water / Wild Swimming Database
Avoid Everyone - spares
OWS Locations
Thread-level search
New Sharing Graphic & New Pastures
My first lamp post
June (16)
Replacing the Who's Training page
Combining some pages
In pursuit of the Gridmaster Ultra
15th Anniversary Kit - Spares
Shoelaces
A new How To video
Training Plan Updated
Black Lives Matter
Avoid Everyone Spares + Second Batch
Wikipedia page
Another YouTube video for sharesies :-)
Getting data to Fetch from **other places**
Feature Voting - some further updates
Feature Voting - speeded up
Another How To video - this time, Conquercise
Fantastisches Tweeten
May (13)
A video for sharing
Bees!
Fetch Introductory Zoom Presentations
A promise to all Fetchies
Fetch Virtual Weekend: Replacement Bus Service
How has Fetch use changed?
Fetch Weekly Virtual Races
Zoom Meeting - Thursday 9 til 10am
WAVA Standards Update
WAVA Standards + Poll
Fun with Age Grading :-)
New Badges Day
The test shirt fabric has arrived :-)
April (14)
Zoom Podcast - watch the video
What is WBC?
If you did the free Amazon trial...
Some small amends (and shirt version)
Pre-orders open
I was only joking, but...
If Fetcheveryone did lockdown merch
Site outage - Thursday 16th April 11pm
On exercising responsibly
My Sports Quiz - how would you have scored?
Your creative thinking required
WBC My Favourite Teacher (a bit later than the deadline)
Updated Training League
Server Downtime, Thursday 9th 00:01BST to 04:00BST (and thank you!)
March (13)
New Fetch Game: Hide and Seek
Free trial of Audible
Do you have a good memory?
New Opt-In for Fetch Miles
New Badges for Fetch Miles
The Fetch Five: Don't Let CV19 Win!
Amending event dates and notifying of cancellations
A green light comes on over your head, and you can get on with life
Most Popular Shoe Brands 2019
A review
Android: Session I
Compare Your Training
Book Now to avoid disappointment :-)
February (10)
Imports from Suunto, Fitbit, Polar and TomTom.
Plot A Route - mobile improvements
Happy tugging!
Something to play with
Adding A New Feature
February Treasure Hunt
Server Downtime
Miles = Smiles
Build Your Mile
Pop Will Eat Himself: Update
January (11)
Clarence the Cadence Kitten
Trim your trails :-)
Seven Day Leaderboard
Let's try that again
Some minor blog amendments
Try the new Forum Search Prototype
Pop Will Eat Himself
A card from HowFar?
Thank you HowFar? (Statement, not a question)
Take the red pill
Climb every mountain
2019 (134)
December (7)
The Christmas Poem
Where your treasure is...
Listen to the dog breathe
Chewie, We're Home
Thursday's Challenge
Which GPS?
Fetch Shop (of sorts)
November (12)
The zeroth challenge
Polar users - auto import
Calling all Polar users
Mobile Optimisation
Calling all Android users
Did your ads disappear?
Pin that sucker down :-)
Easier tagging
Category now editable from VIEW
Kit now editable from VIEW
Working towards tagging
Manual Add Training bug
October (16)
Boring Cricket Blog
Books Part 2
Books :-)
42
Training tags Part 2
Training tags
Let's Jazzercise
My precious
Cricket Week 4: Footage :-)
Forum Training Threads
Benny Neutrino Returns
Cricket Week 3: Wingardium Leviosa!
Benny Neutrino's Filter Tips
Cricket Week 2
Continuing Amazon Affiliate Saga
In case you haven't seen...
September (11)
Updated: Spare Anniversary Kit
Affiliate links
I did a cricket!
Fetch365 - enjoy responsibly
Filth
My dear old things
Buddies vs Follow
Server Invoice Day
Our new MOTM sponsor
Fetch Power!
Race Listings: Please Read
August (5)
Everyone *rainbow*
Almost there...
