Work continues as we move into late spring

On Friday morning I took another run around the block and then did a gym session.  I backed way off from the bent-over rows I'd been doing for the last few weeks: I mentioned last week that I'd felt a little pop in my left biceps while doing those, and though the muscle had been feeling better this past week, I could feel it threatening to pop again Friday.  So I cut the first set short and skipped the second set.  It's about time for me to come up with a new gym routine anyway.  For the last few weeks I've been doing dips, situps, bent-over rows, and stability ball backups.

Muggy is the word for what the weather has been for most of the past week.  It hasn't been terribly hot--mid 80s Fahrenheit, mostly--but the humidity has been up and there's been a lot of rain in the area.

Sunday is usually when I do a long paddle, but I decided to do it yesterday because of the obligation to take my mother to brunch today.  With the Mississippi flowing around 16.5 feet on the Memphis gauge there was enough water to paddle around the Loosahatchie Bar, though I knew I wouldn't be doing it in record time because there would be a sizable sandbar exposed up at the north end.  I decided to make the circuit in a clockwise direction, the opposite of what I usually do.  It turned out to be a slog, partly because the water was lower than I'm used to, and partly because it was warm and humid out there and I think I was getting a bit dehydrated in the second hour.  I got back to the dock about 126 minutes after I'd started, and I felt completely whipped the rest of the day.

I kept today's paddle much shorter because of the aforementioned brunch appointment.  I also needed some recovery, although once I was paddling I felt surprisingly good in the boat.  When I got out to the river there was an upstream-going barge rig well upriver, and I tried to surf the residual waves.  By now the waves were subtle, but I still got a few tenuous rides.  They carried me only as long as I kept sprinting, but the boost felt good.

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