5.1mi, 41:32

The Corrs, "Summer Sunshine" (that's wishful thinking today!)
The Smiths, "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"
The Ocean Blue, "Ballerina Out of Control"

WX at 0700: 15 (-9), DP 12 (-11), BP 30.47 (1031), Calm, RH 85%

Odometer 1: 247mi

Z3.
Resting heart rate before start = 49. I find this a little improbable, but apparently, this is bonafide. A resting heart rate that low makes me think I'm in better cardiovascular shape than I thought.

70 Hindu squats last night. The soreness in my legs is starting to abate, although like any new/unfamiliar exercise, I expect that will pass as my muscles get used to the new exercise and get progressively stronger.

While I don't see (nor should I expect) any short-term gain from these runs, I expect the run times will get faster as my legs get stronger (as should be the goal, or so I think). Averaging about 8-minute pace is not exceedingly fast...but I can live with that as steady state. Obviously I've run faster, but I think that'll have to wait until it gets warmer.

Speaking of which: I had frost hanging off my eyelashes and eyebrows, which caused the kids at the school bus stop to stare at me in amazement to the sound of "Whoa! Is that snow!" I can only think of having that happen two other times. The first time I recall it was at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas with about a foot of snow on the ground and the outside temperature being something like 11F.

There's a part of me that thinks I should probably ratchet my runs back up to the traditional 7.6/5 long-short combination, but I think I may hold off until a number of conditions hit:
1. I start waking up earlier.
2. My legs are used to doing Hindu squats and are no longer sore after at least 100 (although the goal will increase beyond that number)
3. It's not so damn cold.

The first half mile is the worst. That's when I can feel the cold seeping straight through my sweatshirt and t-shirt. I guess I could invest in technical running gear tops, but I'm cheap. And the cheap stuff works.

Splits
1.5 12:10 12:10 08:07
2.1 29:36 17:26 08:18
1.5 41:32 11:56 07:57 08:04

A much better explanation of the training zones and z-notation

from http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm

HEART RATE TRAINING ZONES

There are 5 training "zones" or heart rate ranges. These are arbitrary divisions and can differ from article to article or coach to coach. They are based on the increase in heart rate (and cardiac output) as the oxygen consumption of the exercising muscle increases, and the concept of the benefits of variable stress in developing the exercising muscle (heart or skeletal). As one moves up the hierarchy of training zones, exercise intensity increases and there is a shift from the use of fat as an energy source for the muscle cell to carbohydrate (below 70% MHR fat is burned preferentially). And as the MHR is reached, there is a shift in the muscle cell towards anaerobic (without oxygen) metabolism with increased lactic acid production.

The Heart Rate Intensity Zones are divided as follows:

• Zone 1 65% of MHR (recovery rides)
• Zone 2 65-72% of MHR (endurance events)
• Zone 3 73-80% of MHR (high level aerobic activity)
• Zone 4 84-90% of MHR (lactate threshold(LT,AT); time trialing)
• Zone 5 91-100% of MHR (sprints and anaerobic training)

If you always train at low heart rates, you will develop endurance with no top end speed. Conversely if you train hard most of the time, you'll never recover completely and chronic fatigue will poison your performance. The solution is to mix hard training with easy pedaling in the proper proportions.

The best approach is to stay below 80% of maximum heart rate (zones 1 to 3) on your easy days to build an aerobic base while allowing day to day recovery, and then push above 85% when it's time to go hard to improve your high level performance. But avoid training in the no man's land or mediocre middle at 80-85% of MHR where it's too difficult to maintain the pace for the long rides needed to build endurance and allow some recovery time, but not hard enough to significantly improve your aerobic performance and increase your lactate threshold.

Training programs should be individualized, but once a good base is developed early in the season with Zones 1 and 2 exertion, most programs contain the following elements.

5.1mi, 41:44

AC/DC, "Thunderstruck"

WX at 0700: 15 (-9), DP 3 (-16), BP 30.67 (1038), winds NNW 6, RH 56%, wind chill 6 (-14)

Odometer 2: 228mi

Z3 no man's land.

Resting heart rate before start = none today - forgot to take the reading.

There's a hidden story to what ended up being a significant negative split, and that lies in the 100 Hindu squats I did yesterday. I think to myself, how hard can this be? Just a hundred. Try them. My sets were done in 30, 30, 20, 20, and I woke up this morning with my thighs a lot tighter than I expected. I haven't done plyometrics in years, and they would probably help in a training program (if I actually got around to doing them). But these (in the absence of a weight room) are one of the things I intend to do if I'm really serious about increasing leg speed and power.

It was also pretty fucking cold this morning. Full snivel gear to include a balaclava and Thermax gloves and I was still freezing my ass off!

All other factors aside, though, today's time was respectable...although I need to get back into running every day rather than day on-day off because I'm being a lazy fatass.

Splits
1.5 12:19 12:19 08:13
2.1 29:52 17:33 08:21
1.5 41:44 11:52 07:55 08:06

6.14mi, 49:01

Tangerine Dream, "Le Parc"
Bettie Serveert, "Keepsake"
W.G. Snuffy Walden, opening credits to My So-Called Life
John Williams, "Duel of the Fates"

WX at 0700: 30.9 (-0.6), DP 21.9 (-5.6), BP 30.47 (1031), winds NNE 9, RH 68%, wind chill 23 (-5)

Odometer 1: 242mi

Z3. Some Z4, but not much.
Forgot my heart monitor, so no RHR reading this morning.

I was suddenly reminded of the fact that it'd been some ten years since the end of a show that I used to religiously watch. That show, of course, is My So-Called Life, which went on hiatus after about 15 Jan 1995.

Not so slow this morning, not so fast. Negative splits, though. I passed by some runners this morning and wondered whether I could catch them or not. I did on the way back. Competitive? Yes. Needlessly? Probably.

2.47: 20:10 (8:09)
6.14: 49:01 (7:59)

5.1mi, 38:50

The Cure, "A Forest" (Trees mix)
The Cure, "A Forest" (Live at Orange, France)
The Cure, "Primary" (Live at Orange, France)
The Cure, "A Forest" (unplugged)

WX at 0700: 48 (9), DP 48 (9), BP 30.19 (1022), winds S 2, heavy fog, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 223mi

Z3, mostly Z4.
Resting heart rate before start = 56

I woke up late. I was planning on going 7.6 this morning, but with my late start, I needed to get back in time to go to work on time.

Today was fast, I think even a PR. A day of recovery, a spaghetti meal two days prior, and stretching the calf, illotibial band, hamstring, piriformis were all factors.

I think today might've been a good day for a 7.6 PR had I not woken up late. No problem, I'll save it for later.

Splits
1.5 11:06 11:06 07:24 (fastest 1.5 split ever on this course.)
2.1 27:23 16:17 07:45
1.5 38:50 11:27 07:38 07:32

5.1mi, 41:23

Eric Idle, "FCC Song"
Jane Wiedlin, "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

WX at 0700: 46 (8), DP 46 (8), BP 30.2 (1022), winds SSW 2, fog, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 217mi

Z3 steady with some increased work uphill.
Resting heart rate before start = 60.

I wasn't planning on going hard this morning. It was with some surprise that I ended up running markedly faster than I felt like I was going. Today also marked continuously negative splits through the run - which is good for a longer run. Racing longer races (10 miles, typically) I normally start slow so I can pick up some momentum passing other runners near the end of a race after they start to fade.

Today was supposed to be a recovery run and felt like it, but the splits don't really connote recovery. The litmus test will happen tomorrow on a hard run.

Splits
1.5 12:23 12:23 08:15
2.1 29:23 17:00 08:06
1.5 41:23 12:00 08:00 08:02

7.6mi, 58:06

Chris Stamey, "Insomnia"
Journey, "Only The Young"
Meco, Star Wars Theme disco remix (no shit.)
James Horner, "Futile Escape"

WX at 0900: 46 (8), DP 37 (3), BP 30.4 (1029), winds NE 10, RH 70%

Odometer 1: 235.5mi

Z3 no man's land to Z4.

First good quality fast run in a while. I think going out at 7:30 pace sabotaged the rest of the run since I didn't run my customarily fastest pace at the end. Either that, or I'm just getting tired.

Like the rest of the runs so far, though, I've been really unmotivated to get out and run, in spite of being able to turn out a fast run. I think either my current runs are getting stale, or I need to start cross-training at something else.

One other indicator I totally overlooked was resting heart rate. That warrants examination because it's supposed to be an accurate measure of overtraining. I guess I should start looking into it.

Splits
1.5 11:15 11:15 07:30
2.1 27:36 16:21 07:47
1.5 38:56 11:20 07:33
2.5 58:06 19:10 07:40 07:37

Jump 60, Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, A/NT and static J

Chris Stamey, "Insomnia." Again.

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1100
WX at 1100: 64(18), DP 51 (11), winds ENE 4 at surface, RH 63%

Today marked the first jump after the new year. It was eventful.

Mean effective winds this morning were almost zero. The wind drift indicator (a.k.a. "streamer" for the first pass) was completely vertical.

Today's JM duty was a tad controversial. I ended up taking a second pass over the DZ because I couldn't identify the panels marking the release point for the drop. I felt bad for two of my jumpers who were jumping combat equipment rather than Hollywood. I am so glad I don't have to jump combat equipment lines any more...at least not for the next advanced rating.

My second spot entailed seeing only one panel clearly. I was in the correct position, released at the right time, and more importantly, had not received "no drop" from the aircrew or safety.

There was one notable injury, and it happened on the same pass I jumped. A deployment bag and its static line brushed one jumper's head, burned the side of his neck, and pulled his ballistic helmet off. To add insult to injury, the adjusting buckle on his long continuous portion chin strap hooked onto his ear and gashed out a divot good enough to warrant a few stitches at the emergency room.

My jump itself was relatively clean. Good exit, although I need to be more diligent in verbally counting until opening shock. No riser burns, as I was jumping a size 4 parachute. However, the leg straps compressed two particularly sensitive pieces of anatomy. That's the hazard with a size 4, but testicular discomfort isn't anywhere as lasting as red scabs along the side of my face because I'm too big (nominally) for a size 3.

My landing was routine in spite of shifting winds. I'm getting enough experience where I think I can comfortably experiment with certain techniques that are considered advanced static line parachuting, at least with the MC1-1 series parachute. I've already used dumping air as a technique (a few months ago). The other thing I should try is flaring, but I need to do some homework before I do anything with that.

Five more to go. Schedule permitting, I might be able to knock those out as early as the end of February. I also received my orders authorizing me the Polish Parachutist Badge today. The next challenge is trying to find a place that actually has them.