Quick blog
Country Badges
A new set of badges
July (6)
Pre-orders open
Anniversary Shirts v2
Fetch 15th Anniversary Shirts
Fetch Fest 2020
Shout Outs
Missing imports from Garmin yesterday
June (13)
Who Squares Wins: 64 screenshot
Who Squares Wins: 64 Player Edition
Training summary - older pages
Training sub-menu rejig
Try the infographic
Steady Edina
Annual Summary Infographic
The height of daft things
The training summary - the morning session
The training summary - a wordier blog
Try the annual summary thing
How to listen to the Fetch Podcast
12 month summary mega-graph!
May (15)
£79.99 off the bottom line
Competition
parkrun reviews - now with routes
Fix It Friday; Project Joker Week 2; and some shout outs.
Fetch Kit Cupboard Sale
The bonus ball
Project Joker - Week 1
Fix It Friday
A quick update on the server
Fetch 15th Anniversary Kit
There is a good service operating
Oof.
In case you're wondering...
Trouble auto importing from Garmin?
Fix It Friday: Stuff that came to me in dreams
April (12)
Feature Voting - now with virtual badges :-)
The moment of triumph!
New Feature Voting
Fix It Friday: What would your horse be called?
Marathon Pacing: tyre-kickers required
Fix It Friday: Back to Basics
Podcast Poll
Fix It Friday: The League Of Everyone
Dom, dom, dom, I've got DOMS, I've got DOMS!
Crouch, Touch, Pause.... longer pause... what am I doing again?
Training Log - Update
Site Update: New Font
March (15)
Fix It Friday: An Endless Mission
Naming and faming :-)
2nd in my age category!
Fix It Friday: Brought to you by Surprise Inset Day
New training log
Route Matching - Ready :-)
Fix It Friday
What's your unit of measurement?
Ciderthon competition
Fix It Friday: Stroopwafels of Doom!
Route Matching - Update
This week's cool list
Me in the river
Big Fetch Miles 2019
Fix It Friday: Fingerprints!
February (13)
A Maths Challenge
Fetch Legends: Activate!
Whose coat is this jacket?
Fix It Friday: The Fix Awakens
Joining the awesome list...
Fix It Friday
Naming and faming :-)
Fix It Friday - Monthly Summary
Training Month Summary
Podcast Q&A
If you can't read this, don't panic.
*redsaber* The force is strong with these Fetchies!
Fix It Friday *bluesaber*
January (9)
Some shout outs :-)
Fix It Friday!
Podcast Ep 3, plus some naming and faming :-)
Fix It Friday
Fetch Chaos
Oooh! Second chance Berlin trip! And new subbers, podcast episode, and Trader.
My week of running
Naming and faming - this week :-)
Naming and faming :-)
2018 (138)
December (8)
A Christmas Message (in podcast form)
Rungeon :-)
Hey, Everyone!
France Trip Vote
Happy Fetch Independence Day
Actual free trip to France (incl. flights)
Litter
Sombrero's Lovely Cards
November (14)
Hoodies + other spares
Spare Fetch Kit
Festive Fetch Calendar 2018
Avatars
Book Giveaway - Can We Run With You, Grandfather?
Fix It Friday
Bedford Harriers Half - place offered
Updated Kit Bag
Family Fortunes :-)
Any adidas experts out there?
No Fixes Today - just two challenges
Big Fetch Mile Cardiff
Fix It Friday
Festive Fetch Calendar 2018
October (14)
Hello landlubbers
Embedded polls
Member of the Month
Fix It Friday
Spare Fetch shirts and vests
Abingdon
Fix It Friday
My Fetch Mile
One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner.
Fix It Friday - 'Ave It!
Automatic route matching
Automatic route matching
One last reminder for those cycling jerseys
Fix It Friday - Forensics and User Experience
September (14)
Fix It Friday
Server Downtime 2.30pm 26th September
Never Again
Fix It Friday!
