Thursday

At the pool, I swam

brick kick

2,800 47:30 (2:02)

200 3:16 (1:38)

1,000 20:26 (2:02)

150 2:20 (1:33)

425 medium paddles

brick kick (made it to the 3 1/2 foot sign

1,050 small paddles 20:08

total: 5,675 yards = 5,186 meters

If you follow these numbers closely, you may have noticed that I was struggling a bit. Fatigue had built up over the week. Besides being slow on the steady swims (the 1,000s and longer), the 200 was slower than critical swim speed and the following 150 was barely under it. I still got a good practice done with some quantity as well as some quality.

Since it was my short day in Greenwood, I had time to take a nap after work. Then I went out for a run with no number in mind. Sometimes I do that and I let my legs decide after I get going. I went 5.21 miles bringing me to 20.18 for the week. Since I did squats yesterday, the legs did not feel good. But they did not feel bad either. Now if I don't run another step this week, I have had a decent run cycle.

At the gym I did incline dumbbell bench presses:

18 X 30

13 X 35

13 X 35

  9 X 40

  8 X 40

I decided to do no more benches for the night. I then did the Log Press for

10 X 52

  6 X 63

  3 X 72

  3 X 72

  3 X 72

I set a new world record on the Duck Walk with a 50 foot X 112.5 pound effort. Then I did dead lifts for 

6 X 135

4 X 145

3 X 155

1 X 165

That is pretty good training. I am thinking about my events every day when I am out there in the cold and lifting weights that I don't always want to lift. What are those other old men doing? My wife said after the last swim meet in Biloxi that those men's bodies did not look like mine. "They must only swim," she said. It was nice that she noticed. She smiles when I go out the back door. Now I know why. Thank you, Jesus.

Wednesday

The birds were singing furiously when I arrived at the pool Wednesday morning at 4:00 a.m. I guess maybe the early bird really does get the worm. I swam

brick kick
2,000 40:14
50
600 9:34 (1:35)
400
150 220 (1:33)
400
100 1:29
300
600 small paddles
25
brick kick
total: 5,075 yards = 4,638 meters

So I had another quality training session in the water, my third of the week. Wednesday is now my short day at Greenville because we moved the Old Testament Survey course to Monday. That means I got home with plenty of time to train. I did a short shuffle of 3.22 miles and then went to Plate City. At the gym, I performed six sets of squats, one set of reverse hypers, and four sets of leg extensions. Then I had to meet my night class.

It was a long day, but a productive one and an enjoyable one. I almost forgot to mention that while I was in Greenville, I measured a 5K course with my watch. It is exactly 3.06 miles. Maybe we can introduce that to the Greenville campus this spring. Thank you, Jesus.

More Records

More Records

By Jay Unver

(Lehrton, Mississippi) Zane Hodge, the swimming sensation of Big ASS Endurance, has been making a huge splash in the new Association of Sports Strongmen. Recently he added to his voluminous record count with three new world records.

Hodge upped his record 50 foot Farmer's Walk to a total of 214 pounds. This occurred at Plate City Gym last Saturday, January 25th. Of that record, Hodge said, "It will take me a little while, but I will best that one in a month or two."

Hodge also broke his own Log Press for reps total when he performed 12 repetitions at 52 pounds last Monday night, January 27th. "I have been enjoying the log press and getting stronger by the week in that lift. In the future, I will take both the reps record and the total to new heights."

A third recent record set by Hodge was in the Duck Walk. Hodge improved his existing record from 107.5 pounds at fifty feet to 110 pounds. Of that move, Hodge noted that he "could break that one again today if I chose. I will pretty soon, but it is not a lift I do every week."

Hodge also took note that Randy Beets had not done anything in the new Association, "probably because his mother is afraid he will get hurt." He added after a long pause, "I guess some Momma's boys never grow up. I wish he would grow up, grow a pair, get aggressive, and give me some competition."

When asked when the two rivals will resume their virtual swim meets, Hodge replied, "I've been waiting on him. It doesn't matter to me, but I am pretty much consumed right now with preparing for the Senior Olympics and the Chicot Challenge. The meets would not hurt, but I just haven't given them much thought lately."

Ezell's Truck

Tuesday

It started early and it started with no conflict. John was out. I swam

brick kick
1,700 36:56 (2:10)
300 4:52 (1:37)
700
350 5:33 (1:35)
775 16:02 (2:03)
1,000 19:34
brick kick
total: 4,825 yards = 4,410 meters

In the afternoon, I took a run. I had hoped to do a double dip, to start swimming twice per day at least a couple of days per week. I called Twin Rivers and was informed that the babies were taking swim lessons so I thought better of it and went running. I did a slow 3.62 miles.

It was pull day at Plate City. Once more, I had a terrible time getting out the back door, but I was instantly glad I made the move. I always am. On the one-armed bent row, I pulled

16 X 40
13 X 45
10 X 50
  8 X 55
  5 X 60

This was the first time I used the 60 pound dumbbells. I bought them back when I was acquiring tons of weights I was finding on Facebook Marketplace. I have been hearing from some big time lifters that you should be as strong pulling as your are pushing. I am not. I have known for a long time that to stay balanced one should do one pull for every push. Not only that, but you should, according to some, do a greater volume pulling in order to keep your shoulders healthy. Wow. So I am upping my pulling game. I added a set, and I upped the weight on the rows.

I also did a couple of 50 foot duck walks, one with 107.5 pounds and the second with 110 pounds. I finished up with one set of swim pulls and one set of 50 reps on the row machine. 

That made one solid day. Thank you, Jesus.

