Plate City Upgrades

I have been pretty frustrated this summer at the speed, or lack thereof, that I have been able to make changes to Plate City. The summer started with lots of plans, but live happens. Little by little, however, I have made some startling upgrades to the best back yard gym in North America.

I love working out, and I love lifting in the back yard while mowing the lawn. I generally do a set or two or three and then mow some while I recover. The dogs, Bear and Pee Wee, go absolutely crazy when I come through the gate. They love me being out there and they play, fight for my attention, and watch my every move. Words can't express how much I delight in Plate City. 

Enjoy the video. It tells the story better than I ever could write it.

7/23 - 7/29

I almost felt like my old self during this training cycle. I started the week with a 3,500 meter straight swim Monday morning at Twin Rivers. My pace is still pretty slow. I averaged 2:14 per 100, but I swam with ease and enjoyed myself tremendously. Later in the day, I worked out at the newly refurbished Plate City Gym. On the bench, I pressed

15 X 70
10 X 95
6 X 115
3 X 120
2 X 125
1 X 130
2 X 125
3 X 120
12 X 95

In addition, I did a single set on the Swim Pull: 41 X 21.5.

I guess I was tired Tuesday morning from all the stuff I did Monday because all I got in the pool was 1,700. My new weight lifting split had me working upper back in the afternoon. I like the split because I can do more sets, hit the muscles harder, and finisher earlier. In addition to that, I hypothesize that recover should be better because fewer muscles are blasted and the body has less tissue to repair each day.

Wednesday morning, I swam with Tyron for the first time since we did the 700 and 1,000 together. I had done 500 when he showed up. I stopped and chatted with him. He was planning 4 X 500, so I swam with him to give me an additional 2,000. I was planning on doing a lot more, but a bus load of kids showed up so I stopped after an additional 300 for a total of 2,800. I worked biceps and traps in the afternoon. I also practiced on the speed bag that I recently installed. I can hit it fairly well, but look forward to improvement so I can exercise my upper body muscles in an aerobic fashion out of the water.

Thursday I was ready for something different. Last week I started the 100s @ 2:00 which is one of my old standbys. Since I am not fit enough to do that set in the long course pool, I decided to swim indoors and try to make an advancement on the set. Last week, I did six reps, then seven. For Thursday I hoped for eight or ten. I swam 

1,300 for a long warm up
6 X 25 build
10 X 100 @ 2:00 at about 85%, getting to the wall in about 1:34 to 1:36  
200 easy 
2 X 50 finger paddles
2 X 50 small paddles
6 X 50 medium paddles (first time since comeback)
200 easy
total: 4,000 yards = 3,656 meters.

Indoors for some interval training

After the big interval day, I wanted a longer, easier swim Friday. I swam 3,700 straight in 1:20:34 for an average of 2:10 per 100. This is my longest swim of the year. In the afternoon, I worked shoulders at Plate City.

Saturday I took a lot of naps. I also did some light stuff at Plate City: benches, speed bag, and cord work for the rotator cuffs.

For the week, I 

swam 15,356 meters,
ambulated 2.68 (huh?), and 
lifted weights five times.

Thank you, Jesus.

Ray # Something

I headed out the back door of Hillbilly Heaven to take a walk. It was July 17th and we were out there to eat food and get fat. My mind was turning ever thing over and over-- pulpwood trucks, Ray, my family's belief that I just made it all up. Not far down the road, I heard footfalls behind me. Just what I thought: Zane spied me slipping out the door and followed. 

"Where ya goin', Poppy?"

"Just walking."

"Wanna look for Ray?"

His question brought tears to my eyes. He was the only one who believed me when I told the story of Ray.

"Sure," I responded. ""Let's check the old house," I said since we were already headed that way.

The old house is a log one that probably dates back to the 1800s. When I married Penny, it was the only house on the place and was the main hangout. Now it was slowly rotting down and no one came down here anymore except I like to walk there sometimes and just look around. This time I had to pretend we were looking for Ray. So when we got there, I peeked through one of the windows. Something inside moved, and it gave me a fright.

Crap, I thought. Somebody is inside.

We walked around to the back and I peeked through the clear window of what used to be the kitchen. Then something moved in the living room and I startled.

