Dragonfly Triathlon 2022

Penny and I didn't decide until late morning to drive to Batesville Friday and spend the night. That would save a little time on raceday. We got a room at the Hampton then drove to Cypress Point at the lower lake at Sardis for packett pickup. Saturday morning was the Dragonfly Triathlon, a half-mile swim, plus an 18-mile bicycle race, plus a four-mile run half of which is on a trail. It's a nice race, one I have done in the past but missed since COVID cancelled one and I just forgot one.

Raceday morning rolled around, and I was so fat that I could barely suck and tuck my way into the trisuit. Things will change now, trust me on that. I did well in the swim, climbing out of the water in 14:41. The swim leg does not end, however, until one passes the timing matt 100 yards uphill in the deep sand. I literally passed twenty-one people on the swim and was passed by at least ten on the run to the timing matt.

After a slow transition, I began the bike race, pootling along at fourteen miles per hour. 

Sigh.

I had a slow bike ride. When I got to the run, however, I was even worse. At one point, I was averaging, shucks, I almost told you. I got passed by a sixty year old fat lady, and I didn't even fight back. I finished in 2:43:40. I don't know how that stacks up against the last time I did this race. Most likely a lot slower.

Despite my performance, I did enjoy myself. I didn't go there to race but to get in a good workout and have some fun. I did that, and then Penny and I left. We stopped in Greneda at High on the Hog BBQ. I ordered a BBQ sanwhich. Penny got a hamburger, and I couldn't take my eyes off it. That thing was magnificent, huge, juicy, and smelled just right. Now I want to go back and get me one.

So that tri capped off a good training week and reaquainted me with an old friend foe, the triathlon. It's a tough sport, one that requires special training which I am not really willing to commit to right now. I want to run. I want to swim. I want to lift weights. I don't want to ride my bicycle too much. Heck, how can I? By the time I do all that other stuff, there is little time and less energy left for anything else. The bicycle gets crowded out.

8/22 - 8/28

It was an interesting week, one that saw me finally bring my weekly run average to 20 miles and also saw me do my first complete triathlon in several years. I think it was 2019 when I did my last one. For the past two years, I have only done the Heart O' Dixie as the swimmer on a relay team. Well, here is how it went.

Monday I worked legs so I could get that in and hopefully recover a bit before Saturday's tri. I ran 1.12 miles and did squats at Plate City.

Tuesday was my long(ish) run of the week with a 6.65-mile effort. First, however, I swam 1,550 yards in the little pool.

By Wednesday, I was trying to cut the run distance a little while still getting in some reasonable miles. I did 4.73 on the road, 1,300 meters in the water, and some big lifting in the gym.

My legs were feeling pretty dead when I shuffled 3.13 miles Thursday. Tyler and I met that morning in the pool for 1,000 meters of tune up swimming. He did Dragonfly also. I did more lifting that night.

Friday was a take it easy day. I tipped around the neighborhood for 1.65 miles. Then Penny and I headed out to Batesville. 

Saturday was the Dragonfly Triathlon, a .5-mile swim, an 18-mile bicycle race, and then four miles of running half of which was on a trail. I had fun. Yeah, I suffered a little, but I got in a good workout. No, I did not place in my age group. I was fourth of four. I was the fastest swimmer in the bunch, but I was the slowest everything else. When I got home and took a long nap, I went to Plate City for some trapbar deadlifting. Yeah, I am obssessed like that.

For the week, I

  cycled 18 miles,

  lifted weights four times,

  swam 4,716 meters, and

  ran 21.28 miles

That wasn't bad. It was a little short on cycling and swimming, but I am focusing on the run right now. I am registered for a full marathon in February and I hope to do a 50-mile ultra in March. Yeah, I'm bad like that. 

A Leisurely Pace

Tyler and I met at the pool at 5:45 a.m. We used to meet at that time and it was a bit light then. One could see the bottom of the pool. Yesterday, we stalled, waiting on some light and eventually I moved to the east wall because I could see better there. Normally I swim along the west wall. The days are getting way shorter and with all the clouds and rain, the water was pretty cool, I'd guess 79 or 80.

But that doesn't sound cold.

Crawl your hiney in there and see. Wednesday afternoon while Vicki and I were swimming, two women showed up who wanted to swim. They tried to get in and one said, "We can't take it. We're going over there," she said, pointing to the little pool. August and the water is cold in the Deep South. Go figure.

We didn't do much. I am not tapering, but Tyler has some aspirations of winning the Cyldsdale division at Saturday's Dragon Fly Tri. So we swam

  500 warm up

  3 X 100 hard

  200 cool down

  total: 1,000 meters

That was it: short, sweet, a little bit of intensity. Something Tyler can easily recover from and swim well Saturday. Me, I am just going to show up and do what I can do.

Thursday, our Friday, I have only writing classes. I taught those, did my office hours, and went home. After a nap, I went out for a run and went 3.13 miles. Then I went to Plate City and lifted, pull. 

