January 31, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Cold rain. Temps in the low 40s with a strong south breeze. Out the door a bit later than usual, as I waited to see if the rain might let up a bit. No chance. Layered up with long-sleeves and shorts. Headed south to the Highway 9 boundary and then back to the shack through the campus. A nice, wet, chilly, end-of-the-month run. Completed the 6.40 mile campus loop in 1:02:40 for a pedestrian 9:47 min/mile pace. Splits were fairly consistent from start to finish. Seemed appropriate to put Kula Shaker on the box with the dreary cold and rain. Missed 10-days of running in the month, but finished January on a strong note. 24 miles for the week. Back at it on Monday. Mahalo.

January 29, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door at the appointed hour and met with an unbelievable 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), along with a pretty strong north wind. Left the gloves at home, but worked the long-sleeves and shorts. Times were slow; I attribute the slowness to the copious amount of red wine consumed last evening, but it could be age or the thousands of miles on the odometer. I digress. Hit the eastern approach to begin things and finished up strong on the western side of the loop.  Completed the 6.01 campus loop in a leisurely 59:25 for a subsonic 9:53 min/mile pace. Really took a hit on the way home being pounded by that brutal north wind for three miles. More 90s music on the box.  Generation X, for the uninitiated. Weather changes on the way. Could be wet and cold on Saturday. A lethal combination. Aloha.

January 27, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door to an almost warm 41 degrees (5 Celsius) and a slight breeze. Layered up with long-sleeves and shorts. Reversed the route for an uneventful 6.03 mile campus loop. Completed the run in 59:14 for a 9:49 min/mile average pace. A bit slower than recent times. 90s Rock seeping back into the rotation on the box.  Legs and lungs are getting back to normal after ten days off. Plan on another 12 miles before the end of the month. Less talk, more rock. Mahalo.

January 25, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Back in the game after a 10-day stint on the IR. The Flu came to town and it was not pretty. Lungs are still not 100% clear, but I felt today was a good day to get back out on the trail. Temps in the mid-40s (7 degrees Celsius) with a pretty strong wind out of the northwest. Long-sleeves and shorts. Started and finished slow. Legs felt heavy. Completed the 5.65 mile campus loop in 55:23 for a 9:48 min/mile pace. First sub-six mile run in a month and change. Seattle-Infused musical selections on the box. Inaugurated another pair of New Balance 1260 V4's this morning. Feels good to be back in the game. Mahalo.

January 14, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Another very cold morning with temps in the mid-20s (25 degrees Fahrenheit or -4 Celsius) and a light (3 mph) wind out of the north. Nothing too heavy, as the lack of wind made the run very manageable. Layered up and hit the streets in the pre-dawn hours for an uneventful 6.30 mile campus loop. The streets were deserted. Traffic around campus has picked up a bit since the Spring semester commenced; however, the cold weather and wind have left the campus and environs devoid of runners and walkers for the most part. Finished the 10 K run in 57:51 for a relatively fast 9:09 min/mile average pace. Have not complete a six-miler this "fast" since April 11, 2014. Must have been the Metallica blaring through the earbuds (Solid Thin Lizzy cover) or the Albuterol hits pre-run. Mahalo.

January 12, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Wine-Soaked Recovery. Another week of running commenced this morning. Cold (22 F, -5 C) with a strong North wind. Layered up and hit the road in the pre-dawn hours, per custom. Calle 13 on the box for a serious change of pace. Deserted streets. Completed the 6.04 mile campus loop in a chilly 58:02 for a 9:36 min/mile pace. Finished strong in spite of the wind and wine from last night. Will endeavor to utilize a M-W-F-Sa schedule moving forward, with Friday's runs being a short 5 K fun run for shits and giggles. Mahalo.

January 10, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Saturday Edition. Frozen. Temps in the low 20s (-6 Celsius) with a brisk South wind that begs the age old question: is it better to start into the wind or finish into the wind? I am used to starting out with the wind, getting warm and then descending into the discomfort of heading home with the wind in my face. Today required a change of focus, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Anyhow, extended the run to Highway 9 and finished the deserted 6.43 mile campus loop in 1:01:08 for a cold 9:31 min/mile average pace. Good times. Pearl Jam on the box. Mahalo.

January 7, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Another brutal, frozen, miserable morning for running. Out the door in spite of it all. Frozen North wind sweeping down the plains from the Arctic Circle. Temps in the low 20s (-6 Celsius) with a wind chill of 5 degrees (-15 Celsius). Layered up: three dri-fit long-sleeve tops, two pairs of tights, winter-rated gloves, full face mask and a running jacket rated for 0 degrees. With the wind at my back, I actually felt hot on the Southern leg of the trip; however, once I turned back North three-miles from home I felt like weeping.  Nothing like a 20 mph Arctic-flavored wind kicking your ass for thirty minutes. At times it felt as though I was standing still. Completed the 6.04 miles in 59:04 for a frozen 9:47 min/mile pace. The Vapors on the box. "Youth is wasted on the young." Oscar Wilde. Mahalo.

January 5, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Another frozen morning. Temps in the 14 degree range (-10 Celsius) with, luckily, absolutely no wind with which to contend. Unfortunately, I underdressed for this morning's jaunt. Dressed for temps in the 30 degree range, which, for the unordained, may seem inconsequential. I was, however, actually cold for the majority of the run. This is rare, even in the depths of winter, as I usually dress accordingly. Triple-layer dri-fit tops, winter tights, no jacket, lightweight cap and gloves were simply no match for the elements. Completed the 6.03 campus loop in 57:13 for a shivering 9:30 min/mile pace. 80's rock on the box. Solid. Mahalo.

January 2, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Inaugurating yet another year of running. My goal for this year is to complete 1,000 miles, or a mere 19.23 miles a week for the year. Totally within the realm of possibilities. Anyhow, I am six-miles closer after this morning. Awoke to a cold, distorted 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius) with a calm North breeze and a thick layer of fog. It was, however, downright balmy compared to Wednesday's frozen run. Layered up and completed the 6.02 mile campus loop in 57:47 for a slowish 9:36 min/mile pace. Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream on the box. Made perfect sense in the fog and distortion. Saturday off. Mahalo.