Rare Day

I haven't posted in a few days. I don't even know why. Laziness? Business at work? End of the semester blues? Whatever the reason, I am back now. But I will be out of pocket the rest of the day and tomorrow so it might be another few days before I post again.

Tuesday, Tyler and I made our second bicycle ride of the week. I did 17.94 miles. After work, I shuffled 4.14 miles. I didn't swim so I only performed two workouts.

Wednesday, we rode again before work. I put in 18.72 miles. After work, I ran 2.18 miles on bicycle-tired legs. Then Tyler and I met at the big pool Huh? Yeah, we swam outdoors for a short 1,400 meters. Cold? I'd say so. According to Garmin Connect, my watch recorded the water at 72 degrees. That was hard to get started but if felt really nice once the swimming started. So I got three workouts in. Three.

Thursday I pulled off a rare one. The Forty-lap Kid and I pedaled to past Money and back. I recorded 21.17 miles plus the mile to his house. Then after work, I went out for 1.13 miles of roadwork. Think I was finished? Think again. I went to the pool not for a long one, but I swam

  1,000

  100 Redneck IM

  50 build

  total: 1,150 yards

Think I was finished then? Not even then. I went to Plate City and did leg work. Yeah, four workouts. Count 'em, four: a ride, a run, a swim, and a weight session. That is real training right there, I don't care who you are.

So I am lying in bed getting ready to get up and pack. Pack? Yeah, we are heading to Biloxi for the swim meet. I am a bit apprehensive. I have had an injury and a sickness that resulted in four weeks of mild swimming. I really don't know how fit I am. I did get in some decent volume last week, but I was afraid to do much intensity. The email they sent out yesterday shows a guy coming from Tennessee with some really good times. Also, the 50 breast times are way faster than I can swim. I don't know how this is going to go, but it is going to go. Lord give us a safe journey and help me to swim to my ability. Help Penny to have fun and help me be nice to my wife.

New Week

It's a new week, and it's time to crank up the Quadrathon training. The Forty-lap Kid and I did just that first thing Monday morning. We met at 5:45 and rode our bicycles. With my extra riding to and from his house, I hit 17.37 miles. I know. We need more. We are headed for more. It's nice to start the day with some heavy exercise. We have swapped our morning gym time for a morning bicycle ride. We are preparing for the 55 miles we will do on the Quad, which is 37 days away.

When the afternoon came around, I grew lazy and did not run. I did, however, meet Tyler at the pool and we swam

  2,300 42:12

  3 X 100

  100 back

  total: 2,700 yards

That was a pretty good practice. It had volume, but not too much, and a little quality, but not too much. It was the beginning of my taper. I will try to swim again today for just a little bit less. The Mississippi State Senior Olympics swim meet is Saturday. Penny and I are looking forward to the trip. We will have a nice Friday night meal and get to see some different scenery. Sometimes I think the Delta is all there is.

BBU 24

BBU 24 was a mixed bag. My fall off the cliff from two weeks ago continued as I race towards the ground at 127 miles per hour. Yes, that is a metaphor but it feels so true. Monday I slept in. Tyler was out of pocket most of the week. Penny and I had an engagement that night, so training time was tight. I managed to make it to the pool for 2,200 yards. That was it for the day.

Tuesday we had our MDCC Greenwood Center 5K. I walked over to the linear park and shuffled home for a total of 4.04 miles of running. I found time to swim 1,100 yards.

Wednesday I only swam. This time I hit 2,450 yards. At least I was doing something. Thursday we had another engagement after 5:00 so I only swam 2,250 yards and ran 1.1 miles. 

Friday morning, Tyler and I rode our bicycles for my first training ride of the year. I have been on the stationary a few times, but no real crank turning work. I had two miles on Big T for due to my ride to his house and back giving me 16.37 miles. In the pool, I did a solid practice of 3,700 yards.

Saturday, I swam 2,250 yards and ran 2.29 miles. I finally made it to Plate City in the afternoon for a full body workout. I missed squatting all of the week before so after my first of squats, I thought I would have to dump the bar at the bottom of rep one of set two. My muscles protested vigorously, felt like they were going to all cramp. 

