The 2023 Dragonfly Triathlon

I was slowly running up a flat road that had no shade. It was very hot, and I was very tired. Up ahead was a big guy, I was guessing 6'4" or 6'5" and 300 plus pounds. He was having trouble moving his huge body in the heat and humidity. 

As I gained on him, I noticed that he was dressed in a triathlon suit and over that he had on what looked like a skirt. I drew closer and saw it was a skirt. "What the heck?" I thought. He either

    a) was trying to start a fight

                b) was some kind of goofy stupid, or

c) he lost a bet

I pondered on what to say when I passed him. This guy could pick my up, tear me limb from limb, and throw my parts all the way back into the lake. But I'm a smart aleck, so when I drew even with him I said, "Nice dress."

He responded with, "Hey, keep your eyes up here," he said pointing to his eyes. Then he tapped me on the shoulder as I passed.

"It took a lot of nerve to say that to somebody as big as you," I yelled as I shuffled ahead.

"No nerve needed," he answered.

This day had begun at 3:30 a.m. My alarm was set for 4:45, but when I woke up and checked the time, I decided to go ahead and get up. I ate a bowl of cereal, got all of my Gatorade out, loaded the truck, and left. I headed to Sardis Lake, the lower lake at what they call Cypress Point. This is where the Dragonfly Triathlon is held each year. The date, August 26, 2023. The distances: a half-mile swim, an 18-mile bicycle race, and a four-mile run that takes place partly on a trail.

I drove slow and got there early. It turns out I needed the early. From where you park to packet pickup is a solid quarter of a mile or more. I walked in and showed the volunteer my QR code. Why does this irritate me? What was wrong with asking me my name and looking it up? Then she said, "Picture ID, please."

"Huh?"

"I need a picure ID."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. USAT rules. We have to know you are who you say you are."

I gave her the look.

"Ride your bike back to your truck."

"My bike is in my truck."

To make a short story long, my momma wouldn't let me say anything else, so I took the walk back to the truck, fetched my ID, and walked back. I know what you're thinking. "Poor baby," right? Well, I was minimally trained for this, and I needed those steps to apply to the triathlon. And when I made it back to packet pickup, she didn't even look at the ID.

So with packet in hand, I got to walk to the truck again. See how this is adding up? At the truck, I aired up my bicycle tires, and tried to put my sticker numbers on my bike and helmet. I never can get the back off those sticky things, so I found a woman with finger nails to help me out. Then I took all my stuff to the transition area and set up.

Down on the beach, I took a warmup swim then climbed out onto the sand. I saw a one-armed lady get into the water. I wanted to watch her swim. Which side do you breath on if you only have one arm? I watched until she took a short swim. Once, she breathed out the front. Twice she breathed on her arm side. Now that was in my head like a bad song. How would I swim with one arm. I balance on my lead hand when I breath. Now I know what I am going to be doing when I go to the pool next.

The race started eight minutes and 28 seconds late. Why? On a day it's supposed to go over 100 degrees, why not? I guess to make it all more fun. I was number 136 which meant I was the 136th person in the water with the race officials sending us off once every five seconds. While I was wading in, a young guy came flying by running like a bear was after him and diving into the water. I guess he couldn't take it seeing the 67 written on the back of my left calf. They do that, you know, write your age on the back of your left calf in triathlons. This causes some young men a lot of angst. As soon as I took ten strokes in the swim, I was back in front of him. Not only that, but I was passing people three to five at a time during the one half mile swim. I ate it up, then exited the water and began the 100 or so yard run up the beach, across a field, and to the transition area. 

I put on my shoes and helmet, and headed out on my bicycle for the 18-mile cycle leg of the race. Remember all those people I passed in the swim? They passed my back on the bicycle, and it didn't take long. The sport of triathlon really does discriminate against swimmers. If you are a good runner, you can be average in the other two legs and still do pretty well. If you are a good cyclist, you can be average in the other two and do pretty well. If you are a good swimmer and only average at the other two, you will finish way in the back of the pack.

The bicycle course has one big hill. We ride south on Highway 35 until we turn off onto a county road and climb into the hills. When we made it to the foot of the hill, I hit the shift lever on the left side of my handle bars. That was to shift into my smallest chainring on the front. Nothing happened, so I hit it a few more times. There are two levers on that side, so I tried the other one. That shifted me into my large chainring on the front. The bicyle almost immediately stopped. I managed to get off before falling over. 

Off the bike, I worked the chain back to the middle chainring. But when I mounted the bike and tried to ride, I could not get the pedals to move far enough to clip in my right foot. So I had to walk the bike up the hill. While I did, the rest of the race contestants passed me. Lovely. I finally made it to the top and took off again. On top, we had about another mile to go before the turn around. On the way back, I saw that I was actually still ahead of a few people. A few. 

On the way back, I hit 28.2 going down the hill I had to walk up, and I didn't pedal a single stroke. Back on Highway 35, I began to push a little harder and was hitting 16 yo 17 miles per hour. I finally finished my bicycle leg just in time for it to get really hot. Praise God. At the transition area, I re-racked my bicyle, changed into my running shoes, and hit the hot road.

The road goes one mile before we cross Highway 35 and then enter a trail in the woods. On the way, we passed a house where three 60s something men had a sound system with the Rocky I music. Everytime a runner passed their porch, they qued up the Rocky music, clapped, and yelled. Not long past there is where I closed in on the big guy wearing the skirt. After passing him and crossing the highway, I entered the trail where the running got tough. 

Part of the trail on the Dragonfly Tri

When I finished the trail and was back to the highway, a woman contestant came up and asked if I has seen Big Dave. 

"Who?"

"You know, the big guy. He hasn't come in."

