5,000m on Concept2 Model E, 22:44, 31 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: none

WX at 1600: 89.1 (31.7) DP 71.1 (21.7) BP 29.91 (1012) N 8 RH 56

Odometer 2: 181.0mi equivalency

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = no reading

Good god did today suck monkey ass.

I set the Concept for 10,000 meters in some vain thought that I actually had 10,000m of effort in me. Not a chance. I was dying after only cranking out 2,000. I should be happy initially that I was grinding out 2:05/500m at the beginning but the bottom totally fell out of that one after the first few minutes. The remainder of it was done about 1km at a time, with breaks to gasp ineffectually as I realized just how bad I had let myself slide by not rowing the last few months.

Then I did some lifting with physical therapy in mind. Yay me. I suck.

This is the most embarrassingly slow erg I've done in a long, long while. I suspect having the remnants of lunch as I cranked away on the C2 probably didn't help either. That's just one exercise I really need to do on an empty stomach.

Maybe I should shift away from running as erging also addresses some of my physical therapy requirements.

Splits
Distance: 5000
Time: 00:22:44
Avg/500m: 02:16
Drag Factor: 106
Per Mile: 00:07:19

3.17mi, 29:19, 29 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink:
EastEnders theme song (note alternative lyrics below)
The Johns Hopkins Band, "To Win"
The Johns Hopkins Band, "Johnny Hopkins On To Victory"

WX at : 75.9 (24.4) DP 73.9 (23.3) BP 30.11 (1019) NE 7 RH 93

Odometer 3: 77.8mi

Z2.
Average/max heart rate = 154/172

My legs were beat from yesterday's long run combined with cycling back and forth, which marked a sweatathon I haven't experienced since being in Qatar. Easy wogging on the track as a result. I wasn't even going that hard.

Today's iThink might have something to do with the EastEnders (a British TV show I've never seen) theme song being stuck in my head "Everyone is going to die/We're all gonna die/In a variety of different ways"

I don't know why it stuck, but I'd seen some stuff on nuclear attack when I chanced across this exceedingly campy uploaded video that features the EastEnders theme, followed by getting whacked, mushroom-cloud style. That's what stuck.

I have no idea why any of the iThinks stuck today.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:04 09:04 09:04 09:04 1.00
1.00 18:22 09:18 09:18 09:11 2.00
1.00 27:41 09:19 09:19 09:14 3.00
0.17 29:19 01:38 09:36 09:15 3.17

My vengeful heart

Looking darkly upon Hector,
Swift-footed Achilles answered,
“I cannot forgive you,
As there are no trustworthy oaths between men and lions,
There can be no love between you and me.
One or the other must fall before then to glut with his blood
Ares, the god who fights under the shield’s guard.
Remember every valor of yours,
For now the need comes hardest upon you
To be a spearman and a bold warrior.
There shall be no escape for you.
You will pay in a lump
For all the sorrows of my companions you killed
In your spear’s fury."

Homer, The Iliad, book XXIII

This is probably Bad for the Soul but I don't fucking care. The last sentence really sticks in my mind for some reason, but I've always been really, really slow to forgive. Ever.

revision: Yes, this is the Space: Above and Beyond rendition. I bought a copy of the Iliad afterwards.

5.9mi, 52:30, 28 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Dos Gringos, "Going in for Guns"

WX at 0700: 75.0 (23.9) DP 73.9 (23.3) BP 30.03 (1016) SSW 3 RH 96

Odometer 2: 207.1mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 158/181

Today wasn't intended to be a hard run, but I knew I was going a bit longer since I had a rest day. I figured I'd be good for about 6, and that was the case, albeit quite a bit faster than I expected.

This wouldn't have been a particularly auspicious day for that since it was a little warmer than I like, but for whatever reason, I could hold about 8:30/mi at the start, so I did, with the usual variations.

Either that, or acclimatization has finally occurred, just in time for the end of the summer. Awesome.

Today's iThink was a commander's override. My kids, in their usual, sugary Disney Channel fare, have been hearing a lot of Selena Gomez's "Round and Round," which means I've been hearing a lot of that. This is, I suspect, part of Disney's TV division's attempts to play up their stars and revenues before they grow some legitimate T&A and are too old for that channel and find horizons elsewhere (e.g., Hilary Duff.) There was no motherfucking way I was going tolerate a Disney Channel song in the back of my head this morning, so I forced one of my favorite Dos Gringos running mantras and went.