Monday

It sure was nice getting into a warm pool Monday morning. To make things even better, when John came in, he didn't say anything. Maybe he is finally figuring out that after we swim is a much better time to talk to me. I am a little more awake then and in a slightly better humor. I swam

brick kick
1,650 30:31 (2:01)
200 3:04 (1:31)
300 medium paddles
4 X 50
300 medium paddles
150 2:19 (1:32)
300 medium paddles
4 X 50
1,300 small paddles
brick kick
100
total: 4,750 yards = 4,318 meters

Monday is now my long day at work. I teach in Greenville on Mondays and Wednesdays. Mondays is now when I do my block scheduled Old Testament Survey. So time is of a premium then. I had a couple of errands to run and then I went home to actually run. I cut the shuffle from last week's 11.05 to 8.13. I wanted to save a bit more energy for Tuesday. 

After getting up at 3:43 a.m., driving to Greenville and teaching, driving home and shuffling 8.13 miles, when I got inside the house, the temptation to stay there was almost overwhelming. I finally forced myself out the back door. I was happy outside. I always am. I never go out there and wish I has stayed in. But it really is a battle sometimes to overcome my laziness. It was dark and cold. I wondered what the other guys, the men I will swim against in Biloxi, were doing. I bet they were not in the cold and dark lifting weights. That thought gave me a little boost of energy, more motivation. I plan to go down there in May and kick their hinder parts.

I benched

12 X 105
10 X 115
9 X 120
8 X 125

Log press

12 X 52
10 X 57

Keg hold

2 X 25 seconds

That was a good day. Thank you, Jesus.

1/20 - 1/26

It was another 20/20 week, my third consecutive of 2020. I have said it before, 20/20 weeks were a big deal when I was ten years younger than I am now. Monday I swam 6,400 straight yards in 2:01:38 at 1:53. This, remember, was the week of the broken water heater. I also ran long, 11.05 miles.

Tuesday, I swam 4,800 yards, lifted weights, and shuffled 2.2 miles. Wednesday I swam a mere 3,350 yards and had to settle for a short shuffle of 3.45 miles after my night class. I even did some leg work in the late night dark of Plate City Gym.

Thursday, I got in another pretty big swim with 5,600 yards but nothing else. It was cold, rainy, and I was tired. Friday, I tried to make up for everything with a 4,500 yard swim, a 7.36 mile run, and an intention but no action on lifting weights.

That left Saturday to get a whole lotta lifting in. I went to the pool first and did a mere 2,400 yards, but at the gym I busted out everything, from bench presses, to squats, to log presses, to farmer's walks. It was a big day.

For the week, I

only lifted three times,
swam 24,721 meters, and 
ran 24.06 miles.

Another solid week in the bank for my upcoming competitions. Thank you, Jesus.

Saturday

I don't like to have any kind of timeline or demands for Saturday. I swim, but I go to the pool when I get good and ready. I didn't get good and ready until about 1:00 p.m. I had a slight idea of what I wanted to do. I had not done much quality during the week because of the cold water. Mostly I just did straight swims. So I swam

1,600 31:29 (1:57)
550 8:41 (1:34)
250 medium paddles 4:32
Total: 2,400 yards = 2,193 meters
then 250 kick with fins

That was a nice little add on to all the swimming I have done this week. With just a bit of quality (the 500), it added to both my quantity and quality for the training cycle.

By Saturday, I had only lifted twice all week. I needed to do everything, pushing, pulling, and legs so that is what I did. On the bench, I went light and used the Swiss bar. On the squat, I did three light sets. I pulled out all the stops, however, for the framer's walk and set a new PR. I did 

1 X 50 + 0
1 X 50 + 20 per side
4 X 50 + 50 per side
1 X 50 + 55 per side 

The full 50 feet for the + 55 is the PR. Last week, I did that weight, which I find very heavy, for 25 feet. I felt pretty good to go the full 50 with it. I think next time I do heavy farmer's walks, I need one more warm up set before getting to the plus 50s. Then I think I might do five of the heavy ones.

It was a good day. Thank you, Jesus.

A Memorable Day

Friday finally came back to me. 

Sort of. 

Since God gave it to me, it has been the one day that was mine, the one day that I didn't have to watch the clock, didn't have to do a chore, didn't have to make a deadline. Of course, we always work the Friday before a new semester starts. That is always dull. And then last Friday was filled with necessary chores at the Ski Lodge as we sold 93 acres. Now, it is my day again.

I met John at the pool at 4:00 a.m. He does not realize that I have let him set a deadline for me, a time to be somewhere. And he does not realize that I am not a morning person although I have told him that over and over and over. He comes through the door asking questions like an ancient juke box spitting out Lester Flatt playing "The Wabash Cannonball." 

He has some sort of problem with the ignition on his car. He can't turn it off or get the key out without an ordeal that takes minutes. I heard him when he drove up, on time for the sixth time in 650 swims. I was stretching while he turned the car on and off trying to get his key out of the ignition switch. He finally burst through the door and asked it I heard him out there. I shook my head up and down which the last time I checked meant yes. He asked again. I shook my head up and down again. He asked a third time.

I yelled, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I heard you! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm not a morning person, John. When you get here, just get in the pool and swim."

"Have I offended you in some way?"

I can't make him understand although we tried to talk about it in the past and we tried again Friday. At 4:00 a.m., I am a dangerous man. When I am home in my bed at that time, which is where I always want to be, I am usually murdering people in my sleep. No joke. When I wake up at that hour, I am usually dreaming of murder, mass murder, and the abuse of corpses. Don't mess with me in the morning. Don't.

I am better a few hours later. I am not dangerous after I have had a quart of coffee. Actually, I am nice then, and cats flock to me and want to lie on me and purr. And I let them and I enjoy it and we are sweet together.

At the pool, I swam

3,000
25 brick kick
200
25 brick kick
200
25 kick with board
200
25 kick with board
200
500
200
total: 4,500 yards = 4,113 meters

So I went home, had breakfast, drank a quart of coffee, and hung out with the cats. I then had the patience of Job and the sweetness of a do nut shop. 

