Let the triathlon training begin… again!

Hello! I thought today would be a good day to talk about training after taking a few days off from running, cycling, and swimming. My next sprint triathlon is one month away. It’s nice to have something to work towards, huh? These rest days were a little strange. No calendar. No workouts scheduled. I have become so used to doing something every day but tried to make a point of restraining myself, even if it’s just for practicing patience. Welp, my first official workout was yesterday…. a neighborhood run. If you’ve been to Florida in May (or June, July, August, and honestly, all the other months of the year) you know it can get hot and yesterday was hot with no wind! But I wanted to start out with a bang so I decided to do 7 miles.

Now I’ll let you in on a little secret. As I ran I tried to figure out a way I could run the same amount but over the course of 2 days. So maybe 4 miles yesterday and 3 today? I mean, 7 is a lot! Why can’t I split it up into 2 workouts? But then I thought of my brother and brother-in-law. The entire family is in town for a wedding this week so there was no way I could rejoin the family, tell my brothers I had planned on doing 7 but only did 4. What would they think of me? They’d think I’m a weakling! So as I’m running and trying to convince myself doing less is OK, I still knew I was doing 7. It’s just what is going to happen. Well, I ended up doing 8 because when you want to impress your brothers, what do you do? You do more than they can do.

My toes are sore. My calves are tight. My knees hurt. My hips are feeling it. But gosh darn it my brothers know I did 8 miles! In all seriousness, though, with it being the first day of my training I knew I wanted to start off with something big and for me, 8 miles is big. I couldn’t bear the thought of starting this 4-week schedule by doing less than I could, or less than I planned. That wouldn’t be a good way to kick off a new training schedule, huh?

This particular run I focused on my average pace. I started out a little faster than I wanted which caused the middle miles to be a little slower than I would’ve liked, but by the end I was exactly where I wanted my pace to be. I’m happy I did it, even in the middle of helping with wedding plans (I’m the uncle and the wedding is tomorrow!), knowing today might be one that doesn’t include a workout at all (did I mention there’s a wedding?).

Just 29 days left to become a faster runner, stronger cyclist, and straighter swimmer. 🙂

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol Finale – Three Great Singers, Judges Put Icing On Turds

When Ryan Seacrest announced that Will Moseley made it into the top 3, I knew that meant either my top pick Jack Blocker, or Emmy Russell, was going home. There was only space for 2 more and hanging in the balance was Jack, Emmy, Triston, and Abi. Everyone knew Abi was a given, so the last spot went to… Jack Blocker! His rendition of “Nobody’s Fool” was one of my favorites from him all season. Check out his quirky dance moves along with his amazing voice…

He reminds me a lot of lead singer Bear, from Needtobreathe. But also hints of Phillip Phillips. He’s so good! I hope he wins but to be honest, I think he and Will are playing from behind when it comes to Abi Carter. Abi’s delivery of “The Chain” was great, finally she’s playing the part… not just singing well but also putting on a show with the way she uses body language in the performance.

Watching it again on Youtube, I realize she doesn’t sound super great like she has in previous performances and her entertainment value pales in comparison to Jack, but she has a lot of fans so she’s still the one to beat in the upcoming finale.

I’m totally over these judges. They’re fine people but they would say something positive about a 9-car pileup on a highway. My guess is that they are covering their own behinds because they have careers to manage. If they were to be totally honest — admitting some singers suck (Blake, Kayko, Camila Galavis, among others they praised so highly) — maybe their popularity takes a hit. They want to be liked because that turns into more fans at concerts, more people streaming songs, etc. But the icing they put on some of these turds is just too much. It reached a peak when Lionel said to Kayko that if he keeps fooling around he might actually win the whole show… then Kayko got the lowest votes from viewers and was sent home. Either Lionel is really out of touch or he’s faking the positivity. Either one is unacceptable as a true, honest judge. Maybe next season they’ll just call them cheerleaders instead of judges. On top of that, remember when Katy and Lionel said ‘no’ to Jack at his audition? So the polish turds to make them seem better than they are, and when real talent comes along, they don’t see it. They continue to baffle me.

OK, now that that is off my chest! I’m looking forward to the finale. Not for anything the judges have to say because we know what that’ll be. Lionel will say they made the song their own. Katy tries to come up with a vague philosophical remark that rarely makes sense, and Luke will say they are a professional already.