And the world was a little righter this morning.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:35 08:35 08:35 08:35 1.00
1.00 17:17 08:42 08:42 08:39 2.00
1.00 26:10 08:53 08:53 08:43 3.00
1.00 35:25 09:15 09:15 08:51 4.00
1.00 44:28 09:03 09:03 08:54 5.00
0.90 52:30 08:02 08:56 08:54 5.90

So, so, true

Yes, I read XKCD also.

Crowning Moment of Awesome

I so fucking laughed my ass off.

3.6mi, 32:55, 26 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Michael Kamen, "Band of Brothers Suite 2"

WX at 0700: 75.0 (23.9) DP 73.0 (22.8) BP 30.08 (1018) SE 6 RH 93

Odometer 3: 74.6mi

Z2.
Average/max heart rate = 150/166

I woke up later than I should've, but wanted to sleep in while the opportunity permitted. Then I decided to get in a recovery run, which today most certainly was.

Continuing to march...

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:56 08:56 08:56 08:56 1.00
1.00 18:02 09:06 09:06 09:01 2.00
1.00 27:28 09:26 09:26 09:09 3.00
0.62 32:55 05:27 08:47 09:06 3.62

5.1mi, 44:59, 25 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Metallica, "Master of Puppets"

WX at 0800: 73.0 (22.8) DP 72.0 (22.2) BP 30.11 (1019) Calm RH 96

Odometer 2: 201.2mi

Z3, Z4 uphills.
Average/max heart rate = 159/177

First run in a few days. I took a few days off because of sleep reasons, and I've had solid REM sleep the last few days, which might be an indicator of being just Tired As Shit. Yesterday was a day off for family reasons, the two days prior were days off because "I'm too tired to get at it."

Today was surprisingly faster than usual, but the temperature was low, the sky was overcast, and I had a few days of rest. I was going to say quick, but it'll be a cold day in hell when I say 8:18/mi is quick. Of course, my days of running 19-minute 5km races were two decades ago.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:18 08:18 08:18 08:18 1.00
1.00 16:56 08:38 08:38 08:28 2.00
1.00 25:54 08:58 08:58 08:38 3.00
1.00 35:00 09:06 09:06 08:45 4.00
1.13 44:59 09:59 08:50 08:46 5.13

4.1mi, 35:41, 22 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: The Bats, "Courage"

WX at 0700: 78.1 (25.6) DP 73.0 (22.8) BP 29.95 (1014) SSW 12 RH 84

Odometer 2: 196.1mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 160/180

I didn't start intending on going out hard, but there were enough people on the roads today where I felt stupidly compelled to make it a Dick Comparison Contest. That, and the scenery normally absent in the mornings was present, so I went at a solid Zone 4 for the last two miles of the run. It doesn't change the fact that I was sucking monkey balls through a straw for most of the run, but it is gratifying to know that I'm still getting faster, which means progress on the road to recovery...

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:20 08:20 08:20 08:20 1.00
1.00 17:09 08:49 08:49 08:34 2.00
1.00 26:15 09:06 09:06 08:45 3.00
1.10 35:41 09:26 08:35 08:42 4.10

Songs of my childhood

I'm not really straight edge anymore, but I remember when I once was...
and I remember how much Minor Threat fucking rocked.

4.16mi, 36:38, 20 JUL 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink:
Hans Zimmer, Geoff Zanelli, Blake Neely, "Honor"
The Strawbs, "Lay Me Down"

WX at 0700: 75.0 (23.9) DP 68.0 (20.0) BP 29.93 (1013) ENE 12 RH 79

Odometer 2: 192.9mi

Z3 high/Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 152/171

A surprisingly pleasant run for as insanely hot as it's been the last few days. The heat index in Leavenworth hit somewhere around 113 yesterday. Surprisingly, this morning was not bad at all, which I attribute to an incoming cold front and maybe some rain.

After the last few weeks, I was going faster than I thought I would - so once I was warmed up, this was a pretty good shakeout run to see what I could do at a reasonable level of effort.