Handling your weirdness
Cards ordered :-)
Just wondering...
Fix It Friday :-)
Try the Fetcheveryone Tutorial
40 days and 40 nights
Fix It Friday
ARION insoles - review part 1
Fetch Shirt - Black Ones, and sizing
Shirts and Vests Pre-Order
August (14)
Fix It Friday
Blog Height squished
Site Outage Last Night
New Mobile Nav
Fix It Friday
New feature - how you doin'? :-)
Sunflower spread
Fix It Friday
A new pre-race mileage graph
Fetch Social: Draycote Water September
Fix It Friday: The Supermarket Analogy
A run with _andy :-)
Suunto 9 Review
Fix it Friday
July (5)
Fix It Friday!
Five Get Wet In Devon
Big Glasgow Weekend - Part 1: Gies A Cwtch
Tom Williams Interview - Final Part
Glasgow Big Fetch Mile Results and Pics
June (17)
Abingdon Week 17 - P&D Booster rockets
Interviewing Tom Williams: Part III
Walking League (and one just for Nellers)
Follow Roads - continued
Week 18 in the bag
Tackling turds
Abingdon Marathon Training: Week 18
Interview with Tom Williams - Part 2
Server
Five Questions (ready for serious answers)
Kick some tyres for me
Interview with Tom Williams - Part 1
Five Questions
Follow Roads saga
Google maps progress, plus Abingdon plans
Training Summary - Infographics
Who Squares Wins - ranking update
May (10)
Training log maps converted
More mapping updates
Who Squares Wins - The Wizard's Hat
De doo doo doo... another one bites the dust...
Invisible changes
Silverstone 10k
Three year throwback
Why your support makes the difference
Some high mileage Fetchies
dryrobe winner
April (14)
Interviewing Tom Williams
Swimming Caps!
#finishformatt
New batch of shirts and vests
You make big mistake my friend
Fetchpoint
Glasgow Big Fetch Mile announced
Two tickets to the Running Awards
Pics from Dudley Big Fetch Mile
Notes for London Marathon Fetchpointers
Results from today's Big Fetch Mile
Who Squares Wins - prototype board
Attention London Marathoners!
New game - coming soon
March (9)
Intervals, Solidarity, Swimming and Fmail
Ready to give the new fmail a try?
More on fmail
New fmail system
Win a dryrobe :-)
For jabberknit...
Updating the Training Home page
Pics from Bedford Big Fetch Mile
Sledgends :-)
February (13)
Buffs On Sale
Big Fetch Mile Bedford
Vlog :-)
Marathon Talk
Important GDPR stuff - PLEASE read
A page of historical importance
Vlog :-)
Road Rash, Marathon Prediction and T-Shirts
This :-)
Capturing the dog
It's BACK!
Enter Wilmslow Half Marathon
An advertisement
January (6)
Local Fetchies - Opt In
Revealed: World's Best Shoes
How I chose the Big Fetch Mile venues
Big Fetch Mile 2018 - Venues & Provisional Dates
Try adding an image to your training entry
Mileage Targets 2018 - Update
2017 (147)
December (12)
Mileage Targets 2018
Thank you
Brownie Recipe :-)
Phew
Fetch Hoodies + Buffs SALE Update
Chewie, We're Home
Fetch Hoodies SALE - what's left
Fetch Hoodies! SALE!!! (and Buffs available too)
Chewie, We're Home
Sharing pics
Fetch Jingle Mile Cambridge photos
Glorious Failure: Bedford Harriers Half Marathon
November (20)
Serpents, hamstrings and inversions
A special anniversary approaches...
Hamstring and prototype updates
Training Log Prototype - Today's Improvements
Red Venom sale
For what it's worth...
