Friday, June 30, 2006

10,000m on Concept Model C, 43:54

Limp Bizkit, "Rollin"
Paul Simon, "Wartime Prayers"

Faster than before. I was averaging 2:10 per 500m, but there were segments that I was spinning as fast as 2:05 on the average.

Still unpacking. It's going slowly as there is a lot of stuff to unpack. The smaller dimensions of my house here at Fort Leavenworth don't help either...

2 miles + 8x400 intervals, 28 JUN 06, Fort Leavenworth KS

Dope, "Die Motherfucker Die"

WX at 0900: 72, DP 56, BP 30.10 (1018.3), W 6 few clouds, RH 57%

Odometer 1: 325.0mi

Z4-5.

I fucking hate speedwork. Unfortunately, with a physical fitness test coming up in about three weeks, I guess I need to refire some of my priorities to properly reflect my need to get some speed.

The mantra for interval work was not really correct for tempo, but it was dead on for motif otherwise.

Nothing today. Tomorrow I run to the gym (about 1.4mi one way) and row 10,000m on the Concept. Then run back.

Didn't log it yesterday as I've been busy unpacking after moving to Fort Leavenworth. Not a single thing lacrosse-related here...although ironically enough, I was channel surfing a few days ago and saw something about some kid in, of all places, Richmond, Virginia, where I grew up. Turns out the "Cougars" that were playing in the state lacrosse championship were, indeed, from the Collegiate School, sporting the school's athletics colors of green and gold. I think they were playing Woodberry Forest for the TILT championship as depicted in the game. I didn't think they were from Virginia - their stickwork seemed sloppy...but after watching nothing but college and professional lacrosse for the last few years, everything looks sloppy in comparison.

Splits
lap 1- 104
rest - 2:53
lap 2- 103
rest - 2:50
lap 3- 98
rest - 2:55
lap 4- 98
rest - 2:52
lap 5- 99
rest - 2:54
lap 6- 99
rest - 2:54
lap 7- 97
rest - 2:54
lap 8- 99
rest - 2:50

Sunday, June 25, 2006

6.9mi, 60:55, 25 JUN 06, Fort Leavenworth KS

Tommy Keene, "Alta Loma"

WX at 1000: 73.9 (23.3), DP 61.0 (16.1), BP 30.16 (1021), NNW 8 clear, RH 64%

Odometer 1: 319.0mi

Z3 high.

Today's run was a little later than expected. I was up doing a clean reinstall of WinXP Pro on my laptop which had me up until about 0200 this morning. I slept about six hours, which is about the norm, and then moved out on my morning ritual.

I had forgotten just how hilly Fort Leavenworth is. I have to wonder about how accurate this GPS receiver is based on the amount of overhead cover there is right now. But the low humidity today was awful nice, in spite of my incredible sluggitude going uphill.

Not fast. I could also possibly be tired from doing 10,000m on the Concept.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:02 09:02 09:02 09:02 1.00
1.00 17:32 08:30 08:29 08:46 2.00
1.00 26:09 08:37 08:38 08:43 3.00
1.00 35:16 09:07 09:07 08:49 4.00
1.00 44:08 08:52 08:51 08:49 5.00
1.00 52:52 08:44 08:45 08:49 6.00
0.94 60:55 08:03 08:35 08:47 6.94

Saturday, June 24, 2006

10,000m on Concept Model C, 44:38

Today's erg session was driven more off the need to do something. Faster by a little bit, but over 10,000m, it wasn't really that much faster. It does get pretty damn monotonous, though.

On the other hand, I find I can work certain things as I concentrate on them, whether they be left arm, right arm, or legs. It's a long time to be on the erg, but it works parts that I didn't in the past. Also, since almost no one here uses an erg, it's almost always open.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

10,000m on Concept Model C, 45:10

First time in a little less than a year. There's something strange about doing another exercise I haven't done in a while - and one as repetitive as erging, but it's a passable substitute for running when it's too humid to really run - or I just don't feel like it.

That I'm doing about the same splits as last year means that I have some improvement to make.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

9.17mi, 87:39, 21 JUN 06, Shiloh IL

Bob Mould, "Underneath Days"
Limp Bizkit and DMX, "Rollin' (Rap Remix)"
Tanya Donelly and Juliana Hatfield, "Josie and the Pussycats" (from watching some remake of it on the Boomerang network)

WX at 0900: 86 (30), DP 71 (22), BP 30.03 (1016), WSW 12 humid haze
WX at 0800: 80 (27), DP 73 (23), BP 30.02 (1016), SW 8 humid haze

Odometer 2: 34.4mi

Z3-4.

