September 19, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Game Day #2. Hit the road after solid rains throughout the witching hours. Cool temps (63 degrees Fahrenheit, 17 Celsius) and a nice North breeze. Post-thunderstorm bliss. Extended the route South to the gravel and North via Legacy Trail. Finished the 8.69 mile campus loop in 1:25:21 for a 9:49 min/mile pace. The junkies, pre-emptive tailgaters and early-birds were out in full-force, as kickoff was at 1100 am. The truly dedicated are sucking down Bud Lights and Malboro Reds at dawn. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box. Generation X Grunge-Masters. Solid. Finished the week with 19.78 miles and three runs + 2 gym visits, Chest and Tri and Back and Bi. It was a good week. Mahalo.

September 17, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door before the sunlight hit the olive oil. Another go-to maintenance run: uneventful and predictable. Boyd Street Portal to the South, returning up Jenkins. Completed the 5.26 mile campus loop in 52.26 for a blistering 9.58 min/mile  pace. Conditions were hot and humid. Water stop at Reeves Park was necessary. Flirting with a Mon-Wed-Thurs-Sat running schedule. Tuesday and Friday at the gimnasio. Developing. Mahalo.

September 15, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Back in the game after taking yesterday off due to lightening and torrential rainfall. The weekend was lost to drunkenness and debauchery, which is always interesting, even at this advanced stage of the game. I digress. Hit the road this morning and was greeted by a cool 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) and a nice Southern breeze. Autumn looms. Finished the 5.83 mile campus loop in a mere 55:35 for a 9:32 min/mile pace. H20 stop at Reeves really helped out. It was, compared to my recent runs, a blistering pace! To the gym tomorrow for a chest and tricep workout; had two solid workouts last week. Thursday and Saturday runs to keep me honest. Mahalo.

September 9, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Misty Mountain Hop. 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) with a cool breeze, 100% humidity and a light mist. Beautiful conditions for a seemingly effortless five-mile campus loop. Bowel-Related Issues (BRIs) caused an unplanned pit stop at Reeves Park around mile three. The citizens of Norman should be commended for their tax dollars being spent on such world class facilities. Finished the mist-shrouded campus loop (5.01 miles) in 49:03 for an average pace of 9:47 average pace. Chest and Tri workout on Tuesday. Mahalo.

September 7, 2015

Sunlit Campus Loop. Out the door to hot and humid conditions: 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 Celsius) and 90% humidity. The Song Remains the Same. Completed the 5.02 miles in 50:38 for a slowish 10:06 min/mile average pace. Returned to the Boyd Portal route. Temperature change, albeit a slight one, on the horizon for later this week. Autumn looms. Mahalo.

September 5, 2015

Out the door as the sunlight hit the olive oil. Hot (73 degrees Fahrenheit, 23 Celsius) with 90% humidity. First Game Day run of 2015. Campus was alive and kicking. Entered through the Boyd Street Portal, South to the Highway 9 boundary, back up Jenkins to the skateboard park, and then returned to the shack via Andrews Park. It was extremely warm and humid: H2O stops at Reeves and Andrews Parks were vital. Started sub-10 and then settled into a slower groove. Finished the 7.24 mile campus loop in 1:13:44 for a 10:11 min/mile pace. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box. 19.28 miles for the week. Mahalo.

September 2, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Inaugural run for the month. Out the door to a cool 70 degrees (21 degrees Celsius) and 85% humidity. Entered campus through the Elm portal and finished on the East side for what I like to refer to as "reversing the route." Will spend the next few months in this mode. Completed the 6.02 mile campus loop in 58:58 for a 9:48 min/mile pace. Sore left calf pain after Monday's run dissipated and was not a factor this AM. To the gym on Thursday. Mahalo.

August 31, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Finished the month of August with a 6.02 mile run around the campus. Temp was 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) with a relative humidity of 83%. Left calf cramp around mile three made things interesting. I stopped and stretched the damn thing out, but it remained sore throughout the day. Completed the campus loop in 59:35 for a sub-sonic 9:54 min/mile pace. Mahalo.

August 28, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door to 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) and a relative humidity of 75%. Completed the 6.45 mile campus loop in a sub-sonic 1:05:31 for a 10:09 min/mile pace. 18.94 miles for the week. A mile and change shorter than my planned 20 miles. No issues to convey. Will now resort to running every other day with a weekend run, as my legs and disposition are good to go. Planning on 6-6-6-6 for the week. Two gyms visits for Shits and Giggles. Mahalo.

August 26, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Humidity ruled the day. Think "Sweet Dick Willy" in his prime. Finished the 6.48 mile campus loop in 107:34 for an average pace of 10:26 min/mile. "Slow and low" does not come close. Felt slow and sluggish from the onset. Water stop at Reeves. Mahalo.

August 24, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Super nice weather this morning (63 degrees Fahrenheit, 17 degrees Celsius with 65% humidity) to begin another week of roadwork. Finished the 6.01 mile campus loop in 1:00:11 for a 10:01 min/mile average pace. No complaints: started strong and slowed late, per recent custom. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box; working my way through 90s alternative gems at this point. Mahalo.

