5.03mi, 46:19, 16 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Tommy Keene, "Running For Your Life"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 54 54 99% NA NA 30.16 1021.6

Odometer 12C: 405.7mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 148/166

I didn't feel really up to a run but didn't want to squander what would be an unparalleled day for running, so I got at it. I've had enough rest days this week where I think I'll be okay. My plantar fascitis is flaring up in my right foot as I get started, but after two miles, I felt fine. I should probably do something about it, of course.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:41 09:41 09:41 09:41 1.00
1.00 19:22 09:41 09:41 09:41 2.00
1.00 28:01 08:39 08:39 09:20 3.00
1.00 37:03 09:02 09:02 09:16 4.00
1.03 46:19 09:16 09:00 09:12 5.03

5.05mi, 43:05, 15 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Aly & AJ, "Chemicals React"

WX at 05:58 NW 3 10.00 Fair CLR 59 52 77% NA NA 30.15 1021.3 24.00

Odometer 12C: 400.7mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/173

I slept in yesterday, thinking I needed it, and in doing so, missed out on a premiere running weather day. I wasn't going to make the same mistake today, which was almost identical. However, as I started late, this run turned into a hard run to get done in time. But it was worth it.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:22 08:22 08:22 08:22 1.00
1.00 17:18 08:56 08:56 08:39 2.00
1.00 25:33 08:15 08:15 08:31 3.00
1.00 34:00 08:27 08:27 08:30 4.00
1.05 43:05 09:05 08:39 08:32 5.05

4.13mi, 38:48, 13 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
that dog., "Being With You"

WX at 05:58 SW 1 10.00 Fair CLR 77 74 91% NA 78 29.81 1009.7

Odometer 12C: 395.6mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 150/169

Dead legs on four hours of sleep, broken by the weather alarm going off at the third hour. Blechh. At least I still ran. The finish was at least okay, so I know I got something out of this run, but the first three miles were ugly.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:06 09:06 09:06 09:06 1.00
1.00 18:58 09:52 09:52 09:29 2.00
1.00 28:34 09:36 09:36 09:31 3.00
1.00 37:44 09:10 09:10 09:26 4.00
0.13 38:48 01:04 08:12 09:24 4.13

11.41mi, 1:50:35, 11 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
MaX, "Aim"
Josh Woodward, "Fast Food Fantasy"

WX at 09:58 W 2 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW075 77 70 79% NA 79 30.12 1020.2

Odometer 13A: 137.4mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 153/174

Today started with tired legs. I was thinking of an article I'd seen recently that advised, instead of a rest day, taking a long slow run. However, after the run I am absolutely beat. I need to take a few hours off as I'm totally out of gas. I'll see the wisdom of 11.4 miles of LSD tomorrow to see how I feel.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:24 09:24 09:24 09:24 1.00
1.00 0:19:13 09:49 09:49 09:36 2.00
1.00 0:28:41 09:28 09:28 09:34 3.00
1.00 0:38:40 09:59 09:59 09:40 4.00
1.00 0:48:34 09:54 09:54 09:43 5.00
1.00 0:58:24 09:50 09:50 09:44 6.00
1.00 1:08:15 09:51 09:51 09:45 7.00
1.00 1:17:21 09:06 09:06 09:40 8.00
1.00 1:26:49 09:28 09:28 09:39 9.00
1.00 1:36:54 10:05 10:05 09:41 10.00
1.00 1:46:46 09:52 09:52 09:42 11.00
0.41 1:50:35 03:49 09:19 09:42 11.41

a small blip

from Juliana Hatfield's blog:

he said: do you think I’m crazy to be going now to drive an hour just to give my girlfriend a kiss goodnight? I told him: no way. I think you’re so sane. I think you are a good boyfriend. Drive carefully.

This says an awful lot about that guy. By inference, it also says a fair amount about something that's been on my mind some lately too.

4.35mi, 39:51, 8 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
MaX, "Aim"

WX at 05:58 S 5 10.00 Fair CLR 74 73 96% NA NA 30.03 1017.2

Odometer 12C: 391.5mi

Z3 start, Z4 finish. Average/max heart rate = 151/171

Today was a challenge inasmuch as I was fighting the Blerch.

So I got at it. There is a lot of snark in Matthew Inman's webcomic, which of course makes it one of my favorites ever, but today was a good example of run or pay later. So I ran. Bumpy start as always, but a creditable finish, so it was a good run (especially given the negative splits at the end). Just not at the start, but they never are.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:16 09:16 09:16 09:16 1.00
1.00 18:49 09:33 09:33 09:24 2.00
1.00 28:16 09:27 09:27 09:25 3.00
1.00 37:04 08:48 08:48 09:16 4.00
0.35 39:51 02:47 07:57 09:10 4.35

4.50mi, 45:44, 6 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"
Game Theory, "Room For One More, Honey"

WX at 05:58 SE 5 10.00 Light Drizzle SCT060 BKN110 68 NA NA NA NA 30.03 1017.2

Odometer 12C: 387.2mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 140/156

Today was a recovery run, which was probably the only prudent thing to do. It was more noticeably humid, partly because of the drizzle, but after the last few days, I thought an easy run would be a better idea than sleeping in. Keeping this momentum is a whole lot better than the massive inconsistency of the last few weeks.

The first iThink is perhaps my favorite Juliana Hatfield song ever - and more notably, a song about dysfunctional relationships. The Game Theory song is from a time in my life that I had hitched great hopes of salvaging a relationship that was probably going to come apart, but I had fought (perhaps not in the right way) to try to keep the inevitable from happening. Ironically, it's a song I consider an elegantly hopeful one. But not in its context for me.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 10:09 10:09 10:09 10:09 1.00
1.00 20:27 10:18 10:18 10:13 2.00
1.00 30:35 10:08 10:08 10:12 3.00
1.00 40:42 10:07 10:07 10:11 4.00
0.50 45:44 05:02 10:04 10:10 4.50

5.05mi, 45:58, 5 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 05:58 NW 2 10.00 Fair CLR 59 57 93% NA NA 30.08 1018.9

Odometer 12C: 382.7mi

Z3 start, Z4 finish. Average/max heart rate = 151/173

I wasn't sure how I'd feel given that I'd spent the better part of 5 hours on my feet at Brickfair Virginia at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly. My legs were certainly beat by the time I was done - I can only imagine how trashed out the wife and kids were.

Today was not bad, and the weather certainly helped a lot. It would've been a crime not to go out and get at it this morning, so I did. I felt a lot better, and really stretched it out for speed at the end. Unsurprisingly, I was attempting to burn someone, in the interests of transparency, so I had an ulterior motive.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:11 09:11 09:11 09:11 1.00
1.00 19:05 09:54 09:54 09:32 2.00
1.00 27:47 08:42 08:42 09:16 3.00
1.00 36:45 08:58 08:58 09:11 4.00
1.05 45:58 09:13 08:47 09:06 5.05

3.00mi, 28:06, 4 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink: MaX, "Aim"

WX at 08:58 NW 9 10.00 Fair CLR 72 63 74% NA NA 29.98 1015.5

Odometer 12C: 377.6mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 146/163

Recovery run that was faster than it probably should've been. Off to go see BrickFair in Chantilly since the kids are big Lego fans. Also didn't count on doing two hours' worth of rowing yesterday at Burke Lake Park when the Younger and I rented a boat to meet one of her school friends. It's all good.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:27 09:27 09:27 09:27 1.00
1.00 18:53 09:26 09:26 09:26 2.00
1.00 28:06 09:13 09:13 09:22 3.00

11.36mi, 1:47:14, 3 AUG 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Mission UK, "Like A Child Again"
MxPx, "I Will Follow"
The Connells, "Fun & Games"

WX at 08:58 E 2 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW170 69 58 67% NA NA 29.99 1015.8

Odometer 13A: 126.0mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 155/170

The first iThink owes to something I was reading about WHFS, a FM station that used to be on 99.1 MHz in the DC-Baltimore Area. Had I grown up in Northern Virginia, it's probably a safe bet I would've listened to it, something I certainly did in the early 90s when WHFS was an amazing station. WHFS also used to play the hell out of that Mission UK song.  Admittedly, as parochial as I thought Richmond was, I was more than happy to go to anywhere more cosmopolitan.  Baltimore/DC was a huge step up in that department.

Today was a very disciplined run. I was looking to run exactly at anaerobic threshold pace, and did so or just below. It meant that I was able to run fairly strong all the way through, and the uphill trail run that usually wipes me out on the way back was uneventful. In that sense it was a good run. It doesn't make up for all the days I didn't run this week, but at least I was able to get my customary long run in this weekend up front.

It almost didn't happen as I woke up at about 12:30am last night with nausea so bad it was coming out both ends. The only good thing was that I was able to drink water without a whole lot of additional handwringing.  That's good, if only because of the length of the run.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:17 09:17 09:17 09:17 1.00
1.00 0:18:54 09:37 09:37 09:27 2.00
1.00 0:28:07 09:13 09:13 09:22 3.00
1.00 0:37:24 09:17 09:17 09:21 4.00
1.00 0:46:37 09:13 09:13 09:19 5.00
1.00 0:55:41 09:04 09:04 09:17 6.00
1.00 1:05:08 09:27 09:27 09:18 7.00
1.00 1:14:33 09:25 09:25 09:19 8.00
1.00 1:23:48 09:15 09:15 09:19 9.00
1.00 1:33:58 10:10 10:10 09:24 10.00
1.00 1:43:51 09:53 09:53 09:26 11.00
0.36 1:47:14 03:23 09:24 09:26 11.36

5.02mi, 48:16, 31 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 05:58 Calm 5.00 Mostly Cloudy with Haze BKN075 64 59 83% NA NA 30.16 1021.6

Odometer 13A: 114.6mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 147/168

I felt really beat, mostly because I've been averaging 4 hours of sleep a night the last few nights. Not because I'm being industrious (with one exception, an article for publication I'm trying to bring to closure) but because my mind is all over the place by 8pm after dinner and the LAST thing I want to do is veg out in front of the TV.

I think my biggest basic difference between me and the OPFOR CDR is the basis in how to recharge. I can't do it in front of the TV because most TV programming pisses me off or insults my intelligence. I think that's about it. The other is that the TV I really want to watch, I don't really want to watch in front of the kids, and the OPFOR CDR probably isn't interested in those shows.