Right now, I am drinking coffee and hanging out with CC. Maybe I will get up and do a short run. Maybe I won't. Penny and I have still not decided if we are driving up today and spending the night or getting up early. Since she never sleeps well when we travel, it might be more benficial for her if we get up early and drive up in the morning. I'll let you know what we decide. I like being in the postition of being able to make decisions at a leisurly pace. Thank you, Jesus.

Three Already

Wednesday I had a pretty good training day. After work, I met Vicki at the big pool. The water was a bit cool. Strange cool water in August. We swam

  600 13:10

  5 X 100 @ 3:00

  50 build

  150 easy

  total: 1,300 long course meters

That was a pretty nice practice. It was short, but the 100s were hard. They always are, especially long course.

At home, I rested some and then went for a run. I shuffled 4.73 miles. The legs were a tiny bit better than yesterday.

I rested some more before going to Plate City for workout number three. I did push, bench press, mainly off the pins like I did one day last week. I went a little heavier going up to 135 pounds. This is supposed to make one insanely strong. I will settle for sanely strong. We will see. 

So there you have it, three workouts in one day which is always the gold standard. I hope to keep turning these out for some super fitness which always leads to super fun. I need to have some fun, and I have the right hair color for it. Thank you for that, Jesus.

A Little More

I did a little more Tuesday than I did Monday but not a lot. First, I went to the pool where I felt lazy beyond measure. I swam

  125 messed with watch and cleared out

  1,225 24:45

  3 X 50 fast

  50 back

  total: 1,550 yards = 1,416 meters

That was not much of a practice, but it was better than a poke in the eye. I don't like pokes in the eye. After that, I went for a run and did 6.65 slow miles. My legs had no pep after yesterday's max squat day. The last time I tried this-- max squat on Monday and race on Saturday-- it was a colossal failure. So why try it again? In my mind, it should work. If it fails this time, then I will know. Maybe last time something else was the culprit. 

No, I did not go to the gym. I was too tired like that. I hope to do upper body today. Praise God.

A New PR

Monday has come and gone but the memories remain. What was so memorable? Not too much really. I went to work and worked long. Monday is my long day. I get off at 4:00. Ouch! Then I went home and took a nap. I know what you are asking and the answer is no, I did not get up and swim although I thought about it. Then I thought better of it.

After the nap, I went to Plate City. Since I am racing Saturday, I decided to work legs on Monday instead of my usual Wednesday. And while I was at it, I went ahead and maxed out. Why not? I mean a max day gives you some intensity, but the volume is really low, which lends itself to greater recovery.

I am not actually tapering for this race. This one is a train-through for me. But still, I don't want to be totally flat. So I set a PR on the squat. No, I am not answering that question. My squat numbers remain confidential, classified, and you don't qualify. Active members of Plate City Gym are privy to that and they are sworn to secrecy. But my squat PR is now three pounds heavier than it was, and for that I am happy. It feels good to grind under some weight. That is a skill. You have to do it to get better at it. 

So thank you, Jesus, for a good day. Maybe today can be more filled with quality trainiing. 

8/15 - 8/21

I had a week. They are all good when we are alive and healthy. Training wise it was good in some ways and in some ways not so much. It started Monday with a run which was all I could do all I was willing to do since I worked until 4:00 and then had Over 60s. I did 3.25 miles then ate way too much catfish. How could I not?

Tuesday I lifted weights (pull) and took a long run (8.55 miles). No, I did not get to the pool.

Wednesday, however, I did make it to the pool and swam 1,500 yards. In addition to that, I did push and legs at the gym and ran on the treamill between sets of squats. The running totaled 1.71 miles.

Thursday morning, Big T and I were in the pool for 1,900 long course meters. But that is all I did that day.

Friday, of course, is normally long-run day and this one was no different. I lounged late then ran long going for 12.68 miles. That with mowing the front lawn was all I wanted that day.

Saturday, I lifted some weights, spun on the stationary bicycle, and ran 1.31 miles on the treadmill to finish out the week. For this training cycle, I

  swam 3,271 meters,

  cycled 10:30 minutes,

  lifted weights three times, and 

  ran 27.5 miles

That was a really good week of running, but my swimming fell off the map. It's hard to get it all done. Still, overall it was one good training week. Thank you, Jesus.

Saturday

Saturday is always a special day. This time, Penny was out of town at a women's conference, and I was still tired from Friday's long run. I started the day, however, with breakfast at Acy's with my old friend Danny Collins. We get together from time to time, have breakfast and chat. I think I have told you before the Acy's has the best short order cooking around. Seriously, check them out.

After I got home, I loaded the truck and headed to Skene, Mississippi to take our grandson, Zane, his birthday gifts. He is into working out, and I made a couple of purchases recently through Facebook Market Place. I took him a bench, another barbell, and some weight plates. He is on his way to building a home gym.