5.1mi, 40:35

Goo Goo Dolls, "Just The Same Old Reason"
New Order, "Round & Round"
There was some random song by Kylie Minogue that threatened to sneak in, but it didn't. Of course, every time I think of Kylie Minogue, I think of the movie Street Fighter. Yeah, the one derived from the video game. And I think of urban camouflage spandex. And Kylie Minogue. In urban camouflage spandex. Right.

WX at 0600: 59 (15), DP 57 (14), BP 29.97 (1014), winds SW 6, overcast, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 212mi

Z3 no man's land and a lot of Z4 oxygen debt. I was under a time crunch this morning.

Fast. Didn't feel like I was going to be fast this morning, but one major difference: stretching. I stretched the quadriceps, piriformis, and gluteus maximus/lower back before starting. Not for very long, but there was a major difference. The tightness in the quadriceps, particularly in uphill climbs, was gone today.

It could also be due to my utter lack of regularity in training this week. I can live with this set of splits, though. For now.

Splits
1.5 11:25 11:25 07:37
2.1 28:39 17:14 08:12
1.5 40:35 11:56 07:57 07:53

5.1mi, 41:54

that dog., "Being With You"
John Williams, closing credits to Midway
James Horner, "Futile Escape"

WX at 0700: 55 (13), DP 51 (11), BP 30.28 (1025), winds SW 7, RH 87%

Odometer 2: 207mi

Z3.

I really didn't feel like running this morning. I really, really didn't feel like running this morning. I really didn't feel like doing much of a fucking thing at all, frankly.

In spite of this, I ran one my faster short loops at a remarkably relaxed pace (although my quadriceps were still tight and a little tired). I also thought to myself how glad I was that x-moose is finally fucking over.

Yes, I hate fucking x-moose.

Splits
1.5 12:10 12:10 08:07
2.1 29:45 17:35 08:22
1.5 41:54 12:09 08:06 08:08

7.53mi, 63:37

Christy Carlson Romano, "Say The Word"
Metallica, "Orion"
The Cure, "A Forest" (from the Concert album)

WX at 0800: 48 (9), DP 46 (8), BP 30.46 (1031), Calm, mist, RH 93%

Odometer 1: 228mi

Z3 continuous, faster finish.

Today was supposed to be a recovery run but I ended up going a little harder than I expected. However, I don't think I'll be getting in a run tomorrow so I can live with doing 16 miles in two days at what amounted to easier than race pace.

I've also been around my brother-in-law's stepkids the last two days, and today's run might also represent some kind of catharsis since I can't legally choke the shit out of them regardless of how bratty they can be from time to time.

Splits:
2.51: 21:15 21:15 (08:28)
0.98: 29:35 08:20 (08:30)
4.04: 63:37 34:02 (08:25) (08:27)

9.7mi, 79:23

The Replacements, "Left of the Dial"
The Replacements, "The Ledge"
that dog., "She Doesn't Know How"
The Animals, "When I Was Young"
Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, "I Want To Break Your Heart"
Cub, "Green Eyes"
Cub, "Leapfrog"
Airborne infantry cadence from Band of Brothers
Ministry, "Stigmata" from In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up

WX at 0800: 35.1 (1.7), DP 34.0 (1.1), DP 30.41 (1029), winds Calm, RH 95%

Odometer 1: 221mi

Z3 to hard Z3 finish.

I didn't think today was too cold, at first, but I didn't have the benefit of
checking weather before the start. I figured it was about 40 degrees, in
shorts and sweatshirt.

Lo and behold, I get back, and it's 35 degrees...which would explain the
frostnip in the wrists as I jettisoned the sweatshirt about midway, thinking
it was about 40...ha, ha, ha.

Today was a fast (relative) run only because the terrain is almost completely
flat and completely unrestricted. It was actually a pretty good to just
stretch it out, but it's probably one of the most pointed examples of
negative splits I've experienced in a long while.

Splits:
4.86: 39:46
0.98: 47:34 (7:48)
4.04: 79:23 (33:49) (8:11)

5.1mi, 42:51

Iggy Pop, "Repo Man"
James Horner, "Resolution and Hyperspace"
The Bats, "Courage"
The Bats, "Straight Image"

WX at 0800: 28.9 (-1.7), DP 27.0 (-2.8), BP 30.44 (1030), winds WSW 6, RH 92%

Odometer 2: 202mi

Z3 mostly. Easy start.

I'm planning on a long (over 8) run tomorrow, so I'm taking today easy. My right achilles tendon is also starting to flare up. That's either an overuse injury (which I've never had before) or it's from busting my ass on the ice two days prior. Take your pick. I guess I should start stretching again. Oops.

I attribute the second running mantra to watching the making-of-Aliens documentary on disk last night. I got the Alien Quadrilogy for x-moose this year, and it fairly well rocks. Naturally, I was seeking out all the big

Splits
1.5 12:36 12:36 08:24
2.1 30:27 17:51 08:30
1.5 42:51 12:24 08:16 08:19

5.1mi, 42:14

Richard Rodgers, "The Turkey Shoot"
John Williams, "The Last Battle"
John Williams, "Duel of the Fates"

WX at 0700: 17 (-8), DP 15 (-9), BP 30.66 (1038), winds NNW 2, RH 92%

Odometer 1: 211mi

Z3. Strong Z3+ finish, right at oxygen debt.

I was a little apprehensive about going out this morning based on the weather readings, but once I got going, it turned out to be a therapeutically good run - not too long, not too hard. The finish was as good as I've felt in a long while. I'm not sure why. It earmarked what some runners call "cruising."

Splits
1.5 12:34 12:34 08:23
2.1 30:13 17:39 08:24
1.5 42:14 12:01 08:01 08:12

7.6mi, 64:18

Circle jerks, "Under The Gun"
The JudyBats, "Weren't We Wild"
R.E.M., "Crazy"

WX at 0800: 26 (-3), DP 17 (-8), BP 30.45 (1031), winds Variable 2, RH 68%

Odometer 2: 196.5mi

Z3 with some Z2 spots. I was holding effort to avoid busting my ass (which I did once in a downhill turn) on the numerous spots of black ice that were out there. I spent most of today running over broken ice in an attempt to maintain traction over the extremely slippery surface. Running downhill had a distinctly Keystone Kops flavor to it today. The positive splits are as much a function of legs being more tired from dodging unsafe ground. Today marked the first run in four days, though. Yesterday would've been a run had it not been freezing rain where I was at the time.

Yesterday morning in Fayetteville, however, was marked by snow with sleet and some freezing rain. That snow and water froze over, creating a nice ice rink throughout scenic North Carolina.

I wouldn't be all that surprised if I'm not at work tomorrow, given that the temperatures are not likely to go much above 40F today.

Splits
1.5 12:17 12:17 08:11
2.1 30:12 17:55 08:32
1.5 42:57 12:45 08:30
2.5 64:18 21:21 08:32 08:26

Screwing the pooch

Today is x-moose.

I failed to conduct sufficient Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield and got my wife two box DVD sets and some other stuff she preemptively got for herself under my and my children's names.

Oops.

My gift ideas are bluntly cut and dried; I maintain a Wish List on Amazon for that reason. There's not a whole lot of mystery to the list. If it's not on the list, it's probably something exceptional, but nothing fell in that category this year.

I am now looking for a necklace of pearls, as she had informed me today...

Note that the traditional wedding gift for the 5th anniversary is "wood." I'll stop there.

Maybe I need to get some Ranger Body Armor before next x-moose...

Get your fat ass in the holiday spirit

I've been on the Dead Runners Society list over the last decade or so (I first subscribed to the list in fall 1991). I heard about a most disturbing event in the last week.

I've always been somewhat of an iconoclast, but this pushes the limits of reasonable iconoclasm. Nonetheless, the Santa Speedo Run sounds like something I might actually want to do just for the sheer go-to-hell factor. Note the required attire and, more notably, the time, date, and place.

The thought of running through Boston in the proverbial jock strap, balaclava, and a light coat of oil is a mite scary. Also note the almost completely male field in this running event.

I'm also reminded of a few of my friends from the Woodberry Forest School who used to occasionally do "nude dude runs" during our prep school years as an act of rebellion. WFS is, and will continue to be in the forseeable future, an all-boys boarding school.

7.6mi, 62:00

Henry Rollins, "Drive-By Shooting"
Wire, "Come Back In Two Halves"
Philip Glass (with Suzanne Vega), "Lightning"

WX at 0700: 59 (15), DP 57 (14), BP 29.87 (1011), Winds SE 8, RH 93%, very light drizzle

Odometer 1: 216mi

Z3 no man's land.

Today presented a great opportunity for a long run...and a tempo one at that. Unfortunately, the tempo is lacking if I'm in no man's land most of the run and I can only eke out 62 minutes. Some of this is attributable to the holiday season (and I get pretty fucking curmudgeonlike around x-moose time), some of it is just lack of consistent training.

I don't think there's anyone around my speed to run with in the mornings, and meeting up with a running partner has its own challenges. Then again, I might be better off doing PT with a group in the morning; I might actually do something other than run. My pushups and situps (and occasional pullups) are limited mostly to the month prior to a physical fitness test.

Tomorrow marks the return of the cold. This has been a bizarre December for weather, though. Warm up front, cold as shit earlier this week, nice today, wet turning cold and shitty into x-moose.

Splits
1.5 12:04 12:04 08:03
2.1 29:36 17:32 08:21
1.5 41:46 12:10 08:07
2.5 62:00 20:14 08:06 08:08

5.1mi, 45:29

Nancy Sinatra, "You Only Live Twice"
Moby, Matrix (lobby scene)

WX at 0700: 28 (-2), DP 24 (-4), BP 30.29 (1025), Calm, RH 86%

Odometer 2: 189mi

Z2.

I woke up this morning intnding to do a 7.6 run. My gut feeling was to roll over and go back to sleep. This morning was an exercise in willpower since I just didn't feel like heading out.

I almost turned back. I can't believe how disinterested I felt in running this morning. I eked out five easy since I just didn't feel like going much faster, physically or mentally.

Splits
1.5 13:19 13:19 08:53
2.1 32:25 19:06 09:06
1.5 45:29 13:04 08:43 08:50

7.6mi, 62:15

The Ventures, "Walk - Don't Run"
The Innocence Mission, "Mercy"
Pizzicato Five, "Twiggy Twiggy vs. James Bond"
Shirley Bassey, "Diamonds are Forever"

WX at 0700: 26 (-3), DP 6 (-14), BP 30.27 (1025), winds SW 7, RH 42%, WC 17 (-8)

Odometer 1: 208.5mi

Z3-4.