For the week, I

  ran 7.43 miles,

  lifted weights one time,

  cycled 16.37 miles, 

  Skiergged 5:20, and 

  swam 12,747 meters

Only the swimming numbers were any good, and that was the first good swim training week in over a month. The shoulder seems OK now and the Mississippi Senior Olympics swim meet is a mere five days away not to mention Quadrathon. My rudimentary math tells me that the bog day is 38 days away. Well, at least we are riding our bicycles now, thanks to Tyler climbing the wall and sounding the alarm. 

We are racing towards the big event and I am feeling a little excited. Two days after Quadrathon, we are scheduled to go to the State Games of Mississippi for a swim meet. Two days after a power lifting meet and a 66-mile triathlon. 

A Good Day

I know, all days are good. If God let's you live, it is a good day. But some days are more enjoyable more memorable than others. Friday was one of those. It started with Tyler and me meeting up at 6:00 a.m. for a bicycle ride. Tyler is the one who suggested that we start cycling in the morning. Smart. It we don't begin putting in some miles on the bike, Quadrathon will turn into a sufferfest.

First we rode some on Grand Boulevard because it is well lit with street lights and has almost no traffic on it at that time of morning. After the sky lighted up some, we crossed the bridge and headed out Wade Road. Since it has recently been resurfaced, and since the weather was absolutely perfect, we rode in silence and  joy to the end of the road and back.

Once back to Money Road, it was now light enough to ride out it. We went to Craigside, where we stopped. Deciding to turn around, I asked Tyler to pull us home, which he did much quicker than we rode out. For me, I totaled 16.37 miles. Not bad for a start.

Back home, I was ready for breakfast and a rest. I did both, drank coffee, blogged, watched YouTube videos and just generally took it easy. I finally got up and mowed the front lawn and ate lunch early so I could get to the pool before anyone else. At the pool, I did a real practice. I mean a real one. This would be a real one at anytime during my life. I swam

  2,200 42:59

  4 X 25 breast

  300 back

  5 X 100 @ 2:15

  100 back

  400 small paddles

  2 X 50 small paddles

  total: 3,700 yards

That's a real practice right there, I don't care who you are. The 2,200 worked my low-end endurance, my basic fitness. The 4 X 25 breast and the 300 back helped me practice my strokes. The 5 X 100 @ 2:15 gave me the heartrate/lactic acid work I have been missing for weeks now. The 400 with small paddles gave me some strength work. And the 2 X 50 small paddles was John and I racing. He likes to try to outrun me for twenty-five yards. That gave me some spring work. All in all, I did a lot of work. I now feel a lot better about the swim meet next Saturday. I am not out of shape. I don't know how water fit I am with all the low volume and low intensity weeks I have had since my shoulder flared up. But I know I am not out of shape.

To cap the day off, Penny and I journeyed to Kilbourne, Louisiana to meet Rhonda and Jimmy Pelley at the Old Hardware Fish House. 

What!?! You guys drove two states over to eat out?!?

Darn tootin'. My business card reads: Have appetite - will travel. The fish house in Kilborne is fantastic. We had a nice meal, and some sweet fellowship with some people we think are special. They had their four-year old granddaughter with them. That reminded Penny and me of when we used to wag Caitlin with us almost everywhere we went.

When we made the drive back to Greenwood, I was worn to a frazzle. I got in bed and went to sleep quickly. Garmin Connect says I slept 8:16 last night. Penny woke me up this morning bringing me coffee in bed. Now, where are those cats?

Busy, Busy, Busy

Thursday was another busy one. We had another event in the evening, our Association annual Prayer Conference in Winona. Remember, we did Over 60s Monday and this Thursday made for one busy week plus some compacted and reduced training. I intended to get up even the Forty-lap Kid was still out. However, when 5:00 a.m. rolled around, I rolled around in the bed. At work, we had more food. Every day this week we have eaten. Can you spell fat?

I did make it to the pool with a little more confidence than I have had in the past few weeks. I swam

  1,800 36:09

  3 X 50 46, 46, 43

  150 back

  2 X 25 breast

  50 easy

  total: 2,250 yards

The 1,800 was all crawl, so I feel a lot better about that. Then on the 50s, I pushed a bit, enough to work those speed fibers but not enough to work my heartrate. I hope to do that today.