Back home, I rested, ate lunch, and rested some more. Then I went to Plate City. There I lifted push and pull. I needed some leg work but I settled on two five minute rounds on the stationary bicycle and 1.31 miles on the treadmill. There were other things I could have done, but Penny was home by then so I went in and listened to her.

That was it. Fatigue had caught up with me, and it was time to relax. I am pretty good at relaxing. Praise God for that.

Enough

Thursday I did something different: nothing. That's right. I did not run, I did not swim, I did not lift. Wait, that's not right. I did swim. I met Tyler at the pool, and I swam 1,900 while he swam 2,000. We did a straight swim, but after 800 every third 50 was fast. Yeah, that was good training, and I felt it.

It was the rest of the day that I did nothing. Well, I went to work. But when I got home, I lounged and rested and thought about Friday. Why Friday? Friday is long run day. 

I had intended to be out early. But the coffee was very good, and I did not leave the house until I had drunk it all. Then I shuffled for 12.68 miles. It was not as hot as normal, but was 89 by the time I finished. Strange how that almost feels cool now. 

I explored the turnrows off of Wade Road and found at that there is no mystery out there. When you get to the river, sowbeans and weeds grow right to the tree line. That had been in my mind for a long time. I was hoping I could follow a turnrow all the way the Little Zion MB Church. You can't do it. Now I can put that to bed, mark that off my bucket list.

Later in the day, I mowed the front lawn. The run and the mow job were enough for me. I felt like I had done plenty and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening taking it easy. What? No eat out with the wife? No, she went to a women's conference with one of our church ladies. Wow, you could have run all night. I could have, but I wasn't gunna. Praise God for a good day.

The Center

In-class writing. That's what we are doing right now at the MDCC Greenwood Center. And talking. About food. We are going to miss the cooking school. They are moving them next year. They hate us here at Greenwood, but there is plenty of love for us here among the faculty, the staff, and the students.

I'm also eating candy. Sigh. How will I ever lose weight? I did swim today already. And this afternoon I have some gym stuff planned. I always have gym stuff planned. How can I not when I own the best gym in town?

Oh yeah, we are supposed to have ice-cream today. Yeah Buddy. Things are good at Greenwood.

Better than a Poke in the Eye

I didn't get around to posting yesterday. I was busy. When I wasn't, I was taking a nap. So there.

Tuesday, I lifted some-- pull. Usually I do not start the week with pulling, but since I only did three upper body workouts last week and two of those were pushing, I started this week with pulling. Then I went out for a run going 8.55 miles. Yeah.

Wednesday, I finally made it to the pool for the first time this week. I took it easy, trying to ease back into training and keep my shoulder happy. I swam

  1,350 27:28

  2 X 50 fast

  50 back

  total: 1,500 yards = 1,371 meters

Then I went to Plate City and did push and legs. On the pushing, I did pin presses on the bench. I did not go real heavy since this is a new movement for me.  My plan now is to rotate variations of the bench for three weeks (or four) in a row. The pin press is just one of those variations.

On the legs, I did my usual squat with treadmill running between sets. Before the squats, I did the hip abductor and adductor machine. Yeah, I'm bad like that.

So there you have it. I am off to a good start running, a fair start lifting, and a start swimming. At least it's better than a poke in the eye. Praise God.

Praise the Lord Anyway

Monday I tried to get the week started right but somehow I failed. I slept in instead of getting up and running or swimming. Then I went to work for my first day of classes for the fall '22 semester. I had to stay on campus until 4:00 p.m. Not only that, but we had Over 60s that night. That meant too much to eat and not enough training time.

What I did do was hurry home from school and go out for a run. It was hot, 98 with a heat index of 104. But what is that to me? I shuffled for 3.25 miles before I went home and took a shower. Then we went to our meeting. It was nice and as always the fish was ausgezeitnet. I think I spelled that right.

Well, that was it. No lifting and no swimming. Maybe today. Praise the Lord anyway.

8/8 - 8/13

Finally I'm really running. Really slow. But I am out there too stuborn to quit. Last week, I got the numbers I need on the road. In the water? Well, not so much. In the gym? Well, sort of. It went like this:

Monday I went back to work, 8:30 to 4:00 Monday through Friday. All I got done Monday was a run, but it was a pretty good one: 8.14 miles.

Tuesday I swam 1,100 meters, ran 2.02 miles, and lifted weights.

Wednesday I did the leg thing at Plate City. By leg thing I mean squats plus running on the treadmill. One set plus a short run. Another set plus a short run. A third set plus, well you get the picture. I have discovered that if I train this way I don't get nearly as sore and stiff as I do if I only squat. Plus I get my run in without leaving home. And since I don't have an American Express Card, that makes good sense.

Thursday I swam 1,600 meters before work. Also, I lifted and hit a new PR on the TB deadlift with a 275 pound pull. There is more there and I will get it pretty soon. On the road, I shuffled a short 1.37 miles.

By Friday I was pretty tired and it shows when reading the training diary. I swam 1,000 before work. After work, I took a nap and then took my wife out to eat.