Simon, we’re sending the bat signal. Come back and restore order to the judges table!

-Out of the Wilderness

Hey Post Malone, I’ve Got New Art, Too!

I don’t know if there’s anyone cooler than Post Malone who has appeared as a guest for an Elvis tribute, done a duet with Taylor Swift, and once stopped everything he’s had going on to hang with a fan with autism.

Such a cool guy! Well, he just released new art in the form of music (of course)… a collaboration with country music’s biggest star right now, Morgan Wallen. At the time of this post the YouTube viewership is nearly 8 million in just 4 days. Yikes. That’s crazy!

Fans of both stars are loving the song, I’m sure. But Post Malone isn’t the only one with creative things to share. No, I’m not going to show you my rousing karaoke performance of “9 to 5” but I WILL show you my photography. I was camping in the panhandle of Florida at a couple of state parks and captures some images and added a personal touch to them. Hope you enjoy and Post Malone– if you’re reading this, feel free to reach out if you want to use one of these for your new album cover. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness

The Cat With 9 Lives

They say a picture is worth a thousand words BUT I don’t have a picture of this cat so buckle up for a lengthy post. It all started on a cool, spring Mother’s Day afternoon. Meow meow, the cat emerges from under a pick up truck in the parking lot of a local restaurant where a family gathered for an outdoor lunch to celebrate the moms. I say cat… it was more of a kitten and by kitten I mean it was small, maybe just a month or two old. It was wearing a collar which still baffles me. Who puts a collar on a kitten then releases it to the wild? As we, the family who gathered for lunch this day, pondered all things feline, the kitten purred and clawed its way into the compassionate parts of all of our hearts. Half of us are allergic so the solution for this lost cat was more complicated than it could’ve been. Then out of nowhere, a second family bursts through the restaurant doors, from inside to outside, completely enamored with the little kitten and admitting they were watching it, and us, through the floor to ceiling windows of the restaurant. A father, mother, and two kids were giddy about this kitty. They asked questions. We were forthright in stating our plans to find a shelter for little Garfield… then… the kitten begins its second life… the family gladly hugs the kitten and tells us they have a home with 5 acres and 3 cats of the same breed. Off they go, cat securely held by the son, smiles on all of their faces. The young cat got a new family, a new mother, on this Mother’s Day. It’s the Mother’s Day Miracle of 2024.

Someone count… did I make it to a thousand words?

-Out of the Wilderness

American Idol Top 5 on Mother’s Day – Disney Theme!

American Idol is in the final stretch of the season as contestants are reduced down from 5 to 3 tonight. Still left in the competition are Triston Harper, Abi Carter, Jack Blocker, Emmy Russell, and Will Moseley.

Besides Emmy and Abi, who do you think will make it to the top 3 tonight? OK, OK, I’m leading the witness, aren’t I? But seriously, those two will make it to the top 3 and I predict the 3rd will be Jack Blocker. He’s been my #1 since his audition but I just don’t think I’m right about him winning the entire thing. Emmy’s slow burn to the top has been very noticeable and Abi continuing into the top 5 by the strength of her powerful voice hasn’t surprised anyone. She was a platinum ticket contestant, after all.

Mother’s Day. On this Mother’s Day episode, contestants will be singing songs from the Disney catalogue. It’s all about song choice so it’ll be interesting to find out which one each singer picks. I swear, though, if someone sings “Let It Go” I’m going to let a chair go into the TV! If I had my druthers, here are the songs I’d choose for each contestant…

Imagine Triston’s country accent on a twangy version of “Part of Your World.”

Will could easily rock out with “Life Is A Highway.”

I would love for Jack to put his stamp on “You’ll Be In My Heart” from the Tarzan soundtrack.

I can hear Emmy’s voice on a stripped down version of “You’ve Got a Friend In Me.”

I have a feeling Abi is going to pick something from Frozen, and even years and years later, I’m tired of every single song on that soundtrack. Am I alone?? Back to the topic though… Abi would do very well with “Beauty and the Beast.”

What is your prediction for the top 3 tonight? I’m guessing it’ll be Will and Triston going home which makes the top 3 Abi, Emmy, and Jack.

-Out of the Wilderness