Back home, I went to Plate City. I did not do enough to call it a lifting session. I worked corator tuffs, reverse flys, and some lateral raises. Mostly, I just spent a little time with Pee Wee and enjoyed being out there. Then I went out for a short shuffle before we left for Winona. Although I only did 1.1 miles, it was a run and thus better than a poke in the eye.

Senior Olympics is in one week, Quadrathon is in 41 days, and the State Games of Mississippi is in 43 days. Oh yeah. Fun, fun, and more fun. Thank you, Jesus and help us get in top shape.

Try to

The Forty-lap Kid was out again. Poor Pee Wee. I know he misses us. It was my long day at work, so missing the morning lift did not bode well for my training prospects. Nevertheless, I made it to the pool with a little bit of time, energy, and confidence that I could swim. I swam

  2,050 25/25 free/back

  2 X 25 breast

  300 easy free

  total: 2,450 yards

The Senior Olympics are one week and one day away. The good news is that Wednesday night's swim gave me the confidence that I believe I can swim with a bit of intensity now. I will try to do that tonight. Also I will try to run today. And I will try to spend some time with Pee Wee. I will try to take a nap. I will try to drink coffee. And like my old Hebrew professor used to tell me, I will try to be nice to my wife.

Try to help me, Jesus.

Even So Come

Tuesday was a little more normal, but not normal. Tyler was still out, and I still slept in. Outside of that, however, I had a pretty good training day. We had our MDCC 5K. I had hoped to just break a 13:00 minute per mile pace. I ran 11:38. Imaging being happy with that. Oh how the mighty are fallen. I was third overall in the race so I was pleased. Not only did I do that running, but I walked over to the linear park and then walked and ran home. I totaled 4.02 miles of running for the day.

Debbie contacted me about a treadmill. She is giving me one, even lending me a trailer to move it. Can you spell Praise the Lord? I recruited some help and the plan it to move it Friday morning. Plate City has been out of a treadmill for several months now. I do not run on one much, but sometimes when the weather is rough, it is awfully nice to have the option.  

I went to the pool and swam. I did breast and back and some free styling. I swam 250 straight for my longest freestyle swim in weeks. I totaled 1,100 yards to give me 3,300 yards for the week. Not much but better than a poke in the eye. And I have had a poke in the eye so I know. Praise God. The swim meet cometh. Even so, come swim meet come.

The Birds Don't Know

My mind just wandered back to Monday morning a couple or three weeks ago. Plate City was open. Weights were moving. Voices, human ones, were quiet. That happens sometimes. We were doing our work. We just weren't talking about it. Then Tyler mentioned how quiet it was. 

"Mondays are always difficult," he quipped, or something like that.

I'm not sure if I answered right away, but I did notice that the birds were in full swing, in full chorus. Although it was still dark, they were singing like they were kids and it was Christmas morning. 

"The birds are not quiet," I finally answered.

A couple of more sets of weight moving were done.

"The birds don't know it's Monday," he mused.

Wow. They never do. And they don't know the economy is bad. They don't know store shelves are empty. They don't know there is a war in Ukraine. They don't know that inflation is (according to my financial advisor) 11.1 percent. They don't know.

There is an old saying that "ignorance is bliss." Maybe so. Or maybe faith is bliss. If we can live like the birds, just go out and do our work everyday and be happy about it and trust God for what we can't change, we could be carefree like the birds.

Birds don't worry. They go out every day whether they feel good or not and they find worms and seeds and bugs and they make a living. Jesus even talked about birds. He said, 

       Behold the birds of the air: for they sow not neither do they reap, nor do             they gather in barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not               much better than they? (Matthew 6:26)

We are certainly not much wiser than they. We overthink everything and are controlled by our feelings. The birds don't know, and they are much happier than we.

Be like a bird. Go to work with joy. Find your seeds. Rejoice while doing it. Live a life of faithful bliss not ignorant bliss. 

*Sighs and Moans

Plate City was dark and quiet Monday morning. The Forty-lap Kid was out so I stayed in. With a long day at work, plus Over 60s that night, it was not a good day for training. I did, however, make it to the pool where I swam

  2,000 25/25 free/back

  4 X 50 25/25 breast/free

  total: 2,200 yards

That's a real practice right there. No, it was not a big one. No, it was not a tough one. No, it was not an almost practice.  It was a practice. The 2,000 straight was for basic fitness. The 50 breast/free was for stroke work plus I pushed the 25 free a little bit. My confidence is coming up, soaring. I hope to train harder today. 

