Another Small Three

Thursday I was able to do another three workouts, but this time also they were small. Workout number one was not only small but simple. I went to the pool, yes, John was late, and swam 1,400 yards. That might not be much, but it was my fourth swim of the week. When have I done that lately? I am up to over 9,000 meters thus far.

At the gym, it was pull day. First, I hit the chest-supported T-bar row for

16 X 35

15 X 45

12 X 55

10 X 65

  8 X 67.5

  6 X 67.5 narrow grip

I added to that rowing, two short sets of one-armed bent rows with a 75 pound dumbbell.

Of course I did nine sets worth of reverse band flys. Also I did chins, machine curls, and a single set of facepulls. So it was a pretty thorough job at the gym.

Then I was in need of some Geezer training. I did not want to run because of the tendon so I went out for a short walk and did 3.7 miles. Am I losing it? I am beginning to be afraid, unsure, on edge. 

Thank the Lord anyway.

Small Three

I finally got a full day of training in Wednesday. The work started in the pool. John was late. I swam

brick kick

1,300 25:40

brick kick

300 medium paddles 5:35

brick kick

300 medium paddles 5:24

brick kick (north wall going east = hardest current)

300 medium paddles 5:57

25 back

total: 2,250 yards.

Back home, I went out for a little roadwork. I only did 2.73 miles since I am still nursing that thing. I am beginning to get nervous that I might me de-training. Oh well, all I can do is all I can do.

At Plate City, I did my first workout there of the week. On the Swiss bar, I benched

12 X 38

13 X 88

  8 X 113

  8 X 113

  8 X 113

On the overhead press, I pushed

16 X 45

13 X 55

  9 X 65

  6 X 75 (I missed on the seventh. I think I could have done it, but I got out of the groove)

  3 X 80

Dips - 10, 10, 2

And thirteen sets of lateral raises.

After that, I was ready to retire. For the night. And I did. I lounged. CC is giving me the treatment again. I don't know what I did. I think I petted Luvie too much, but I am not sure. Anyway, I love them all, but CC has to be number one or I have to pay for it. Thank you, Jesus, for the love of cats and people.

Test Drive

 I met John at the pool Monday and I swam 

1,250 23:17

brick kick

250 medium paddles 4:24

brick kick

250 medium paddles 4:28

2 X 25 back

brick kick

250 medium paddles 4:21

total: 2,050 yards = 1,873 meters.

The brick kick was the key. I did that to help train the legs without adding impact to my bones and joints. Before I started John asked me if I was going to come part of the way back. I thought, @!$#^^ NO! The brick kick hurts. It hurts a lot, and I had not done one in several weeks. I made it, turned and pushed off the wall. 

What?!?!?! 

It did not even hurt. I was breathing hard but not in pain. On the second one, I tried to do a flip turn, but the brick was too heavy and after flipping, I was sitting on the bottom of the pool. On the third one, I went to the west wall and kicked against the current. It hurt a little bit, but I made it.

So to what do I attribute my new level of fitness in the brick kick? I say the high running mileage plus the squatting for several months now has all built up to boost my fitness. That was exciting.

I received a new pair of shoes in the mail, and I thought I needed to test drive them. I went out for mostly a hike because that is where my feet take the most abuse. I walked fast for four miles, then ran one, then walked another, then ran a bit. I finished with 1.5 miles of running and six miles of walking. No problem.

The new shoes are Asics Triumph 18s. They are great for walking, but lack a little on forefoot cushioning while running. I think I will take this pair to Durant to wear on Day Three of the Geezer Run. By then I will be walking more, and this shoe will serve me well at that point.

I am growing very excited about the adventure. The first weather forecast for May the 6th came out today. The prediction is for clouds and 78 degrees. Perfect. Thank you, Jesus.

4/19 - 4/25

Pain was up and numbers down last week as the Geezer Run draws nervously close. My wife keeps saying, "I don't see how you are going to do it." One of my deacons at Centerville said, "Maybe you should call this thing off." One church lady said, "Why do you have to do something? Why don't you just take up money?" The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi wants to know "when to start looking for a body."

Believe it or not, I like this. When I do races, someone always yells, "You're looking good," as I drag by. 

I know they are lying. 