So I got out for a slow recovery run that I'm not sure I felt much more up to than that. This might fit into the category of junk mileage, but in some ways, ANY mileage isn't junk because of how inconsistently I run lately and my constant need to burn lard. Also, I didn't sit my customary half hour in front of the computer reading stuff, so I wasn't particularly woken up either until about 2.5 miles in.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 1.00
1.00 19:57 10:12 10:12 09:58 2.00
1.00 29:09 09:12 09:12 09:43 3.00
1.00 38:27 09:18 09:18 09:37 4.00
1.02 48:16 09:49 09:37 09:37 5.02

11.33mi, 1:48:36, 28 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Iron Maiden, "Aces High"
Iron Maiden, "The Trooper"
The Sisters of Mercy, "Temple of Love '92"

WX at 09:58 S 6 10.00 Overcast BKN013 OVC019 75 69 80% NA NA 29.93 1013.8

Odometer 13A: 109.6mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 153/170

I knew this one was going to hurt but I saw this morning's temperature and thought I'd be able to get one in. Today turned out to be a better run than expected but it was still hard by any standard. What surprised me the most was being able to run most of the way uphill on trails in the last three miles. I knew I was going to be in the hurt box, but wanted to see how much pain I could run through as a function of getting the run in.

Better to try than to sleep in, especially after last week. I truly think this is the one thing weekly that keeps me honest, because I know I can't just do this off no mileage base, in spite of my lack of any substantive effort during the week to maintain it.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:25 09:25 09:25 09:25 1.00
1.00 0:19:09 09:44 09:44 09:34 2.00
1.00 0:28:11 09:02 09:02 09:24 3.00
1.00 0:37:52 09:41 09:41 09:28 4.00
1.00 0:47:25 09:33 09:33 09:29 5.00
1.00 0:57:08 09:43 09:43 09:31 6.00
1.00 1:06:45 09:37 09:37 09:32 7.00
1.00 1:16:16 09:31 09:31 09:32 8.00
1.00 1:25:18 09:02 09:02 09:29 9.00
1.00 1:35:58 10:40 10:40 09:36 10.00
1.00 1:45:31 09:33 09:33 09:36 11.00
0.33 1:48:36 03:05 09:21 09:35 11.33

5.08mi, 46:34, 27 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 10:58 S 9 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW048 80 68 66% NA 82 30.04 1017.5

Odometer 12C: 374.6mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 151/169

Not a hard run, but not an easy one either. I wasn't going to go very hard since tomorrow's still intended to be a long run. I needed this run after sleeping in yesterday. It's an indicator when I sleep through five snoozes.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:04 09:04 09:04 09:04 1.00
1.00 18:13 09:09 09:09 09:07 2.00
1.00 27:56 09:43 09:43 09:19 3.00
1.00 36:52 08:56 08:56 09:13 4.00
1.08 46:34 09:42 08:59 09:10 5.08

5.02mi, 43:14, 25 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Keene Brothers, "When Others Fail"

WX at 04:58 N 6 10.00 Overcast OVC085 69 46 45% NA NA 29.94 1014.1

Odometer 12C: 369.5mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/177

First early run in a while and I was rewarded by pleasant weather. Yes!!!

Never mind it's my first run since, oh, SUNDAY.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:41 08:41 08:41 08:41 1.00
1.00 17:39 08:58 08:58 08:49 2.00
1.00 25:59 08:20 08:20 08:40 3.00
1.00 34:32 08:33 08:33 08:38 4.00
1.02 43:14 08:42 08:32 08:37 5.02

10.18mi, 1:46:16, 21 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Iron Maiden, "Aces High"

WX at 10:58 NW 7 10.00 Fair CLR 88 68 53% NA 92 29.95 1014.5
09:58 Vrbl 2 10.00 Fair CLR 85 67 54% NA 87 29.95 1014.5
08:58 E 1 10.00 Fair CLR 82 66 58% NA 84 29.94 1014.1

Odometer 13A: 98.3mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 158/174

I went out thinking it was only 72F degrees, by which time it had actually gone up to 82F. By the time I was done it had gone up to 88F and what I was thinking wasn't going to be so bad turned into a full up death run.

Today was going to be bad, so I packed a Camelbak full up. What I didn't realize was that I was packing 100oz of water, not 70oz. Next time I'm taking out one of my legacy Camelbaks (as in first generation one) that only holds 70oz. The water was a lifesaver but I took too much (I had half of it left by the end).  I walked large chunks of today, as hard as I went.  Of course, if I'd realized it was going to be 88F by the time I finished, maybe I would've practiced some discretion instead.

I hurt. I'm going to continue to hurt for a while today after that run.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:23 09:23 09:23 09:23 1.00
1.00 0:18:58 09:35 09:35 09:29 2.00
1.00 0:28:17 09:19 09:19 09:26 3.00
1.00 0:38:35 10:18 10:18 09:39 4.00
1.00 0:48:30 09:55 09:55 09:42 5.00
1.00 0:59:08 10:38 10:38 09:51 6.00
1.00 1:09:10 10:02 10:02 09:53 7.00
1.00 1:20:38 11:28 11:28 10:05 8.00
1.00 1:32:26 11:48 11:48 10:16 9.00
1.00 1:44:26 12:00 12:00 10:27 10.00
0.18 1:46:16 01:50 10:11 10:26 10.18

4.48mi, 41:04, 20 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit"

WX at 07:58 Vrbl 1 8.00 A Few Clouds FEW160 79 63 83 79 59% NA 81 29.91 1013.1

Odometer 12C: 364.5mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 155/175

Nothing hard today, but today was sufficiently hot, humid, and windless as to be a harder run than I wanted to do. I'm hoping to go more than 8 tomorrow, but it would have to be early to get it in. Better this than nothing after all the days I took off this week, though.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:07 09:07 09:07 09:07 1.00
1.00 18:27 09:20 09:20 09:13 2.00
1.00 27:49 09:22 09:22 09:16 3.00
1.00 36:42 08:53 08:53 09:11 4.00
0.48 41:04 04:22 09:06 09:10 4.48

5.04mi, 45:47, 19 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 06:58 Calm 6.00 Fog/Mist CLR 76 72 88% NA 76 30.02 1016.8

Odometer 13A: 88.1mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 159/181

I wasn't really intending on going the level of intensity I did today, since I'd driven to North Carolina on Wednesday night and back yesterday afternoon, which in itself is not a big deal, but I deliberately didn't get too crazy when the OPFOR CDR, who is not used to driving in the DC area during high traffic, started really getting assed up.

However, there was one person who was running in front of me this morning and so turned into a pacer. However, that person was faster than me on level ground, so I was working hills more intensively to try to close the gap. Didn't happen before our respective routes diverged, but it made today's run surprisingly productive. And hard. The last mile was spent recovering from the hotdogging I was doing trying to keep up in miles 2, 3, and 4.

It's supposed to be hot today. Crazy hot:

Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. Heat index values as high as 107. Light southwest wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Yay.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:25 09:25 09:25 09:25 1.00
1.00 18:29 09:04 09:04 09:15 2.00
1.00 26:50 08:21 08:21 08:57 3.00
1.00 35:39 08:49 08:49 08:55 4.00
1.04 45:47 10:08 09:45 09:05 5.04

5.05mi, 45:25, 16 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Velvet Crush, "Weird Summer"
Velvet Crush, "Drive Me Down"

WX at 05:58 NW 1 10.00 Fair CLR 76 61 60% NA 78 30.22 1023.6

Odometer 12C: 360.0mi

Z3-Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/173

Today was a bad start where I had no energy but by the time I had hit about 3 miles I was fully warmed up. It's been a while since I've run my customary 5-mile loop, but I was unprepared for just how much raw willpower it took just to get out the door. Apart from mile 3 (mostly uphill) I ran generally negative splits. There are some uphill portions of the last mile.

The weather has not helped much. While it hasn't been ridiculously hot lately (by DC standards), it's also been accompanied by virtually no wind. That's the killer. Running in the direction of traffic is okay, although facing traffic going 55mph might not be the desired speed. (I was on a path off the road itself.)

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:09 09:09 09:09 09:09 1.00
1.00 18:09 09:00 09:00 09:04 2.00
1.00 27:39 09:30 09:30 09:13 3.00
1.00 36:18 08:39 08:39 09:04 4.00
1.05 45:25 09:07 08:41 09:00 5.05

8.40mi, 82:24, 14 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Rush, "Ghost Rider"

WX at 09:52 Vrbl 5 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT013 82 72 70% NA 86 30.35 NA

Odometer 13A: 83.0mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 153/172

I started out on very tired legs from yesterday's cycle ride, as well as some residual soreness from wiping out. But I needed to get in a long run today, and while I wasn't up to going 10 or more, I needed to go more than 7. The comparative absence of wind didn't help much today, though.

I was totally soaked through with sweat by the time I was done. Literally not a dry spot on me by the time I was done.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:28 09:28 09:28 09:28 1.00
1.00 19:24 09:56 09:56 09:42 2.00
1.00 29:03 09:39 09:39 09:41 3.00
1.00 39:16 10:13 10:13 09:49 4.00
1.00 48:52 09:36 09:36 09:46 5.00
1.00 58:25 09:33 09:33 09:44 6.00
1.00 69:13 10:48 10:48 09:53 7.00
1.00 78:48 09:35 09:35 09:51 8.00
0.40 82:24 03:36 09:00 09:49 8.40

15.8mi trail cycling, 88:41, 13 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink: None.

WX at 16:58 SE 6 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT060 SCT080 84 67 57% NA 87 30.19 1022.6

Odometer 12: N/A

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 129/163

Should've gone for a run but didn't really feel like it. Wiped out, leaving some skinned knuckles, at about the 5-mile mark. Somehow my handlebars are not centered and need to be fixed in place. More work later.

No splits.

3.01mi, 26:41, 10 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Hüsker Dü, "First of the Last Calls"
Hüsker Dü, "I Will Never Forget You"
Everlast, "All Along the Watchtower"

WX at 05:58 Vrbl 1 6.00 Partly Cloudy with Haze SCT180 76 60 56% NA 78 29.99 1015.8

Odometer 12C: 354.9mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 150/166

Short run for late start. Gotta go. This has been a bad week for scheduling.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:09 09:09 09:09 09:09 1.00
1.00 17:58 08:49 08:49 08:59 2.00
1.01 26:41 08:43 08:38 08:52 3.01

3.02mi, 28:09, 8 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 05:52 SE 3 10.00 Fair CLR 72 57 61% NA NA 30.09 NA

Odometer 12C: 351.9mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 144/161

Short run due to late wakeup. Back to work today, so no more sleeping in until 9am. Not a great start but the finish was better. This morning's run was mostly to prevent today from being a Do Nothing But Eat Day.