Saturday, I mowed grass, lifted weights, and ran 11.49 miles. 

For the week, I

swam and mere 3,700 meters,

cycled narry a revolution,

skiergged not a single second,

lifted weights four times, and

ran 25.25 miles. 

The running was pretty good. The swimming was embarrassing, but my shoulder was acting up a little. I did some lifting, but everything else was Missing in Action. Sigh. Praise God anyway.

Full Day

After a couple of weeks, I got my lawn mower fixed. Praise God. That meant that Saturday I got to mow my lawn with my own mower. Delicious. Plate City opened at 11:00. Vicki worked on the Hip Abductor/Adductor machine and did deadlifts for her first time ever. I did some pushing with the idea that I would pull later in the day. That time never came. Also, I mowed the lawn, or the back and then after lunch the front.

Late, around 5:30, I went out for a shuffle. I ran 11.49 miles. It was a good run, slow but good. I zigged and zagged around town while it got a little later and then crossed the bridge around 6:20. Since there is no shade on Money Road (for most of it), I ran in town until I knew the sun would not overheat me. At 5:30, the sun is still hot. At 6:00, the sun is still hot. Around 6:30, the sun is warm. At 7:00 and on, the sun is not a problem. 

Already I am enjoying the fact that the days are a little bit shorter. Looking at the weather forecasts, the nightly lows are about to start hitting 71 which is down from 74 - 80 that we have had most of the summer. That means if you run early, it is a few degrees cooler and the sun comes up a few minutes later. With a summer like we have had, even changes that small are something to be rejoiced over.

No, I did not go back to the gym. It was late, and I was tired by the time I finished my 11 miles. That, plus the gym, plus study, plus mowing the lawn equaled a full and productive day. Thank you, Jesus.

I'm like That

I did my tour of duty Friday. Yeah, I worked until 4:00. Actually, I made it an effort not to walk out the door until two minutes after 4:00. I know what you are thinking: "Poor baby. Try getting a real job." I've had a real job. I'm not looking for another. I'm unambitous like that.

I did get up early and swim, but only went 1,000 meters. Why? My shoulder was hurting a little in a new spot. Huh? Yeah, I figured better sorry than safe so I tapped out and went home. Yeah, I'm wimpy like that.

At work, I published the rest of my courses in Canvas, watched some YouTube videos, and helped Katie decorate for next week. Yeah, I help out like that. I held the roll of tape for her while she put stuff on the wall. The Greenwood Center is going to be palace. We even have snacks. 

When I got off work, the plan was to take a run. But I lounged, grew comfortable, even napped some. Yeah, I am no good like that.

So I survived Hades Week one more time. Now I will try to establish my routine. I am not yet sure what it will be. Some classes may not make. My film class I like to do once per week, but that is contingent on all the students agreeing to that. I will not know what my new routine is at least until the end of next week. But my superiors wanted my door schedule yesterday. Better to do it twice than do it once. Be wrong. Wreck your day. Don't use common sense. Let someone else wreck things for you. Be a wimp like that. I am.   

Wouldn't It Be Nice?

It hurts my heart to work on Friday. God gave me the day off. 

Don't you mean Dr. Bailey?

No, I mean God. Several years back when I worked for the pest control company and went to school and pastored a church and raised a family, I had no time off. None. One day riding around in that little truck, I got to dreaming. Wouldn't it be nice to live close to where I work? I thought. Wouldn't it be nice to have some vacation time? Wouldn't it be nice to have more pay? Wouldn't it be nice to get off on Friday? Wouldn't it be nice to have insurance? Wouldn't it be nice to get off on Friday and off early on Thursday? Wouln't it be nice to have a retirement plan? Wouldn't it be nice to get off earlier everyday?

Fastforward a dozen years. One day God spoke to my heart and said, Remember that day when you were dreaming, "Wouldn't it be nice?"

Yeah, I remember that day. I remember exactly where I was when I was thinking that. I was on Montgomery Street in Greenwood driving north, slowly. 

Well I gave it to you, God said. And more.

He did. And when someone, anyone tries to take away what God gave me. They need to keep their voice low and their eyes pointed towards the floor.

Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Ghost.

Let It Come

Hades Week continues while I do my best to squeeze in some training. Thursday morning, I once more rose early and went to the pool. Normally I meet Tyler there early on Thursday, but this time he was out of pocket. Vicki showed up, but we didn't do any sets. I swam a straight 1,600 long course meters to get a good start on the day.

After work, I went the Plate City. Since I did upper body Tuesday and legs Wednesday, I didn't really need to lift, but Vicki wanted to work legs so I did some deadlifting and upgraded my platform. I pulled 275 pounds for a new PR.

When lifting was done, I went for a short run. By short, I mean 1.37 miles. Although the heat had dipped below 90, the dewpoint was 75 which meant just being at the City left me soaked in sweat. I am really beginning to lookforward to fall. Let it come, Lord Jesus, let it come.

