Chicot Training

A light wind gently ruffled the water's surface on the north side of my latest pond when I drove up on Tackett Fish Farms Monday afternoon. The sun was high in the sky and so were my spirits. Since I have an evening class on the first day of the working week, I needed to get there early to have time for the approximately two and a half hours of swimming I hoped to achieve. I did. Eating lunch at work gave me a head start, and leaving town as soon as I could gather my equipment brought me to waters edge at about 1:00 pm. Perfect. 

Monday's watch and tape

After taping up and donning wet suit, I waded in and started swimming. The water felt good, just cool enough to be refreshing. Typical of this time of year, the temperatures varied from end to end, side to side, and sometimes from foot to foot. The suit gave me just enough warmth that allowed me to stay comfortable and in the water as long as I wanted despite the cold spots. I did six laps without stopping which gave me 4.82 miles in 2:21:58 at a 29:25 per mile pace. That is a little quicker than I usually swim, suit aided no doubt. I even had time to take a 2.06 mile shuffle after getting out, so it was a pretty productive afternoon.

Tuesday I went back with the idea of cutting the swim distance a little while adding some to the run. My legs were still pretty washed out from the Viking Half Saturday, but boy was it worth it. I had a blast as did my son, daughter, her friend, Amanda, and my wife who volunteered. I first waded out to my thermometer skins only, but it didn't feel good and I thought, "I'm not training for a cold water swim." So I went back to the truck and suited up again. This time I swan 2.49 miles and shuffled 2.56.

Wednesday, John and I were planning on lifting weights at Plate City Gym, but he cancelled so I beat a path to the pond. The weather was still nice and the water one degree cooler than the day before. The wind was blowing pretty hard across the width of the pond which usually caused the temps to drop. I suited up, swam 2.37, and ran 2.64 plus some walking.

Before leaving town, I took car of a few errands. First, I went by H & H Printing to pick up some receipts and order forms he fixed up for me gratis. I didn't ask anything from him, but Mr. Hill gave me the products, I assume because it is for a charity fundraiser. Thank you very much, sir. Then I left H & H and went by Barry Brewer's to check on the T-shirts. He was just starting the front and that afternoon we finalized some items on the back. Thus far, the Greenwood Legal Professionals is the only sponsor who has written a check, not payable to me, mind you, but to Barry Brewer. I can cover the first run of shirts, but I need another sponsor. I have a few in the bush, but none in the hand.

With the training ramping up, the T-shirt finalized and being printed, and a speaking engagement on the calendar, I am beginning to get a little excited. One thing that has me down, however, is the crew. Right now, it looks like there are going to be substantive changes in this year's support staff. I'll just have to deal with it.

Long Suit, Short Skins

Monday afternoon the sun came out for the second time this year, and I went to the new pond with the hopes of swimming two hours and possibly doing some shuffling. At first the water felt pretty cool. I wore no socks, only one cap, and nothing under my wet suit. That made a difference, but before the swim was over, I was getting into the coolness of the pond. 

The new pond

Unlike Friday, the pond was quite varied in terms of temperature. It had a cool end and a warm end and one side was very streaky, warm/cold/warm/cold. I haven't figured that one out yet. I have experienced streaky before, but that was when up-welling was occurring on the upwind side. This time the streaky was on the downwind side of the pond. I got nothing.

It was a nice swim. I went for two hours and ten minutes covering 4.27 miles, my longest swim of the year. When I climbed out, I wanted to pull my wet suit off and jump back in and swim a little just for acclimation purposes. I checked the time, however, and discovered I needed to leave promptly because I have a night class on Mondays. I drove home, took a quick bath, and beat it to work.

At work we stayed late due to the number of nights missed this semester because of weather. After work I took a three mile shuffle in the dark and then called it a day.

Tuesday I determined to go back to the farm and swim skins. Wisdom told me to take it easy due to some physical issues I've experienced lately, and I knew that without a wet suit, I would not likely swim too long. I was right about that. Once there, I changed into my jammer, and waded out into the pond. Dude, it was cold. I checked the thermometer and the water was 62, two degrees colder than yesterday. Darn it!! 

The wind had switched to the south since yesterday when it was out of the north, so I walked over to the north end of the pond to see if it was warmer over there. Usually the pond warms on the downwind side. But if the wind blows very hard across the pond instead of up and down it, it can actually cool. Bingo! The water was 67 on that end. This pond is only 100 yards wide, but the temp varied five degrees in those short 100 yards. I can do 67.

How is this for the ZHI, Shawn?

So I swam short just like I planned, and of course I stayed on the downwind side the whole time. I just swam to the other end and back and the Garmin recorded .73. I love this pond. I then went for a 2.5 miles shuffle and did some walking. While out on foot, I found this pond (left) which was perfuming the air. The fragrance was like that of sweet petunias. 

That small brown water in the background
is the Quiver River where the bull sharks
 roam looking for an entrance
 into the ponds.

But I also saw some really pretty stuff. Flocks of ducks rose off the ponds while I shuffled by, their colors and beauty impressing even my near-sighted eyes. Many of the levees are situated on the banks of the Quiver River thus adding a wildness and a danger unknown on other parts of the farm. To the right is a pic of the drain pipe from one pond that empties into a ditch that runs into the river. Bull sharks run up the river from the Gulf of Mexico, and during times of high water jump the levees and ravage the fish. That's what my friend, Poot, told me. So I am always nervous when I swim a new pond, and I always scream when I hit something hard in the water. At my old new pond, I was hitting stuff on every lap. Turtles, only turtles. I think. But the image and fear I get when I hit something where there is supposed to be nothing is that of an alligator or a bull shark. 

Failed, Failed, and Gave Up

I attempted my first open water swim of the year this past Tuesday. I took all my cold water play toys and went to the pond knowing the temperature, both ambient and water, were as high as they were likely to be for awhile. It was a colossal failure. Or more accurately, I managed to stay in the water for a whopping 304 feet. No, that is not a typo: 304 feet, according to my Garmin who may have tried to flatter me.

The water was a warm 56 degrees, warm for a real cold water swimmer. I have never qualified in my own mind as a real cold water swimmer. In my defense, this was my first cold water exposure since late last winter and spring. Not only that, but I have spent some time in the Endless Fool where the water has been as high as 110 degrees. No, that is not a typo either. However you slice it, I just couldn't take it. Despite a wetsuit and a copious amount of duct tape on my face, the cold was more than I could endure. It made my bones hurt.