"What's wrong, Poppy?" my grandson asked seeing my reaction.

"Something moved inside."

"A person?"

"I'm not sure."

We walked back around to the front and I told Zane to stand by the gate. "If I holler, you run. You hear me?"

"Yes Sir," he answered and moved towards the gate, but not all the way.

The house had a dog trot, but Ellis Roberts closed in the walls years ago. So now the area between kitchen/living room on one side and bedrooms on the other was storage space. An ancient screen door gives access to the former dog trot. Nervously, I peeked through the rusty, dusty, screen into the dark space inside. I don't know why I didn't just go right in, but I was antsy, suspecting someone who wasn't supposed to be there was inside waiting on who knows what.

I saw an old couch, a coat rack, and then something else I couldn't make out. I gazed awhile and then looked elsewhere. I was able to discern saw horses with saddles on top, a pie safe against a wall, hoes and shovels in a corner. My eyes instinctively went back to the mysterious item I could not make out. I looked and looked and then slowly it came into focus. When it did, I almost jumped out of my skin because there was a face staring right back at me!

7/16 - 7/22

John disappeared, and I did most all of my training alone. That is OK. When I am alone, I chose the starting and stopping time. Not only that, but the conversation is better and no one grinds my nerves. Monday I swam the tiny pool because I didn't want to get up early and by the time I made it to the water, the indoor pool was the only option. I swam 1,800 and I don't remember how because all I wrote was the total number. Later on the bench I pressed

15 X 70
10 X 95
  5 X 115
  3 X 120
  2 X 125
  3 X 120
  5 X 115
 11 X 95

Tuesday I was back in the short water. Aother swimmer came in and started stroking before I left. I watched her swim a couple of laps and thought, "I could make her better in one single lesson." Am I bad for thinking that? I always want to help other swimmers, but I don't say anything unless they open the door. Sometimes they do. She didn't open the door. I did 2,800 and left with my advice still inside my own head. I did some upper back work at Plate City. This is the week I decided it was time to split my routine. It felt good to target some muscles and hit them really hard.

Wednesday morning I was once again alone in the indoor water treadmill. I only swam 1,100 meters. Nothing hurt; I just didn't feel like swimming. It happens. I did some more upper body work at the gym. My upper body lifting is now divided into three parts. 

Thursday was the first time that I felt like I did more than swim but actually began training. I did 

1,000
6 X 100 @ 2:00
2 X 125 @ 2:30
150
total: 2,300 scys

That was not a big total, but it was a start back into one of my old standbys: 100s on 2:00. I haven't done that in over a year. In shape, I do 20 X 100 on two minutes in short course or long course. I love that practice because it hurts so good, and it makes me faster and stronger. The word that describes what it builds in my body is "stamina." No one seems to know what the word means anymore. I find that strange in a time when you don't even have to pick up a book to look up a word. I only did six, and I was breathing hard when I tapped out on that set.

Friday I did 

1,050
7 X 100 @ 2:00
150 easy
7 X 50 @ 1:00 with small paddles
total: 2,250

Saturday afternoon, Penny and I went to the pool at 5:30. I didn't want much, but I did 1,500 swimming long course for the first time in the week.

For the seven day training cycle, I did 10,865 meters, lifted weights three times, and ambulated 4.11. Not a lot, but I'm still moving forward, at least in the water. Thank you, Jesus.

The Great Pool Heist of 2018

I am a great admirer of first class crime. A couple of years back, some top-notch thieves stole an ATM from Planters Bank just off Park Avenue in Greenwood, Mississippi. Despite reports that law enforcement was hot on their trail, the thief or thieves have never been apprehended. 

I have joined the ranks of esteemed criminals. But don't tell anybody. Please. I know that by writing this I put myself in great jeopardy so mums the word. 

Wednesday morning in the Twin Rivers pool, I was all alone in the water but some of the staff, as usual, were on deck cleaning and getting the pool ready for its afternoon invasion of wild kids. On my very first lap, I spotted something shinny on the bottom. I flipped on the south wall and headed back north. When I got to the spot, I stopped and feigned a readjustment of my jammer. Looking around and sure all heads were pointed away from me, I submerged and reemerged with a quarter in hand which I discretely tucked into the leg of my newly adjusted jammer. 