Yes, I ate a lot of fish last night. 

*Sigh

We have another eating Thursday night.

*Sigh

Praise the Lord anyway.

BBU 23

I think I told you in the last post that the State Senior Olympics are the 30th not the 23rd. That will at least replace the training I lost last week. Monday morning we slept in. I don't remember why already. I did go to the pool for a short and easy 1,300 yards. On the road I did 2.55 miles.

Tuesday Plate City was open in the morning. We worked hard. But at work, I became ill and my running streak broke at 190 straight days, the longest of my life. 

Wednesday I did no training, and although I still was not jumping too high, I was in the pool Thursday afternoon for a mere 850 yards. 

Friday morning found the Forty-lap Kid and me back at Plate City. The afternoon also found me back on the road for 3.67 miles. And the pool saw me swim 1,500 yards, mostly backstroke.

Saturday I shuffled 1.36 miles and swam 1,850 yards. I did not lift although I had it on the agenda. And Sunday, I napped and ate food. Praise God.

For the week, I

  ran - 5.03 miles

  skiergged - 10:30

  cycled - 00:00

  lifted weights - two times

  swam - 5,025 meters

As you can see, that is a huge drop off. It is like falling off a cliff. Do I have time to get it back before the swim meet? I don't know what to think about that. I will do the best I can. I feel like just a couple of really hard sets in the pool would have a huge impact on my performance. I have not lost the base, I am sure. I have lost the top of the pyramid. I know what you are thinking: do the sets. The issue is trust. I do not yet trust my body to go hard without breaking. Praise God anyway.

OOOPPSS!!!!

It is Easter morning 2022, and I am just now figuring some things out. First, I was wrong about the State Senior Olympics Swim Meet date. 

Huh!? 

Yeah, but I was only off a week. Exactly how does one who is presumably of at least average intelligence do that? All I can say is that I am a genius at being stupid. The meet is April 30. I am not sure how I feel about that. Besides being embarrassed, will the extra week help or hurt my chances of doing well? 

That's easy: help. More time is always better.

Not so fast, my friend. If I were training at full speed that would be true. But at my reduced training load, am I still losing fitness or am I beginning to rebound? I honestly do not know the answer to that question.  

Another thing I finally figured out is why I am so slow as a runner now. In my devotional reading this morning, I came upon Proverbs 19:2b 

                              And he sins who hastens with his feet

So now I see that Jesus has been protecting me from sin by slowing me down. Thank you, Lord.

Saturday it rained. Saturday it rained a lot. Saturday I did lots of lounging. I did go for some roadwork and ran shuffled 1.36 miles. Not much rebound there. I had thought a strong session at Plate City was in order, but I did not have a roundtoit. I did make it to the pool, however. When I drove up, kids were going inside. I left and came back an hour later. This time there were more kids. This time I went in, cleaned the pool out (everything in the building was in the water) and started swimming. Backstroke.

Well, the kids did stay out of my way. Thank you, Jesus. I started with 1,350 yards of straight backstroke for some basic conditioning. Then I did a little breast and finished with a total of 300 freestyle. My total was 1,850 yards. That felt pretty close to a practice. I think next week, I can practice. I need some hard freestyle sets, something that hurts, but not the shoulder. Help me, Jesus.

Almost

For the first time since its inception, Plate City Gym was closed for three straight days. Friday morning, April 15, we were back in business. Pee Wee was happy to see me out there and he wagged big when Tyler drove up. We hit is pretty hard, the forty-lap kid and I. Praise God. 

John and I met at the pool. I swam

  4 X 25 breast

  2 X 75 breast with small paddles

  1,050 back 25:05

  50 free

  100 free

  total: 1,500 yards

That felt almost like a practice, and my confidence in my shoulder came up a little. I almost feel like I can train again. The problem is that I am out of time. My big swim meet is one week from today. 

*Sigh. 

Oh well. All I can do is all I can do.

I found time to go out for a short shuffle of 1.12 miles. The pace was barely walking speed. Wow. Three days off, and I clearly lost fitness. Praise the Lord anyway.