The good news is I got to swim at DSU that night after hugging my daughter and granddaughter. I did

1,100
4 X 500 1st small paddles, 3rd medium paddles
7 X 100 as 50 kick (with fins) and 50 swim
750 small paddles
16 X 100 @ 2:00 holding 1:30 and slowing to 1:35 at the end
4 X 50 @ 1:00 holding :45
Total: 6,350 yards.

Wednesday I went back to the farm. The temps were a little higher than predicted and I have now more time than in the past, so I headed for the pond. I failed once more. Royally.

The weather has been pretty nice for the last week, about as good as it is likely to be for some time with another cold front on the way. I remember when Southern winters were a thing of delight, mild and warm with only an occasional cold front to make things interesting. People were always fussing about how hot it was, but you never heard me complain. This, however, is the fifth year in a row where warm is the occasional and cold is the norm.

So I went to the pond Wednesday afternoon. With no night class, I am eager to use my new found freedom to advance my training for the Chicot Challenge. I can't currently run so that leaves swimming, weight lifting, and biking. I'm just not in the mood for biking. So back to the pond.

Tuesday when the water was 56, I bombed out after 304 feet. With the warm days and one exposure under my belt, I figured I just might pull it off. I tapped out after only 120 feet. The water was 52 at my first check, but before I left it measured 50. WHAT?!?!?!?

I think I wrote about this once in the past, the unexpected phenomena of the pond cooling when it logically should warm or at least hold its on. It has to do with upwelling and which way the wind blows. When the wind is out of the north, the ponds, or the one I am swimming now, cools rather than warms. It's not that the wind is cold, it's the way it turns the water over and pushes up cold water from the bottom with insufficient time to warm the surface water.

Maybe I should relax. All I need in January is two swims per week anyway. February I plan to go to three, making an extra trip to DSU on Fridays. By March I should be able to start sneaking in a fourth swim in the pond. Usually March offers me at least some short swims in my wetsuit. The main thing now is to work on strength, swim longer at DSU, and stay healthy. By April the ponds are warming enough to stay in for longer swims and last year Twin Rivers was pumped up by then.   

Weak Week

You who read this blog know that all I write about is my training. I NEVER touch politics and don't respond to anyone else's political posts. Not that I mind political posts of whatever persuasion. I just make it my personal policy to remain nonpolitical on the Internet. I have my reasons.

Lately, however, I have done something different: I have posted some stories. If you like that, good, if not, fine. Still, I will primarily write about training, but occasionally you can look forward (or not) to a narrative, some true, some not so much. I'll leave it to you to decide what is fiction and what is creative non-fiction. Soon I will introduce you to a brand new genre, one that I created myself and have authored all the pieces that make up its canon.

My last post introduced you to my good friend, Poot. I plan on letting you know more about my little buddy. We have a long and interesting history. He revisits me from time to time. I suppose he is the reason for the selections I made Saturday when my wife and I eagerly attended the Greenwood Leflore Public Library's Book Sale. Held in the old library building, the one I visited as a kid, I found myself strangely attracted to the kinds of books I read as a boy of  twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen years of age. I bought a whole box load of them and am almost finished with Wild Bill Hickok. I not only bought books like the ones I read as a boy, I actually found one I did read in my youth: Kit Carson, Boy Trapper. Just looking at that book makes my heart do something funny.

They say when you get old, you relive your childhood. It must be true because that pretty much sums up my reading habits of late, my thoughts, my dreams, my hobbies, and now my writing even. I'm reliving a childhood that was, I am beginning to realize, a lot more free than we realized at the time. My generation likes to look back and talk about how strict our parents were. Truth be told, I had liberties my two kids never had. All the people I grew up with in Greenwood, Mississippi will tell you in a heartbeat that they would never allow their kids or grand kids to do many of the things we did. Just one example: I can remember about an acre of my classmates and myself walking home from the Little Red Schoolhouse when we were in the first grade. Not only did my children not want to walk, their mother and I would NEVER have allowed it in the first, second, third, or fourth grades. We were just too protective, too worried something might happen to them. Apparently, so were all the other parents. Things have changed a bit.

So much for that.

Swimming wise, last week was not a good one. Already I have forgotten why I didn't swim Monday, but I got in a short run of 3.15 miles. That was all. Tuesday I took a little 4.25 mile run before making my way to DSU. Since I was late getting into the pool, I only did 1,000 meters of warmup. The practice was pretty easy, and after the main set, for some reason, Cagri talked to us a long time while we got cold on the wall. When he left, I had gotten cold and just didn't feel like swimming, so I did a short 200 and got out. The day's total was only 3,300 meters.

Wednesday I went to Twin Rivers. The water, which was a perfect 69 degrees last Friday, had cooled to 65. For the uninitiated, that might not sound like much of a drop. I can swim all day at 68. Literally. At 67 I can last around an hour to an hour and a half before I start going hypothermic. Every degree makes a huge difference. To me at least. I got 1,700 straight and then walked to work and carried my running clothes with me. After night class, (we watched Cool Hand Luke), I changed clothes and ran 3.13 miles home. It's not that far to the house, but I ran that far home. I slept well.

Thursday I took my longest and best run of the week, doing 6.63 miles with some multi-pacing. I then decided to stay in town and go for my second 10K of the year in the Twin Rivers pool. Not driving to DSU saves me two hours behind the wheel, thus giving me plenty of time. I took my wetsuit although I started the swim without it. I did 2 X 500 before I had a stick between my toes. When I first started swimming in cool water, I once stopped two times during a swim because it felt like I had a stick between the fourth and fifth toe of my left foot. The second time I stopped, I actually climbed out of a catfish pond to look at my foot. No stick. I now know that my first symptom of my body losing too much heat is the stick between the toes. I can keep swimming after that, but the irreversible process of me getting too cold is well under way when I feel like I need to stop and remove the stick.

I put on my wetsuit and started back. The stick was gone, but I was still cool and my right pec started hurting. It has given me some trouble lately. Instead of attempting to push through, I tapped out at only 1,900 meters. I decided then to take the rest of the week off from swimming. I hate to do so little, but I can still recover from a light week and be ready mid-June for my long swim. I can't get injured and take a full two or more weeks off and come back from that.