Long Day, Short Post

Yesterday was a long day at the office. Sigh. Well, I got it done and went home. At the house, I went to Plate City. Oh, I forgot. I got up early and went to the pool, but while I was there, I saw three lightning flashes so I went home without swimming. Some people would have walked into the water and started swimming, but I don't take those kinds of chances.

Back to Plate City. I finally got the heavy bag mounted. So that plus the other changes have the world's best backyard gym more gooder and more gooder. It's really more gooder. I have added some stuff. I'll try to shoot a short video today.

At the gym, I did some pulling and of course, Wednesday is leg day. I did squats with runs on the treadmill between each set. I did a bunch of sets of squats and ran 2.18 miles. I worked hard and came up to within 12 pounds of my PR. Yeah, I am driven like that. Thank you, Jesus.

First Two Days

Monday we went back to work. This is always a bittersweet time for me. Especially this year because I taught Summer II and it was like I didn't have a summer (Yes, I know that is a sentence fragment. When an English teacher writes a sentence fragment, it has the effect of cursing without the sin). The week before classes start is basically a punishment week. We get punished for being teachers. Administrators think we desrve to be punished for the audacity of daring to teach. But it's OK, or as OK as I can make it. Monday was not so bad, and we even had ice-cream. I actually emailed our president and thanked him for that. 

Since we were tied up allday Monday, my training was truncated. I went out for a longish run of 8.14 miles. By the time I finished that, there was not much left of me so that's all I did.

Tuesday, however, I tried to get a jump on the day by getting up and hitting the pool before work. I swam 

  1,000

  2 X 50 build

  total: 1,100 long course meters

Why so little? My shoulder starting hurting. I stopped and stretched after the 1,000, and it did not hurt anymore. But I cut it short because I did not want to develop and full-blown injury.

Sigh.

After work, I went to Plate City to lift and do a little bit of treadmill running. I becnhed-- decline-- and shuffled a total of 2.1 miles. Yehaa. And I set a new PR on the seated dip machine. Yehaa again.

Anyway, I am on the job now. I will be working on publishing my Canvas courses and drinking coffee. Thank you, Jesus, for my job.

7/25 - 7/31 (Pitiful)

If my readers, all two of you, are wondering why I did not post my weekly roundup yesterday, it's because I worked all day Monday. Boy, I tell you, working almost eight hours is tough. I don't know how some people do it.

Last week, I started off with a 4,050-yard swim, a 7.92-mile run, and nothing at Plate City. Tuesday, I ran 4.2 miles, and swam 2,300 yards.

Wednesday I finally got back into the big pool before work for 1,100 long course meters. Also, I got back on the treadmill for 2.1 miles. And finally I hit the gym for a full-body workout.

Thursday, the crew met at Twin Rivers for 2,100 meters. After work, I ran 6.81 miles and hit the gym again. 

Friday, I swam 1,750 yards, ran a short 1.08 on the treadmill, and lifted weights at the world famous Plate City Gym.

Saturday, of course, we Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous. With my riding to and from, I totalled 62.82 miles. In the afternoon, I did a little playing around at Plate City, nothing serious, just some light weights.

For the week, I

rode 62.82 miles,

lifted weights four times,

swam 10,602 meters, and

ran 22.11 miles

That wasn't a bad week. My running numbers are coming up, and that marked my 6th 20+ mile week in a row. Really I should never go below 20 miles, but I went through a spell where I was only running eight to ten per week. Pitiful. The goal now is to build the running mileage up and to work on leg strength. At BBB, I got passed by 83 people going up the bridge north of Sidon. Pitiful. Pitiful. Pitiful. 

Gears and Guts (BBB 2022)

Forrest did not want me to sign him up for the Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous bicycle ride this year. He said he was too fat and too out of shape. Too bad. We always do it together, and I enjoy some father/son time. Anyway, I was registered for the 62 miler, and this year I knew about the start. Last year, we were a little late getting there and the announcer kept yelling about getting in the back. We did and got with the wrong group.

This time, I was determined to ride the long one. Tyler and I rode 55 miles for Quadrathon. That was June 2. July 1, I rode 35 miles. I had not been on my bicyle since. I had been running and lifting and swimming but no cycling. It showed, and it showed early.

Right away I was getting passed by everyone. And everyone out there thought they had to let everyone  else know they had ridden in a pace line before. It's customary to yell out stuff to alert all the riders to the dangers of the road. But these guys were getting on my nerves. They kept yelling, "Bump, bump, bump," to decibal levels that had to be heard to believed. They were behind me, beside me, in front of me, and maybe over me. "Bump, bump, bump!" They had me as nervouse as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

If I had had a pistol, I would have fired five shots into the air and yelled, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!" I never even saw the bump, bump, bump, but I heard about it until I was in a very foul mood.

And can't we get beyond this "Car up, car back," yell? I promise, I have never heard a cyclist yell, "Horse and buggy up" or "Dinasaur up" or "Elephant up." Can't we just say "up" or "back"?

