The Buddy Bones Money Road Marathon

It's been a few weeks since Buddy and I did an adventure run. Friday, October 23, we didn't do one then either, but we did do a marathon. I figured I needed a full marathon distance at least once before The Great Noxapater Journey Run which is rapidly approaching. After this week, I have two more weeks of heavy training and then a two week taper period before I plan to launch on Thursday afternoon, November 19th. Since I was in save time mode, I decided not to make the drive to Carroll County, but launched instead from my front door, giving me more coffee and cat time before the long physical effort. Luvie loves Friday, and I hate leaving him before I give him enough affection to make him happy.

The weather was pretty much perfect, a tad warm, but I had rather have that than too cool anytime. The temp peaked at 83, but with a dew point of 62, an overcast sky coupled with a steady breeze, I felt as good as James Brown all day. Almost. I began with the idea of a three to one ratio, that is running three miles and walking one. I did this because I am not in full marathon condition yet and during the journey run I will need the physical and mental ability to start back running over and over after the legs have long lost their vigor.

As usual, a slow and steady decline marked my progress as I shuffled to Money, Mississippi and beyond by several miles, then turned and made my way back home. On the way, with the wind to my back, my shirt soaked with perspiration and I often daubed sweat off my face with a handkerchief. When I made the turn around at 13.15 miles and faced the wind, my shirt dried and my handkerchief stayed in my pocked. 

Ambulating home, I enjoyed the wind blowing leaves off the trees which are just now showing some real fall color. I stopped in Money long enough to snap some photos and pit stop at the fire department where I ate a Snickers, refilled my hydration pack, and lay down for a few minutes. 

The breakdown of the shuffle/hike went like this:
run- 3.02
walk- 1.0
run- 3.03
walk- 1.0
run- 3.11
walk- 1.0
run- 3.31
walk- 2.0
run- 3.36
walk- 1.0
run- 1.25
walk- 1.0
run- 2.27
total: 26.22 in  5:55:37 @13:33.

Not good, but not too bad for an old man out by himself. I did a marathon and no traffic was diverted, nobody had to give up a day volunteering, and no race director lost a year of life due to stress. And to make it all even better, I did not pay an entry fee. That's a win win; Buddy and I will do it again.

The Buddy Bones New Year's Eve Fun Run

Me n Buddy left the house at 2:38 pm heading out into a clear but cold New Year’s Eve Day. We crossed the Yazoo River on the Highway 82 bridge, the first leg of a circuitous journey to Penny’s dad’s where we had an appointment with a steak and a movie. Over the bridge and down the highway a bit, we turned south headed out into what was once the Industrial Park. There are still some nice roads out that way but no industry as far as I can tell. Hey, you know I don’t talk politics and I thought Ross Perot was a kook, but nobody ever did admit he was right about that “giant sucking sound heading south.” Maybe it would have happened anyway, but he said it would happen if . . . and if happened and so did the sucking sound. I heard it right here in Greenwood, Mississippi.

We walked early because yesterday we did leg presses and ran 8.08 miles. Like usual, we shuffled and walked our way to Highway 49 south of Greenwood, but this time instead of continuing our southward journey, we hopped atop the Pelucua Creek Levee where it crosses 49. Just recently, we ran Pelucia Creek from the hills west to Humphrey Highway. Now we were running east from 49 to Humphrey Highway and like last time, we were in new territory. I had never been here; I’m not sure about Buddy ’cause he don’t talk much.

A few miles out the levee and we saw at least seven deer and they played like rabbits in the spring time. I thought about how pretty they were and how they add beauty and wonder to the earth. We saw woods. We saw water. We saw fields. It was all lovely.


Deer on the levee

When we made our way to Humphrey Highway, we were 10.75 miles into our journey. It is eight miles to the same spot coming a more direct route from town. It was also getting pretty late in the day and my slow pace was getting slower. Once more, we were going to get caught in the dark. I debated long about which road to take into the hills. Up the paved hill feels safer in the dark but adds about two miles to the journey. At my fatigue level that wasn’t appealing. Up the gravel hill is more direct but takes us through some spooky woods where I saw a large cougar in April of 2008. I can’t get that out of my mind and when it gets dark it’s like I feel his eyes on the back of my neck. We aren’t supposed to have cougars here, and if you report one you will be treated with the same kind of contempt you get for sighting a Bigfoot. So I don’t say much about it. I told it to a fellow teacher once, and he went ballistic on me. Wow!! Like I make stuff up.