Friday and Saturday I only did a little running and no weightlifting. I'm letting the pec rest. For the week, I

swam 6,900 meters
ran 22.35, and
walked 3.9 miles.

The Pond of Perpetual Pumpitude

I was just checking the blog and realized that I haven't updated since Thursday the 13th. Something like that. Anyway I need to finish that week and record what I've been doing this one. Friday the 14th I took a little run and did another one that Saturday. We went to Hillbilly Heaven, and I got out of the truck on the highway a mile or so from the gravel road. I shuffled in a pathetic 14:00 minutes per mile. There was a time when I would have been suicidal at a 14:00 pace, but I've been off a couple of months, gained a lot of weight, and continued to age in the meantime. That is the biggest difference in getting older: if injury strikes, I fall farther and I fall faster than I did when I was younger, and a comeback takes longer and more work. At least I'm still out there shuffling along.

For that week (2/10-2/16), I
swam 4,844.2 meters,
ran 9.73 miles,
lifted weights three times, and
walked 12.19 miles.

This week has been kind of nice. Finally, we received some warm weather and just in time. Masters practice was cancelled for the whole week due to a swim meet at DSU. We are at that time of year when I have to start building some swim endurance if I am going to pull off another Chicot Challenge. With the warm weather, I had the courage to go to the pond. I have always been a little too delicate of mind and resolve to swim when both water and air are cold. I can handle one at a time but not both. So Monday I did a little 1.79 mile run and Tuesday I was off to the fish farm.

Surprisingly, when I got there I found they were still pumping that pond Randy and I started swimming last June. They've been pumping it nonstop. In the summer, that was nice because it cooled the water off. In the winter, it is nice because it warms the water up. I ran for 3.5 miles to warm my body up and then checked my thermometer which read 56 degrees. I put on everything I owned: full wetsuit, hood, gloves, booties, and even extra duct tape on my face. Remember, I came out one day in January and swam about 100 meters before tapping out. I was determined not to tap out today. I didn't. It was a little tough starting out, but I was pretty comfortable for a while. I swam 1.46 miles, my first open water swim of 2014.


Selfie on the shore of the pond of perpetual pumpitude

Wednesday was wild, but I got in a 4.04 mile run before my night class. The mid-week day is normally my favorite one of the week because I teach Film as Literature that evening. However, the class has been sitting on their brains, and it has distressed me to the extent that after our last meeting I never was able to sleep that night. Finally, they starting talking to me a bit Wednesday, and I was tremendously relieved, overjoyed even. One student  brought me candy, Snickers and Reese's, and that always helps my mood. We watched The Journey of August King, a quest movie that has the most fully developed Christ-figure I have ever seen in a film or piece of literature. That's why this one makes my list. I know they missed a lot, but I hit the pause button a dozen or more times and pointed things out.

Thursday I was back at the pond. This time I used a little less tape, entered the water with a little less trepidation, and was comfortable for the entire swim. According to my reading, the water had warmed to 62 degrees, and I even began to enjoy the cool liquid of life flowing over my lips and face cooling my body. Nice. This time I ran after the swim and did 4.5 miles, my longest run since the injury.

It is now Friday morning and as I type this, my wife's little baby, Jeff, and my little baby, Luvie, are both in bed with me. I am very comfortable; nevertheless, I'm planning today another trip to the pond of perpetual pumpitude where my gps watch said I swam 2.92 miles yesterday. I hope to do a full 5K today.

Catching Up

I am way behind on posting my workouts. One of the reasons is I left my computer at work the day before we got our snow days, so I missed a good opportunity to catch up. My last workout recorded on this blog ends with the week of 1/20-1/26. So in this post, I hope to come up to date.

For the week of 1/27-2-2, I swam 8,545.9 meters, lifted weights four times, and walked 3.32 miles. Note that I am starting to rehab the leg.

Due to weather, and a death in the family, I did no swimming for the week of 2/3-2/9. I did, however, lift weights three times, walk 6.2 miles, and run .75 miles. Note, I ran for the first time since December 17th when I messed myself up pretty bad. That was not one run but two. This shuffling was very slow, very shrot, and on a treadmill, which I feel helps me with the shock absorption. I'll stay it for several more weeks, I think. I am doing a lot of lower body work to rehab the injured leg and to make both lower limbs stronger than they were before.

This week, I lifted weights Monday, and walked 1.48 and ran .5 on the hamster runner. Tuesday, Masters didn't meet because DSU was closed so I worked the leg some more and did 1.98 of walking and 1.0 of shuffling. Wednesday was more treadmill work with 1.85 of walking and 1.3 of shuffling. Thursday I did a major leg session that included nine sets of squats and a whole bunch of extensions. Not only that, but I walked 1.4 miles and ran 1.5. My confidence is slowly coming back, and I am trying very hard to be patient. The new people I met at the pool are big runners and are posting constantly on Facebook about their races. I'm missing a lot, and the temptation to put it into high gear is almost overbearing. But restraint is a virtue right now, and if I am to enjoy running in the future, I must rehab the leg properly and increase my total lower body strength.

Thursday at DSU, my first time in the water in a week and a half, I swam

1,800 warm up (most of the guys do 500)
2 X 4 X 100 @ 3:00 as 25 fast and add 25 each rep 1-4
400 medium paddles breathing 3, 5, 5, 3 per 25
300 medium paddles breathing 3, 5
200 medium paddles breathing 3, 5
100 easy (end of Masters)
8 X 200 small paddles r :30
100 easy
Total: 5,300 yards = 4,844.2 meters.

I am way behind on training for the Chicot Challenge. I'm overweight and, due to not being able to run, not even in basic condition. To make matters worse, there is no Masters next week due to a college swim meet. !!! I am starting to get real antsy. The weather is supposed to warm so maybe I can make it to the pond and do some steady stroking there.

I have set the date for the 2014 Chicot Challenge for June 14th and the distance at 17 miles. The charity is again the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.

Anna Vanwinkle Week

I hate to apologize again, but life has been that way. Besides busy, I've trained little. I hope that is about to change. I'm off the crutches, out of the boot, and even walking on the road a little. Soon I will begin to shuffle.

