Another Beetsdown day. It started with a straight 2,800 yard swim at the little pool at Twin Rivers. It felt good and I wanted to go and go and go, but I had other things to do. Unlike the tall guy, I have responsibilities. I averaged 1:50 which was only cruising and that alone will make Randy Beets miss next year's Swim the Suck. Cry me a river.
Then Trevor and I hit Plate City for some major Beetsdown lifting. I did upper back and cord work for ; the rotator cuffs. Plate City is better than anything Randy can find in North Carolina. When Trevor tapped at the gym, I hit the road for a 2.08 mile run. Poor Randy. It was dark again while I ran, and I loved it again. He is doomed to fail again. Thank you, Jesus for the victory.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
An Enjoyable Run
I didn't make it to the pool but I did lift weights at Plate City, and I did run. The run proved to be fun. Since I started back running, I have been grateful for each shuffle. However, the enjoyment factor has been less than a lot. It always is when you are not on good shape.
Monday's run was slow. Monday's run was short. Monday's run was in the dark because the days are getting really short. I enjoy shuffling in the dark in part because it gives me a feeling of anonymity. Not only that, but as slow and fat as I now am, I don't relish anyone looking at me huffing down the street at a 13:00 minuter per mile pace. In the dark, I at least feel like they don't know who I am.
I also felt pretty good Monday night, like I am developing at least a modicum of fitness. I didn't breath as hard, and my legs felt like I could have gone on and on. I didn't do what I felt like because Trevor and I are doing a 5K Saturday and I want to be fresh, so I stopped at 2.13 miles. But just the fact that I wanted to run farther gave me an excitement about the upcoming winter. It caused me to look back with pleasure on some of my past runs. I want to do them again. And it caused me to look forward to getting in better shape and running late into the night. After the 5K, I plan to push the distance up.
I am also dreaming of journey runs. I don't know how long it will be before I am fit enouugh to do that again, but I want it back. A few years ago, I took Fridays and ran marathons. One run I wanted to do but somehow always failed to get in was the Parks Marathon. In this one, I will run to several town parks and do a mile in each one. It amy be the winter of 2020 before I can pull it off, but having dreams gives an excitement to life that I love. Thank you, Jesus, and watch out Randy Beets. I am on the way back for my Beetsdown.
Monday's run was slow. Monday's run was short. Monday's run was in the dark because the days are getting really short. I enjoy shuffling in the dark in part because it gives me a feeling of anonymity. Not only that, but as slow and fat as I now am, I don't relish anyone looking at me huffing down the street at a 13:00 minuter per mile pace. In the dark, I at least feel like they don't know who I am.
I also felt pretty good Monday night, like I am developing at least a modicum of fitness. I didn't breath as hard, and my legs felt like I could have gone on and on. I didn't do what I felt like because Trevor and I are doing a 5K Saturday and I want to be fresh, so I stopped at 2.13 miles. But just the fact that I wanted to run farther gave me an excitement about the upcoming winter. It caused me to look back with pleasure on some of my past runs. I want to do them again. And it caused me to look forward to getting in better shape and running late into the night. After the 5K, I plan to push the distance up.
I am also dreaming of journey runs. I don't know how long it will be before I am fit enouugh to do that again, but I want it back. A few years ago, I took Fridays and ran marathons. One run I wanted to do but somehow always failed to get in was the Parks Marathon. In this one, I will run to several town parks and do a mile in each one. It amy be the winter of 2020 before I can pull it off, but having dreams gives an excitement to life that I love. Thank you, Jesus, and watch out Randy Beets. I am on the way back for my Beetsdown.
Monday, October 29, 2018
10/22 - 10/28
I have already written about each day for most of the week. I have not written about Saturday so I will jot a few notes about it and then sum up. Saturday started with me in bed woith three cats and a cup of coffee. I was awfully hard to get up. I wanted to stay there and blog, drink, and pet, but our son Forrest was moving and we needed to help him. But I did stay after Penny left and dragged out about thirty minutes later and drove over to the old house where there was a bog box truck and several other vehicles in the process of loading and leaving. To make a short story long, we had to be moved by 3:00 pm but as we had already started and had lots of help, we got-er-done.
Later in the day, after moveing, I went out for a shuffle and did this:
w - .12
r - 1.02
w - .19
r - 1.03
w - .26
r - 1.1
w - .15
r - .13
w - .33
That is pretty winpu stuff but the longest I've done in two years. Wow. Trevor and I are going to run the Vardeman 5K Saturday. This was the last opportunity to add some endurance to the legs. Next week, this week, I will take only a few short shuffles and let the legs regroup, recover.
For the week, I
swam - 9,459 meters
ran - 7.98 miles,
lifteed only once, and
did some walking.
The lfteing was impacted by the weather and the moving. Maybe this week Treovr and can that back on track. It was still a Beetsdown cycle. Poor Randy and praise the Lord.
Later in the day, after moveing, I went out for a shuffle and did this:
w - .12
r - 1.02
w - .19
r - 1.03
w - .26
r - 1.1
w - .15
r - .13
w - .33
That is pretty winpu stuff but the longest I've done in two years. Wow. Trevor and I are going to run the Vardeman 5K Saturday. This was the last opportunity to add some endurance to the legs. Next week, this week, I will take only a few short shuffles and let the legs regroup, recover.
For the week, I
swam - 9,459 meters
ran - 7.98 miles,
lifteed only once, and
did some walking.
The lfteing was impacted by the weather and the moving. Maybe this week Treovr and can that back on track. It was still a Beetsdown cycle. Poor Randy and praise the Lord.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Butt Beets
Randy got slaughtered in the pool Thursday. Due to an abundance of rain, a run and a lift were out so I focused on a Beetsdown in the water. If it had been a fight, someone would have stopped it. The Butt Beets went like this:
2,150 40:50
7 X 50 @ :57
350
9 X 50 @ 1:00
350
8 X 50 @ 1:05 small paddles
200 medium paddles
total: 4,250 yards.
I could have swum more, but poor Randy, I had mercy and stopped. If his mother reads this post, she will make excuses for him. "He has to work so much." Yeah? I have TWO jobs and three cats.
I'll keep butt Beetsing until Swim the Suck where I will administer the coup de grace. Praise be to God.
2,150 40:50
7 X 50 @ :57
350
9 X 50 @ 1:00
350
8 X 50 @ 1:05 small paddles
200 medium paddles
total: 4,250 yards.
I could have swum more, but poor Randy, I had mercy and stopped. If his mother reads this post, she will make excuses for him. "He has to work so much." Yeah? I have TWO jobs and three cats.
I'll keep butt Beetsing until Swim the Suck where I will administer the coup de grace. Praise be to God.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Comp I, 9:25
Absenteeism was sky high today in my 9:25 Comp I class. A small amount of rain is dripping from the sky so most of the students won't leave their house or dorm room. How will they survive in the real world? They won't and it will be a president's fault.
Now, the few of us who are here are writing. Or some of us are. They want to talk. One student just asked me about electronics, how I feel about them, and how things have changed in that area during my lifetime. Just a few of the remarks I gave him were, we had no cell phones until I was an adult. Coming up, we had only three channels on the TV. And there was no internet and even when there was, I was late coming to the party. When GPS units started coming out, I had a negative view of them because I liked learning roads and needing some hard earned knowledge to do what I did, ride a bicycle for over a hundred miles in rural Mississippi. Now, anyone can get around as long as they have a modicum of cell coverage.
Another thing we didn't have but I do like is the GPS watch. I have a Garmin that I use to record my distance on a bicycle, running, and even in the swimming pool. When my Garmin goes out, I have another one ordered before the day is done.
All in all, I like the advancements that have come our way. But the world really was a different place when I was coming up. And it seems to change faster and faster. I am of the age that I don't like change. I want things to stay the same. For instance, we are always learning some new program at work. As soon as we really learn it, it is gone and another takes its place. That frustrates me because it seems to me that the new is not always better than the old. Sometimes it is obviously worse, and our school pays big bucks to downgrade and throw confusion onto their employees. They love that, throwing confusion.
Oh well, the end is in sight. I don't really want to retire. I like my job and want to work past "retirement age." But if I do go to the house when I reach that birthday, it will be primarily because I grow overly weary of unnecessary changes that make little sense. At home everyday, I will learn what I want to learn. And everything else will be the same.
Now, the few of us who are here are writing. Or some of us are. They want to talk. One student just asked me about electronics, how I feel about them, and how things have changed in that area during my lifetime. Just a few of the remarks I gave him were, we had no cell phones until I was an adult. Coming up, we had only three channels on the TV. And there was no internet and even when there was, I was late coming to the party. When GPS units started coming out, I had a negative view of them because I liked learning roads and needing some hard earned knowledge to do what I did, ride a bicycle for over a hundred miles in rural Mississippi. Now, anyone can get around as long as they have a modicum of cell coverage.
Another thing we didn't have but I do like is the GPS watch. I have a Garmin that I use to record my distance on a bicycle, running, and even in the swimming pool. When my Garmin goes out, I have another one ordered before the day is done.
