Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 2)
What It Takes to Get to the Stage
I feel like most people assume bodybuilding is about lifting heavy weights. Slightly more informed folks understand that the diet is a massive undertaking. But, did you know that there are two other parts to competing in a bodybuilding competition? You can’t just be lean and jacked; you also have to have the right swimsuit and be able to pose in a way that best highlights your hard work. In the last article, you learned Bodybuilding 101. Now, let’s break down the four components.
Weightlifting
First off, everyone starts this story on a different page. Some folks, like myself, start with a good base level of fitness and their primary goal is to work the nutrition and add a little mass to strategic areas to make their overall body composition balanced. Some folks have never lifted weights in their life and have a lot of muscle to build before they can lean out.
Because I was already fit, just fat, I was able to work on toning down my massive cycling quads, build my glutes, and maintain shoulders sculpted by hours in the pool. My coach and I had to play a very delicate game with my nutrition so that my muscle loss was minimal over the year I trained. Others need to shoot for more muscle mass than needed as they accept that some will be lost as fat is lost.
There are as many ways to tackle your weight training as there are body types. For me, I responded best to a five day a week regime with progressive overload. The first three days were my “bro split” days, designed to build muscle tissue: chest/triceps, back/bicep, and legs. After a one day break, I did two more days of lifting designed to build strength: upper and lower body. (My current workouts are a modified version of this five day split.) Judges are looking for a competitor that is balanced both left and side sides of the body as well as a general balance top and bottom. No chicken legs here! For more information about judging criteria in the different categories, you can find the NPC rules here.
Diet
It sucks.
There is just no getting around how much the diet sucks (unless you’re on gear and that’s a whole other article). Even on gear and every supplement you can buy, the diet sucks. You are tweaking your nutrition to effectively bring your body to the leanest point it can possibly be. Why? Because the judges want to see all that glorious muscles and the layer of fat that all human beings have and need to survive acts like a door, not a window. Bodybuilders must cut well below what is considered healthy in addition to dehydrating themselves to get that ultrathin skinned look.
And here is the real secret, they cannot maintain that look for longer than a day. They also rarely hold that level of body fat for greater than a few weeks. It’s why you see competitors go through several shows in a short period. They minimize the time spent at dangerously low levels of body fat then go into a reset period to allow their bodies to heal. I have done two seasons of two shows each and took over a year between seasons to rebuild lost muscle and allow my metabolism to come back to normal.
There are two main ways to alter your nutrition to achieve that stage look: crash dieting and slow dieting. Both are valid if you know the impact they will have on you. I have always done the slow method to preserve muscle, but I pay for it by being super restrictive for a long time, which has mental health impacts. Crash dieting will get you quicker results, but it has the greatest impact on health and the greatest muscle loss.
Regardless of your weight loss method, there are certain dangers associated with being at low body fat. The mildest impacts are being cold and tired constantly, more susceptible to illness, muscle loss, and sleep loss. The greater impacts are loss of sex drive, hair loss, changes to skin texture (that crepe look in the skin of older people), and organ failure if maintained for prolonged periods. Ladies, some of you may not consider this a negative impact, but low body fat can cause you to lose your period… but you’ll also lose your sex drive as your hormones go out of whack.
If you read my article on nutrition or balancing weight for racing, you know there are several ways to alter your nutrition to achieve weight loss. I use “if it fits your macros” (IIFYM) during show prep because it works best for me: how I eat, how I think, and how I plan my meals. My coach sets my calorie intake with an approximately 250 calorie deficit. We then determine the appropriate protein intake to preserve muscle and fill in the rest of the calories with fats and carbs. My protein intake remains constant as we continue cutting calories while my carbs get cut. I appreciated the latitude it gave me to pick my own meals so I wasn’t eating chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes every meal.
Posing
Have you ever watched a bodybuilding show? Been curious why the men and women on stage move so oddly? Why don’t they just walk normally? And what’s with those ridiculous poses?