So I did three workouts in one day. That was almost like Quadrathon training. Almost. But we are out of time for almost. It must be the full-meal deal from now on until Quad week. God help us.

Better News

I was back in full swing Thursday, albeit moving a little slowly. After work, I went by Edward Jones to pick up some tax stuff. Then I went to see my accountant. I had told him a few months ago that I would be early this year. So when I entered his office on April the 14th, I said, "I told ya I'd be early. Told ya."

After taxes, I went to the hospital to visit a church member. Back home by late afternoon, I took a nap. Then I went to the pool. There I swam

  4 X 25 breast

  1 X 50 breast

  500 back 11:43

  75 breast

  25 back2 X 25 free

  50 free

  total: 850 yards = 776 meters

The Senior Olympics are a week away. If I go down there and start getting beat, I am going to identify as a woman.

Well, I guess that means taper week will have to be train week. Praise the Lord anyway.

Bad News

Right on the heels of that good news is some bad news. Tuesday morning, Tyler and I met at Plate City. It was quiet out there. He had been sick and missed Monday. I could tell he wasn't feeling well because he used the same weights I used, and I was extremely light because of my shoulder. When it came time for our grand finale, the swim circuit, he opted out saying he feared hurling. 

To make a short story long, when I finished my first class at work, I felt like lying on the concrete floor and going to sleep. I was thinking, either I am getting sick or this will be the day that I die. Slowly the feeling of a massive hurl started building in my gut. After I got my Comp I students working, I left school a little early. I didn't want to blow breakfast on the floor. 

I made it home and to bed. The hurling came about mid-afternoon. It was a big one and for a while I felt better. But . . . I'll spare you the details because they are not pretty. So I did not run, breaking my shuffle streak at 190 consecutive days. I did not swim, again, after my shoulder finally is starting to get better. Now I miserably peck on this computer and hope to feel better.

*Sigh

Praise the Lord anyway.

Good News

I had a good start to the penultimate week before the Mississippi Senior Olympics. Tyler called in sick so Plate City remained dark. And Monday is one of my long days at work. After work, however, I hit the road for a 2.55 mile shuffle. Not a bad start for my training. 

Tyler cancelled on the swim also. That put me there alone. I didn't mind. It is not enjoyable to fly around other birds when you have a broken wing. I swam

  4 X 25 breast

  350 back

  2 X 25 breast

  350 back

  2 X 25 breast

  350 back

  2 X 25 free

  total: 1,300 yards

What? Is that 2 X 25 free that I just read? 

Yes. How about that! I swam some freestyle pain free. I wanted to swim more, but I don't trust my body right now. That is one problem with injury, it takes some time to get back to normal. Currently, it's all in my head, and it will take some time for it to go away. 

I don't know what I will do today, but I will shoot for just a little more than Monday. How much fitness have I lost over the past three week? I don't know, and I don't have the nerve to test it. I don't trust my body right now. Probably I will go into the swim meet not knowing how fit I am and just go for it and see what happens. Praise the Lord anyway.

BBU 22

It was both a strong and a weak week. See what I did there? Monday morning we lifted weights as we almost always do. In the afternoon, I ran 2.45 miles. At the pool, because of my jacked up shoulder, I only did 800 yards of breast stroke.

Tuesday, I slept in. I don't remember why, but it was probably because Tyler was out of pocket. On the road, I did 3.5 miles, and I did not go to the pool.

Wednesday we were back in the gym working legs as we should. On the road I shuffled 3.13 miles. In the pool, I managed 1,100 yards of breast and back since I still cannot perform the crawl. Yeah, the Mississippi Senior Olympics is April 23, and I am registered for six events. Perfect.

Thursday we hit Plate City for push and pull. I am still doing the overhead instead of the bench press. On the Skierg, we are up to 5:10. Tough. I am hoping that this will keep me in the game as far as the pool goes. It uses the swimming muscles so my hope is that I will not lose too much water fitness while my swimming numbers are way low. If I can just do the crawl by April 23, maybe I will come out O.K. On the road I did 4.51, but I did not swim.

Friday, we did not lift. I ran 3.29 and did some yard work. Saturday, however, I busted out 11.5 on the road. In the afternoon, I visited Plate City for some light leg work as well as some Skiergging. Sunday was only an easy 1.9 as usual.