Training Log Prototype - Update #2
Training Log Prototype - Update
Big Fetch Mile - venue hunt
RT for a Garmin
Training Log Prototype - To Be Fixed
fetcheveryone.com/amazon
The Weekly vLog (by me)
Thanks :-)
New Training Log Prototype - Available Now
Thanks for following
VLog - footage from the Cardiff Big Fetch Mile
Big Fetch Mile[s] 2018
Win a place in the Surrey Half
I vont to scan your barcode.
October (12)
Big Fetch Weekend :-)
Fetch Mile Results
Festive Fetch Calendar :-O
Calling Parkers everywhere!
In which I decorate a cake.
Regent's Park Fetchie Discount
Elevation in colour
"I didn't come here to walk to Sparta!"
New elevation info
Chicken Ballot-ine, with a side order of beef
New training log headers
Ballot day tomorrow - help needed
September (19)
Weekly vLog - COCONUTS!!!
River Thames Half Marathon
The lollipop update
On failing gracefully
Doctor K Day
Fetch Kit Sale - Updates
Weekly vLog
Fetch Kit Sale
Training Log View Update
Fetcheveryone Weekly? Vlog?
Fetchie Race Discount - Regent's Park 10k
Training Log Tags - Live
Training Log Tags
Weekly vLog - Derby Mile, and a pause to salute the legendary Doctor K
24 hours later
Doctor K donation page
Doctor K
Fetch Weekly vLog
Derby Mile - tomorrow!
August (8)
Race Prices; and an alien earworm
Straight outta Cromford - the Fetch Weekly vLog!
A Fetch vLog! With prizes!
Quick search location for sharing
New WAVA graph
Weird FIT file thing
Back from me 'olidays :-)
Linking race results to training log entries
July (12)
Race Pricing - crowdsourcing
Appdate for Android and iPhone
Inhalers
Fetch Mile - Cardiff?
Bookends
Race listing omelette
Coding and town planning
Please review your races
A2B winners
Motivational Sounds - the final 10
Two more Big Fetch Miles? :-)
Bedford Fetch Mile Results
June (19)
Big Fetch Mile
Motivational Sounds
Fetch fug - updated design
Fetch fug (available at the Fetch mile)
I've done the naughtiest thing ever.
Donating Blood - my Vlog
Fapp In the App Store :-)
Can I kick it?
A***biscuits
This just in...
For Bean
Your app status is Waiting For Review
A2B
Fetch Caps
Garmin Communicator Plugin
Fetch App - strong and stable testing
HTTPS is here
Fetch App progress
https access to the site
May (14)
Fetch App
Apostrophes
[Untitled]
[Untitled]
Site down at 11pm
Round and round the garden
Try the new home page layout
Server down tonight @ 11pm
Browser testers wanted
The Big Fetch Mile!!!
Site *NOT* down tonight. [cough]
Bluffer's Competition - Winner
Bedford parkrun timelapse
Return of the cap
April (8)
Fetchpoint (London and Milton Keynes!)
Base camp, VMLM
Bronze!
Just for D2
Off to the awards
Bloodvlog
Hoodies - it's on!
Updated Training Home Page
March (6)
'Train' page
Project Joker
Hoodies and Londons
Hands up, hands UP! Draycote Water 10
Bluffer's Competition
Project Joker
February (12)
Draggable?
Running Awards shortlisted
Route Plotter now with OpenStreetMap
Plan for Bluffer's comp
Update to Route Plotter
First update to the route mapper
For Angus
Virtuous Circles
Competition coming soon
Race Guide Ads
Club La Santa vLog
Fetch Fixtures
January (5)
Word Clouds
Buckets Ready
New Home Page
Do me a favour...
Limited Companies, filing accounts, that sort of thing
2016 (128)
December (11)
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
Five Years Ago Today
Pantsfest! May the stains be ever in your favour!
#FEXIT
Photoshop SOS
Attention: Fitbit users
Bedford Half 2016
Luton Fetchmob: Breaking Point
Vote Fetch!
Breaking news: Paris Marathon
November (21)
How to end a LiveChat.