All in all, I like the advancements that have come our way. But the world really was a different place when I was coming up. And it seems to change faster and faster. I am of the age that I don't like change. I want things to stay the same. For instance, we are always learning some new program at work. As soon as we really learn it, it is gone and another takes its place. That frustrates me because it seems to me that the new is not always better than the old. Sometimes it is obviously worse, and our school pays big bucks to downgrade and throw confusion onto their employees. They love that, throwing confusion.
Oh well, the end is in sight. I don't really want to retire. I like my job and want to work past "retirement age." But if I do go to the house when I reach that birthday, it will be primarily because I grow overly weary of unnecessary changes that make little sense. At home everyday, I will learn what I want to learn. And everything else will be the same.
Randy Killer
If Randy were here, he would be homesick, heartbroken, and hopeless after watching the workouts I did Wednesday. First, Trevor and I went to Wade Road to run. There we
walked - .3,
shuffled - 2.68 (my longest since November of 2016),
and walked - 1.16
total: 4.15
Then we went to Plate City where, among other things, I benched
10 X 95
8 X 120
4 X 147
1 X 165
1 X 170
3 X 152
3 X 152
3 X 152
5 X 147
8 X 137
On the cords, I did 142 repetitions. I also punched the BAS system furiously pretending it was a hapless Randy Beets. He took a terrible beating, but it serves him right.
Later, Forrest wanted to borrow my truck, so we swapped, and then I went to the pool in his car. Once there, I couldn't open the driver's side door but eventually had to go out the passenger's side. That means Randy would have been trapped and could only have gotten out by the Jaws of Life. Poor guy. I swam 2 X 600 and called it a night since it was already a major Beetsdown.
Poor Randy. Praise Jesus.
walked - .3,
shuffled - 2.68 (my longest since November of 2016),
and walked - 1.16
total: 4.15
Then we went to Plate City where, among other things, I benched
10 X 95
8 X 120
4 X 147
1 X 165
1 X 170
3 X 152
3 X 152
3 X 152
5 X 147
8 X 137
 |
| I'm good like that. |
On the cords, I did 142 repetitions. I also punched the BAS system furiously pretending it was a hapless Randy Beets. He took a terrible beating, but it serves him right.
Later, Forrest wanted to borrow my truck, so we swapped, and then I went to the pool in his car. Once there, I couldn't open the driver's side door but eventually had to go out the passenger's side. That means Randy would have been trapped and could only have gotten out by the Jaws of Life. Poor guy. I swam 2 X 600 and called it a night since it was already a major Beetsdown.
Poor Randy. Praise Jesus.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Tuesday Beetsdown
Monday I had a meeting on campus so it was like I had a regular job. It was almost 5:00 when I got home. I hate it when that happens. So I did not have time for total Beetsdown training, but I did do a Beetsdown swim. When I posted that I did that in Vicarious Butt Beets on Facebook, Randy's mom wanted to know how far I swam and said Randy probably had to work all day. Tough tittie said the kitty.
I swam
2,000
6 X 50 @ :57
300
8 X 50 @ 1:00
300
10 X 50 @ 1:05 with small paddles
300
total: 4,100 yards.
All of that and the water was an honest 92 degrees. I am handling the hot water better than I was. Randy Beets would cry like a little girl who just had her Barbie doll snatched out of her hand.
Trevor was out so I did no lifting. When I got home from the pool, I quickly became comfortable watching TV and petting cats and thus did no running. But this was still a Beetsdown. Praise God for victory.
I swam
2,000
6 X 50 @ :57
300
8 X 50 @ 1:00
300
10 X 50 @ 1:05 with small paddles
300
total: 4,100 yards.
All of that and the water was an honest 92 degrees. I am handling the hot water better than I was. Randy Beets would cry like a little girl who just had her Barbie doll snatched out of her hand.
Trevor was out so I did no lifting. When I got home from the pool, I quickly became comfortable watching TV and petting cats and thus did no running. But this was still a Beetsdown. Praise God for victory.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Quandry
I hate them. Quandries. I'm in one now.
I have two tickets for the Mississippi State vs Texas A&M game in Starkville this Saturday. My son, who has been trying to sell his house and buy another one, has scheduled his closing and move for this Saturday.
My wife wants me to cancel the game.
There is only one problem with this, and I am trying to figure what is the right thing to do. Ordinarily this would be automatic: I help my son, no hesitation. But here is the catch. I have made a commitment with a friend to make this game, a commitment that has been in place for months now. Don't you hate it when someone cancels on you? I will have to lose money as well as break a previous promise to help my son move.
So what is the right thing to do?
I always felt like when you make a commitment, you keep it. Part of me says family trumps commitments, but I really am torn. What to do? I need to decide quickly so I can dump these tickets, if possible. Please, what are your thoughts?
I have two tickets for the Mississippi State vs Texas A&M game in Starkville this Saturday. My son, who has been trying to sell his house and buy another one, has scheduled his closing and move for this Saturday.
My wife wants me to cancel the game.
There is only one problem with this, and I am trying to figure what is the right thing to do. Ordinarily this would be automatic: I help my son, no hesitation. But here is the catch. I have made a commitment with a friend to make this game, a commitment that has been in place for months now. Don't you hate it when someone cancels on you? I will have to lose money as well as break a previous promise to help my son move.
So what is the right thing to do?
I always felt like when you make a commitment, you keep it. Part of me says family trumps commitments, but I really am torn. What to do? I need to decide quickly so I can dump these tickets, if possible. Please, what are your thoughts?
Second Cycle Started
Beetsdown training, week two, has begun. Although I hate to admit it, I did not swim Monday. It wasn't my fault, however. I had to attend a meeting in Moorhead so that took away what would have been a tremendous Beetsdown swim. I am swimming reps, intervals, and times that Randy Beets can't touch, and I am not even in top form.
I did workout with Trevor at Plate City Gym. Since we hit the bench press so hard Saturday, we decided to do benches again Tuesday in order to allow our pectoral muscles more time for recovery. Randy wouldn't know anything about that. We did upper back instead of chest and got to pet dogs the whole time with Pee Wee and Bear acting like they had never been touched.
On the cord work, (external rotations) I've reached new Beetsdown heights. I did 142 repetitions on the green cord and thirteen on the red cord. That is a record, up from the thirty reps I did when I began to focus on this vital shoulder strengthening work.
After the gym work, I had a choice of pool or road for the second workout of the day. Since Trevor and I are to run a 5K in Vardeman in less than two weeks, I chose the road and went for 2.02 miles. It felt bad, and I am still in pitiful shape shuffling along slower than twelve minutes per mile. But the fact that I am shuffling at all is is still a source of inspiration and joy to me. It makes me thankful to God that I can do it at all. When Randy lived around here, I always beat him in the road races as well as the swimming ones. Poor Randy. He was born to lose. Some people are like that. Praise God. Bless the name of the Lord. Praise Jesus.
I did workout with Trevor at Plate City Gym. Since we hit the bench press so hard Saturday, we decided to do benches again Tuesday in order to allow our pectoral muscles more time for recovery. Randy wouldn't know anything about that. We did upper back instead of chest and got to pet dogs the whole time with Pee Wee and Bear acting like they had never been touched.
On the cord work, (external rotations) I've reached new Beetsdown heights. I did 142 repetitions on the green cord and thirteen on the red cord. That is a record, up from the thirty reps I did when I began to focus on this vital shoulder strengthening work.
After the gym work, I had a choice of pool or road for the second workout of the day. Since Trevor and I are to run a 5K in Vardeman in less than two weeks, I chose the road and went for 2.02 miles. It felt bad, and I am still in pitiful shape shuffling along slower than twelve minutes per mile. But the fact that I am shuffling at all is is still a source of inspiration and joy to me. It makes me thankful to God that I can do it at all. When Randy lived around here, I always beat him in the road races as well as the swimming ones. Poor Randy. He was born to lose. Some people are like that. Praise God. Bless the name of the Lord. Praise Jesus.
Monday, October 22, 2018
10/15 - 10/21
I have already posted about most of this week, one day at a time. Monday I swam 3,300 yards but did no running or lifting. Tuesday I swam 4,000 yards and ran on the treadmill but once more did no lifting. Wednesday Trevor and I were finally able to get back to the weights after we ran 1.48 miles. I also was able so swim 1,650 yards.
Thursday was another big day with a 1.66 run, a 2,300 yard swim, and a tough lifting session at Plate City. Friday, I was out of pocket most of the day but I did get in 2.17 miles of shuffling and 1.04 miles of walking.
Saturday was the bomb, a Beetsdown day. Trevor and I shuffled 2.17 miles then lifted at Plate City doing squats, and on the bench I pressed
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
That is ten sets of ten for 100 reps. I'll see next week how my body responds to that. I took some nutrition, watched some football, and napped. Then I went to Twin Rivers for a Beetsdown swim of
1,800
25 X 50 @ :57 with small paddles
450
total: 3,500 yards.
For the week, I swam 13,484 meters,
lifted weights 3 times,
walked .94 miles, and
shuffled 8.96
That is the beginning of Beetsdown training. Randy can't hold up to that kind of grind. He wears down and starts crying to his mother that he wants a Popsicle. I just keep on working. I will smash him at the next Swim the Suck. Wait for it, and praise God while you do.
Thursday was another big day with a 1.66 run, a 2,300 yard swim, and a tough lifting session at Plate City. Friday, I was out of pocket most of the day but I did get in 2.17 miles of shuffling and 1.04 miles of walking.