I hedged my bets about today's weather after chickening out on yesterday's brisk 19F (-7C) morning. In doing so, I wore one too many layers and had to suck it up the entire run. There is such a thing as too many layers, and while my face was a little chilly, the rest of me (particularly upper body) was warm. Too warm. I probably would've been faster if I'd been a little colder.

In spite of that, today was a productive run. Yesterday was a good example of "if I don't run in the morning, I will do no significant physical work the rest of the day."

The cold is beatable, even for long runs. I just have to be a little smarter about layering next time.

Splits
1.5 12:07 12:07 08:05
2.1 29:36 17:29 08:20
1.5 41:49 12:13 08:09
2.5 62:15 20:26 08:10 08:10

7.6mi, 61:23

AC/DC, "Thunderstruck"
The Connells, "Logan Street"
The Pixies, "Alec Eiffel"

WX at 0800: 33 (1), DP 30 (-1), BP 29.82 (1009), winds SW 2, RH 86%

Odometer 2: 184mi

Z2 start, Z3 midpoint, no man's land finish.

Today wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be. I've been skipping days because of lack of industriousness. I also realized I've been drinking far too much coffee for my own good. When I can smell metabolized caffeine two days after the fact when hitting the shitter, I know it's too much. The upshot to that is my utter and complete lack of energy in the last two days. In spite of this, I need to make myself run more. At least more than what I did in the last week.

Splits
1.5 12:10 12:10 08:07
2.1 29:21 17:11 08:11
1.5 41:31 12:10 08:07
2.5 61:23 19:52 07:57 08:03

distances at the coast

Notes to self for the next time:

From start of in-laws' house long loop, western side: 2.51mi back to Country Club Rd
Eastern side from Persimmon Rd SW around Sunfield to Pinewood to Beach and back
All of Sunfield from Persimmon Rd SW: 1.15mi
To Beach Rd back to Persimmon Rd SW: 2.41mi
From Persimmon Rd SW to start point: 0.48mi

Running southern leg of Country Club Rd out and back 1.25mi
Running northern leg of Country Club Rd out and back 1.10mi
Entire distance back and forth of Country Club Rd 2.35mi

Carolina Shores Pkwy from Country Club to Persimmon Rd: 0.98mi

Aggregate of all parts:
About 7.5 if not running Country Club Rd length.
About 8.6mi if also running north leg of Country Club Rd.
About 8.8mi if also running south leg of Country Club Rd.
About 9.8mi if also running all of Country Club Rd out and back.

Jump 59, Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, A/NT and static J

Chris Stamey, "Insomnia"

Drop altitude 1250 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1050
WX at 1100: 46(8), DP 21 (-6), winds 0 at surface, RH about 35%.

Today was wacky. And cold. Temperature at manifest call was 28(-2). Chilly!

Mean effective winds this morning at the outset were 12.5 knots. They were 0 at ground level and about 25 knots from the west at drop altitude. The wind shift occurred around 500 feet.

My JM duty today involved a hell of a lot beer math since I wasn't dropping off the panel markings this morning. I was estimating for an early release and judged about right. None of my jumpers landed in the trees.

My jump was about as good as it gets. Unfortunately, I forgot to count on the way out. Bad, bad, bad. Fortunately, I jumped a size 4 parachute harness and was remarkably free of any riser burns on the side of my face...and had a good clean exit with no twists. Routinely, I've been jumping a size 3 harness, but to account for my fat head (and probably my fat ass as well...), I need to go a size up. It worked out. Looks like I'll be jumping a size 4 from here on out...

With no surface wind, I was able to steer to a specific location, and it was fun. Boy, do I love jumping steerable parachutes.

Six more left! Next jump probably won't be until January.

I am a weenie.

WX at 0600: 19 (-7), DP 17 (-8). BP 30.53 (1033), Calm, RH 98%

Note the temp. No wind chill reading (not that it would matter much in this temperature).

As I sti here in skivvy shorts and a t-shirt, I rationalize all sorts of reasons why I don't want to go outside.

Note Bob the Heat Tab(tm), as my infantryman peers often call the sun, has not emerged above horizon yet this morning. Yet another reason to boot.

So I won't. Not today. A few years ago at Fort Leavenworth, I decided to go for a run. There was snow on the ground and it was about the same conditions; less than 20 F. By the fourth mile in I had frosted eyebrows and eyelashes. It was about as Kafkaesque a run as I could remember because it was so damn cold. During the middle of the morning, at that.

If I decide to come out for the jump tomorrow (as I probably will) it probably means I'll be breaking out an assload of snivel gear because I'd much rather look like the Michelin Man and be warm than look cool and be unbearably cold.

The sometimes-practiced dictate of "if you look cool, everything will be fine" is not to be used in these conditions.

I am a weenie. But a judicious weenie.

7.6mi, 64:58

"Jester" from the computer game Terminal Velocity

WX at 0600: 26 (-3), DP 12 (-11), BP 30.45 (1031), winds NNW 8, RH 53%, wind chill 17 (-8)

Odometer 2: 176.5mi

Z2 throughout.

Today was damn cold! In spite of it, I deliberately went easy (and mentally and physically probably wasn't ready for much more today). Today was going to be a recovery/fatburning run. Nothing more, nothing less.

Splits
1.5 13:03 13:03 08:42
2.1 31:27 18:24 08:46
1.5 44:10 12:43 08:29
2.5 64:58 20:48 08:19 08:32

7.6mi, 60:20

Michael Kamen, "Parapluie" from Band of Brothers
The Connells, "Fun and Games"
The Cure, "A Forest (Tree Mix)"
Michael Kamen, "Bull's Theme" from Band of Brothers

WX at 0700: 30 (-1), DP 19 (-7), BP 30.19 (1022), winds NW 6, RH 63%

Odometer 1: 201mi

Z3 to Z4 at times.

Today's run was going to be a 7-miler if for no reason than yesterday's was so abbreviated. The legs are still tired and I'm not quite sure why. Then again, maybe I should actually spend some time doing leg presses instead of just talking about it.

Today's run was neither blindingly fast nor slow, but given relative effort and my lack of running (or activity, for that matter) in the last few weeks, I guess that's not too depressing.

Cold and clear, a little chilly, but not too windy and good running conditions.

The rest of this week is supposed to be like this. Whee.

Splits
1.5 11:48 11:48 07:52
2.1 28:44 16:56 08:04
1.5 40:43 11:59 07:59
2.5 60:20 19:37 07:51 07:55

6.3mi, indeterminate time

First split: Hilary Duff, "Come Clean"
Second split: Cooler Kids, "E Is For Everybody"

WX at 0600: 45.0 (7.2), DP 36.0 (2.2), BP 29.79 (1008), winds WSW 9, RH 70%

Odometer 2: 169mi

Z3 mostly.

Today was about as good a day as it gets for running. I had to curtail the midpoints of the run because I had to detour home to hit the latrine. Once that was done, I was fine, but that's something I probably should have taken care of (more preemptively) before starting. Today is the last of the warm days, though. It's supposed to drop to freezing or thereabouts starting tonight. The encouraging thing is that with today's run times, I guess I didn't lose as much as I thought on the Disney Fat-A-Thon.

Splits
1.5 12:07 08:05
2.5 19:08 07:39

3 static SAF and Jump 58, Sicily DZ, A/NT, Polish Wing Exchange

No soundtrack.

Static SAF duties, 11 DEC 04.
I never think much of human nature during the x-moose season, and the annual Toy Drop at Fort Bragg is always an indicator. A lot of people show up attempting to get one or more of the foreign wings (this year, German and Polish) and you get to be witness to some slimy shit.

A few years ago there were two aviation officers (married to each other) who showed up with McDonald's Happy Meal Toys. Unsat! Never mind that those aviation officers were making flight pay in addition to jump pay. In spite of that they couldn't be bothered to spend any money on a fucking toy!

The kind of toys that came in were an interesting indicator of demographics. Single guys below the rank of sergeant tended to gravitate towards toys that they might have played with a few years prior (action figures, etc.). One guy (bless his heart) brought a bike to manifest call the morning I jumped (12 DEC). I missed getting a photo of the guy who showed up to manifest call with a big stuffed horse draped over his shoulders and back.

Saturday marked my running two, nominally three safety duties. All were over Sicily DZ from a C-130 aircraft. That in itself was unusual since I haven't jumped a C-130 since 2002. I was assisting a German fallschirmjager jumpmaster team who had a hell of a lot more jumping experience than I'd ever probably get. These guys were great, though. They were very proficient at what they did, and were very enthusiastic about the process. The sergeant major in charge of our German jumpmasters gave us some hardware, namely the patch for their company, an identification badge to hang off a uniform, and the German Parachutist Badge in gold, indicating a German master parachutist. The US guy I was working for on the jumpmaster team happens to be in charge of the awards branch for my command, so it works out nicely. The irony is that I'll be wearing a German rating higher than the US military parachutist rating I'm currently authorized, but I think I can comfortably hang up having to look for any more foreign jump operations..

I will say that after pulling three safety duties' worth of flight time on the day of, I felt well caught-up on Computed Air Release Point procedures in the C-130. Should I feel so froggy as to want to pull another duty in a C-130, I'm all set.

I don't feel that froggy. But the German gold wings sure look nice.

Jump 58, 12 DEC 04.
Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1000

WX at 1000: 46 (8), DP 30 (-1), winds WNW 6, unlimited vis, RH unknown.

Today marked the culmination of my participation in this year's Toy Drop event, where German and Polish paratroopers pulled jumpmaster duties and thus were able to award foreign jump wings to American paratroopers participating in the jump. Today's jump featured a Polish static jumpmaster calling out American practical work in the aircraft in Polish. There was no effective change to actions in the aircraft today, though.

I now realize why I bust my ass to jump as much as I can. It's for reasons like today, where I forget to count to six thousand as I go out the plane. I was distracted because I got a good riser burn this morning as I exited.

There was a lot of oscillation at start, but after gaining canopy control, I was able to get wind direction and face into the right direction.

Today's jump was highlighted by an inexperienced female jumper in front of me who was shaking on the plane ride up, shaking while standing up waiting to exit, and otherwise had a satisfactory jump. I was thinking briefly of what would happen if I didn't get a chance to exit, but she exited without incident.

