Taking me back to the 60s

It was 64 degrees when I awoke this morning. This is heaven for a runner, especially a runner who has spent the last three months running when the temp was in the high 70s and low 80s.

What's the difference in 15 degrees? On Thursdays, it usually takes me about 45 minutes or so to complete this 5.8-mile hill course around TCU and the Colonial Country Club, though last week I knocked it out in 44 minutes.

On this Thursday, however, I cruised up and down those hills in 43:18. That's 20 to 25 seconds per mile faster than I usually go, and an overall time of two minutes faster.

And it wasn't like I was just pouring on the gas and running as hard as I could. In fact, because of the cooler temps, I didn't have to work as hard. Last week, when it was 78 degrees, my heart rate average was 171 beats per minute (85 percent of my max). Today, my heart rate average was 168 beats per minute (84 percent of max).

I can thank Hurricane Gustav for the unseasonably cool temperatures. I think we have two more mornings where it will be in the high 60s or low 70s before the absurdity of this summer comes back.

Writing update: Monday I published my first real story of substance in the Star-Telegram. This piece was about how crime in one neighborhood has dropped in part because of the city filing a civil lawsuit against some gang members.