Saturday was the bomb, a Beetsdown day. Trevor and I shuffled 2.17 miles then lifted at Plate City doing squats, and on the bench I pressed
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
10 X 95
That is ten sets of ten for 100 reps. I'll see next week how my body responds to that. I took some nutrition, watched some football, and napped. Then I went to Twin Rivers for a Beetsdown swim of
1,800
25 X 50 @ :57 with small paddles
450
total: 3,500 yards.
For the week, I swam 13,484 meters,
lifted weights 3 times,
walked .94 miles, and
shuffled 8.96
That is the beginning of Beetsdown training. Randy can't hold up to that kind of grind. He wears down and starts crying to his mother that he wants a Popsicle. I just keep on working. I will smash him at the next Swim the Suck. Wait for it, and praise God while you do.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Plate City Plans
Plate City has gone through some major revisions and improvements over the summer. It is about to go through some more. Today I am supposed to receive the BAS punching system that I have wanted for years and finally ordered last week. That will be a big addition to the gym and will add to aerobic conditioning of my swimming muscles which are the ones I need to defeat Randy Beets. I am always thinking, scheming, doing new things to get in shape. That is why I have been able to beat the tall guy all these years.
Also, I have in mind to move the T-bar which right now is between the power rack and behind the Swim pull machine. The idea is to rig up a way to ride my bicycle trainer while using the Swim Pull machine. That was Trevor's idea and a good one so I am going for it. That will put me over the top in swim conditioning since will give me a chance to work on cardio and swim specific strength at the same time. I can warm up the legs while spinning, do a set of swim pulls, keep spinning, and do sets over and over until the whole body is exhausted. I can't wait for that.
In addition to those two, I am always scheming on buying more weights. I had two purchases lined up for last week but they both fell through. This Friday, I once more have two buys organized. If I can score the one up north, 428 pounds of one inch steel weights, I will be out of the buying business because we will never need anymore. That probably, however, will not stop me from scheming on the sales I see in the Facebook Buy, Sell, and Swap sites. There are some really good deals on there, and I can't help but look and dream.
Now more than anything, I just need to keep doing what I am doing, keep dropping the weight, keep working out for strength and endurance. The excess adipose tissue has been coming off very slowly, but that is the way it came on so why am I surprised? You have to keep doing the right thing over and over and eventually the payoff comes. It is all about reaping a sowing. The problem comes when we sow a little and want to reap big right away.
Also, I have in mind to move the T-bar which right now is between the power rack and behind the Swim pull machine. The idea is to rig up a way to ride my bicycle trainer while using the Swim Pull machine. That was Trevor's idea and a good one so I am going for it. That will put me over the top in swim conditioning since will give me a chance to work on cardio and swim specific strength at the same time. I can warm up the legs while spinning, do a set of swim pulls, keep spinning, and do sets over and over until the whole body is exhausted. I can't wait for that.
In addition to those two, I am always scheming on buying more weights. I had two purchases lined up for last week but they both fell through. This Friday, I once more have two buys organized. If I can score the one up north, 428 pounds of one inch steel weights, I will be out of the buying business because we will never need anymore. That probably, however, will not stop me from scheming on the sales I see in the Facebook Buy, Sell, and Swap sites. There are some really good deals on there, and I can't help but look and dream.
Now more than anything, I just need to keep doing what I am doing, keep dropping the weight, keep working out for strength and endurance. The excess adipose tissue has been coming off very slowly, but that is the way it came on so why am I surprised? You have to keep doing the right thing over and over and eventually the payoff comes. It is all about reaping a sowing. The problem comes when we sow a little and want to reap big right away.
Wicked Wednesday
I busted out some more Beetsdown training Wednesday. It was wicked good, so good I hope Randy doesn't read this. The first thing I did was lift with Trevor at Plate City. On the bench I did
10 X 95
8 X 120
6 X 142
3 X 152
1 X 162
1 X 167
3 X 152
6 X 140
12 X 120
On the squat I did
11 X 65
5 X 85
4 X 96
3 X 101
With the cords (external rotations) I did 137 repetitions.
After our lifting session, we did some shuffling. I am still huffing hard at a 12:00 minute per mile pace. Maybe I should not be surprised, but I am dismayed. The comeback has been slow, very slow, but thanks be to God, I am shuffling some. We did 1.48 miles and with the squats, my legs wereabout done.
When the shuffle was over, I went inside for some nutrition and rest. I think I actually went to sleep. When I got up, it was still only 5:40 pm, and Penny was out shopping so I decided to go to the pool. At the tiny pool, I did a short, straight swim of 1,650 yards (1,508 meters).
All of that is a pretty good day for a pretty old man. It was most definitely a Beetsdown day. If Randy reads this, he will probably cry and call his mother for some comfort. Too bad, big guy. I'm coming after you and I will crow like a wrestler when I take you down. Praise be to God.
10 X 95
8 X 120
6 X 142
3 X 152
1 X 162
1 X 167
3 X 152
6 X 140
12 X 120
On the squat I did
11 X 65
5 X 85
4 X 96
3 X 101
With the cords (external rotations) I did 137 repetitions.
After our lifting session, we did some shuffling. I am still huffing hard at a 12:00 minute per mile pace. Maybe I should not be surprised, but I am dismayed. The comeback has been slow, very slow, but thanks be to God, I am shuffling some. We did 1.48 miles and with the squats, my legs were
When the shuffle was over, I went inside for some nutrition and rest. I think I actually went to sleep. When I got up, it was still only 5:40 pm, and Penny was out shopping so I decided to go to the pool. At the tiny pool, I did a short, straight swim of 1,650 yards (1,508 meters).
All of that is a pretty good day for a pretty old man. It was most definitely a Beetsdown day. If Randy reads this, he will probably cry and call his mother for some comfort. Too bad, big guy. I'm coming after you and I will crow like a wrestler when I take you down. Praise be to God.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Beetsdown Training
Rain fell steadily and hard through the chill delta air Tuesday afternoon as I made my way out of Horton building and to my pick up truck, free at last, free at last. With the temps being what they were, an outdoor swim was out. With the rain soaked yard and equipment, a lift at Plate City was out. With the rain being as fierce as it was, a run on the roads was out. But school was in session at the Randy Beetsdown Training Academy. I planned to attend.
At home, I quickly changed clothes, washed out my goggles, grabbed my swim bag and headed to one of the several campuses of the Training Academy. This one, the indoor pool at Twin Rivers, is a new addition built especially for me to help insure that my dominance over Randy Beets continues. At the Academy, I swam
1,450
3 X 150 @ 3:00
200 easy
5 X 100 @ 2:00
200 easy
4 X 75 @ 1:25
200 easy
8 X 50 @ :57
300 easy
total: 4,000 short course yards.
That is a Beetsdown right there. Randy doesn't even believe I can do those intervals, and I am far from in shape. His Beetsdown is going to be dramatic and without mercy.
At home I pondered what to do. I went to another campus of the Beetsdown Training Academy and did a treadmill shuffle of 1.5 miles. That might still be small shuffling, but it is 100% more than I was doing a year ago. I am coming back and Randy is probably crying in the bathroom at work right now if he has read this.
Stay tuned and praise the Lord with me as Beetsdown training continues.
At home, I quickly changed clothes, washed out my goggles, grabbed my swim bag and headed to one of the several campuses of the Training Academy. This one, the indoor pool at Twin Rivers, is a new addition built especially for me to help insure that my dominance over Randy Beets continues. At the Academy, I swam
1,450
3 X 150 @ 3:00
200 easy
5 X 100 @ 2:00
200 easy
4 X 75 @ 1:25
200 easy
8 X 50 @ :57
300 easy
total: 4,000 short course yards.
That is a Beetsdown right there. Randy doesn't even believe I can do those intervals, and I am far from in shape. His Beetsdown is going to be dramatic and without mercy.
At home I pondered what to do. I went to another campus of the Beetsdown Training Academy and did a treadmill shuffle of 1.5 miles. That might still be small shuffling, but it is 100% more than I was doing a year ago. I am coming back and Randy is probably crying in the bathroom at work right now if he has read this.
Stay tuned and praise the Lord with me as Beetsdown training continues.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
More Training Academy
At this very moment I am planning my afternoon swim. Randy Beets is going to get the beetsdown of his life at the next Suck. Yesterday, I did 23 X 50. I am thinking, now, about cutting a second off each rep and adding a few. Thus, I will work speed and strength while simultaneously increasing endurance at the faster speeds. That is the kind of swimming I need to do to give Randy the kind of through defeat he deserves.
Yesterday, because of a church meeting, I did not get to lift weights. But I plan to hit it today and as many days as I can. I also have some other ideas for Plate City which will aid in getting me into top physical condition. I want to get where I can put my bicycle trainer up where I can pedal while I pump the Swim Pull machine. This will work the swim muscles and cardio at the same time. Randy is not smart enough to figure out anything like that.
Having Trevor as a training partner is also a big plus. With him, I do more sets, more reps, and more weight. I will be so strong by next October that if I can't out swim the tall guy, I will be able to whip him in a fist fight. One way or the other, revenge will be mine.
