December 31, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Last run of 2014. Frozen Face. Frozen Package. Frigid. Miserable. Out the door to 17 degrees Fahrenheit (-8.3 Celsius) with a wind chill of 3 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius). Brutal north wind. Layered up with winter-rated tights, three long-sleeve dry-fit shirts, full-frontal face mask, a jacket, cold-rated gloves and smart wool socks. And still froze my ass off. Six miles. Campus loop. Deserted frozen streets with a slight dusting of snow. One other freak out on the trail; homeboy running with his dog. We passed in the pre-dawn haze and the dog looked up at me like, "What the fuck is wrong with you idiots?" Started strong and somewhat optimistic, only to decompensate into fear, sadness and regret. Should have driven to the YMCA and run on a treadmill with gas heat and CNN on in the foreground. Said I, never. Bring it, don't sing it. Finished the 6.04 miles in 1:00.31 for a sub-sonic 10:01 min/mile pace. Early Hip Hop on the box. Easy. Solid. New Year's Day off. 1,000 mile goal for 2015. Mileage starts on January 2, 2015. Mahalo.

December 29, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Frozen Face. Super Frigid. Wind chill at 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 and change Celsius.) No escaping the cold on this day. Bone-chilling. Out the door at the appointed hour, layered up and focused. A North breeze to keep things interesting. Completed the 6.02 mile campus loop in 57:49 for a 9:36 min/mile average pace. Deserted streets remain the norm. Went all British on the box for a slight change. To the gym on Tuesday. Another six miles on Wednesday. A colder Arctic blast heading this way. Mahalo.

December 24, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Christmas Eve Edition. Frozen Face. 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 Celsius) with a brutal 15 mph North wind, which made the return trip back to the shack extremely uncomfortable. Layered up from head to toe, even sported tights for this one. Out the door before the sunrise for a standard campus loop. Completed the 5.88 miles in 57:30 for a 9:47 min/mile pace. Today's run was twelve-seconds per mile slower than Monday's run. Best of the 90's on the box. Awesome videos are an added bonus. Christmas off. Mahalo.

December 22, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Awoke to temps in the mid-40s (7 Celsius) and an almost negligible breeze. The streets were deserted and fog-laden from the onset. Layered up for a smooth 5.88 miles around the campus. Completed the loop in 56:30 for a slow, sluggish 9:37 min/mile pace. Started slowly and never felt my full mojo. Solid lap, nonetheless. Fruit Salad Mix on the box. Tuesday to the gym. Mahalo.

December 20, 2104

Dawn Patrol. Cool Runnings. 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 Celsius) and calm. Layered up and headed out for a solid 5.63 miles around the campus. Started strong and kept it going all the way home. Finished the loop in 52:27 for a 9:19 min/mile average pace. "Fastest" average pace since a 9:13 min/mile pace in April, 2014. Maybe it was Blur on the box? Maybe it was the hits of Albuterol pre-run? Regardless, it was good times out there on the trail. Sunday off. Back at it on Monday. Mahalo.

December 17, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Early morning bliss. Awoke to a still, cool morning. Temps in the low 30s (34 degrees Fahrenheit or about 1 degree Celsius) with absolutely no wind with which to contend. The drizzle began to fall around the five-minute mark and never let up. I am on record as stating that there is nothing better than running in the rain. Absolutely lovely running conditions. Felt good from beginning to end. Finished strong. Layered up and completed the 5.64 mile (9.07 km) campus loop in 53:30 for a sub-sonic 9:30 min/mile average pace. Fastest average pace since September. Campus was deserted; no pedestrians on the trail this morning. Continuing to keep the 1990s in rotation on the box. Mahalo.

December 14, 2014

Daybreak. Out the door a bit later than usual for a rare Sunday run. Met with unseasonably warm temps in the mid-50s (12-13 degrees Celsius) and a nice breeze from the south. Hoped for a bit of rain, but it did not pan out. Extended the campus route to Highway 9 for a little change in scenery. Finished the 5.90 miles in 57:44 for a 9:47 min/mile pace. Continued with the 90s music theme this AM. Aloha.

December 11, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Second run of the week after a two-day respite. Cool (44 degrees Fahrenheit) with a slight breeze from the south. Super nice running conditions. Completed the uneventful 5.55 mile campus loop in 53:23 for a 9:37 min/mile average pace. The campus, due to the students being in the home stretch of finals week, was pretty much empty. Deserted road and environs. Blink on the box for that early 2000's feel. Started closer to nine-minute miles and finished slower. Much slower. Friday off; Saturday on the road again. Mahalo.

December 8, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Hit the road after a self-imposed exile this weekend. Marine Layer Fog. Temps in the low 40s with a slight breeze. Long-sleeves, shorts, gloves and a cap. Super running conditions. Another uneventful 5.70 mile campus loop. Down Elm Street to the Lloyd Noble, over to Jenkins and back North. Surreal at times with the blanket of fog. Finished in 55:32 for a 9:45 min/mile average pace. Started relatively slow and ended a bit faster, or not as slow. Back to the 90s Mix on the box. To the gym on Tuesday. Another 10K planned for Wednesday. Mahalo.

December 3, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Cold Running. Deserted Streets. Out the door at the appointed hour for yet another campus turn. Temps in the mid-30s with absolutely no breeze. Fog present in the low-lying areas. A beautiful, still, late-Autumn morning. Waiting for the sun. Layered up with long-sleeves and shorts, gloves and a cap. Started slow. Finished the 5.30 miles in 52:33 for a 9.55 min/mile average pace. 90s Music on the Box. Good times. Aloha.

December 1, 2014

Dawn Patrol. Frozen, frigid wind originating on the Arctic Circle and pummeling me, relentlessly, on this morning's pre-dawn run. Temps in the low 20s with a brutal wind chill in the 15 degree Fahrenheit range (-10 Celsius). Bring something to cover your face. The run was actually pretty manageable until I headed back north some two-miles from the shack. Bone-numbing, eye-watering, freeze-your-ass off wind. Finished the 4.94 mile campus loop in a leisurely 50:23 for a 10:12 min/mile pace. Slow and low that was the tempo, for sure. Deserted streets this morning. It felt good to be out there...in the elements.  Here's to a great month of cold weather running! Cheers.