Friday

If you read this blog, you know how I love Friday. I am off work, my wife is on her job, so I can play and have fun. I like to play. I am going through my second childhood. Right now, my favorite games are swimming and weight lifting. In the past, I have used the day to ride my bicycle 100 or more miles while exploring roads and finding good short order cooking in country stores. More recently, I have run for much of the day, again, exploring roads, building endurance, and having fun. I called them adventure runs, and you can scroll back though my Facebook albums and find some of them. They had names and I took pictures along the way and of my GPS watch at the end. I did marathons without having to pay an entrance fee. I got to start when I wanted to, and I always won, which made the experience even better.

Lately it has been swimming primarily because that is what I can do. I have been trying to exercise some restraint in my buildup to the Chicot Challenge. Since I now have more access to water than ever before, I am way ahead of schedule. I've never been in this kind of swimming shape this time of year. Friday is the day I go long. For most of the week, I train like a sprinter/middle distance swimmer. Fridays I train like a marathoner. Not with long sets, but I just swim, up and down, and down and up. Straight swims are good for building the low-end endurance needed for swimming all day. Not only do they build that endurance, but they develop the mental relaxation needed to swim nonstop for eight or nine hours.

Last week, I swam 7,250 yards. The week before it was 7,000 and before that it was 6,750. You see the pattern. Friday, I swam myself comfortable and just kept going for 2:08:30 covering 7,400 yards. I could have gone further, but later, that is for later. After my last Friday swim, I took some nutrition, rested awhile, and then lifted some weights. These double workouts make me strong. They also make me hungry. Penny and I went to Crystal Grill Friday night, and I got the beef liver and a baked potato. I ordered to potato plain, with no foil. I wanted and received it in the gravy. I ate it all and woke up weighing 173.4. Right now, that is a good weight for me. Lighter later. Thank you, Jesus.

Sorry about the icon in the picture. I can't
seem to work my phone correctly.