Plate City continues to grow, expand, and improve. I will be in such shape that after the swim I will most likely challenge him to a footrace. Then I will out eat him at the post race party. After ten miles of superior swimming, Randy will burn with shame when I double his food consumption. I am looking forward to victory, total victory, vindication, revenge.
Praise the Lord. Blessed be the God of Israel. Praise ye the Lord.
Yesterday, because of a church meeting, I did not get to lift weights. But I plan to hit it today and as many days as I can. I also have some other ideas for Plate City which will aid in getting me into top physical condition. I want to get where I can put my bicycle trainer up where I can pedal while I pump the Swim Pull machine. This will work the swim muscles and cardio at the same time. Randy is not smart enough to figure out anything like that.
Having Trevor as a training partner is also a big plus. With him, I do more sets, more reps, and more weight. I will be so strong by next October that if I can't out swim the tall guy, I will be able to whip him in a fist fight. One way or the other, revenge will be mine.
Plate City continues to grow, expand, and improve. I will be in such shape that after the swim I will most likely challenge him to a footrace. Then I will out eat him at the post race party. After ten miles of superior swimming, Randy will burn with shame when I double his food consumption. I am looking forward to victory, total victory, vindication, revenge.
Praise the Lord. Blessed be the God of Israel. Praise ye the Lord.
Beetsdown Training Academy
The Randy Beetsdown Training Academy has opened. Boy howdy, has it given me a shot in the arm. I don't know if he intended to or not, but Randy awakened the sleeping midget, who is me, his athletic superior, by talking smack all over Facebook. Now, I am determined to best him at the 2019 version of Swim the Suck in Chattanooga, Tennessee next October.
I am aware that the Suck is almost a full year away, but I am just now getting back into the training swing after a long forced layoff. So I do need the time and at my age, currently 62, I don't get in shape as fast as I used to. Yesterday, with Randy Beets in mind, I hit the indoor pool for,
1,400
23 X 50 @ :58 with small paddles
350
4 X 75 @ 1:25 with medium paddles
100
total: 3,300 yards.
I almost hate to publish this because this posting alone means Randy will probably not show up at the 2019 Suck. The interval of :58 is enough to scare Randy out of his goggles. I know this guy. He is already ruing the fact that he has fired my up. Randy could never swim short course 50s on :58. First, he could never figure how to do it and keep up with the time. Second, that is too fast for him. So Randy is already looking for a way out. Too bad, tall guy, you lose one way or the other.
Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Randy is not too tall to fall. He has fallen before. Thank you, Almighty God.
I am aware that the Suck is almost a full year away, but I am just now getting back into the training swing after a long forced layoff. So I do need the time and at my age, currently 62, I don't get in shape as fast as I used to. Yesterday, with Randy Beets in mind, I hit the indoor pool for,
1,400
23 X 50 @ :58 with small paddles
350
4 X 75 @ 1:25 with medium paddles
100
total: 3,300 yards.
I almost hate to publish this because this posting alone means Randy will probably not show up at the 2019 Suck. The interval of :58 is enough to scare Randy out of his goggles. I know this guy. He is already ruing the fact that he has fired my up. Randy could never swim short course 50s on :58. First, he could never figure how to do it and keep up with the time. Second, that is too fast for him. So Randy is already looking for a way out. Too bad, tall guy, you lose one way or the other.
Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Randy is not too tall to fall. He has fallen before. Thank you, Almighty God.
Monday, October 15, 2018
10/8 - 10/14
I went to the little pool Monday for 3,200 yards. Since I wrote about that already, I won't say any more. Tuesday we did the Greenwood Center 5K on the Rail Spike Trail downtown. Since I wrote about that one already also, but I didn't write about Place City that same day. On the bench, I did
12 X 95
8 X 120
8 X 140
4 X 150
1 X 160
1 X 166
8 X 140
11 X 120
Wednesday I went to the outdoor pool and swam
3,000 straight
8 X 50 @ 1:25 with small paddles
total: 3,400 meters.
T-Man and I also worked out at Plate City.
Thursday I didn't make the pool but did make the gym. Trevor and I worked biceps, shoulders, traps.
Friday I had the day to myself for a change. That made me very happy. I had many plans but only carried out a few of them. One plan I carried out was to go to the little pool where I knocked off
1,300
10 X 50 @ 1:00
2 with small paddles
2 with medium paddles
2 with large paddles
2 with hands
2 with small paddles
total: 2,000 yards.
After lunch, I picked up the sled that I ordered from Leflore Steel and have been waiting a month on. It looks like palace but feels like pure wickedness.
12 X 95
8 X 120
8 X 140
4 X 150
1 X 160
1 X 166
8 X 140
11 X 120
Wednesday I went to the outdoor pool and swam
3,000 straight
8 X 50 @ 1:25 with small paddles
total: 3,400 meters.
T-Man and I also worked out at Plate City.
Thursday I didn't make the pool but did make the gym. Trevor and I worked biceps, shoulders, traps.
Friday I had the day to myself for a change. That made me very happy. I had many plans but only carried out a few of them. One plan I carried out was to go to the little pool where I knocked off
1,300
10 X 50 @ 1:00
2 with small paddles
2 with medium paddles
2 with large paddles
2 with hands
2 with small paddles
total: 2,000 yards.
After lunch, I picked up the sled that I ordered from Leflore Steel and have been waiting a month on. It looks like palace but feels like pure wickedness.
I played with it just a little. It will work you and work you hard. Can't wait till Trevor and I put this into the routine. I'm hoping it will positively affect both strength and conditioning and transfer into some better running in the future.
Also I had planned to purchase some more weight plates Friday. I had contacted two sellers and had a plan but the BOTH backed out on me. Oh well, there a plenty of weights out there and I will purchase plenty more in the future.
Saturday, Penny and I went to French Camp with Gerald and Debbie. We also made it to Kosciusko and Mathiston to shop. I bought some popcorn, candy, a new coffee mug, and a cap. The only reason I didn't buy any weights is I didn't find any. It was a good day though. The wives enjoyed themselves and Gerald and I walked two solid miles.
For the week, I
swam 8,152 meters,
ran 4.46 miles,
walked some more, and
lifted weights four times.
I think I'll pick it up this week. Randy Beets has been talking some trash on Facebook. Even his mother got into the act and hagged me about being afraid to do Swim the Suck. They should not have awakened the sleeping midget because now I am fired up and ready to kick butt and take names. Next year at the Suck Randy goes down. The rivalry has been reborn. Praise God. Rivalries are good, noble, and helpful. Stay tuned for a solid year of Beetsdown cyberbullying followed by the actual athletic destruction. Can't wait.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Friday, Slowly
I posted yesterday about how excited I was that Friday was about to hit, and I wasn't on anybody's list to do anything. Today is the day. Right now, CC just crawled up into my lap after first insisting that I move the laptop to make room for her. I obliged as I always do. Her warmth, purring, and nudgings for affection are soothing, relaxing, and comforting to me. That's why I love cats so much. They bless me, and I like to be good to them.
I didn't sleep in but got up the same time I do to go to work. But I didn't have to; it was my choice. And the excitement is still with me because I have a few things on tap for today. Despite one chore-- I need to meet the realtor at Mom's at 10:00 am-- I am happy to know that today I should pick up the weight sled I ordered at Leflore Steele. It has only been a month, but I have longed for this since the day I talked to Donny Cleveland about it. We looked at some photographs and Donny told me it was no problem. They can build anything.
Yesterday he called and asked if I could run by. I did and when I went into the office, he told someone to take me to someone else (I forgot the name). In the shop, we found a man who had already started fabrication. He had some questions, and I had some details I wanted to let him know about. I left all giddy when he told me the sled would be completed tomorrow, which is today. Can't wait.
Also, I am thinking of making a trip over Noxapater way. Facebook now has those buy, sell, and swap groups and occasionally I find some weights for sell on them. I have communicated with two individuals over that way who have metal weights for sale. I want them so I am planning to go after them. Besides that, I have family in that large town, and I always like to stop by for a visit.
Trevor told me yesterday that he can workout today, so my hope is we can play with the sled and maybe load it with some brand new used weights. What a prospect. I'm thinking the sled will be great for building sports specific strength and conditioning for my running which is slowly coming back. Yesterday I shuffled 1.35 miles after Trevor and I hit the weights. That puts me at over four miles for the week. Last week, I ran 3.8. I might hit five before the week is done seeing how I have two more days.
Another thing that has me stoked is my weight this morning was below 180 for the fourth time this week which means that's what I really weigh. It's coming down slowly, very slowly but that's how it came on so what can I expect? I'll get there.
I guess "slowly" is the watchword. The weight is coming off slowly, I am returning to running slowly, and my enthusiasm for all things physical is returning slowly. My fitness is slowly increasing, and my dreams are slowly beginning to reemerge after a long hibernation, dreams of journey runs, long swims, and all day bicycle rides. Thank you, Jesus for blessing me "slowly."
I didn't sleep in but got up the same time I do to go to work. But I didn't have to; it was my choice. And the excitement is still with me because I have a few things on tap for today. Despite one chore-- I need to meet the realtor at Mom's at 10:00 am-- I am happy to know that today I should pick up the weight sled I ordered at Leflore Steele. It has only been a month, but I have longed for this since the day I talked to Donny Cleveland about it. We looked at some photographs and Donny told me it was no problem. They can build anything.