I'm also reminded of the fact that I used to run about these kind of times when I started running in 1988. Oh, how the mighty (in an admittedly incredible conceit) have fallen.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:51 09:51 09:51 09:51 1.00
1.00 19:05 09:14 09:14 09:32 2.00
1.02 28:09 09:04 08:53 09:19 3.02

7.59mi, 71:30, 7 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Sisters of Mercy, "Temple of Love"

WX at 08:58 Vrbl 5 10.00 Fair CLR 81 67 63% NA 84 30.11 1019.9

Odometer 13A: 74.6mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 157/174

The heat killed me today. Two factors, in spite of going heavy on water this morning, were socks that didn't breathe at all, and a dark shirt, I suspect. I got through most of the run without walking, short of one brief section of about 50 feet. Today was not fun. I hit the wall around mile 7 and it was a grindout from there.

It's perhaps instructive that the local weather sensor was reading 87.8F by the time I got back. Also, variable 5 = no discernible wind, which added a bit to the difficulty. Occupational hazard.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10 1.00
1.00 18:27 09:17 09:17 09:13 2.00
1.00 27:30 09:03 09:03 09:10 3.00
1.00 36:34 09:04 09:04 09:09 4.00
1.00 46:08 09:34 09:34 09:14 5.00
1.00 55:30 09:22 09:22 09:15 6.00
1.00 65:14 09:44 09:44 09:19 7.00
0.59 71:30 06:16 10:37 09:25 7.59

5.48mi, 56:14, 6 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Philip Glass, "Prophecies" from Koyannisqatsi
Velvet Crush, "Stop"

WX at 08:58 Vrbl 6 10.00 Fair CLR 82 69 66% NA 86 30.20 1022.9

Odometer 12C:348.9mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 148/170

Today was hot as balls. What was intended as a recovery run after yesterday's cycling turned into a lot of wogging that was still well inside zone 3. Ergh.

However, I found a short trail that went through the woods and the unexpected bonus was a water fountain at the turnaround point. That hit the spot.

iThink 1 comes from reading the listings on the Documerica project at the National Archives.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:37 09:37 09:37 09:37 1.00
1.00 19:56 10:19 10:19 09:58 2.00
1.00 30:33 10:37 10:37 10:11 3.00
1.00 41:22 10:49 10:49 10:20 4.00
1.00 51:33 10:11 10:11 10:19 5.00
0.48 56:14 04:41 09:45 10:16 5.48

14.60mi trail cycling, 83:38, 5 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Blur, "Song 2"

WX at 12:58 S 8 10.00 Fair CLR 86 76 71% NA 96 30.23 1023.9

Odometer: N/A

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 128/166


I decided to try something I hadn't done in a long while, and pumped up my commuter bicycle tires and went for just under a 15mi ride. If I do that again, I probably need to invest in some bicycle shorts. It was all right, although I have a hard time believing I actually burned 1513 kcal on this ride.  It was over an hour, so maybe.  But I doubt it.

No Splits

5.05mi, 44:51, 4 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit"
The Chills, "Pink Frost"
Theme song from Team America: World Police

WX at 09:58 Vrbl 2 10.00 Overcast BKN019 OVC026 79 68 69% NA 81 30.27 1025.3

Odometer 12C: 343.4mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 161/184

I hurt in a nonproductive way today. Today was my moment of truth in the heat, and I was found wanting. However, I have no excuses as I really avoid running in the heat every chance I get - unless it gets in the way of trying to catch back up on sleep, which I did last night.

Today started out optimistically, and turned into a grit festival at the end. Bad enough where I walked about 20m of the last uphill, it was so unpleasant.

I still needed to get at it, so I did. The two longer mile splits include stops to accomodate oncoming traffic where I didn't stop the clock.

The last iThink is curiously appropriate for today. Yesterday marked some unnamed agency at the Pentagon sending out notes on "4th of July is all about diversity." That is such fucking bullshit. How the hell can a day of division from a home country, to include armed insurrection, be about diversity? Seriously?!  For that, I have the last iThink.  Bite my nuts.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:40 08:40 08:40 08:40 1.00
1.00 17:57 09:17 09:17 08:58 2.00
1.00 26:19 08:22 08:22 08:46 3.00
1.00 35:04 08:45 08:45 08:46 4.00
1.05 44:51 09:47 09:19 08:53 5.05

5.82mi, 52:37, 2 JUL 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit"

WX at 05:58 SE 7 10.00 Overcast OVC014 75 68 78% NA NA 30.05 1017.8

Odometer 12C: 338.4mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 153/172

Neither strong nor weak today, but yesterday's rest day gave a little impetus for going a bit further today. I wanted to go more than the usual five, but didn't go quite as far as I'd have liked to make it an even six. On the other hand, the temperature and humidity, while not imposing in terms of numbers, made for a sticky run. It really has the feeling of "about to rain" and the lugubrious feeling (whether my own or weather-induced) didn't help.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 1.00
1.00 18:22 09:07 09:07 09:11 2.00
1.00 27:21 08:59 08:59 09:07 3.00
1.00 35:57 08:36 08:36 08:59 4.00
1.00 44:52 08:55 08:55 08:58 5.00
0.82 52:37 07:45 09:27 09:02 5.82

6.69mi, 63:48, 30 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit"

WX at 08:58 Vrbl 5 10.00 Overcast OVC013 78 69 74% NA 80 29.79 1009.1

Odometer 13A: 67.0mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 152/171

While the heart rate might not have been representative of the level of effort, today's run was a grinding session on dead legs. Add to that the unbelievably sticky feeling this morning with virtually no wind, and today's run was going to be a suck-a-thon. I want to see if I can get in seven consecutive days. While I've been a big fan on rest days, I want to see if I can get some veneer of momentum. I'll see.

No scenery whatsoever, and everything looks different running in the opposite direction I normally run on certain trails.

Also, I was chumped out of running a perfect 6.66mi run. Oops.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:15 09:15 09:15 09:15 1.00
1.00 18:39 09:24 09:24 09:19 2.00
1.00 27:55 09:16 09:16 09:18 3.00
1.00 37:31 09:36 09:36 09:23 4.00
1.00 47:34 10:03 10:03 09:31 5.00
1.00 57:21 09:47 09:47 09:33 6.00
0.69 63:48 06:27 09:21 09:32 6.69

The harpsichord

I was quite a fan of Juliana Hatfield's music when I was in college and a few years afterwards.  I'm not sure where it had originated, but it took off when I had become friends with someone at Bowdoin College who was a big fan of hers.  It's slacked quite a bit in the last decade, but I haven't forgotten it.

On the short list of books to read is her book When I Grow Up, which she was reading at Northeastern University a few years ago.  I found it yesterday, and it contains one of the most gutwrenching account I've read in a very long while of a marriage on life support that eventually died.*

The description of her life at home provides a powerful explanation for the songs she wrote, and perhaps why they resonated with me so much, although my home life growing up was anything but turbulent.  It was borderline idyllic.  I'm not sure where my nagging discontent comes from.

Dad walked in through the kitchen door and past my mother, holding the ax.  He went through the dining room and into the music room and he brought the ax down hard on the harpsichord - the beautiful harpsichord that he had built for my mother.  He destroyed it, methodically, as my mother watched, numb, and when he was finished, he looked at her, with sweat streaming down his face, and said, "Stay with me." She did, for eight more years.

I, naturally, concluded that love, and men, and marriage must always lead inevitably to smashed harpsichords.  But music, my loyal and constant companion, would never break my heart or love me too little or destroy anything.  Music would be an alternative to secular, romantic love and to marriage and misery.  The audience and I would love each other from a safe, platonic reserve and no one would get hurt.

Here's the clip of Hatfield reading it at Northeastern, starting at "The Harpsichord." It has been on my mind, a lot, lately.


* The other one that comes to mind is Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which I read my senior year in high school while I was dealing with the fallout from a really shitterific breakup with my high school girlfriend, who had gone on to college.

4.00mi, 35:55, 29 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Mark Isham, "Army Strong"
James Horner, "Battle in the Mutara Nebula"

WX at 09:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 79 63 58% NA 81 29.63 1003.6

Odometer 12C: 332.6mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 155/174

Unusually fast start that quickly tapered as I realized I wasn't used to running under direct sunlight. While not as humid as I thought it was, it's not a run I was going to take very hard. I did want to get in at least 4, so I took a few extra turns to get in the exact mileage.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:39 08:39 08:39 08:39 1.00
1.00 18:06 09:27 09:27 09:03 2.00
1.00 27:00 08:54 08:54 09:00 3.00
1.00 35:55 08:55 08:55 08:59 4.00

3.51mi, 34:32, 27 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juliana Hatfield, "Perfection"

WX at 05:58 SE 3 9.00 Overcast OVC004 70 67 91% NA NA 29.82 1010.1

Odometer 12C: 328.6mi

Z2. Average/max heart rate = 143/160

Slow day of wogging after the last two days. I still need to get up earlier.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:41 09:41 09:41 09:41 1.00
1.00 19:57 10:16 10:16 09:58 2.00
1.00 29:49 09:52 09:52 09:56 3.00
0.51 34:32 04:43 09:15 09:50 3.51

4.48mi, 39:36, 26 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Bats, "Flowers and Trees"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 71 65 83% NA NA 29.92 1013.4

Odometer 13A: 60.3mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 152/172

In spite of the average HR, this was a hard run. I started later than I wanted to, and compensated by going much, much harder than I otherwise would after a day that was also zone 4. It wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow, and it certainly wasn't easy.

It was worth it, but I will definitely need to back off tomorrow lest I risk not getting enough rest. I'm still not getting enough rest otherwise.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:37 08:37 08:37 08:37 1.00
1.00 17:57 09:20 09:20 08:58 2.00
1.00 26:58 09:01 09:01 08:59 3.00
1.00 35:28 08:30 08:30 08:52 4.00
0.48 39:36 04:08 08:37 08:50 4.48

4.84mi, 42:37, 25 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Dream Academy, "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want"

WX at 05:58 Calm 8.00 Fair CLR 66 62 87% NA NA 30.03 1017.2

Odometer 12C: 325.1mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/174

No run yesterday, but pretty hard run today. The weather was initially helpful but it was humid. I needed to get out there but I really need to sleep more. 4 hours a night is not enough.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:49 1.00
1.00 17:56 09:07 09:07 08:58 2.00
1.00 26:51 08:55 08:55 08:57 3.00
1.00 35:29 08:38 08:38 08:52 4.00
0.84 42:37 07:08 08:30 08:48 4.84

10.04mi, 93:00, 23 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit"
The Salt Flats, "If I Can't Change Your Mind"

WX at 07:58 Calm 0.50 Heavy Rain Fog VV016 70 68 94% NA NA 30.19 1022.6

Odometer 13A: 55.8mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 157/173

Today was the run I probably should've done yesterday, as the ambient twemperature was about 10F lower. However, I would've missed out on the driving rainstorm that made today's run surprisingly enjoyable. The other thing the driving rainstorm did is reduce the relative scenery factor substantially as only the hardcore ones were out on the trail today.