It’s all about the muscles, baby!
Each and every person on that stage has spent hours perfecting their walk, stop, flex, and turn to display their muscles to the greatest advantage. The posing side of bodybuilding competitions is the most transparent. When done well, it seems natural, fluid, and displays the competitors’ bodies to emphasize their best attributes while minimizing flaws. Done poorly, you look stiff, nervous, and an otherwise trim waist for which you worked months to achieve is thickened by the wrong shift of a hip.
I’ve worked with two posing coaches, one for each season and both were good for different reasons. I adored my first coach and the foundations she taught me set me up for success in both seasons. She talked about posing in terms of choreography, which I could understand with my moderate background in dance. Sadly, she isn’t a coach anymore and I wasn’t able to use her my second season. In my second season, I did both bikini and figure in the same competition (called a “cross-over”) and I hired someone through Instagram to help me build my figure posing. I felt very confident in my bikini style posing based on my excellent coach from the season before. My new coach was good, effective, but I never clicked with him, and unfortunately, I think it was reflected in my posing.
Stage Prep: On Your Body
I wish I could say that bodybuilding is 100% about the perfect balance of muscle and leanness that each competitor brings to the stage, but it is a subjective sport judged by humans and those humans can and are swayed by a broad range of other areas. Everything from the cut and color of your suit to the hue of your spray tan can impact the overall look you have on stage. Blonde? Sorry, most of the top female competitors are brunettes. And don’t get me started on the epic levels of makeup you wear… only some of it is really enhancing your facial features!
Stage Wear
Each bodybuilding category has guidelines for the style and cut of suit required and each league has varying levels of modesty requirements. That said, even the more modest women’s suits are still bikinis. When you step on that stage, you will be wearing no more clothing than can fit in a sandwich bag. The most modest of all categories is the men’s physique, where they are allowed to wear surf trunks. And here’s the real rub: men can buy an off the rack pair of trunks and be fine; there are no off the rack bikinis in a bikini competition! Oh, and those competition suits? The cheap ones start at $100. Want bling? (Yes, trust me you do) It’s $200. Want a fully crystalized suit with crystal connections? $500 and up! Men’s suits are a fraction the price of women’s suits and not having the same bling as the other girls takes away from your “overall package.” (Which is a fancy way of saying, “honey, you need to pretty up a bit.”)
The suits generally vary but cut, coverage, and color. The cut will be determined by category. Bikini and wellness wear what is closest to a normal bikini, but the suit bottom is … shaped? Shrunk? To display your glute muscles appropriately. And if you think that means that you’re wearing a very skimpy bottom to show off your bottom, you would be right. For physique and bodybuilding, it’s a much more modified cut. Instead of a normal tie in the back, the two ties connect to the bikini bottom. This design enhanced the competitors’ V-shape (shoulders to waist).
Coverage is how much of your ass-ets you’re really covering. There is some variation in top coverage but it’s comparable to a normal bikini. The bottoms vary from semi-modest (about half the cheek covered) to the “pro” cut, which tends to be no wider than 3” at its widest point along the competitor’s bottom. Various shows state they won’t allow “pro” cut suits for amateur competitors and they say they inspect suits at check-in, but I have yet to have my suit checked and haven’t seen anyone told to change.
Color is the last factor in suits and while I’ve seen rowdy debate on how much it could impact your “overall package” based on tan color or hair color, I don’t buy it. Why? Because all of those debates seem to happen on suit retailer Facebook pages and messaging boards. Is it possible to pick an unflattering color? Sure. Are there colors that work better with some tan formulations than others? Yeah. But pick a color you love and feel confident wearing! That confidence will shine through more than a slightly less than optimal color detracts.