"The guy wearing the skirt." I told her I passed him before we got to the highway but never saw him on the trail. But the trail has a lolly pop section where it makes a loop and comes back to itself. If he was on the loop, I would have missed him. I thought, if that big dude falls out on the trail, it will take ten men to drag him out.

I was doing a lot of walking at this point. But when I drew near to the Rocky house, I thought, I cannot walk past that house. I started back shuffling, and as soon as I came in sight of the porch, the Rocky music came on loud, the men cheered wildly, and clapped like their favorite football team had just scored the go-ahead touchdown. There might have been some cold beer involved, but they really did give me a lift.

I crossed the finish line in a very slow 2:58:48. They gave me a finisher's medal, a bottle of cold water, and a wet towel. I took that stuff to the covered area where they had put out watermelon and pizza for us. I took a seat and drank that water like I had just been rescued from the Sahara.

 

I took a pic of Timmy Farrish from Louisville, 
but I did not get one of Big Dave.

I went back to the finish line just in time to see Big Dave finish. That's when I realized how badly I had undersetimated his size. He was at leas 6'7" or 6'8" and must have weighed close to 400. I was thinking his head weighed 45 pounds or more. And he was still wearing that skirt. Go figure.

When I got home, CC wanted to get close.

The Day Before

I had thought I'd get up early and hit the pool maybe even before daylight. It didn't happen. Not only that but when I did go in, I didn't do a whole lot. Even though the DragonFly is Saturday, I chose to swim because I have fallen off in the water of late. If I keep falling, I'm going to hurt myself. At the pool, I did a straight swim for 2,300 yards. That wasn't a bunch, but it was my third day of water work in a row. With Saturday's swim, I will have a good week at least swimming.

After the swim, I started getting things ready for Saturday. I put my bicycle in Plate City to save me a step or two in the morning. I packed a few clothes because you get really wet doing a tri. I also fixed up a food bag. Not really a food bag, but a protein shake, and apple, and some water. I put Gatorade in the frig, and my helmut and biking shoes in the truck. It wouldn't take me long to get ready in the morning.

Penny Mary and I went to Crystal for dinner. I had the blackened red fish, a baked potato, and a Greek salad. That is one of my favorite meals there. It's filling but not too heavy. If I want heavy, I go with the chicken liver, broiled. Big food and good. After that, we went home to rest. 

The Stink Eye

I tried to train a little bit Thursday. Maybe I can finish the tri Saturday if I put in a more work. After school, I went to the pool. See what I did there? I swam

  1,850 37:34

  300 for time 5:09 (1:43)

  300 back

  300 medium paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  total: 2,800 yards = 2,559 meters

Notice anything? That practice is very similar to the one I did Wednesday. I simply added a 50 to the first four sets. I have a tendency to do that, to do a practice and then repeat it with slight adjustments. My paces were better Thursday than Wednesday. Yes, I really was more fit. I respond quickly to swim training. I wish the rest of it worked that way.

Back home, I waited until a little after 6:00 to go to the City. It was still 100 out there. I sweated a bucket, but I did 7:00 minutes on the bike erg, and 1.09 on the treadmill. Besides that, I did my push workout. 

Now it's Friday morning, and CC is giving me the stink eye. She wants me to move this computer so she can climb up onto my lap and hold me hostage for at least an hour. Mary and I have decided not to spend the night over there. That means I will be driving up in the morning. That also means I have time for the pool today and some time for more gym work. No cycling or running, however. It's too close for that.

I'm in Trouble

Just like last week, it was Wednesday before I made it to the pool. Once I got there, however, I did some semi-serious swimming. I swam

  1,800 37:39

  250 for time 4:20 (1:44)

  250 back

  250 medium paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  total: 2,600 yards = 2,376 meters

That's not bad, but my lack of consistent swimming, like my lack of running mileage, is beginning to erode my fitness. 

Back home, I partook of one of my specialties: napping. It was 102 degrees outside with a heat index of 116. Thus, I was not in too big of a hurry to get out there, to the City. I needed to run. I needed to ride. I needed to lift. I had, however, neither time nor temperature for all of those needs. 

According to my phone, it was supposed to still be 100 degrees at 6:00. Not much of a cool down. I went out there a few minutes after 6:00 and did some bike ergging and treadmill running. No, I didn't get around to any weights. On the erg, I did three sets of 4:00 minutes each, and on the treadmill, I totalled 1.41 miles. That, my friend, is training for the Dragon Fly Triathlon to be held this Saturday. I know. I'm in trouble.

Tuesday

We are now in the second week of classes at MDCC. I'm still mispronouncing names, and still I have to look at the schedule on my door to know what's coming up. I was lying in bed this morning thinking, "Do I get to teach Comp II today?" I found the answer when I got here. Yes, today is Comp II day. The students are writing a paper on a short story, one that I wrote a few years back.

Yesterday was a tough one. I went to work in pain and left in pain. Not only that, but I didn't want coffee and drank none. I know you don't believe that, but it's true. My body didn't want it. Instead, I took my tumbler to class with ice and water, and I drank that all day.

After work, I went to bed. CC was worried about me. She just sat on my chest and stared at me. Anyway, I got to feeling better. Paul B was scheduled to come to Plate City at 5:45. He showed up and although I didn't feel like doing much, at least I wasn't hurting. We started slow. That always helps me get into it. After warming up with reverse hypers and the hip abductor/adductor machine and doing a warmup set of regular squats, we switched to the box squat.

By the time we got to the squats, I was feeling like working out. We did three sets of box squats before heading over the Plate City Extended for some machine squats. We did a couple of sets of those and then a set of toe raises. We finished our legs off with a set of step ups on some blocks that have been sitting there waiting on us for three years now.