Yesterday he called and asked if I could run by. I did and when I went into the office, he told someone to take me to someone else (I forgot the name). In the shop, we found a man who had already started fabrication. He had some questions, and I had some details I wanted to let him know about. I left all giddy when he told me the sled would be completed tomorrow, which is today. Can't wait.
Also, I am thinking of making a trip over Noxapater way. Facebook now has those buy, sell, and swap groups and occasionally I find some weights for sell on them. I have communicated with two individuals over that way who have metal weights for sale. I want them so I am planning to go after them. Besides that, I have family in that large town, and I always like to stop by for a visit.
Trevor told me yesterday that he can workout today, so my hope is we can play with the sled and maybe load it with some brand new used weights. What a prospect. I'm thinking the sled will be great for building sports specific strength and conditioning for my running which is slowly coming back. Yesterday I shuffled 1.35 miles after Trevor and I hit the weights. That puts me at over four miles for the week. Last week, I ran 3.8. I might hit five before the week is done seeing how I have two more days.
Another thing that has me stoked is my weight this morning was below 180 for the fourth time this week which means that's what I really weigh. It's coming down slowly, very slowly but that's how it came on so what can I expect? I'll get there.
I guess "slowly" is the watchword. The weight is coming off slowly, I am returning to running slowly, and my enthusiasm for all things physical is returning slowly. My fitness is slowly increasing, and my dreams are slowly beginning to reemerge after a long hibernation, dreams of journey runs, long swims, and all day bicycle rides. Thank you, Jesus for blessing me "slowly."
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Friday
Friday. For me it is first Saturday. This one, tomorrow, I am staying home. Even if the creeks rise and the town floods, I am not leaving West Monroe until I feel like it and then only to do something I want to do. On the agenda are:
Sleep. I usually don't sleep late even when I get the chance, but tomorrow morning it it nice to know I don't have to get up early or even on time. I will sleep until I feel like getting up.
Coffee. I will drink the whole pot, at my leisure Friday while I hang out with the cats and blog, read, study. Studying is not a shore when you have the leisure to do it at your own pace.
Swim. With a 51 degree night, I am unsure about the outdoor pool although I ought to do it. At the very least, I will swim the indoor pool for a few thousand yards.
TV. I plan on watching a few episodes of In the Heat of the Night. Over the summer I sort of got hooked on that one. Now I look for it whenever I have a chance to catch it.
Weights. I plan to lift at least a little bit. I don't yet know if Trevor will be able to make it or not, but I will do a little lifting if not a lot. When T-man is gone, I usually focus on cord work, shoulders, and the Swim Pull, stuff that gives me sports specific strength.
Weights. Besides lifting weights, I wouldn't mind purchasing some if I can find a deal on Facebook. Not that the gym needs any. But I see these posting on my phone and some of them drive me crazy. I saw one early this week that I tried to jump at, but the seller never responded to my inquiry. It was for a whole bunch of Olympic weights, benches, and dumbbells. I would make the purchase in a heartbeat, but I guess somebody beat me to it.
Yard work. Although I finished mowing yesterday, I need to do some trimming and weed eating. I want to get the whole yard in good shape just before lay by time, which I finally believe again is approaching. It has been an unusual year for grass mowing. Usually, September means I mow three times. This year, due to the heat and over abundance of rain, I mowed three times in one week during September. If the grass has slowed yet, I can't tell it. But the 51 degree night should start the slowdown.
House repairs. I have a ton of things I need to do around West Monroe. Painting is just one of them. Maybe I can finally get back to some of that.
In short, I am looking forward to a real day off. Friday, my day, the day God gave me. Thank you, Lord.
Sleep. I usually don't sleep late even when I get the chance, but tomorrow morning it it nice to know I don't have to get up early or even on time. I will sleep until I feel like getting up.
Coffee. I will drink the whole pot, at my leisure Friday while I hang out with the cats and blog, read, study. Studying is not a shore when you have the leisure to do it at your own pace.
Swim. With a 51 degree night, I am unsure about the outdoor pool although I ought to do it. At the very least, I will swim the indoor pool for a few thousand yards.
TV. I plan on watching a few episodes of In the Heat of the Night. Over the summer I sort of got hooked on that one. Now I look for it whenever I have a chance to catch it.
Weights. I plan to lift at least a little bit. I don't yet know if Trevor will be able to make it or not, but I will do a little lifting if not a lot. When T-man is gone, I usually focus on cord work, shoulders, and the Swim Pull, stuff that gives me sports specific strength.
Weights. Besides lifting weights, I wouldn't mind purchasing some if I can find a deal on Facebook. Not that the gym needs any. But I see these posting on my phone and some of them drive me crazy. I saw one early this week that I tried to jump at, but the seller never responded to my inquiry. It was for a whole bunch of Olympic weights, benches, and dumbbells. I would make the purchase in a heartbeat, but I guess somebody beat me to it.
Yard work. Although I finished mowing yesterday, I need to do some trimming and weed eating. I want to get the whole yard in good shape just before lay by time, which I finally believe again is approaching. It has been an unusual year for grass mowing. Usually, September means I mow three times. This year, due to the heat and over abundance of rain, I mowed three times in one week during September. If the grass has slowed yet, I can't tell it. But the 51 degree night should start the slowdown.
House repairs. I have a ton of things I need to do around West Monroe. Painting is just one of them. Maybe I can finally get back to some of that.
In short, I am looking forward to a real day off. Friday, my day, the day God gave me. Thank you, Lord.
Homecoming
I love homecoming. At church, it means visitors, a festive atmosphere, and food, lots of food. What's not to like?
At school it means a 5K, or two, some eating, and some really nice hours for the Greenwood Center at least one day during the week. Wednesday, we got out (were commanded to leave) at 9:00 am. How about that for good hours? or hour? I love that schedule.
In the past, I have driven over to main campus to participate in the activities. Not this time. Three guesses as to what I did. You got it. I was in the water by 10:00 am. The 82 degree pool felt unusually cold. But I did it swimming:
3,000 straight,
8 X 50 @ 1:25 with small paddles, to
total: 3,400 meters.
Then I went home, ate lunch, hung out with the cats, and watched In the Heat of the Night. I never watched that show much when it was a current series, but over the past six months it has become one of my favorites.
Trevor got off work early and we set up our appointment at Plate City for 2:00 pm. We hit upper back and we hit it hard doing a set of seated rows for a warmup, and then three sets to T-bar rows and four sets of lat pull downs. I also did a lot of cord work. After that, we went out for a shuffle and did 1.2 miles which is a little longer than the 1.14 I did in the 5K before I was forced to walk. So the comeback continues.
After cooling down and hydrating some, I mowed the front lawn and then called it a day. I went in and shared a whey protein shake with CC, took a bath, and then spent the remainder of the evening relaxing.
A nice day. I love that 8:00 am to 9:00 am schedule. I only wish we got to do that more often. Maybe one day that can be my everyday hours. If so, I would be as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.
Oh, by the way, I am losing weight. Not by leaps and bounds, but this morning the scales showed 177.6, the lowest of 2018. That is still way high, but the numbers are moving in the right direction. Running really helps that. Every shuffle is a realization of how much the extra weight hurts, and that is strong motivation not to snack when I get hungry. Thank you, Jesus, for a really nice day. I felt productive. I was productive. Praise the Lord.
At school it means a 5K, or two, some eating, and some really nice hours for the Greenwood Center at least one day during the week. Wednesday, we got out (were commanded to leave) at 9:00 am. How about that for good hours? or hour? I love that schedule.
In the past, I have driven over to main campus to participate in the activities. Not this time. Three guesses as to what I did. You got it. I was in the water by 10:00 am. The 82 degree pool felt unusually cold. But I did it swimming:
3,000 straight,
8 X 50 @ 1:25 with small paddles, to
total: 3,400 meters.
Then I went home, ate lunch, hung out with the cats, and watched In the Heat of the Night. I never watched that show much when it was a current series, but over the past six months it has become one of my favorites.
Trevor got off work early and we set up our appointment at Plate City for 2:00 pm. We hit upper back and we hit it hard doing a set of seated rows for a warmup, and then three sets to T-bar rows and four sets of lat pull downs. I also did a lot of cord work. After that, we went out for a shuffle and did 1.2 miles which is a little longer than the 1.14 I did in the 5K before I was forced to walk. So the comeback continues.
After cooling down and hydrating some, I mowed the front lawn and then called it a day. I went in and shared a whey protein shake with CC, took a bath, and then spent the remainder of the evening relaxing.
A nice day. I love that 8:00 am to 9:00 am schedule. I only wish we got to do that more often. Maybe one day that can be my everyday hours. If so, I would be as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.
Oh, by the way, I am losing weight. Not by leaps and bounds, but this morning the scales showed 177.6, the lowest of 2018. That is still way high, but the numbers are moving in the right direction. Running really helps that. Every shuffle is a realization of how much the extra weight hurts, and that is strong motivation not to snack when I get hungry. Thank you, Jesus, for a really nice day. I felt productive. I was productive. Praise the Lord.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Greenwood 5K
Tuesday Morning Musings
It's MDCC Homecoming week and that means several things. One thing it means is I am still trying to recruit participants for our 5K. We always have the best race in Greenwood, because the teachers, and the administration workeds hard to inform, recruit, and put on a good event. Always we get those students who sign up right away. Some of them, however, will not actually show up. Then there is the handful of students we twist on a little. Those are the ones who always seem to enjoy it most. This year I have even attempted to recruit from main campus to our Greenwood event. Thus far, I have failed to pursuade anyone to make the trip the have some fun.