I spoke to a Trial Defense Service attorney today and she did verify a legendary story I was told in the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, where a soldier in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (when it was still in Germany) found out that his wife's new baby wasn't his. He then found the father, beheaded him, and brought it to his wife in the hospital in a bowling ball bag as a gift. I'm all about bad karma and getting payback, but even that's a tad extreme by my standards. I don't know what happened to the guy and I need to check back with another attorney to see if it was published anywhere so I can verify it firsthand rather than through anecdotal evidence. Does this mean I might be interested in law? Dear god, I hope not.

This marks my eligibility for a third foreign airborne badge...

Seven to go!

5.1mi, 42:44

Hilary Duff, "The Tiki Room"
Blue Oyster Cult, "Don't Fear The Reaper"
The Dream Academy, "Life In A Northern Town"

WX at 0600: 59 (15), DP 59 (15), BP 30.03 (1016), winds WNW 6 fog, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 193.5mi

Z3 no man's land start, Z3 finish.

My legs still won't do much in the way of raw power, although todays splits weren't as depressing. Today indicated that maybe the road to recovery might be sooner than I thought. Part of that recovery may entail some work in the weight room on leg presses.

I wasn't killing myself for these splits and the weather was fine enough for a medium-intensity run. Not too cold, not too hot.

Splits
1.5 12:30 12:30 08:20
2.1 30:27 17:57 08:33
1.5 42:44 12:17 08:11 08:18

5.1mi, 45:10

AC/DC, "Thunderstruck"

WX at 0600: 55 (13), DP 55 (13), BP 30.05 (1017), winds SW 2 fog, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 162.5mi

Z2-3 for effort, but very little output from the legs.

And thus begins the slow road to recovery. I was thinking of going 7 this morning. Alas, that wasn't going to happen at all. My legs were loose rubber this morning. I wasn't breathing too hard, but I wasn't getting much in the way of return on effort, either.

Maybe I need to be more realistic about my short-term training goals after last week's fat-a-thon.

Splits
1.5 12:47 12:47 08:31
2.1 32:04 19:17 09:11
1.5 45:10 13:06 08:44 08:46

FUCKING FATASS ALERT

I spent the last week on the cruise ship Disney Magic. I left weighing about 180lbs. I popped the scale at 188 tonight.

I knew I was eating a lot but goddamn I didn't think I was taking on 8 x 3000 Kcal. This doesn't count the runs I got in (not fast, but at least an hour long):

Sun 28 NOV: 7mi, 61:04, Z3 no man's land
Mon 29 NOV: 7mi, 61:03, Z3 no man's land
Tue 30 NOV:50min on the ergometer
Wed 1 DEC: 6mi, time indeterminate, speedwork
Thu 2 DEC: 9mi, 81:24, Z3 even

This is totally fucking unacceptable. This now entails a directive shift in workout plan.

Emphasis is now on distance to shave weight. I guess I'll also have to start watching what I eat a lot more judiciously now as well. Shit.

I think I'll hold off on getting a new ID card until I don't look or feel like such a fat fuck.

7.6mi, 62:31

The Innocence Mission, "Mercy"
Anthrax, "I Am The Law"
The Northern Pikes, "Wait For Me"
Philip Glass, end titles to Hamburger Hill

WX at 0700: 62 (17), DP 62 (17), BP 29.91 (1012), winds SE 3, light drizzle; mist, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 188.5mi

Z3. Much harder effort from legs, but upper body was all Z3.

Today was slow. I realized that when I was hoofing it to get a pathetically slow 12:11 split at the 1.5 mark. My legs were tired-- really tired, which makes me wonder how much recovery time is really needed after a long run like 10. My lungs and heart felt fine. The hard part was getting effort going uphill in any way. I won't be doing anything in the next two days, so I'll have some enforced break. Whether that translates into rested legs remains to be seen. I realized I had actually had a lot for which to be thankful, hence the last running mantra. I don't have to carry 210 rounds of ball for a selective fire security blanket with extensible stock or have to wear Interceptor Body Armor when I go to work. There are a lot of my nominal coworkers who do. Today.

I probably need to slow down on the eating. I'm starting to get dumpy again, in spite of my mileage.

Splits
1.5 12:11 12:11 08:07
2.1 29:53 17:42 08:26
1.5 42:13 12:20 08:13
2.5 62:31 20:18 08:07 08:12

3.8mi, 32:15

Wire, "Come Back in Two Halves"
Nat King Cole, "L-O-V-E"
Jakaranda, "Never Let You Go"

WX at 0600: 59 (15), DP 59 (15), BP 29.97 (1014), winds ESE 2, light rain showers; mist, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 181mi

Z2 recovery run.

Normally a pretty good day to run, not too cold, not too hot. I was still probably feeling sorry for myself after not getting the nod from the school I wanted to attend (maybe an indicator of how much emotional energy I tied into that application), and my legs were still tired. In spite of this and expending little energy, I still appear to be getting faster on my recovery runs.

Then again, the other thing I was thinking of was the cruise I'm supposed to be going on in the next week. It's probably for that reason that I was thinking of the film The Parent Trap (the 1998 remake)...and that I probably would not kick Natasha Richardson out of bed. Or Lindsay Lohan (now, mind you), for that matter.

Splits
1.5 12:51 12:51 08:34
2.3 32:15 19:24 08:26 08:35

rejection, baby

I have applied for two military schools which start in the summer.

I received a notice that I was not selected for one of them today. What makes it more of a kick in the nuts is that it's the one I really wanted to attend. It's located at Quantico. Nice try, no joy, no regrets, though.

The other is at Fort Leavenworth. Fingers crossed on this one. If not, then I'll just apply again. And again. And again until I either get in or run out of eligibility.

10.1mi, 80:49

The Army Band (Pershing's Own), "Dress Blue"
R.E.M., "Driver 8"
Velocity Girl, "Labrador"
The Innocence Mission, "Mercy"
Body Count, "Cop Killer"

WX at 0600: 59 (15), DP 59 (15), BP 30.17 (1021), Variable 2, mist, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 157.5mi

Z3 throughout. Actually not that hard, almost Z2 in some places.

What a shitty run. I mean, what a unbelievably shitty run. I stopped no less than five times today. Three of those times were to readjust shoelaces. One time was to keep from shitting myself, and the fifth was the unbelievably serendipitous port-a-potty that was some 400 meters after the last stop.

I almost didn't go 10 today, but after a weekend of literally nothing but eating, my conscience was calling. And it was fucking pissed. Why else would I subject myself to a song by a Christian alternative band for literally over thirty minutes as my running mantra, regardless of its considerable artistic merits? Karmic redemption did come in the last four minutes of the run as the thought of "dusting someone" (I was closing fast on another runner further down the street) brought Body Count back into the picture.

In spite of this, I did at least run about 8 minute pace for what was actually not a very hard run. Then again, I did get a few breaks along the way and one big one when I had to conduct what almost turned into an in-stride Class I package download.

Splits
2.5 20:08 20:08 08:03
1.5 32:16 12:08 08:05
2.1 49:37 17:21 08:16
1.5 61:40 12:03 08:02
2.5 80:49 19:09 07:40 07:58

7.6mi, 61:01

Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, "I Want To Break Your Heart"
Let's Active, "Ornamental"
Wire, "Silk Skin Paws"
Wire, "Free Falling Divisions"
Journey, "Only The Young" (how's that for a transition, jwer?!)

WX at 0700: 53 (12), DP 48 (9), BP 30.16 (1021), Calm, RH 81%

Odometer 1: 177.5mi

Z3 steady state.

My legs, most specifically, my quadriceps, are totally smoked. (Smoked Pork, should I say?) Even after yesterday's slop-a-thon, today was a respectable training zone run. And nothing more. I had to put in marked (although not gargantuan) effort to get the first split that I did. The 2.1 split was just unpleasant, but it also marks the longest hills in the overall run.

Splits
1.5 12:11 12:11 08:07
2.1 29:37 17:26 08:18
1.5 41:37 12:00 08:00
2.5 61:01 19:24 07:46 08:00

5.1mi, 44:49

snippets of Liz Story, "Escape of the Circus Ponies"
Sustained Airborne Training from the 82d Airborne Division Airborne Standard Operating Procedures, Edition VI. All four single-spaced pages of it. From memory. Most of it, at least.

WX at 0700: 50 (10), DP 41 (5), BP 30.29 (1025), Calm, RH 71%

Odometer 1: 170mi

Z1-2. Five miles of trash miles.

Insert "Getting Stronger" song from Rocky and substitute the words "Getting Weaker." I forgot to hit the split button at the last 1.5 start. Today was almost a non-running day. I decided to go out if for no reason than to burn fat. I think that's about all I got out of this run other than a break, but my legs were not responsive today.

Splits
1.5 12:54 12:54 08:36
3.6 44:49 31:55 08:52 08:42

7.6mi, 59:24

The Connells, "Upside-Down"
Anthrax, "I am The Law"
Liz Story, "Escape of the Circus Ponies"
For some reason, I felt inclined to dig up parts of my past and recite various running cadences in the back of my head in my last mile. In the interests of political incorrectness, here they are:

Tanker Cadence:
I want to be an armor crewman
Live a life that's almost human
In my tank I feel no danger
Run right over airborne rangers

Left, Right, Kill:
Running through the jungle
Where it's hot and it's wet
You can't stop running
'Cause you ain't there yet
Well, up jumps a snake
From behind a tree
He says "hey there trooper,
you gotta get by me"
So I reach on back
And pull out my steel
I cut the sucker up
And I have a meal
Singing left right, right your left right kill!
Left right, right you know I will!

Running through the desert
Where it's hot and it's dry
You can't stop running
'Cause you're going to die
Up jumps a scorpion
From behind a rock
He says "hey there trooper,
get off of my block"
So I reach on back
And pull out my steel
I cut the sucker up
And I have a meal
Singing left right, right your left right kill!
Left right, right you know I will!

Bill Fogarty cadence from James Webb's A Sense Of Honor:
I can run all night. And I can run all day.
And I can run all night. And I will feel all right.
I can run all day. And I will feel okay.
Sentry, on guard, bayonet, in the ribs, in the middle.
Blood. Guts. Blood and guts...

WX at 0600: 37 (3), DP 35 (2), BP 30.32 (1026), Winds NNW 3, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 147.5mi

Z3 throughout. Some additional effort in no man's land going uphills.

I briefly entertained the idea of going for 10.1 this morning, and I woke up early enough where I could have done it, but I'm probably running the risk of overtraining if I attempt to ramp up my mileage that much in one week. Physically I felt fine this morning, but my legs are still tired. This marks the first day in a while I've run positive splits, which is rare for my second 1.5 loop. I didn't take the big hill in that loop at normal effort, and it might have made the difference, since I felt fine on the return leg.