So it was a good day after all. It started tough, but I get to feeling better and got some work in at Plate City. I need to do more, however. I am registered for the Dragon Fly Triathlon this Saturday. I have not ridden my bicycle since Bike, Blues[,] & Bayous. I have run very few miles. I think I'm going to be in for a tough day at the office. It will be real. It might be fun. I'm pretty sure it won't be real fun. 

8/14 - 8/20

It was another less-than-I-wanted-it-to-be week. But I was alive, working, working out, and happy. Praise God. And in case you are wondering why I did not post this yesterday, I couldn't make it happen. I slept until 7:00 a.m., went to work at 8:00, and had four straight classes. When I got home, I went to bed, still having some problems with that little issue that has plagued me for a few weeks now. At 5:30, the Barrentines, Paul and Beverly, picked us up and we went to Over 60s in Itta Bena where I out-ate Paul and Junior Barrentine. I beat them like they was red headed step children.

Monday I did not swim or run. I did, however, make it to the world famous Plate City Gym where I performed some push movements that included bench presses, overhead presses, chest flys, and seated dips.

Tuesday was pretty much the same: no swimming and no running. But once more, I went to Plate City and hung out with Pee Wee and did some pulling. 

I made it to the water Wednesday. I swam 2,000 yards. Then Paul B and I met at the City where we worked legs like we didn't need to walk the next day. We're bad like that.

Thursday was another bust. I was in pain and went to bed after work. I got well enough for Mary Hodge and me to meet Junior and Frances at Hilltop. We had a nice meal and some nice fellowship.

I did my first and only run of the week Friday, going 1.77 on the treadmill. Also, I swam 2,450 yards, and lifted some weights. Hey, that's not bad right there. I don't care who you are.

And you know what normally happens on Saturday. Paul B, Pee Wee, and me meet at the City for leg work and strongman training. We did the husafell stone and some frame deadlifts at Pee Wee Field. It was real. It was fun. But is wasn't real fun. It was too hot to be real fun. Later that afternoon, I lifted again doing upper back and rear deltoids. You can't neglect those rear deltoids. "Rear deltoids make a man," said a woman once. Or did I dream that?

For the week, I

  ran 1.77 miles

  swam 4,067 meters, and

  lifted weights six times

Will I ever get it back? Yes. I will get into the groove again and start hammering it like a mad man. Oh wait, I am a mad man. But that's what keeps me from going really crazy. Thank God for it.

Pee Wee Field and Strongman Street

Saturday was strongman day. Usually it is. Paul B showed up at 9:24 and we got after it. I didn't hit it too hard because I'm still a bit gun shy due to the tendon soreness. It's gone now, but I want it to stay gone. Remember, I did not squat Wednesday. I did squat some Saturday, just not a lot. I did one warmup set and half of the next set.

We set the frame up in Pee Wee Field. The frame is the attached farmer's handles. We did deadlifts off that. I like variety, and this gave us some. We went up to 242 pounds for one rep.

Then we pulled out the husafell stone. Huh? The real husafell stone is a big rock that resides near Husafell, Iceland. It weights 410 pounds and local custom is for strong men to pick up the stone and carry it around a sheep pen. If you can do that, you get your Man Card punched.

The sport of Strongman has taken up carrying stones, and equipment manufactures have taken to making husafell stones. Mine comes from Titan Fitness and is made of steel in the shape and approximate size of the actual husafell. It is hollow so you can add weight to it. The one at Plate City Extended weights 97 pounds empty. We dropped two 2.5 pounders into it to give us 103 pounds. We're bad like that.Then we carried it down Strongman Street. In case you are wondering, Strongman Street is the alley between Plate City and the back fence.

So we had some fun. We lifted on Pee Wee Field and carried on Strongman Street. And by doing that, I have had a firework show go off in my brain. Boy Howdy, the ideas I have now.

Since I missed some workouts earlier in the week, I still was due a pull session. After eating, resting, and waiting for it to cool off some, I went back to the City and did my second workout of the day. Life is good like that. Thank you, Jesus.

A Ray or Two

My epic lazy continues, but a ray or two of hope made its way through the darkness of inertia. I stayed in bed Friday until a little after 11:00 o'clock. But when I finally did get up, I went to the pool. There I swam

  1,650 33:29

  200 for time (3:22)

  200 back

  350 medium paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  total: 2,450 yards

That's not great, but that is a real practice. Of course I went back home and took a nap. Then I went to the cleaners and dropped off a bunch of clothes. Eventually I made my way to Plate City. I needed a run, even a short one. I had not run a step all week. After two glorious days of normal temperatures, the heat had returned, so I opted for the treadmill. There I could be shaded and have a big fan on me. Plus, I had a TV. I shuffled for 1.77 miles. There is an old saying that "A watched pot never boils." I'd like to add, "A watched monitor never changes." For me, running on a treadmill is hard miles. 

Mary Hodge was in the back watering stuff when I finished shuffling. I was doing some corator tuff stuff, and she suggested picking up something from a fast food joint after she finished out yard and watered her brother's yard. Boy howdy! I was about to go inside and get a shower. Her suggestion meant I had time to do some lifting, something else that had been rare this week. 

While I was out there, a high school game came on TV. It turned out to be a good one. I did my push workout. Pee Wee was out there with me. We had fun. I got in some thorough lifting while Pee Wee peed on stuff, got petted, and barked at squirrels. It was a good day with a ray. Or two of unlazy. See what I did there? 

Geezer Night

Thursday is Friday for us who teach at MDCC, and I woke up Thursday morning with enthusiasm for my first real Friday of the fall semester. The joy did not last long, however. I am carrying a kidney stone right now, and it was giving me some trouble. When I went into the class room for my 8:00 o'clock class, one of my students said, "You look like you need a nap." 

Lovely. 

I pulled the trash can over by podium and said, "If I start throwing up, I'm not sick. It's pain."