Another thing is it is time to actually do the 5Ks. I was so out of shape last year, I didn't even attempt it. Not even for a walk. This time around, I am pretty conflicted, but I decided last week to jump in and try to have some fun. I used to win these things, the one in Greenwood and the one in Moorhead. For an old man, it always gave me a big thrill to win a race. Now, well, I may be the last one in.
But last week, I started back shuffling and that old hope, that used to be so indefatigable within me, started taking on some renewed life. My first mile was at an embarrassing 13:35. There may be some walkers who can beat that, but I am getting out there, nevertheless, and seeing how it goes.
I won't be able to shuffle the whole thing, of course. I might could, but if I did I fear the knee would flare up again. And I am undecided on a strategy. Right now, I am leaning towards trying for about 1.5 miles of shuffling mixed with some brisk walking. That should get me in ahead of the slowest walkers. I think. Maybe I am all wrong to even wonder in the least where I might place. But I now see there is still some of that old pride inside of me that wants to do well. I am unsure if this pride is a sin or not.
With Trevor out at the gym yesterday, I wasn't tempted to do squats which would have sabotaged my efforts Tuesday. What you have read to this point is what I wrote Tuesday morning. The next sentence will begin with a report of what actually happened.
Wednesday Morning's Recall
We met at the Greenwood Center at 2:30, then some loaded into the school van driven by the irrepressible Katy Jones. Since we didn't have the really big van, I drove my truck and Katy's intern, rode with me to the Rail Spike Park. We gathered in front of the famous Crystal Grill and waited for more runners/walkers.
Our turnout was good, although I did not take a count. I guestimate we had fifteen, bolstered some by Delta Streets Academy which sent over several of their cross country runners. While we waited, some more students showed up. The weather was pretty good for running, warm but not blazing hot, about 85 with a gentle breeze.
We started and the Delta Streets kids were off the the races, leaving the rest of us looking like the bums we were. The rest of us, well, maybe I should speak for myself, I was off for a shuffle. Katy Jones, after first taking some pictures, jogged up beside me and stayed so we assumed the same pace, about 10:30. That used to be my training pace. Now that had me huffing and puffing like a bull chasing a cow. Sheepishly, self-conscious, I asked, "Can you hear me breathing?"
"I can hear you," she curtly answered.
"A lack of running has me terribly unfit."
"Old age has you," she shot back.
Ouch.
I made it 1.14 before I slowed to a walk. The laps recorded by my watch say this:
1.14 @ 10:30
.36 walk
.25 @ 11:10
.27 walk
.13 @ 11:34
.74 walk
.1 @ 11:53
total: 2.99
I know, a 5K is supposed to be 3.1 miles, but our trail is only three miles to the highway and back. Did you notice the steadily slowing pace? Yesterday I was reading some of my old posts about past school 5Ks. One said
Mile 1 - 8:07
Mile 2 - 8:06
Mile 3 - 8:05
That's pretty good pacing. Now, only two years later, I started slow and tapered off just trying to survive.
This was a bit embarrassing and encouraging all at the same time. I used to win this, then travel to the main campus and win theirs on back-to-back days. That was only a few short years ago. But the good news is, I am on the way back. I know that now because I can walk without pain this morning. I feel it, but I am moving OK. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you very much.
It's MDCC Homecoming week and that means several things. One thing it means is I am still trying to recruit participants for our 5K. We always have the best race in Greenwood, because the teachers, and the administration workeds hard to inform, recruit, and put on a good event. Always we get those students who sign up right away. Some of them, however, will not actually show up. Then there is the handful of students we twist on a little. Those are the ones who always seem to enjoy it most. This year I have even attempted to recruit from main campus to our Greenwood event. Thus far, I have failed to pursuade anyone to make the trip the have some fun.
Another thing is it is time to actually do the 5Ks. I was so out of shape last year, I didn't even attempt it. Not even for a walk. This time around, I am pretty conflicted, but I decided last week to jump in and try to have some fun. I used to win these things, the one in Greenwood and the one in Moorhead. For an old man, it always gave me a big thrill to win a race. Now, well, I may be the last one in.
But last week, I started back shuffling and that old hope, that used to be so indefatigable within me, started taking on some renewed life. My first mile was at an embarrassing 13:35. There may be some walkers who can beat that, but I am getting out there, nevertheless, and seeing how it goes.
I won't be able to shuffle the whole thing, of course. I might could, but if I did I fear the knee would flare up again. And I am undecided on a strategy. Right now, I am leaning towards trying for about 1.5 miles of shuffling mixed with some brisk walking. That should get me in ahead of the slowest walkers. I think. Maybe I am all wrong to even wonder in the least where I might place. But I now see there is still some of that old pride inside of me that wants to do well. I am unsure if this pride is a sin or not.
With Trevor out at the gym yesterday, I wasn't tempted to do squats which would have sabotaged my efforts Tuesday. What you have read to this point is what I wrote Tuesday morning. The next sentence will begin with a report of what actually happened.
Wednesday Morning's Recall
We met at the Greenwood Center at 2:30, then some loaded into the school van driven by the irrepressible Katy Jones. Since we didn't have the really big van, I drove my truck and Katy's intern, rode with me to the Rail Spike Park. We gathered in front of the famous Crystal Grill and waited for more runners/walkers.
Our turnout was good, although I did not take a count. I guestimate we had fifteen, bolstered some by Delta Streets Academy which sent over several of their cross country runners. While we waited, some more students showed up. The weather was pretty good for running, warm but not blazing hot, about 85 with a gentle breeze.
We started and the Delta Streets kids were off the the races, leaving the rest of us looking like the bums we were. The rest of us, well, maybe I should speak for myself, I was off for a shuffle. Katy Jones, after first taking some pictures, jogged up beside me and stayed so we assumed the same pace, about 10:30. That used to be my training pace. Now that had me huffing and puffing like a bull chasing a cow. Sheepishly, self-conscious, I asked, "Can you hear me breathing?"
"I can hear you," she curtly answered.
"A lack of running has me terribly unfit."
"Old age has you," she shot back.
Ouch.
 |
| Shortly after the start |
I made it 1.14 before I slowed to a walk. The laps recorded by my watch say this:
1.14 @ 10:30
.36 walk
.25 @ 11:10
.27 walk
.13 @ 11:34
.74 walk
.1 @ 11:53
total: 2.99
I know, a 5K is supposed to be 3.1 miles, but our trail is only three miles to the highway and back. Did you notice the steadily slowing pace? Yesterday I was reading some of my old posts about past school 5Ks. One said
Mile 1 - 8:07
Mile 2 - 8:06
Mile 3 - 8:05
That's pretty good pacing. Now, only two years later, I started slow and tapered off just trying to survive.
This was a bit embarrassing and encouraging all at the same time. I used to win this, then travel to the main campus and win theirs on back-to-back days. That was only a few short years ago. But the good news is, I am on the way back. I know that now because I can walk without pain this morning. I feel it, but I am moving OK. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you very much.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Monday at the Little Pool
I went to the little pool Monday night. I suppose I should standardize my terminology. By "little pool" I am referring to the indoor pool, the new pool at Twin Rivers. The first workday of the week, for me, was a day of frustration. I went out to C-Spire to attempt to swap Mom's old phone over to me. My phone has gone haywire over the past few days. Things didn't work out, and I had to purchase a phone. Not only that, but everything took a long time and then Trevor was out at Plate City. After that, I had problems getting the phone set up, getting Facebook on it and things like that. Finally, I gave up and went to the pool in disgust, not only wanting to swim, but needing one, needing the mind clearing impact a good swim can have. Praise the Lord, I got it.
No one was there so I had the little place all to myself. Of course I like that. It's a cozy enclosure with only two lanes of warm water and a center lines on the bottom the way there used to be in the outdoor pool. I found the thermometer floating near where I walked in. I checked it, after first guessing the water was 88. It was 91! Nevertheless, I swam
1,200
8 X 75 @ 1:30 medium paddles
200 easy
12 X 50 @ 1:00 small paddles
200 easy
4 X 50 @ 1:00
200 easy total:
3,200 yards = 2,924 meters.
That's all I did as far as working out goes. I went home, and CC followed me like she was my shadow. I knew what she wanted. I make a whey protein shake for supper, and she always gets a taste. She wanted her shake. She got it, and then she took a nap on my lap. Thank you, Jesus.
Monday, October 8, 2018
10/1 - 10/7
Sometimes I get lazy. Or maybe sometimes I really need a nap. I took a few of those last week, too many to have a big training cycle. But I had a cycle nevertheless.
Monday I didn't make it to the pool, but Trevor and I worked out. On the bench, I did
10 X 95
8 X 120
8 X 140
4 X 150
1 X 160
1 X 165
7 X 140
15 X 120
Tuesday I went to the pool for
1,000
13 X 100 @ 2:25
300 small paddles
total: 2,600 meters.