Of course, I should probably check that against the Chartreuse yellow I had last night. I'll probably kill that off sooner than later since it doesn't really compare to Chartreuse green, as jwer advised me.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:17 08:17 08:17 08:17 1.00
1.00 17:01 08:44 08:44 08:30 2.00
1.00 26:29 09:28 09:28 08:50 3.00
1.00 35:13 08:44 08:44 08:48 4.00
0.18 36:38 01:25 07:52 08:46 4.18

8.0mi, 74:24, 16 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink: The Strawbs, "Lay Me Down"

WX at 0900: 81.0 (27.2) DP 68.0 (20.0) BP 30.09 (1018) NNE 3 RH 64

Odometer 3: 71.0mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = 155/173

First run away from the coast and the lowered humidity was blissful. I got a later start but I wanted to make sure I was fully hydrated before taking on eight miles. Somewhere around 40 minutes I was fully warmed up and running what I think was about half marathon pace, even going uphill.

It's been a while since I've had a long run that was as therapeutic as this one. It felt pretty damn good, until I started playing chicken on my egress from the American Tobacco Trail, which doing so, as a rule, has always basically sucked monkey balls.

The Strawbs iThink was dead on for this morning, not only for pacing but also for thematics. I don't mind travel, but it's come to return to home station. My Incipient Case of the Ass has flared up a lot lately. Leading indicators normally include the incidence of the phrases of "motherfucker" or "jesus titty fucking christ" used as expletives, which has increased a lot recently. Nothing new, of course.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:12 09:12 09:12 09:12 1.00
1.00 18:20 09:08 09:08 09:10 2.00
1.00 27:40 09:20 09:20 09:13 3.00
1.00 37:07 09:27 09:27 09:17 4.00
1.00 46:14 09:07 09:07 09:15 5.00
1.00 55:15 09:01 09:01 09:12 6.00
1.00 04:59 09:44 09:44 09:17 7.00
1.01 14:24 09:25 09:19 09:17 8.01

3.8mi, 36:37, 14 JUL 10, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

iThink:
The Bats, "Courage"
Metallica, "Master of Puppets"
David Bowie, "Life on Mars"

WX at 0800: 84.0 (28.9) DP 79.0 (26.1) BP 29.99 (1015) SW 10 RH 84

Odometer 3: 60.6.mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 148/160

The heart rate is deceptively low for the amount of work I felt like I was doing, although it accurately reflects speed. There are two possible explanations for this. One could be that my legs are tired, which might be the case since I've done more sustained running the past three weeks than I have in a long, long while.

Another reason might be running on sidewalks and grass rather than pavement. I can feel some of that since my legs are tired in ways they usually aren't, which implies I'm using stabilizer muscles I don't normally use at Fort Leavenworth or on pavement.

Another could just be the heat and humidity. I don't normally run when it's above 80 if I don't have to, and the humidity was lower than usual at 84. Consequently, i just don't feel normal while running.

I still need to get at it. I know for a fact I'll pick up involuntary rest days because of an impending drive back to Kansas from here.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:31 09:31 09:31 09:31 1.00
1.00 19:26 09:55 09:55 09:43 2.00
1.00 29:05 09:39 09:39 09:42 3.00
0.80 36:37 07:32 09:25 09:38 3.80

4.2mi, 40:28, 13 JUL 10, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

iThink: Metallica, "Master of Puppets"

WX at 0700: 78.1 (25.6) DP 73.9 (23.3) BP 29.94 (1013) SW 5 RH 87

Odometer 3: 56.8mi

Z2-Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 144/162

The last few days of being around small children has really skewed the iThink in directions which I hadn't explored in a while. Although Metallica was this morning's iThink, I was instantly reminded of a somewhat disturbing but ridculously entertaining (in a pedestrian way) mashup of the Wiggles and Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor." I still laughed my ass off.

Pacing this morning was uneven this morning on what was undoubtedly a slow run, but I needed to get out there. I had no expectations of not sucking complete fucking monkey balls since the humidity was killer - and this morning was far better than what yesterday entailed.

I'll be driving back to North Carolina with four small lobsters disguised as children based on the degree of sunburn they sustained yesterday.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 1.00
1.00 19:37 09:37 09:37 09:48 2.00
1.00 29:04 09:27 09:27 09:41 3.00
1.00 38:05 09:01 09:01 09:31 4.00
0.21 40:28 02:23 11:21 09:37 4.21

6.0mi, 55:38, 11 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink: Metallica, "Master of Puppets"

WX at 0900: 80.1 (26.7) DP 72.0 (22.2) BP 29.95 (1014) Calm RH 76

Odometer 3: 52.6mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 155/172

I had carne a la tampiqueña yesterday at Mia Casita yesterday in Fayetteville. I was feeling those jalapenos big time this morning. AWESOME.