Me n Buddy turned onto the gravel road and headed for the cougar woods. I was not afraid while we shuffled along in the dark, but I figured I would become so as we closed the distance. What happened instead was a text from my wife asking me if I wanted her to come get me. “Darn tootin!” was my reply. She picked us up at 14.46 miles before we got to the spooky part. Crises averted. One crises.

Just before we got to Hillbilly Heaven, we were forced to stop due to a truck parked dead in the road. Penny said, “What’s going on here.” Then she saw it, a deer lying in the gravel, and when the animal moved she burst into tears. I got out and the young woman, whom we knew, asked me to finish the deer off. All I had was my folding knife that I carry to protect myself from coyotes. I managed to get Penny’s truck around the poor creature so she wouldn’t see what came next.

I know three men, lifelong hunters, who stopped hunting after they had to kill a deer with a knife. I stopped hunting several years ago, in part, because I just didn’t want to hurt things anymore. Let me tell you, killing a deer with a knife is not easy, physically or emotionally. It was not the most unpleasant thing I ever did but it ranks in the top two.

Then we went to the house and tried to make merry when all I wanted to do was go alone into the woods and weep.

The Buddy Bones Turkey Butt Marathon

After falling off the wagon with some deep fried turkey butt on Christmas day, Buddy Bones and I knew we had to hit the road for some serious mileage. We had another eating to attend for the evening of December 26^th, my brother-in-law’s birthday party. So Buddy and I planned to leave the house around 11:00 am and make a long circuitous route to Carroll County. I lifted weights in the morning and got delayed resulting in skipped lunch and leaving an hour late. What could possibly go wrong?

We hit the road at 12:00 pm, crossed the Yazoo River, and headed out Grenada Blvd. As usual the boulevard was heavily trafficked and not a pleasant place to run. When we made it to Highway 7, we crossed over onto Grenada Blvd Extended and had a pleasant mile and a half until we had to get back on the highway. But we only had a half mile or less before we got on the Big Sand Creek Levee and headed east for the Carroll County hills. By then, I already knew it was going to be a tough day. My legs were tiring and we had a long, long way to go.

When we got on the levee, we were fewer than five miles from my front door and were seeing something totally new for us. I had never run, walked, or driven here before and that gave me a thrill. We crossed a couple of gates that made me a little uneasy. Eventually we could see some hunter orange way up ahead on top of the levee. Since I am nearsighted and don’t wear glasses, I couldn’t tell what it was until I was very close. It was a hunter.

We chatted a little and he must have said five times that he had never seen anyone run this levee top. I do a lot of things no one else around here does, especially since I started hanging out with Buddy Bones. I don’t know why I didn’t remember his name. He said he was the land owner and lived in Greenwood. I went on ahead and as I was nearing the end of the levee at the hill line, a truck came up from behind and stopped. He was also nice and I remembered his name, but told me it wasn’t a good idea to be running out. “We’ve had a lot of trouble in this area,” Justin Acey said. “I lot of people are going to be looking at you.”  I told him I was trying to get to that little road that ran along the foot of the hills to Highway 82. He pointed out a turn row I could have taken or the railroad tracks up ahead. We chose the tracks.

The abandoned C&G Railway line was grown up so thick we had to walk the ditch beside it, but we found the little road and started shuffling towards 82. We crossed the highway and headed towards Pelucia Creek and got on the levee there and headed west towards Humphrey Highway. Once more, when we got on the levee, we were in brand new territory and we ran and walked and walked and ran until we made the highway a little under six miles later.

