Thursday, November 25, 2010

Orange Whip?

There's a first time for everything, but I think this is the first time that some part of my life has made it into, of all places, Wikipedia.

"The term orange whip is also used by the military in Afghanistan as a slang term to ask if someone would like to go to the mess hall to eat or is at the mess hall eating. Used in a sentence: "The CJ5 FUPLANS section is out orange-whipping."

The part it left out was my adding "TWO MINUTE STRIKEWARN" to let people know we were heading out in two minutes, but that's completely separate from the "orange whip" warning order.

Awesome.

6.42mi, 53:59, 25 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Above and Beyond feat. OceanLab, "On A Good Day"

WX at 0900: 19.9 (-6.7) DP 10.0 (-12.2) BP 30.02 (1016) NNW 12 RH 65

Odometer 3: 137.9mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 169/187

First run in a while. Today wasn't a workday and I got enough sleep to warrant a run. I don't have much else to do other than eat and entertain family.

Today was fast going downhill, slow going uphill. It was cold, but that contributed to the speed. Winter's coming. I can feel it. The OceanLab song remains a useful mantra when I'm sucking and I want to slow down. Then I take the pain and work through it.

I'm not sure if it's disillusionment or just malaise I feel this year, but I've been really feeling fucking crotchety lately. Fortunately, I have a can of Four Loko (pre-reformulation) to fix that shit in case I'm in a Home for the Holidays kind of mood.

Yes, I've seen that movie on the big screen.

No, I won't mix Four Loko with Glenfiddich, which is the special munition of choice lately, since Jeremiah Weed goes down hard and I can afford to drink for quality.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 07:58 07:58 07:58 07:58 1.00
1.00 16:18 08:20 08:20 08:09 2.00
1.00 24:32 08:14 08:14 08:11 3.00
1.00 33:19 08:47 08:47 08:20 4.00
1.00 42:13 08:54 08:54 08:27 5.00
1.00 50:49 08:36 08:36 08:28 6.00
0.42 53:59 03:10 07:32 08:25 6.42

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Coolest Thing Ever

"A guy who came to Fight Club for the first time, his ass was a wad of cookie dough. After a few weeks, he was carved out of wood."

So you want to be a historian?

Oh jesus fucking airborne christ, I laughed so goddamn hard I almost pissed myself. Yes, I am a doctoral student, in history.



Since history is a humanities discipline, I'm adding the other screed about being a humanities graduate student while I laugh my ass off.



A huge shout-out to Dr. Nick Sarantakes of the US Naval War College for these videos.

Monday, November 22, 2010

My guilty pleasure

Although I eschew stereotypes, certain ethnic stereotypes conflate people who look like me with techno music. I'll admit when I stop listening to classical, metal, hardcore, new age, and some occasional power-pop that I listen to some trance.

I get a bizarre sense of equanimity from watching this video. The fact that the lyrics are a statement of refusal to give into the demons that one faces are perhaps more apropos than they should be.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

5.56mi, 50:07, 21 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Above and Beyond, "Alone Tonight"

WX at 0800: 61.0 (16.1) DP 55.0 (12.8) BP 29.78 (1008) SSW 21 RH 81

Odometer 2: 256.6mi

Z3 start, Z4-Z5 finish.
Average/max heart rate = 156/183

What started as a fairly steady state run (albeit over extremely hilly terrain) turned into a chance to get in some max VO2 work. The last major downhill had me going 7:00/mi at the downhill, so I decided to see how long I could hold the pace. I held close to that for another half mile and then hung on for just under 8:00/min in the remainder half mile. That was hard but rewarding.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:52 08:52 08:52 08:52 1.00
1.00 18:35 09:43 09:43 09:17 2.00
1.00 28:42 10:07 10:07 09:34 3.00
1.00 37:48 09:06 09:06 09:27 4.00
1.00 45:41 07:53 07:53 09:08 5.00
0.56 50:07 04:26 07:55 09:01 5.56

Friday, November 19, 2010

2.38mi + 4,000m on Concept2 Model E, 20:41 + 17:00.5, 19 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Bear McCreary, opening credits music to Caprica

WX at 0600: 39.9 (4.4) DP 32.0 (0.0) BP 29.99 (1015) S 22 RH 73

Odometer 2: 251.0mi equivalency

Z3 run, Z4 high erg.
Average/max heart rate = 158/181

For some reason I woke up earlier and easier than I thought. I don't think it was just because I decided to move up from Hamm's to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale either.