OK. I'm through venting.

On Highway 49, going south out of Greenwood, I fell in with a pretty pace line, as pretty as I have seen. They started around me in single file and about fifteen riders passed before I saw a gap and slid over to take my place in the line. There were two lines, actually, side by side, and we were clipping along at 19+ miles per hour. I was in the inside line and a fat guy on a cheap bicyle was in the outside line. He wore running shoes, board shorts, and a pink long-sleeved dress shirt. I'm telling you, it's predictable. You will always see someone like this, someone who looks out of place but can ride with some good guys. 

I was riding along and I kept looking over at this guy thinking "Where did you come from?" Then he pulls out, almost to the center of Highway 49, and passes the whole line. THE. WHOLE. PACE. LINE!!! And he rode away and out of sight. 

I promise you, I am not making this up. It shocked me, stunned me, and hurt my feelings all at the same time. I was, in fact, so amazed that my jaw was on my chest and a bug flew into my mouth. Yuck!

That's the thing about endurance athletics: you have to be humble or you better stay at home.

Then I got dropped by that good pace line. I jumped on another and got dropped again. And it happened again. And again. And again.

That's when I knew I was in trouble. Just finishing this thing had to be the goal. I knew there was some misery waiting on me up ahead. But I have gears, I thought, and I have guts. Gears and guts and a little grace from God will get me to the end of this.

I made it to the first rest stop in Itta Bena still in pretty good shape. But I knew a whole lot of road was still up there waiting on me to come along, waiting like a lion in the long grass lurching for an antelope. While I was there, I put the lion in the long grass out of my mind and ate a fig newton and drank some pickle juice. Name another setting where you will drink pickle juice and thank the person who gave it to you.

I ran into Andy Lo at the Itta Bena rest stop

Leaving the rest stop, I pedaled gently and tried several times to catch some wheels. I caught several, but always watched them ride away after a few short minutes. We crossed Highway 82 where that accident happened a couple of years ago. Two highway patrol men were in the highway stopping the traffic. Thank you, Jesus.

We made the long road from Itta Bena to Schlater where there was rest stop number two. But things had changed since the last time I came this way. Formerly the stop was at a house. Now there is a fire department in downtown Schlater and the rest stop was there. The amazing thing was, the people working the rest stop thanked us for stopping. Wow.

Schlater rest stop

The road north of Schlater is where your training or lack thereof begins to really show. I was not feeling too bad, but I was riding slowly now and had teamed up with a woman from Memphis who was a newbie at BBB. Riding with someone is always easier than riding alone. We rode and chatted, and I painted a picture of Minter City that had her asking every few minutes how far was it. I showed her the road to Bugger Den. I showed her the Tailwater Recovery pond that I sometimes swim. And when we were in Minter City and she saw the bicycles and cars and blinking lights up ahead, she asked, "What's that?"

"That," I answered, "is heaven."

And it was. As usual, there were the tables of volunteers who will fill your bottle with ice and Gatorade. There was the welcome shade. And there was the little house out back full of food: pbjs, pimento and cheese sandwiches, cookies of every sort and shape, and grapes, lots of cold grapes. I saw Belva Pleasants. Sitting in a chair, she was ancient and glorious and seemed to be graciously enjoying the goodness her church rest stop was giving to so many people.

I lost Courtney, the woman I was riding with, but I found someone else, Mark Waldrop and his wife, Roberta. Mark and I used to train together, until he got a girlfriend and went off to college. This was the first time I had seen him in years. He now lives in New Albany, and at Minter City he offered to pull me all the way back to Greenwood. That is not an offer a wise man turns down. Nor a weak one. I know I was one of those; I like to think I was both.

My old training partner, Mark Waldrop

We left Minter City and began our journey towards Money, the last rest stop of the ride. Before we got to Highway 8, however, we came upon a women laid out on the pavement. Of course we stopped and tried to offer help. She had not crashed. She had not fallen out due to heat or exhaustion. She was prone due to stomach pains. After a few minutes, Mark's wife rode on to get a head start on us. The prone woman begged us and begged us to leave her and eventually we did when we saw the SAG vehicle approaching.

Mark and I made it to Money Road and somewhere along the way, a gap opened between our tires. I kept thinking he would notice, but he never did and eventually he pulled out of sight. I metephorically crawled into Money where I ate some more pickles, drank more pickle juice, and devoured a PayDay candy bar. And I found Mark again. "How are you, Zane?" he asked.

"Looking for a rope," was my response.

"A rope?"

"Yeah. To tie to your bike. I'm gunna need ya' going home."

Money rest stop. Notice the musician
 in the background.

We left riding slow. Even at the slow pace I was about to drop when Mark announced we were stopping at the chuch, Little Zion. There we dismounted and found some shade and sat and cooled. "Why are these hurting?" Roberta asked pointing to her quadraceps. 