The fact that I ran the 2.5 loop markedly faster is in no small part due to the relative flatness of the first half of that course, and that the hills there are not that big with one exception at the end.

When I was running at St Christopher's, our home course at Roslyn had two small hills before the downhill portion of the course. Roslyn was known for its murderous hills, but to a tactically smart team, they could use the hills to their advantage. The two hills were nominally called "Little Rills," but had more historically been known as "tit rills" due to their similarity to a certain piece of anatomy. Most of the hills in the last mile of my 2.5 loop are tit rill-like in their slope, and if you get enough speed from the previous downhill you can get some return on your investment on the next hill.

Splits
1.5 11:39 11:39 07:46
2.1 28:33 16:54 08:03
1.5 40:25 11:52 07:55
2.5 59:24 18:59 07:36 07:48

5.1mi, 43:41

James Horner, "Operation Reciprocity"
The Innocence Mission, "Someday Coming" (And no, I'm still an atheist.)

WX at 0600: 33 (1), DP 32 (0), BP 30.46 (1031), Calm, RH 93%

Odometer 1: 165mi

Z3 start, Z2 finish.

I was for some reason thinking I'd be able to get in a reasonably quick 7.6 loop this morning, but my legs were tired. Part of its was the 10 miler two days ago and part of it was running back to the turn-in point yesterday because I didn't want to have to wait for the aircraft to cross before I could start shaking out my parachute.

Today's first split convinced me to take a recovery run, so today entailed about 5 miles of easy slop. Based on how I felt, that's probably the right thing to do.

Splits
1.5 12:42 12:42 08:28
2.1 30:58 18:16 08:42
1.5 43:41 12:43 08:29 08:29

Jump 57, Sicily DZ, A/NT

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Toy Symphony"

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1115

WX at 1100: 53 (12), DP 28 (-2), winds variable 2, unlimited vis, RH about 37%

New policy changes almost scratched this jump. Almost ran out of time trying to get enough jumpers done. Ugly, ugly, ugly. The guys running the jump did their best to get the jumpers up and done, and made it happen-- a credit to the jumpmaster teams that did it.

I can't seem to catch a break. I caught another gust today and landed sideways. I had enough presence of mind to steer clear of any trails, to include the one where I broke my leg in three places four years ago. I did have a fairly hard parachute landing fall. Feet, calf, left hip. Ouch. Either that, or I'm starting to get careless, which is bad, bad, bad.

I thought I had a fairly good textbook exit, but my risers were twisted about halfway up to the anti-inversion net. Consequently, I must have goofed somewhere, but I don't know where. It looked okay, felt okay, but wasn't okay. I recovered in due course, gained canopy control, and steered to my eventual landing spot. Eight more to go.

10.1mi, 77:03

Peter Gabriel and Deep Forest, "As The Earth Sleeps"
The Reputation, "The Stars of Amateur Hour"
snippets of Corrosion of Conformity, "Holier"
snippets of Velocity Girl, "Labrador" and Velocity Girl, "The All-Consumer"
The Connells, "Carry My Picture"

This was the morning of assloads of alterna-retro, The Reputation excepted.

WX at 0800: 35 (2), DP 26 (-3), BP 30.71 (1039), winds NNE 7, RH 69%, wind chill 28 (-2)

Odometer 2: 140mi

Z3 on level ground, Z4 going uphill.

The goal today was to run 10 in under 80 minutes, which I achieved with a comfortable 3 minute margin. My legs were still tired from three days ago; I think it affected the relative constancy of the splits, particularly at the end. I like running in this weather (today's clothing was tights, shorts, long sleeve shirt, and gloves, and no issues of heat management); if I can train consistently this winter I'm thinking I might actually be able to drop the 1.5 split below 11 minutes. That's the goal, at least. In order to do that I need to be able to improve my mile time by about 7 seconds over the given distance. That entails a consistent 7:25 mile pace. I'm not there yet, but I think it's an achievable goal.

I think I should be able to get there if I can sustain the 7.5/10 weeks described earlier.

Nothing planned for tomorrow. I'm anticipating a jump tomorrow morning assuming the winds aren't too gusty. It'll be the first time I've jumped Sicily Drop Zone (where I broke my leg four years ago) since 2002. It's less vegetated than Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, so with luck my parachute won't land on a stickerbush the way it did the last time I bounced off the ground.

Splits
2.5 19:18 19:18 07:43
1.5 30:41 11:23 07:35
2.1 46:57 16:16 07:45
1.5 58:15 11:18 07:32
2.5 77:03 18:48 07:31 07:36

5.1mi, 42:14

The Connells, "Fun and Games"
The Corrs, "Summer Sunshine"

WX at 0800: 62 (17), DP 59 (15), BP 30.09 (1018), winds SSE 8, light rain, RH 88%

Odometer 2: 130mi

Z2 with Z3 finish.

Absolutely nothing ambitious after yesterday. Today was warm with rain, so it was nice weather for a recovery run. I consider it a good thing that my splits even on easy days continue to improve. I hesitate to make any goals that might seem too ambitious, but as the winter progresses and I settle back into some kind of rhythm, I want to try to lay out the goal of a 7.5/5/7.5/5/10/off week, followed by a week of nothing but 7.5 with a day of rest, with the eventual goal of trying to get to 7.5/10/7.5/10/7.5/10/off. This is of course, dependent on my jump schedule, but it tends to dry up in the winter anyway.

Splits
1.5 12:20 12:20 08:13
2.1 30:07 17:47 08:28
1.5 42:14 12:07 08:05 08:12

10.1mi, 82:35

The Bats, "Courage"
Metallica, "Orion"
Beatallica, "And I'm Evil" (for about 45 minutes of this run)

WX at 1100: 55 (13), DP 39 (4), BP 30.37 (1028), winds Calm, RH 93%

Odometer 1: 160mi

Z2-3. My body was still pretty stiff from yesterday's jump. Nothing ambitious except distance. This is my first 10-mile training run in a few years.

It was too cold (around 34F) for me to seriously go running at my usual time, so I decided to wait a few hours since I didn't have to go to work. Today is Veteran's Day, so I decided to go ten for the veterans who were or are actually in combat instead of the ones that are farting around waiting to get their fat ass deployed.

With that said, today's running mantra was predominantly these lyrics:

My mother wuz a witch, burned alive-ooooh!
And if she ain't my bitch, you'd cry tearz too
I'm evil

Now of revenge I sing, most evilly
The shit on you I'll bring, most metally
And I'm evil

Vengeance like mine could never die
Az long az my metal'z in me

Black is my Misfits shirt, I've 20 Eyez
Sleeveless shirt full of fuckin' dirt sayz "Darling Die"
And I'm evil

And I'm evil-yes, I am
And I'm evil-I am man
And I'm evil-yes, I fuckin' am!
(Die die die! Die die die! Die die die...)

Not very scintillating running lore, but damn does it have a good tune. The iconoclast in me can't pass it up.

Or lyrics that go "Fucking Sandman," for that matter.

Splits:
2.5 21:09 21:09 08:28
1.5 33:19 12:10 08:07
2.1 50:38 17:19 08:15
1.5 62:36 11:58 07:59
2.5 82:35 19:59 08:00 08:09

Jump 56, Ste Mêre Eglise DZ, A/NT and static J

Michael Kamen, "Parapluie"
Michael Kamen, "Boy Eats Chocolate"

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1045
WX at 1100: 53 (12), DP 30 (-1), winds E 9, unlimited vis, RH 40%

Today marked the hardest landing I've ever done. Ever. While I was facing into the wind, I picked up a gust from my left to right approximately 50 feet off the ground and hit going approximately 7-8mph. Then my parachute landed in a thorn bush. Thank god I'm not jumping combat equipment!

That was offset by going up and doing another static jumpmaster duty, this time on the last lift of the jump. My unit saves most of the JMs for the last pass, sometimes going up to higher altitudes (as I did a few months ago). Today, owing to weather (it was about 35F this morning at manifest call), there was no altitude above and beyond the normal 1500' AGL.

I was able to cheat somewhat by making my spots the lift prior, and it paid off. All my jumpers landed safely on the ground in spite of significant winds at altitude, but my last jumper landed near the tail end of the DZ.

All in all, I'm thinking maybe I'm jumping too much, but the opportunities are there and the risk is low relative to other places I could be jumping. So I'm still in the hunt. Nine more and I have a master parachutist rating...

5.1mi, 39:20

Eric Idle, "FCC Song"
The Corrs, "Summer Sunshine"
Michael Kamen, "The Mission Begins"
"Jester" from the computer game Terminal Reality (to keep me from beating the Band of Brothers soundtrack to death any further)

WX at 0700: 37 (3) DP 28 (-2), BP 30.43 (1030), winds N 6, RH 69%

Odometer 2: 125mi

Z3-4 no man's land.

Today was fast because I didn't do anything yesterday. But I was tired, and cranky, and the first song reflects. What a great song. Today was also fast because of the rather nipply weather that this morning presented. But I do love running in the fall, especially in November. Not so cold that you slow down, not so hot that you spend energy dumping heat instead of running.

2.1 leg was slow, I think because I hadn't warmed up yet and my fast twitch muscles were probably expended by then. The 1.5 splits are more illustrative of what I think today's real pace should have been, but I started tired, which is generally not a good sign. Then again, if I can run 11:17 for a mile and a half being tired, that's not so bad.

Splits. Last time indicates mean pace for the entire run.
1.5 11:17 11:17 07:31
2.1 27:59 16:42 07:57
1.5 39:20 11:21 07:34 07:38

Jump 55, Ste Mere Eglise DZ, A/NT

Michael Kamen, Band of Brothers Suite 1 (rather than 2)

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1200.
WX at 1200, 70/22, DP 44/7, winds N 12, unlimited vis. RH less than 40%

Great weather except for winds.

Today was wacky. Cold this morning, followed by gusty.

I ended up waiting about six hours to get on if for no reason than the plane had problems getting guys out the door, then broke the anchor line cable after the sixth lift (two before mine).

Winds today were unpredictable. I gained canopy control as the last man out (a.k.a. "stick-pusher"), and then dumped air to try to mitigate the winds at altitude. I had some bad oscillations and the winds were such that the canopy would bump steer in descent. I was oscillating at landing bad enough where I was afraid I'd have a hard landing, but had a pretty uneventful right rear parachute landing fall. Probably one of the diciest jumps I've ever done because of the shifting winds. The jumpmaster was looking out the OTHER side of the aircraft due to winds at altitude. The panel markings on the ground (for initiation) were so far off the actual personnel release point that it was literally that far off.

I like being the stick-pusher, though. I had about a 200 meter walk back to the assembly point. Nothing bad about that!