The other thing that ensued after today's run was just a total lack of energy today. I could be overtired, which is very possible given the lack of really good rest I'm getting during the week.  I did not run on Friday (too tired) or Saturday (competing demands) and so I need to force myself to run tomorrow to retain momentum.

On the bright side, I definitely got what I paid for, and the ASICS GT-2000 trail shoes I got (odometer 13A) have been working out like a champ, far better than the Gel-Neo33s they replaced. I guess I'll stick with the 2000-series shoes as they seem to be a better bet, even though they're more expensive. However, given the rate at which I replace shoes, it amortizes out to a reasonable expense.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:24 09:24 09:24 09:24 1.00
1.00 18:59 09:35 09:35 09:30 2.00
1.00 28:11 09:12 09:12 09:24 3.00
1.00 37:37 09:26 09:26 09:24 4.00
1.00 46:44 09:07 09:07 09:21 5.00
1.00 55:38 08:54 08:54 09:16 6.00
1.00 64:41 09:03 09:03 09:14 7.00
1.00 74:09 09:28 09:28 09:16 8.00
1.00 83:32 09:23 09:23 09:17 9.00
1.04 93:00 09:28 09:06 09:16 10.04

4.5mi, 41:48, 20 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Katy Perry, "Firework"
Everlast, "All Along the Watchtower"


WX at 05:58 Calm 6.00 Fog/Mist BKN019 62 59 90% NA NA 30.23 1024.0

Odometer 12C: 320.2mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 146/168

This really felt like a textbook run on dead legs that went much better. I was pretty tired at the start and very nearly slept in, but after the first three miles, I felt much better. I internally debated about whether I wanted to go shorter or longer, but longer was the right choice. I finished much faster and very relaxed, which is, honestly uncharacteristic.

It could also be a consequence of being generally assed up for a variety of reasons lately and not having any useful outlets other than this one.

There's a part of me that wants to see how Stephen King's Under the Dome can be cleaned up to put on network TV (hence the reason for iThink #2).  There's a part of me that really doesn't give a flying fuck.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:27 09:27 09:27 09:27 1.00
1.00 19:09 09:42 09:42 09:34 2.00
1.00 28:31 09:22 09:22 09:30 3.00
1.00 37:24 08:53 08:53 09:21 4.00
0.50 41:48 04:24 08:48 09:17 4.50

6.0mi, 52:30, 19 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Jackson Browne, "Fountain of Sorrow"
Jenn Grant, "Oh My Heart"

WX at 05:58 Vrbl 2 10.00 Mostly Cloudy FEW060 BKN090 65 62 90% NA NA 29.93 1013.8

Odometer 13A: 45.8mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 156/174

Today started pleasant enough, albeit a bit humid. This was a little longer, although the run was actually a bit quicker, so today was pretty productive. I'm sure that going easy followed by a Do Nothing But Eat day was a contributing factor, and today's run was marked with far less dead legs than usual. Yay.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:05 09:05 09:05 09:05 1.00
1.00 17:50 08:45 08:45 08:55 2.00
1.00 26:33 08:43 08:43 08:51 3.00
1.00 34:38 08:05 08:05 08:39 4.00
1.00 43:32 08:54 08:54 08:42 5.00
1.00 52:39 09:07 09:07 08:46 6.00

3.0mi, 30:18, 17 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Bats, "Flowers and Trees"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Partly Cloudy FEW100 SCT130 69 66 92% NA NA 29.95 1014.5

Odometer 12C: 315.7mi

Z2-Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 142/158

Easy day of deliberate wogging to offset yesterday's long run. The challenge was not going too fast, and I think I was by and large successful if the average heart rate didn't go much above 142. I'll see if my going into zone 4 (ever so briefly, based on max heart rate) was counterproductive.

Looking at the Bats' homepage, I am absolutely kicking myself that I didn't make their show in Washington DC on 5 June. Just my luck to find out about it a week and a half after the event. Bummer.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 10:30 10:30 10:30 10:30 1.00
1.00 20:26 09:56 09:56 10:13 2.00
1.00 30:18 09:52 09:52 10:06 3.00

11.43mi, 1:46:23, 16 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Tommy Keene, "Running For Your Life"
Mark Isham, "Army Strong"
Motley Crue, "Kickstart My Heart"
Tommy Keene, "Battle Lines"

WX at 08:58 Vrbl 5 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT100 BKN150 72 63 72% NA NA 30.00 1016.2
WX at 07:58 W 1 10.00 Partly Cloudy FEW110 SCT170 69 61 69 62 76% NA NA 30.00 1016.2

Odometer 13A: 39.8mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 155/171

I'd loaded up a Camelbak with the notion that I was going to run with it. However, the temperature was low enough (64F) when I started that I decided to drink more water at the start and grind it out without any extra water. It worked out, although I could feel it by about mile 9.

Today went better, although I had the same constraint, needing to be back before the OPFOR CDR had to go to a meeting this morning.

But I needed to get this out of the way, so I did. Time to hit up the grass before it rains.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:21 09:21 09:21 09:21 1.00
1.00 0:18:53 09:32 09:32 09:26 2.00
1.00 0:28:06 09:13 09:13 09:22 3.00
1.00 0:37:34 09:28 09:28 09:24 4.00
1.00 0:46:39 09:05 09:05 09:20 5.00
1.00 0:55:55 09:16 09:16 09:19 6.00
1.00 1:05:01 09:06 09:06 09:17 7.00
1.00 1:14:02 09:01 09:01 09:15 8.00
1.00 1:23:12 09:10 09:10 09:15 9.00
1.00 1:33:10 09:58 09:58 09:19 10.00
1.00 1:42:27 09:17 09:17 09:19 11.00
0.43 1:46:23 03:56 09:09 09:18 11.43

4.0mi, 38:50, 15 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Mark Isham, "Army Strong"
Psy, "Gangnam Style"

WX at 09:58 W 12 10.00 Fair CLR 77 58 53% NA 79 30.08 1018.9

Odometer 12C: 312.7mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 148/177

Recovery run in anticipation of going long tomorrow. No, I don't know where the second iThink came from.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:25 09:25 09:25 09:25 1.00
1.00 19:19 09:54 09:54 09:39 2.00
1.00 28:54 09:35 09:35 09:38 3.00
1.00 38:50 09:56 09:56 09:43 4.00

2.11mi + 3.15mi formation run + 2.11mi, 18:14 + 33:56 + 16:07, 14 JUN 13, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia

iThink: Mark Isham, "Army Strong"

WX at 06:52 N 15 G 20 8.00 Light Rain FEW018 OVC040 62 55 78% NA NA 29.78 1008.2 0.01

Odometer 13A: 28.3mi

Z4 ingress, Z2 run, Z4 egress. Average/max heart rate = 152/184

This was my participation in the Army Birthday Run at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Being a somewhat jaded basic branch combat arms officer, I wasn't sure what to expect in a formation run of over 2,500 Soldiers and Civilians at Headquarters, Department of the Army. I was pleasantly surprised.

The run went extraordinarily well for one of that size, and while we all need some practice singing the new parts of the Army Song, I particularly liked the Army Band playing Mark Isham's "Army Strong" as the group marched out. I can think of no better background music to play on a day of celebration than that one, honestly.

I decided to run in from the Pentagon because it'd be easier than trying to ride the bus full of sweaty runners on the way back. I also wanted to turn it into a long run and the ingress and egress to JBMHH was sufficiently hard to warrant it being a solid run.

It's a great day to be an American Soldier.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST SEGMENT
2.11 18:14 18:14 08:38 08:38 2.11 ingress
0.24 22:55 04:41 19:31 09:45 2.35 quick time
1.00 33:17 10:22 10:22 09:56 3.35 formation run
1.00 43:16 09:59 09:59 09:57 4.35
1.15 56:51 13:35 11:49 10:20 5.50
2.11 12:58 16:07 07:38 09:35 7.61 egress

5.04mi, 46:47, 12 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Katy Perry, "Firework"

WX at 05:58 S 2 9.00 A Few Clouds FEW050 64 62 92% NA NA 29.87 1011.8

Odometer 13A: 20.4mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 152/172

Dead legs continue. No way around it. I cannot get to sleep early enough at night to get more than four hours of sleep, which is starting to irritate me.

Running on dead legs is unavoidable, but if I continue to run through it, the solution, short of doing strength work, is to do a lot of hills, hard. As counterintuitive as it feels, that's probably the way to go. There'd probably going to be some benefit to it later this summer when it starts getting unpleasant. I might not do it since frankly, I don't feel that industrious.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:18 09:18 09:18 09:18 1.00
1.00 19:26 10:08 10:08 09:43 2.00
1.00 28:09 08:43 08:43 09:23 3.00
1.00 37:06 08:57 08:57 09:16 4.00
1.04 46:47 09:41 09:19 09:17 5.04

4.1mi, 39:29, 11 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Richard Rodgers, "Full Fathom Five"
Chris Stamey, "On The Radio"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Mostly Cloudy BKN130 67 64 91% NA NA 29.83 1010.4

Odometer 13A: 15.5mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 150/171

Dead legs but I need to run. Story of my recent life. I didn't go yesterday, so to avoid setting a trend, I had to go this morning. Sleeping 4 hours last night probably didn't help, though.

The first iThink I attribute to reading about this letter before going out.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:32 09:32 09:32 09:32 1.00
1.00 19:34 10:02 10:02 09:47 2.00
1.00 29:17 09:43 09:43 09:46 3.00
1.10 39:29 10:12 09:16 09:38 4.10

11.42mi, 1:47:04, 9 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Bob Mould, "MM 17"
Bob Mould, "The Descent"

WX at 07:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 69 64 69 63 84% NA NA 30.18 1022.3
WX at 06:58 S 1 5.00 Fog/Mist CLR 64 62 95% NA NA 30.17 1021.9

Odometer 13A:11.42mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 158/174

OMFG my legs were dead. I was hoping they would get better, and they did by about the 6 mile mark, but on the return leg I was absolutely toast as I realized I hadn't drank enough water and I was about to run dry. In spite of the cooler weather, I was so beat that I was walking one of the uphill trails coming back, and in general, this was a grit-a-thon. But I was going to grind it out on principle.