Anna Vanwinkle week was a big success. To celebrate, I went to the pond Monday since we were off work and I had time, motive, and opportunity. With all my gear, I thought I would stay in the water for at least an hour or more. I had my wetsuit, hood, boots, and gloves and fully decked out I crawled into the 54 degree water. For some swimmers (Shawn C. Turner and others) that's summertime swimming. For me, however, that's cold.

I couldn't take it.

Whaat!?!?!

I couldn't take it.

My body was comfortable but the pain on my face was more than I wanted to bear at the time. I know, I know- if I had stayed in a while, my face would have numbed out and all would have been OK. But I didn't stay in long enough. I started and stopped saying, "Dang that's cold." Then I started again and stopped again. I started and stopped a third time and then climbed out and walked dejectedly back to my truck. I felt like a failure. Last year I swam in 50 degree water with only a jammer and a cap, but that was last year and now my nemesis, Randy Beets, is not even in the great State of Mississippi anymore. I have to do this stuff all alone. Alone I am a sissy.

Poor me.

Anyway, Tuesday night I was in the pool at DSU where I met a new guy, Felix Shipp from Grenada. It's nice to see new folks and our Masters group needs some. I'll spare the details, but I swam 5,600 yards, my longest of the year thus far.

Wednesday it was weights and Thursday it was back to DSU where I did 3,400. Felix was back and he brought a friend, the very lovely Stacey Hardy also from Grenada. I noticed from  Facebook that she and Felix are big runners. Friday I lifted more weights and Saturday I not only lifted weights but I walked .35 on the road. The comeback has begun. I even went out for a walk Sunday and went .51 miles.

For the week of 1/20-1/26, I
swam 8,326 meters
walked 1.1 miles
spent 10:00 minutes on the bike trainer, and
lifted weights four times.

My mother-in-law died Saturday, Feb 1. I will write about her in a separate post. She was a good and noble woman.

That's How I See It

I spoke too soon. About the perpetual beating of Beets' hinder parts. With the pool being open all winter, I thought my swimming fitness would soar over the top. What I had forgotten is that though I have a more convenient access to the water, I'm still a cold water sissy and can't stay in long enough now to get a real workout.

Tuesday I ran 3.1 miles and went to Twin Rivers. The water was 66 degrees, and I only lasted 1,600 meter before I couldn't take it anymore. Wednesday I didn't do anything physical. My knee was sore, I was tired, and I had a night class. Besides that, my cool water partner, Big John Misterfeld, canceled on me. So I got to thinking about Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, our selection for the evening, and I would up re-watching the movie not once but twice. That's right, I watched the film two times that afternoon, went to class and we watched there, then I went home and re-watched the ending. That's three full viewings and one partial for the day.

I got it!

Finally, I got it!

I have long been fascinated by this piece of cinema, and it is the only one I am showing this semester that I don't hold the analytical key to. But on my drive home from class Wednesday night, a light bulb went off in my head.

It's a love story.

If you have ever watched this movie, you no doubt think I am seriously misguided, but I'm not. It's a love story. George and Martha fight like enraged MMA combatants. They fight verbally. They fight physically. They fight drunkenly. She flirts with another man, belittles George (skillfully, brutally, constantly), and even commits adultery on him all in one inebriated night. He dishes out to her in return. In one scene, he pulls a rifle on her; in another he begins to strangle her and has to be physically restrained by another man. They fight in a parking lot. She almost runs him over with a car.

It's a love story. That's all I'm going to say about that for now. If you want to know more, you will have to meet me for coffee, and we can discuss it.

Thursday, Big John and I met up at the pool. This was the first time he had been in the water in about a week, and the temps had fallen a lot. I thought, he's not going to be able to handle this. The water was 65. I had to get out after only 1,600. He got out because I did. Geez, anybody can beat me at this. I guess I really am a cold water sissy.

We were back Friday. The air was 56, the water 64. I wore a rash guard and a pair of socks, but I only managed 2,000 before I crawled out because I was losing my right leg. Really, it was going away on me. Oddly, my hands were still good. Last year, it was always the hands that went away. But the water is still 60-something. It seems that at 60 and below, the water is a different animal. It is. My body reacts differently. I'm also beginning to think that a pool is more difficult to swim cold that open water. The reason being that the walls cause a cessation (however momentarily) of stroking, hence heat production, and the push off the wall blasts one with a tremendous flow of water over the body. Moving water takes heat away very efficiently. Think of your car engine. If the water quits circulating from the radiator through the engine block, what happens? But flowing water pulls heat out of the engine so that you can drive and drive and drive. When you flip and come off the wall, you are going as fast as you ever will in water under your own power. Heat goes away.

Those are my thoughts on it. I am still very inexperienced at this stuff so my views may change, but that's how I see Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and cold water swimming, pool vs open water. I'll be getting back in the water next week. I will also be discussing the movie with my class. Can't wait.

Outlaw Swim

This is as long as I have ever been without a blog update. To all two of my readers, I offer my sincere apologies. My last post related my Monday morning run. That Tuesday I swam 4,000 yards at DSU and ran an additional 8.13 miles. Wednesday I drove across the Tallahatchie bridge and parked on Wade Road and ran 3.24 miles all on turn rows. These are nice and soft and easy on the legs. Thursday I ran an additional 6.17 miles and at DSU swan 4,700 yards. Friday I went back the DSU and swam

2,000
250 back kick/swim with fins
2,050
250 back kick/swim with fins
2,000
Total: 6,550 yards.

Saturday, we, my mom, dad, and I, left for Natchez State Park to meet my sister, brother and his family for our annual spring break-family-get-together. Because of limited vacation time, my wife stayed home, and due to my mom's poor health, I drove her SUV with her on a mattress in the back. I worried a lot about the impact this trip might have on her, but whe was determined to go and made the trip without apparent undue stress. It was cold and late when we got there so I didn't run or swim.

The scene of my crime.

Sunday, however, I was determined to get in a swim. I don't know how it is in other states, but in Mississippi you cannot swim in a state park lake. They have little areas roped off for "swimming," but real swimming, going into the open water, is not allowed. Ever. Screw them.

I had to be sneaky because two years ago I got dragged out of a lake, marched, almost naked, like a little boy being led to the princpal's office before an onlooking crowd of fishermen to the park ranger's truck, and driven to my cabin. So this time I stayed in the backwater area of the lake far away from the manager's residence and far, farther away from the park rangers' station. Having forgotten to bring my thermometer, I can only estimate the water temp, but my guess is it was 58 to 60. Still, even with my wetsuit, I only managed 1.26 miles before my hands sort of stopped working. Sigh. One thing I really got a kick out of was swimming up on my brother, dad, and two nephews who were fishing from a boat. I was yards from them before they saw me. I told them where to fish because one area I swam through was really warm. They never took my advice or caught any fish.