Despite all that coffee, I took a nap, slept like Rip Van Winkle, and woke up like it was a brand new day. I dressed and went out for a shuffle, I did 7.36 miles. The reason I did not go farther is my shoes are worn out and I am so broke I can't pay attention. Next Friday I get paid and will buy new running shoes.

An interesting thing happened on the run, a shocking thing. When I was running south, back into town over the Tallahatchie Bridge, I saw an alligator in the river below. I knew there were gators down there, but it was broad daylight and it was cold. It has been cold for the past five days the temps never rising above 47 and falling at times into the 20s. I watched him for a bit. He was drifting with the current, his head only showing. I yelled out to him, "Hey!" and he responded by turning into the current, but ever so slowly. He is in trouble, I thought. Then I realized, I needed to get a picture, which I did, but if I had retrieved my cell phone when I first saw him, I could have gotten a much better photo.

It was an odd experience, and it caused me to think of River the little cat we rescued from right down there on the bank. He was furiously hungry when to took him home and fed him, but he would not drink water. Obviously River had been drinking out of the river. That gator was big enough to eat the cat, which is just one of the things that could have led to his demise.

I ate lunch and began to watch TV, hanging out with River. The other cats were occupied with watching birds out the windows of the back porch. It was cold outside, and I was tired. I decided that Plate City would go unused for the day.

Penny came home from work and the grocery store, and we went to the Crystal Grill for supper. I ordered the chicken livers, which is what I have eaten on our last three visits there. I even ate desert, lemon icebox pie. Wow, what at meal.

Thank you, Jesus, for an enjoyable, productive, and memorable day.

One More Day of It

Like the past several days, I could not bear the thought of arising early, going out into the cold dark, and getting into a cold pool. Too many hurdles. But, Thursday is my short day, and I work in town. So I knew I had plenty of time to swim. Not only that, but with the water woes, I also knew that I would have the pool all to myself. No one else would dare show up.

To make a short story long, the heater got fixed again around 9:00 a.m. I also had dug out my old shorty wetsuit and was preparing to wear some armor if that is what it took. But when I got to the pool, the first thing I did was go the the east end and stick my hand down before the jet. Bingo! It was blowing warm water. 

When I tried to wade down the ramp, however, I decided I had had my fill of that for the week. I would get in, without the wetsuit, by that warm jet on the east end where the water would be at least five degrees warmer than the rest of the pool. I was sitting on the side with my feet hanging into the water, trying to get my nerve up to do this one more time when Robert, the pool man, came in. He told me the pool was 75 degrees and rising at about one degree per hour. I can do 75, I thought, and it will warm some while I swim.

So I got in and went to work. It was the coldest I have swum this year and although I did not like it, at least, by the grace of God, I have continued to swim despite this difficulty. It would have been easy just to take off. Instead, I swam 

4,500 straight in 1:25:23 (1:53)
stopped at the warm jet to stay comfortable
700 small paddles 13:40
400 medium paddles
total: 5.600 yards = 5,118 meters

I had intended to swim more, much more. But I felt a twinge in one of my pectoral muscles. Better sorry than safe, I thought, so I tapped out and went home earlier than I had planned. It was a good day. At home, I decided I was not going to run or lift. I chose not to run because I have been cramping a lot lately. Running and swimming produce cramps which themselves can shut down a swim. I thought better of lifting because I was tired and it was messy outside.

It has been a good week. Thank you, Jesus.

Continued Water Woes

Just like Tuesday morning, I slept in. To face a really cold pool at 4:00 a.m. takes a better man than me. Wednesday is also my long day at Greenville, and I have a night class in Geenwood, so I knew training time was going to be at a premium. When I got home from my trip west, I hurried to get to the pool as soon as possible. It was torture wading in. 

Then I began to swim and going down the lane, I felt a patch of warmer water. 

What!?!?!? 

I know from swimming outdoors in the spring that different temperatures of water means warming not cooling. I flipped, changed lanes, and swam east. The water in that lane was noticeably warmer. When I flipped on the east wall, I felt it: warm water shooting out of that powerful jet. Hot dog! This pool is going to get warmer as I swim. And it did. 

For a while. 

Then the warm water coming out of the eastern wall jet became cold like everything else. What the heck? Maybe it will come back on, I hoped.

I finished my swim, which means I got out in time to go to work. This is what I did.

2,000
10 X 50
850 small paddles
total: 3,350 yards = 3.061 meters

When I got out of the water, it sounded like a pretty hard rain coming down. I looked out and saw that some of the parking lot was dry. Huh? I dressed and went outside. Water was pouring out of two gutters on that side of the building. I did not think that was right, so I sent Debbie a text.

On my way to work, I swung by the pool. Debbie and one of the pool men, Robert, were inside. I went in to try to get information on the state of the water for Thursday morning. Debbie was on the phone. Robert told me that they had it fixed, and the water should be perfect in the morning.

I still didn't want to get up. I didn't. Debbie sent out a text at 5:53 that the pool was not ready. 

Anyway, after my class, though I did not feel like it, I went for a shuffle in the dark going 3.45 miles. I went straight to Plate City when the run was over and did my squats, six sets worth. I managed to pull off a pretty OK training day. The students and I moved the Old Testament class, since it is block scheduled, to Monday so next week I won't be so rushed after coming home. Monday will be the rush day.

Praise God for a good day, and Lord help us get that pool fixed.

More Woes

The water was cold Monday, and I knew it would be no warmer Tuesday, maybe colder. That coupled with the knowledge that the temperature outdoors would be in the 20s caused the prospect of arising at 3:45 a.m. to be more than I could deal with. So I slept in and went to the pool after work. I swam

1,500 27:32 (1:45)
500 for time 7:47 (1:33)
1,500 28:14 (1:52)
200 for time 3:03 (1:31)
1,100 20:41 (1:52)
total: 4,800 yards = 4,387 meters

I took a small shuffle. My shoes are worn out, and I am so broke I can't pay attention. So after the eleven miler Monday, I took it easy and only ran 2.2 miles. Then I went to Plate City Gym and did a bunch. Since I did not lift Monday, I did pushes, pulls, and I threw in some dead lifts. On the dead lifts (I am still being extremely cautious), I pulled

5 X 135
4 X 145
3 X 155

I think now I need to start ramping up the reps a little faster, maybe adding another set at 135 and building a good base there before pushing the weight up much more. Anyway, it turned out to be a solid day. Thank you, Jesus.