August 22, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Saturday morning bliss. Temps in the manageable low-70s (73 degrees Fahrenheit, 23 degrees Celsius) with 100% humidity. Imagine running in a sauna. Started relatively strong for the first four miles: sub-ten minute miles and feeling good.  Hit the proverbial wall around mile five. Finished depleted and lackadaisical. Headed out from the Eastern approach, South to the Highway 9 boundary and then returned home through the South Greek. I'm definitely getting stronger, the last mile notwithstanding. Completed the 6.14 mile campus loop in a sub-sonic 1:02:02 for a 10:06 min/mile pace. Spartacus Redux on the box. Finished the week with 17.56 miles. Will definitely break 20 next week. Mahalo.

August 20, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Wednesday morning was a wash: thunderstorms, lightening and waves of torrential downpours, fear and the occasional loathing. Had to postpone the mid-week run until Thursday. Out the door to Autumn-like temps: 53 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) and a cool North wind. Finished the 5.67 mile campus loop in an underwhelming 56:13 for a 9:55 min/mile pace. Legs are still a bit stiff and unresponsive. Slow and Low that is the tempo. Mahalo.

August 17, 2015

Dawwn Patrol. Out the door at 530 am with temps a bearable 78 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) and a relative humidity of 80%. It was a slow, sluggish and muggy Monday morning run. Completed the 5.75 mile campus loop in 58:37 for a 10:11 min/mile pace. Inaugurated the newest incarnation of the NB 1260 series, the 1260 V5's. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box, with Blink 182 receiving prominent placement. Last week I limited myself to 2 runs (11 miles). Will incease this week's mileage to 15 miles in an effort to slowly ramp-up to the 20-25+ miles a week that looms. Mahalo.

August 13, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Awoke to a comfortably cool 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) and 85% humidity. A nice north breeze for the return leg of the run. Another slow and methodical run on the way to getting my running legs back after a one-month respite. Completed the 5.62 mile campus loop in 57:35 for a 10:15 min/mile average pace. Sore legs lingering from Tuesday's run. Shoes are officially shot: new shoes ordered and on the way. Mahalo.

August 11, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Back in the proverbial game after almost an entire month of sitting on the sidelines: traversing Honduras, eating plato tipico like a fiend and hitting the booze like it was my damn job. I feel like a bloated toad. I'm ten pounds heavier than when I left mid-July. This is nothing new. I spend the majority of the month of July in the tropics for sanity reasons and inevitably gain a few pounds in the process. I did, however, get a grand total of three treadmill runs in the book while in Tegucigalpa, and then abruptly lost interest. Back in the Land of Silicone and Smart Bombs, I hit the road this morning to begin yet again. Awoke to the hot and humid reality of Oklahoma in August. Completed the 5.20 mile campus loop in a leisurely 54:39 for a sub-sonic 10:31 min/mile pace. If history serves as a reliable guide (and for those of you scoring at home, it usually does) it will take a month for this gringo to get his legs back. Mahalo.

July 11, 2015

In the Evening. Hot and humid remains the storyline in these parts. 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 Celsius) with the relative humidity at 75% made for another muggy evening run. Started and finished right at the 10:00 min/mile pace and had no problem keeping the tempo slow and low. Completed the 6.22 campus loop in 1:01:52 for a 9:57 min/mile pace. Shoes are shot: 374 miles on 57 runs (61 hours and 46 minutes) with maybe a couple of additional runs left before they transition to walk-around status. 17 miles and change for the week. Mahalo. 

July 8, 2015

In the Evening. Another brutally humid pm run. The temp, however, was a manageable 72 degrees Fahrenheit, or 22 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 95%. Returned to the classic Eastern Approach route for a change of pace. Skirting the Eastern boundary of the campus to its Southern reaches and a return on the Western boundary, through the South Greek and campus environs. Beautiful, calm, minimal traffic and various running surfaces with which to contend. Completed the 6.03 miles in 59:57 for a 9:56 min/mile average pace. First sub-10 minute per mile pace since June 18th. Solid finish. Mahalo.

July 6, 2015

In the Evening. Back on the trail as the sun set for another hot and humid run. 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) coupled with an obscene relative humidy made it uncomfortable from about mile two onward. The pace was slow and deliberate from the onset. Completed the 5.39 mile campus loop in 56:32 for a 10:29 min/mile pace. 260th fastest 4-6 mile workout, according to Runkeeper. Regardless of the slow pace, it was a solid run. And a slow, sluggish run is better than no run any day of the week! Mahalo. 

July 1, 2015

In the Evening. Another hot (81 degrees Fahrenheit, 27 Celsius) and humid (80%) post-sunset run. This evening's 5.39 miles was particularly slow and sluggish. Finished the campus loop in an underwhelming 56:05 for a 10:24 min/mile pace. Runkeeper stats informing me that it's my 257th fastest 4-6 mile run! (Exclamation point is theirs!) June's numbers were below average, both in terms of runs and miles. Fiinished the month with nine runs and 55.1 miles. Did take a week off to rest a lingering shin issue, so it does make sense. Mahalo. 