Trevor was out at Plate City, so I did swim stuff like the Swim Pull for
23 X 25
18 X 29.4
15 X 32.4
12 X 33.9
10 X 35.4
Wednesday I swam in the indoor pool for only swam
1,100
10 X 50 @ 1:00
150 easy
total: 1,750 yards = 1,599 meters.
Thursday we were back in the gym for a little bit of everything. I did not make it to the pool.
Friday I went back to Jackson with John. Although I enjoyed myself, I am staying home next Friday even if we are invaded my Martians. At home, I sleep longer, write a blog post, drink lots of coffee, hand out with the cats, run necessary errands, and I train, specifically, I swim long. It has now been several weeks since I swam long. This does not make me a jovial fellow.
Saturday I preached Johnny Roberts funeral, prepared for Sunday, watched a lot of college football (How about them Dogs?!?!?), and went to the pool for a mere 1,400 meters.
Sigh.
Sunday I napped a lot, like all day. All afternoon rather because I did preach Sunday morning. I thought about going out for a long walk after my long nap, but thinking was as far as I got.
Overall it was a momentous week because I am started back shuffling. For the seven days, I
swam 5,899 meters,
lifted four times,
shuffled 3.91 miles, and
ambulated a little bit more.
Thank you, Almighty God, for giving me one of the desires of my heart.
Monday I didn't make it to the pool, but Trevor and I worked out. On the bench, I did
10 X 95
8 X 120
8 X 140
4 X 150
1 X 160
1 X 165
7 X 140
15 X 120
Tuesday I went to the pool for
1,000
13 X 100 @ 2:25
300 small paddles
total: 2,600 meters.
Trevor was out at Plate City, so I did swim stuff like the Swim Pull for
23 X 25
18 X 29.4
15 X 32.4
12 X 33.9
10 X 35.4
Wednesday I swam in the indoor pool for only swam
1,100
10 X 50 @ 1:00
150 easy
total: 1,750 yards = 1,599 meters.
Thursday we were back in the gym for a little bit of everything. I did not make it to the pool.
Friday I went back to Jackson with John. Although I enjoyed myself, I am staying home next Friday even if we are invaded my Martians. At home, I sleep longer, write a blog post, drink lots of coffee, hand out with the cats, run necessary errands, and I train, specifically, I swim long. It has now been several weeks since I swam long. This does not make me a jovial fellow.
Saturday I preached Johnny Roberts funeral, prepared for Sunday, watched a lot of college football (How about them Dogs?!?!?), and went to the pool for a mere 1,400 meters.
Sigh.
Sunday I napped a lot, like all day. All afternoon rather because I did preach Sunday morning. I thought about going out for a long walk after my long nap, but thinking was as far as I got.
Overall it was a momentous week because I am started back shuffling. For the seven days, I
swam 5,899 meters,
lifted four times,
shuffled 3.91 miles, and
ambulated a little bit more.
Thank you, Almighty God, for giving me one of the desires of my heart.
Friday, October 5, 2018
First Mile
I can finally say I have started back running. Shuffling. Old man shuffling. But I am grateful for it.
For the past few weeks, I have been doing some little shuffles, after Trevor and I worked out, starting with .1 and working my way up. This week, I've been doing the big stuff: .5, .75, .80. After yesterday's .8, I thought, it's time, time to go for a full mile. So this morning, I went to the recycle bins and after dumping our stuff, I hit the trail for 1.05 followed my a .28 walk. That's still some pretty wimpy stuff, but it is a start, a real start, and I have no doubt now that God is granting me the ability to run again. It has been since November of 2016 that I have run. I have missed it. I need it physically as well as for what it does for my emotions.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. I will try to cherish the gift, and I hope this time not to overdo it. I'm pretty good at doing too much. For me, too much was never enough.
For the past few weeks, I have been doing some little shuffles, after Trevor and I worked out, starting with .1 and working my way up. This week, I've been doing the big stuff: .5, .75, .80. After yesterday's .8, I thought, it's time, time to go for a full mile. So this morning, I went to the recycle bins and after dumping our stuff, I hit the trail for 1.05 followed my a .28 walk. That's still some pretty wimpy stuff, but it is a start, a real start, and I have no doubt now that God is granting me the ability to run again. It has been since November of 2016 that I have run. I have missed it. I need it physically as well as for what it does for my emotions.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. I will try to cherish the gift, and I hope this time not to overdo it. I'm pretty good at doing too much. For me, too much was never enough.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
HIIW
I am in my second Comp I class of the day and we are writing. In the 8:00 a.m. class, I published a post on my Twin Rivers indoor pool swim last night. Now I am searching for a suitable topic.
We are not just writing, but we are doing HIIW: high intensity interval writing. To my knowledge, I am the only writing teacher in the nation (probably world) who applies physical training techniques to writing. It works. HIIW will get students smarter and writing better than anything else that I have ever discovered. That is why we do it.
Now I am starting my second blog post of the day. This is my zone two writing. We toggle back and forth from zone two to zone four. You really can't read my zone four writing because there are so many misspelled words. But I do it and so do my students. This one is not worth much. My last one at least made a little bit of sense. But now? I suppose I could peck about the gym, or the church.
At the gym, Trevor and I have been tearing it up. I am upping the cord work by one rep each workout. I hit 132 reps yesterday afternoon. Today I plan on 133. We not only have been lifting a lot, but yesterday we ran, if you can call it that. We shuffled for .75 of a mile. It was the first time he had worn athletic shoes and shorts and he offered to run with me. So Plate City is going well for both of us. All of this is foundation work for the next Challenge. Right now, my plans are to swim 12.5, a one way from Ditch Bayou to the State Park.
While the running is not necessary for long swimming, it does help some, I am convinced. It gets the legs in shape, increased cardiac efficiency, and helps greatly with weight control. That helps a bit, although I did the longest swim of my life on no running whatsoever. Not only does it help in all the ways already listed, but it gives me confidence that I am in shape, that I have done everything possible to get myself ready.
We are not just writing, but we are doing HIIW: high intensity interval writing. To my knowledge, I am the only writing teacher in the nation (probably world) who applies physical training techniques to writing. It works. HIIW will get students smarter and writing better than anything else that I have ever discovered. That is why we do it.
Now I am starting my second blog post of the day. This is my zone two writing. We toggle back and forth from zone two to zone four. You really can't read my zone four writing because there are so many misspelled words. But I do it and so do my students. This one is not worth much. My last one at least made a little bit of sense. But now? I suppose I could peck about the gym, or the church.
At the gym, Trevor and I have been tearing it up. I am upping the cord work by one rep each workout. I hit 132 reps yesterday afternoon. Today I plan on 133. We not only have been lifting a lot, but yesterday we ran, if you can call it that. We shuffled for .75 of a mile. It was the first time he had worn athletic shoes and shorts and he offered to run with me. So Plate City is going well for both of us. All of this is foundation work for the next Challenge. Right now, my plans are to swim 12.5, a one way from Ditch Bayou to the State Park.
While the running is not necessary for long swimming, it does help some, I am convinced. It gets the legs in shape, increased cardiac efficiency, and helps greatly with weight control. That helps a bit, although I did the longest swim of my life on no running whatsoever. Not only does it help in all the ways already listed, but it gives me confidence that I am in shape, that I have done everything possible to get myself ready.
Little Pool at Night
Last night I went into the indoor pool at 7:15. Since this was my first time at night, I did not know what to expect. Would there already be someone there? Would I be able to figure how to turn on the lights? Would the lights be sufficient to keep me from bonking my head on the ends of the pool. There is only one way to answer these questions: go and find out.
It did take me a while to find the light switch. And when I waded in, I realized the water temp had been brought down a bit. A little. Without a thermometer, I was forced to rely on my skin which said, 88 degrees, down 2.5 from the last time I swam there.
I took it kind of easy. I started with a 1,100 yard warm up and then put on the small paddles. With the short course, I can use my watch without relying on predesignated workouts. I can make the 100 on 2:00 and 50s on 1:00. I can even do 75s on 1:30. I haven't gone up from there, but I can probably make 150s on 3:00 and 200s on 4:00. That gives me lots of flexibility, and makes counting easy. So I did 50s on 1:00. Ten, I did ten, which brought me to 1,600. I then did an easy 150 and called it a night since it was late, and I had to work the next day.
When I left, I never could get the door locked. This made me feel really bad because while I swam, an underwater light came on and when I left, it was still burning giving the building a strange luminescence. I thought it looked like a magnet to any kid wandering the streets. I texted Debbie when I got home (I had left my phone at the house) and told her about the door. I hope she got it locked because anyone could have gone in there. I think that door needs to be fixed immediately. If not immediately, sooner. That is a tragedy waiting to happen.
It did take me a while to find the light switch. And when I waded in, I realized the water temp had been brought down a bit. A little. Without a thermometer, I was forced to rely on my skin which said, 88 degrees, down 2.5 from the last time I swam there.
I took it kind of easy. I started with a 1,100 yard warm up and then put on the small paddles. With the short course, I can use my watch without relying on predesignated workouts. I can make the 100 on 2:00 and 50s on 1:00. I can even do 75s on 1:30. I haven't gone up from there, but I can probably make 150s on 3:00 and 200s on 4:00. That gives me lots of flexibility, and makes counting easy. So I did 50s on 1:00. Ten, I did ten, which brought me to 1,600. I then did an easy 150 and called it a night since it was late, and I had to work the next day.
