Danny January: Blog

It's been a while since I've done one but next Spring, I'll do it again, just for grins. I've done some pretty challenging races and that's what made it fun.
Years ago, I joined my friend in Southern California for a race up in Big Bear. Big Bear Lake is at 7,300 feet and that means oxygen is a bit harder to come by. Not a lot, but enough to make the race more challenging. When you're biking or running, you can breathe whenever you want to and as much as you want to. Swimming is different. Weaker swimmers and those who hadn't gotten up to altitude a couple of days early to acclimate to the altitude had a rough time with the swim. I usually came out very near the front of the pack.
It's good to be out in front for a triathlon swim. It means you don't have to worry about getting kicked in the face by the swimmer ahead of you. That's a huge plus. The bad news is, that you can expect to be passed by faster riders or runners than you for the rest of the race. Oh well.
My friend (Beach House) is a faster runner than me. He's a much faster runner than me. My goal when I did that race was to try to beat him and that meant I had to build up a lead. The first couple of races we did together, I was able to do that. Then he learned to swim. Oh well.
He came here for a race and it was glorious. We started with a 1.2 mile swim in the Savannah River. They time the race so you're swimming downstream and you can clock some ridiculous speeds. The bike is flat. When you live in the Lowcountry, there aren't a lot of hills to train on. The half marathon is just as flat - another plus. He has yet to catch me on that race, mostly because I've improved on the bike (and maybe a little because he's older than me).

You'll never guess what song goes through my head when I run a triathlon. Okay, you might guess.

I've had quite a few people ask about my gym. There are a lot of guys providing solid advice and it depends on your goals and your budget. My goals over the years have changed from preparing for competition to retaining strength and endurance (and a little competition).
There are only a few things that remain from my early gym. I've kept a lot of weight plates. They never go out of style. The same with Olympic barbells. For those of you that are inexplicably still curious. I had some especially good counsel in building this gym - an orthopedic surgeon who has helped teams from Atlanta to Boston develop their own gyms. I also had what most people would consider, an outrageous budget. Here's the key parts of my gym.

Rogue Monster Cave - this is the heart and sole of my gym. It's more than a power rack or cage. It has plenty of features, not the least of which are fully adjustable pulleys.

Rogue leg press.

Captain's chair - for abs, pull-ups, dips, etc.

Roman chair - back hyper extensions

Versaclimber and Concept 2 rowing machines for cardio.

Tons of free weights, both plates and fixed dumbbells.

Box jump - it's 40 years old but it still works.

And last but not least, motivational posters of Mike Mentzer and Rachel Mclish. They are still very motivational.

That's it, guys. Consistency is key. Jeff Cavalier from AthleanX is my go-to guy for advice on lifting (not diet) and he has youtube videos for everything. I recommend his worst to best videos.

For those of you wondering, Centerfield will have 23 chapters and conclude with the end of the school year.

The last chapter of Summertime was posted November 2022. That's almost 2 years ago. That's how long it has taken to write the next two chapters - one school year - and have them edited and reviewed.

Here's what goes into these chronicles. I write, then review and edit. I send the chapters off to a couple of great editors who edit. I review and accept edits. They go back to the editors for a second pass. Once the entire story has been written, edited, and reviewed, I post.

My editors and I really work to put out clean material, free from error. I still get input from readers and I welcome that. Those edits are generally pretty minor. However, I did have a comment from a reader, prompting me to look over the story and discover an entire chapter missing - Crashing the Prom. That was a pretty big deal.

I've started on "Tourist Season," which is the summer story. Once it's finished, I'll start the reviewing and editing process. It takes a while.

As always, I appreciate your comments and emails.

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene probably looks a bit different for horse owners than it does for other people. Quite a few horses have been rescued and there is a drive to provide hay and other necessities to feed horses. It's a massive undertaking, made so much more difficult because of impassable roads.

At the same time, horse owners, and mule owners, are bringing supplies to people. Horses and mules can go where cars and 4WD can't go. It's an interesting dynamic and one that I don't remember ever seeing before.

Horses and people alike, have been victims and heroes. We have few equestrian friends in NC but they have been busy and appreciate help. I have no idea when it will slow down.

There are a lot of scams popping up, and FEMA seems to be among the biggest, which is a shame. If you live nearby and would like to help, here's a link.

https://www.resort.tryon.com/press/hurricane-helene-update-october-2

Moderator - they need all kinds of help and aren't asking for money. I hope this is okay.

What is it that stirs up memories for you? Is it a place? Some people say it's smell. It has a special connection to our limbic system and maybe that's it.
All kinds of things can trigger memories for me. Music is pretty near the top of my list. All I need to do is put on The Rolling Stones album Tattoo You, or Emmylou Harris' Roses in the Snow and I'm right back in 1982.
It's hard to believe that Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Roxy Music's "Avalon", Prince's "1999", Toto IV, and Duran Duran's "Rio" all came out that long ago.
What brings back your memories?