Define wrong
TomTom Runner 3 Review - Any Questions?
Deliveryman
Movember: Project Beard: Day 24: Beardraggled
Festive Fetch Calendar 2016
We're gonna be in the Hudson
Hey Chiefy
I've written summat
Going Postal
A special mention
Training Log Beta
Spare Hoodies
Updates to Training Beta
Movember: Project Beard - Day 8 (The Seven Day Itch)
Vote for Fetch
Training Log Detail View - Some Changes
Aberdeen University Study
Consultation V2
[Untitled]
Fetchpoint - October Winners and November Prizes
October (16)
Alien nuggets!
Keeping a tight lid on the biscuit tin
Training Log Beta
100 Running Words
Pssst....
Fetchmob, December 3rd
Where to mob?
Little things
That All-Time Mileage League
The sudoku that keeps on giving.
Sub-25 for 1km :-)
Fetchmob - December 3rd
New Training Log Preview
Fixed the overlap...
Why the new training log isn't ready yet...
vLog
September (12)
Doughnut or Donate
Training Log - Sneak Peek
Fetch Shop Sale! Old stuff clearout!
vLog!!!
The consultation system...
Garmin support for timezone info
The GMT/BST/Timezone problem
Training Log Consultation...
Training Log - Consultation
Fetch Social Runs
Subscriber shirts, vests and hoodies, and determination.
Fetch Voluntary Subscriptions
August (3)
Ze Gryndylows! My first #OWS :-)
Testing Fetchpoint exclusion zones
Fetchpoint scoring system
July (7)
Conquercise Prize Draw?
Fetch Games: Checkpoints (and what's wrong with them)
More owls...
Your Favourite Fetch Game?
Even More Utmost Than Before...
Chiswick!
15 days later...
June (10)
Five days on...
[Untitled]
A quick thank you...
What do you think?
If you'd be so kind...
Poised
Which watch?
Run Bedford 10k
Import from a TomTom
Attention TomTom users
May (10)
Race Distance poll
An ungainly fish
A five year plan
What Club La Santa can learn from parkrun
Cream Me Up, Scotty
Greetings from Club La Santa
And a quick poll...
Club Charter
A poll about intervals
More owls!
April (11)
Robin Hood and his Merry Dad :-)
Warning: Dull - some screen res stats
Responsive Design Update
For all you marathoners
A Poll
Fetchpoint
Ditching the forum categories?
Moving to Responsive Design
Sandy 10: Be Kind To Horses
Owls!
For Adam and Jamie
March (11)
Bacon Smoke!
Benchmarks Update
Bath - Race Report
PB!!!!!!!
An annoying eight-year-old.
Let's Cook and Cut and Paste :-)
Let's Cook :-)
RIP Gramma
Book Winners
Dog farming
Site header update
February (5)
Book Giveaway
Pi Club
Pi Project Update
Because I'd like to check the blogging badges are working...
Crapruary
January (11)
Snooker Freak
Badges - Another Update
Unlockable Badges - Update
Unlockable Badges
TomTom Runner 2 Review
Gallery updates
Snowball coding and Fetch Unlockables!
Achievement Medals - what do you reckon?
Run The Sum
2015 Book List (and a bit of a review / plan)
Festive Fetch Calendar - Winners
2015 (175)
December (7)
Red Red Wine
A Poll
Gis a job!
Bedford Half
REMEMBER!!!
Vote for Fetch
Now you've hopefully got the idea...
November (13)
The Festive Fetch Calendar
Don't get excited or anything...
Slightly Dismal Friday
Pre-order your Fetch Buff now :-)
A message from our sponsor
Dr Fetch will see you now
Only the grumbliest, achiest chocolate... :-)
The Stanford Experiment
Buff Design
Snugs - Review
Love, Commitment, Support
The pre-wedding blog!
Good morning Fetchers, good morning Everyone
October (9)
Monthly Totals
Did you write a blog yesterday?