"Because you have been using them for three and a half hours," I answered. Then I added, "Gears and guts. Gears and guts will get us home."

We started back, but when we approached the radio station, she was about to quit. She fell off pace, and I could see it in her face. "I can't make it," she said weakly.

"Gears and guts," I yelled. But she didn't understand. "Downshift." She was on an ancient ten-speed and had to reach for the shift lever. When she downshifted, I could see the difference in her expression. I dropped to ten miles per hour and she fell in on my wheel. We crossed the bridge. "Can you make it now?" I asked.

"I can make it," she said with a smile.

And we did. Mark, of course, was still strong. But Roberta and I were just happy it was over.

The finish of a long effort is always a wonderful thing. There is an end to the suffering. There is plenty to drink. There is food, and there is time to reflect. What did I learn? I learned that it is still worth it to get out and test yourself, to push yourself hard, to suffer a little. It makes you appreciate the comfort of your home and a little leisure. Thank you, Jesus, for another good experience.

The pace wasn't great, but hey

Hung Over

That big day, that day of running and swimming and lifting and mowing hit me pretty hard Friday. I had intended to do a big swim, but when I got to the pool, all I felt like was taking a nap. I was hung over from all the work and heat and activity. I swam

  1,650 32:45

  50 fast :43

  50 back

  total: 1,750

Later in the afternoon, I went to the gym. I did pull and a little bit of running on the treadmill. The little bit was 1.08 miles which brought my week's total to a little over 22 miles. 

And Simon started on Plate City. Huh? He is doing some work. Plate City is the gym that just keeps getting better.

I. Slept. Well.

It was last night, late, when I suddenly wondered, "Did I post yesterday?" I didn't. It was one heck of a full day, one that made me forget posting. So I will tell you about Wednesday and then yesterday, Thursday.

Wednesday was our last day of Summer II. I do admit that I was happy. Now I would get one extra day off before we go back to work Monday. Wow, what am I going to do with all of that time?

I met Vicki at the pool Wednesday morning. I did not have much planned, just a quick 1,000 or 1,100 in the big pool before heading off to school. The first thing I noticed when I drove up at 6:00 was how dark it was. Not dark but not as light as one would have thought. There is a site on the internet that gives the sunrise and sunset times for Greenwood, Mississippi. I find that fascinating. For instance, we lose 31 minutes of dayling in the month of July. Not only that, but slowly the loss of daylight increases each day until the winter solstice. I used the thing that the change in daylight picked up steam as the fall approach. Now I know that it actually does. Eventuall we will be losing about three minutes per day. Add that up for a couple of weeks and wham! out world has changed.

We swam, she 1,000 and me 1,100, and promtly left. I had to go administer exams, grade them, and average and turn in grades. I did all of that. But not before-- OK, I won't tell that, the part about the emails and phone calls way before grades were due and-- sigh.

So I came home, ate lunch, and rested. Then I went to Plate City where I did my leg workout interspersed with short shuffles on the treadmill. It was a solid session that saw me run 2.1 miles bringing my week's total up to 14.2. Yeah, trying to get ready fresh for Bikes, Blues[,] & Bayous and still get my 20 miles of running in is/had been no small feat. Looks like I might make it.

Thursday morning rolled around, and I was free. Sleep in? Not this time. I met Tyler and Vicki at the pool at 5:45. It was dark. We saw one of those monster bugs and T fished it out and killed it. God bless you, Tyler. Then we started our warmup set which was 800 straight. After that, we began the main set which was some 150s with a floating 50. What is a floating 50? you ask. It is a fast 50 that floats (moves throughout the reps as the set progresses). For instance, it went like this:

  150 first 50 fast

  150 second 50 fast

  150 third 50 fast

  150 first and last 25 fast (Tyler had to leave after this; V and I continued               with)

  150 first 75 fast

  150 last 75 fast

  400 cool down

  total: 2,100 meters

So what is the point of a floating 50? Cagri, our former Masters coach at DSU, taught it to me. Stangely, I then found it more difficult than doing the whole thing fast. Now I find it more difficult than doing the whole thing fast. It stresses the body in different ways. You have to recover from the fast swimming while swimming. And it gives you gears, the ability to speed up and slow down. That ability comes in handy sometime in triathlons. I have found myself behind a pod of swimmers that I wanted around, and I had the ability to pick it up and pass them and then not die once I got ahead.

What next? You guessed it: coffee and cats. For some reason, however, I forgot to post. Huh? Maybe it was due to the fact that our lawn mower arrived. I contacted my lawm mower mechanic and told him that I had to have it back. He picked it up last week when the starter mechanism messed up. He worked on it then and got it somewhat fixed but said it really needed a new part. I told him to take it on. Well, the part being late, our yard was about to get out of hand so I thought if it will work long enough for one mowing, he can fix it right when the part finally arrived.