Water Woes

Debbie sent out a group text Sunday afternoon about the heater for the little pool being broken. I knew when I swam Saturday that the water was much cooler than it has been. I was thinking then that she was just trying to save money. She said in the text that the water was 79 and that the normal temp would not be back until Thursday. 

I called John. He said he was out. I planned to go anyway.

At 4:00 a.m. on Monday morning, I dipped my hand into the pool on the east end where I placed my swim bag. "This is nothing," I thought. But when I began to wade in, it was something. I estimated the water then to be 77 maybe 78. Actually, although that is too cold for most people, that is the temp of a competition pool. Despite that, however, I knew I could not do sets because anytime on the wall would be too much time and cause me to chill in a hurry. So once I started, I did not stop.

Actually, a straight swim is something I aim for once per week. It does something for the mind as well as the body. To swim for two hours or more straight begins to develop the patience, the endurance of the mind that is necessary for swimming Chicot. This was the perfect excuse to do it today, and I figured the 6:00 o'clock crew most likely would not show up. I planned to swim until then. If they came in the door, I get out of the pool. If not, well, it was a holiday.

When 6:00 o'clock came, however, I had to get out. I was right about that hour's crew not showing up. But I had to go to the bathroom, and I mean I HAD to. Once I was out of the water, I knew there was no going back in. But I did have a nice swim getting 6,400 yards straight in just a hair over two hours. That was enough for now although I hope for longer swims later.

I went home at drank coffee and hung out with the cats. A little after noon, I went out for a shuffle and since I had so much time, I decided to do my weekly long run. One never knows what the rest of the week holds so I got it done. I went 11.05 miles. I had the legs for more but not the mind. The mental game is ninety percent of endurance athletics. The other ninety percent is physical.

Since we had Over Sixties that night, I did not lift weights. Heck, three and a half miles of swimming and eleven miles of running was enough. Sarah Buchanan's daughter, Elizabeth, and three more girls about her age from Phillipston Baptist Church were the entertainment for the night. They did a good job and they did not drag it out like most singers do. They sang a few songs well, and the called it a night. That was nice. Penny and I were home in an hour and a half from the time we walked out the front door. We enjoyed good singing, good catfish cooked my Larry himself, and good fellowship with some of our members, Jr. and Frances Barrentine. We also got to see the Adams our part-time members from Morgan City.

It was a really enjoyable day from 4:00 a.m. until when I turned the lights out at 9:05 p.m. Thank you, Jesus.

1/13 - 1/19

I had another good but not outstanding training week. Monday I swam 4,295 meters and shuffled 2.7 miles. Not only that, but I lifted weights. Last year at this time I had not run a single step. I am also ahead in my swimming volume. However, the quality of my swim training was better then than now. I am not sure why. It can't have anything to do with age. I really don't believe it does. Maybe I was just more driven then having just learned about the Senior Olympics.

Tuesday I swam 4,181 meters, ran 6.44 miles, and did more lifting of the weights. Solid stuff right there, solid stuff. Wednesday I did not swim because John was out and I decided at the last minute to sleep in. Sometimes sleep is exactly what the body needs. I hit the road in the afternoon for 4.4 miles and did some leg work at Plate City.

Thursday I was back in the pool for another 4,181 meters. I hit the road fairly hard for 7.05 miles. I did not lift. I think it was raining, and I did not want to go the Twin Rivers. Friday was another minimalist day. I swam 4,135, but the rest of the day was spent at Hodge Ski Lodge. We, RT, Quinton, and I, moved stuff to the south 40, and we closed with Trent Harrell on 93 acres of the place. I wanted to run and lift. Usually, Friday is one of my volume days, my chief volume day. But not this time. 

Saturday I lounged long and rested hard. I did go to the pool and stroked out 3,724 meters. Later I lifted so I had to make up two sessions. I hit push, pull, and legs all in one. 

For the week, I

swam 20,516 meters,
rode the stationary two minutes and five seconds,
ran 20.59 miles, and 
lifted weights four times.

Another solid week, my second consecutive 20/20 week. There is a goal: every week of 2020 a 20/20 week. That would give me a million meters of swimming and over a thousand miles of running. In case you have forgotten, a 20/20 week is one wherein I have swum at least 20,000 meters and run 20 miles. Doing that makes one solidly durable.O know from experience.

2019 Numbers

Somehow I realized that although I had written a post on 2019 in Review, somehow I failed to include my numbers, my totals for running and swimming. On the road, I did   In the pool and open water, I 

swam 894,963 meters or 556.2 miles. 

On the road, I shuffled 843.65 miles. 

I did not track my walking this year since I have been de-emphasizing it. Neither did I add up all my weight training sessions. 

That is not a bad year, but I am hoping and praying for a better one in 2020. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for 2019 and the promise of 2020.

Saturday

I slept in Saturday morning. It was raining, but I would have stayed long in bed even if it had not been. In fact, I remained in my undershoes until after noon when I finally dragged out and went to Twin Rivers. There I swam

brick kick
1,300 24:16 (1:51) If that seems quick for a warm up, the heater is broken and the water was down to 80 from its normal 86.
450 hard 7:00 (1:33)
1,300 23:42 (1:49)
4 X 50
750 medium paddles 13:04
25
brick kick
total: 4,075 yards = 3,729 meters

That was a decent but not too hard practice. I had toyed with the idea of doing 200s on my new css turnaround. I opted instead for the 450 time trial type of swim sandwiched by a couple of 1,300s.