There were parachutes left; had I felt sufficiently froggy I might've asked for another, but today was probably not the day for it. Not after a jump like this one. A little healthy fear is good. It keeps you careful. Oh, and I did remember my six-thousand count today also. Also a good thing.

5.1mi, 43:29

Randy Edelman, "Hancock & Kemper Are Shot" from Gettysburg: 5th Anniversary Collection, disk 2
Michael Kamen, From The Earth To The Moon closing credits

WX at 0800: 44 (7), DP 41 (5), BP 30.02 (1016), Calm, RH 87%

Odometer 1: 150mi

Z2-Z3 recovery run.

After a hard night of drinking (1 x Molson Golden, 2 x Michelob standard, 1 x glass of white wine) and eating, today's run wasn't going to be fast. When the first thing you smell coming off yourself in the latrine is metabolized shitty beer, you know it's going to be a bad one.

I took my mind off my basic shittiness by contemplating what I need to do for my wife's birthday tomorrow. Card, cake, and gift. I have no fucking imagination. I just have to go get it.

Not surprisingly, my legs were tired after yesterday's run, so I wasn't going to do anything remarkable either.

Other handicap: I dressed based on the temperature at 7:00am, which was 37. Had I known it was going to be 44, I probably would have jettisoned tights and gone to long-sleeve shirt. I don't think it really made that much of a difference, but I did sweat more. Then again, that might get the rest of the alcohol out of my pores.

I'm not planning on running tomorrow as I have another jump, but who knows?

Splits
1.5 12:42 12:42 08:28
2.1 30:52 18:10 08:39
1.5 43:29 12:37 08:25

7.6mi, 57:58

Jerry Goldsmith, "Take Us Out" from the soundtrack to Rudy
The Bats, "Courage"
Chris Stamey, "14 Shades of Green"
Michael Kamen, Band of Brothers Suite 2 (again, and again, and again)

WX at 0700: 37 (3), DP 35 (2), BP 30.10 (1019), winds Calm, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 120mi

Z3 no man's land. I was trying to get some good oxygen debt going, although probably more on the aerobic than anaerobic side.

I don't want to make a habit of taking long breaks from runs, but with my Desert Storm paper complete (for a correspondence course I'm taking), it's time to make up the training I lost and the to lose the fat I inevitably gained.

This was almost a personal record, but unlike the earlier time on 16 October, I was wearing some winter weather gear (versus just skivvy shorts and a t-shirt). The times were also a clear progression, and the last split (the most important) was significantly faster than the standing PR. I think had I been wearing less than tights, a sweatshirt, gloves and a headgator, I might have run faster, but then I might be slathering Vaseline over my legs to cover cracked skin. It's all relative.

I don't know why I'm beating one particular track from the Band of Brothers soundtrack to death (apart from its excellence), but there is too much of a good thing.

Then again, there is one song guaranteed to stick in your head for days afterwards, and that's Daisy Chainsaw's "Love Your Money." I ripped that song to MP3 from disk, but there's a reason I don't listen to it much...

Splits
1.5 11:35 11:35 07:43
2.1 28:01 16:26 07:50
1.5 39:23 11:22 07:35
2.5 57:58 18:35 07:26

Jump 54, Ste Mere Eglise DZ, A/NT and static SAF

Very appropriately: Michael Kamen, Band of Brothers Suite 2

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1045.
WX at 1100, 60/16, DP 37/3, winds NNW 9, unlimited vis. RH less than 40%.

A gloriously great day for a jump. Clear visibility, breezy but not gusting. I also caught a thermal, giving me a birds-eye view of the drop zone from the drop altitude of 2000 feet AGL.

Today also marked the first time in a long time that I've properly verbalized my six-thousand count upon exiting. All too often in the past I've thought that I'd say it, but keep forgetting until my parachute had already opened. This is something I want to keep doing. If I don't have a opening shock and start to gain canopy control by the end of that count, it's time to activate the reserve parachute.

I had enough time during descent that I could actively steer away from the FLS. This is important. I don't want to land on the FLS, having broken bones in the past landing on a comparably hard surface. I steered past it with the wind and buttonhooked my landing. Longer walk, but my ass is in one piece, and that's the preeminent consideration.

I realized some 200 feet above the ground that I was running (steering forward in the same direction as the wind) and turned, but hit remarkably lighter than I expected for such a late change in direction. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Relatively soft landing, uneventful return. Not a bad ride for 2000 feet AGL!

On the down side: I was witness to the most fucked up recitation of sustained airborne training I have witnessed in some four years of jump status. Holy mother of god was this guy ate the fuck up. I don't like to correct other jumpmasters in front of other jumpers, but this was so goddamn unsafe that I had to chime in. To add insult to injury, he was reading off a script. Too bad he didn't bother to check accuracy or currency of his fucking prejump script! This guy was also the JM on my static safety duty. Things that pissed me off:
1 - He didn't bother to check static lines of the jumpers near the front. Never mind that we had more than 10 jumpers (the norm). End result was that I didn't finish checking static lines until we were almost a minute out from kicking troops out the ramp. Never mind that he wasn't jumping, he's a fucking static jumpmaster and he could goddamn help.
2 - He released jumpers early. He either couldn't spot the panels (which is kind of a goddamn SAFETY prerequisite, among other procedural REQUIREMENTS) or he decided to hedge his bets and guess. The drop zone safety officer called up to the aircraft to ask pointed questions about whether this was a CARP (Computed Air Release Point) or GMRS (Ground Marking Release System) jump. This was the latter, it's the way all the jumps with my current unit are done. This guy was just not there.
3 - He was too busy staring out the windows looking at jumpers to bother with helping prepare the aircraft for the next lift.

Notes to self - don't get paired with this guy ever again if I'm safetying. Give the sustained airborne training brief myself rather than witness another public abortion.

SCRATCH - Jump 54 attempt

Michael Kamen, Band of Brothers suite 2

This is actually the second scratch in a row.

Last time I was waiting for the ceiling to lift and it never did. I ended up waiting about five hours on the ground.

Today it was only two or three hours. We were hoping there wouldn't be rain. By the time I'd gotten chuted up a few drops started to fall. Then it started and I knew it would get called off.

I harbored the hope that it might be light enough where I could get a jump in the rain (which I've done a few times, but not often). Jumping in the rain is not that strange; the parachute doesn't handle any differently, although it has to be policed quickly because it has to be dried out (to prevent mildewing of the nylon) before being repacked. The wacky part of jumping in the rain is often not clearing the clouds until you're about to land.

I did that once at night where I jumped in fog with a ceiling of approximately 250 feet. I remember descending seeing shadowy figures of parachutes in the fog near me, then breaking through the clouds a little above the trees prior to my landing.

I'm hoping for tomorrow morning, since I'm supposed to pull a jumpmaster duty tomorrow. Got another jump scheduled for Monday morning as well.

Some election day rumination

I'm cliffing my statements from jwer's blog, but it's probably worth mention and theft here:

I voted early, courtesy of the Soldiers and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940.

In a universe where I swore I would never vote while on active duty, it was with a sense of foreboding that I sent my ballot in the mail two weeks ago.

It is doubly fitting that I voted for the first time in what is a battleground state.

I voted my conscience and it is clear. I have no regrets.

5.1mi, 42:35

Michael Manring, "Sightings"
Scott Cossu and Eugene Friesen, "Sanibel"

WX at 0700: 64 (18), DP 64 (18), BP 30.16 (1021), winds SW 6 fog, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 145mi

Z3 mostly.

Today I had to work a little harder to get the splits I did, but coming off yesterday's (comparatively) fast run off a week off, discretion was the better part of valor. I'm not sure what was in my head to spark the Run of Windham Hill from 1986, though.

Splits
1.5 12:28 12:28 08:19
2.1 30:19 17:51 08:30
1.5 42:35 12:16 08:11

7.6mi, 60:48

Circle Jerks, "When The Shit Hits The Fan"
The Cure, "Disintegration" (live)
The Bats, "Courage"
Cheap Trick, "Mighty Wings"

WX at 0700: 62 (17), DP 62 (17), BP 30.12 (1019), SSW 2 mist, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 112.5mi

Z3 throughout. Some Z3-4 no man's land going uphill.

Today marked my first good run since the APFT, and first legitimate run in about 6 days. I think taking a taper of that magnitude was a really fucking stupid idea, especially given what I did the two days after the APFT.

Thursday: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Except I was Dilberting my ass off at work before going to Washington DC. By itself, this was not significant, except that I was driving. Alone. Starting at 6:00pm. This was exacerbated by probably the most fat pill-laden day in recent memory. Ingested that day: 9 cookies, 4 muffins, two sticks of gum, two pieces of white cake with heavy lard icing, and for dinner, a Big Mac meal with medium fries (formerly known as "large" some twenty years ago), and a Diet Coke. ('cos I'm watching my weight. Ha.) And a Coors light when I arrived because it was free. (Thank you, Holiday Inn Priority Rewards!)

The next day, after arrival and four hours of sleep, was followed by breakfast. This was corned beef hash, three sausages, scrambled eggs, potatoes, two cups of coffee, two cups of orange juice, a big glob of grits, and a cup of yogurt. Lunch was sushi, but punctuated by six dumplings of deep fried gyoza. In soy sauce. And more Diet Coke. And more coffee. And a liter of Mountain Dew. Dinner that day was a tortilla pizza at La Casita, a restaurant in north Richmond VA. And more coffee. And hanging on for the drive back. I slept like the dead that night. And the next morning. But there's always more coffee.

Halloween was marked by excessive consumption of refined sugar products.

After this run, I feel vaguely cleansed.

Splits:
1.5 12:07 12:07 08:05
2.1 29:15 17:08 08:10
1.5 41:12 11:57 07:58
2.5 60:48 19:36 07:50

record APFT, 298 points

What I listened to on the way in:
Hybrid, "High Life"
Hybrid, "Accelerator"

The eventual two-mile run mantra:
The Reputation, "The Stars of Amateur Hour." So I was wrong about The Reputation.

WX at 0700: 50/10, DP 48/9, BP 30.18/1022, calm, mist, RH around 93%. Conditions were excellent, although I would've liked it just a few degrees cooler. But that's just me.

Raw scores:
80 pushups. I wasn't quite thinking straight since I did five more than I needed for a max.
78 situps. I guess I'm glad I went over - the max was 76, not 77 as I thought.
13:27 run. This was pretty good. I didn't feel as bad as I normally do after a 2-mile run and finished very strong...which makes me think I might not have gone as hard as I should've. My estimated mile split was around 6:45. This probably validates the need to do some speedwork if I'm really going to be serious about getting the 13:18 I need to max the run. It would be super-nice to max a PT test, though. It's been a long while, about 5 years, since I've last done that.