Of course it makes my angry when they ask, "Are you alright?" That question implies that I look like I am not. Truth be told, often I am sure that is the case, that I look like I need immediate medical attention. 

If you happen to drive out during the Geezer Run, yell out, "You look like crap. Do you want me to call 911?" 

Trust me, I will appreciate the honesty.

Monday I did not do any training. I think I might have mowed some lawns somewhere. I think. I did not write anything down, and I have a forgetter that works overtime.

Tuesday I took a short shuffle of 2.24 miles and lifted weights. Wednesday I did the MDCC 5K and added a little more running and walking for a total of 4.09 miles of roadwork. I also lifted more weights.

I don't know what happened Thursday. My training diary is blank. That means I did not swim, did not run, and did not lift. And I do not know why.

Friday I did some real training. I ran 10.11 miles. Also, I swam 2,400 yards, my only water work of the week. See what I did there?

Saturday, Penny and I went to Kosciusko for the Natchez Trace Festival. Usually they have a 5K. Not this year. COVID? I don't know. I walked some test driving a pair of my old Hokas for their suitability for sustained ambulating at less than a running pace. That's one of my problems. My current running shoes are great for running but not good for walking. I get blisters when I walk and I get them fast. 

But I think I am figuring out a few things. I think. I will learn on the Geezer run if I have or have not come up with answers. The time is drawing near. 

For the week, I

swam 2,193 meters,

walked some,

lifted weights three times, and

ran 16.47 miles.

That is not enough running. But that is what I did. Lord help me.

Thursday

Thursday was another nice day at work. Tuesday we has food at Culinary. Wednesday we had our 5K. Thursday we had more food, Steven's Barbeque. All of this was at the Greenwood Center. Yeah, we do things there. Somebody even left some candy on a table in the hall. Of course I ate it.

When I got off work, I ran some more errands related to the Great Geezer Run. When that was finished, I went home and wasted some time. Then John called. He was not feeling well so we cancelled swim. 

I went out and mowed the lawn. No, I did not run. No, I did not lift. How could I. Nothing was up on my rotation. Well, I could have done legs, but I need to run long Friday so why do that. 

You guessed it. I did no exercise whatsoever. But that is OK. I just need to hit it big Friday. 

Rumbling Wednesday

Let's get ready to R U M B L E ! ! ! !

That is what we did Wednesday. We had our MDCC 5K at the Greenwood Center only.

There was only a handful of us. My boss let me leave campus early so I could go home, change clothes, and get to the race site, the linear park in front of Crystal Grill. I walked over so I would be really warmed up. The crew arrived a little after 2:00, and we were off. Katie Jones, who could have won easily said she was going to walk to enjoy the company of the others. Actually, she was having mercy on an old man. That was nice of her, and I really appreciate it.

That made me the only runner. So I won. I know, but if a politician runs unopposed, they still take office. I take the victory.

They were still walking when I came in. I would have walked back and walked with them, but I had to pee really bad so I left. I crossed the bridge, made my way to the trail and into the woods. There I was able to pee and then I did some extra running. I ran another 1.05 miles so it was a pretty good workout: a hard 5K, plus some walking and some easy running.

At home, I rested and readied myself for pull day at Plate City. I hit the new chest-supported T-bar machine for

14 X 35

12 X 45

10 X 55

  8 X 60

  8 X 60

  7 X 60 narrow grip

Also, I did Lenny rows for

10 X 135

12 X 135

12 X 140

In addition to that, I did rack pulls for

4 X 185

5 X 205

5 X 225

5 X 235

Then holds for 240, 245, and 250 going about ten seconds for each hold.

Not only that, but I did reverse flys, chin ups, and biceps work. So I had myself a pretty good day. As I type this, the Great Geezer Run for Diabetes in exactly two weeks away. My little injury issue is much better and I have some ideas on shoes and blisters and survival. I want this thing to start. I want the challenge, the adventure. Thank you, Jesus, for a good life.

On Track Tuesday

I tried to get back on track Tuesday. I worked late like I always do on the second workday of the week. It is Film as Literature day, a day that I enjoy very much. Then I ran an errand or what I call an errand. I went by Outlaw Sporting Goods, my first time to do that. I was shopping for something that I might need for the Geezer Run. They have a lot of inventory. After that, I went home and took a run, a short one. I shuffled 2.24 miles.