Giddy with excitement, I went out to mow. I eagerly pulled the starter rope only to meet resistance and then the cord would not retract. Sigh. The mower is a Craftsman, and I have had really good service out of them in the past. This one has a 6.5 horsepower engine that I know will run at least a decade and a half. But this is the fourth time (or is it the sixth?) that I have had this issue with the three-year-old mower. I am beginning to think of buying something new. Life is not good when your lawn mower doesn't work.

By the way, my last Craftsman was a hand-me-down from my dad. He ran it for six years and gave it to me when he bought a new one. I ran it for five years and gave it to a young man in my church when I bought my current one. The young man came to me a few weeks later and asked, "Why did you give me that mower? There's nothing wrong with it."

At least there was Plate City where I went and did my first upper body workout of the week. Then Simon showed up. I had contacted him about some stuff around the house and at Plate City that I wanted done. Praise God, we are started. Plate City is always moving forward.

Around mid-afternoon I went out for a run. Bear in mind that I need to go easy Friday. Since I had 14.2, I wanted at least four, five would be better. Despite the tough workout Wednesday, my legs felt pretty good, and I not only got the four, I not only got the five, but I got six. Not only that, but I got 6.81 which gave me my 20 plus one. Yeeha. 

By then the yard was really bugging me so I contacted Forrest to see if I could borrow his mower. He said yes, but he was leaving home in 15 minutes. I changed my wet shirt and drove straight over. I mowed the yard, praise God, but when I was done, I was done. Think about it: I swam 2,100 meters, lifted weights, ran 6.81 miles, and mowed the lawn. 

I. Slept. Well.

Thank you, Jesus.

Decent, Slow, Decent

Tuesday was a really full day so I did not get to workout at Plate City. I could have, but I would be dead today if I had and today is a big one for me. I am givning exams and grading like my life depens on it. 

Sigh.

But it's almost over.

Summer school that is. Then I start back to work Monday.

Sigh.

Yesterday, I decided that the best way to get anything done was to run to the pool and back. So I ran 2.1 there (on very tired legs), then swam

  150

  100 (goggle issues)

  1,100 23:10

  400 for time 7:05 Huh!?!?!

  100 back

  150 for time 2:34 !?!?!?

  100 back

  50 fast :46

  150 easy

  total: 2,300 yards = 2,102 meters

My times were really slow. I was tired, but general fatigue does not always mean slow swimming. 

Sigh.

Anyway, I ran back home for another 2.1 miles giving me a decent swim and some decent running mixed with some slow swimming.

Boy Howdy!

Boy howdy, did I bust out a big one yesterday. After work and after lunch, I went to the pool. I like going in mid-afternoon because I have the place all to myself. There I swam

  3,800 1:15:13

  2 X 25 no breath

  2 X 25 one breath

  2 X 25 two breaths

  2 X 25 three breaths

  50 back

  total: 4,050 yards = 3,701 meters

The three breath rhythm felt good. I might try that next on some 50s. I am trying to do two things with those. One, I am trying to habituate my body to going into oxygen debt while still performing. Two, I am looking for the most efficient breathing pattern for racing a 50 free. Why? I race that twice per year in pool meets. I want to get better.

Yeah, I went home and rested. I went back out at 6:00. There was a little cloud cover so the 103 degree heat index felt really nice. Once over the bridge, I took my shirt off. It's amazing what a difference that makes. Out Wade Road was nice because it was quiet and the clouds with the sun peeking through here and there reminded me of the handiwork of God. Glorious.

I went 7.92 miles. Yeah, put those two together and you have real training. No, I did not make it to Plate City. Maybe today.

7/25 - 7/31

It was a good week: solid, full, productive. I started out by sleeping in Monday morning. Huh? Yeah, I just didn't get out of bed early, but I did run 6.11 miles that afternoon and lift weights that evening. So it was a successful day.

Tuesday I made it to the pool for 3,600 yards. On the road, I added 3.12 miles. I did not, however, make it to Plate City.

I did make it to Plate City Wednesday after first making it to the pool. In the pool, I put in 2,200 yards of quality work. In the gym, I did pull, legs, and some treadmill running for 1.6 more miles.

Thursday was big swim day. I hit the lanes for 3,850 yards. Also I hit the weights for some pushing and the treadmill for an additional 1.22 miles.

All I did Friday was shuffle and walk for 10.23 running and 3.0 walking. Saturday, I went to the gym for pulling then a squat/stationary bike/treamill circuit. That was different and should yeild a good training effect.

For the week, I

  swam 8,818 meters,

  Skiergged 4:30 minuters,

  cycled 25:00 minutes, 

  walked 3.25 miles,

  lifted weigths four times, and

  ran 23.99 miles

Is that good training? I'll answer for you. That's good training. Finally, the running numbers are coming up. This week will be tough because we have BBB Saturday  which will knock me out of a run plus I need a little bit of a taper. So my goal will be to just get 20 miles of running in and maybe I can have a good week in the water. Thank you, Jesus, for maybes. As long as we have maybes, we have hope.