Next up are the heels, a mandatory item in three categories and forbidden I two. Bikini, wellness, and figure all require heels. There is no minimum or maximum height, but the average is 5”. I tried 5” heels and then bought 4,” so I’m an outlier. That said, I already compete in the tallest height category and I’m a graceless klutz in the 5” heels. My stage walk and posing smoothed out considerably as soon as I switched down. Like the swimwear, you can’t buy these off the rack and there are varying levels of bling involved. I chose unadorned heels as a cost saving measure. For the physique and bodybuilding categories, the mandatory poses preclude wearing heels. So, if my bulking season goes well, I hope to never have to compete in heels again! The last bit of “stage wear” is the jewelry. Don’t ask me why every girl is decked out in twenty pounds of fake crystals, but they do. Of all the aspects of what you wear, I think this impacts your look the least. I grabbed a three pack of stretchy, sparkly bracelets from Claire’s and slapped on a pair of CZ earrings and was fine.
Makeup
Based on the stage photos alone, I initially thought bodybuilding was nothing more than beauty pageants for girls who like lifting heavy objects. There is so much makeup! However, I did learn there is a purpose to all that makeup, not just looking like a toned down drag queen.
Anyone who has done theater can tell you that stage lighting washes everyone out. No matter who you are or how good your physique, stage lights will blank out your face. And because it’s the “overall package” that drives women to slap on layers of makeup to bring back what stage lights wash out. We look garish off stage, but on stage I don’t think I look too much more made up than at work. The makeup also lets you match your face to your (very dark) spray tan. The chemicals in the tanning products are harsh and can lead to bad breakouts, so most ladies skip spray tanning their faces and use a darker foundation to match their tan.
Tan
Oh, that tan! For the same reason we do heavy makeup, we have to get a spray tan. Those stage lights will wash out every curve and shadow from muscle. The spray tan helps bring back and enhance those curves and striations, allowing the judges a chance to see your muscles. It also serves to even out any flaws or imperfections and puts almost every competitor on an even field. Even POC competitors get spray tanned because it can cover tan lines. It also has a side benefit of everyone walking on stage as almost the same color and shade.
In my case, I look like a walking brownie.
The tans are multi-layer too. The first coat, done the night before, is a base coat to darken your skin. The second coat is the deeply tan bronzer. Finally, just before competing, most competitors receive a final touch of and glaze to give them that slightly shiny look that makes muscles pop.
I hope this helps you build a better understanding of what it takes to get a competitor on stage. From lifting, to eating, to lights, camera, pose! It’s a more complicated sport than I ever realized, but I learned from the experience.
In the next article, I’ll walk you through a typical show weekend and you’ll learn what surprised me.
This is not be a post focused on weight loss because everything you need to know about nutrition can be found here. (Warning, this article has swear words; but if you’re on my blog, you’re probably ok with that.) Second, I don’t care about weight loss right now. I care about fueling my body.
You can find parts one and three of this three part series below:
Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 1): Bodybuilding 101
Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 3): Show Weekend and What I Learned
Happy trails!
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 1)
Bodybuilding 101
My dear readers, you’ve followed along my ultramarathon journey and read about adventures in blacksmithing and paddleboarding. It should be no surprise that I’ve also combined my love of adventure with endurance sports to compete as a bodybuilder. And like many of you, I had no idea what I was getting into with this new sport.
I didn’t set out to be a bodybuilder and thought it was just a beauty pageant for girls who liked to lift weights. Over the course of a year, I learned what bodybuilding was really like, how many different categories exist, and how much effort goes in behind the scenes. From backstage drama to meeting new friends to learning to count every gram of food that entered my body, it was a wild ride and as much an endurance sport as Ironman or ultramarathons.
How did I become a bodybuilder?
I never had serious plans to become a bodybuilder. From the outside, it’s tiny ripped women in sparkly bikinis prancing around on stage. No thanks. I had a decent background in endurance sports: five half Ironman’s, half and full marathons, and obstacle races. I’m a tank on legs, and the idea of walking around on 5” stilettos wearing an outfit that could fit in a sandwich bag was intimidating. Plus, all that god-awful makeup. I wanted to keep doing endurance sports.