Later, I went to Plate City and did a push workout. I put the order back to push/pull/legs from pull/push/legs. The former seems more natural for some reason. The latter was what I had changed to because of the pressure that pulling and leg work back-to-back puts on the low back. But now that I have that chest supported row machine, that is no longer an issue.

On the incline dumbbell bench press, I pushed

16 X 35

12 X 40

3 X 45

6 X 45

7 X 45

I found the 45s to be heavy. I don't know why. I really do not like doing dumbbell work on the bench press, but I am doing it anyway because I feel that it is a good exercise and I have developed a rotation on the bench, a rotation of flat bar, Swiss bar, and dumbbells. 

On the overhead press, I did

14 X 45

12 X 55

  8 X 65

  6 X 70

I also did a set of Swim Pulls, some triceps pushdowns, and thirteen sets of lateral raises. 

So although none of the numbers were big, I did train and got in two workouts. Today, however, I will miss the swim again. We are having a 5K at the Greenwood Center and I want to do it. That will be a good training stimulus for me. 

Huh? 

Yeah, a hard 5K will bump up the VO2 max. 

But do you need that?

It never hurts and certainly will help pulling some of those hills between here and Ridgeland. Continue to pray for me, for it. And thank you, Jesus.

New Week

I was off to a turtle start Monday. First, I had some business to take care of after work. Then I went to the pool. John was late and when he did show up, he wanted to talk. We chatted about twenty minutes which knocked me out of most of my swimming. All I got was 1,200 yards.

Then Penny and I went to Over 60s. We have not had that in over one year because of COVID. It was nice to resume that bit of normalcy, but I really needed to train instead of go eat too much fish. I did, however, enjoy myself. At the end, the lady whose name escapes me asked me to to stand up and tell about the Geezer Run. That was nice and I asked for prayer for my training, health, safety, and success. In response, two people made donations. As of now, with the checks I have at home, the fundraising total is just under $900.

Today I work late, but I must also train late. I need to run and lift. One day this week, I need a long run, not as long as last week, but long nonetheless. I need about eight to ten miles and a bit of walking. The taper has started along with the nerves I wrote about yesterday. I am getting excited and nervous at the same time. Thank you, Jesus.

4/12 - 4/18

I had a pretty good week training wise. I think. I have gotten to that point in the program where I am beginning to doubt, I am becoming afraid, I am thinking, 'what have I done?' It always happens so this crises of confidence has not caught me off guard. But still, it rocks my world, and I do wonder what sort of suffering, of misery, of failure I have signed myself up for. Let me tell you about the week and then I will get back to my whining.

Monday I had a big day. I only did one workout, but it was a good one. I ran for 15.22 miles nonstop. Well, I did stop long enough to water the grass on the side of the road a time or two. Looking at my training diary, I see nothing recorded for Tuesday. Nothing. Well, as Luke said, "Sometimes nothing can be a pretty cool hand."

Wednesday, however, I was back on the job with 5.11 miles of roadwork and a solid day at Plate City. Thursday, I did my only swim of the week: 4,200 yards straight.

Friday, needing something long, but fearing injury to an already sore body part, I took a long hike. I walked 11.54 miles. Well, 1.11 of that was shuffling. The idea was to make the muscles work long and get into and stay in that fat-burning metabolism. I did that. But my feet paid the price. I even managed to get to the gym for some more weight training. So I had a decent day.

Saturday, I lifted weights two times. In the morning, I did my second push workout of the week. In the afternoon, I did my squat session, going

3 X 45

3 X 75

3 X 80

3 X 85

22 X 90

3 X 95

2 X 100

Yeah, that set of 22 was brutal. It should help, however, both on strength and conditioning. I did some other stuff, like leg extensions, leg curls, and calf work. 

For the week, I

swam only once for 3,838 meters,

lifted weights five times,

ran 20.33 miles, and

waked 10.43 miles.

That should move me forward in my fitness. But I am getting antsy. Our church has granted me the day off for May 9. They have a rough idea of my schedule and I plan to write out an itinerary for them. The T-shirts have been ordered. Fundraising has begun. Most of the hay is in the barn, but I always grow mistrustful during the taper. It is going to take every trick I have learned in my lifetime to pull this off. God help me. 