I didn't let a little pain stop me from drinking coffee. Plus the pain faded, and I was able to enjoy my last day of work for the week. I checked the weather numerous times throughout the day, and it was always nice. At 1:20, I left saying in my head, "The weekend begins now."

At home, I was not feeling too sporty, so I put on night, night clothes and climbed into bed. CC curled up on top of me, so I felt like a hostage. I thought about going to the pool, but that student was right. I needed a nap. Not only that, but the Barrentines-- not Paul and Beverly, but Junior and Francis-- wanted to meet us at Hilltop. Hot dog! So I just rested until time to dress and leave. That's right. I didn't swim. I didn't run. I didn't even lift. I just rested.

This is another sign of getting old, not just resting a lot, but eating out on Thursday night. Unofficially, this is Geezer night at resturaunts. The crowd is thin, the crowd is old, and the crowd doesn't like the builiding too cold. See what I did there?

Francis looked really good. She told Penny that she had gained 25 pounds. Junior was sweet as ever. I told him about his cousin, Paul B, and what a fierce fellow he was back in the day. He told me about some other Barrentines who were fierce. I guess it runs in the family. From what I can tell, however, Junior was never that way.

I ordered the sea food platter. So did Junior. Penny and Frances both got the pork chop. It was good, yeah. When we drove down the hill, the sun was setting, our food was settling, and we had the inner glow of some good fellowship with some good friends. Life is good. Thank you, Jesus.

Movie Night in Heaven

When I got off work, I went home, took a short nap, and hung out with CC. Since I started back to work, she has been clingy, needy. I like that. Then I went to the pool and swam

  1,500 31:36

  100 back

  2 X 25 no breath

  300 medium paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  total: 2,000 yards = 1,828 meters

Back home, I did some more resting then went to Plate City. Paul B showed up for his third workout of the day. Huh? I thought I was the only one who did that sort of thing. He got up early and ran and walked four miles. After work, he went to Twin Rivers for upper body weight lifting. At 5:30 he showed up at Plate City for lower body weight work. Good job, Paul. I was only doing my second workout of the day.

I did a truncated session because my petallar tendon-- although much better-- still had me fearing to push it too hard. We did a set of reverse hypers. That was the first time I had been on that machine in months. Or has it been a year? Why the delay? I forget about it. How can you forget about a big machine that is impossible to overlook. I'm just good like that. 

Then we did the hip adductor/abductor machine. Paul did squats; I did not squat. I was tempted to do some, but thought better of it. I also did a set of leg curls, but I left off the extensions. So I had a leg workout, just not the one I wanted. But I did what I could instead of taking the day off.

After that, Mary brought me supper and CC watched me eat it. Then we watched some YouTube videos shot in 1929. They were great and gave us (CC and me) a glimpse of the world as it no longer exists. It was interesting to say the least. These films were shot in the South Pacific and Africa. Those parts of the world were really wild in 1929. I wish I could go. Thank you, Jesus, for the hope of some really good videos. Can you imagine movie night in heaven? Be there or be square.

Boy Howdy

Monday was my first day of classes, and it was a good one, long but good. I have four classes and one of them is three hours plus. Add some office hours to that, and I am not out until 4:30. I know, poor baby, right? Well, if I had an 8:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday, I would be retired already. 

After work, I rested some and waited for the sun to get lower in the sky. That makes a difference even when the temps are still very high. Eventually, I went to the City and did my push workout. Since I have a sore patella tendon, I didn't attempt a run. Since it was late, I didn't attempt a swim. So I lifted which is better than a poke in the eye.

Tuesday was about the same. My tendon was still sore and I slept until I needed to get up to go to work. I had a regular day at school. By regular day, I mean I was off at 1:20. That's what I'm talking about. When I went home, I took a series of naps. Running was out of the question, and I should have gone to the pool. But I did not. I did, however, go to Plate City. Boy howdy did it feel good out there. The temperature was 85, the dew point was 62, and a light breeze blew across the gym giving it that October feeling. Yeah, I know. I've seen the forecast. It's not going to last, but we have one more day of it. Praise God.

8/7 - 8/12

My first week back at work was not overly successfull. Nevertheless, it wasn't a bust either. This week should/could be better because I will not be working everyday until 4:00. I will today, however, since my Film class meets on Monday. I have four classes on Monday and one of them meets for three hours. But I love that three-hour class.

Last Monday I shuffled 2.51 miles and lifted weights. Tuesday, I shuffled some more and did not lift. I don't remember why.

Wednesday I was in the gym and in the street with Paul B. We did lots of leg work then went to the street for farmer's carries.

It was not until Thursday that I made it to the pool. I swam 1,350 yards. I also made it to the street for some roadwork and went 4.52 miles for my longes run of the week.

Having to work Friday, I only did a little treadmill running (1.68 miles), and lifted at the City.

Paul B and I hit the street hard Saturday for some big carries and some long leg work. I even went to the pool and swam 1,800 yards and ran some too. The run was a slog, but I did it.

For the week, I

 

  swam 2,878 meters,

  lifted weights fout times,

  bike ergged 3:00 minutes, and

  ran 14.25 miles

At least the running was a little better. A little. My swimming fell off a cliff. The weights, I did the best I could. The bicycle, well there were those three minutes on the bike erg. 

Anyway, it was a week of life, a week with my wife, and a week with our animals. It was also another week at Centerville. Sheila showed up with her daughter Bridgett. It had been five or six year, or was it seven? since we saw Bridgett last. She moved to Houston, Texas and for us she was only a good memory we prayed for. Tony was back for the first time in a while. Although the crowd was still small, it was a nice day. Thank you, Jesus.

