MDCC G'wood Center 5K

Tuesday afternoon we did it again. We at the Greenwood Center of Mississippi Delta Community College held our Fall 5K as part of the 2016 Homecoming festivities. The turnout was, I think, twenty-nine people, a mixture of faculty, staff, and students, and one dog, a large lab that made some walkers a little uncomfortable. The day was warm (84 degrees F), the mood was high, and at 2:00 o'clock we counted down to "Go" and went.

Not everyone got into the frame.

First, we met at the Center at 1:30. Then we loaded into the school van and a few personal automobiles and headed for Wade Road, a paved path of the county that is rarely traveled but only half a mile from our campus. How can you have a totally rural area that close to town, you ask? On the north side of Greenwood lies the Tallahatchie River. Cross that river over the bridge Billy Joe McAlister jumped off (actually it was an earlier bridge but the same location) and you are instantly in cotton country with scarcely a house in sight. Greenwood is neat like that.

Taco, our driver, drove us over the course so everyone would know where to turn around on the out-and-back route. Then we lined up and without fanfare just did it. I didn't expect to win, and I wasn't surprised. Octavious Turner finished first with ease. Too bad we didn't get his time. My running has been on a down cycle lately, and I expected to run around a 10:00 minute per mile pace. Happily I did better than that. My splits were:

Mile one - 9:20,

Mile two - 9:07, and 

Mile three - 9:09 for a total of 27:41. 

This was almost a minute per mile slower than last year but better than I thought I could do this time around. It hurt, however, and the final mile was less than fun as my legs wanted to give way under me while my lungs burned like fire. I finished second with Katy Jones not far behind me, maybe a minute. Then I shuffled another easy mile after the race, back to Stephen Brunson, the last walker, and I walked in with him for another 1.24 miles of easy ambulating. All in all, a pretty good workout. But it didn't end there.

Finishing up with Stephen.

I went home, put on my jammer, and hit the Twin Rivers pool which had warmed from Monday's 72 to 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Believe it or not, the .5 makes a difference. The 72 we had Monday was putting me on the edge. I can swim it, but I slowly lose body heat at that temp. Nevertheless, I only swam 2,600 today in a straight effort. I wanted to get home and lift some weights and I did. This is the time of year I start working on strength which will pay big dividends next spring and summer in my training and the Chicot swim. I benched

20 X 100

12 X 115

10 X 121

6 X 131.5. 

That is not too much, but the build has begun. Now I rest, write, and try to get my mind right for tomorrow. We have a 5K on the main campus. I plan to go.