November 26, 2015

Early AM campus loop. Thanksgiving Day and deserted streets. Misty Mountain Hop. Cool temps (50 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 Celsius) with a slight Southern breeze and a constant, relentless drizzle. Finished the 6.42 miles in 1:03:33 for a 9:54 min/mile average pace. Slow and Low that is the tempo. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box, like disco lemonade. Substantial winter storm is quickly approaching and could place Saturday's long-run in jeopardy. Mahalo.

November 24, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Campus Loop. Awoke to perfect Autumn conditions: cool and windy with temps in the low-40s (42 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 Celsius) with a 12 mph (19 kmh) South wind. Shorts, long-sleeves, gloves and a beanie for attire. Started relatively slow and finished strong enough to get a sub-10 minute per mile pace. Finished the 5.01 mile campus loop in 49:39 for a pedestrian 9:54 min/mile pace. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box. Winter storms on the horizon for later in the week. Cold rain, sleet and winter mix all possible. Mahalo.

November 21, 2015

Game Day. Long Run. Did not get a Dawn Patrol in this morning. Headed out on the frozen trail well after the sunlight hit the olive oil in a futile attempt to let it warm up a bit. Temp (40 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 Celsius) was bearable, but the 25 mph North wind (40 kph) made it seem a lot colder. Layered up like a fiend and headed South via the Boyd Portal to the Municipal Works Complex. Turned North and endured five-miles of the aforementioned Arctic wind hitting me in the face for 50 minutes. Weaved back through Campus Corner environs to the shack. Overall, it was pretty much a textbook long run: slow and low with no desire to break any land speed records. Completed the 10.02 mile extended loop in 1:44:43 for a sub-sonic 10:27 min/mile average pace. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box. 90s Alt classics receiving heavy rotation. Sunday to recuperate. Monday it begins again. Mahalo.

November 17, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Tuesday Morning Love Dance. Campus Loop. In the rain. Took this past weekend off due to early AM soccer for the boy both Saturday and Sunday. No excuses mind you, simply Modern Life at its finest. Hit the trail this morning and was promptly met by a steady stream of drizzle and marine layer fog in the lowlands. Managed to get a drenched 5.02 miles in the book in 50:20 for a sub-sonic 10:02 min/mile pace. Run Keeper reminded me that this was my 254th fastest five-mile run to date. Proud. No worries though. Another six planned for Thursday and an extended ten-miles for Saturday: the last home game of the season with TCU coming to town. Cold temps coming to town, as well: tomorrow's run will be a manageable 38 degrees, while early morning temps for Saturday's run are expected to be in the low 20s. Bring the noise. Mahalo.

November 12, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Campus Loop. Cold start to the day. 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) with a slight North breeze. This was the first morning in the 30s since last Winter. Bowel-related issues (BRIs) began around mile two and plagued this author for 30 minutes. So uncomfortable and disheartening. So difficult to concentrate under such brutal, barbaric conditions. Anyway, to make matters worse I was short-changed by the GPS today, as my go-to five-miler was somehow reduced to 4.88 miles by the unseen powers-that-be. Finished in 48:54 for a slowish 10:02 min/mile average pace. Mahalo.

Novemeber 10, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Campus loop. Cool temps (50 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Celsius) with a slight Southern breeze. Layered to the hilt with the requisite long-sleeves, shorts, gloves and beanie. Campus loop, maintenance run. 5.02 miles in 50:29 for a super-slow 10:04 min/mile pace. Double digits on the pace is rarely a positive thing. Sans music. Sluggish from start to finish. Helsinki-style. Mahalo.

November 7, 2015

Saturday Long Run. Game Day. Hit the pavement about the same time the sunlight hit the olive oil. Cool temps: loaded up with long-sleeves, shorts, gloves and a beanie. 42 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) with a slight breeze. Extended South to the Municipal Water Works and then back North up the Legacy Trail. Looped around through Campus Corner to the shack. Slow and Low tempo with the Spartacus Redux Mix in full-effect on the box. Shuffled, for shits and giggles. I was giddy with fear and petulance. Finished the 10:03 mile campus loop in 1:45:30 for a sub-sonic 10:31 min/mile pace. Finished the week with 23 miles and change. Solid. Mahalo.

November 3, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Campus Loop. Awoke to temps in the mid-50s (53 degrees Fahrenheit, 12 degrees Celsius) with a brisk wind out of the South. After a week in the mid-40s, it actually felt warm out on the trail this morning. Out the door and headed East for a reversed loop: South to Highway 9 and West to the South Greek and Elm. Finished the 5.59 mile maintenance run in an underwhelming 55:08 for a 9:51 min/mile pace. Mahalo.

November 1, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Extended Campus Loop. A fairly rare Sunday morning run in the books to kick off November. It's tough to call eight-miles a "long-run," so I'll go with an extended maintenance run. Nice and chilly this morning: temps in the mid-40s (43 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 degrees Celsius) with negligible winds. Hit the Boyd Street Portal and headed South past the Highway 9 boundary, looped back North and finished up weaving through the campus environs. Completed the 8.03 miles in 1:25:11 for a 10:36 min/mile pace. 90s Grunge on the box. A solid, cool, Autumn run. 17 and change for the week. Planning on 5-5-5-10 for this week. Mahalo.