Unexpected part of this was the initial weigh-in. I ended up jettisoning some three pounds in water weight between sweating and latrine stops between arrival and completion. I was 1.75 pounds over allowable weight, which required me to get taped for body fat percentage. After all was complete, I decided on another two miles of trash mileage to burn more water, and stepped on the scale two pounds under tape cutoff.

Now I can get back to running distance to try to continue working mileage and tempo as I've been doing in the past. I should probably run on sand more, but I have to figure out how to do that at work, since there aren't too many good places to run on sand around my house.

Go choke yourself

Some later fixes for orthography.

A little bit of GIS mapping on my part using USAPhotoMaps has enlightened me about one major issue about my run routes:

I have misjudged distances on my routes, and consequently, my splits are not what I thought they were. This is actually to my benefit.

What I thought was 1.4 is 1.5.
What I thought was 2.0 is 2.1.
What I thought was 2.4 is 2.5.

The aggregate mileage for my abbreviated short loop is not 3.8 as previously thought, but actually 3.76 (for all intents and purposes, my guesstimate was about right, within 0.04mi).

What I thought was 4.8mi actually is 5.1mi for my short loop, and my long loop turns into 7.62 ("...millimeter, full metal jacket" - a fairly easy number for me to remember) from what I thought was 7.2.

So...based on split recalculation, personal record splits for the long loop:
1.5 11:13 11:13 07:29
2.1 27:34 16:21 07:47
1.5 38:49 11:15 07:30
2.5 57:33 18:44 07:30

This is pretty encouraging!

7.2mi, 61:05

Michael Kamen, opening credits to Band of Brothers
Randy Edelman, "Hancock & Kemper Are Shot" from Gettysburg: 5th Anniversary Collection, disk 2
Randy Edelman, "Armistead Is Hit" from Gettysburg: 5th Anniversary Collection, disk 2

WX at 0800: 46 (8), 46 (8), 30.17 (1021), Calm, mist, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 140mi

Z3. Some Z3 no man's land on a climb, but otherwise unremarkable.

I was wanting to be more ambitious, but my legs probably didn't want to cooperate after yesterday. A casual analysis of the splits tell me I was a tad slower across the board, but there was less effect on the hillier parts of the course. I found that in spite of having done my second 7-miler in two days, I was climbing hills markedly better.

This run was preceded by 80 pushups, 90 situps. The pushups have improved quickly enough where I don't feel that concerned about them any more. The situps may take some more work to get me in the comfort zone. To put things in perspective, I have to do 75 pushups to max, 76 situps to get 100 points in the respective events. For the run, which I haven't gotten 100 points on in, oh, an eternity, I need to run 13:18 or faster for two miles. I don't think I'll run that (although I'd be pretty happy if I did) but traditionally I've been a 14:00 two-miler. I think I might be able to beat that based on the level of conditioning I've been able to turn out in the last month...and if the conditions next week are the same as they were today (about perfect).

I'm getting older. My required standards are lowering, as with many things in my life...

Splits
1.4 12:01 12:01 08:35
2.0 29:25 17:24 08:42
1.4 41:17 11:52 08:29
2.4 61:05 19:48 08:15

7.2mi, 59:02

Chris Stamey, "Insomnia"
AC/DC, "Thunderstruck"
The Smiths, "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

WX at 0600: 57 (14), 55 (13), 30.10R (1019), NNE 3, 93%

Odometer 2: 105mi

Z3 most of the way, which is kind of misleading given the splits involved. I also haven't done this run in a while. In spite only doing a Z3 run, today marks my third fastest time on this course and I wasn't particularly trying to kill myself on this run either.

Today was a run to make up for not running distance in the last few days. I decided to try to grind out about 80 pushups and 80 situps beforehand, but that was largely transparent by the end of mile 3. That's fine, but I need to figure out how to try to get around that in less than ten minutes (part of the conditions of the physical fitness test, which I take Wednesday).

I keep thinking I should probably have done some speedwork before then, but I doubt I'll do it tomorrow and any later than Sunday is probably too late. Just my guess.

Splits
1.4 11:36 11:36 08:17
2.0 28:24 16:48 08:24
1.4 39:58 11:34 08:16
2.4 59:02 19:04 07:57

~3.8mi, 31:21

Starflyer 59, "I Drive A Lot"
Theme song to Clifford's Puppy Days (since it airs Wednesday mornings on our local PBS station)

WX at 0700:66 (19), DP 64 (18), BP 29.92 (1013), winds Calm, RH 93

Odometer 1: 133mi

Z2-Z3 most of the way. My legs were tired.

Today was a little off for a variety of reasons.
1. This morning I decided to precede the run with pushups and situps. The amount of effort it took me to get to the required 75 I want next week indicates that I've fucked up my training plan for the physical fitness test. I was able to get 77 situps out but it took some work, more than I probably should expend.
2. Elizabeth was up early this morning. One of the reasons my alarm is set for 5:50am is that I'm the only one awake in the house (aside from our dog Thor, who is perpetually wanting to go outside, in spite of his age (12). She wanted to watch me "go out," as she said, albeit from the outside. The one thing I did NOT want was to have her sitting outside waiting in pajamas for 40 minute while I ran back, so I sent her inside.
3. WX, WX, WX. Warmest morning in a while, combined with...
4. Bad hair day. It's been two weeks since I got a haircut and it is now bothering me so much that I voluntarily turned back my run early today to get in for a haircut before I have to go to work. I think I'll have to revisit my two week interval between haircuts. It'll probably have to go back to being a weekly affair. Call me a weenie, but heat management is a big deal for me. An important part of that is having clean whitewalls to facilitate that process.

Splits
1.4: 12:36. No other splits recorded.

4.8mi, 39:37

I had a tough time settling on this morning's mantras.
I'd guess I went through about 15 different songs before settling on these:
Husker Du, "In A Free land"
New Order, "Dream Attack"
R.E.M., "Pretty Persuasion"

WX at 0600: 55 (13), DP 51 (11), BP 30.08 (1018), winds Variable 1, RH 87%

Odometer 2: 98mi. Yes, I repeated a set of shoes at home, which I ordinarily try to avoid.

Z4 most of the way. I wanted to do this one at tempo to try to sharpen off my existing mileage base.

Today was warmer, noticeably, by about 10 F. That might have affected performance somewhat, but made for a much more comfortable run. My last 1.4 split was at about 80% full effort most of the way back (at least after the first 0.5km) and included a good hill climb. I was very well warmed and limbered up; the split shows.

I might have to pay attention to form later on. I noticed my stride is a little abrupt when I'm hitting oxygen debt at the start. That might have some repercussions later for my knees.

Splits:
1.4 11:44 11:44 08:23
2.0 28:23 16:39 08:20
1.4 39:37 11:14 08:01

4.8mi, 43:54

Michael Kamen, opening credits to Band of Brothers
James Horner, "Battle in the Mutara Nebula"
"Maybe" from the Broadway musical Annie

WX at 0700: 42 (6), DP 41 (5), BP 30.01 (1016), winds Calm, RH 93%

Odometer 2: 93mi

Z1-Z2 recovery run.

After yesterday's time trial I decided to go easy. I'm also going to do some ab and upper body work incident to this, and a long run would have been counterproductive.

Splits:
1.4 12:56 12:56 09:14
2.0 31:15 18:19 09:10
1.4 43:54 12:39 09:02

7.2mi, 57:33

The Cure, "Lament"
Tanya Donnelly, "Human"
Tanya Donnelly, "Pretty Deep"
New Order, "Regret"

WX at 0700:44 (7), DP 42 (6), BP 29.82 (1009), winds SW 8, RH 93%

Odometer 1: 129mi

Z4-Z5. This was sparked by it being a tad nipply this morning and my only wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I think below 40 degrees is where I decide to wear more than just that.

Personal record on this course by about a minute and a half. I didn't do anything yesterday; the jump got rained out. Today's first split turned into speedwork because I didn't anticipate it being less than 45 F at the start!

Splits
1.4 11:13 11:13 08:01
2.0 27:34 16:21 08:10
1.4 38:49 11:15 08:02
2.4 57:33 18:44 07:48

7.2mi, 61:03

Descendents, "Coolidge"
50 Foot Wave, "Lavender"
Throwing Muses, "Mania"
Descendents, "Ace"

WX at 0700: 60 (16), DP 57 (14), BP 29.61 (1002), winds NW 5, RH 87%

Odometer 2: 88mi

Z3 most of the way. Some Z4 climbs.

Paired off yesterday's afternoon dash, my legs were tired. Once I was warmed up, progress was actually good in spite of tired legs. The second 1.4 split is illustrative if for no other reason than that leg has a fairly major climb portion to it.

Splits
1.4 12:27 12:27 08:54
2.0 29:50 17:23 08:41
1.4 41:43 11:53 08:29
2.4 61:03 19:20 08:03

4.0mi, 34:31

The Cure, "Burn"
Descendents, "Thank You"
The Reputation, 'The Stars of Amateur Hour"

WX at 1700: 80(27), DP 62(17), BP 29.53(1000), winds SW 6, RH estimated 55%

Z3 on easy parts, Z4 when I got my breath back. Z5 short climb in one part. No HRM.

This was supposed to be a tempo run, or something fast enough to get through before I hjad to go home. I'm finding that running during the lunch hour is a hell of a lot harder than I thought, because there's always something else that's going on. On the other hand, it's been taking a lot more effort trying to get up early enough to get morning runs in.

Two exacerbating factors today behind time versus effort, one being that it was mostly on sand, and two, that the course is almost all hills. I'm sure the times were misleading based on it being mostly on hills. The distance back was overall downhill, which would explain the 81 second negative split. The Z5 climb was near the midpoint going out before the turnaround.

There are no really good places to do speedwork around work or home, but I probably should do at least ONE speed workout before taking the physical fitness test.

Splits:
2.0mi out 17:56 [8:58]
2.0mi back 34:31 (16:35) [8:18]

7.2mi, 61:17

AC/DC, "Shoot to Thrill"
Rage Against The Machine, remix of John Williams' "Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back.
Emerson Hart, "Generation" (Yeah, so I watched American Dreams last night.)

WX at 0700: 53(12), DP 48(9), BP 30.11(1019), winds NE 6, RH 81%

Odometer 2: 81mi

Z3 throughout. Start was more likely Z2.