Street Work

It was a big day. It was a good day. It was Saturday. I slept in a little bit and hung out with CC. Mary Hodge made some good coffee. Paul B was scheduled to arrive at Plate City at 9:25. He was there on time, and I was still drinking coffee. We hit the street for some heavy work. We did farmer's carries and lots of them. It went something like this:

  1 X 140 + 0

  1 X 140 + 20

  1 X 140 + 40 (154)

  1 X 70 + 60

  1 X 50 + 80

  1 X 45  + 90

  1 X 25 + 100

The first number you see is the series is the number of repetitions. The number following the X is the distance we carried the handles. The + ____ is the added weight. The apparatus weighs 114 pounds empty. So the + 20 means we carried the handles 140 feet and they weighed 134 pounds. We finished with a short carry of 214 pounds.

After that, we left the street and went back to the City. There we did machine squats, six sets worth. After the squats, we did deadlifts. This time, we moved the barbell to the grass between Plate City and Plate City Extended. That was different and better. Before, we did them inside the squat rack. Although there is room there to perform the deadlift, I always felt constrained, crowded, and it impacted how I did the lift. Paul felt the same way. Thus, deadlifting on the grass was nice. We had room. After seven farmer's walks, six sets of squats, and three sets of deadlifts, we decided to finish we a single set of leg extensions and leg curls. That was enough.

After lunch and a nap, I went to the pool. This was only my second time in the water this week. I swam

  1,400

  3 X 50 fast @ WIFL

  1 X 50 back

  150 medium paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  total: 1,800 yards

Guess what I did next? You got it. The nap was good, and when I woke up I started planning a run. It was some kind of hot out there. I waited until 6:30 so I could have some shade and then went out for a 1.84 mile shuffle. That wasn't much, but remember the leg work that morning and the heat that afternoon. 

So what do you think about that? Three workouts on a very hot day. Some cat time, some study time, some gym work with a friend. Life is good. Thank you, Jesus.

The Intervention

I'm five for five in getting up this week. I slept in again Friday morning, and it sure felt good. By "slept in," in mean I didn't get up early and go to the pool. I got up when I had to get ready to go to work. Working on Friday is cruel and unusual punishment, but I have to do it at least twice a year.

So I went to work and I was on time. I'm always on time. And actually, I had some things to do. I finished publishing all my courses in Canvas. I contacted our Cengage representative and she walked me through how to put my electronic textbooks into Canvas. I took a co-worker to lunch at Crystal. He lives in Indianola and knows almost nothing about Greenwood. We had a good meal then did some house touring of the movie The Help. We even rode out to the church on Money Road.

After lunch, I came out of the bathroom into a common area and one of the ladies sitting out there asked, "Are you OK?"

"What do you mean?" was my response.

"Your breathing was so heavy."

I get that a lot although I am totally unaware of it. Mary Hodge tells me she can hear me from inside the house as I approach home when I am running. I asked two other ladies who were there, "Did you hear it?"

They both said, "Yes."

Then the one I used to call BK but now call MK because she just smashed a marathon at altitude asked, "When was the last time you went to the doctor?"

That started what was essentially an intervention. They hammered me with questions and suggestions. I kept saying, "You;re right. You're right. But doing it . . . ."

"Why don't you go?"

"It costs a lot of money and nothing good seems to come from it," was my answer to that question. I didn't mention that you have to wait an hour and a half past your appointment time before the doctor sees you. Neither did I say that I just have a positive attitude about my health. I have always believed that I am going to be all right. But this was beginning to sink in. It had the force of the voice of God. God speaks in a lot of ways. I felt like I was being spoken to.

"You need to go see Nause," they kept firing at me. His name had been coming up a lot lately. He was even one of the Pool Fools. I know him, and I think he's a good guy.

Two of the ladies aren't normally there. They were sent to Greenwood to finish their punishment week because Horton Building in Moorhead flooded. So I was surprised at their concern. Then I brought up the fact that most doctors won't accept new patients. MK said, "I'll call right now and see if he will take you," and she did. He will take me.

"When is the last time you had your prostrate checked?"

"Let me think. Like never."

Then she said, "I love you and I don't want you to die. Besides, think how angry your wife will be if you die. And think about your children and grandchildren."

"Okay. I'll do it. Really, I'll do it."

One of them even said, "I have the papers that you have to fill out as a new patient for Nause. I'll give you a copy."

Are you kidding me!

So I have the papers, and I have the plan that I am going to see Nause and get checked out. The intervention worked. My wife has tried for years, but she has pretty much given up on trying to make me do things I don't want to do. This happened at the right time, from the right people, in the right way. 

Training? I got home after 4:00 and went to Plate City. It was hot yeah. I did some treadmill running, a little pushing and a little pulling. Then I took a shower and Mary and I headed out. We went to Mai Little China because I was still full from Crystal at lunch. They have a buffet. Usually a buffet means eat all you can. This time it meant, I don't have to eat too much. The food was good, but our waitress was not. Maybe you can guess that I was thirsty after working out in the 113 degree heat index. I never got a refill. She was sitting in the corner looking at her phone. She never got a tip. 

Back in the Water

Finally, I got into the water Thursday afternoon. I could tell that my swim fitness had slipped some. But hey, whose fault is that? I just have not negotiated going back to work and training very well this time. It's not like I haven't been through this before. 

Speaking of before, before I get to the swimming, I had a good day at work. I like the new environment of our temporary campus. After being on main campus all day Wednesday, I enjoyed being in Greenwood Thursday. I even had some divine inspiration on some new techniques for teaching writing this upcoming semester. That has me excited, and that is another thing I like about my job. You get to start over every semester. You have new students and the opportunity to try new things. And hopefully, you learned something over the past semester that will help you this time around.