Next time I take a Camelbak, I think.

On the good side, the new Asics GT-2000 Trail shoes fared pretty well, I thought. I'm not sure if I want to stay with the Neo33s, although they are $20 cheaper. In the end, the $20 difference is not that big of a deal.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:08:54 08:54 08:54 08:54 1.00
1.00 0:18:17 09:23 09:23 09:09 2.00
1.00 0:27:30 09:13 09:13 09:10 3.00
1.00 0:36:46 09:16 09:16 09:11 4.00
1.00 0:45:52 09:06 09:06 09:10 5.00
1.00 0:54:45 08:53 08:53 09:07 6.00
1.00 1:03:52 09:07 09:07 09:07 7.00
1.00 1:12:53 09:01 09:01 09:07 8.00
1.00 1:22:11 09:18 09:18 09:08 9.00
1.00 1:32:43 10:32 10:32 09:16 10.00
1.00 1:42:46 10:03 10:03 09:21 11.00
0.42 1:47:04 04:18 10:14 09:23 11.42

5.60mi, 53:58, 7 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Katy Perry, "Firework"
New Model Army, "Running in the Rain"
Kitchens of Distinction, "Smiling"

WX at 05:52 W 6 5.00 Light Rain Fog/Mist OVC005 70 67 90% NA NA 29.79 1008.7 0.01

Odometer 12C: 308.7mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 150/165

Dead legs almost throughout. Today was a day I wanted to run, but the hallmark of this entire week is that I've been averaging 4.5 hours of sleep a night. I know that's not enough, but I don't feel like going to sleep earlier and I'm waking up about as early as I can take and still run. It's a double-edged sword, and something I have to fix.

Today was better than nothing at all, but these splits are pretty disappointing, even accounting for the weather.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:43 09:43 09:43 09:43 1.00
1.00 19:33 09:50 09:50 09:46 2.00
1.00 29:41 10:08 10:08 09:54 3.00
1.00 38:45 09:04 09:04 09:41 4.00
1.00 48:34 09:49 09:49 09:43 5.00
0.60 53:58 05:24 09:00 09:38 5.60

4.00mi, 34:54, 5 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Cheap Trick, "Mighty Wings"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 52 51 96% NA NA 30.16 1021.6

Odometer 12C: 303.1mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 153/171

It would've been a lost opportunity if I didn't run today. I very seriously thought about sleeping in, but on a day that I knew was going to be good running weather, I had to go. So I did. I felt better, although I'm not sure if it's entirely due to the easier days I've taken on Monday and Tuesday. Tomorrow needs to be a longer run, although I'm rather enjoying the sustained momentum of actually running every day.

I also had occasion last night to go to the Elder's choir recital. There is something about kids performing (and I've noticed this not only for musical performance but also for theater) that tugs at my heartstrings, if only because it's a reminder of when I was younger, and not as jaded or bitter about the world. I was instantly reminded of something I read long, long ago, that had described many of the outcomes of the things that had shaped me in my younger years:

In a quarter hour, he cried away his youth. No matter what else happened, it was gone. If he quit he would have scarred his innocence with the knowledge that he couldn't take it. He knew he would never quit. So he cried instead for his youth. He cried because, with one decision, and after a day that he despised above all others in his life, he had committed himself to at least nine years of orders and abstinence and repression and confinement, worst of all confinement, the inability to decide any large aspect of his life.

And after nine years, if any portion of his happy wildness were to survive, it would be old.

James Webb, A Sense of Honor 

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:34 08:34 08:34 08:34 1.00
1.00 17:43 09:09 09:09 08:51 2.00
1.00 26:39 08:56 08:56 08:53 3.00
1.00 34:54 08:15 08:15 08:43 4.00

4.47mi, 42:13, 4 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Grapes of Wrath, "O Lucky Man"

WX at 05:58 NW 3 10.00 Fair CLR 61 51 69% NA NA 30.04 1017.5

Odometer 12C: 299.1mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 149/167

Start on tired legs shifted to a better run by the end. This morning's weather was pleasant. Less than great start, but I knew it was going to be that way. The finish was better.

If I look back to what I was running 10 years ago, I was running a lot more.  I also didn't have to depart for work until about 8:45am, unlike my current job where I have to be out the door not much after 7:00am.  Given that I've been going to sleep about the same time regardless, the mileage suffers as a result.  I guess I was spoiled, working in combat arms units where PT was considered part of the duty day, rather than just a lesser included activity. It's not a particularly good excuse, but it does explain a few things.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:35 09:35 09:35 09:35 1.00
1.00 19:39 10:04 10:04 09:49 2.00
1.00 29:02 09:23 09:23 09:41 3.00
1.00 37:57 08:55 08:55 09:29 4.00
0.47 42:13 04:16 09:05 09:27 4.47

3.65mi, 36:07, 3 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Bats, "Courage"

WX at 05:58 Vrbl 7 4.00 Rain Fog/Mist SCT005 BKN010 OVC041 70 68 94% NA NA 29.88 1012.1 0.19

Odometer 12B: 409.1mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 146/162

Easy recovery run, or some reasonable facsimile thereof. I could hear rain coming down, but I didn't expect the torrential downpour as soon as I stepped outside. The weather report stated "light rain" that wasn't light when I started. I adore running in the rain, but it's been a while. Today was a slow, but productive run as I didn't want to be too ambitious after yesterday's long hot run.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:32 09:32 09:32 09:32 1.00
1.00 19:56 10:24 10:24 09:58 2.00
1.00 29:57 10:01 10:01 09:59 3.00
0.65 36:07 06:10 09:29 09:54 3.65

11.72mi, 1:56:55, 2 JUN 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Touché Amoré, "Unsatisfied"
The Replacements, "Answering Machine"

WX at 08:58 S 12 10.00 Fair CLR 79 67 67% NA 81 29.90 1012.8
WX at 07:58 S 7 10.00 Fair CLR 77 67 77 75 71% NA 79 29.91 1013.1

Odometer 12C: 294.6mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 154/170

Slow start on dead legs on a day that was noticeably hotter than before meant that today was going to be a slow day. That's fine, because I wanted to see if I could grind it out in one run, and for the most part (less one pit stop) I did. The last two miles were ugly, but I knew they were going to be. After the last few days, I needed to get this run in.

The scenery was better this morning. It's warmer, so people showed up earlier for the same reasons I did - it's going to be hot today.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:53 09:53 09:53 09:53 1.00
1.00 0:19:54 10:01 10:01 09:57 2.00
1.00 0:29:53 09:59 09:59 09:58 3.00
1.00 0:40:02 10:09 10:09 10:00 4.00
1.00 0:50:12 10:10 10:10 10:02 5.00
1.00 0:59:54 09:42 09:42 09:59 6.00
1.00 1:09:25 09:31 09:31 09:55 7.00
1.00 1:19:51 10:26 10:26 09:59 8.00
1.00 1:29:17 09:26 09:26 09:55 9.00
1.00 1:39:40 10:23 10:23 09:58 10.00
1.00 1:49:36 09:56 09:56 09:58 11.00
0.72 1:56:55 07:19 10:10 09:59 11.72

5.06mi, 45:55, 30 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Bob Mould, "MM 17"

WX at 05:58 E 1 10.00 Fair CLR 64 63 94% NA NA 30.17 1021.9

Odometer 12B: 405.5mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 153/170

Slow start on tired legs that I didn't expect. As a result, I don't think I really felt warmed up until mile 4, a late runup by any standard.

Early day at work. Back to the salt mines.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:48 08:48 08:48 08:48 1.00
1.00 17:52 09:04 09:04 08:56 2.00
1.00 27:33 09:41 09:41 09:11 3.00
1.00 36:39 09:06 09:06 09:10 4.00
1.06 45:55 09:16 08:45 09:04 5.06

4.47mi, 43:25, 29 May 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Go-Go's, "Unforgiven"
mewithoutYou, "January 1979"

WX at 05:58 S 3 10.00 Fair CLR 69 64 85% NA NA 30.11 1019.9

Odometer 12C: 282.9mi

Z2-Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 149/167

Easy recovery run. Period. Nothing hard in the prospects of going hard tomorrow morning, although I have to go in early, so I have to wake up earlier. That'll be tough, but keeping up the momentum is worth it.

"January 1979" is a pretty angry-sounding song, but I have a lot of rage in my heart lately.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:28 09:28 09:28 09:28 1.00
1.00 19:46 10:18 10:18 09:53 2.00
1.00 29:30 09:44 09:44 09:50 3.00
1.00 38:59 09:29 09:29 09:45 4.00
0.47 43:25 04:26 09:26 09:43 4.47

5.10mi, 43:36, 28 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Go-Go's, "Unforgiven"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Partly Cloudy FEW080 SCT180 54 52 92% NA NA 30.16 1021.6

Odometer 12B: 400.4mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 157/174

Today felt fast, maybe because I hadn't run in a few days. I also walked most of yesterday, between going to Arlington National Cemetery and then taking the kids to the International Spy Museum.

I always have to take such museums with a big fat salt lick because they have to package something that is intriguing on the surface but incredibly mundane most of the time into something people will want to see. The kids enjoyed it, but it's hard for me not to wave the BS flag from time to time when I go to places like that. Oh well.

At least today's run was effort relatively well spent.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:31 08:31 08:31 08:31 1.00
1.00 17:14 08:43 08:43 08:37 2.00
1.00 26:16 09:02 09:02 08:45 3.00
1.00 34:29 08:13 08:13 08:37 4.00
1.10 43:36 09:07 08:17 08:33 5.10

11.44mi, 1:39:31, 25 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
U2, "I Will Follow"
The Sisters of Mercy, "Temple of Love" (1992)

WX at 08:58 NW 16 G 23 10.00 Fair CLR 52 37 56% NA NA 30.21 1023.3

Odometer 12B: 395.3mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 161/177

It would've been criminal not to run on a day like this. It doesn't get much better than this. I needed to start early since I'm flying solo with the kids, so I decided to get get at it early.