Today was productive. Yay. But chilly and breezy as shit.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.17 11:02 11:02 09:26 09:26 1.17
1.21 20:41 09:39 07:59 08:41 2.38

Distance: 4000
Time: 00:17:00
Avg/500m: 02:07
Drag Factor: 114
Per Mile: 00:06:50

Thursday, November 18, 2010

3.88mi, 34:02, 18 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Bear McCreary, Theme from Dark Void (Main Finger remix)

WX at 0700: 32.0 (0.0) DP 30.9 (-0.6) BP 30.38 (1028) Calm RH 95

Odometer 2: 247.3mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 156/171

I need to run more. At least this morning went well, in spite of my temptation to sleep in.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:42 08:42 08:42 08:42 1.00
1.00 17:26 08:44 08:44 08:43 2.00
1.00 26:32 09:06 09:06 08:51 3.00
0.88 34:02 07:30 08:31 08:46 3.88

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

We do not fire people out of embarrassment...

As I read today:

Way back in the long ago when the Internet was new, at DISA they created a team of reservists and tasked them to find threats within the DoD "web presence". After about a week the O-5 assigned as the team lead discovered how to remotely find porn on the hard drives of the networked desk tops. He developed a smile that far surpassed any smile that could be smiled by any crocodile or even several crocodiles smiling together. Before the month was out the team project was shelved, the LTC got a Legion of Merit and was given a long tour in a capacity where he was freed from having to review the networked systems.


Awesome. Makes me wonder whether the pr0n he found was on the computers of senior leaders...just saying.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Awesome. Only Awesomer.

ONLY in response to a Defense Technical Information Center does a query for the TRADOC monograph From Active Defense to AirLand Battle get turned into From Active Defense to fairyland Battle.

I chortled. A lot.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

5.0mi, 43:32, 13 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Oceanlab, "Satellite"

WX at 0900: 39 DP 34 BP 30.08 (1018.9) 13G22 RH 82

Odometer 2: 243.5mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = 159/179

Today was okay, but better after warming up. I've slept in because of being out of gas in the mornings, not for any particularly good reason. Looking forward for graduate school to wrap up since I'm also combining that with the crush of teaching in the fall.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:28 08:28 08:28 08:28 1.00
1.00 17:07 08:39 08:39 08:33 2.00
1.00 25:57 08:50 08:50 08:39 3.00
1.00 35:09 09:12 09:12 08:47 4.00
1.00 43:32 08:23 08:23 08:42 5.00

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

4.25mi, 37:02, 10 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Oceanlab, "Satellite"

WX at 0600: 57.9 (14.4) DP 48.9 (9.4) BP 29.81 (1009) S 21G29 RH 71

Odometer 2: 238.5mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = 157/174

Today's iThink was a consequence of the general confusion resulting from watching this before running today. Then I indulged my basic schadenfreude and thought about misadventure. It took my mind off the general friction of trying to start on a morning when I wanted to sleep in.

For as warm as it was, I was too cold at the outset (owing to the wind) and only after a mile and a half had fully warmed up where I took off the sweatshirt with which I'd started.

By mile 3 I was fully geared up so today was productive. That, and I had to compensate for the Hamm's beer and Cape Cod piss n' vinegar chips I had last night.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:31 08:31 08:31 08:31 1.00
1.00 17:11 08:40 08:40 08:35 2.00
1.00 26:07 08:56 08:56 08:42 3.00
1.00 34:55 08:48 08:48 08:44 4.00
0.25 37:02 02:07 08:28 08:43 4.25

Monday, November 08, 2010

2.4mi + 3,000m on Concept2 Model D, 21:34 + 12:37, 8 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Saxon Shore, "Amber, Ember, Glow"

WX at 0600: 51.1 (10.6) DP 34.0 (1.1) BP 29.88 (1011) SSW 14 RH 51

Odometer 2: 234.2mi equivalency

Z4/Z5.
Average/max heart rate = 167/178 run only. Average HR for row probably closer to about 170.

The road to recovery is on, I think. I didn't work out yesterday and was a little sore but not too much. Today marked the first time on the Concept in a while, and it was rough going, even as low a drag factor as I had today.

Everything was okay for the first 1500m. The remainder turned into a grit festival as my upper back, deltoids, and trapezius were all having to work unexpectedly hard after getting a month and a half of unwarranted rest time.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.19 10:30 10:30 08:49 08:49 1.19
1.19 21:34 11:04 09:18 09:04 2.38

Distance: 3000
Time: 00:12:37
Avg/500m: 02:06
Drag Factor: 100
Per Mile: 00:06:46

Saturday, November 06, 2010

5.1mi, 42:51, 6 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink:
Bear McCreary, "Capricoperatica"
Bear McCreary, "The Collapse of Saint Francis"

WX at 0900: 35.1 (1.7) DP 25.0 (-3.9) BP 30.3 (1026) S 7 RH 66

Odometer 3: 131.4mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = no reading

First premeditated workout since going to Quantico almost a month ago. Goddamn it's been a while.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, but running 8:30ish/mi for 5 miles was okay. The truth will be tomorrow to see how it feels.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
5.10 42:51 42:51 08:24 08:24 5.10