For the week, I

  Skiergged 23:17,

  lifted weights four times,

  cycled 1:20:16,

  ran 30.28, and

  swam 1,736 meters.

So it was a strong week for everything but swimming. I learned a long time ago that all I can do is all I can do. And I am doing all I can do. Consequently, I have not been fretting about my upcoming swim meet. I will show up and do the best I can. Praise the Lord anyway.

Praise the Lord Anyway

Friday has come and gone but it seems like Friday now on this Saturday morning. Ordinarily I like sleep in a little longer, but Penny got up, bathed, and left while I remained in bed. That's what makes it seem like Friday. It's just a bit after 6:00, the morning is cold, the coffee is hot, and the bed is soft. When I woke up, I knew I was up, that going back to sleep was not an option. And I don't even want to go back to sleep since my rest was good, thorough, adequate. I ate my breakfast and now I ponder the possibilities of a long day with my wife not around to tell me what to do. Life is good.

Yesterday, Tyler was out of town, I was off work, and my lazy was working overtime. I weed eated and mowed the front yard. I went for a short run, 3.29 miles. John and I were supposed to meet at the pool. When I got there, a truck was parked suspiciously close to the pool. I got out and walked to the door. I did not go inside. I heard voices that sounded like playing. Not good. I called John. He was on the way. I circled the area a few times then headed home. John called me back a little later. He got to the pool and went inside. He said there were two fat boys, young teenagers, in there playing. He threw a fit with me over the phone. The fit reminded my of Dad. After we hung up, I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Penny and I ate at the Crystal Grill. I got the same thing as last week: blackened red fish with that sauce on top. On the side, I had a Greek salad and yams. Mercy, we even had dessert, Penny I don't know what, but I had lemon ice box pie. We were blessed to have Lindsey as our server. A good server is like icing on the cake. It makes the good even more good. Our dining experience was more better.

So it was a good day. Now the possibilities of another good day loom before me like a lonely road stretching out before my fully gassed up pickup truck. What kind of mischief will I get into today? I can

    a) take a long run

    b) go for a long bicycle ride

    c) take a road trip and eat gas station food

    d) do a full-body assault at Plate City

Oh shucks, I forgot. Penny has already told me what to do. I have to 

    e) weed eat and mow the back yard

*Sigh. 

Praise the Lord anyway.

The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi Oxford Walk

Team Centerville was down Sunday, April 3, 2022. Usually we have five to eight people. This time for the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's Oxford walk, only Penny, Gerry Johnson, and I made the trip.

As usual, we drove around for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time looking for the Lyceum Loop. No, you don't just search for it and let your phone navigate you. That led us to campus and ended. I already knew how to get onto campus. These drive arounds only reinforce my lostness so each year I am more lost than the year before.

Team Centerville

We found it, got signed up and Irena showed us the T-shirts. On the back, they gave shouts outs to a few people. On the list was "Dr. Zane Hodge and Tyler Kirk of the Crazy Man Quadrathon 2022." I was surprised, humbled, and extremely honored by that. Thank you, DFM.

The weather was perfect: clear skies, temps around 62, birds singing, and squirrels running everywhere. Flowers bloomed every direction you could point your head. They held an Ugly Sneakers Contest. Irena even handed me the mic at one point, and I plugged the quadrathon. The walk was short and then we had pizza and ice-cream afterwards. It was all nice, all good, all enjoyable.

I wish we could have brought in more money, and I wish Team Centerville had been at full strength. But it was a memorable event and we are better for going. Thank you, Lord, for the DFM. Bless their work, in Jesus name. Amen.

Pretty Easy Right Now

Thursday is my what? my what? come on now, give it to me . . .   

Your easy day at work.

Thank you. I feel better now.

After long Wednesday, I get short Thursday and the weekend starts at 12:05 p.m. Life is good. 

Tyler and I met at 5:30 and lifted push and pull. Still nursing a shoulder, I didn't bench press, but I am able to overhead press. I did do a few negatives on the bench, just a few. Yeah, little swimming and no bench pressing while I am coming up on my major swim meet of the year, and Crazy Man Quadrathon which involves bench pressing. 

*Sigh.