I'm sure that has a lot to do with the faster time today, as well as the amount of non-running I've done lately. I wouldn't call it rest since I hadn't gotten the sleep I probably really need.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:08:26 08:26 08:26 08:26 1.00
1.00 0:17:32 09:06 09:06 08:46 2.00
1.00 0:26:07 08:35 08:35 08:42 3.00
1.00 0:34:59 08:52 08:52 08:45 4.00
1.00 0:43:43 08:44 08:44 08:45 5.00
1.00 0:52:08 08:25 08:25 08:41 6.00
1.00 1:00:47 08:39 08:39 08:41 7.00
1.00 1:09:22 08:35 08:35 08:40 8.00
1.00 1:17:50 08:28 08:28 08:39 9.00
1.00 1:27:11 09:21 09:21 08:43 10.00
1.00 1:35:52 08:41 08:41 08:43 11.00
0.44 1:39:31 03:39 08:18 08:42 11.44

4.08mi, 36:40, 23 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
U2, "I Will Follow"

WX at 05:58 SE 1 10.00 Mostly Cloudy BKN020 BKN100 70 68 95% NA NA 29.90 1012.8

Odometer 12B: 383.9mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 154/176

I am playing single parent as the OPFOR Cdr is out of town, so this morning almost turned into a Do Nothing But Eat Day. I realized I hadn't run more than twice in the last week so I jammed in a short run of about 4. Not great but better than nothing. Because I've done so little running, my legs didn't feel that bad, but that's because I've been getting more rest than I need. I'm not getting enough sleep, but that's self-inflicted.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:37 08:37 08:37 08:37 1.00
1.00 17:58 09:21 09:21 08:59 2.00
1.00 27:13 09:15 09:15 09:04 3.00
1.08 36:40 09:27 08:45 08:59 4.08

5.06mi, 45:26, 21 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Grapes of Wrath, "O Lucky Man"

WX at 05:58 S 3 10.00 Overcast OVC007 69 67 92% NA NA 30.00 1016.2

Odometer 12B: 379.8mi

Z3 high-Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/174

Today's iThink is most definitely incongruous as it was humid. While not hot, today was not going to be a good run, especially after five days of Doing Nothing But Eating and Drinking.

I enjoyed my trip back to Kansas for my doctoral hooding, but there was a sense of loneliness and dislocation that I only associate with going to places where I used to live and realize that it is not home anymore. It was also a function of seeing old friends again and thinking about possibilities that I elected not to pursue or could not for various reasons.

Nonetheless, I needed this run, badly. So I got at it, no matter how tired I felt. Tomorrow promises tired legs, which I guess I just need to accept.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:40 08:40 08:40 08:40 1.00
1.00 17:57 09:17 09:17 08:58 2.00
1.00 26:41 08:44 08:44 08:54 3.00
1.00 35:39 08:58 08:58 08:55 4.00
1.06 45:26 09:47 09:14 08:59 5.06

5.04mi, 45:05, 15 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Chris Stamey, "From the Word Go"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT120 50 48 93% NA NA 29.96 1014.9

Odometer 12B: 374.7mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 153/166

Dead legs continue. I'm also dealing with a nagging case of plantar fascitis in my right foot. But I need to run. I guess I should make some choices about what I need to do, for a variety of things. It probably won't go away by itself, unfortunately.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:47 08:47 08:47 08:47 1.00
1.00 17:51 09:04 09:04 08:56 2.00
1.00 27:22 09:31 09:31 09:07 3.00
1.00 35:57 08:35 08:35 08:59 4.00
1.04 45:05 09:08 08:47 08:57 5.04

5.09mi, 46:17, 14 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Chris Stamey, "The Company of Light"
Chris Stamey, "Something Came Over Me"

WX at 05:58 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 35 33 95% NA NA 30.21 1023.4

Odometer 12B: 369.7mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 152/169

Dead legs, dead legs, dead legs. This run was characterized by lack of energy. I had the endurance but no strength going uphill. Fuck it.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:06 09:06 09:06 09:06 1.00
1.00 18:18 09:12 09:12 09:09 2.00
1.00 27:52 09:34 09:34 09:17 3.00
1.00 36:34 08:42 08:42 09:09 4.00
1.09 46:17 09:43 08:55 09:06 5.09

4.04mi, 37:34, 13 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Above and Beyond pres. Oceanlab, "On A Good Day"

WX at 05:58 N 2 10.00 Fair CLR 37 36 96% NA NA 30.09 1019.3

Odometer 12C: 278.4mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 149/162

Late night = late start = abridged run.

Also, dead legs. Grr.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10 1.00
1.00 18:48 09:38 09:38 09:24 2.00
1.00 28:16 09:28 09:28 09:25 3.00
1.04 37:34 09:18 08:57 09:18 4.04

9.02mi, 84:11, 11 MAY 12, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Psychedelic Furs, "Love My Way"
MaX, "Aim"
M83, "Midnight City"

WX at 11:58 S 3 10.00 Mostly Cloudy FEW080 BKN110 71 66 83% NA NA 29.80 1009.4

Odometer 12C: 274.3mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 160/176

First day of the real retraining season. Not hot, but humid, and the usual effects of it sucking energy away from me became apparent plenty quick enough. I was determined to get in a 9-miler, at least, although I didn't think I was going to have time for the usual weekend 11.5. My legs were also too beat to really do a long run like 11.5, I think.

I should be really concerned about Mother's Day weekend, but right now, I really have to admit I kind of don't really care right now.  Any more than I care about any of the other artificial "holidays" that are generated to keep greeting card companies in business. In general, I don't want to observe any of it anymore because it's bullshit.  There are lots of things I think about as I'm on the run, but there are some topics that are recurrent.

There is more scenery on Sundays. That is all.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:44 08:44 08:44 08:44 1.00
1.00 17:52 09:08 09:08 08:56 2.00
1.00 26:35 08:43 08:43 08:52 3.00
1.00 35:57 09:22 09:22 08:59 4.00
1.00 44:55 08:58 08:58 08:59 5.00
1.00 54:04 09:09 09:09 09:01 6.00
1.00 64:02 09:58 09:58 09:09 7.00
1.00 74:07 10:05 10:05 09:16 8.00
1.02 84:11 10:04 09:52 09:20 9.02

5.75mi, 50:06, 9 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Innocence Mission, "Mercy"
The Psychedelic Furs, "Love My Way"

WX at 05:58 Calm 4.00 Fog/Mist CLR 53 51 95% NA NA 30.01 1016.5

Odometer 12B: 364.6mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/175

My knees have hurt most of this week. I'm not sure if it's solely that I'm running on old shoes that I'm determined to get 400 miles out of, or if there's something else at work that's causing the nagging generalized pain.

Today felt pretty good, actually, with sizeable stretches of running under 8:30/mi, which I didn't expect.

This week has been very weird. I have also not really figure out what I want to do for Mother's Day. I guess I should do something. I guess.

The iThink is from dusting off something I'd bought on tape over two decades ago when I was a sophomore at Hopkins.  I don't go in much for Xtian bands, and the Innocence Mission is definitely a Catholic-influenced band, but musically, I liked their first two albums. Meh.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10 1.00
1.00 18:06 08:56 08:56 09:03 2.00
1.00 26:47 08:41 08:41 08:56 3.00
1.00 34:57 08:10 08:10 08:44 4.00
1.00 43:28 08:31 08:31 08:42 5.00
0.75 50:06 06:38 08:51 08:43 5.75

4.50mi, 39:41, 7 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Northern Pikes, "Wait For Me"

WX at 05:58 Vrbl 1 10.00 Overcast OVC006 59 57 94% NA NA 30.00 1016.2

Odometer 12B: 358.8mi

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

Didn't feel great, but didn't feel bad either. My legs were doing a little better going uphill. I guess I'll see what happens tomorrow.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:45 08:45 08:45 08:45 1.00
1.00 17:53 09:08 09:08 08:56 2.00
1.00 26:44 08:51 08:51 08:55 3.00
1.00 35:21 08:37 08:37 08:50 4.00
0.50 39:41 04:20 08:40 08:49 4.50

5.05mi, 44:03, 6 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Rush, "Vapor Trails"
Rush, "Limelight"
The Connells, "Fun & Games"

WX at 05:55 Vrbl 3 10.00 Overcast OVC014 52 45 78% NA NA 30.15 1021.1

Odometer 12B: 354.3mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 151/168

Slow start, even in spite of no weekend running. My legs are very tired for some reason. Meh. This morning was a good example of an earwig that won't let ago (Rush's "Limelight").

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:40 08:40 08:40 08:40 1.00
1.00 17:33 08:53 08:53 08:47 2.00
1.00 26:43 09:10 09:10 08:54 3.00
1.00 34:57 08:14 08:14 08:44 4.00
1.05 44:03 09:06 08:40 08:43 5.05

die a little every day

I was at the Elder's performance of the musical Annie Jr., an abridged version of the Broadway musical.  I was taken back to my childhood, when I had seen Annie, an outgrowth of my school having done it as part of a musical when I was in the Lower School.

Hearing the lead actress singing "Maybe" put tears in my eyes, for two reasons - one was because of what the song stands for - the hope that life is better somewhere else, and more bitterly, the memory of a point in my life when a couple of things inside me had not yet died.

4.06mi, 37:29, 2 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, "Maybe"

WX at 05:55 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 42 41 97% NA NA 30.41 1030.1

Odometer 12B: 349.3mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 142/163

Late start but easy run. I was trimming off mileage to try to get close to 4 miles, and was generally successful. In an attempt to address my dead legs, I went easy. I felt okay, but the proof will be in tomorrow's run.

I have no idea why a song from the musical Annie stuck in my head this morning.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:28 09:28 09:28 09:28 1.00
1.00 19:00 09:32 09:32 09:30 2.00
1.00 28:16 09:16 09:16 09:25 3.00
1.06 37:29 09:13 08:42 09:14 4.06

4.30mi, 36:37, 1 MAY 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Grapes of Wrath, "O Lucky Man"
that dog., "annie" (early mix)

WX at 05:55 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 47 43 85% NA NA 30.32 1026.9

Odometer 12B: 345.2mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 151/169

Late start mandated a harder run. I didn't think I was going to be able to cut it closer to 4, but closer than I normally go - albeit not by much.

I was revisiting a song from my teenage years, and then one from my twenties. Not sure why these memories of my past are cropping up, but I will live with them for now.

Legs still feel generally dead going uphill...hrm.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:22 08:22 08:22 08:22 1.00
1.00 17:10 08:48 08:48 08:35 2.00
1.00 25:58 08:48 08:48 08:39 3.00
1.00 34:28 08:30 08:30 08:37 4.00
0.30 36:37 02:09 07:10 08:31 4.30

5.03mi, 50:41, 30 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Northern Pikes, "Wait For Me"
Love Spit Love, "Am I Wrong"

WX at 05:55 Calm 3.00 Light Drizzle Fog/Mist SCT004 OVC009 56 55 96% NA NA 30.12 1020.2 0.01

Odometer 12B: 340.9mi

Z2-Z3. Average/max heart rate = 141/155

Finally a proper rest day. It required me to reconsider what I thought was reasonable pace and speed. Today was substantially slower, but for good reason, even after yesterday being a day of no running. I didn't want to go hard after Sunday's long run.