The Problem

Fridays are my big day. Training day that is. But this time around, I was nursing a sore body part. But Bad Bad Katie Jones made a suggestion. Why not walk. I thought about it. It made sense. I did it.

Instead of going for a long run, I went for a long walk instead. The Geezer Run will require lots of walking so I do need to train that. I ambulated 11.54 miles Friday and even threw in a 1.11 miles shuffle after seven miles of hiking. The results were what felt like a good workout and some painful blisters.

Here is the rub, pun intended. Walking is harder on my feet than running. I have long known this but now it is on my mind constantly: how to ambulate 107 miles without destroying my feet. I use lots of petroleum jelly and two pair of quality socks. But if the walking mileage gets up around five, the pain goes to eight. Yeah, that few.

The problem with walking is that the heel strike is harder, more pronounced, and the foot is in contact with the pavement for a longer time during each stride. Monday I ran 15.22 miles. No blisters, no soreness, no problems. Friday my feet were getting sore after three miles. Three miles. Three measly miles. I don't have an answer. This has been a problem for me for the past twenty years. If I fail on the Great Geezer Run, this will be the reason.

John wanted to swim. Then he called and cancelled. At least he called. Instead of going to the pool alone, I went to Plate City for pull and Pee Wee day. On my new chest supported T-bar, I pulled

13 X 35

12 X 45

10 X 50

10 X 55

10 X 55

5 X 55 narrow grip

I did nine chins, one at a time, having a six pound plate around my neck for the last rep. In addition, I did one set of the Swim Pull, one set of one-armed bent rows, some light lat pull downs, and two set of standing curls. Yeah, I decided for some variety and let the machine rest this time around.

So it was a good training day. I put some miles on the feet and lifted like I am training for a strength sport. The Great Geezer Run is still alive. Thank you, Jesus.

Chat with Jim Bob

"I had time Thursday for my usual three, but I did not have the health nor the recovery." 

"Huh?"

I was talking to Jim Bob. He always asks about my training. He says he gets in shape just listening to me talk about it.

"I swam. And John was on time."

"Huh?"

"Don't ask me. He was there along with everybody else in town. But at least the others were not in the pool. Twin Rivers apparently was hosting a tennis tournament. The parking lot was full. People were walking everywhere. It looked like three yard sales going on at once. I had to park in front of a house up the street. Anyway, I did a straight swim, and I noticed that my fitness has slipped a little. I have been missing the pool too often. I swam

   4,200 in 1:22:01 @ 1:57 per 100

"That should put some endurance back into my upper body. I need to swim today and tomorrow." 

"So what did you do then?"

"I went home and mowed the front lawn. Doesn't it look good? I did not even think of running because I have had an issue of late."

"Which is?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I did not run. Maybe Friday. Maybe."

"And no weights? What getting lazy in your old age?"

"Age has nothing to do with it. I've always been lazy. But that is not why I did not lift. The rotation was not right. I did pulls on Tuesday and pushes on Wednesday. The only thing I was due for was legs, but I was trying to save them for Friday."

"So you're going long Friday?"

I hope. But I am not sure. Depends on how the legs feel. Pray for me, please."

"Will do."

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

I had another meeting. A long one. Yes, I know that is a sentence fragment. My brain is fragmented right now. 

I did not swim. I did, however, do some roadwork. I shuffled 5.11 miles for my second run of the week. Then I went to Plate City. Two out of three ain't bad, and I don't mean isn't. It was push night at the gym. I benched 

  13 X 100

    8 X 115

    6 X 120

    6 X 120

I decided to start working on my overhead press. On it, I pushed

  12 X 45

  10 X 50

   8 X 55

   6 X 60

Of course I did lots of stretching and several sets of lateral raises.

Of course I wanted to swim. But two out of three ain't bad. Today I shall swim. If King Kong tried to stop me from getting into that pool, King Kong is going to get assaulted and battered. And don't mean maybe.

Lord help me not to have to do that, Jesus. Thank You in advance.

Yeah, That

It was another one of those days. I work late every Tuesday and enjoy it. But then when I did get off work, I had to mow the lawn on West Monroe. Yeah, that. So something[s] else had to drop from the schedule. This time it was the swim and the run. Yeah, that.