My body, of course, had other plans. During my month of training for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, I was diagnosed with a heart murmur/flutter. Not a huge deal, the doctor explained that the strength of my very well trained heart was squeezing so hard it caused the flutter. “Keep calm and if you feel faint, call us back. Maybe dial it back a bit, eh?” No biggie, I kept training. Two weeks later, on what was supposed to be one of my last long rides, I start feeling… weird. (This sounds a lot like my last long run before MS50k, TBH.) Finally, I decided I should head back, slow down to turn towards my car, and wake up lying in the middle of the road.
Yup, I had blacked out mid-turn and more than 10 miles from my car. I, being a dumbass, biked it back and called the ER as I drove. Long story short, I could do my race, but I had to dial back the aerobic exercise for a while.
Ok. Fine. New goals.
I can’t do as much aerobic exercise? Cool, I’ll go anaerobic and switch to weight lifting. I find a coach who will work with me and we discuss cutting down to an appropriate weight class and my level of knowledge/familiarity with lifting. The day after Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, I started a cutting diet for the 50+ lbs. I need to lose to get to my planned weight class (59kg/130lbs). You see, I was strong. I could swim, bike, and run with the best of them. But I was carrying a lot of postpartum (and PPD) weight. I was living proof that you can be fat and fit, but I needed to lean out for this sport.
My coach had to focus on the two most important things: keeping up my fitness and learning how to appropriately fuel my body. Not diet. Fuel. He also set realistic expectations: it would take at least a year to reach my goal weight without sacrificing muscle.
Fast forward several months: the shoulder that I had repaired a year before and held up through Ironman training is struggling to keep up with bench press and overhead lifts. Depending on how I compete, I’m not going to have a high enough total weight to be competitive. Somewhere in a flurry of emails back and forth (I may or may not have been on an extended work trip to the Middle East at the time…), my coach mentioned that he also coach bikini girls and if I’d be willing to lose a pound or two of fat more, I could easily compete in NPC bikini.
Well, seemed like a good shift in goals and not too far off from the original goal, I suppose.
And that, friends, is how I started the journey to the stage.
Bodybuilding basics:
What the heck is bodybuilding and why compete? At its heart, bodybuilding is a journey. The stage is neither the end, not the beginning, merely a single point in time. It is a goal to work towards when you want to shape your body into your idea of perfection. But that perfection is fleeting, as is the look. It’s why bodybuilders talk in seasons or cycles. We strive to bring a better package to the next show, build more muscle, adapt to new judging criteria, or earn that elusive National Qualifier that grants you an opportunity to chase down your pro card.
Regardless of which league you compete in, competitions are broken down two main ways: your division and class. The division is which type of physique you are bringing to the stage. The class is your height (women) or weight (men) category. Larger shows will even break down into novice (never won), true novice (never even competed), and age categories.
For women, the most common categories are:
Bikini: The smallest and most feminine of competitors, a bikini competitor looks like a very athletic bikini model.
Wellness: Created for bikini competitors who, like me, end up with a lot of lower body mass than their upper body. Thick thighs and rounded glutes for these very lovely ladies.
Figure: Very athletic competitors but still in heels.
Physique: These women are ripped as hell but still beautiful! Thick with muscle and vascular, they’ll be larger than figure competitors and can ditch the high heels.
Bodybuilding: The only women’s division divides classes by weight. There are the most muscular and most lean competitors. These are the woman you envision when someone derisively says “female bodybuilder.”
For men:
Physique: This is analogous to the women’s bikini division. They look like very fit fitness models with defined abs and a body fat short of vascularity. These lucky dudes get to wear Walmart board shorts and still stay competitive.
Classic physique: A well-balanced athlete that balances dense muscle mass with low body fat. The division is split into specified weight ranges for the height, with competitors aiming for a very narrow window in which to meet a classic look. (Up to and including the classic briefs.)