I find it amusing (slightly) that I ran ten seconds faster on markedly less effort this morning than I did yesterday. I did run much earlier in the day (no sunlight = no heat radiation). Weather was about as good as it gets this morning.

Splits
1.4 12:18 12:18 08:47
2.0 29:22 17:04 08:32
1.4 41:25 12:03 08:36
2.4 61:17 19:52 08:17

7.2mi, 61:27

R.E.M., "Driver 8"
Mark Darnell, "In The Age Of Steam" (from the Windham Hill Soul of the Machine sampler)
Beatallica, "Blackened the U.S.S.R."
Mannheim Steamroller, "Pass the Keg (Lia)"

WX at 1000: 69(21), DP 60(16), BP 30.06(1017), winds WSW 3, RH 73%

Odometer 1: 122mi

Z3 most of the way, in spite of heart rate monitor readings in excess of 175 for most of the last 2 miles of the run.

The benefit to easy days with a HRM is that you supposedly don't go too hard, but the I felt fine (although my legs were a little tired) in spite of the high HRM reading.

Today was not supposed to be hard. This is the dichotomy of how I feel versus the heart rate monitor. Of course, I haven't changed the transmitter in the HRM since 2000 when I bought it, so that might be a tad suspect. Ordinarily, I only get glitches when there isn't enough sweat to act as a conductor between the chest and my skin.

My second 1.4 split is disproportionately slow since I actually walked about 50m uphill when my HRM started ringing over 175.

Splits were remarkably fast in spite of perceived effort. What differentiates this from earlier runs is that my times are getting faster for less effort, but the improvement is greater than the norm. It's also much cooler and that counts for a hell of a lot.
1.4: 12:00(12:00)[08:34]
2.0: 29:05(17:05)[08:32]
1.4: 41:11(12:06)[08:39]
2.4: 61:27(20:16)[08:27]

4.8mi, 37:43

Hilary Duff, "Come Clean"
AC/DC, "Shoot to Thrill"

WX at 0700: 50(10), DP 50(10), RH 30.21(1023), winds Calm, RH 100%

Odometer 2: 74mi

Z4 mostly, some stretches where I caught myself going Z3, and a Z5 finish.

I took a day off from running yesterday after doing my combined 10K + airborne operation Thursday. I'd have to say that the race Thursday was probably the hardest run I'd done in a long, long time. It also provided me a benchmark to gauge real effort, and consequently, I may have been training in the 80% zone when I'd thought I was going harder and really wasn't.

Today was a personal best for this course. 7:51/mi overall. Tomorrow needs to be an easy day for running. I need to concentrate on the other two events for my physical fitness test, though.

Today is unusual that I didn't run a negative split for the second 1.4 mile loop. That probably means I gauged my effort right today, although I have yet to see whether I can do better running negative or positive splits into a run.

Splits
1.4: 10:43 (10:43)[07:40]
2.0: 26:44 (16:01)[08:00]
1.4: 37:43 (10:59)[07:51]

Jump 53, Ste Mere Eglise DZ, A/NT and static J

Drop altitude 1500 feet AGL, time of drop approximately 1425.
WX at 1500, 71/22, DP 48/9, winds E 10, unlimited vis. RH less than 60%.

And by the way, today's soundtrack coming off the drop zone:
Chris Stamey, "Insomnia"
R.E.M., "Driver 8"

What a beautiful day for a jump! Too bad I wasn't on the manifest before the jump started. Thankfully, today is the day before a 4-day weekend, so a lot of people who were on the manifest scratched (i.e., no-showed). This is where being on the jumpmaster team for the line really saved my ass. Generally, even if you're not on the manifest, if you're on the jumpmaster team, you stand a better chance of getting a parachute for scratches. The jumpmaster team (and the S3 air folks) tend to take care of their own. If you're willing to be current and put out jumpers, there is some benefit to be had.

Not a bad exit, but I had some bad oscillations at exit. As I gained canopy control, I literally was swinging 45 degrees off the vertical. I'm thinking the exit might have something to do with it, but I didn't notice anything particularly untoward in the exit. Descent was pretty straightforward with a rear landing. I didn't do anything particularly special; I just remained facing into the wind. In spite of proper orientation into the wind, I still landed going backwards about 4-5 knots. I attempted to flare my landing; I gave the toggles on my MC1-1D parachute a brief pull around 20-25 feet off the ground. I'm thinking this may have actually accelerated the landing or induced oscillation that might have accounted for my rear parachute landing fall.

I was a static jumpmaster five lifts later. Total composition of the lift was 12 jumpers, one of which was jumping combat equipment (ALICE pack). He was the first out. I always have a bad gut feeling about pulling duties in the event that I accidentally miss the panels (we jump Ground Marking Release System, so I manually initiate the jumpers' exits based on the positions of orange panels I see). Thankfully, I haven't missed the panels yet. They're actually not that hard to see. I still consider myself a relatively inexperienced jumpmaster under this system; when I went to the Jumpmaster course five years ago, the only method of delivery taught was the Computed Air Release Point, where the pilots control initiation of jumper exits. Today marked my third duty under GMRS.

Two notes about the lift.

First, I probably gave an early 1-minute time warning. Too early is not necessarily a bad thing, but it bothers me not to be able to ascertain the real position. I probably should do the math on the map and figure out what I really should be looking at a minute out. The thirty second time warning was on, but that's the western edge of the DZ. You have to be blind to miss that one since it's swamps and forest off the western edge and most of the DZ is grass and sand.

Second, and perhaps much more gratifying, one of my jumpers told me that I had a very accurate initial spot for the jumpers I exited. My first jumper landed within 150m of the personnel point of impact for this drop zone. The remainder of my jumpers landed on track, fairly close to the assembly point. It's always nice to know that I accurately spotted the jumpers for whom I was responsible. Of course, no injuries, and good coordination between myself and my safety (the other jumpmaster checking jumpers going out) made it even better.

All things being equal, this was a good jump and a great way to start the weekend, particularly coming off unexpectedly being on the overall champion team in the post cross-country race.

6.2mi, 44:00

The Ocean Blue, "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"

WX at 0700: 50(10), DP 50(10), BP 30.44(1030), winds calm, mist, RH 100%

No odometer. Today was done in Nike Air Streak Ekiden racing flats.

Z4 most of the way, Z5 finish. No heart rate monitor.

This morning's weather was excellent conditions, for a race. To add to the bonus factor, the team I was running for took the post championship. I will say up front that I took the first mile way too fast. Apart from that jackrabbit start, I would think that my unusually fast split at the 5 mile mark was because I was running mostly level ground that part of the race and it was on hard packed dirt rather than on loose sand, which was the case for parts of the race. Running on loose sand is a damn killer even if you're wearing racing shoes. Even wearing cross-country shoes (which I wasn't today) wouldn't help much on that surface. Thus, all the more reason to run on it in training.

Oddity: seeing a woman wearing a Middlebury lacrosse shirt. That was unusual if for no other reason than that's one of the last schools (Macalester, Smith, Oberlin also come to mind) I'd expect to see represented on a shirt at Fort Bragg, home of the Airborne and Special Operations, blah, blah, blah... That'd be about as incongruous as walking around in SoHo with one of these shirts on. I would not be so presumptuous as to actually get one.

I came to peace with not being a shooter a long time ago.

Splits:
1.0: 6:50 (6:50)
2.0: 14:11 (7:20)
3.0: 21:39 (7:27)
4.0: 28:49 (7:10)
5.0: 35:45 (6:56)
6.0: 42:54 (7:09)
6.2: 44:00 (1.05)

4.8mi, 43:05

Suicidal Tendencies, "Possessed to Skate"

WX at 0600: 62(17), DP 59(15), BP 30.16(1021), winds N 2 mist, RH 88%

Odometer 2: 69mi

Z1 to Z2, as befits a taper. No heart rate monitor today.

The last split was faster than exepcted, but after the first split, I was fully warmed up and it reflects. Nothing hard from now to Thursday.

I was going to get a jump in yesterday but the ceilings didn't meet minimum required altitude and we never got off the ground. It's a shame too- I was on the first lift (which never happens) and would've been done early. I'll see if I can get one on Thursday after the post cross-country race.

Splits
1.4: 13:07 (13:07) [09:22]
2.0: 31:05 (17:58) [08:59]
1.4: 43:05 (12:00) [08:34]

7.2mi, 63:35

Ministry, "N.W.O."
Husker Du, "New Day Rising" (live) off The Living End
Ministry, "Flashback"

WX at 0700: 69(21), DP 69(21), BP 30.17(1021), winds NE 3 fog, RH 100%

Odometer 1: 115mi

Z3 start, Z2 finish. No heart monitor. That wasn't really the object of the run, so that opens a debate about whether this would have constituted trash mileage or not. The high humidity in this run would've obviated any significant effort to get a PB (or for that matter, anything even remotely close to it).

I don't know how much we'll be doing at the zoo since there are supposed to be afternoon thunderstorms there. The prognosis for the subsequent Thomas the Tank Engine junket the next day looks good.

Catharsis run #2 in three days. I had no ambitions about times today. Today just offered an opportunity to get out and think about shit for a while, like undeclared domestic states of war in the household. Today was probably the most pointed example of unbridled shitty karma. I'm not really a believer in that concept, but just in case, it's in the negative digits today.

That, and I've gotta get around to my newest Scattergun (CD mix), which is tentatively titled "Music for Fucking People Up To." Yeah, dangling preposition. Whatever.

Splits:
1.4: 12:41 (12:41) [9:04]
2.0: 30:31 (17:50) [8:55]
1.4: 42:56 (12:25) [8:52]
2.4: 63:35 (20:39) [8:36]

4.8mi, 46:06

Beatallica, "Blackened the USSR"
Cheap Trick, "Mighty Wings"
Michael Manring, "Homeward"

WX at 0600: 71(22), DP 71(22), BP 30.10(1019), winds E 7 mist, RH 100%
No wonder I felt like fucking shit! Note RH.

Odometer 2: 64mi

Z1 most of the way. Z2 finish. The first thing I noticed was relative humidity. I knew the first mile and a half would consequently suck ass. It's weather like today's that deters me from running. I'd rather run in torrential downpour (and have) than still air (due to cover at ground level) and high humidity. Heart rate didn't exceed 150 for the first 3 miles. Didn't exceed 160 at the end either.

I was also deliberately going easy after yesterday's hard run. This run was to loosen the legs and burn fat.

Splits were slow, as to be expected. Really, really, really slow.
1.4: 14:02 (14:02.0)[10:01]
2.0: 33:11 (19:09.0)[09:34]
1.4: 46:06 (12:55.0)[09:13]