Well, we hit it hard, then we both had to go to work. In Comp II, my students are writing a paper so my load is pretty easy in there right now. In Comp I-- my only other class of the day-- my students are writing a paper so my load is 

     a) heavy

     b) difficult

     c) pretty easy right now

     d) impossible

If you don't know the answer, always choose C and win.

Oh, you chose C?! What did you win? You won an "Atta boy."

After work, I went to Homefront to pick up some materials for Simon. The heavy bag project is still in the works. Then I went out for some roadwork, 4.51 miles worth. After some a spate of rest, I went to Plate City for 43:00 minutes on the stationary. Yeah, I'm trying to get ready for June 2 when we will cycle 55 miles plus all that other stuff.

Please pray for us, Tyler and me, if you are a praying person. Pray for our health, our safety, and good weather on the day. Pray for our success not only in completing the quadrathon, but in getting the message out about health and diabetes and our success in fundraising. Oh yeah, give. Here: 

https://msdiabetes.org/events/other-events/support-zane-and-tyler/

Thank you and God bless you.

Training for Four is Tough

I just realized that I did not post Tuesday. So I will have to do it now. Tyler and I lifted. I ran in the afternoon, 3.5 miles. Also, I did 40:16 on the stationary. That is the most I have done this spring. I plan to get my road bike out and get on the road soon. I did not swim, however, due to the shoulder. I saved it for Wednesday.

Wednesday morning Tyler and I worked legs. Hard. I wobbled to work and made it through my hardest day of the week. Then I shuffled 3.13 miles. Tyler and I met up at the pool. The State Senior Olympics swim meet is April 23, and I am registered for six events. My shoulder is jacked just in time. For some reason, I am not throwing objects, I am not weeping uncontrollably, nor am I looking for lonely road signs to shoot. I swam some breast and some back. Hurrah. I can now swim back with no pain so that opens things up a little bit. I did a total of 1,100 yards. Not much, but better than a poke in the eye.

So, the swim meet is coming up, and quadrathon is approaching like an out of control eighteen wheeler. What to do? The best we can. Tyler is not unscathed either. Training for four sports is though. Maybe next year we can train for six.

Oppressed by the Breast

The Crazy Man Quadrathon is now only two months out and my body is feeling pretty beat up. I'm having problems with a foot; I'm having problems with a shoulder, and my energy is starting to dip pretty low. I dragged out of bed Monday morning to meet Tyler at Plate City Gym where we had to work our way around the collapsed heavy bag stand, the bag, and all of that. Neat. We did push and pull. Since my shoulder is a little jacked right now, I did not do the bench press but replaced it with the Viking press. Yes, Plate City has one of those curtesy of Leflore Steel. It is attached to a 4 X 4 cemented into the ground and doubles as a standing calve machine. Yeah, we are good like that. 

Monday is my long day at work so when I got off, I was tired. But I went home and took a short shuffle going down on the river trail, heading out Hades Road, and hitting the turn rows until I came back into town. I only went 2.45 miles, but that is a lot more than last week on Monday. 

Tyler and I met at the pool at 6:00 p.m. I already knew I could not swim much. In fact, I purposed ahead of time not to swim a single stroke of crawl. I can swim the breast stroke without pain, and since I am registered for the 50 breast at the State Senior Olympics, at least there is that. So I gave Tyler some direction and I just did breast. He did real swimming. I swam:

  

  16 X 25

  3 X 50

  2 X 75 ouch!

  4 X 25

  total: 800 yards of breast stroking, the most in my entire life.

That is not what I wanted, but it is better than a poke in the eye. Injured 19 days before my big swim meet, and registered for six events. Lovely. But I can still run, can still do some lifting, and can still do some swimming. The operative word there is "some." Maybe I can get my backstroke back (see what I did there) soon. Praise God anyway. 

BBU 21

It was another strong week of training, but not one without problems. Monday started slowly. I don't remember why that was, but I only ran 1.26 miles. Of course Tyler and I lifted that morning, and then I hit the stationary for 31:00 minutes in the afternoon. Later, Tyler and I met at the pool after work for 3,200 yards. That was a strong practice which included an 850-yard swim for time.