On the north wall, I stopped again and pretended to be out of breath while I surveyed the scene. Convinced no one was looking, I hid the quarter under my paddles on deck. No one noticed. 

Now I was thinking only one thing: treasure! So I scooted over a bit and had another go at swimming the pool. Back when it was laned, if alone in the water, I always swam every lane at least a couple of times looking for money. Now covering the bottom of the pool is more difficult and less precise. But on my return trip I found another quarter. I did the same thing as before, pretending this time that my goggles messed up to retrieve the coin and then acting like I was out of breath to hide it with the other one under my paddles. 

You guessed it. I scooted over some more, and sure enough I found two pennies. By now I was both excited and fearful. Terror gripped me, terror that someone would see what I was doing, or one of the workers would accidentally kick my paddles and discover the loot underneath. 

But I persevered. By the time I made it threeforths of the way across the width of the pool, I had found, retrieved, and hidden another quarter. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. Then on the south wall all the way across, I found another penny. That made 78 cents, a record and an enormous haul unmatched in the annals of Twin Rivers swimming. 

My thoughts now turned only to getting out, getting away, leaving without getting caught. I swam back to the north wall and slowly exited the entrance ramp. After retrieving the paddles and coins, I sat down to dry off, dress, and get the heck out of Dodge. My heart pounded fiercely. Nervousness consumed me. I tried to act nonchalant, but I felt like guilt was written all over my face. 

I was so rattled that I put my towel over my head and walked out looking only at the ground below my feet. Thankfully no one spoke to me because I would not have been able to answer. In my truck, my breathing was shallow and rapid and I cranked up and drove away. Expecting the police to drive up and stop me, I was afraid all the way until I made it to 333 West Monroe where I took my money inside and locked the door behind me. Finally, I felt safe and spilled the coins onto the bed and admired them. 

What to do? Usually, I give all change to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi. However, no one from the DFM was at the end of Chicot this year to take the bag of change I always have on board to pass off to them. We are having a coin collection at church, but I already give a lot of money to to Centerville. Right now, I am thinking I will either spend the windfall or invest it. If you have a better idea, leave me a comment. In the meantime, praise be to God who blesses the sons of men.

7/9 - 7/15

The swimming continues to improve along with my enjoyment of it. Monday, John and I swam Twin Rivers early and I did 2,700 straight. A new guy showed up and he swam pretty well, but he was stopping a lot, almost every 50 he would take at least a few seconds on the wall. When I finished, I went over and introduced myself. He is Tyron John from South Africa and is here working on Tackett Fish Farm. Imagine that. We had a nice chat about swimming out there with the fish. Later that day, I did some leg work at Plate City.

Tuesday John was gone, and I took it easy with 1,300. Later I did some benches and Swim Pulls at Plate City.

Bench press

14 X 70
  9 X 95
  5 X 111
  3 X 116
  2 X 121
  3 X 116
  5 X 111
  9 X 95

Swim pull

35 X 20 = 6 washers
17 X 25.6
13 X 31.2
10 X 32.7

Wednesday I felt good and swam 3,300 straight. I chatted some with Tyron, and he expressed amazement that I could swim like that nonstop. I told him he could too right now IF he would follow my advice. He was curious. I told him to slow it down just a little, take as many breaths as needed to catch up after flipping at the wall, and push yourself to swim 700 straight. Your muscles will ache a bit in the first few hundred, but if you keep swimming, that will pass and your breathing will settle down. If you do that, I told him, your 7th hundred will be the easiest of them all. He said he would try it tomorrow.

Tyron was there Thursday morning and said he was going for the 700. I offered to swim with him and did. At the end of 700, he was all smiles and was shocked that he did it. Then he wanted to go for a 1,000 so we did. Once more, he was amazed that he could actually swim like that, and he thanked me profusely for coaching him. It felt really good to help someone breakthrough and do what he didn't think he could. I swam 2,800, and in the afternoon did a 4.02 mile ambulation that included .66 of a mile of shuffling.

Friday morning I went to the Liars Convention, I mean the pastors' breakfast, so I did not swim early. I went later to the small pool for 3,600 yards. I took Saturday and Sunday off.

