Tuesday 120809

 

 

 

AM – four miles on the mill (cup of coffee run).  8:41, 7:42, 7:01, 7:04

AJW is reporting that Kilian is on the WS list.

90 people break 50 in a ten miler in Japan!  That is insane depth.

Current temp here is 3.  And it is 37 in Lexington.  Saturday is listed to be 31 for a high with a 50 percent chance of ice pellets.  Excellent.   Justin M did a fine job of telling me I need to step up the game for this race.

Downloaded the new free SP tune.  Love the Pumpkins.

 

PM – more mill.  Warmed up for 2 miles (8;40, 7:40) and then did an “easy” workout.  I wanted to get some turn over, and a little pace work but not something that would leave me leveled for a couple of days.  I came into this AM’s run (and this afternoon’s run as a matter of fact) feeling really good – strong in fact.  This is very different than how I felt on Saturday morning.  For the “easy” workout I did 15 x 1 min on, 1 min off at 5k pace or slightly faster.  I started at 5:40 pace, and moved it up from there (but nothing faster than 5:25).  Rests were at 8:30 pace.   Subsequent miles came in at 6:38, 6:32, 6:29, 6:34, and 6:21.  7 miles total.

Temp graph for today … I think that is like a high of 8.

 

Half my life ago, I worked in northern Maine on B-52 aircraft for the USAF.  I find it hard to ever bitch about the cold we experience in CO because it is downright balmy compared to the cold snaps we’d see up there. 

I recall seeing an ambient of 40 below, and a windchill once of 93 below.  Let me tell you – when it is that cold, shit just does not function the same.  Assuming you can get your car to even start, you have trouble driving it because the rubber on the tires would just flex differently at those temps.  

We’d drive in our truck (a bread truck but filled with guys and tools to fix planes)  from aircraft to aircraft with a portable heater in tow.  Whenever we’d stop and have to get out of the truck to work a bird, we’d send multiple guys to do the job – even if it was a one person thing, because one guy was bringing the heater with them to keep them both warm (to some degree).  And despite that, and no matter what you wore, your face, hands and feet were always cold. 

I worked graves for a period one winter.  I’d get home as the sun was coming up, and I was too cold to even get undressed.  Smelling like jet fuel, I’d crawl into bed shivering with all my clothes (including jacket and boots) and fall asleep.  I’d wake up a few hours later finally warmed up to strip some of it off.

(by the way, my military service was very tame and easy compared to many)

So, even though that was a long time ago, I remember thinking then I’d have a tough time bitching about the cold ever again.  And it still sort of rings true.  Plus I hear if we keep these temps for another month straight it will kill the pine beetle.