Last Friday I'd gone to the Pamplin Battlefield Park near Petersburg, Virginia. Predictably, one of the books in the gift store was Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, and as I turned to the back, I saw the quotation "So it came to pass that as he trudged from the place of blood and wrath his soul changed." I remember that mostly from the Space: Above and Beyond episode "Toy Soldiers," but also think about it in terms of my own disillusionment over the last few years.

That's what made this morning's iThink that much more pointed for me. The first one is from a disk I bought sometime in 1996, I think, when I was living in Texas and had a lot of freedom to do whatever I wanted, at the expense of not really having anyone else in my life. The second one, though, was from 1995, when I was dating another Army officer at the time, and the film we went to go see was Angus, whose opening credits featured the song. I remember that partly because I didn't know anything about the film, and found it much more thought-provoking than I had originally thought. The other was because I was 23 at the time, and still hopeful about a great many things. My simmering rage had not taken hold, as it did after I came back to the United States in 2009.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:59 09:59 09:59 09:59 1.00
1.00 20:29 10:30 10:30 10:15 2.00
1.00 30:03 09:34 09:34 10:01 3.00
1.00 40:01 09:58 09:58 10:00 4.00
1.03 50:41 10:40 10:21 10:05 5.03

11.43mi, 1:45:17, 28 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
MxPx, "I Will Follow"
Theme from Clifford the Big Red Dog

WX at 10:55 SE 12 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW120 66 41 40% NA NA 30.28 1025.4
WX at 09:55 Vrbl 6 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT130 61 40 46% NA NA 30.28 1025.6

Odometer 12B: 335.9mi

Z3 high-Z4. Average/max heart rate = 153/170

Finally, the chance to do the long run that I'd been meaning to do. What I didn't count on was another runner drafting off me about midway through the run. He said he wanted to pace off me, and I said it was fine - which was a win-win for both. I think he got a harder run than he otherwise would've gotten, and I got to experiment with pace and stride in ways that I thought were pretty productive.

However, I'm sure I'll be paying for it later on.

The theme from Clifford the Big Red Dog was from a brief memory of my earlier married life. Emphasis on earlier. That is all.

Splits

SGMT AGGRGTE SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 0:09:27 09:27 09:27 09:27 1.00
1.00 0:19:14 09:47 09:47 09:37 2.00
1.00 0:28:36 09:22 09:22 09:32 3.00
1.00 0:38:06 09:30 09:30 09:31 4.00
1.00 0:47:09 09:03 09:03 09:26 5.00
1.00 0:55:31 08:22 08:22 09:15 6.00
1.00 1:04:03 08:32 08:32 09:09 7.00
1.00 1:12:28 08:25 08:25 09:03 8.00
1.00 1:21:24 08:56 08:56 09:03 9.00
1.00 1:31:34 10:10 10:10 09:09 10.00
1.00 1:41:21 09:47 09:47 09:13 11.00
0.43 1:45:17 03:56 09:09 09:13 11.43

4.64mi, 43:30, 27 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Iron Maiden, "Aces High"
Carly Rae Jepsen, "Call Me Maybe"

WX at 09:55 SE 3 10.00 Fair CLR 63 39 42% NA NA 30.42 1030.3

Odometer 12B: 324.4mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 145/164

Slow recovery run as I spent a large chunk of yesterday walking with the Elder's elementary school class at the Pamplin Civil War Battlefield Park near Petersburg, VA.

Yeah, suck on the musical cognitive dissonance.  I don't care.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:37 09:37 09:37 09:37 1.00
1.00 19:27 09:50 09:50 09:43 2.00
1.00 28:51 09:24 09:24 09:37 3.00
1.00 37:48 08:57 08:57 09:27 4.00
0.64 43:30 05:42 08:54 09:22 4.64

4.47mi, 38:49, 25 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
The Connells, "Fun & Games"
Team America Theme Song

WX at 05:55 NW 17 10.00 Fair CLR 48 31 51% 42 NA 30.22 1023.5

Odometer 12B: 319.8mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = no reading

Late start, backed up against having to go in early = hard run. However, my Garmin ForeRunner was run down (forgot to charge it), so no GPS track today.

Desperation = run faster!!!

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
4.47 38:49 38:49 08:41 08:41 4.47

4.47mi, 40:50, 23 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Bob Mould, "The Descent"

WX at 05:55 Calm 10.00 Overcast OVC016 48 41 78% NA NA 30.32 1026.9

Odometer 12B: 315.3mi

Z3. Average/max heart rate = 148/163

Recovery run as I didn't feel up to much today. But I needed to get in a run. More later when I get a chance. It has been a bad month, for a variety of reasons.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:02 09:02 09:02 09:02 1.00
1.00 18:30 09:28 09:28 09:15 2.00
1.00 27:45 09:15 09:15 09:15 3.00
1.00 36:43 08:58 08:58 09:11 4.00
0.47 40:50 04:07 08:46 09:08 4.47

10.02, 89:27, 21 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Juno Reactor, "Navras"
Iron Maiden, "Aces High"

WX at 09:55 Vrbl 5 10.00 Fair CLR 48 21 35% 46 NA 30.60 1036.4

Odometer 12C: 265.2mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 156/172

A small hitch in the right knee, but I needed this run. Painful start, then shift to a much better middle of the run. But today felt rough. Tomorrow sounds like it'll be a rest day.

I attribute the Juno Reactor solely to having watched a snippet of the Animatrix this morning.   Ah, Internet nonproductivity.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:41 08:41 08:41 08:41 1.00
1.00 18:03 09:22 09:22 09:01 2.00
1.00 27:01 08:58 08:58 09:00 3.00
1.00 36:11 09:10 09:10 09:03 4.00
1.00 45:11 09:00 09:00 09:02 5.00
1.00 53:58 08:47 08:47 09:00 6.00
1.00 62:39 08:41 08:41 08:57 7.00
1.00 71:41 09:02 09:02 08:58 8.00
1.00 80:22 08:41 08:41 08:56 9.00
1.02 89:27 09:05 08:54 08:56 10.02

4.76mi, 41:09, 20 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Game Theory, "Real Nighttime"

WX at 08:55 NW 12 10.00 Fair CLR 47 26 43% 42 NA 30.06 1018.3

Odometer 12B: 310.8mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 162/175

The weather today was so glorious that it would've been criminal not to go out for a run, and today's run was a pleasant reward for yesterday once I was fully warmed up. My ability to climb hills remains poor, however.  Tomorrow I will go for a long run, early, hopefully around the entirety of Burke Lake.  Should be rewarding, if only for the amount of lard I burn.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:42 08:42 08:42 08:42 1.00
1.00 17:35 08:53 08:53 08:47 2.00
1.00 26:23 08:48 08:48 08:48 3.00
1.00 34:52 08:29 08:29 08:43 4.00
0.76 41:09 06:17 08:16 08:39 4.76

4.61mi, 40:26, 19 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Game Theory, "Bad Year at U.C.L.A."

WX at 05:55 SE 7 10.00 Overcast BKN022 BKN029 OVC047 65 60 84% NA NA 29.91 1013.1

Odometer 12B: 306.1mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 153/171

First run since PT test. I ran slowly (or at least felt that way), haven't gotten enough sleep this week, and in general feel like crap.

I also wasn't able to get away from work (in spite of my best efforts) early enough to have dinner with the family for the Younger's birthday last night, so I am pretty much in the running for the Great Santini Shitty Parent of the Year Award right now. I'm also pretty sure I'm not one of the OPFOR Cdr's favorite people right now, but that's not really new.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:48 08:48 08:48 08:48 1.00
1.00 17:47 08:59 08:59 08:54 2.00
1.00 26:17 08:30 08:30 08:46 3.00
1.00 35:03 08:46 08:46 08:46 4.00
0.61 40:26 05:23 08:50 08:46 4.61

Record APFT, 286 points, 16 APR 13, Fort Myer, Virginia

iThink: none. I hurt too bad.

WX at 06:52 SE 3 10.00 Mostly Cloudy BKN065 57 50 78% NA NA 30.29 1025.8

Odometer 12B: 301.5mi equivalence

Z4. Average/max heart rate = no reading

I'm not in the same shape as I was when I was at Norfolk. The last two weeks of sitting at Fort Knox had a material effect on why. Nonetheless, I still got my customary 200 points on the pushups and situps, and then ran a rather lackluster 15:09 on the two-mile run.

What was unusual about today's test was the situps, at which point I was so close to the two-minute time limit by the time I had hit the 76 situps I needed to finish that I continued to fire out situps and did 85. I don't think that was actually a factor in my run time - there were uphill portions of the course, that were offset by equal downhill portions of the course.

The test itself was professionally administered, a credit to the folks at US Army Headquarters Company who were running it.  I was even weighed and taped for body fat before the test started.

Splits
75 pushups in about 1:05
85 situps in 2:00

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
2.00 15:09 15:09 07:34 07:34 2.00

4.63mi, 45:40, 14 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
"Johnny Hopkins On To Victory"

WX at 15:55 S 12 10.00 Fair CLR 74 41 31% NA NA 29.87 1011.3

Odometer 12B: 299.1mi

Z3 low. Average/max heart rate = 151/164

Legs are tired, but I need this run. This was taken at recovery pace, for the most part.  Last run before Tuesday.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:36 09:36 09:36 09:36 1.00
1.00 19:56 10:20 10:20 09:58 2.00
1.00 29:24 09:28 09:28 09:48 3.00
1.00 39:21 09:57 09:57 09:50 4.00
0.63 45:40 06:19 10:02 09:52 4.63

6.06mi, 52:03, 13 APR 13, Springfield, Virginia

iThink:
Rush, "BU2B"

WX at 08:55 Vrbl 3 10.00 Fair CLR 56 38 50% NA NA 29.94 1014.1

Odometer 12C: 255.2mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 160/177

I am 41 today. I am not entirely satisfied with my life. My run today was an expression of catharsis to some extent of my dissatisfaction. Of course, there was a column of really slow-moving cyclists, so I was trying to keep up with them for a while.  I did, until they started rolling downhill.  But I was definitely going to try.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:38 08:38 08:38 08:38 1.00
1.00 17:50 09:12 09:12 08:55 2.00
1.00 26:24 08:34 08:34 08:48 3.00
1.00 34:59 08:35 08:35 08:45 4.00
1.00 43:13 08:14 08:14 08:39 5.00
1.06 52:03 08:50 08:20 08:35 6.06

Long Distance

I was reading this, and went back to a point in my life where I was afraid to call home.  I was glad I never had to go to a relatively communal room to call home - instead, I worked in a place that had better connectivity than almost any other.  But I only called when everyone else was gone.