Driving around yesterday in Fayetteville was once again, a Kafkaesque part of this vacation. We had occasion to see a few people we hadn't seen in a while.

Running the American Tobacco Trail the last few days has been good for the knees. Running on compacted dirt rather than on pavement or asphalt has been good because otherwise I'd be in the hurt box.

After dealing with kids yesterday, though, I needed something to counteract it. Metallica cranking Master of Puppets live in Nimes, France was the fucking heat.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:05 09:05 09:05 09:05 1.00
1.00 18:11 09:06 09:06 09:05 2.00
1.00 27:07 08:56 08:56 09:02 3.00
1.00 36:21 09:14 09:14 09:05 4.00
1.00 45:50 09:29 09:29 09:10 5.00
1.03 55:38 09:48 09:31 09:14 6.03

The Knight in Sour Armor

"You're surrounded by armed bastards" has more relevance to me than I thought.

That, and this is Frakking Awesome.

8.03mi, 78:34, 9 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink: Hans Zimmer, Geoff Zanelli, Blake Neely, "Honor"

WX at 0800: 81.0 (27.2) DP 66.0 (18.9) BP 30 (1015) NNE 3 haze RH 60

Odometer 3: 46.5mi

Z2 start, Z3 low finish.
Average/max heart rate = 147/167

I've been in Cary a few days and I'm trying to figure out what about this place puts me so ill-at-ease.

Part of it is the way the place is laid out. I grew up around cities, and places that are based off old country roads but have been subject to runaway development like this place has really severely fucks with my urban feng shui. What ends up resulting is that there are small enclaves of new money by subdivision but it's like trying to fight your way from place to place to get anywhere. There's something that just doesn't feel right and I'm not sure what it is.

The other part of it is similar to the kind of disconnection I've associated with being back in Richmond, namely that it's so removed from my existence in the Army that I can't really feel at ease here. It's no accident that the past few weeks has marked David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" as one of my mantras.

I took a longer than usual run this morning, but part of it was to get a decent interval from my nephews. I love them but I can take them only in controlled doses. That's why I got in 8 miles of easy running this morning even though today promises to be a fucking ballbuster of a hot day. It's also why I can also enjoy the joys of "you're surrounded by armed bastards!" Hell yeah.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 10:06 10:06 10:06 10:06 1.00
1.00 19:46 09:40 09:40 09:53 2.00
1.00 29:40 09:54 09:54 09:53 3.00
1.00 39:36 09:56 09:56 09:54 4.00
1.00 49:17 09:41 09:41 09:51 5.00
1.00 58:55 09:38 09:38 09:49 6.00
1.00 08:53 09:58 09:58 09:50 7.00
1.03 18:34 09:41 09:24 09:47 8.03

5.0mi, 44:39, 7 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink: The Connells,"Fun & Games"

WX at 0800: 78.1 (25.6) DP 64.0 (17.8) BP 30.07 (1018) Calm RH 62

Odometer 3: 38.5mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 155/173

I found out this morning that I was selected for promotion to lieutenant colonel. Woot.

I had to get out a quick one as I'm sallying forth with my kids and nephew to a free movie. I wasn't going to miss out on the run, though, so it was time to get at it.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:45 08:45 08:45 08:45 1.00
1.00 17:35 08:50 08:50 08:47 2.00
1.00 26:14 08:39 08:39 08:45 3.00
1.00 35:16 09:02 09:02 08:49 4.00
1.04 44:39 09:23 09:01 08:52 5.04

5.1mi, 48:12, 6 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink:
Bear McCreary, "Storming New Caprica"
Jan and Dean, "Little Old Lady from Pasadena"
The Cure, "Primary"

WX at 0800: 73.9 (23.3) DP 64.9 (18.3) BP 30.11 (1019) SW 3 RH 74
WX at 0900 after run: 81.0 (27.2) DP 63.0 (17.2) BP 30.12 (1019) W 6 RH 54

Odometer 3: 33.4mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 147/169

I was pretty intent on getting a run in this morning since today's forecast was going to be Hot as Hell. I was hoping to get in a few miles, but since the mileage just to get out to the American Tobacco Trail is 1.3mi one-way, I knew it was going to be at least 4, maybe 5.