When I left, I never could get the door locked. This made me feel really bad because while I swam, an underwater light came on and when I left, it was still burning giving the building a strange luminescence. I thought it looked like a magnet to any kid wandering the streets. I texted Debbie when I got home (I had left my phone at the house) and told her about the door. I hope she got it locked because anyone could have gone in there. I think that door needs to be fixed immediately. If not immediately, sooner. That is a tragedy waiting to happen.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
9/24 - 9/30
It is time to start building distance, but I have been a little lazy lately. Monday, I swam
1,200
4 X 100 @ 2:14
200
2 X 150 @ 3:25 small paddles
200
total: 2,300
At Plate City on the bench, I pressed
15 X 85
8 X 120
7 X 140
3 X 150
1 X 160
3 X 150
7 X 140
After that, I shuffled .36 of a mile.
Tuesday I hit the pool with a little more vigor and swam
400
5 X 300 @ 6:29
2 X 200 @ 4:34
2 X 140 @ 3:25 small paddles
4 X 100 @ 2:25 medium paddles
200 easy
total: 3,200 meters.
Trevor and I then worked out at the gym, and I followed that with a .41 mile shuffle.
Wednesday was a light day. At the pool, I did
1,300
10 X 50 @ 1:25 small paddles
total: 1,800 meters.
I don't remember why, but Trevor and I did not work out.
Thursday was chilly out so I hit the indoor pool for
550
500
10 X 100 @ 2:00
2 X 75 @ 1:30
2 X 50 @ 1:00
200 easy
6 X 50 @ 1:00
200 easy
total: 3,000 short course yards = 2,742 meters.
Trevor was out at the gym so I did a swim special, focusing on swim specific strength. I did seven sets of the Swim Pull as
22 X 25
17 X 29.4
13 X 32.4
12 X 33.9
10 X 35.9
8 X 36.9
7 X 38.15
I did some other stuff too, including 126 reps of external rotations with the green cord. Then I shuffled .5 of a mile.
Friday I went to Jackson with John. I did enjoy myself, but I am growing weary with everyone and his brother wanting my Friday. I call it "my Friday" because God gave me the day. For years on end, I had no time, no leisure, no play. I used to dream about what it would be like if I had some time off. Then one day God reminded me of those old desires and dreams. "Remember? He spoke into my soul. I gave you that." I have looked at Fridays as a gift and as a holy day ever since. Everyone else has looked at it as a day to take away from me. And when someone takes it from me, I resent it. Honest to God, I have had about five or six in the last year and a half. Every Friday, someone or someones want the day. I have begun to say no to some people, but the no list is going to have to get larger.
Saturday, I went to the pool and swam indoors. I wasn't feeling it and only did 1,400 yards. They have raised the temperature in there to a bit about 90 for the water and the air tempt felt about the same. Later, after resting up some, I went outside and lifted weights. I did some light bench presses and a host of other stuff, nothing heavy, mostly swim stuff.
For the week, I
swam 11,321 meters,
ambulated 3,78 miles,
shuffled 1.8 miles, and
lifted four times.
Thank you, Jesus. The running is coming back. The swim is still slow but solid. The lifting is coming up. I look forward to great fitness in the future and to Chicot Challenge VII in June of 2019.
1,200
4 X 100 @ 2:14
200
2 X 150 @ 3:25 small paddles
200
total: 2,300
At Plate City on the bench, I pressed
15 X 85
8 X 120
7 X 140
3 X 150
1 X 160
3 X 150
7 X 140
After that, I shuffled .36 of a mile.
Tuesday I hit the pool with a little more vigor and swam
400
5 X 300 @ 6:29
2 X 200 @ 4:34
2 X 140 @ 3:25 small paddles
4 X 100 @ 2:25 medium paddles
200 easy
total: 3,200 meters.
Trevor and I then worked out at the gym, and I followed that with a .41 mile shuffle.
Wednesday was a light day. At the pool, I did
1,300
10 X 50 @ 1:25 small paddles
total: 1,800 meters.
I don't remember why, but Trevor and I did not work out.
Thursday was chilly out so I hit the indoor pool for
550
500
10 X 100 @ 2:00
2 X 75 @ 1:30
2 X 50 @ 1:00
200 easy
6 X 50 @ 1:00
200 easy
total: 3,000 short course yards = 2,742 meters.
Trevor was out at the gym so I did a swim special, focusing on swim specific strength. I did seven sets of the Swim Pull as
22 X 25
17 X 29.4
13 X 32.4
12 X 33.9
10 X 35.9
8 X 36.9
7 X 38.15
I did some other stuff too, including 126 reps of external rotations with the green cord. Then I shuffled .5 of a mile.
Friday I went to Jackson with John. I did enjoy myself, but I am growing weary with everyone and his brother wanting my Friday. I call it "my Friday" because God gave me the day. For years on end, I had no time, no leisure, no play. I used to dream about what it would be like if I had some time off. Then one day God reminded me of those old desires and dreams. "Remember? He spoke into my soul. I gave you that." I have looked at Fridays as a gift and as a holy day ever since. Everyone else has looked at it as a day to take away from me. And when someone takes it from me, I resent it. Honest to God, I have had about five or six in the last year and a half. Every Friday, someone or someones want the day. I have begun to say no to some people, but the no list is going to have to get larger.
Saturday, I went to the pool and swam indoors. I wasn't feeling it and only did 1,400 yards. They have raised the temperature in there to a bit about 90 for the water and the air tempt felt about the same. Later, after resting up some, I went outside and lifted weights. I did some light bench presses and a host of other stuff, nothing heavy, mostly swim stuff.
For the week, I
swam 11,321 meters,
ambulated 3,78 miles,
shuffled 1.8 miles, and
lifted four times.
Thank you, Jesus. The running is coming back. The swim is still slow but solid. The lifting is coming up. I look forward to great fitness in the future and to Chicot Challenge VII in June of 2019.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Water Conundrum
Trying to ramp up. I am torn between working on speed and building endurance. Endurance is more fun, but speed impacts the former. In my quest for regaining my old form, I have been working on sets of 100 repeats. Then the weather, which has been unusually hot, became seasonal, and I moved indoors. My last two swims were in what I call the tiny pool. Actually you can build speed and endurance in a short course pool, but I always prefer long course for fun and for endurance. The sun, the reduction of flip turn, and the increase in stroke volume are a few of the reasons I rather swim outdoors in the big pool. The reason for going inside? I am a confessed cold water sissy.
I don't even know what the outdoor pool is running right now, but my guess is the low 80s. That is hardly cold, but I am a sensitive soul who has sensitive skin. I'll avoid that every time if I can. And now I can. One problem with that, however, is that the indoor pool is actually hot now. They were keeping it at 84 which felt cold compared to the outside water. But when I stuck my toe in last week, the water felt hot. I found the thermometer floating in the pool and checked it. It read a bit over 90. That is a bit warm for doing meaningful repeats.
I was surprised at how much the 90 degree water impacted my swimming. After only a few laps I became lethargic, lazy, and unmotivated. Is that what I will face from now until Chicot? If so, I will have to move back outdoors. Perhaps I will purchase some new wetsuits. I outgrew my shorty, and my full is pretty much worn out. So I think I'll get another shorty and wear it as long as I can take it. Then I plan to upgrade to a sleeveless, and from there go to a full. If I work it, I can develop some cold water ability that will serve me well next spring. The big pool is now open year round. If I can make myself get in everyday, the possibilities are endless. But then there is always the temptation of the tiny pool. It's hard to pass it up when the outdoor temps take a dive like they did last week.
So the conundrum is not really between endurance and speed, but it's between warm water and cold. If I had a partner who wanted to swim cool, it would help a lot. When I had Randy Beets here, we pushed the cold water envelope all the way down to 50. Now, that is only a distant memory.
I don't even know what the outdoor pool is running right now, but my guess is the low 80s. That is hardly cold, but I am a sensitive soul who has sensitive skin. I'll avoid that every time if I can. And now I can. One problem with that, however, is that the indoor pool is actually hot now. They were keeping it at 84 which felt cold compared to the outside water. But when I stuck my toe in last week, the water felt hot. I found the thermometer floating in the pool and checked it. It read a bit over 90. That is a bit warm for doing meaningful repeats.
I was surprised at how much the 90 degree water impacted my swimming. After only a few laps I became lethargic, lazy, and unmotivated. Is that what I will face from now until Chicot? If so, I will have to move back outdoors. Perhaps I will purchase some new wetsuits. I outgrew my shorty, and my full is pretty much worn out. So I think I'll get another shorty and wear it as long as I can take it. Then I plan to upgrade to a sleeveless, and from there go to a full. If I work it, I can develop some cold water ability that will serve me well next spring. The big pool is now open year round. If I can make myself get in everyday, the possibilities are endless. But then there is always the temptation of the tiny pool. It's hard to pass it up when the outdoor temps take a dive like they did last week.
So the conundrum is not really between endurance and speed, but it's between warm water and cold. If I had a partner who wanted to swim cool, it would help a lot. When I had Randy Beets here, we pushed the cold water envelope all the way down to 50. Now, that is only a distant memory.
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