Today's run was the first long run in a long while - and it was an exercise in exceptional suck. The worst part of it was the unshielded sunlight - combined with the humidity that led to my walking. More than I wanted, but it was unavoidable. That would explain the progressively slower splits. The last mile split was faster only because it was in light. Seriously. It sucked ass.

I've never been in the Midwest during summer, so I was unprepared for the oppressive heat and humidity that is here. That sucks ass.

It didn't help me that I ate a White Castle Sack Meal No. 3 (10 White Castles, 2 french fries, and two Diet Cokes) after that while driving through St Louis and most of eastern Missouri. Mmmmm. 1400 calories of steamed grease and 600 calories of fries. It's the last White Castle I'll have for a while, so it was worth it. Besides, that's part of why I ran what I ran this morning. I remain unrepentant.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC
1.01 08:54 08:54 08:48 08:48
0.99 17:27 08:33 08:38 08:43
1.00 26:42 09:15 09:14 08:53
1.00 36:05 09:23 09:25 09:01
1.00 45:58 09:53 09:51 09:11
1.00 55:21 09:23 09:25 09:14
1.00 66:14 10:53 10:54 09:28
1.01 77:07 10:53 10:48 09:38
1.00 87:13 10:06 10:07 09:41
0.04 87:39 00:26 10:34 09:41

back at Leavenworth for the first time in seven years...

And it sure seems strange to be back.

Seven years ago I was attending the US Army Combined Arms and Services Staff School, which is now defunct. The last time I was there was for the 82d Airborne Division's Warfighter Seminar exercise, a week-long exercise in planning and just general suck. It also coincided with Hurricane Floyd going through Fayetteville and laying a lot of things waste.

I'm still homeless, and will be for at least another few days. Hopefully, something will open by next Monday.

Monday, June 19, 2006

3.57mi, 29:33, 19 JUN 06, Cookeville TN

Big Country, "In A Big Country"

WX at 0700: 66 (19), DP 62 (17), BP 30.13 (1020), SW 7 light rain; mist, RH 87%

Odometer 2: 25.2mi

Z4.

Today was slow and painful. I'm just not as trustful of the Timex Speed and Distance watch, but it sure beat trying to manually zen it out using USAPhotoMaps or the Google Maps Pedometer. I hadn't run in a while, and I really do need to go - mostly hills around commercial area, but early on a Monday morning, there wasn't much traffic. Not so bad, but very uneven. I will need to do some rebuilding work - although I'm really looking forward to getting back on a Concept2 again.

Splits
SEGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.008 08:01 08:01 07:57 ----- 1.00
1.044 17:03 09:02 08:39 ----- 2.05
0.956 25:26 08:22 08:45 ----- 3.00
0.507 29:33 04:06 08:05 08:44 3.57

On the move for the first time in seven years

One of the seemingly inviolate parts of being in the Green Polyester Industry is the requirement to move. I'd dodged that bullet as I'd spent 85 months between three units and six jobs at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

I am on orders, as it turns out, to the School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This is a great thing, a school that, if I had a buck for the number of times people had told me I needed to go to that school, that I'd be doing pretty well.

Household6 (or, as I have one of my fellow strategic plans and policy officers to thank, "the OPFOR Commander"), The Princess, and The Sledgehammer are all taking this forced transience with varying levels of difficulty. The hardest part of it for me was to depart the house that I'd called home for almost seven years. Thor and Diana, the dogs that Household6 had when we got married, both died during our time there, and I had their ashes scattered around the yard where they played. There is a Bradford pear tree that survived the winter of 2003 only because Thor took a leak on the tree every day for about six months. Not a preferred method, but Thor's Tree is alive only for that reason. It was hard to finally cut the ties - and taking the family there the day we departed was difficult and painful, but I think the closure was important and it was needed.

More to follow. I'm traveling with Peanut, our dog, in the Kübelwagen, my 2002 VW Passat station wagon; the others in the family are traveling in our 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan.

Good god I'd forgotten what a fucking pain in the ass it is to move. At least we're not packed so tight that I can't see out the back.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

5.1mi, 42:25, 13 JUN 06, Fayetteville, NC

Limp Bizkit, "Rollin'"
Michael Kamen, opening credits to From The Earth To The Moon

WX at 0800: 64 (18), DP 60 (16), BP 30.02 (1016), NE 7 mist, RH 87%

Odometer 2: 21.6mi

Z3 high.

