The Principle of Least Action

The principle of least action is a concept which has proved quite useful in physics since the days of Isaac Newton. Essentially, the principle is a statement that whenever the universe does something, it does it in the laziest way possible. In flat space, the "best" way to get from point A to point B is a straight line. The action for a particle (or field) is a mathematical function of things such as its velocity, and by minimizing this function, you can derive the previous (rather obvious) statement.

This is a horrible way to live your life, however, so far as I'm concerned. We know that point A is birth, and point B is death. I'll leave point C up to whoever has knowledge about such things (as a devout agnostic, I firmly believe that the set of such people has measure zero).

So one of the principles I try to apply to myself and the points between my own personal A and B is a principle of most action. I'm a theoretical particle physicist, a mediocre runner, and a father of a really awesome 2 month old baby boy. I commute about 2.5 hours to work. I'm trying out this blogging thing because I also like writing, and writing is something that I don't get a chance to do much of in my other occupations.

I'm choosing not to put up my name just so this page won't show up under a web search of my family name. I have my reasons. Any reader could find out who I am through 2 minutes of homework anyway.

I'm not going to go into detail about my work. I'll let that part of my life just manifest itself as an unbearable geekiness in my writing style. I'll probably focus on my running and the experiences of fatherhood, and the struggle to make it all somehow work.

A quick runner bio:
In high school I ran "middle distance," and this is when I posted my 800m and mile personal bests. I grew up in Massachusetts, and ran for a Division I high school that was a testosterone-fest run by the Xavarian brothers.

In college (California) I ran for about 1 month, and then quit to focus on school work and trying to maximize the time spent not doing schoolwork. I resumed halfway through my Ph.D. program in the land that letsrun.com now occupies (about a 6 year break), and took up longer distances since nobody that isn't elite or in school trains for anything shorter than a mile in the US. Since then I've run as much as 112 miles in one week. I've run a few marathons, but I've only left one 26 mile and 385 yard long course with my dignity intact.

I ran this morning:
7:30 am 48 F
14 minute jog to track
6 minutes of drills
4x(200m - 200m - 400m) at mile race pace with equal distance rest
Times: (34.6 - 36.6 - 73.6 - 35.3 - 36.4 - 71.0 - 35.6 - 36.1 - 70.3 - 34.6 - 34.3 - 69.0)
15 minute cooldown

I called it 8 miles for lack of anything better.

I also did lots of sit-ups. I have an 8-pack. Maybe if I do enough, the hair on my head will grow back.