I did not even attempt to run. Instead, I went to Plate City for a three-in=one workout. Due to rain and other intrusions into my schedule, I had to do my bench, pull, and leg workout along with my strongman stuff. The most notable thing I did was 2 X 310 feet on the farmer's walk. Added to that was 2 X 100 with the implements plus 10 pounds per hand.

The Place

In the last post, I wrote about my morning swim and my testing and calculating of critical swim speed. I mentioned that I did no more working out that day. I had two things on the agenda: help my brother load some stuff at the Ski Lodge, and close on a land deal to sell a big chunk of the Lodge.

Over the past year or so, I have written several times about significant changes in my life. This day, Friday, January the 17th, brought another one of those. Hodge Ski Lodge, as I have called it since I was a teenager, is 172 acres of Carroll County land that Dad bought in 1964. Let me repeat part of that: 1964. That means that land has been in the family and part of my life for a little over fifty-five years. 

I remember 1964. I was eight-years old. From that time, "the place" as Dad called it, or "the country" was a big part of what we did of who we were, are. Right away we began to camp out there on "the place." Dad built a brush arbor on a little flat overlooking a tiny pond and we-- the family and usually Paul Darby, Jr.-- would camp on Friday night. 

When squirrel season rolled around, we would camp Friday, walk over to Steen Hill Road in the early morning dark, and hunt until about 10:00 a.m. Then we would meet up, Paul, Dad, and me, and walk back to the campsite where Mom would cook us breakfast on a Coleman Stove. Great memories. Great ones. Sometimes we would fish in the little pond, and by the early afternoon, Jack Cristil's voice would fill the air coming out of a cheap transistor radio. Dad would throw fits as Mississippi State got crushed on the football field over and over and over. Then we would go back to Steen Hill for an afternoon hunt.

Later, a year maybe, we began the process of tearing down the three houses that occupied "the place." Yes, that land had three houses on it. Dad, Paul Jr, and I worked like slaves dismantling those houses, pulling the nails out of the wood, stacking the lumber, and cleaning the bricks. Yes, we saved the bricks. One of those houses was in not too bad of shape, and I remember us sleeping in it one night. All of this work was for the purpose of building the cabin which Dad contracted Joe Campbell to do. The cabin was a simple, three room structure that lacked a bathroom and running water. From then on, instead of overnighting in a sleeping bag under a brush arbor, we stayed in the cabin.

A pond for "the place" was next, a pond in the front-- even family members never seemed to realize that pond was/is IN FRONT of the cabin not behind it. We spent many a day swimming and fishing in it. I caught nice bass out of it, shot a duck or two off it, and swam and swam and swam in it.

I passed over the gardens. "The place" always had gardens. The first one was broken up by an old black man in overalls, Bud Anderson, who did the deed with a mule. The next year, Mr. Stone broke it up with a tractor. After that, Dad purchased a used Ford tractor, and I quickly became his chief driver at the ripe old age of ten. But those first gardens, although they were broken and hipped with a mule and/or tractor, everything else was done by hand. The rows were knocked off with a garden rake. The rows were then opened up with a hoe. After that the seed was placed by hand, then covered with a garden rake. Any watering was done by hand. Onions were planted by digging a hole with the fingers, pouring in some water, placing young onions into the ground, and packing them with the hands. I did that, and I could not even stand to eat onions. After the garden began to grow, it had to be hoed, and picked by hand. The peas had to be shelled by guess who? I know, the sisters shelled a little bit when they (or more specifically, Carol) were not throwing them away.

With the tractor, Dad slowly built up a supply of basic implements, but still a whole lot of stuff was done by hand. And the gardens got a little bigger each year until eventually we were feeding much of West Harding Street. Even the girls, or at least Helen, had to do hoe duty. We all picked and shelled and ate out of the garden much of the year. Long after I left home, Dad kept it up, kept planting, kept harvesting, kept "getting ready for winter." Looking back, I think he was reliving his childhood. That is the only thing to me that explains his obsession with the outdoor toilet. He had the toilet insured (I kid you not) and when it burned he and Mom rebuilt it!?!?!?!

The cabin had a fireplace and we had one on Harding Street also. Dad never bought a chain saw until I was in high school. That means that I spent my share of time on the end of a crosscut saw. Yes, I really did. As a little boy, we felled large trees and turned them into firewood with a crosscut, an ax, a sledge hammer, and a few wedges. We cut, loaded, hauled, and stacked firewood. We harvested heart pine stumps and cedars stumps from "the place" to be used as kindling. I learned, while still a boy, to make a nice fire while using no accelerants and only a single match. 

A big part of what "the place" for me was, however, was hunting. We hunted doves, quail, squirrel, and deer. When I became a teenager, raccoons were added to the list. I always had a place to hunt. And back then everyone was a lot more relaxed about property lines. I roamed all over that area and hunted wherever I wanted to. Life was one big adventure for me when I was not in school.

When I got older, much older, my hunting slowed and eventually stopped. What took its place was running and swimming. The Ski Lodge, "the place," became my headquarters for Saturday and later Friday long runs. I had a place to go, to park, to use the bathroom, to change clothes, to take a shower afterwards if I chose. That area has a maze of gravel roads that I know well, and one can run for miles and miles while enjoying the solitude of the country and the call of the crows. 

You might not believe this, but I never thought about how things would be after Mom and Dad passed. I just assumed "the place" would always be in the family. At first, the idea of selling the land was horrifying to me. When our parents died, however, we had to make decisions. Quinton and I, for a while, discussed buying the sisters out. Eventually, I figured it was not the best thing to do for my family.

Friday at 1:30 p.m., we-- Quinton, Carol, RT, and I-- met at a lawyer's office in downtown Carrollton to close on 93 acres of "the place." Before that, I met Quinton at the place to load and moved some implements to the south 40. RT came out and we experienced a comedy of errors as we moved equipment, mashed fingers, and stuck trucks. 