I did go to Plate City which is not only my favorite place, but Pee Wee's also. He stashed all of his toys out there. Penny used move them periodically, back to the patio near his house. But when she did he would drag them all back to Plate City. When I come out, he runs to his toys and begins tearing them to pieces. He wants to be with me out there.

On the new T-bar machine, I pulled

  12 X 35

  11 X 45

  10 X 50

  10 X 52.5

  10 X 52.5

  4 X 52.5 narrow grip 

In addition to that, I did nine chin ups, the last one with a five-pound weight around my neck. Yeah, that. I also did two sets of one-armed bent rows with my top weight, Pendlay style. I finished with four sets of machine curls hitting a new high in weight. Yeah, that too.

The sad part is that most likely I will not get to swim Wednesday either. I have another meeting. Yeah, that. I hate meetings. Rarely are they worth the time. Under Rene Moore, they were. She refused to waste time. This one will be under someone else. I can't wait. Yeah, that.

Encouragement

I had a meeting. Yes, I worked late. When I made it home, I had an errand to run. So something had to drop from the schedule. The swim dropped. I tried to call John and tell him. He never lets me know, but I am nice like that. He didn't answered. He didn't call me back. He won't be sorry. 

Not only did the swim drop, but so did the gym. There just was not time neither was there energy to get it in. That has been a problem of late exacerbated by yard-mowing time. I have two yards now. This needs to change. Soon. 

I finally got home and was able to waste some time. Then I went out for some road work. I thought to run ten miles. I felt pretty good so I went eleven. Then I decided twelve was better. I finished around 9:00 p.m. with 15.22 miles. This was my longest continual run of this buildup. I have done more mileage, but the twenty milers I have done have been mixes of running and walking. This was straight shuffling with no Gatorade and no Gu. I ate a banana before the run then drank water on it. 

This should be a good endurance builder for me. When I finished, I was not as stiff as I normally am after a long run. Also, my feet were in good shape. That is one of my big concerns for the Geezer. Bad feet = bad run or a truncated one. God forbid. Thank you, Jesus, for a nice long run with some encouragement. 

4/5 - 4/11

Monday was a light one with a short 1.6 mile shuffle, and heavy lifting at the gym. I did no swimming at all. Tuesday I ran 3.12 and did nothing else. I do not remember what was going on, but time was an issue. 

Wednesday I finally made it to the pool and swam an easy, straight, and slow 1,250  yards. Thursday, I snuck in 2.28 miles of roadwork, swam 2,050 yards, and did some thorough lifting. This was the day the chest-supported row machine made it to the Hideout. I put it together and used the new machine. It is good. I am happy.

Friday I went to the hills and ran 14.61 miles. I did lots of climbing and got a good endurance workout in. Saturday, I swam 2,100 yards, and lifted big. That was also the day I registered for the Senior Olympics. Penny asked me about the date so I went online and looked it up. Her question was providential because Saturday was the last day to sign up for the swim meet. Dude, I almost missed it!

They have expanded the number of events one can do from four to six. Yeah, I signed up for six: the 50, 100, 200, and 500 free, and 50 and 100 back. I am not a good backstroker. I felt, however, that entering these other events would cause me to train harder and work on my backstroke technique. I had already planned to drop the 50 free and add the 100 back. But with the addition of the two extra swims, I can do all the freestyle races and two backstroke races. Probably I will get my butt handed to me in the back stroke. That's O.K. I'll take my whipping like a man.

For the week, I

only lifted weights three times,

swam a mere 4,994 meters, and

ran 20.01 miles. 

That is not enough running for what I have coming up. This week I hope to rebound for a plus-thirty week. I need it. From today, the Great Geezer Run is scheduled to begin in a mere 24 days. Yeah, that gives me two weeks of training and one week of taper. Please pray for me. Jesus, take the wheel, heal my body, and pour in some energy.

