Falling Bench

I don't swim on Tuesdays because I work late and I run long. Yesterday, I went out Money Road determined to see if I could go out one hour and get back close enough to town that I was not afraid. Afraid? Yes, sometimes I get a little nervous when I am out there alone in the dark and the coyotes begin to howl. The closer I am to that bridge, the less it bothers me. I went for an hour and was just beginning to use my flashlight when I was in the straightaway leading to the bridge. So yes, I have time for a two hour run. I know I can run in town all night if I want, but sometimes zigging and zagging up and down town streets becomes wearying to me. I yearn for the open road.

I went 9.35 miles, not bad for a mid-week run. In a week or two, I might even start doubling up my lifting on Monday so that all I do Tuesday is run. But for now, I have enough time, energy, and daylight to do two workouts. At the gym, I did bench pressing, and my strength was way off. I did one set of two at 150 and failed after one on my next set. I was scheduled for four sets of two. I did notice last week that my strength was down a little, but this week it was like my power fell off a cliff.

Strangely, I did not get too upset over this. I have both read about and experienced this before. I am losing weight for the Great Geezer Run and when you lose weight, your bench press suffers and it suffers a lot. I am losing fat, but still, the bench goes down. Why? I can only assume that intramuscular fat aids the muscle in contracting due to the internal fullness it provides giving greater tension and even changing muscle fiber angles a bit.

So I am lightening the weight and continuing. The Great Geezer Run will not require a good bench. It will require lots of endurance, legs, core, and even a little upper body. It will require determination and the ability to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That is the way I am headed. By the grace of God I will get there. Thank you, Jesus.