On Humphrey Highway we headed south back towards the hills again. I was really tired now and was walking a lot. It was getting late. The birthday party was to start at 6:00, and I didn’t think we would make it. Surprisingly, I was able to shuffle up the big hill, a difficult feat even with fresh legs. It was dark now and once on top, it began to rain on us. I was ill-equipped for rain and the temp was dropping fast. That’s when my father and brother-in-law drove up. Buddy and I tapped out. We had only covered 23.5 miles, but we had fun, ran off some turkey butt, and saw some new territory. For us, that’s what it’s all about.

 

The time was terrible, but we had a good time.

 

The Buddy Bones Tanglefoot Trail Marathon

A bright sun was lighting up a blue sky when me n Buddy Bones drove away from 333 West Monroe Avenue Tuesday morning December 16th. The excitement was palpable as the long awaited Buddy Bones Tanglefoot Trail Marathon was only a couple of hours away in driving distance and time.

Since I meet Buddy and started training with him, my running has taken a definite upturn. He is so easy to get along with, only talks when talked to, and is ever up for whatever I want to do. A perfect friend and training partner. Of course, I have John for the pool swimming and weightlifting, but for running, Buddy is the man.

We drove up to the Whistle Stop in Algoma about 10:00 am and were thankful for a place to park and use the bathroom before starting. Somewhere around 10:20 we were off with plans to go 13.11 one way and turn around. We headed north into what was for us unknown territory. The air was a brisk 48 degrees with a light wind blowing into our faces. A few birds chirped and occasionally the wind whisltled through the pines, but mostly the day was silent save for our footfalls and breathing sounds.
Despite the fact that it was a weekday and a winter one, we saw several cyclists, a few walkers, and a couple of runners. But pretty much we were alone the whole way.

We saw some lovley woods, a beaver pond, a shooting house, and bean fields. We crossed over a highway, ran past some ball fields, and saw houses hidden in the woods. Occasionally we crossed a road, until we came into Pontotoc. It took a long time to get through and out of that town. Oddly, there was no Whistle Stop there. There were signs on the Tanglefoot with arrows pointing into town announcing bathrooms and food, but nothing on the trail itself.

Finally north of Pontotoc, we were in the country once more. As we approached the thirteen mile mark, I could see up in the distance what looked like and proved to be a Whistle Stop. When we got there, 13.85 miles from Algoma, the sign on the building read Ecru.

When we made the turn and headed back south towards Algoma, I was surprised at the level of my fatigue. I had been hoping to hold up better on this one that the last two. For this one, I set out shuffling 3.25, shifting into marathon goal pace (9:30) for a mile, and then walking for a half mile. I only did two 9:30 miles before my legs just didn't have it in them anymore. On the way back it was all slow shuffling and some walking. The first Buddy Bones Marathon I finished in 5:57. I know that is pathetically slow, but bear in mind, except for Buddy, I am alone and I have to run the marathon as well as work the aide stations. The second Buddy Bones Marathon I did in 5:33. I was hoping to break 5:30 today.
By the time we had made it back through Pontotoc, somewhere around seventeen or eighteen miles, it was looking like I was going to have to ditch my run/walk strategy and shuffle all the way in. I walked one solid mile through town and when I started back, I determined to shuffle all the way to 26.2 and that is what I did although my pace kept getting slower and slower. 

We finished in 5:21 a new Buddy Bones world record. The drive home in the dark was tiring and when we finally made it and got out of the truck, I discovered I was the Tin Man. It felt like all my joints were rusted solid. Seriously, I could barely walk at all. Nothing hurt. I was just so still I could hardly move. Muscles and joints both had rusted everything shut while I drove home. But I did get inside, spent some time with Luvie, took a bath, and slept well.

Buddy wants to do another marathon next week. Stay tuned.

Poor Buddy Bones

Thursday ended my last day of regular classes at work for this semester. What lies ahead is the chaos of exam week. Then I think I will be off a little, but I am not sure. I did a very short run, 2.25 miles, and then went to DSU. Things are not sounding well there either. The Mad Swimming Scientist is talking about the pool being closed for several weeks during the break. Are you kidding me? I guess I will have to get my wetsuit and go to the pond if I want to maintain even a modicum of swim fitness.