Saturday

I was pretty tired Saturday after Friday's big run. So I slept in and studied, and drank coffee, and lounged after I woke up. Eventually, I got up to go to the pool. I have signed up for the Mississippi Senior Olympics. This year they have opened it up to six events now so I registered for six: the 50, 100, 200, and 500 free, and the 50 and 100 back. I am not a good backstroker, but I thought it would make me train it harder and maybe I will improve. At the pool, I swam

300 6:00 (stopped to adjust goggles)

1,100 21:14

4 X 50

200 back 4:28

300 medium paddles 5:19

total: 2,100 yards = 1,919 meters.

After some rest and nutrition, I went to Plate City and worked the push and the legs a little. On the incline dumbbell bench press, I did

13 X 30

12 X 40

12 X 40

12 X 40

I also did some overhead dumbbell presses, thirteen sets of lateral raises, and on the squat

3 X 75

3 X 80

3 X 85

21 X 88

2 X 90

The set of 21 put a major hurt on me, but it was better than last week when I bent over to pick something up and felt like I was being electrocuted as my leg muscles locked up on spasms.

So it was a pretty good day. Thank you, Lord.

Another Long One

I did another long one Friday. Not as long as last week, but still enough to build some endurance. I went to the hills and parked at the church in the curve on what they now call Highway 23. From there I went down the hill, the half-mile slope that is always good for some glute and hamstring activation as well as some VO2 max stressing. I went down and up and down and up and then I pulled the two pound hand weights from the bed of my truck and went down and up again. 

Then I ran over to Mount Olive Baptist Church. From my truck, it was 2.8 over and over course that far back. To get there, I had to run and mile-long downhill, cross a bottom, and climb a .75 mile hill going up to the church. I stopped and ate some cookies on the front steps of the church.

On the way back, I stopped at the 220 yard track that sits in the bottom. I thought to do some speed work, but my legs would not cooperate. Also, I took a different route on the way back and came out below the half-mile hill and had to run up it again. Then I took the nearest gravel road and ran to a big hill on it. At the top, I stopped at another church and took a Gu and rested on their front steps. 

Next, I ran back to the cemetery across from the church I parked at. I went inside and found a grave there that the person had died in 1892. Wow. I finished with 14.61 miles. That is a long way from the 26.25 of last week, but last week was a walk/run. This was a straight run and in the hills. It was another deposit in my Geezer Run account. I hope I do not overdraw when the big event comes. Thank you, Jesus, for the good training and the fun I had.

Four

Four.

Four?

Yes, four.

Really?

Sort of.

Sort of? Tell me about it.

Well is started with a walk at work. Katie Jones is always trying to get students to be more active, so she scheduled a walk at 1:00  p.m. 

How many students walked?

One. That is 100% more participation than I expected. You know what they say: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him fish."

They say that?

Somebody does. Well, we walked .89 of a mile.

You call that a workout?

Yes. I am counting it. Then I met John at the pool. Yes.

Yes what?

Yes, he was late. I swam 

1,300 26:36

500 for time 8:18

200 medium paddles 3:44

50 back 1:14

total: 2,050 yards = 1,873 meters.

So that's two. Then I went home and put my new back supported row machine together.

Do what?

It's a machine that lets you do heavy rows (or light ones) while the back is supported.

Why? You lift weights to get strong. You don't want your back strong?

The issue is that the lower back gets over worked while doing heavy rows. Add to that deliberate low back work like deadlifts and squats and the low back sometimes goes wonky. Mine did recently. So when the program comes up for rowing, the back won't take it.

Oh, I see.

Yeah. Now I can hit the rows and not add that extras stress to an already overly stressed body part.

So how is the machine?

Great. This was a good purchase. I lifted while I put it together. By the time it was assembled, I was ready for rows. I did five sets of rowing on the new machine. The feel on the upper back is great, while the strain on the lower back is non-existent.

So you lifted for workout number two.

No. I swam for workout two and lifted for number three.

I see. And you ran for number four.

Yes. Not far. I only did 2.28 miles, but I have a big one planned for Friday so I did not want to hit it too hard.

Sounds like you had a good day.

I did. And I slept really well.

I bet.

Thank the good Lord.

Only Two

I had hoped to get back to full training by Wednesday, but not to be. I swam. John did not show. I only did 1,250 because I had so much other stuff I needed to do. I went home and mowed the front lawn. Then I went to Plate City and benched

 27 X 38

17 X 88

12 X 108

6 X 113

7 X 113

7 X 113

2 X 118

I then did three sets of log presses, three sets of overhead dumbbell presses, and thirteen sets of lateral raises. Yeah, I am hitting that hard. 