Back to the pool. I swam 1,125, and I stopped on the wrong wall to chat with Alaina who had just gotten in. That's why there is a -25 on the end of that number. She, like a lot of people, swims from the wrong end of the pool. She seems impervious to the fact that she could start a fire on Park Avenue by doing that. East is symbolic of life because the sun rises from that direction. That's why maps in the Ancient Near East oriented east while ours orient north. Ever notice how many fires we have, even in nature? And that is why the pyramids were on the west side of the Nile, the side of death.

Back to the pool again. I swam back to the correct end of the pool, put on a pair of small paddles and swam 2 X 25. Then I put on a pair of medium paddles and swam a single 50 and stopped. Huh? The fire that Alaina may have started somewhere in town, was not in my belly. I was thinking of running and how I have done so little of that lately.

I waited until 6:30 to head out the door. It's been a little hot lately. The dewpoint was 78, so I sweated like I was in a sauna even at that late hour. But I shuffled 4.52 miles. I was dreadfully slow and felt like stopping after five steps. The leg work Paul B and I did had me really feeling and looking like an old man. But I kept going until my left foot started hurting, and I walked a few tenths of a mile home. That 4.52 miles represents a long run for me right now. 

Plate City? It was too late. What do I mean "too late"? A few years back, someone in town contracted the West Nile Virus. He was in the hospital for weeks and one day my wife heard second hand that he was having a good day, that "he knows who he is." Dude, I don't want any part of that. When the mosquitoes come out, I go in. That's why it was too late. I don't want to give those little assasins a shot at me. I am looking forward to when it gets cool enough to where mosquitoes are not an issue. I like it out there at night. There is a huge oak tree in a neighbor's yard. Sometimes the moon will rise behind that tree, and it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Avoiding the Third Mistake

I haven't been in the water this week. Yeah, back to work, and I'm struggling to get back into that make-every-minute-count mode. I'm failing. Tuesday, I shuffled 3.7 miles which was about all my legs could do. Not only that, but I fell down pn the sidewalk on Grand Boulevard. Huh? I fell down, and I looked back to see what tripped me. I couldn't find anything. When I made it home, it was almost dark, I was tired, and the gym was out of the question.

Wednesday was another long day at work. I had to be in Moorhead at 7:30. When I made it home, Paul B was chomping at the bits to get back at them weights, so we started at 5:00. That was our first mistake. At 5:00, it is still too hot and the sun is too high. Five-thirty is not much better, but it is a little better and the sun doesn't hit us on the squat machine. We hit the legs really hard. We did a warmup set of light front squats then three sets of regular squats. After that, we did our drop set on the squat machine. This set wound up being 45 reps. Let me say that again: this set wound up being 45 reps. That was our second mistake. Forty-five reps had my legs cooked.

I already had the farmer's handle outside the fence when Paul got there. So we went to the street with the farmer's handles and the connectors on. My legs were wobbly from the start. When we got up to 144, my right knee buckled on one of the walks. It didn't hurt anything, but I took it as a warning. That's when I decied better sorry than safe, and we called the workout. If I had gone higher, I think the risk of injury was too high. So we avoided the third mistake which would have been to do a heavier farmer's carry on legs that were done from the start of the street workout.

Thus, the last two days I have only run once, lifted once, and fallen down once. Yeah, I see a problem with all of that. But today is a new day. Maybe I can make some things happen.

First Day Back

I started back to work yesterday. Classes start next week, but I got up, dressed, and drove to Moorhead. As far as first days go, it was alright. I was over there until about 2:00, then I drove back to our new place in Greenwood. It's nice to have a new environment. I have an office that doesn't leak when it rains (at least it is not leaking now), and I have a window. I've never had a window before. This makes me happy. Thus, I'm looking forward to the new year, the new semester at the new location.

When I got home, I went to sleep. Yeah, I was that tired. I thought about going for a run, but Forrest was supposed to come to the City, so I planned to just do it all out there. Much to my chagrin, Forrest got tied up and didn't make it. I, however, lifted weights pretty solidly, push. I also ran on the treadmill where I did 2.51 miles for what I hope is the beginning of my comeback on the road. I have some big plans for running, but I just haven't lately. For the past four months, I have probably averaged five miles per week. That won't work.

7/31 - 8/6

I used the bathroom at 5:30 a.m. and then went back to bed. But that's tomorrow's post. Right now, I am taking it easy before I get up and get ready to go to work. Last week was real. Last week was good. I'll let you decide if it was real good.

Monday I hit the little pool for 3,050 yards. In the late afternoon, Paul B and I did our only leg session of the week which included some yoke walks in the street.

I was back in the pool Tuesday morning for 2,600 meters in a straight swim. I lifted that afternoon and shuffled 2.31 miles on the treadmill.

Wednesday was a super practice in the little pool what went 4,200 yards and included some tough intervals. On the treadmill, I added another 1.19 miles and did more lifting at the City.

Straight swimming was back on the agenda for Thursday, but this time in the little pool. I went 4,000 yards then took the rest of the day off.

Friday I did a short, easy swim for 1,450 yards and a bit of lifted at Plate City. Saturday was Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous. I just read someone comment on Facebook that we (the cyclists) need an escort. This was in response to the rider being killed. We had a HUGE law enforcement presence from the start all the way to the end. It would have been impossible to be anywhere near that ride and not know something was going on, not to see highway patrol and sheriff vehicles with blue lights on not to mention the numerous SAG vehicles on the road. If you are a motorist, ask yourself one question: why do you hate cyclists? That's all I'm saying about that.

For the week, I

  cycled 61.2 miles,

  lifted weights four times,

  ran 3.5 miles, and

  swam 14,206 meters

The swimming numbers and the cycling numbers were pretty good. The lifting wasn't bad considering I needed that taper before the ride. So it was a pretty good week. Now, I have to start running! I can't explain what has happened there. The heat hasn't helped. Well, things change this week with me starting back to school. We'll see how it goes.