Bodybuilding: The true beasts of bodybuilding. These men aim to add as much muscle mass to their frame as possible while whittling down their body fat to almost nothing.
There are also multiple leagues from which a competitor can choose. Some are muscle focused (NPC), some are modeling focused (WBFF Diva), and some are professional only (IFBB, which is fed by NPC). Some are also strictly tested while others… aren’t. I chose NPC for my first season because they had the greatest number of shows, including one in my town, precisely one year after Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. NPC is not a tested league which puts me at a disadvantage. Because I’m not on gear, my coach pushed me to pick a tested league for my second season, but the best shows were too far from where I lived to justify the cost of an airline ticket. That said, the next time I compete, I want to go against other drug-free competitors. I have nothing against anyone on gear, it’s a personal choice, but when my job precludes me from using it, I don’t want to compete at a disadvantage.
I hope this helps those unfamiliar with bodybuilding gain some understanding of the basics of the sport and how I ever ended up in such a wild sport! In my next article, I’ll cover what it takes to get on stage: the work outs, the diet, the stage wear, and all the things I never considered!
(Spoiler alert: I did ok!)
This is not be a post focused on weight loss because everything you need to know about nutrition can be found here. (Warning, this article has swear words; but if you’re on my blog, you’re probably ok with that.) Second, I don’t care about weight loss right now. I care about fueling my body.
You can find parts two and three of this three part series below:
Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 2): What It Takes to Get to the Stage
Bodybuilding – My Other Endurance Sport (Part 3): Show Weekend and What I Learned
Happy trails!
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Race Report: Recycle Run
Instead of an endurance run, today I’m giving you the race report for a 5k. Yes, just 5k. No, I’m not sick (Update, Mar 22 – turns I was in fact very sick, but it wasn’t hitting me as hard as it did later. Oops). My Mom came out for Thanksgiving and requested to do a 5k with me, so we did!
I’ve written extensively about other endurance racing events over the last 18 months and you can find those links below. Since finishing the Mississippi 50k, I’ve also run the Charlotte RaceFest and completed my first paddleboard race.
It’s the day after Thanksgiving 2021 as I write this and the weekend is about family. While I love, love, love my crazy endurance runs, this race was (more or less) about spending time with family. I also love the premise of this run: instead of charging a ton for another medal and shirt, they use all the left overs from the year!
Today you’re getting my full race report for the Run With It Recycle Run
Check in:
Like all the Run With It races this season, packet pick up was easy-peasy! Packet pick up was on a small table by the local park and was *not* complete until you stopped by a second table to pick up your t-shirt. Not a t-shirt for this race, but a leftover from one of the races this year. Or, in my case, a very nice Pearl Izumi singlet from the Northwest Florida Running Club. I love my PI tank (was wearing one t race in, believe it or not) and was delighted to get a new one.
Starting line:
After the three runs from the Wicked Triple, this is beginning to feel familiar. Same location, same corral, and same feel. I really enjoy the small town race feel, it feels more like an ultramarathon start: intimate and for runners who are genuinely happy to be there. Maybe because it was Thanksgiving morning, and everyone had things to do and places to be, the race start was exceptionally short. Call for line up, count down, and go! Not even a goofed up National Anthem or safety briefing.
The course:
This course covered many of the same roads as the 10k and half marathon courses from the Wicked Triple but far less vehicular traffic, probably due to it being Thanksgiving morning. Flat and fast, it’s a great course for a PR.
Weather:
Brisk and perfect! A cool 55F to start with very low humidity for Florida. It was in the mid-60s by the end of the race and really just as comfortable as you could desire.
Aid stations:
A single water only stop at mile 1 / mile 2. Really, this cool and short, we didn’t need aid stations.
Did I hit the Pain Cave?
