It was supposed to be a great day and was until it wasn’t.

Highland Park happened.

Another mass killing and casualty tragedy, done by someone armed with a semi-automatic weapon and a large-capacity magazine. It doesn’t really matter which model, there are several besides the AR-15. During the videos I have seen of the shootings, there was little doubt that it was a semi-automatic weapon.

At some point “thoughts and prayers” stop meaning anything.

At what point will that be?

I have a feeling that it will be a while longer, if ever.

After all, it will never happen here, wherever here is…until it does.

A scary world we live in today – indeed.

I have a feeling that the next book on my reading list will be re-reading “Left of Bang”. Along with re-watching a few YouTube videos on situational awareness to remind me of things to be more aware of when I am in public. This is something that with the way things are today, we all need to be doing more of.

It is so sad that we do need to think this way.

Yeah, getting back to working out yesterday. I had this mostly written, but the events of the day just took the wind out of my sails and I didn’t feel like writing about my inane attempts to get back in shape.

A day late and a dollar short, but here it is.

Today’s thoughts

A gorgeous start to the day, with temps at 55F and no wind. It made me wish I could go over to Winthrop this morning and do the race. I miss racing, hell let’s be honest I miss simply running. I have a feeling that even with COVID lingering around if the knee wasn’t messed up I would be racing this summer.

So, in a way, it is probably just as well that I can’t. There are too many things being left unsaid by the experts and the political/or popular pressure to just let people do what they want has won the day. I hope that it doesn’t come back to bite us square in the arse at some point. I have a feeling that the worst of the pandemic is going to hit this year and that there will be a variant that will be both highly transmissible and deadly, that also evades the vaccination program. I hope I am wrong, but I have a bad feeling about what I am seeing as someone who doesn’t have a clue, but notices that things ain’t quite what they seem at times.

Planned Workout Description 

 No morning step ladder routine on Sam’s Club mornings, which is a nice break. This morning I will change things up a little and not do a walk before I do my weight routine. When I finish the weights, I will do 20-30 minutes on the elliptical. It mimics running better than walking and I do work up a sweat, which I need this morning.

Actual Work 

Weight: 162

Weights — A combination of machine and barbell

• Hammer time ~ 100 – pounding on a tire with a 3 lb hammer
• Machine Bench Press 3 x 10 @74
• Seated Overhead Press 3 x 10 @36
• Bench press 3 x 10 @36
• Hammerhead curls 3 x 6 @36
• Bicep Curls 3 x 10 @36
• Machine Rows 3 x 10 @110
• Machine Backdowns 3 x 10 @110
• Machine Finger Hold 3:30 @ 110
• Hamstring Curls 3 x 10 @50
• Leg Extensions 3 x 10 @50
• Crunches 3 x 20 reps

Legs — I did the morning step routine after the weight work this morning. I had a little extra spring in my step and energy, so I thought why not do it.

• Single-Leg Eccentric Calf Drops – 1 set of 20
• Single-Leg Calf Raises – 1 set of 20
• Double Leg Calf Raises – 1 set of 20
• Double Leg Calf Stretch – 1 set for 3:00
• Single leg balance – 1 set for 60 seconds

Elliptical

Distance: 3.88

Time: 20:00

Comments: I was tired and the knee a bit sore after doing the weights and leg session. Initially, I set the timer for 30 minutes, but at about 10:00 I knew that 20 would be more than enough. The knee was starting to get a bit sorer than I wanted and doing that amount of time after everything else was enough.

Shoes: On Cloudmonster

My workout was one of the better days I have had lately. No, the left knee didn’t miraculously heal, but I had more mental horsepower to challenge myself to do more than I have been. Reading “Do Hard Things” by Steve Magness is helping.