FYI, Here's how I've been timing these results.
I've added these to my .bashrc:
alias wl.go='less /var/log/syslog|grep restart|cut -c11-16'
alias wl.up='less /var/log/syslog|grep renewal|cut -c11-16'
So right after booting up, I can time the event this way:
knoppix@Microknoppix:~$ wl.up; wl.go
57:17
56:27
I do the subtraction myself, of course.
Glad to have an expert show me how to program that detail