Next I had a Zoom meeting at 7:00 p.m. It did not go well from my point of view. The others cannot hear me, and I am going to have to get that rectified. I had planned on running, but after all of that, the wind had gone out of my sails. Thank the Lord anyway.

Slim Day

Monday was a pretty slim day on the training front. I had an appointment with the tooth dentist. That always knocks out a chunk of time. Then I walked my cap and handkerchief over to Paul Brown for him to sew together. That is for the Geezer Run. I walked because my feet were still too sore to run from Friday's marathon.

After all of that, I went to Plate City for some pulling. I did lat pull downs for

15 X 45

15 X 50

16 X 55

17 X 60

Also I did seven chin ups and four sets of machine curls.

Tuesday, I did a short shuffle of 3.12 miles. I did not get to lift or swim or run as long as I wanted because Tuesday is my long day at work and Penny and I had a banquet to attend in Vaiden at 6:30. There is also an event Thursday, but I told my bride that I can't take more time off training. By the grace of God, I will get all three workouts in today. Thank you Jesus, that I have the hope.

3/29 - 4/4

Although last week was a planned reduction in volume, I still had a full and productive training cycle. Monday I swam 3,427 meters and did some serious lifting at the gym.

Tuesday I ran an easy 6.25 miles. Wednesday I swam 2,879 meters, ran 2.23 miles, and lifted those weights like I was mad at them.

Thursday I swam some more, 2,216 meters. My log shows that I did not run nor lift that day. But Friday, Friday I did a full marathon, a giant Geezer trainer.

Saturday was an easy day of study, rest, and some light training. I swam 4,000 yards straight, and lifted more weights.

For the week, I

ran 24.28n miles,

lifted weights three times, and

swam 12,178 meters.

The Geezer Run is drawing near. Penny keeps saying that she doesn't see how I am going to do it. One of my deacons told me at church Sunday that "Maybe you should call this thing off." Praise God. That helps. It's not that I fuel on doubt to prove people wrong, it just helps me a little that some people think I can't do it. I am almost in that category myself. But I learned a long time ago that to do amazing things, you have to take risks, you have to try things that frighten you. The Great Geezer Run for Diabetes frightens me. Will I make it? Will it turn into a sufferfest? Will I regret ever attempting it. There is only one way to find out. Stay tuned, and thank you, Jesus.

Saturday

I capped the week off with some swimming and lifting. John and I met at the pool, and I swam 4,000 straight. It was a good way to loosen the legs a little and get some needed exercise after running a marathon Friday. My feet were sore. My legs tired. My motivation missing. What to do? The pool is usually the answer. Either that or a nap or both. I did both.

Not only that, but I studied for Sunday. Then I went to Plate City and lifted. Between sets of bench presses, I mowed the back lawn. On the bench, I pressed

12 X 100

10 X 110

  8 X 115

   4 X 120

I also did some squats. I did not do any leg work last week. Why? Primarily laziness. On the squat, I did

3 X 75

3 X 80

20 X 85

The twenty-rep squat set put a major hurting on my wheels. They were in the spasm mode. When I reached over to pick something off the floor, it was like being electrocuted. The muscles on the inside of my thighs went into full cramp mode. I hobbled inside and went to bed. Thank you, Jesus, for being able to hobble.

South Loop Marathon

I ran a marathon Friday. Well, I walked some. OK, I walked a lot. But I covered 26.2 on foot. Actually I did 26.25. Time? Don't ask. It's Classified.

This was the fourth 20-miler I have done since I set the Great Geezer Run as my goal for my diabetes fundraiser this year. Twice I have run home from the Minter City United Methodist Church. Once I did the north-on-Highway 49-through-Bledsoe Plantation-to-Money-and-home loop. This time I went south.

I did not leave the house until 10:00 a.m. Stuff. I had to take care of stuff. But finally I was on the way for an adventure before the morning was fully gone. First, I crossed the Popular Street bridge, made my way to the Linear Park and ran it to Highway 82. I crossed the highway and made my way to the industrial park.