The First Rule of Web Server Maintenance
The gain line
Fectch
The zipper challenge!
Sugar daddy
Now in colour!
Competition Time!!!
September (14)
Teach your kids (or yourself) to code
Sticky Training Choices
Goodies: GetMore water and the Alcatel OneTouch Watch
Shirt size guidelines
This nearly made it...
Subscriber Shirt Design
I've got wood!
Humbled
New Beginnings
Some more questions answered
Swimming
Some responses to your comments
Standing on the shoulders of Fetchies
Funtleks
August (8)
24 hours in the south
24 hours in the north
Fetchies Assemble!
Thank you
Better knowledge than riches
Fitbit Urge
The villainous Mr Fetch!
Uncomfortable rear
July (8)
Why don't you play Conquercise?
Another week of strange training
Book Giveaway - Winners
GPS Reviews
Criteria for reviewing a GPS
Auto-bike-detector :-)
Win some bookses :-)
Half Way!
June (13)
Time Lapse Clouds
TomTom Bandit - very QUICK first impressions
My wings are like a shield of steel!
Running plus Cycling update
Embarrassingly...
Stalkers Paradise!
Recommend me a bike :-)
Holy Steamrollers Batman!
Rest day (no such thing)
Sqveeeeze!
We will now imitate the flight of a goose :-)
You made me ink! Snorkel safari :-)
Good morning from CLS :-)
May (10)
Club La Santa :-)
The AWESOME Power of Fetchies!
Home Insurance Shaftage :-/
Editing Forum Posts
The Future!
Some London Marathon stats
Walking On The Moon
Hardest parkrun?
New found wisdom
Week 1
April (11)
Marathon vLog
I owe some hugs!
And that concludes the voting from the Danish judges
Adventures in geocaching
Your video clips wanted!
Jelly with no spoons
Random Ultra
Suncream in my eyes - a review of 'Running and Stuff'
Books what I've read this year
Measuring the effect of wind
Wind Roses
March (18)
Watching the tide roll away
A great week of running!
Happy Jigs Wisdom!
Mobile Fetch
I don't do this very often...
Breathless Optimism
20 miles yesterday
This Week's vLog
Decision Trees and the sub-4!
Democracy Street
Mayan Maths
Bath Half (at last)
Still a chicken
Costume Drama in Bath
TomTom importing
Updated 'Train' page
Zonked
Nearly
February (29)
Pheasant
An Unexpected Journey
Wind picking up...
An unplanned kit alarm
Race Pace Test
2nd place
Week ends
Bounceback
Barking carrots
Bedroom pizza
Top of the mountain
Blogs get the mobile treatment
Supersonic Katie, and a marathon pace question
Back home
Racing parkrun ;-)
Unblocking the sink
Start in Darkness
Some times I'd like
Mobile Site - Forum Section
All-Time Leaderboards
Batteries
Sword fighting
PB Attempts
Duct tape and WD40
Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants
Lessons
Shoe horning
Training vLog Week 13
Big February Project
January (35)
Cake, invalidated
Small sips
LiRF, award shortlist, beginners, books, boy.
Dog Available :-)
Cutback
New Recipe Section
Lazy
Another threshold run
New Beginnings
Blah
But far more importantly...
Fetch Beginners Programme
Give it a go :-)
Training vLog - Week 11
Threshold Run (a running blog)
Long day, short blog
(Lack of) Pump Action
A thread to follow
This Boy Can
Local Leaderboards for Checkpoints
Choking.
February 18th
Godzilla!
The Travelling Checkpoint Salesman
Acorn Antiques
Bearing Up
Deleted Bridges and Dodgy Lasers
I'm Batman!
Healthy and Appy
Punch O'Clock!
The plan, then.
Ten mile toes
On Parliament
[Untitled]
Bold Claims, and a Challenge for 2015
2014 (262)
December (9)
A trip to Wales (vLog)
Christmas Messages from Fetchies
Various
FERC London Marathon Places - Draw
It's gone in my sock...