Last night my muscles felt a lot better in the water. I got 1,300 in before we started the main set. This time I warmed up and my muscles relaxed and felt ready to go. We did 8 X 200 with a floating fast 50 in the first four. We rested :20 after each. Coach gave us the option of repeating that pattern for the next four or start with a fast 50 and add a 50 on each rep until we finished with a full 200 all out. I chose the more difficult option and was rewarded with some heavy breathing and hard heat beating, but my muscles felt good. What a difference a day makes. Tuesdays swim and Wednesday's weights tuned up my upper body muscles. I swear, I can get results in a single swim practice. Running is just not like that. After the 200s, I swam an easy 200 while my teammates finished up. Then it was 50 swim/50 back kick until we did 400. We did this with fins which means I got my butt handed to me. After that we did a hard 200 with fins. As usual, I go from dominator to dominated when fins are involved. That was the end of practice, and I cooled down with an easy 550 with small paddles. Total: 4,200 yards.

Me 'n Buddy Bones had big ideas for today, Friday, but they had to be cancelled. I'll spare you the details, and yes I am groaning a little. It it just the one day of the week that I often get to play as long as I want to. I still remember the joy I had when I was in the first grade and Mom dropped me off at Rob White's house and said I could play for an hour. An hour! The freedom and joy I felt that day as the world's greatest mom drove away leaving me free for an hour was addicting. An hour, a whole hour! I have been trying to recapture, recreate that feeling ever since. Sometimes I get it, and I always cherish it when it happens like a newborn baby that needs feeding and hugging and protecting. It is precious and should be defended, fought for at all costs. I sometimes get this freedom and joy when I do a long, long run or swim or bike ride, and don't have to worry about the time, to get back and take care of some sort of business. Me 'n Buddy Bones got it twice recently. It was super. But not today.

The Buddy Bones Bridge Marathon

Oops, we did it again. Me 'n Buddy Bones, for the second time in five days, ran a marathon. That Buddy is one heck of a running dude and his imagination and lust for adventure matches my own. Now that I have a training buddy to run with, there is no telling what I might accomplish or how much fun I might have. Let the games begin.

The bridge between Greeenwood and Sidon

Wednesday morning I knew when we left the house that 26.2 was the goal, and we left about the same time as we did five days ago, 9:45 am. Originally we had planned to drive to the Tanglefoot Trail and run there, but sometime during the night before or early morning, I woke up and remembered that my inspection sticker was very expired. I will get a ticket for sure, I thought, so I began to scheme on Plan B.

Plan B turned out to be a lot like the Buddy Bones River Marathon. We shuffled to Highway 82 and like last time we crossed the bridge headed south and went out into the inustrial park. When we got to the old Highway 49, however, instead of running straight out as far as you can to the levee, we took the little side road to the new highway and ran over the Pelucia Creek Bridge and then ventured into Malouf Trailer Park which led us back to the old 49. This was my third time running this stretch of road and I liked it. When we exited the old highway half was between Greewood and Sidon and went west over the Yazoo River Bridge, we were on roads I had never run. I like that.

The only irritable thing of the day was the wind which I had to battle all the way from Greenwood. We crossed the bridge at 8.65 miles and when we turned north, finally we had the strong wind to our backs. I changed the run/walk pattern to 4.0/.65. When we started back running north of the river bridge, our pace was the fastest we had run all day. I was starting to get stoked about beating last week's time.

Finally in the country

Basically, from crossing the bridge until we got back to Greenwood, we followed the river along a lonely gravel road. At one point, the river became the French Bend Cutoff and then the Yazoo River again, but we were always beside a body of water. When we crossed over the bridge at Fort Pemberton and entered the island of north Greenwood, I saw we were going to have to do some additions to get our 26.2 in, so we went behind Walmart, out John Pittman Drive and crossed the Tallahatchie River and ran out Wade Road and then back into Greenwood and to the house.

We beat our first marathon by twenty-three minutes then decided to cool down for a total of twenty-seven miles. Inside, the cats stalked me knowing I was about to crash. When I did crash, they crashed with me and we had us one heck of a nice nap.