Eventually I made it to Highway 49 south, and got off the busy road at Malouf's Trailer Park. There I ate an orange and continued to the old Highway 49 where I went south towards Sidon. I did not go to the biblically named town, however, opting instead to cross the Yazoo River bridge that lies before our huge southern neighbor. Do you know the bridge? That thing is as long and steep as a Carroll County hill.

This picture does not do justice
to the rise this bridge has.

After crossing that bridge, I got on the gravel road that heads north and began to slowly make my way back towards home. Here is where I got into that wide-open-spaces thing. 

Not too long after getting into the vast open delta, I noticed one of my watches was gone. What!?!?! It was the older Garmin, that orange one if you know Garmins, that is minus one strap. I carry it in a pocket on my waist belt. I use it to measure my running distance and the one on my wrist tracks the total distance. So I had to back track and look. A farm hand came by, Fred, who first offered me a ride then helped me look for the watch. He looked a long time and even stopped his truck and got out. I gave up and asked him if he knew Tim Horn. I figured he did since I could not have been too far from Tim's gin. If you find it, I said, give it to Tim. I work with Tim's wife.

I shuffled away sadly, grieving for my missing GPS watch. I found the watch about where I first started looking for it. Then it happened again. Really. The back tracking was breaking my spirit. I found the watch once more and decided that the slip in pocket would not do any longer. I put the valuable instrument in the zip up pocket.

Eventually I made it to that train trestle. 

Yeah, that one. 

I was on pavement now and pretty soon I was shuffling past Florewood and scores of people getting their vaccination. Then I was at Highway 82 on the frontage road by Cannon Motors. Then I crossed the bridge and got on West Claiborne Extended. Here is where my pack ran dry and I only had water in half of one bottle on my belt.

I made it all the way to the boat landing when I realized how close I was to a full marathon. If I went straight home, I would be about one mile short. So what to do? Yeah, I went through the Yazoo River Trail and then out the gravel road. I did the math and went just far enough to turn around and make it back home with the requisite distance. I ran 15.8 miles and walked 10.45 for a total of 26.25. Penny was home and Providentially she was too tired to go out to eat and only wanted to pick up a salad and stay home. I was hobbling around like an old man. She said for the third time since I started this quest, "I don't see how you are going to run to Jackson." I don't either. And that, my friend, is part of the appeal.

Thank you, Jesus, for a good day on the road. May my body respond to this training, and may I make the Great Geezer Run a success.       

Discipline

Training has slowed this week, but that has been planned. Every few weeks an endurance athlete in heavy training needs to reduce the volume and intensity for a week to let the body's recovery system catch up to the stress load. This is where discipline comes in. I have often been accused of having great discipline because of all the work I do. Actually, the discipline comes in not doing, in having some restraint.

Wednesday I swam and ran and lifted. Thursday, however, I took another day off from the road (discipline). At the pool, I did a simple practice: I swam

1,100 21:37

25 back 

1,100 for time 18:28

200 medium paddles 3:47

total: 2,425 yards = 2,216 meters.

At home, I rested and then went to Plate City. There I did Lenny Rows for four sets. One-armed bent rows for three sets of three at 75 pounds. A bunch of revers flys, some chinups, a pull up, and four sets on the curl machine. It was a thorough workout that left my muscles trembling. 

Now the Great Geezer Run is one month away. If you have not donated, there is a link on my Facebook page, a Go Fund Me link. All the money goes to the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi. Please give, and bless the Lord, oh my soul.

Return to Three

Wednesday I met John in the pool and he was on time for the sixth time in the last 1,700 (seriously, two to six times per week for over eight and a half years). I swam straight for 3,150 yards in 1:07:_ _.  It had been a while since I swam straight. My times have slowed lately so I thought I needed to refresh the fitness base.

After the pool, I went out for a small shuffle of 2.23 miles. That is not much, but remember this is my step down week.

Yes, Plate City was next. This marked my return to three workouts in one day. Instead of regular bench pressing, I did dumbbell benches. I have been rotating working with the straight bar and the Swiss bar. I decided to put dumbbells into the rotation. I pressed

10 X 35

12 X 35

14 X 35

15 X 35

In addition to the benches, I did lots of shoulder work with fourteen sets of lateral raises and two sets of log presses. All in all, it was a strong day of training. Thank you, Jesus.