Festive Fetch Five
This Week's Training
To the Post Office!
Training vLog - Week 4
November (12)
I Am Groot!
Slightly Dismal Friday
Week 3 - in which I nearly drown my wife!
I said yes :-)
Free Daps! aka Test GORE-TEX® footwear this winter!
Training vLog - Week 2
More chances for VMLM entries
Marathon Talk
My first training vLog :-)
Second place?
In :-)
Questionnaire about personality traits amongst runners
October (16)
Adidas API
Horseplay minimiser
Running with the big dog
Flat and Windy
Who'd like to test the Garmin API then?
Advantage Borg
Deal?
Jumble
Milk Tray Reps in the Rain
Geneva
Quote
Hatfield 5k, and some other running thoughts
Site layout changes
Vote for Training Plans
Maths help
3-2-1
September (8)
A quick device poll
Garmin Connect API
Cake at the lake :-)
Empowering Women
This Week's Training
Tick :-)
Article help
First outing with the Harriets
August (7)
Book club and Harriers
A treasure trove for bookish types
What I did on my Summer Holidays
Local decoration
The Fisher King
Mojitos and no mosquitos!
Cake-athlon
July (26)
James Mason
Missing Week
Camping View
Wild Camping
Quick
Transalpine Race
In brief
Urgent! Pair of runners wanted!
Fetch Kit Available to Pre-order :-)
Fetch Anniversary Kit - Preview
API and FAK!
That dog has a puffy tail
More books
Reverse Moses
Zombies vs Plants
Shovel required
Nightfever
Dayfever
Catcher in the Rye
My sister the psychologist
Drink your strong limey drink
Keep me in the loop
Bread knives, hedgehogs and the dog in the night time
Whoops
Pinteresting
Q&A?
June (34)
Checkpoints video
Walden
Happy boys and giggly imps
Spring loaded
Elbow grease
Fetch 10th Anniversary Kit
Fetch YouTube Tutorial - Race Guide
Finding the Library folder on a Mac
Stoat!
Sonic screwdriver
Live wires
Wiring help needed
Garmin Express Experiment
Scalded sloth
Garminge
Potching
New Forum Layout
Further updates to the blog layout
New blog layout
First woodpecker
Beastin' parkrun
Pantoball
All was well
USA! USA! USA!
Marking Territory
The People's Poet Is Dead :-(
Holy Water
Throwing shapes
Life moves pretty fast
Recursion is beautiful
Win an OS Explorer / Landranger map of your choice
Intervals with a Suunto Ambit 2S
Tick
Economy done two ways
May (31)
[Untitled]
Vorsprung Durch Lego Technic
How do I liberate my boy from his XBox?
Questions?
Life in the Woods
Lazy
MovesMissed
Intervals with a TomTom
Electioneering
[Untitled]
Tree fluff
More camping
Zen and Camping
Not eaten by bears
Bear food
Camping List
Camping Venn Diagrams
Floppy dog
Routes but not Rathbone
Illustrator wanted
Masking
Highlights
The Cosmic Ballet Goes On
Silverstone 10k :-)
Quick one
[Untitled]
Superhuman snooker
Dogturdflagman
Numbers!
Whittlin'
Chapter 1
April (29)
King Bin
Quiet day on Feedback Mountain
Listing
42
Go directly to parkrun. Do not pass Godzuki.
A day in Wales
[Untitled]
Spanner
The Lost Diadem of Fetchbook
Falling asleep in my dinner
Egg
Sofathon
God gave rock and roll to you.
Sugar Mule
Not bad, consid'rin.
Tinkering
Can U Dig It?
A weekend in Wales
Looking forward to Oliver!
Thank you, and more App talk
RIP Nan
Blah
Appy
Pyjamas at both ends.
Thump. Saturday has started.