For the week, I
swam 15,965.84 meters
ran 23.06 miles and
walked a mere 1.5 miles.

For the year, I am at
122,257.84 miles swimming and
218.63 miles running.

Compared to last year, I am
+25,874.34 meters swimming and
+143.19 running. Yee haa!

Randy Skin; Me Suit

If Randy had not been there, I would have packed my truck and driven away just like last time. But when long Randy Beets waded his long, bare legs into the fifty-two degree water wearing only a jammer, cap, and goggles, I had to follow. I was decked out in a wet suit. The pain my hands experience in water that cold is almost more than I can bear. OK, I am a sissy, but I just don't like it.

Randy started and I followed. We made the first turn and then my hands started numbing out. Going down the first long side, I passed Randy and put some distance between us. I made it all the way back to the truck and had maybe 100 meters on Randy so I turned back and swan to him, then fell in behind him when he passed. When I saw he was going to get out at the truck, I had only seconds to decide if I was going on for a second lap alone or if I was going to give in and get out also. 

We drive autos over that.

I got out.

What can I say. At least I am way ahead of last year. We both changed clothes and then took a walk to warm up. We didn't run because Randy is nursing a sore foot, the result of doing the full Mississippi Marathon instead of the half. Anyway, we walked a mile and then got on our mountain bikes for a little ride. We went around PD Lake, pedalled up to the PD International Airport, and then back across the Golden PD Bridge where I got stuck and Randy had to use his six foot six inch frame to extracate my bicycle. After getting off the bridge, we rode back to the pond and called it a day.

For the week, I

Ran 22.64
Walked 4.0
Lifted weights one time and
Swam 15,389.84 meters.

For the year, I am at 175.06 miles running and 91,896.5 meters swimming.

Compared to last year, I am +111.06 running and +17,037.1 meters swimming.

With February winding down and March on the near horizon, I have been doing a lot of planning for the Chicot Challenge. Today I made up a flyer that I will use to post, e-mail, snail-mail, and hand out to students and whomsoever. Already, I can feel a little excitement starting to build. But I need distance, more meters and more frequency. Still the excitement builds. Yeehaa.

Pretty in Pink

Monday I did a short trainer ride (22 minutes), a short run (2.15 miles), and a long upper body weight session. While doing some pull ups, I felt a little pain in my rear left shoulder. I stopped all pull ups and modified the rest of the workout. An injury would be disaster. I have put myself on the line by publicizing my charity swim to the extent that I have. In order to raise funds, however, you have to publicize. The down side of that is I would feel really rotten and embarrassed if I couldn't pull it off. Tuesday morning the shoulder felt OK, but I am still a little on edge about it.

Tuesday I went to the pond, threw my thermometer in the water, and took off on a run around the multitude of levees. I really love running out there. The levees are soft, the air is clean, and the waterfowl population during the winter is amazing. I ran 4.06 miles and then pulled the thermometer out. It read 49 degrees. Doo WHAAAT!?!?!? I hate to admit it, but I totally wimped. I packed my stuff and left. The inner fire just wasn't there. I guess I'm still a cold-water-sissy.

I drove to my daughter's and got to hang out with my grandchildren a little while then went to masters where I swam

1,100

The new pink tape goes contrasts well with the green water

400 back kick/swim with fins
200
4 X 50 descend
4 X 200 as 100 strong, 50 all out, 50 easy
4 X 200 as above but with fins
300 pull, no paddles
1,000
Total: 4,700 yards = 4,295.8 meters.

Wednesday I had one of those days when I just didn't want to do anything. That happens from time to time, usually once every three weeks or so. Instead of running and lifting weights, I got in bed with my cat and the weeny dog and napped all afternoon.

Thursday I ran 2.13 and then drove to the pond where I was eager to try out the new pink duct tape my wife bought me. I can't wear a nose clip, and I can't swim the pond without one- to do so is an instant sinus infection. My solution is to tape my nostrils with duct tape. It is a skill and through trial and error, I have become quite proficient at it.

The water was up to 58 degrees. Hot dog! I suited up and swam three full laps for 2.14 miles (3,443.26 meters). This is my longest open water swim of the year and puts me a bit ahead of last year's training. At masters I swam

1,000
500 back kick/swim with fins
250
4 X 100 @ 2:00
3 X 100 @ 1:50
2 X 100 @ 1:40
1 X 100 @ 1:30
100 easy
10 X 100 @ 1:30 with fins and paddles
100 easy
8 X 50 as 50 kick/50 swim with kick board between thighs
200 easy
Total: 4,350 yards = 3,975.9 meters.

It was my second successful double, and for the day I swam 7,419.16 meters.

The Harder I Try . . .

After Sunday's swim with Randy, I decided to go back to the pond Monday after work since the air temp was warm and the Sunday swim boosted my cold water eagerness a bit. I suited up and swam 1.36 miles (2,188.24 meters) and then got out and ran another 2.11 miles. After the little shin issue last week, I am being ultra conservative and just don't want to risk a further aggravation. The 27-mile birthday run with my son was a bit too much, and I knew from past experience that the following few days carried a high risk of injury. Also I know from experience that this type of issue, something sore after overdoing things, will almost always clear up rapidly with a little rest..

Where is Randal Beets when you need him?

Since Tuesday was even warmer than Monday, I hatched the idea to do a double swim and go to the pond and then on to Masters. Sunday the water was 50, Monday it had warmed to 54, and Tuesday it was all the way up the 58. That made starting a lot easier, but I still got cold. I did make 1.65 miles before I tapped out. I also ran 2.5 and did a little walking.

At my daughter's house, my granddaughter got her Kindle out and started Sponge Bob for me. She always tries to make me happy in some way, and lately she loans me her Kindle to watch cartoons. I am not about to tell her that I really don't want to watch because she seems to get such joy in trying to please me. She is a sweet child and a true giver.

