2019 in Review

When I say 2019 in review, I am speaking athletically. If you read this blog, you know that is almost all I write about. Occasionally I pen a poem. Sometimes I compose an essay. Rarely, I do write a piece of fiction. But this blog is primarily an athletic journal.

I should say a brief word about writing in general because I did a lot of that in 2019. I posted 428 times. I haven't done the arithmetic on that, but obviously I averaged more than four posts a week. I even averaged more than five posts, heck more than seven. I posted twice a bunch of days and a few times I turned out three in one day.

One reason I wrote so much is I did so much. I was athletically active so I had something to write about. I did little in 2018 and less in 2017. I had a good year in 2016, but I physically broke down in November of that year. I crashed with knee problems which ended my running for over two years. My swimming was already on the rocks due to my right arm falling off.

In January of 2019 I began to shuffle just a little bit. I had been swimming some, but not much. My shoulder started to come around in February of that year. So it wasn't long and I was off to the races. Literally.

Viking holds a 5K and half marathon in March and that was my first race of the year. I only did the 5K, but was thrilled to run it and even beat Forrest while averaging just under a ten-minute per mile pace. For a fat old man with only a few miles on his legs, I felt that was pretty good. In April I ran the 5K in Kosciusko, one of my long-time favorites.

April also found me doing something I had never done before: swimming the Mississippi State Senior Olympics. I had never done a swim meet-- well actually I had when I was about eight-years old, finishing last in every event I swam-- but swimming had faded away. As an adult I came back to it as a triathloner, but I only swam enough to complete my trisports events. Anyway, Gloria Hathcock told me about the Olympics, and I looked them up on the internet. I met her at Twin River's new indoor pool. To go along with my healing shoulder, I now have more access to water than ever before.

When I checked the swimming results of the previous games, I was overwhelmed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. The longest swim they have is the 500 free (I am a long-distance swimmer) and I was sure I could beat the last winning time. Next day at the pool, I swam a 500 in more than a minute faster than what won the last contested 500. I signed up, as soon as possible for the 50, 100, 200, and 500. I was sure I could win the 200 and 500, but I honestly expected a bronze in the 50 and a silver in the 100. 

When we actually got to the meet in Biloxi, the 200 was one of the first events contested. I won it easily against the guys I would swim against in the 500. Next up, however, was the 50, and I became nervous and did not want my wife to see me get beat. I was going to scratch that and the 100 when they called for the men's 50 free. I froze for a second or two and the went and took my place. When I flipped of the 25 wall and came up for air, I was in the lead by about one foot. Fear took me to the finish and a win. Then I knew I had a real shot in the 100 so I did not scratch it, but won it and the 500 giving me four gold medals. I was on fire, and I think about that constantly as I train in the water, on the road, and in the gym.

I was able to do the MDCC 5Ks, both of them, and I enjoyed that. I did the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon (July) as well as the Dragonfly (August). I also ran the 300 Oaks 10K (September) and the Gateway to the Delta Ten Miler (November). My running is far from what it was, but I am happy to be able to do it at any pace because I thought it was gone for good.

It was a good year and I look forward to a better one in 2020. My weight training came a long way also in 2019 as did Plate City Gym. But that, I figure, is a whole 'nother blog post. Read about  Plate City in a day or two.