On the motion of celestial bodies and my own body

As the eclipse was moving across the greater Memphis area on Monday I was out on the Mississippi River.  This area was not in the path of totality, but the moon was to block 93 to 94 percent of the sun's rays, the closest thing to a total eclipse I've ever seen.  I put my Go Pro camera on the boat and aimed it high enough (I thought) to capture the sun in the sky.  I wasn't expecting any photographic miracles from a Go Pro camera, but I was hoping that with the shutter clicking every ten seconds, I might get something interesting.

Well, that endeavor was basically a bust, as it turned out I didn't have the camera pointed high enough after all.  I also overestimated how dark it would get: as the eclipse peaked it was sort of dim, but not really dark.  6 to 7 percent of the sun's light is still a lot of light, it turned out.  Here I am hanging out just above the Hernando DeSoto Bridge as the eclipse peaked:

I was hoping the bridge lights would come on, but they didn't.  But I did get some looks at the sun through my protective glasses, and that was interesting.  And even a bad time on the river is worthwhile in my book.

On Tuesday I paddled with Joe for the first time in quite a few weeks.  We did our usual loop of the harbor in 80 minutes or so.  I did the current strength routine on Monday and Wednesday.

All told, 2017 has been injury-free for me, which is to say that I haven't had any ailments that have kept me out of the boat.  But I've had periods where I've dealt with tightness and soreness, and I'm going through such a period right now.  My lower back has been quite sore for a few weeks now, particularly first thing in the morning.  As I mentioned recently, I think that nationals course up in Iowa was tough on it.

I've also been tight in my entire right side for at least several months.  I suspect it's related to the plantar fasciitis in my right foot.  I haven't mentioned the foot condition in a while--lately it's been mild--but it's still there.

My main strategy to cope with it all has been to stretch thoroughly almost every day and to be "mindful," to use a current buzzword, of my entire body as I go through each day.  I've been feeling a certain fatigue since I got home from my trip last week, and I think it's largely mental, the impact of a long season.  As I said on Sunday, I'm looking to attend two more races this year, and I hope I'll have the energy to give them my best.

Last night I went out to Shelby Farms for Thursday evening sprints, and my results were mostly encouraging.  My form felt a bit sloppy during at least two of the sprints, but I was pleased with the way my body responded to the demand of four 500ish-meter sprints followed by a fast almost-two-mile lap of the lake.  My sprint times were consistent--around two minutes, fifteen seconds for each.

My lower back was as stiff as ever when I woke up this morning.  In the late morning I stretched as much of my body as I could and then did another round of the strength routine.  I'm still sore but feel a greater range of motion.  And that's the goal on so many levels: stay in motion.