I did not cry that morning as I looked around knowing this lovely land would shortly be owned by someone else. We had to rush to Carrollton and barely made it there on time. I did not cry on the drive there. I did not cry in the lawyer's office although I had feared I would. I did not cry when I left and drove back to "the place" that was no longer ours to finish moving a few more things. I did not cry as I drove back to town. I did not cry in the bank when I deposited the biggest check I have ever seen. I walked out of the bank and into the parking lot and began to cry. Emotions. Those tricky devils. Just when you think you have them under control, they sneak up on you and whack you a good one right in the gut.

I drove around awhile and cried not knowing why, only that things had once more changed and they would never be the same again. "The place" was gone and would never be back. Life is funny like that. The older you get the less you like change. But that is when the big ones, the life altering ones, take place. 

Saturday morning Penny knew I was struggling. With tears in her eyes she told me that the land needed loving. "You and I," she said, "can't love it the way it needs loving. This guy [the new owner] has young children. They will love the land."

I hope so. I truly desire that they love the land and cherish "the place" and make a lifetime worth of good memories there.

I did. I have fifty-five years of memories from "the place," and right now I am feeling every one of them.

CSS

I was up at 3:43 a.m. on my day off. Yeah, I did/do that to accommodate John. He is always and is still pushing me to get up earlier. I ain't doing it. Three forty three is early too early enough. I went to the pool with the idea of doing some testing to figure my CSS (critical swim speed). Once, I had that number, but that was years ago and as I am always looking to upgrade my training, I thought it was time to re-figure this, and see if it can make an application to my current training.

OK, I'll tell you. In short, critical swim speed is that pace of swimming where your levels of blood lactate begin to build up. In short, it is your anaerobic threshold. In running we call workouts based on anaerobic threshold, tempo runs. Warm up, run twenty minutes at threshold pace, cool down. It works, will make you able to hold a faster pace in a race because your body improves V02Max, strengthens the sports specific muscles, and learns to buffer lactic acid.

In swimming, CSS training improves the pace a swimmer can hold from 400 yards up. For me, that has little application to Chicot (maybe some, but Chicot is its own beast), but much to the Senior Olympics and to the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon.

So I went to the pool mentally prepared for the test which consisted of two time trials, a 400 followed by a 200. I swam

1,100 23:13 (2:06)
400 time trial 6:12 (1:32)
300 easy
200 time trial 2:58 (1:29)
100 finger paddles
100 small paddles
100 medium paddles
100 large paddles
150 large paddles
250 medium paddles
600 small paddles
25
brick kick 25
total: 4,525 yards = 4,135 meters

What were the results, you ask? I took the numbers and plugged them into a calculator I found online and it computed my critical swim speed a 1:37 per 100 yards. That is about what I had guessed ahead of time based on feel. I knew just from swimming that at 1:40 I was pushing the red line a bit. Now, with this new information, I need to design sets built around this number. The latest info says do something like this:

20 X 100 r 7 - 15
10 X 200 r 20
5 X 400 r 30
3 X 600 r 40 - 45

I find that interesting. I already do 20 X 100, but with the numbers from my CSS calculation, I now know that I am swimming those anaerobically. I swim them on 2:00, finishing them around 1:30, a full seven seconds below my CSS pace. The 1:30s gives me about 30 seconds rest. I think I will continue to do my 100s this way because some anaerobic sets are good for you, should be part of the mix. 

I think I will add the CSS sets at 200. To swim 200s at 1:37 means I finish them in 3:14. I can do that, it's stiff, but I can do it. Then with 20 seconds rest means I need to set my watch to send me off every 3:34. For me, 20 seconds of rest is a quick turn around. I am, however, looking forward to enacting this set and to see how it goes.

I did not do anymore working out Friday. What!??!?!? Yeah, my day was full. I will probably write about that later. Praise God for a good swim. 

Fourth Day of Classes

John was out again, I forget why. The temptation to sleep in was pretty strong, but by the grace of God, I got up. At the pool, I swam

1,000 21:01 (2:05)
400 6:39 (1:39)
1,000 20:17 (2:01)
400 6:51 (1:42)
1,000 20:27 (2:02)
4 X 50
500 small paddles
25
brick kick 25
50 
total:4.575 yards = 4,181 meters

How about that practice? That has been rattling around in my head for awhile. I finally pulled it out and did a version of it. It is capable of all sorts of adjustments, but the basic idea is aerobic swims sandwiching threshold swims. The idea is sound; the trouble is, it is a butt kicker.

It rained all day. I did not get out to run until 4:30. It was only lightly raining then and although it would stop, the idea of Plate City in all that moisture was too much for me. So I shuffled and nothing else. I did 7.05 miles and went inside for the night. Thank you, Jesus.

Third Day of Classes

John called Tuesday night and said he would not be at the pool Wednesday morning. He had to take Patsy to a doctors appointment in Jackson. So when I got up to use the bathroom Wednesday morning, I looked at my watch upon returning to bed. It was 3:41, and the alarm was set for 3:43. I thought about what faced me for the day, a long drive times two, much teaching, and even a night class that I recently agreed to teach on Wednesdays. I turned the alarm off and went back to bed. I needed the rest.

When I got home from Greenville, I barely had time to quickly change clothes, shuffle 4.4 miles, and then do a little lifting. The little lifting involved squats. That is all I did. I had to finish fast, go inside, take nutrition, and get back to work.

I said sometime back that I was through with night classes. But I will learn one day not to say what I will never do. Ironically, I enjoyed the class. That is how I started with MDCC, teaching night classes. It's different. The building is quiet, the classes are small, and the students are serious. They have jobs. They are not here to play around. I find that refreshing. 

Thank you, Jesus.