For the week, I

swam 13,690 meters,
ambulated 5.35 miles with .66 of shuffling, and
lifted weights 2 X. 

That is a nice amount of swimming, but pretty scant on everything else. Praise the Lord for what He has allowed me to do. 

7/2 - 7/8

Monday was a little bit like old times for John and me. We met at Twin Rivers early (sort of) and swam the big pool. I had to resort to stalling tactics because John wanted to go and hour and a half. I am not that fit yet, and I am still concerned about overdoing the shoulder. I swam

50
100
200
300
400
500
100
200
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
50
total: 2,600 long course meters (yeah, the most this year).

Afterwards, I took some dumbbells I recently acquired to have cut apart to salvage the plates. This will be a huge addition to Plate City and will basically give me all the weight I will ever need for the gym. Later in the day, I did some leg work and a little walking in the yard.

Tuesday, it was back in the big pool for the longest continuous swim in the 50 meter pool of the year. I did 1,650 meters straight and stopped before the final 50 only to pick up a quarter off the bottom. Later at the gym, I did

bench press

16 X 65
13 X 80
10 X 95
 8 X 100
 5 X 105
 3 X 110

Swim Pull

30 X 20 + washers
16 X 25.6
12 X 28.6
10 X 30.1

I also got in 1.2 of walking in the yard, mostly between sets while lifting.

Wednesday, I busted out 2,100 straight in the big pool for my new longest continuous swim of the year. The time was terrible (2:17 per 100). I am sure some of that is the pool. The Twin Rivers outdoor pool no longer has lane lines on the bottom which means there is no swimming in a really straight line. Not only that, but the water jets are really strong and you can feel yourself get blasted by them when you swim near the wall. Not to swim near the wall means you stray even more. So how much of my terrible times is the pool and how much is my fitness is a question I'd love to have an answer to.

Thursday I swam the little pool. I did 

1,100
8 X 25
400 easy
6 X 50 w small paddles (first swim with paddles since injury)
100 easy 
total: 2,100 yards = 1,919 meters

At Plate City I did 

bench press

10 X 67
11 X 95
2 X 111
2 X 111
3 X 111
2 X 111

Swim Pull

31 X 20 + 5 washers
17 X 25.6
12 X 30
10 X 31.5

Friday morning I swam 1,700 straight in the big pool. Later I did a 5.0 mile walk with 2 X .25 of shuffling thrown in. I also walked .67 in the yard.

Saturday I lifted weights after Penny and I returned from Jackson. In the big town, I slipped in a 1.15 mile walk while the wife shopped. Back home on the bench, I did

13 X 70
12 X 95
4 X 111
2 X 115
2 X 115
2 X 115
4 X 111
5 X 95

For the week, I 

lifted weights 4 X (upper body 3 X),
ran .5,
ambulated 9.26, and 
swam 10, 019 meters.

For the swim, that is actually training, and I am more convinced than ever that I will actually run again, if I can lose some weight. Notice, however, what is missing. Cycling. Without Bryan calling, I just haven't been able to make myself ride. Maybe next week. Thank you, Jesus for what I was able to do and enjoy over the past week. It's all a gift.

Fappy Hourth

I went to Twin Rivers at 6:00 am on Independence Day. The pool was mine, all mine. John was absent, the lifeguards don't get there until 7:00 to start cleaning, and Karen even unlocked the outside gate for me. Blessed day. I did a 2,100 meter straight swim. We won't mention the time, but it was the longest continual swim I have made since starting back the last week of May. I thank the good Lord above for every swim.

Oddly, besides swimming, I had an appointment to show the 172 acres in Carroll County my siblings and I are trying to sell. That has been a struggle in itself. Along with losing both parents, it has taken some time for me to emotionally let go of the land. The property has been in the family for 54 years and the memories there are thicker than sand. Good, all of them good.

While the potential land buyer and I were cruising about in the side-by-side (I think that's what they call these hunting vehicles), my eyes began to itch. What else is new. I have had that since I was a boy. Over the years it got worse until it would peak on Mother's Day each year and then gradually decline. Joyfully, my allergies have improved the last couple of years until the symptoms consisted merely of sneezing, eye watering, and only a little itching. Independence Day, however, was another matter.