Today marked my first test of the Timex Speed and Distance watch I recently ordered in the mail. I'm not so sure about the accuracy of the reading as there's a lot of overhead cover in the area I was running, so there were probably gaps in coverage. The watch takes some time to correct for overhead cover and changes of pace, so it works better in places where there is a relatively even pace. Still, it was useful as it turned into a good pacing tool - although I did feel pretty tired today when I was having to work pretty hard to get in anything approximating 8:30 pace or so. It did illustrate the variances I do get when I'm going uphill and downhill. Time to work on strength and speed...again.

Computed Splits
5.10 AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.49 12:25 12:25 08:17 08:20 1.49
2.15 30:12 17:47 08:28 08:15 3.66
1.49 42:25 12:13 08:09 08:14 5.15

Splits from Watch
5.10 AGGRG SEGMT PERMI
1.49 12:25 12:25 08:17
2.05 30:12 17:47 08:39
1.44 42:25 12:13 08:26

Sunday, June 11, 2006

9.8mi, 85:44, 11 JUN 06, Carolina Shores NC

Sonny Rhodes, theme song from Firefly
Rush, "Bravado"
Rush, "The Analog Kid"
mewithoutYou, "January 1979"
Trey Parker, "America, Fuck Yeah"

WX at 0800: 78.1 (25.6), DP 69.1 (20.6), BP 29.85 (1010), W 6 haze, RH 74%

Odometer 1: 312.1mi

Z3.

Recovery miles, but it was intended as an easy run after Friday's hard race. I defaulted to marathon pace, but started running progressively negative splits. This is rarely a bad thing, when I run an over 30 second per mile acceleration, but I really do need to work on power. For this I visualize leg squats as well as some more intensive work on the Concept rowing machine.

It was super humid today. 74% RH my ass. One thing that worked like a champ today was using a Dri-Duke (like Under Armour, less the name) shirt. Normally I feel pretty fuckin' self-conscious about running in any skin-tight shirt, but there's a first time for everything. It worked. Maybe I might get another shirt.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST 9.8 H loop
0.63 05:54 05:54 09:22 09:22 0.63 CC and Carolina Shores
2.99 27:25 21:31 07:12 09:10 2.99 Country Club NS to int
1.81 43:03 15:38 08:38 08:58 4.80 Full Loop West
0.97 51:24 08:21 08:36 08:54 5.77 Carolina Shores Pkwy
3.50 81:50 30:26 08:42 08:50 9.27 Persimmon and CSP
0.48 85:44 03:54 08:07 08:48 9.75 Finish

Friday, June 09, 2006

10.0 miles, chip time 78:08, gun time 78:24, 9 JUN 06, Fort Bragg NC

Sarge, "Clearer"

WX at 0700: 62 (17), DP 60 (16), BP 29.84 (1010), WSW 3 mist, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 16.5mi

Z4 hard.

And my last work requirement before departing is done: run the Fort Bragg Army Birthday 10-Miler. For seven years I spent here, I ran it six times. I didn't run in 2000 as my leg was broken in three places at the time.

Standard was 80 or faster, goal was 75. I just couldn't get enough speed running uphill to get good headway. One of the things I need to put some serious thought into is weight work on leg presses. Endurance is not a problem; the problem is one of lack of raw power. One of the other thing I've been looking forward to is the presence of a Concept2 Model C at Fort Leavenworth.

Last year marked collecting hardware...this year was nothing. No great tragedy - as it turns out, I ran a much more disciplined race than I did last year, and my splits reflected it. I think I was fine for endurance. I just didn't have any power. That being said, I still ran only 7 seconds slower than I did last year, and I think I'm still trying to get used to not running at just marathon pace. Still, now I can go back to wogging again. Yay.

This means I need to do some more concerted effort trying to get some legitimate speedwork in this fall. Either that, or maybe I'll take a break from heavy running and concentrate on rowing instead for a little while.

The cake this year didn't make me want to retch after eating it. Bonus.

Splits
Mile 01: 7:40
Mile 02: 7:52
Mile 03: 8:07
Mile 04: 7:38
Mile 05: 8:01
Mile 06: 8:00
Mile 7+8 15:10
Mile 09: 7:54
Mile 10: 7:57

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

2x1mi interval, 7 JUN 06, Fort Bragg NC

Rush, "Cold Fire"

WX at 0600: 57 (14), DP 55 (13), BP 29.92 (1013), WSW 2 mist, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 6.5mi

Z4.