Second Day of Classes

Like all my other days, this one started early, at 4:00 a.m. John did not show. I figured, rightly, that the ball game kept him up too late. I swam

2,100 45:44 (2:10)
350 hard 5:53 (1:40)
650 medium paddles
8 X 50
1,075 small paddles
total: 4,575 yards = 4,181 meters  

Tuesday I work in Greenwood so I was home much earlier than I am on the days when I work over there by the river and not too far from my lovely lake. I shuffled 6.44 miles to finish up my second workout of the day. 

At Plate City, I did pulls (one-armed bent rows) and farmer's walks. On the FW, I did 4 X 50 with a total of 204 pounds, and I set a PR of 25 feet with a total of 214 pounds. That is good training right there, I don't care who you are. So I had another solid day. Praise God.

Big ASS Awards Banquet

Big ASS Awards Banquet

By Jay Unver

(Lehrton, Mississippi) The stars were out in their best attire to walk the red indoor/outdoor carpet at the Old Lehrton Opera House for the 2019 Big ASS Awards Banquet. The black tie only affair was held Saturday, January 11th at 7:00 p.m. Vale parking, picked up Zane Hodge's 1971 GMC pickup while Hodge and his wife Penny made their entrance into the now rusty sheet metal-covered old Opera House which was festooned with used Halloween decorations provided by the Lehrton Trash Department.

Hodge and his wife had a table near the podium while Randy Beets, due to living in North Carolina, was present via Skype on the jumbotron on stage. After prayer and the national anthem, the athletes were served hot dogs and a bag of Lays potato chips. They sipped hot tea out of something that looking like budget china.

After the invocation and anthem, Dr. Timothy Nomann gave his annual speech on the state of Big ASS. He was particularly pleased with the renewed rivalry between Hodge and Beets. He also went on and on about the popularity of The new Association of Sports Strongmen and how Hodge was now dominating his fifth sport. After a thirty-minute speech, he was given a rousing standing ovation that lasted for a solid two minutes.

A couple of speakers followed who extolled the virtues of a physically active lifestyle and urged the whole crowd the get more fit in 2020 than ever. Then, with the meal finished, it was time for the awards.

The first category taken up was road running. The 5K Championship went the Zane Hodge. The 10K Championship went to Zane Hodge. The Ten Mile Championship went to Zane Hodge. The Road Runner of the Year went to, you guessed it, Zane Hodge. Randy Beets was given an Honorable Mention.

The second category to be recognized was pool swimming. Zane Hodge was the Big ASS Champion at 200, 500, and 1,000 yards. Randy Beets was the champion at 50 and 100 yards. The Pool Swimmer of the Year went to Zane Hodge.

Besides running, Hodge won the Triathlete Championship also by virtue of his in abstentia victories over Beets at the Heart O' Dixie and the Dragonfly Triathlons. 

Open water swimming was up next, and Zane Hodge was named the Big ASS World Open Water Champion for he record setting performance at the 2019 Chicot Challenge where is set the world record at 12.75 miles in 6:57. Randy Beets was not even mentioned here and the look on his face, visible on the jumbotron was visible for all to see.

Zane Hodge was also named the Cyclist of the Year for his performance at the Bikes, Blues[,] and Bayous cycling event held last August. There, Hodge smashed Beets in abstentia.

Finally, the awards for the Association of Sports Strongmen were given out. Hodge was recognized for his world records in the bench press, the log press, the Husafell Stone, the Duck Walk, the keg carry, the yoke carry, and the Farmer's Walk. Thus it was not surprising that he was named the Big ASS Strongman of the Year.

Besides his Honorable Mention for pool swimming, and his 50 and 100 yard freestyle titles, Randy Beets was once more the winner of the Tallest Loser Award which unfortunately caused his mother, Betty Ryan Beets, to burst into tears at that announcement. Besides his squalling mother, Beets could be seen throwing a glass as he stormed off screen. Hodge, who had to have help loading his trophies into the back of his truck, was seen smiling broadly at the spectacle of Beets' tantrum. 

Some things never change.

First Day of Classes

Monday was the first day of classes for the Spring semester at MDCC. I did my first day of teaching at the Greenville campus, sixty miles from my driveway. No, I don't get extra pay. Before I made that journey, however, I stopped by the pool at Twin Rivers and swam

2,000 42:02 (2:05)
300 hard 5:03 (1:40)
200
500 10:33
4 X 50
1,500 30:18 (2:00)
total: 4,700 yards = 4,295 meters

That plus the trip to Greenville, a day of teaching, and the trip home equaled a tired body and a more tired mind. To make things worse, it was raining. So I did what I do when it is rainy and cold: I went to Twin Rivers. I shuffled on the dreadmill for 2.70 miles and I did some lifting. On the bench I pressed

15 X 95
14 X 100
13 X 105
12 X 110
10 X 115

I also did some lateral raises and one set of triceps push downs. I got a pretty decent work out in a fairly short period of time. It was a long day and a good one. Thank you, Jesus.

1/6 - 1/12

The first full week of the new year was full. Full of working, full of working out. Monday I did 4,707 meters in the pool, shuffled 5.71 miles, and lifted weights. All of that was accomplished while working until 4:00 p.m. Tuesday It was 4,592 meters at the pool, with 4.34 miles of running while once more lifting weights.

Wednesday I went to GHEC for the first time to work. Before leaving, however, I stroked for 5,621 meters. I did my shuffle over there during my lunch break going for 3.44 miles on Archery Range Road which has no archery range. After getting home, I did legs at Plate City, and a little bit of more swimming with Brad, 365 meters more. I would have done much more, but the baby swimming lessons are back.

Thursday, I swam 3.199 meters. Yeah, that was a big fall off. I did 3.57 miles of road work and a pretty solid session at the gym. Friday, my swimming slump continued with a mere 2,787 meters. On the road, however, I busted out 11.01 miles. Saturday I opted to mostly take it easy hitting the gym fairly hard while doing nothing else physical. 