The Buddy Bones River Marathon

Friday was a very enjoyable and exciting day. I left the house on an adventure run and wound up running a whole official marathon. Even more surprising was I won! It was the dangdest thing. Let me tell you about it.

A prison off in the distance

Me 'n my new friend, Buddy Bones, hatched a plot to do an adventure run Friday, November 21. We left the house at 9:47 a.m., and I was loaded down with two packs, 68 ounces of Gatorade, four gels, and a few other edibles. Buddy doesn't eat or drink so he was travelling light. We headed for the Greenwood, Mississippi Industrial Park and when we got out there, the traffic fell off and although there were buildings in sight, on our right the land opened up into vast tracks of farmland. Way off in the distance I could see the tree line that marked the river where we dreamed we might be running in an hour or two.

The plan was loose but we thought we would run out 49 and get on the creek levee and run it to the river levee. We got on the old Highway 49, and when it came time to turn to go out to the new highway, we decided to stay on the old road and go straight to the river levee. That would cut out the highway, which I have never been fond of running, and the creek levee, which looked like it might be a little rough on top.

We got to the Yazoo River levee at 5.45 miles, and on top the surface was flat, lightly gravelled and soft. Perfect. I had never been here and that made it all the more gooder. We started shuffling north, back towards town, but the river makes a huge loop west, and I didn't know how far it would be to get back to town. in a mile or two we made it to the pumping station. I had been here, way back in 1971 when I started hanging out with the Pine Street Gang. At the station, I sat down and taped up the fourth toe on my left foot. It was still a bit sore from last Thursday's run and I knew if I did not attend to it early, it would get bad. After the kinesio tape job, I felt it no more.

Just onto River Road Extended.

Running the levee was nice. Every now and then we shuffled past a patch of woods that made me think of my .22 rifle. Sometimes we could see the river. Sometimes not. Eventually, about ten miles in, we made to to an giant old house at a place where two gravel roads met. I thought about getting off on the roads but decided to stay on the levee. Bad choice. The road on top of the levee disappeared and in its place was tall grass, uneven dirt. and armadillo holes every foot or two. It was a wonderful place to twist an ankle or even break a leg. Luckily after only a hundred meters or so, we came upon the C & G Railroad line which gave us a chance to follow the tracks back to the gravel road.

From the road, we could see the end of River Road Extended way off in the distance. Between us and it were wide open harvested cotton fields and clear air. I felt free. I didn't ask Buddy how he felt. I guess I like him a lot because we don't need to talk to stay friends.

Eventually we made it there and were headed back into town. River Road Extended is a very pretty street lined one house deep with giant old mansions on its south side with the Yazoo River on its north. Decades old oak trees provide and peaceful shade and a family cemetery in one yard reminded me of the vast local history that most of us never know. The road led us to the Yazoo River Bridge on Highway 82 which we crossed at thirteen miles into our journey and then turned left on the levee road of West Claiborne Extended. We were still running the levee only we were on the other sided of the river now headed west instead of east.

The levee road on the Tallahatchie.

After a couple of miles, West Claiborne Extended ends and one has to get on Highway 82 or turn on the frontage road. We crossed the highway and got on another levee road but this one was on the Tallahatchie River not the Yazoo. At this point we took a long walk, a bit over a mile, to take in some calories and fluids. This levee road ends in a field which we had to negotiate through mud and tractor tracks until we made it to  the levee road off Riverside Drive where we re-entered Greenwood this time on the north side of town. We shuffled Riverside Drive to Grand Blvd and then crossed the Tallahatchie Bridge. After crossing the bridge we ran out Wade Road  and then turned north onto a turnrow which we followed back to Money Road. At Money Road we were nearing nineteen miles so we headed north to get some more distance.

We turned back towards town when we were far enough from home to finish with about twenty-three miles, but when we got to the foot of the bridge, Buddy said, "Let's run out here a bit," as he turned left onto the gravel road. When we did get back into town, we were only one block south of Bankston School when Buddy spoke up again. "Let's run this way," he said turning off the boulevard.

"You know we are doing a full marathon," he added.


At the trail head and back on the river.

"I was beginning to suspect that," I answered.

