Month: September 2020

It isn’t what you see…

Today’s Electoral Vote map:

A conservative friend saw that and said something about they “not knowing Texas.”

And THIS is one things conservatives really suck at: understanding that there are things beyond what they can actually see around them.
Yes, Trump won Texas in 2016 by 52.6 to 43.4 percent. BUT..as far as the map:

Clinton won
Dallas County 61.1
Travis County 66.3 (Austin)
Bexar County 54.5 (San Antonio)
El Paso County 69.1
Harris Count 54.2 (Houston)

You can see an interactive map here; and note that, as usual, the Democrats won the extreme southern part and Big Bend areas as well.

Show them that..and they’ll respond about the signs that THEY have seen. That there is a large world outside of that…just does not compute with them.

And sure, Trump leads in Texas; narrowly for now and in all likelihood, go on to hold that lead. But things change.

Check out the 1976 map: the Republican (Ford) won both California and Illinois and yet managed to lose the election anyway. That was when Jimmy Carter won; this was the last election I didn’t vote in (too young, by just a tiny bit)

Check out the 1992 map, just 16 years later:

A Democrat won Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Missouri..Louisiana and Arkansas. And..lost Virginia..a state that Obama and Clinton won.

Now forward to 2008, another 16 years later:


Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia long gone..not even close anymore.

So, what will 2020 bring? Which red states will “do a Virginia” and will any blue states do a “West Virginia” and become unreachable to us?

Journey

Not mine; I walked about 10K (about 6.4 miles) in 1:35; damned Garmin always shorts me in Bradley Park. Mild glute “sting” toward the end but nothing resembling the old pain.

But the journey was the one made by B: here she is at a 5K in 2009

And her today (albeit is slimmer pants)

The irony is that she was faster while heavier as, well, it WAS 11 years ago and she is at an age where slowdown happens at a rapid pace..more rapidly that it happens at my age..and that is pretty darned rapid.
But in September 1985, I ran a 23:00 5K..at 230 lb. Last year, I struggled to break 28 minutes..at 195 lb. Age matters. Other things do too, such as health, injury history, etc.

Early morning

Ok, the workout was nothing special; pull ups were mostly singles to triples until the final 4 sets of 5.
bench: 10 x 132 then I used “pause” at the bottom: 6 x 154, 5 x 159, 4 x 170, 2 x 176 this actually felt better in terms of activation
shoulder press: 3 sets of 10 x 83
rows: 3 sets of 10 x 60
trap bar squats (deficit) 10 x 134, 10 x 134, 10 x 156
push ups: 3 sets of 20
headstand
all took 80 minutes.

Scene

1/3 of the way through

I wasn’t terribly motivated but I did walk 11 miles in 3:00:14. It was the River, Goose loop, Ball field (port-o-potties), Glenn Oak, Prospect, finish via sort-of-Boredom via Broadway (lots of traffic!).

I felt a bit heavy legged. Glute pain: minimal that wen’t away.

Of interest: on the goose loop, I saw another walker who was trying to follow the planets. I directed her to the trail and the small trail past Glenn Oak; that sped me up slightly.

Second: I got some nods of approval from the “Trump supporter gray goatee crowd”..I didn’t understand it until I realized I was wearing a Memorial Salute 5K t-shirt: it was read and has a US flag on it.

I am feeling just a bit guilty relaxing a bit this weekend but, well, I am going to be ready for tomorrow.
Football wise, I saw Texas rally from 56-41 down late in the 4’th to beat Texas Tech in OT, then I saw the Bears rally from 26-10 down in the 4’th to win 30-26 vs. the Falcons. Yeah, this is TV, not in person. I didn’t feel safe going to the Colts vs. Jets. But…if COVID simmers down by March, maybe some ISU Redbird football at Hancock?

Last year’s star Redbird running back is starting for the Jaguars this season.

What is your “max” lift?

Wow…was it 4 weeks when I got 274 in the deadlift? I suppose it was.

Today: slept in, did some deads, and then walked 4 miles in 1:03 (easy)

deficit:
10 x 134
10 x 184
5 x 224
then:
4 x 254
5 x 244
Note: these were NO BOUNCE sets. Lower, pause, reset, go. But, hamstrings were quivering, and back was working (no pain; just work done by the muscles)

Now to the topic of the post: were someone to ask me “what can you deadlift”, how might I answer? My lifetime PB (415 in the gym) is of no consequence now. I did get 274 (low handles) a month ago, but that was ONE time…on an excellent, low-stress day.

