Thursday, March 3, 2016

The Tale of the 5 @ 5: Part 2

Tuesday Morning

4:45 am

There goes that alarm again. Better prepare myself for the "time" of my life!

4:53 am

Swooping through the air, I finally land on a familiar surface. The prickly hairs tickle my backside as I am securely fastened in place. The next sensation is that of my main button being pushed. Time to spend the next 3 minutes trying to hook up with the local satellites. This GPS function of my job is a bit of a drag at times. If only he would stop walking around, I could do this job so much easier!

5:02 am

GPS signal has finally been found and established! Only had to restart the process three times! Message sent that I am all good to go and record this upcoming exercise routine. Now all I gotta do is wait for that sweet permission to start tracking.

5:11 am - Start (KM 0-1)

BEEP! Finally, the wait is over. The seconds consistently tick by as a steady rhythm is found. There's a slight uptick in elevation - and back to flat ground again. A second increase in elevation signals the fact that we are still on the main road in town. Two minutes down and the first change in course has happened. A turn to the right introduces a bit of a quicker pace. The end of the 1st kilometer is ticking down as we pass by one of the many school, IE John F. Kennedy. BEEP!

Distance Covered: 1 KM
Time Elapsed: 5 minutes, 25 seconds

5:16 am - KM 1-2

BEEP! An immediate right signifies a second change of course. Gotta make sure I'm keeping up with all of these changes! Everything seems to be falling nicely into place this morning. Looks like these early morning runs are paying off. With a consistent pace, I can tell that his endurance is improving. Whoa - major dip in my elevation reading. Looks like the land isn't quite as flat around here as I've heard. Nearing the end of this kilometer, we make another turn, this time to the left. Hello plaza and IE Maria Inmaculada! I'll be seeing you again in a little bit. BEEP!

Distance Covered: 2 KM
Time Elapsed: 10 minutes, 55 seconds

5:21 am - KM 2-3

BEEP! Following a slight right-hand turn, the pace and rhythm have once again leveled out. Just keep trucking. A slight struggle up the hill and a veering off to the right brings us back to the main road. This portion is highlighted by the passing of IE Jose David Montezuma Recuero,the third school in town. Only a few slight blips in the elevation radar as this stable, flat surface provides an opportunity for smooth sailing. It appears that this part of the run is the easiest, as the pace barely changes, and is actually a bit quicker than the previous two kilometers. BEEP!

Distance Covered: 3 KM
Time Elapsed: 16 minutes, 15 seconds

5:27 am - KM 3-4

BEEP! Off the main road once again, we are now covering familiar ground. I am ready and prepared for the elevation and direction changes. If I'm correct, we are passing IE John F. Kennedy again, which means a turn is in the works. (GPS detects a turn to the right) Man, I am good! Pretty soon, there will be bit of a major dip (GPS records a decrease in elevation of about 5 meters) It looks like a career in tracking and recording is in my near future! As we come up on the plaza and IE Maria Inmaculada again, I can sense that the end is near. BEEP!

Distance Covered: 4 KM
Time Elapsed: 21 minutes, 40 seconds

5:32 am - KM 4-5

BEEP! The pass through the plaza leads straight into a right-hand turn. The home stretch has begun. I can sense that he knows it too, as the pace quickens slightly. The end of any run always seems to bring this type of urgency out of him. Up the incline we go and back to the main road. IE Jose David Montezuma Recuero flashes by in a blur (according to my sources, that is) and the light at the end of the tunnel is finally realized. The last quarter kilometer brings the quickest pace yet. Hope this doesn't hurt him - I rather enjoy this line of work and would hate for something to prevent me from doing it. Five tenths of a kilometer...four tenths...three tenths...two tenths...one tenth...BEEP!

Distance Covered: 5 KM
Time Elapsed: 26 minutes, 57 seconds

5:37 am - Cool Down

Another successful run in the books! I'll be sure to hold onto the latest data until it is time to turn it over to all interested parties. Looking forward to a nice re-charge later today in preparation for tomorrow morning!

Here's the route that my handy dandy watch helps me track!