Bike, Blues[,] & Bayous 2023

I hit 20.1 miles per hour. That's fast for me. I thought, I'll be closer when the road straightens, and I can see farther up it. But when the road straightened, he was gone, clean out of sight.

"He" was my cousin, Shay Darby. "We" were in the 2023 Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous bicycle ride. The road was somewhere south of Schlater along Ashland Brake. We had some shade at this point, but already the air was heating, and it didn't take a socket rientist to know it was going to be a hot one. A really hot one.

I was overjoyed when Shay told me he was coming over for BBB. We were at the Heart O' Dixie Triathlon when he gave me the news. Shay, a strong cyclist, had never done this ride. 

He arrived about 6:30 Saturday morning on August 5. I gave him a quick tour of Plate City and then we were off on our bicycles to the starting area. We got there and found a good place in the 62-mile group. David Rutherford showed up and so did Forrest. We chatted some and then the air horn was sounded for us to start.

We started slow. We were both a little insecure about our fitness. I knew Shay could burn it up for twenty-seven or thirty miles, but he later confided in me that he had not ridden that far in nine years. I had not ridden that far since the 2022 BBB. Anyway, we were off the see the Wizard or something like that. We were off on an adventure, and for Shay he was going to get to see parts and places of the Delta that few people even know exist.

We made our way down Highway 49 and then we turned at Malouf Trailer Park, crossed the railroad track, and made our way down the old 49. When we started over the Yazoo River bridge, Shay dropped back so he could admire my weakness. My weakness is amazing for someone who runs, and cycles, and lifts, not to mention the fact that I own the best gym in town Leflore County Mississippi the South. When we got over that bridge, I thought, wow, one dragon down, at least one more to go. Someone who knows about stories once said that to tell a good one, you always have to slay the dragon twice. 

From there, we made our way to downtown Quito. Lucky for Shay, he had me to tell him when we were there. Otherwise he would have had no clue.

We cycled north on Highway 7 once we left Quito. Another five or six miles brought us into downtown Itta Bena and our first rest stop. They do a good job there, although I am not sure who "they" are. I used to porta-potty, drank pickle juice, and ate some Fig Newtons. That always makes you feel better, eating Fig Newtons.

When we left Itta Bena, we were riding north and headed for Schlater, another place Shay had never been. On the way, we passed some catfish ponds which smelled really awesome. Eventually, we T-eed into another road that runs along Ashland Brake and eventually to Schlater. The road makes a slow turn from west to north. As me made that turn, we started picking up some tailwind. Then Shay took off like his tail was on fire. This is where you came in, where this narrative started. 

Shay disappeared around the curve of the road. I hit 20.1 and was sure I would close the gap. But when the road straightened and I could see over a half mile, there was no trace of Shay. It wasn't too many more miles, however, before we were in Schlater and at our second rest stop. They had lots of pickle juice. Try it sometimes. It will make you forget that your butt is hurting.

Shay and me at the finish

I left Schlater riding with Rob Spiller. Shay caught us a few minutes later. This is pure Delta now, we were on county roads seeing nothing but soybeans, corn, and catfish ponds. I was excited to point out the road to Booger Den. Not many people even know there is one. When you get to Booger Den, you start to feel the pull of Minter City if you have ever done this ride before. We turned onto Highway 8 and were only a handful of miles from rest stop number three.

The United Methodist Church in Minter City did not disappoint. There is shade there. There are fans there. There are liquids there. There are people there. There is food there. They have a little building behind the church that they fill with food. It makes me tear up just to look at it.

This picture doen't do it justice. There is a lot
of food that's not in the pic. Minter City
is the best.

Shay and I left Minter City with the sun high and hurting. It was hot now. When we got onto Money Road, besides being hit with an immediate head wind, we started seeing people pulled over under a tree here and there trying to stay alive. Somewhere along the way, Shay took off again while I slogged on surpassing my longest ride of the year long before I got to Money. 

When I rode up and racked my bicycle, I found Shay sitting on a cotton bale under a canopy enjoying the shade no doubt. He took good care of me there. He poured cold water on my head and twice went and got me water to drink. 

We left there as a group of three. David Rutherford rejoinded us for the final push to Greenwood. It was really hot now, and I was really tired. But slowly we pushed on inexorably drawing closer to the finish. Once more, Shay took off, but not before saying, "I'll see you two miles from the finish." With that, David and I faced and slew the final dragon. I had been here before. This is the last battle, the final ten miles of Money Road before you hit Greenwood. With the sun hot overhead, and the wind in our face, we dropped a gear, then two, but eventually we rode over the Tallahatchie Bridge. Shay was waiting in the shade at the foot of the bridge and rode with me to the finish. I was glad when it was over.

Shay and me at the start.

What did I learn? I learned that everything is better with a buddy. If Shay had not been there, it would have been a much longer ride filled with more suffering. Forrest rode away at the start, but Shay stayed and sacrificed a fast ride for one with his cousin. For that, I am thankful.

A Really Easy Day

I went into full taper mode Friday. After sleeping in, I did go to the pool for some light swimming. I swam

  1,100

  4 X 25 no breath

  50 small paddles

  50 medium paddles

  50 large paddles

  50 extra-large paddles

  50 back

  total: 1,450 yards

When I did go to the City after my nap, it was only for some light lifting. I did some shoulders, reverse flys, and I put the connectors on my farmer's handles. 

Penny and I ate Chinese takeout at home. So it was a really easy day, and this is a really short post.

The Top of the List

All that name taking I was doing Monday through Wednesday came to an end Thursday. First, I did another sleep in. Yeah, I'm lazy like that. But when I did go to the pool, I took a couple of names. After Wednesday's 16 X 100, I thought a straight swim was just what my fitness needed, and I did that for 4,000 yards. Huh? Yeah, 4,000 without so much as a sip of coffee. I'm bad like that.