Last signficant run before Friday. I might do some wogging tomorrow just for remaining not sluggish. I ran the splits I planned to, at 7:30 pace. All set. The new shoes helped, I think.

Splits
1: 7:32
2: 7:27

Monday, June 05, 2006

3.9mi, 35:55, 4 JUN 06, Fayetteville NC

No recollection of the iThink for this day.

WX at 0700: no reading, late entry

Odometer 2: 3.9mi

Z2.

4 miles of easy run. That I did it only at about 9:11 pace is refreshing. Nothing but rest this week - Wednesday will be easy, Friday will be race. Time to start carbo-loading.

Splits
LEG AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.49 13:41 13:41 09:07 09:11 1.49
2.43 35:55 22:14 09:09 09:10 3.92

Friday, June 02, 2006

9.7mi, 82:22, 2 MAY 06, Fort Bragg NC

50 Foot Wave, "Petal"

WX at 0700: 71 (22), DP 68 (20), BP 29.99 (1015), SW 6 pcdy RH 90%

Odometer 1: 302.3mi

Z4.

I really do think I am going out too fast and dying along the way. I need to be much more disciplined about starting slow next week. I don't have anything to really mark splits, and right now I'm more concerned just with finishing.

Either that, or the intensity of the speedwork is still a problem and I need to back off.

Any way I look at it, an 8:29 average even with breaks is not good. That, and with 300 miles, it's time to start looking at new shoes.

Splits
82:22 (8:29)

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Samuel L. Muthafuckin' Jackson

This was a big winner with my coworkers in the 101st Imperial Airborne Division.

Why? Because you underestimate my power to decide not to jump to the low ground in front of you where I will be able to safely continue duelling, but to instead try to jump all the way over you and get my shit cut off!

Jump 69, Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, A/NT

Trey Peters, "America, Fuck Yeah"

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop 1039

KFBG 011455Z 26004KT 7SM BKN030 BKN250 28/20 A3010 RMK SLP189 58009
Conditions at: KFBG observed 1455 UTC 01 June 2006
Temperature: 28.0°C (82°F)
Dewpoint: 20.0°C (68°F) [RH = 62%]
Pressure (altimeter): 30.10 inches Hg (1019.4 mb)
[Sea-level pressure: 1018.9 mb]
Winds: from the W (260 degrees) at 5 MPH (4 knots; 2.1 m/s)
Visibility: 7 miles (11 km)
Ceiling: 3000 feet AGL
Clouds: broken clouds at 3000 feet AGL
broken clouds at 25000 feet AGL
Weather: no significant weather observed at this time

First jump in nine months. Were it not for the fact that fog covered both the drop zone and airfield, and that the anchor line cable had to be replaced literally right before I was supposed to get on the aircraft, it was a decent jump.

My hard requirement was to be back home by 1100. This, as you might guess, did not happen. To the credit of the flight crew's maintenance detachment, the aircraft was back in 25 minutes with a new anchor line cable. Amazing. The bird flew away at 1005 and I was boarding the plane at 1035.

This was the first and probably only jump I will ever do with the Advanced Combat Helmet. One of the items I was issued was the ACH, which sits a little higher, but is lighter, and fits infinitely better, than the (same old) PASGT ballistic helmet I've been wearing since completing the 82d Airborne Division's Jumpmaster Course in 1999. I sure do like the ACH, and given a choice, I'd rather jump an ACH rather than a ballistic helmet. I avoided major riser burns, although I did get a small ding on my right chin.

I forgot to count. Oops. One other item of note was that although I'm not a current jumpmaster, I did provide a copy of the Soft Loop Center Pull Modified Improved Reserve Parachute System sustained airborne training for today's jump. It sure did feel a little weird not being on the jumpmaster team for once today. This is, after all, the unit with which I faithfully pulled JM duties my first year at my soon-to-be-erstwhile duty assignment.

Landing was clean, chute recovery was clean, and return was clean. I guess, aside from the mechanical and meteorological problems, it was a good last jump. Last jump I'll be doing for a while, I think. I might end up in another airborne unit - in which case I'll work on getting beyond my current number. But until then, whenever I have to answer how many jumps I have - which is a pretty common question for a master rated parachutist, I figure 69 is always an easy number to rip out as a response.