"Not only are we running a full marathon, we are doing an official one."

We shuffled along in silence for a while. Then I said, "An official marathon has to have a name."

A minute or two later he said, "The Buddy Bones Marathon. Or the Buddy Bones Yazoo River Levee Marathon. Or the Buddy Bones Yazoo and Tallahatchie Self-supported Levee Marathon."

We were on Lidell Street now and our distance was approaching twenty-four miles. Then Buddy added, "You know you are in the lead?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How many are back there?" I said referring to the runners behind us.

"Tens," he answered.

I gave him a look.

"Dozens."

I gave him another look.

"At least a hundred."

That made me happy. In fact, I almost cried.

When we got to East Monroe, I knew we were seven tenths of a mile from home so we kept heading south, and I did the math in my head as we got further and farther from home. We made to to the Yazoo River levee, got on top, and then I saw it, the entrance to the Yazoo River Trail. It ain't much, only about a half a mile, but it is a nice trail, and I love to run it so we did. I stopped to pee when we were just inside the trail. The air was cool and the tree leaves fell in the autumn breeze. I felt great. I was running a marathon and about to win it. Then I remembered. "How close are they?" I asked Buddy.

"They stopped to pee too," he told me.

Then we started back shuffling. My legs were very tired but I was very happy. We made twenty-five miles while still in the woods. I knew we were a mile from home at the bridge so we were going to be a little long. "What about that?" I asked Buddy.

"Don't worry. We will stop at 26.2 and take a picture of your watch. From there we just walk home."

The time may have been slow, but it was
good enough for first place.

So we did. We took the picture at 26.22 and then walked the .17 mile to the house. When I stooped to pick the newspaper up out of the driveway, I audibly grunted. I was stiff, so stiff it was like I was bones or something. Then I went inside, drank a recovery shake, and talked to the cats.

Not Posting Today

I usually post on Friday morning but not this time. First, I am in a bit of a hurry with some special plans to go out a play all day. I have a new friend, Buddy Bones, and he vows he can run as far as I can, as fast as I can, and do anything else I can. I want to see for myself if he is telling the truth. Second, the cats, instead of being on the bed with me (which always slows me down) are tearing the house up. I feel so left out.

So I thought I would tell you why I'm not posting. Tomorrow I will most likely do a write up of me 'n Buddy's exploits. Heck, I don't even know where we are going. I have a couple of ideas. One thing is for sure: it will be long.

While I am not talking to you, I might as well not tell you what we did at Masters last night. First off, I went by the Lehrton Cemetery. This was not my first or second or tenth stop, but it was my first stop since Dad's headstone has been installed. I never dreamed I would be stopping by Dad's grave on the way to DSU, never thinking he would be buried in Lehrton, but that is the way things have turned out. Now I have more incentive than ever to go that way, with the grave, grandchildren, the granddogs, and the pool. I got in 1,050 warm up before Cagri stopped us for the main set. It went something like this: sixteen 50s then two 50s; twelve 50s then two 50s; eight 50s then two 50s; four 50s then two 50s. Are you confused? Good. I sure was.

Me 'n my new friend, Buddy Bones.

We were to do the large number of 50s @ 1:00 and then two 50s @ :50. What could possibly go wrong counting that set? I was sure I could never get it right so I asked Mark if he could keep up with the numbers. He was confident he could. Turned out he couldn't, not the @ :50s. That confused him terribly and we reverted to @ 1:00 after the two 50s. That's a whole lot of 50s and if you can keep all of that straight, don't tell me about because you are not my friend anymore. Mark and I didn't have much time to argue about it at the wall and when we tried we missed a couple of intervals because the turn around was so quick. Finally, I convinced him to actually swim the two 50s @ :50 after the group of eight 50s. We did, but he got confused on when to start the second of the two 50s. Then he miscounted and started the set of four 50s one early. He did believe me when I told him so we swam all our 50s. I think. To make a short story long, we swam forty-eight 50s, more or less, on various sendoffs. A few of them we even got right. I think. That was the end of practice, but I swam another 650 with small paddles for a total of 4,100 yards.