Sore tum :-/
Zombies aside... first impressions of the new TomTom
TomTom Runner Cardio Press Event
Am I pregnant?
March (31)
Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes Cornflakes
Sandy 10
#bedfordhappy
Me on YouTube
New graphs live
Follow the dot
Only the best for the Captain's table
Mrs Diahann Wagner is GOING HORNY
Sport Relief Win
Hot dogs, quick blogs
Toton Sidings
A sign!
Owen Farrell visualisation technique
Kebabs!
Booster fails to ignite
Myton Rugby Run (5 Miler)
Rugby before rugby
Sweetcorn antidote
Custard factory
Pooped
I did some intervals :-)
Speed work?
Many things
A bit cabbagey here.
Angry Wasp
Minty
Rainbow's End
Core Dump
Bath Half (in detail)
A quick overview
Down to business in Bath
February (28)
Made it to Bath
Unexpected hugs
Slider
I like to go a-wandering
Spring cleaning
Tongue-lolling
Because We're Worth It
I don't know what!
Thanks Jim
Enough now
Clearing the pipes
Crouch, Touch, Pause...
Medication, that's what you need.
Symptom Tour
Hello FBI
Dazed day
Why I'm an optimist
Mobius birds
Snotty knuckles
In this house...
Retch Everyone
Carrots
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Ultrahalfmarathoner
Angry Birds
Belching
Clarkson averse
Good day :-)
January (31)
*bunting* *cake*
Bigger Boys
Zombies!
Pretending to be Saga Norén
Waiting for the AA
Ship shape
Readthrough
Technology takes you further
Love Garden
Cushions
High Heel Striker
Bit of a rubbish one
Ta
Hot Re-fills
Coding Grinch
An august prediction
Some Running Goals for Q1
Wipe-clean dog
Breaking it down
Snakes and Ladders
Bigger Ponds
Drink Your Weak Lemon Drink
All in All
Panning the pancake
Does JK Rowling own a dog?
Back to the kitchen table
Steve Davis shoes
Pigs on a water slide
Sloshing
Protocol
19 books :-)
2013 (29)
December (3)
Oh...
Engine Management Light
Hannibal Vector
November (3)
Speed skating
Stew-pendous
Cool Hand Grandpa
October (3)
Bookish
Minecraft Cake
Random dump
September (2)
Blog by Email!
Catchup blah
August (3)
Big Green Caterpillar
Questions answered - final CLS blog
Last Days at Club La Santa
July (10)
A nice morning of swimming and tennis
Please Read: Questions for a sports coach
Snorkeltastic
Hitting the straps
First Impressions at Club La Santa
Mile High Blog
Clocking off
For the second week running...
Another Club La Santa catchup
The Floor In The Plan
June (3)
Club La Santa
Bulk Uploading, and win a book
FERC Charities 2011-2012
March (1)
Bath Weekend
January (1)
Meet Steve
2012 (39)
December (2)
Tired Now Boss
Bath - Week 14 + Foodbank
November (3)
White Level Reading
Bath - Week 15
Bath - Week 16
October (2)
Onwards!
C'mon Dave
July (1)
RIP Arnie
June (2)
Rub some bacon on it
18 weeks
May (9)
Techy not tetchy
Time for a techy blog
Time to walk the dog
Stevington 12k
Properly coldy
Still a bit coldy
New blog design live
A bit coldy
Blogs Redesign
April (2)
Easter
SERIOUSLY LORD FETCH, SORT IT OUT
March (8)
A long run up
Running Tick
Weekend
Sport Relief Mile
Back once again
Swimming sweetcorn and other vegetables
Joy Rides, Sticks and Medals
Training Tip
February (9)
And...
Katie, ICT, and some more MySQL
May The Ground Force Be With You
Functions
Well done Batman.
Optimisation Crossword
Snow Days
Gallery, and parkrun
Pleased
January (1)
There Are Some Really Sexy Girls On Fetch







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