By the time I arrived at Hillbilly Heaven, I knew I was in trouble. My eyes were sending a steady stream of tears down my face. I wanted to rip my eyelids off. Washing my eyes out with water helped for only a few minutes. Then the suffer fest was on for the rest of the day. I left early and when I got home, my face was swollen around my eyes. This morning, a quick look in the mirror revealed that some swelling remains along with some discoloration. I look like I've been in a fist fight. What the heck?

Maybe I'm allergic to Carroll County now. Maybe that's a good thing. I slept in and did not swim. Not yet anyway. Maybe later. I am sort of itching to get outside and lift some weights (pun intended). First my wife and I are going to make a trip to Pontotoc to pick up some weights. Yeah, this Market Place on Facebook is going to drive me to poverty. Plate City is coming along marvelously. I'll tell you about it sometime.

6/25 - 7/1

Monday started with an early afternoon swim at the Twin Rivers Tiny Pool. Working until 10:00 o'clock everyday gives me time to do some errands in the morning then hit the pool at 1:30. I swam a 600 warm up and then a 600 for time. The second 600 wasn't all out, of course, but it was pretty intense for my current fitness level. I did the first one in 11:25 and the second 600 in 10:07. After the second swim, I did an easy 300, 6 X 25 (strong but not fast), and then I finished with an easy 400. For the day, I swan 2,150 short course yards.

Tuesday I did a straight 1,600. A couple of posts back, I wrote about the lane directional bias I discovered when I looked at the data recorded in my Garmin. This was the swim that revealed it. It was an easy and, as far as I could tell, an evenly paced swim. But the data was stunning.

Wednesday I swam

700
4 X 25
300
4 X 25
300 
4 X 25
300
2 X 50
200 

total: 2,200 short course yards. This was the longest swim of my comeback.

Thursday morning I woke up as a free man. Wednesday I finished my World Lit class, scored the finals, and turned in the grades. Now I am off work until we start back in August. I need some time off, and I need to do a thousand and one things around here.

Thursday I swam the big pool with John. Although I feel like I am starting to develop some fitness in the small pool, I felt my lack of endurance in the long water of the 50 meter pool. I swam

50
100
150
200
250
300
300
400
50
50

total: 2,200 long course meters.

The 300s were difficult. In ten months of being off, I fell all the way to the bottom. Oh yeah, I checked out the numbers on my Garmin and found that the big pool is faster going north. At least it is on the east side where I swam. There are no lanes now since they reworked the pool last summer, so swimming there is way more difficult than before. Later that afternoon, I lifted some weights at Plate City:

Bench press
15 X 56
14 X 78
11 X 88
  7 X 98
  4 X 103

Swim Pull
25 X 20
20 X 23
15 X 24.5
10 X 26

In addition to all that, I took a walk (1.23) with .3 of shuffling thrown in. By the grace of God, I am going to get the running back also.

Friday I went to the pastors' breakfast for the first time in a number of weeks. Then I met John at Twin Rivers. Although he wanted to swim outdoors, there were three or four kids in the pool and that is too many for lap swimming. Don't think I am goofy. Try it. If you can last ten laps with five kids in an Olympic size pool, you are a far better person than I am. I fear having a bad interaction with one that could lead to some trouble with the management. Nobody's kid is ever wrong anymore so it's just not worth the risk for me. So we went to the little pool instead. That was John's first time in the indoor setup and he liked it OK. I swam

800
6 X 25
350
6 X 25
350
4 X 50
1250

total: 2,250 short course yards. Later I lifted:

Swim Pull
27 X 20 + a washer
15 X 24.4
12 X 27.4
10 X 28.9

I also did some leg work.

Saturday, I did nothing. Sunday, I only did a little lifting:

Bench Press
16 X 65
13 X 80
10 X 90
8 X 100
4 X 105

Swim Pull
28 X 20 + 3 washers
15 X 25
12 X 28
10 X 29.5 

For the week, I 

shuffled .3
ambulated 2.46
lifted weights 3 X
bicycled none
swam 9,649 meters.

A good week in the pool, but a bit light in the leg aerobics. Thank you, God for giving me swimming. I'm having fun and feeling better physically as well as emotionally.