Nope! My foot issues are healed and despite running 5k on the trails the night before, I was perfectly fine. That said, I think my Mom dipped a couple of toes in the pain cave. She twinged her hamstring in mile 1 and had to walk the remainder of the course
Crew:
Mom and I started together but soon split by mutual choice. My spouse brought my kiddo out and both cheered on runners as they crossed the finish line.
The finish line:
A quick jaunt through the chute and they took your name tag. A cup of water and a cookie finished it off. Of note, there were no race specific medals, just an assortment of recycled trophies from other events. (Hence the name.)
Final time:
5k (Saturday night): 26:08, 32 second faster than the Wicked Triple
Overall thoughts:
It was nice to just race 5k. It was lovely to run with my family.
That said, I’ve got another multi-race weekend planned for early February. I loved the Wicked Triple so much that I’m ready to try it again.
Want to read more about past races? You can find them here: Bear Bait 25k, BUTS Bearly Heavy half, a quick post on pain of training in times of COVID, the ups and downs as I chase down that ultramarathon goal, and the fact that I finally finished an ultramarathon. It was a long journey: four attempts with three failures over five years, an ER visit, and enough self-doubt to sink a person.
The Gear List:
My gear lists so folks can see what I’m carrying and how it changes between courses and weather. As usual, some affiliate links, most aren’t; I am not sponsored by any specific companies.
Clothes:
Tank top: My old yet still beloved Pearl Izumi top. So old, I can’t find it for sale online any more but its a quality top that has lasted nearly a decade.
Bra: SheFit ULTIMATE SPORTS BRA – a qualified “good,” as per sualy. I like that you buy based on cup size and both the chest band and shoulder straps are adjustable; it’s probably the most comfortable sports bra I have. That said, the metal loop that holds the chest band tab tears my back up after 5 miles. I did not put two strips of sports tape under the tab and paid the price after the half marathon.
Tights: Curve ‘n’ Combat Boots Empowered Black (V1) – As with my bra, it’s not desired as running gear, but it fits me well and does the job. These are designed as weightlifting tights and the dimensions are for a woman with thick legs. Like, babe, you are squatting 225lbs as a warm-up and the squat boots/thighs are strong and the waist is small! They fit me perfectly, but if you have a more traditional runner’s body, then they may be too baggy or slip while you run. Since I cut down to race weight, these slipped a bit the first mile but after that I sweat enough that they stopped slipping.
Socks: Balega Blister Resist Quarter Socks – These are thick and comfy, but the “blister resist” is only as good as how well you lace your shoes and how wet your feet get. At some point, no sock/shoe combo will save you from everything.
Shoes: Altra Torin but with my brand new orthotic insoles. These insoles have been so helpful. No heel pain, minimal bone spur pain, but I did get a wicked blood blister in my right big toe..
Hat: I wore my brand new rubber ducky hat that my Mom gave me for my birthday and she wore her matching flamingo hat.
Nutrition:
None, duh. It was a 5k on Thanksgiving. We all know where my nutrition came from today!
Other:
GPS: Garmin Forerunner 945 – Y’all know I love this watch and I’ve talked about it before, the good and bad. I didn’t have any tracks walk-offs today and I’m confident in the recorded distance/time accurately.
Happy trails (and roads again)!
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Cave Diving: An Adventure Not Worth the Cost
Once upon a time in Mexico…
Truthfully, it really was a little over twenty years ago in Mexico that I did my first big cave diving exploration. A team of five of us explored caves that had been on the Earth for tens of thousands of years but were rarely visited by humans. Two dives a day, trekking through the jungle, down rickety staircases, with gear that weighed nearly as much as we did. At night, we drank margaritas on the rocks, ate the best food I’d eaten in my life, and hashed out the plan for the next day’s dives.
If you are a dive bum, you were living the life. If you were a normal, sane human being, you had the nagging suspicion that death stalked your every movement.