My legs were tired after the last few days, but I think today was a good run. Most of what I'm doing on this trip is just not getting fat, anyway.

Running slowly, even at effort, was probably the reason why "Primary" stuck in my mind. Aging sucks.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 1.00
1.00 18:31 09:16 09:16 09:15 2.00
1.00 28:17 09:46 09:46 09:26 3.00
1.00 37:47 09:30 09:30 09:27 4.00
1.00 47:11 09:24 09:24 09:26 5.00
0.11 48:12 01:01 09:15 09:26 5.11

Indulging my dislike of many things Disney...

7 Classic Disney Movies Based On R-Rated Stories. Oh hell yeah.

6.8mi, 62:17, 5 JUL 10, Cary, North Carolina

iThink:
David Bowie, "Life on Mars"
Bear McCreary, "Storming New Caprica"

WX before run at 0700: 64.9 (18.3) DP 62.1 (16.7) BP 30.11 (1019) WSW 6 RH 91

WX at 0800: 72.0 (22.2) DP 64.0 (17.8) BP 30.11 (1019) WSW 7 RH 76
WX at 0900: 77.0 (25.0) DP 64.0 (17.8) BP 30.12 (1019) WSW 7 RH 64

Odometer 3: 28.3mi

Z3-Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 152/176

The morning temperature was supposed to be in the 60s. What I didn't expect was the level to which the temperature had risen in only an hour. I also neglected to drink enough water, so this turned into a gut festival of "grind it out until I'm done."

I occasionally need to do those runs to remind myself of what is required to dig in and grind out a shitty experience, although I don't usually need to go out of my way to dig up shitty experiences.

Fortunately, most of this morning's run was on the American Tobacco Trail, which is well-paved and well-shaded. Otherwise today's run would really have sucked monkey balls. In the meantime, the Bowie song continues to ring true, as it's my first time in North Carolina in two years and it's strange being back near a place where I lived for seven years.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:57 08:57 08:57 08:57 1.00
1.00 18:01 09:04 09:04 09:00 2.00
1.00 27:22 09:21 09:21 09:07 3.00
1.00 36:23 09:01 09:01 09:06 4.00
1.00 45:26 09:03 09:03 09:05 5.00
1.00 54:57 09:31 09:31 09:10 6.00
0.82 62:17 07:20 08:57 09:08 6.82

3.7mi, 33:30, 4 JUL 10, Richmond, Virginia

iThink:
David Bowie, "Life on Mars"
The Bats, "Courage"

WX at 0900: 73.9 (23.3) 55.9 (13.3) 30.12 (1019) W 6 RH 53

Odometer 3: 21.5mi

Z2-Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 147/160

I didn't really feel like going very far, but I figured some easy running would be in order since I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to get in tomorrow. My legs were pretty tired from yesterday, but speed was not the issue at hand today. We drive to Raleigh, North Carolina today, so thankfully, no crusher of a drive.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10 1.00
1.00 18:21 09:11 09:11 09:11 2.00
1.00 27:32 09:11 09:11 09:11 3.00
0.68 33:30 05:58 08:46 09:06 3.68

7.0mi, 62:39, 3 JUL 10, Richmond, Virginia

iThink: The Cure, "Primary"

WX at 0900: 77.0 (25.0) DP 53.1 (11.7) BP 30.25 (1024) W 7 RH 43

Odometer 3: 17.0mi

Z3-Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 159/174

After three days on the road, and not doing anything yesterday (woke up too late) and almost nothing the day prior (two miles on the dreadmill = homicidal rage), I'm at my parents' house and put in 7 on the road. I feel better.

We've been driving three days which have been over 8 hours a day for me in the seat. I've been holding down driving duties because I can do long drives a lot better than Household6 and sometimes I have to bring out my old DC Beltway kung fu driving around large cities like St. Louis. Yesterday we left Louisville, KY; the day prior to that was Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Driving from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Leonard Wood entails some of the most painful driving on back roads I've done in a long, long while.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:41 08:41 08:41 08:41 1.00
1.00 17:23 08:42 08:42 08:41 2.00
1.00 26:24 09:01 09:01 08:48 3.00
1.00 35:20 08:56 08:56 08:50 4.00
1.00 44:36 09:16 09:16 08:55 5.00
1.00 53:35 08:59 08:59 08:56 6.00
1.00 62:39 09:04 09:04 08:57 7.00