I was only 800 yards into my warm up at Masters when the Mad Swimming Scientist ordered us out of the pool because of a tornado warning. Dude, this has happened before. The last time I tried a double swim we got ordered out then also. I am trying really hard to get some major yardage in and it seems the harder I try, the less I do. Last week I did 5,392 meters on Tuesday. I swim twice this Tuesday for only 3,369 meters. What to do?

Fifty Degree Swim

Randy climbing out after 400 meters in 50 degree water

 

Friday I drove back to DSU to get in another swim. From now until June 1, I need to get in as many yards as possible. When I started to exit my truck at the natatorium, I got this sickening feeling inside. I forgot to bring my swim bag. Who does that? Luckily, I had an old towel and a pair of goggles on the back seat so all was not lost. I had planned on doing a lot of paddle work, but putting in some yardage was the main thing. I had swum 450 when Mark Blackwood walked up so I stopped and we chatted a bit. He left to go the the gym for a treadmill run and I did another 1200 when he showed up again. After he left the second time, I decided to swim until the pace clock flipped to 00:00 and then start a 33 X 100 set @ 2:00. I got in another 1000 and then rested a couple of minutes waiting for the pace clock to get right. The 100s set went pretty well, but I got tired after 25 of them. I finished with an easy 50 giving me 6,000 yards for the day.
Saturday I decided against running to allow my left shin more time to heal. Instead, I did repeats of a circuit on the bike trainer and some weight lifting. On the  weights, I did squats, overhead presses, sled drags, and shrugs.

Sunday afternoon I met Randy at the pond. The air temp was in the 60s and the water was 50. Randy lives in an apartment building that has an outdoor pool, and he has been getting in every morning before work. I am the one who got him started on this cold water stuff, but he has taken off and left me in the dust. He wanted to go the distance of his upcoming swim in Chattanooga. I drove him to the far end, and the plan was for him to swim back while I drove beside him on the levee taking pictures and being there to help if he got into trouble. He was in the water ten minutes, got out in good shape, and never started shivering. Then it was my turn.

Me scooting along in the coldest water of my life.

I hadn't been in cold water since December 17th, I think, and this was a record temp for me. I suited up because I was hoping to get in some real distance. If Randy had not been there, I most likely would have gotten out. The pain on my hands was indescribable, and I thought they were going to go dead on me. Overall I never got too cold, but the hands, arms, and face were pretty intensely painful. Eventually the hands did feel better. Randy followed along on foot, taking pictures and being close in case I got into trouble. When I made the entire circle and wound up back at the truck, I should have gone for another lap, but I wimped out and quit swimming. I made .72 miles at a pace of 27:12 per mile, and was amazed at how tired my arms became. Short course swimming just does not prepare the body to swim open water. The muscles get a rest every eighteen strokes. When there are no walls, the muscles have to just keep working and working and working. Big difference.

For the week, I

ran only 6.63 and
walked 2.81 miles
biked 111 minutes on the trainer
did dry land three times and
swam 17,793.28 meters.

Although that's not a huge amount of swimming, it is a record for me for any week in the month of January. December and January are the most difficult months to get in distance. I pretty much take December in stride considering it my off season. But by the time January rolls around, I begin to get a bit antsy. It was a good week for me swimming in January. Maybe I can top it next week.

EndangeredSwimmer in Danger

EndangeredSwimmer is in danger of wimping out on cold water swimming. It has been since December 17th that I swam outdoors. I read with relish the exploits of people like Gordon Grindly, Pauline Squire, and others. But I'm a hot weather person, and it's just been so dang cold. I haven't taken or sought out a water temperature reading in a while, but Randy, the only one who will do this stuff with me, has been out of pocket, and that coupled with the cold air temps has put a major chill on my motivation to swim in the cool. All the other times when I swam outdoors this fall and winter have been on days when it was warm and sunny out. For me, that makes a huge difference. At any rate, I pushed the cold water thing farther than ever before. If it will just get warm out, I may put on my wetsuit and have a go at that, but somehow I doubt I'll go skin only in the outdoors until late February at the least.

For the year, I swam 873,843.28 meters for 542 miles. That is a lifetime high for me. Maybe I can beat it, or at least get close, next year. My running was still down as I managed only 741.94 miles for a weekly average of 14.26. That is not very good, but I'm thankful for that as my running has suffered for a full four years now. The worst year was 2010, with 2011 being only slightly better and this year only a little better yet. One of my New Year's goals is to average at least twenty-miles per week running. I need that much to keep my weight in check and to stay in some modicum of running fitness.

Speaking of weight, I am way fat right now. This holiday season I have exercised considerable restraint on the ubiquitous presence of high-caloric food. Nevertheless, my waistline has steadily expanded. Whatt?!?! I really believe that I am at a point in life where I don't have to eat the food anymore; just being in its presence is enough for me to pack on pounds.

I didn't mention biking. I haven't even run the numbers since I probably rode fewer than 200 miles. In 2010, when my running was at its lowest ebb, I did 31 rides of 100 or more miles and a yearly total of  right at 5,000 miles. I had a lot of fun. Somehow, however, I just never got started biking in 2012. One reason was a bad saddle. Another reason was the crazy way I approached swimming thoughout the year. It's just a little difficult to do it all at a high level and keep a job, family, and health even. Consequently, the fat ladies beat my buttocks at the Heart O' Dixie triathlon. There is another resolution here, but my guess is that you are smart enough to connect the dots.

I started the week and ended the year with a 3.15 mile run in the hills this past Monday. The new year started Tuesday with a 3.27 mile run and some squats afterwards. Wednesday was another 4.47 miles of running and Thursday, during my lunch break, I shuffled 3.45. Finally, we had Masters swim Thursday night, my first time in the water in a week.This time of year, with the pool fifty-miles away and closed often, I have some real trouble getting any volume of swim training. Somehow, I need to find a way to start rebuilding my endurance since the Chicot Challenge is two-miles longer this year and is set for June 1st. At practice I swam

1,000
4 X 400 pull as 150 breathing 3, 5, and 7 by 50s/50 back, repeat
8 X 125 as 100 strong/25 all out :30 rest
200 easy
Total 3,800 yards = 3,473.2 meters.

My plan was to go back to the pool tomorrow since normally I am off on Fridays. However, I have to work this one, much to my chagrin. If I don't start getting some distance in the water, I'm afraid I might snap and smite someone repeatedly about the head and shoulders. Maybe next week.