Tuesday morning found me sleeping in since Tyler was out for the day. I did run 3.23 miles and spun 32:00 on the bicycle before Penny and I went to a Gideon's banquet in Vaiden. The banquet was enjoyable, but it meant too much eating and no swimming for the day.

I bounced back Wednesday, however, with weights in the morning, a 3.73-mile shuffle, and 1,900 yards with Tyler in the pool. We tapped early because both of us were feeling some issues with our shoulders.

Thursday we did legs at Plate City. I hit it hard and was way stronger than last week. Despite the leg work, I still managed 2.82 miles of roadwork, 12:00 minutes of bike work, and 1,700 yards of swimming work. The swimming was not good. My shoulder was jacked up. I mostly did slow backstroke and some breast stroking. 

Friday I did more than train. We lifted and then I did some mowing, some other yard work, and a little moving. I did not attempt a swim, but I did shuffled for 3.17 miles.

Saturday I busted it all out with a 10.06 miler on the road. After that, I did some weights and even 27:12 on the cycle while I watched the first half of the Final Four.

Sunday Penny, Gerry Johnson, and I went to Oxford for the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi's walk. The weather was great, the walk was nice, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. I was surprised, shocked, pleasantly flabbergasted, and honored when I found out that they put Tyler, me, and the Crazy Man Quadrathon on the back of the shirt. Wow. Back home, I went out for 1.54 miles to keep the streak alive. Thank you, Jesus. 

Disaster at Plate City, but She Remembered

Fridays are great. I have some time, time to play, time to work, time to workout. Tyler and I met at 5:30 a.m. The temp was 39, maybe the last really cold morning of the year for us. I hope. We did push and pull so we were pretty shot after the session. 

After breakfast, I ran a couple of errands and then started working in the backyard. I mowed the back, put some sand in some low places, and piddled in the gym. Since the heavy bag post had been up 65 hours, I decided it was time to hang the bag. I got things together then walked across the street to get Rob Sanford to give me a hand when I realized I couldn't do it myself. We got the bag up. It looked like palace. Rob went out the gate and I punched the bag with enough force to maybe crack an egg. Maybe. The whole thing collapsed. What?!?!? Yeah. Remember that gospel song, "The Anchor Holds"? The anchor didn't hold. So it's all a heap in the floor now. 

*Deep breath. *Sigh.

Praise God anyway.

So I took a run. I went 3.17 miles. Since my shoulder is a bit jacked right now, there was no swim on the agenda. Consequently, I did some moving. I moved one whole box, a small one, and put some books up at the new house. This was big. I can now see the tunnel at the end of the light. We are going to make it. We are going to get moved.

Then Penny came home. We went to Crystal for dinner and had Lyndsey as our server. She is a student of mine, a good one, and a really excellent server. When we sat down, she was there within a minute with our drinks. She remembered. And she told me that they had yams. She remembered. And she told Penny what vegetables were available. She remembered. That's why we like her and always request her as our server. At No Way Jose, we always ask for Flori. Flori also remembers, and she smiles, a real smile not a forced one.

Life is good. There are blessing everywhere. Look for them. Thank God for them. Enjoy them.

A Win

Thursdays are always a good day for me. It's my Friday, and I have a short day at work. Yeehaa. Tyler and I did legs at Plate City. Usually we do that on Wednesday, but since we missed Monday, everything was pushed back a day. I was much stronger this week than last week when I had a shockingly difficult time moving weight. That was good for my head, my performance Thursday morning.

I took a shuffle in the afternoon, going 2.81 miles. I went out Hades Road, and the rains of the night before had put out all the fires. Thank you, Jesus. Then I went to Plate City to do some work on the heavy bag stand and to spin on the stationary a bit. Pee Wee and I hung out. Birds were singing from their perches high above the ground.

At the pool, things didn't go so well. My shoulder was giving me some grief. I set out to warmup with 1,500, but after 350, I rolled over and did 1,000 on my back. The backstroke was not without discomfort, but the discomfort was much less. That might be the longest backstroke swim of my life. Then instead of doing 100s @ 3:00, I did 50 breast @ 3:00. Seven. Seven reps of 50 breast. That might be the most breast stroke I have ever swum in my life. I'm pretty sure it is.

While the pool time wasn't prime time, I did get some work in and may have done better than planned. All in all, the day, the training was a win.