For the week, I

swam 21,271 meters,
ran 28.1 miles,
pedaled one minute and forty five seconds on the stationary, and
lifted weights five times.

That's a good week, I don't care who you are. Thank you, Jesus.

More World Records

More World Records

By Jay Unver

(Lehrton, Mississippi) Zane Hodge of Big ASS Endurance continues to write the record books in the new Association of Sports Strongmen. Over the past month, he has set new records in the Husafell stone, the yoke, the duck walk, and the farmer's walk.

In the Husafell stone, he lifted and carried 117.5 pounds for twenty feet.

In the yoke, he set in inaugural mark at 2 X 50 feet with the implement plus forty additional pounds. We don't yet know what the yoke itself weighs. 

With the duck walk, he set the initial mark at ninety pounds. He subsequently took that to 100 pounds, then 105, and finally 110 pounds. All duck walks were at fifty feet.

It is in the farmer's carry, however, that Hodge has been the most impressive, breaking and re-breaking the world record over and over. He has set marks for both weight and distance. For weight, he carried the implements plus fifty pounds per hand (a total of 204 pounds) 4 X 50 feet. For distance, he set the original record at 150 feet with just the implements (104 pounds). Next he took the record to 200 feet, followed by 250 feet, and finally to an amazing 300 feet. 

Hodge says, he can and will go farther with the farmer's walk. He also said, we can expect new records in the Husafell, the yoke, and the duck walk.

First Saturday Back at Work

When you work Friday, Saturday becomes very important. Saturday was very important. 

I slept in.

I lounged.

I stayed in my undershoes all morning.

I petted cats.

I drank coffee.

I wrote a blog post.

I worked on my Sunday sermon. 

I took a nap.

No, I did not go the the pool. Later, late February, I will feel the need to hit the pool even on Saturday. But not yet.

All I did physical was to lift weights. I did a big one. I did squats and leg extensions. I did dead lifts and lateral raises. I did lat pull downs and chin ups. I played with the yoke and did farmer's walks. I did a whopping 1.45 (that is one minute and forty-five seconds) on the stationary bike and 43 reps on the rower. Then I went inside.

Thank you, Jesus.

Annoying Questions

I am not a morning person.

There, I said it.

Again.

However, I arise at 3:45 five mornings per week in order to be in the pool at 4:00 a.m. My training partner, John, always asks questions. These are the ones that grind my nerves. Below is a list of the top ten irritating questions.

10. How are you?

Sleepy. I'm sleepy. Do I need me to tell you that?

9. Did you watch the game last night?

Of course I watched the game last night. I'm not in the morgue am I?

8. Who put a chair in the bathroom?

What? Do you think I live here? How the heck would I know?

7. Was that light on when you got here?

Just shut up.

6. What time did you get here?

Get here earlier and find out.

5. Are you OK?

No, I am not OK. I'm sleepy. I'm lonely. I miss my bed. Leave me alone.

4. Do you have to work today?

No, John. I quit so I will have more time for more stupid questions.

3. How is Penny?

How would I know? She was asleep when I left home.

2. Did you sleep well?

Short. I slept short.

1. How is the water?

Really? Really? You were in it yesterday, and you are walking down the ramp to get in it now. Find out for yourself. Leave me alone.

Well, Zane Hodge. I find nothing irritating or stupid about any of those questions.

It's 4:00 a.m.! All questions are stupid and irritating at that hour of the morning. One more time: I am not a morning person. Give me some coffee and some space and leave me alone. That way no one gets hurt.

Fifth Day Back at Work

Yes, I had to work Friday. 

Life is tough. 

I know what you're thinking: "Cry me a river."

It's still tough.

Not only that, but the dip in energy I felt Thursday was magnified Friday. I was just trying to get by, survive until it was time to go home. But at least I did swim. I went through the motions for

2,200 with lots of stops at the wall
17 X 50 slow with lots of long breaks at the wall and lots of paddle use
total: 3,050 yards = 2,787 meters

At least I was there and not sliding backwards.

After work, I went home, ate, napped, and got ready for a run. I think that was my first nap of the week. Life without naps is overwhelming. I did a meandering 11.04 miles. It was not slow but slower, slower than slow. Slower than old-man shuffling. I did, however, finish out another strong week of training. Last year, I did not run at all in the month of January and only a little in February. Now I have a solid base, and I am practicing some restraint. I am a little bit lighter and a little bit stronger. That should translate into some better performances on the road. I won't know until I run my first 5K. Yes, I know about testing, but my legs just won't do it unless someone say, "Runners, get ready," and then blows an air horn. That will happen sometimes this spring. Until then, thank you, Jesus.

Fourth Day Back at Work

It was one of those days. I should not be surprised. John didn't show at all. He does that usually on Thursday morning because he is exhausted by then. I don't have any trouble getting up. But by Thursday morning, I'm pretty much done also. I swam

2,000 40:56 (2:02)
4 X 50
300 medium paddles 5:39
4 X 50
300 medium paddles 5:35
5 X dive start = 100 yards
500 small paddles 10:08
total: 3,600 yards = 3,199 meters

You can see, that is a pretty big fall off. But at least I was there, and I swam. I had to work again until 4:00 o'clock so my day was once more rushed. I shuffled 3.57 miles.

At Plate City, I benched

14 X 100
12 X 110
10 X 120
  6 X 125

Log press

11 X 52
8 X 57
6 X 63
2 X 68

Farmer's Walk

2 X 300 + 0

I still love the farmer's walk. I am getting stronger and more fit for that move. If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that after my breaking in period, when I did them at every workout, I now do them twice per week: a heavy day and a distance day. On the distance day, I use just the implements with no added weight. I am now in a quandary about if I should add weight or keep adding distance. I think I will do both, add a little more distance on the first two walks, then add a third walk with a little bit of additional weight.

Despite working all day, I got in my three workouts. Thank you, Jesus.