Sunday Summary

I went to Horne's Landing (Roebuck Lake in Itta Bena, MS) Friday and took a temp reading before jumping in. It was 62 degrees and amazingly that doesn't feel too cold anymore. Mind you, it doesn't feel warm, but it is very doable. I did put my shirt on because I was alone, and I had to jump in off Anita Horne's deck rather than wade in as I do at the pond. The initial shock wasn't that bad, but I only swam .87 miles in 26 minutes. I should have gone longer, but again. I was alone, and I never really relax when I'm in Roebuck.

Alligators are always in the back of my mind when I'm in that lake except for the when they are in the front of my mind which is almost all the time. I know the risks are very low, and I wouldn't do it if they weren't. But I still think about them. I read somewhere that alligators don't feed this time of year. But if that is really true, I know not. I do know that Roebuck just looks like alligators and every time I ever asked Anita Horne about them in Roebuck, she never would say anything. You've heard the phrase, "Deafening silence"?

Saturday I did a slow start day and after I drank the coffee pot dry, I took a run/walk out Money Road. I finished with 8.22 miles of shuffling and 4.45 miles of walking. Later in the afternoon I lifted some weights. My wife and I then attended a party at our son's house. It was nice, and he told me about his desire to run twenty-seven miles on his twenty-seventh birthday which is coming up in January. I told him I wanted in on that, and immediately I began to scheme out routes.

Once again, Randy wanted to swim so we met at the pond on Sunday afternoon. The water was 66. Wow! Amazingly, it was still difficult to wade in but the initial shock when we started swimming wasn't too bad. I warmed up quicker but never got that toasty warm feeling I get when the water is really cold. I remember in the Swim the Suck it was the same way: always cool. The water temp there is 70-74. I suppose when the water gets really cold, maybe the body shunts more blood out of the extremities. I'm not sure because all of this cold water stuff is still pretty new to me.

For the week, I

ran 26.56 and walked 6.68 miles,
lifted weights once,
spent twenty-minutes on my bike trainer,
and swam 12,480 meters, three times outdoors.

For the year, I have run 666 and swum 531miles.

I am off work for a few weeks and plan to spend some quality time with my cat and my wife's dog and train like a madman. Life is good.

Sunday Swim and Summary

A few weeks back, I set a personal record by swimming in 54 degree water. I was wearing a wetsuit. Randy wanted to swim this weekend and since I was out of pocket Saturday, I suggested we try it Sunday. We met at the pond a little after 2:00 in the afternoon and promptly took a temperature reading : 54 degrees.

I asked Randy if he had a wetsuit. Since he didn't bring one, we waded in with only a jammer on and two swim caps. Mercy, it hurt, but we got started. I didn't think I would ever get comfortable, but eventually I did. When we got down to the other end of the pond, we and the water were both noticeably warmer. We then swam across to the other side and up the far levee a bit before turning around and swimming back. For a while, I felt like I belonged in the water, like this cold water was nothing. It's a wonderful feeling but a fleeting illusion.

When we got back to the truck and climbed out, we were cold but not out of control. Our condition, however. degenerated and we got colder not warmer despite the fact that the air temp was 75. That seems to be how it works. We got in the truck and drove around a while with the heater doing its best. My Garmin said we swam .92 miles and were in the water 32:58. Not too bad I guess, for a cold-water-sissy.

For the week, I executed a drop  down in running/walking mileage. The goal right now is to finish the year healthy. This week I

ran 20.14 and
walked 2.85 miles,
swam 8,700.88 meters, and
lifted weights several times.
Also, Saturday I did a monster leg workout session.

My totals for the year are 639.7 miles running and 523.68 miles swimming.

Sunday Summary

Recently I posted a comment in Marathon Swimmer Forum that Water Girl didn't post often enough. Actually, I feel the same about all the bloggers I follow. I like to swim, and I like to read about swimming. It entertains me, inspires me, encourages me. Water Girl responded by writing a new post and mentioning me by name even. Thanks Water Girl; I enjoyed the post

In my last post, Friday, I mentioned that I was trying to muster energy to drive out to the pond and take a swim. Finally, I did cruise out and take four temp readings (60, 57, 58, 58) in different spots. Then I sat in the truck and failed to gain the umph to get into the water.

Call me a sissy or sorry or whatever, but in my defense, I am a sissy. Not only that, but I was alone and tired, very tired like in needing to stay in bed all day. So I went home and got in bed with my fat tomcat and took a nap. When I got up, I ate some junk food and went back to bed. I think I'm losing it.

Saturday I managed a slow shuffle/walk. I impersonated a runner for 5.89 miles and ambulated 3.08 more miles. After a protein shake and some college football, I went back outside and lifted weights.

Normally on Sundays I don't do anything physical. I preach in the morning, eat lunch with my wife, and nap with my cat all afternoon watching some real quality television like Finding Bigfoot. This Sunday was different, however, because Randal Beets wanted to swim and since I am so often alone, I agreed to meet him on the fish farm. We took a temp reading (61) then I discovered I had forgotten my swim bag. Who does that? Randy had no extra goggles. I would have tried it without goggles but I had no swim cap and just didn't think I could take it. The last time I got into cold water without a cap, my head hurt so terribly it felt like my noggin was being squeezed by a muscle man in a giant vice.

We took a run instead to give ourselves time to think over our options. I agreed to get in the water and attempt swimming, and even if I failed, to stay in the water until Randal finished. By the time we wrapped up running, however, it was getting dark and stormy so we abandoned the idea of swimming. For the week, I went to bat twice and struck out both times. Yee Haa.

Overall I

ran 22.7 miles
swam 9,367.5 meters
walked 9.11 miles
and lifted weights 2 X.

I also gained some unwanted weight. Maybe with my run coming back up, I can get rid of that. My cat doesn't seem to mind, however. The weight that is. The fatter the better seems to be what he thinks. And his opinion is important.

Sunday Summary

To all  two of my readers, I really wanted to post more often this week, but I have been tied up caring for my mom while Dad was out of town. Maybe it's no big deal to you, but I become grieved when the bloggers I read don't post often.

