8/15 - 8/21

I almost started back training last week. I did swim a good bit. For me real swimming starts at 20,000 meters per week. A better number is 25,000, and the gold standard for me is 30,000 plus. For the week, I hit 29,000.

Also I resumed running. Sort of. I shuffled two times at a pitiful 12:00 minutes per mile, but that is 1,000 times better than nothing. I really thought my running was gone for good, but God was merciful and gave it back to me. The week went like this:

Monday I met John at the pool and I swam 4,500 as

3,800 multi-paced in 1:19:33
700 small paddles 14:12
total: 4,500 meters

Then I worked in the yard and walked 1.06 miles.

Tuesday John and I met back up at the pool and I did a 5,600 meter straight swim in 1:57:25. I threw a few surges in for some intensity. After the pool, I walked .75 in the yard. 

Wednesday I did something I had never done before. I did the main set first and then the warm up. How is that for a change up? I started out with 100s on 2:00 and did 30 before I stopped and put on my small paddles for another 1,500 meters giving me another 4,500 meters.

Thursday I did 2,100 straight and then did 20 X 50 @ 1:12. That is a pretty good set as it works both speed and heart rate.

Friday we went long, four hours long. I only got out then because I had things that needed attending. The practice looked like this:

2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
10 X 100 @ 2:30 the first five with small paddles.
total: 10,000 meters.

I also went out for my first run in 31 days. I shuffled 1.1 miles in a slower than 12:00 per mile pace. Dreadful, but I am thankful to have some hope that running is not gone for good.

Saturday, I preached the funeral of Mrs. Steelman, my friend for forty-two years. She was the mother of one of my best friends from back in my Juco days at Mississippi Delta Community College. Back then, they, the Steelmans, boarded my coon dog while Jr. and I hunted almost every night. Once, we hit the woods sixteen evenings in a row. Mrs. Steelman fed me not only then, but we remained friends over the years. When we pastored the little church in Moorhead, she would occasionally invite us to lunch. We would eat a super meal at her home near Sunflower, Mississippi (about ten miles from Moorhead) and stay there until time to return to church for the evening service. After the funeral I did another little shuffle of 1.15 miles. 

I rarely do much on Sundays, but I had two dogs who needed a get out so I took Jeff and Bear to the recycle bins and we spent some time on the Yazoo River Trail. I got in .75 of a mile of walking. I would have done much more, but it was too hot for Jeff. I even had to carry him a lot to prevent him from overheating. 

For the week, I ran 2.15  and walked 5.04 miles. I swam 29,000 meters. That's pretty decent swimming for me especially considering that it included some quality. Despite the good swimming numbers, I failed to lift weights for the second week in a row. Maybe this week.