June 29, 2015

In the Evening. Sore right shin issue after last Tuesday's run prompted me to take a week off to recuperate. Felt good to get back out on the trail after a brief respite. Headed out with 75 degree temps (24 Celsius) and 100% humidity. The rain started around mile three. Started at the Boyd Street portal, South to the Highway 9 boundary, East to Jenkins, North to Andrews Park and then back to the shack. Finished the 7.26 mile campus loop in 1:14:04 for a 10:12 average min/mile pace. Spartacus Redux Mix on the box. Good times out there. Mahalo. 

June 23, 2015

In the Evening. Channeling my inner masochist with the temperature a warm 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 Celsius) and a relative humidity of 80%. Sweated through the 6.42 mile campus loop in an underwhelming 1:05:51 for a 10:15 min/mile average pace. Mirrored the June 20, 2015 route and then added a bit on the end. Times were almost identical, pace-wise. I have zero complaints as I sit at the kitchen table enjoying a cold Asahi. Mahalo. 

June 20, 2015

Another evening run. Different conditions for an early-morning runner: 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) with a steamy 90% humidity. Headed out through the Boyd Street portal to the Highway 9 boundary and then cut over to Jenkins and up the East side of the campus. Per recent custom, I started relatively strong (9:15 pace) and began a slow descent around the third mile. Water stop at Reeves Park was a life saver. Finished the 6.12 miles in a sub-sonic 1:02:40 for a 10:14 min/mile pace. Three runs and 18 miles for the week. Will get a ten-mile long run this week. Mahalo.

June 18, 2015

A rare evening run. Awoke to torrential rainfall, so I postponed my planned six miles to this evening. Definitely a different buzz changing up the routine. Even pulled out the earbuds and played the go-to Spartacus Re-Mix just like the old days. 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 Celsius) with 90% humidity to make things interesting. Completed the 6.02 mile campus loop in 58:36 for a 9:44 min/mile pace. A long run this weekend looms. Good times. Mahalo. 

June 15, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Back on the trail after a weekend of travel left me run-less. Temp was a manageable 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) with 100% humidity and no breeze. Started relatively strong and ended up finishing depleted. The descent began around mile three. Finished the 6.03 mile go-to campus loop in 59:42 for a slowish 9:54 min/mile pace. Mahalo.

June 10, 2015

Early Morning. Out the door a bit later than usual. 70 degrees (21 Celsius), 85% humidity and a negligible breeze from the South. The mid-run H2O stop probably saved me from having a nervous breakdown. Continued the trend of slow and methodical runs. Changed the route a bit: entered through the Boyd Street Portal, headed South to the Highway 9 perimeter, took the gravel East to Jenkins and then returned home through the campus. A nice change of scenery and routine. Finished the 5.60 mile campus loop in 55:41 for a super-slow 9:56 minute/mile average pace. Aloha.

June 8, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door at daybreak after a weekend of downtime. Was a bit slow this morning; in fact, the Runkeeper folks let me know it was my 258th fastest 5-miler! Proud. Finished the 5.61 mile campus loop in a super-slow 55:57 for a 9:58 min/mile pace. Temps in the low-70s and 85% humidity, which I definitely felt. Mahalo.

June 4, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Out the door to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius), 95% humidity and a solid breeze from the South. Completed the 6.03 mile go-to campus loop in a pedestrian 57:52 for a 9:36 average pace, which, according to the fine folks at Runkeeper, was my 168th fastest six-miles to date. Blame it on the Redbreast. Slow and low that it is the tempo, comes to mind. A planned 10-miler for Saturday. Mahalo.

June 2, 2015

Dawn Patrol. Back to familiar environs. Inaugurated June's running calender with a humid 6.04 mile campus loop. Temps were a relatively cool 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius) with absolutely no breeze.  Back to sleeveless tops and shorts. Finished the loop in 57:37 for a 9:33 min/mile average pace. Felt decent from start to finish. Ended up with 65 miles on 10 runs for the month of May. Should have between 80 and 100 in June. Mahalo.

May 29, 2015

San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hot and humid. Almost killed me. No water on the route and that, ultimately, was my downfall. Out the door at the crack of nine to temps in the mid-80's (84 Fahrenheit, 29 Celsius) with 95% humidity. The tropical heat and humidity were over the top for this pre-dawn runner. Did not have the foresight to run with a bottle of water and there were absolutely zero water fountains along the trail. Finished the 4.25 mile route in a desperate 44:22 for a sub-sonic 10:26 min/mile pace. Regardless, it still beat the hell out of running on the hotel treadmill. A couple of days off after a four-day spate of travel, excess and debauchery. Back on the road mañana to begin June's runs. After a month of travel, waves of storms and torrential rain, I still managed ten runs in the month of May. Mahalo.