Thursday I didn't run because something was sore, I don't remember what. But I did see the grandchildren, and I managed to get into the pool a little early. Cagri has gotten pretty laid back about warm ups, but is anything but on the main set. Typically, I get in and swim till I see him hanging around on deck. Thursday I just kept swimming and swimming. Finally I saw him on deck but he was talking with his high schoolers. So I swam some more. When he ambled down to my end of the pool, I stopped and he gave me the main set. I did

2,050 warm up
900 pull with paddles
300 for time 4:09 (PR)
150 easy kick/swim with fins
300 for time (4:10)
150 easy kick/swim with fins
300 for time (4:09)
150 easy kick/swim with fins
3 X 200 as 50 kick/50 drill/100 swim with fins
500 kick/swim with fins
300 kick with fins
Total: 5,700 yards = 5,209.8 meters

Friday was nice and warm so I went to the pond after I got Mom fed. I swam three plus laps. The water was 62 degrees where I got in, but it varied wildly from side to side, from end to end. On one side, it was so cold my feet would go numb. On the far end, it was so warm my feet would thaw out and then re-numb swimming up the next side. Wild. I did get 2.62 miles of straight swimming for 4,215.58 meters.

After the swim I did a little 2.76 shuffle around PD lake. This was the first time going around the back side of the lake. It was pretty and reminded me of squirrel hunting. Alas, I can't do it all.

Saturday, after getting Mom fed, I did a run/walk out Money Road and back for 5.21 miles of running and 1.82 miles of walking. I added a little stiff-legged deadlift set and a few squats to the end. I watched some college football, mowed the lawn, and took a nap.

For the week, I

ran 17.19
swam 15,597.9 meters
walked 4.19 miles
and lifted weights 1X.

For the year, I have swum 815,553.93 meters (506.87 miles) and run 551.6 miles. Already I am planning my big birthday swim. Next week I will be writing about my latest plans and things I have done to start the promotion, which is someting I know next to nothing about so if anyone out there can give me some tips, I would greatly appreciate it.

Sissy Still?

The water was 54 degrees in the pond today, and I was alone. At least there was some sunshine although the wind blew fiercely. A glance at the thermometer, I almost backed out and I knew it was a wetsuit day for sure. In fact, this is an all-time cold water record for me.

Even with a sleeveless wetsuit, starting swimming was most difficult. The water burned my arms and face like being way too close to a bonfire, like being in the fire and my breathing was rapid and shallow for a quarter of a mile before I could settle into a bilateral pattern. Eventually, I did get comfortable but with the chop on the water, the added buoyancy from the wetsuit made me bob like a cork in a bed of little, hungry pan fish.

I managed only thirty-six minutes and was not euphoric upon climbing out of the water. In fact, I felt a little ill and my hands were so weak from the cold that I had great difficulty extracting myself from the suit. I towelled, put on dry clothes, and drove home with the heater on top setting.

This was not very encouraging. It is only October and I feel as if I've already bumped up against my limit. I don't know if I can go any lower or if I even want to. I will, however, try it at least one more time. The weather forecast calls for a warming trend over the next few days. Maybe the water temp will come up a little. I pray.

Sunday Summary

I went in to work Friday to set up for ACT. My intention was to leave there and go to the pond. I think I might could have pulled it off, but I locked the keys in the truck and was delayed for over an hour. When I finally got free, the weather had turned really cold. That, the overcast skies, and the high wind was just more than this cold-water-sissy could face. I went home and took a nap.

After ACT Saturday, I met Randy at the new pond. The temp was somewhere around 58 to 60 and the wind was high. But at least the sun was out and that always gives me some courage. However, when we checked the thermometer I had left out soaking, it read 60 degrees. Thursday the water temp was 72, and two days later it was 60.

Randy and I had a strategy session. We sat in the truck with the heater on and decided to wade in and let out lower bodies numb out. Then we would start swimming head out for a little while. Stepping into the water was incredibly painful. We got in waist deep and stood there a minute or two while our lower bodies numbed. When I asked Randy what he thought, he answered, "I don't know." I knew then that we were a dog's hair from not swimming.

I pushed off before we could back out and swam head up for a while. My upper body felt like it was on fire, but when I put my head down, it wasn't any worse. Breathing, however, was difficult for a minute or two. I could only take short breathes. Finally, I was able to breath normally and switch to bilateral breathing.

We had agreed to swim down one side, avoiding much of the downwind chop, and then swim back. When I got to the end of the pond, I felt totally comfortable in the water. I pulled up and saw Randy who said he felt great also. We swam back to the truck and decided to go back for one more length.

Swimming back felt good but about the time we turned around, I was starting to feel a little cool. I felt it more and more on the swim back to the truck. For some reason, I became a little frightened. This cold water swimming is new to me, and I was aware that my body was reacting in a considerable fashion. When we waded out, we both were already shivering before we exited the water.

We grabbed our towels, dried off and jumped in the truck. It took at least fifteen, maybe eighteen minutes before we were warm enough to put our running shoes on and do a little one-mile shuffle.

I'm glad we did it but I'm not highly confident in my ability to keep up this kind of thing. Next week I will try to swim some more outdoors, but without Randy I doubt I will even attempt 60 degrees without a wetsuit. Having someone with you in the water gives me a lot of push. With a wetsuit, I think I can do it, and even suited up, there is still some cold water exposure.

Last week I

Swam 19,149 meters
Ran only 7.16 miles
Lifter weights 1 X.

It was a light week except for the swimming. The swimming distance isn't that high but it is way above what I normally do this time of year. If I can keep the outdoor swimming up, who knows what may be possible next spring and summer. I want to do at least 16-miles on my next Chicot Challenge. The biggest hold back there is my wrists. I felt them some during the Suck. Since the Chicot swim, I have done a lot of stretching. That has helped, but they are still an issue. I think a strength imbalance is part of the problem.

Besides the Chicot swim, I have at least toyed with the idea of doing the Tampa Bay Swim. That is a serious swim (24-miles), it is in April (early for that kind of endurance), and expensive ($1,500 entry fee). That is a lot of money but way cheap compared to what it would cost to do an English Channel swim. I could take my stipend I am to receive for my award and add that to some bait-money I have and do it. But it's a real big deal. I will have to totally solve the hand pain issue, and I will have to swim outdoor all winter. I will have to have a life best endurance level and be cold water acclimated. Even In Florida, the average water temp for Tampa Bay in April is 75. That is not too cold for me now, but for 24 miles, you have to be able to take it.

Totals for the year are:

Swim: 799,956 meters = 497 miles
Run: 534 miles.