Years ago I tried keeping a relationship alive over great distance. I remember how things that had seemed certain became vague, unrecognizable. The vacuum of silence, how easily it was filled by my imagination and never with good things. But when I hung up that phone, slick with the grease of many other hands, many ears, my fighting was finished.

“Are you serious? Why don’t you fucking listen to me? I can’t believe this shit.”

Mostly, the soldiers hold their voices low, though sometimes they shout in rage and helplessness.  Some nights I hear lives disintegrating. The heartbreak is very near. If it is bad and loud, if a soldier is screaming at his wife, others in the room will lift their heads for a moment, then fall back into their emails.

4.05mi, 39:26, 10 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

iThink:
Background music from the Inside Lacrosse recap of the Hopkins-Virginia regular season 2012 lacrosse game. I have truly no idea why this stuck. Maybe the hope that Hopkins will beat Maryland this weekend and keep playoff hopes alive.

WX at 05:55 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 61 56 83% NA NA 29.95 1013.7

Odometer 12C: 249.1mi

Z3 high. Average/max heart rate = 146/164

The HRM rate was deceptive. Today was a painfully slow run with little speed or energy. I'd chalk this up to the 5 hours of sleep I got last night. I am beat. Also, maybe because of the delayed action of the pushups and situps from yesterday.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 10:29 10:29 10:29 10:29 1.00
1.00 19:58 09:29 09:29 09:59 2.00
1.00 29:46 09:48 09:48 09:55 3.00
1.05 39:26 09:40 09:12 09:44 4.05

4.05mi, 37:16, 9 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

iThink:
Above and Beyond pres. Oceanlab, "On A Good Day"

WX at 08:55 S 9 10.00 Mostly Cloudy FEW060 BKN150 65 55 70% NA NA 30.05 1017.3

Odometer 12C: 245.1mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 155/170

Morning workout was 40/40/40 pushups, 40/30/20/10 incline situps. That might partly explain this morning's labored effort just to get in what I thought was a slow pace. It could also be the remnants of last night's dreadmill session.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:34 09:34 09:34 09:34 1.00
1.00 18:11 08:37 08:37 09:05 2.00
1.00 27:40 09:29 09:29 09:13 3.00
1.05 37:16 09:36 09:09 09:12 4.05

One more piece of introspection

For some reason I thought I'd reposted this more recently, but I guess I hadn't.  Surprisingly, since it's still a part of me in ways I wish wasn't the case.

Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will.

When you can be this for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor.

This war is forcing us all to become razors.  Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

It was something that was very much on my mind in fall 2007, when I had to be the necessary evil to get certain things done.  What I wasn't prepared for was the human cost of sending men and women out to go do the things I had told them to do.  My head is screwed on tight, mostly.  But I realized I never really gave up being a razor, as much as I needed to let it go, four years after coming back.

Reading Neil Peart's Ghost Rider was therapeutic in some ways, because Peart's road to healing really began with learning to forgive himself for his perceived failings.  I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet.

I think the double effect of stacking a birthday at about the same time of the year as when I came back from my last combat deployment was the reason.  As a result, I don't usually associate my birthday with things I really want to remember.  I came back in a group, but I came back mostly alone.  I try not to think about that too much, because there were a lot of things going on then, but I also think what was shattered over the space of two years might not really be reparable.

4.0mi on dreadmill, 35:11, 8 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

iThink:
Porter Robinson, "Language" (Koncept Remix)

WX at 21:55 Calm 10.00 Mostly Cloudy BKN120 64 51 63% NA NA 29.97 1014.7

Odometer 12C: 241.0mi

Z3 easy. Average/max heart rate = 151/165

Easy run since I slept in this morning and will do something more substantive tomorrow. I also needed to get something in tonight so I wasn't getting up every two hours to go take a whiz. Priorities, priorities. Might as well get something for the suck.  Today was deliberately easy and I really don't like running on back country roads at night since the chance of my getting waxed by a speeding car increases exponentially if I do.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
4.00 35:11 35:11 08:48 08:48 4.00

We're on the side of the demons.

This expresses much of what I have become of the last few years.  It is not pretty, nor is it something I ever want my children to internalize, but it is undeniable.



“Which side are we on? We’re on the side of the demons, chief. We’re evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

4.05mi, 35:25, 7 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

iThink:
Hans Zimmer, "Honor"
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," Scherzo-Vivace

WX at 16:55 SW 16 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT048 BKN070 73 51 46% NA NA 29.96 1014.2

Odometer 12C: 237.0mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 158/173

The taper begins today. I got back from Nashville this afternoon and decided to get at a run. Not the usual long run, but one more geared towards running at max VO2 pace so I can get more used to sucking it up come next Tuesday.

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:06 09:06 09:06 09:06 1.00
1.00 17:34 08:28 08:28 08:47 2.00
1.00 26:40 09:06 09:06 08:53 3.00
1.05 35:25 08:45 08:20 08:45 4.05

4.02mi, time indeterminate, 6 APR 13, Nashville, Tennessee

iThink: None.

WX at 17:53 S 13 10.00 Mostly Cloudy BKN180 BKN250 71 37 29% NA NA 30.00 1015.6

Odometer 12C: 233.0mi equivalency

Z3-Z4. Average/max heart rate = no reading.

Decided to go to Nashville and visit the Music City H3 for the first time in about 5 years. I enjoy hashing, generally for the social aspects, but I also recognize that I've gotten older and less willing to indulge some of the sophomoric parts of hashing culture. But I don't think I'm going for a long run this weekend for the week prior to tapering for an upcoming PT test.

No splits.

The most versatile word in the English language...

I think it was Paul Fussell who wrote about the most versatile word in the English language, in his book Wartime, which was a follow-on to The Great War and Modern Memory.

Fussell was a pretty cranky guy, so I think he would appreciate this scene.  I know I sure do after watching Hopkins lacrosse drop their last two games.

Every iteration of the magic word is...different.  Somewhere out there, there's a linguistics student who needs to deconstruct this scene!

That said, even I have to issue a language alert for this clip...

2,000m on Concept2 Model D + 4.0mi, 8:28.4/38:29, 4 APR 13, Fort Knox, Kentucky

iThink:
The Connells, "Fun & Games"

WX at 18:55 SE 6 10.00 Overcast FEW036 OVC120 52 25 36% NA NA 30.01 1016.7

Odometer 12C: 228.5mi

Z4 erg. Average/max heart rate = 154/171
Z3 low run. Average/max heart rate = 147/152

This morning was pushups and situps: 40/30/30/20/20 and 40/30/30/30. The last was significantly separated, hence 30 rather than 20.

I have to be more vigilant about eating back what I burn off. The temptation is there, especially after staring at a computer screen all damn day.

The gym I went to today has three Concept2s, but the one equipped with the PM4 computer was messed up. Thus, no interactive HRM, so I had to use my Forerunner. I started thinking this was going to easy in the first 500m, and then realized just how ambitious my pace actually was after not erging in a long, long time. The last 500m was pure suck.

I followed with some easy wogging to see what parts of Fort Knox had become ghost towns after the departure of the Armor Center and School.  The most significant ghost town is the old Disney Barracks area, or what was more popularly called "Disneyland" when it was occupied by the 1st Armor Training Brigade. I started and stopped the run at the gym next to where I had been some 20 years ago as a cadet, attached to Company B, 1st Battalion, 70th Armor Combined Arms Task Force. Man, do I feel old. I took a PT test in the summer of 1993, and ran a 11:59 two-mile run. Can't do that anymore, and I'm not 21 anymore either.

Splits
Distance: 2000
Time: 08:28.0
Avg/500m: 02:07.0
Drag Factor: 106
Per Mile: 00:06:49

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 1.00
1.00 19:32 09:47 09:47 09:46 2.00
1.00 28:59 09:27 09:27 09:40 3.00
1.00 38:26 09:27 09:27 09:36 4.00

2.0mi on dreadmill/7.0mi, 16:04/60:51, 3 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

AM iThink:
Nyan Cat music. No kidding.

PM iThink:
Above and Beyond pres. Oceanlab, "On A Good Day"
Jenn Grant, "Oh My Heart"

WX at 05:55 Calm 10.00 Fair CLR 28 17 62% NA NA 30.26 1025.3
WX at 18:55 NE 12 10.00 Fair CLR 49 15 26% 44 NA 30.26 1025.3

Odometer 12C: 226.0mi

AM run Z4. No HRM reading for AM.
PM run Z4. Average/max heart rate = 157/174

This morning I knew I wasn't going for very long, but my usual lugubrious tempo in the morning gave me little time to do much other than go hard on the dreadmill, after I'd done my 40/30/20/10 for pushups and situps.

Still, it was good to get that out of the way up front since I knew I needed a more substantive run tonight, which I got. However, running along the perimeter of Fort Knox meant that the roads that looked mostly passable from satellite imagery were anything but, so I remained on civilian roads. As I remember well, there's no shortage of hills around Fort Knox. Still, the weather was just about perfect for a hard run, and this evening run delivered the goods in spades.

AM Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
2.00 16:04 16:04 08:02 08:02 2.00

PM Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:50 08:50 08:50 08:50 1.00
1.00 17:17 08:27 08:27 08:39 2.00
1.00 26:16 08:59 08:59 08:45 3.00
1.00 34:57 08:41 08:41 08:44 4.00
1.00 43:55 08:58 08:58 08:47 5.00
1.00 52:35 08:40 08:40 08:46 6.00
1.00 60:51 08:16 08:16 08:42 7.00

4.0mi on dreadmill, 33:01, 2 APR 13, Radcliff, Kentucky

iThink:
Morrissey, "Tomorrow"

WX at 05:55 NW 3 10.00 Fair CLR 28 17 63% NA NA 30.21 1023.6

Odometer 12C: 216.9mi

Z4. Average/max heart rate = 160/174

After driving along the lines of 10 hours yesterday from Springfield to Radcliff, I was determined to get in something this morning. Pushups and situps to follow tonight.

Unfortunately, I'm still feeling the after-effects of the grilled onion double cheeseburger I got at McD's last night. Methinks my coworkers may not appreciate getting cropdusted all day...

Splits

SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
4.00 33:01 33:01 08:15 08:15 4.00