My “on demand” best: oh, maybe 255-260? I did get 4 no-bounce reps with 254. Around 260 it gets “iffy”.

Progression:

August 5, 2019: managed a “handles up” hex dead 225 (1 rep)
August: typical sets were 4 x 175, 4 x 195 (handles up)
September: 4 x 205 head dead (handles up)
November: got 4 x 225 hex dead, handles DOWN
December: got 1 x 225 bar dead, then 4 x 225
December 20, 2019: got 1 x 230 bar deadlift
DEcember 25: got 1 x 233 bar deadlift (home)
Dec 27: got 1 x 235 dead
Dec 29: got 1 x 240 dead (bar)

2020
Jan 11: got 245 hex dead (handles down)
Jan 25: got 255, then 260 conventional dead
Feb 1: got 255, 260 Sumo, 6 x 233 conventional
Feb 8: got 266 conventional, 5 x 238 Sumo.
April 5, 5 x 244
April 18: 5 x 244

Gap for sore back: switched to low handle trap deads

May 23: 10 x 206
June 7: 10 x 217
June 20 1 x 250 trap
July 4: 10 x 222
August 1: 4 x 250 (trap, low handle)

Gap for Virtual ultra (24 hour)

August 22: 4 x 254 (trap..low handle)
August 29 1 x 274 (trap, low handle)

Since then:

Sep

Deficit: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 5 x 224
regular: 1 x 244 (grip slip)< 2 misses at 279 (barely got off of the ground..attitude wasn't right)
3 x 244, 3 x 244, 3 x 244

Sep

Deadlifts (low handle trap bar)
Deficit (standing on 10kg plates) 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 5 x 222 (used Rage 45 pumpers, old cast iron 44’s)
Floor (low handles still) 3 x 244 (tougher than I thought it should be), 1 x 255 (harder), 2 misses at 260 (didn’t have that “grind gear” past my knees)
Then: 10 x 222.

A week ago (too damned senile to remember..and I forgot to blog it)
I did

deficit:
10 x 134, 10 x 184, 1 x 224, 1 x 244, 1 x 254
Then I did 4 misses with 279, but I treated these as isometric exercises. I couldn’t even get 244 once after this.
5 x 224 finished me off. I kept it easy due to my virtual half marathon (3:34) the next day.

And I feel caught up..sort of

And no, being “caught up” won’t last that long. Currently, my shoulders are tight.

Workout notes: (post is below) Weights; usual warm up
pull ups: decent; lots of sets of 5, some broken singles, 55 reps total. sets of 5 felt good; even got one of 10
bench: garbage. 10 x 132, 4 x 176 (missed rep 5, thanks Spotter pins), 5 x 176 (hard), 3 x 181 (hard), 6 x 165 (wiped out)
rows: 3 sets of 10 x 60 single arm
shoulder presses: 10 x 88 (hard), 10 x 84 (easy), 10 x 84 (easy)
push ups: 60 in 3:40 (20, 20, 10, 10)
headstand

B walked and then, after work, takeout from Rudy’s

Politics
Here is the Cook Report state of the race:


Not that far off from what I have. But here, you get to play with demographics.

This is the “White, non-college graduate” vote. (only)

If only white college graduates voted.

If only non-whites voted.

THIS is why Trump sounds like he does.

And speaking of political advertising: note political marketing and, say, corporate marketing are very different things, in terms of the target audience.

Politicians know that people like me vote, but, well…I don’t exactly buy all that much anymore.

gads…

Work is becoming hectic but I need to break from the stuff. At least in some courses, I have reached a point of comfort and preparation, and I’ve learned some things.

Workout notes:

Love the sunrise.

pull ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, then broken singles, 5, 5, penalty set of 5 (55 reps)
bench press: 10 x 132, 9 x 165, 10 x 159.5
shoulder press: 3 sets of 10 x 88 seated (full reps)
one arm rows: 3 sets of 10 x 60 each arm.
deficit dead lifts (trap bar) 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 206 (full reps)
plank: 2:30
headstand

All that took about 75 minutes. Pull ups WERE better.