Late in the afternoon, I drove to Skene and spent some time with my grandchildren. It was then off to Delta State University for Masters Swim Practice with our new coach. Cagri, I think, is going to be very good for us. I can't remember everything we did. It was a bunch of sprinting and drills. I do know that I swam 4,700 SCY which equals 4,295 meters. For the day, I finished with 6,395 meters. My goal at the beginning of the week was to establish a new record total for the most meters I've ever swum. I am well on my way to meeting that goal.
The Chicot Challenge Part III
Randy went up ahead to
check on the water conditions at the causeway. Already I had told him I was
worried about getting hooked there. He paddled up ahead and talked to some
fishermen on the bank. They assured him that the water was clear and he came
back and tried to assuage my fears.
When we got to the
mouth of the little chute going under the causeway, I asked Robin to stay
close. A large fish then swirled underwater sending an unexpected blast of
water back into my hand. I screamed like a little girl. It was an unmanly thing
to do, I know, but Robin pulled her kayak very close and kept it near without
ever hitting me. She also talked to me the whole way through. She kept saying,
“You’re doing fine Zane, just keep moving. You’re doing fine.” Once on the
other side, I felt like a major part of the swim had been conquered.
After I began swimming outdoors, the water
warmed up a degree or two every few days, and I began to build up some distance.
By April, I was in full stride. Although I never knew what my schedule was
going to be due to my mother’s frequent hospital stays, when I had a day off, I
always crammed it as full of training as my body could bear. I started going to
the big pond on PD (PD Plantation, a part of Tackett Fish Farm). I would take a
barbell, running shoes, and nutrition and spend the better part of a day swimming,
running, and lifting. Then when Twin Rivers pumped up their pool at the end of
April, my distance went to over 20,000 meters per week, hitting 30,000 plus for
several weeks in a row. On May 14th, I did an 8.5 mile training
swim in the pond and felt good afterwards. I knew then that I had the endurance
for a seriously long swim.
On the other side of
the causeway, a cloud came up and it began to rain. I thought that swimming in
the rain was kind of neat. There was no lightening and I was thankful for that,
but I hoped my crew didn’t mind getting wet. When the rain ended twenty minutes
later, a head wind came up and the lake became a little choppy. This slowed the
pace a bit and made swimming more difficult.
We could see the water
tower in Lake Village once we crossed the causeway. At first, I found the sight
of the water tower to be a source of encouragement. But after a while, it
seemed like that tower never came any closer. My hands had started hurting
around mile 4.5. Now, with the hand pain, the headwind chop, and the ever
distant water tower, I was growing eager to make Lake Village, to get to the turnaround
point. Out and back courses, be they running or swimming, to me at least,
present a certain mental challenge if they are long and difficult. Encountering
pain or fatigue before the turnaround when one is still getting farther from
the finish can be a huge mental hurdle.
Not only did I run and
swim but, as mentioned earlier, weight lifting was a big part of my cross-training.
At least twice a week, I did major sessions in my backyard gym. Bench presses
and one-arm-rows form the foundation of my upper body work. But I also did
pull-ups, chin-ups, seated rows, and a sports-specific move I call the swim
pull. I had a special attachment made for my lat pull down machine that allows
me to almost perfectly mimic the catch and pull of the freestyle stroke. When
the yard mowing season started, I would do a circuit on the weights, get out the
mower and cut a round of grass, then do more weights, more yard mowing, more
weight, well, you get the picture. The weight sessions were usually followed by
runs and then walks. After exercise nutrition included an energy gel, to
produce an insulin reaction, and a good whey protein shake to promote recovery
from muscle damage.
Eventually we did make
it to town. Downtown Lake Village has a boat ramp, two piers, and a swimming
area. Although I had planned on English Channel rules, my crew wanted a break and
I was in no mood to argue. Thus we stopped at the steps leading into the water.
Randy got there first and took pictures of me and Robin coming in. Then we got out on the sidewalk. The Garmin
read 7.42 miles and we were only half way. I was mentally prepared for a
thirteen-mile swim; however, the idea of almost fifteen-miles was a daunting
thought. It was Randy who had told me the swim would be thirteen-miles. When I expressed my concern about the
distance, he assured me that we could shave some distance on the return trip by
cutting straight across one of the big bends instead of following the full curve
of the lake. I had my doubts.
Only about three weeks
or so before the swim, I decided to use the event as a fundraiser for diabetes.
It just seemed like a waste of a lot of time and energy to make it only about
my own personal fitness and goals. I chose diabetes because my life experience
has shown me what a heinous disease Type 2 diabetes is. For most of this year,
my life has been turned upside down by my mother’s illness. My sister and I
have spent countless nights in a couple of hospitals and at Mom and Dad’s
taking care of Mother. I didn’t know from day to day if I would even get to
train. I didn’t even attempt to touch my bicycle until a couple of weeks after
the swim. A few times the hassle of trying to squeeze in workouts became so
overwhelming that I seriously contemplated dumping even my swimming.
Not only has diabetes
destroyed Mom’s health, but I have buried several of my church members who died
too young because of this illness. The projection for the growth of this
gateway disease is that by the year 2025 a full third of Americans will be
diabetics. If that happens, America as we know will cease to exist. China does
not have enough money to loan us to pay that tab. Somehow, people must learn
about the seriousness of diabetes and what they can do to prevent it.
Consequently, I
contacted the Greenwood Commonwealth
for some hoped for publicity. I also sent out an e-mail to the Money Road
Cycling Club as well as personally talking with my colleagues and students at
work. The first check I received was from Richard Beatty. I was not surprised.
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