After lunch and a nap, I decided to take another nap. I thought about running. I thought about Plate City. I thought about the bike erg. The second nap won out. Besides, Mary and I had a meeting that night in Grenada. By the time I finished the second nap, it was time to get into the shower.

So we made our meeting, and then we stopped at Spencer's. I make it a rule to stop at Spencer's whenever I'm in Grenada. Buying ice-cream there is like going to a coffee shop. There are too many choices, so I simplify and always get a strawberry milk shake. I don't even look at the menue. I just order my shake with a smile while Mary Hodge reads, reads, reads, and ponders. Her choice. For me, ice-cream is about enjoyment, and trying to chose between 3,462 options is not enjoyable.

Thus my pool numbers are running well (was that a pun?). The others, however, not so much. I have short shuffled twice and number three will not be today. And if I finish Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous, I will set a year's record for the most bicycle miles in a week. So, it hasn't been too bad. Today? Napping. Napping is at the top of the list. I have a couple of errands to run, but they will have to be sandwiched by naps.

The Joys of Summer

Wednesday was another one of those sleep in mornings, which means I swam the little pool. There's nothing wrong with that other than the fact that I do it too much. The long course pool really is better for endurance. I swam

  1,700 34:38

  4 X 100 @ 2:00

  200 small paddles

  4 X 100 @ 2:00

  200 small paddles

  4 X 100 @ 2:00

  200 small paddles

  4 X 100 @ 2:00

  200 small paddles

  2 X 25 no breath

  50 back

  total: 4,200 yards = 3, 838 meters

Now you know that's a practice. That's 1,600 yards of head butting busting it up and down the pool. And that's 800 yards of swimming with paddles. And that's 50 yards of backstroke just to make sure I don't forget how. I was proud of that one.

I went home, ate lunch, and then did what I've been doing the last two weeks. I went to bed and watched YouTube videos. I checked the weather on my phone 42 times, like looking often will change things. 

It was still hot when I went out at 5:30. I mowed the front lawn, ran on the treadmill, and worked out at the City. Forrest was coming over but changed his mind, so it was just Pee Wee and me. I did some pulling and when I went inside, I couldn't get enough to drink. Yeah, the joys of summer.  Thank you, Jesus, for the hot weather. And thank you for the hope of cooler weather in the future. Amen.

I've Lived through Worse

Mother Nature had been turning up the heat lately, and so have I. Not really, but it was a nice line wasn't it? I did get up early and go to the pool, the big pool. I did a straight swim of 2,600 long course meters. I thought that would be a nice counter balance to the high intensity stuff I did Monday.

That's a good way to make the coffee really good. Back home, I enjoyed the rest of the morning while I drank the coffee pot empty. That is one of life's simple pleasures. 

Since it's been so hot lately and was so hot Tuesday, I stayed inside for most of the rest of the day. I ventured out around 6:00 p.m. to attempt the rest of my training. I jumped on and off the treadmill with the big fan pointed right at me. That made it liveable. Between bouts on the 'mill, I did bench presses, the overhead press machine, the fly machine, and seated dips. Yeah, I hit it pretty hard.

About the heat. I shake my head every time I hear about "record heat." It has been hot, but if any meteorologist or anyone else tells me we are going through record heat, I know they are either lying or ignorant. I lived through the summer of 1980. If you say anything today is hotter than then, then you weren't around. Here in Greenwood, we had strings of days when the coolest hight of the week was 103. One day it was 108. Life went on as usual. I went to work-- outdoors-- everyday, ran-- outdoors-- every day, and mowed my lawn once per week. And it wasn't just in Greenwood. The whole country was in a heat wave that saw the national news reporting the heat-related deaths on every newscast like they did with COVID a few years back. So shut up about global warming and about record heat. I have lived through worse, much worse. What we are going through is weather. Weather gives us extremes. It always has, and it always will until Jesus comes back.

So to sum up, I swam 2,600 meters, shuffled 2.31 miles on the 'mill, and shifted a bunch of weight around in some extreme heat. Imagine how much fun I am at a party. 

Stay Tuned

Another week has started, the ultimate one before I start back to work. Thus it needs to be a good one with big numbers and strong workouts. Well, I did that in the pool Monday morning. I slept in and went to the little pool around 11:00. I swam

  1,400 28:38

  4 X 300 rest 1:00

    1 - 5:02

    2 - 4:54

    3 - 5:01

    4 - 5:03

  1 X 50 rest 1:00

  250 small paddles

  4 X 25 no breath

  50 back

  total: 3,050 yards = 2,787 meters

That was a strong practice. The $ X 300 aqnd the 1 X 50 were all one set with a one minute rest between each rep. Do you remember last week? I did a 3 X 300, and all of them were slower than my slowest of these. My best that day was 5:06. What does that mean? It means what I have intuitively felt in my body: that repeat 300s are a good distance to swim fast for maximun fitness gains. This is what some people like to call "Bro science." Gym culture is especially influenced by Bro science. Don't ever discount it, however. Real science, in the athletic world at least, comes from Bro science. Scientist test whether or not the Bros are correct. I don't know of a single incidence where they have been wrong.

I did not run. Somehow I just got lazy and spent the rest of the afternoon in bed taking it easy. Paul B came over after 5:30 for legs, however, and we got after it. Legs on Monday? Yeah. Saturday is Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous, and I need for my legs to be recovered by then and fresh. We did squats, we added that drop set on the squat machine, and then we went out on the street.

On the street we did yoke walks. We didn't push it too hard, but got up to 140 pounds for 100 feet. It was real. It was fun. But it wasn't real fun.

To make a short story long, we got a solid workout and did some more street variety. Over the past few weeks, we have done farmer's walks, barbell carries, wheelbarrow pushes, and now yoke walks. What else is coming up? 

Stay tuned.