The trip was twofold: first, exploration of new and well-known caves. Second, a photoshoot for what, at the time, was one of the few dedicated dive equipment manufacturers for cave and technical diving. They footed most of the bill for our excursion and we posed for the necessary photos between gawking at the most beautiful rock formations known to mankind. We were able to get our photos as well as explore new caves, but with twenty years of hindsight, I now recognize how batshit insane the entire trip was.
Why is cave diving different?
First, if you have any experience as an open water diver, think of your favorite dive. It’s probably the bright, clear, and warm tropical waters of the Caribbean or Bahamas. Cave diving is done in dark, truly lightless caves. Many have silty floors that will obscure all sight with the flick of one errant fin. And finally, because they are caves, untouched by the warmth of the sun and fed by frigid unground aquafers. Cave diving is not for everyone. There are no beautiful fish or coral heads. This is a sport for people who enjoy pushing themselves to the limit, against the odds, and with the risk of death.
Clearly, you can see how I was drawn into it. (That and having a parent who was a fully certified instructor willing to lend/loan me all the very, very expensive gear I needed.)
Cave diving differs from open water in three main ways: environment, training, and gear. The most obvious is the environment described above. Open water divers are not certified to enter any overhead environments. This can be a wreck, cavern, or cave. The line between cave and cavern is drawn where sunlight ends. If you can no longer see sunlight, you’ve entered the cave. The cave and its overhead present unique challenges. In an emergency, where an open water diver can choose a direct ascent, even risking decompression sickness and a trip to the decompression chamber in an extreme emergency, this is not an option for a cave diver. In the event of a medical emergency or catastrophic gear failure, the only way out is the way in, the long trek back the way you came. That way back out can be fraught with narrow passageways and silty floors. When I say that this sport risks death, I mean that very literally. I know five folks who have died while cave diving, including one of the men from our Mexican expedition.
These challenges bring us to the second difference: training. The unique environment requires divers to learn specialized skills like how to find the guide line in near-zero visibility, crucial to a safe exit. They also must learn new kicking skills and practice precise buoyance control to keep from disturbing a silty floor, thus creating low visibility conditions. They also must learn different gas management techniques. In open water, when you hit your decompression limits, you start an ascent. In cave diving, one carefully manages their gas to turn “on thirds” or when you’ve used one third of your gas. This ensures you have twice the necessary gas to get back out in case of an emergency such as you or your dive buddy suffering a gear failure that requires you to share air.
Finally, the third difference between open water and cave diving: gear. Cave divers carry everything an open water diver carries, minus the snorkel, which could create a safety hazard by becoming entangled in lines or rocky outcroppings. Their wetsuits are thicker for the colder water, fins are stiffer for fighting currents, and they will usually carry two tanks. In addition to the standard open water gear, they will also carry three lights and a spare reel of line. Cave divers also tend to carry multiple tanks to ensure a longer dive time and have backups in case of a catastrophic gear failure. Finally, they rig up their gear to keep from having “the dangles,” free-floating gear that can get snagged or entangled.
Who actually does this crazy stuff?
Well, I did. Members of my family have as well as friends. Most cave diving instructors will not begin training you until you’ve met a threshold of open water dives, anywhere from twenty to fifty dives. You also need specialized gear, as noted above. The required prerequisite training, dives, and gear are expensive to obtain, which means cave diving is also for rich people. How did I, a broke college kid with only four open water dives, no income, and no gear of my own manage to enter the murky world of cave diving?
My father. Yup, that guy. He, in his supposed infinite wisdom, decided that an 18-year old with only four open water dives and no other experience was ready to start cave diving. And, because he owned enough gear to outfit a small army and was a fully certified instructor, he had the means to do it. Money? No. But he had the equipment and training required. And I, who had been more or less abandoned since age 12, was only too happy to try and build some kind of relationship and too naïve to realize how monumentally stupid it was to do what we did.
In just one short week, I was a qualified cavern diver. One week after that, I was a fully certified cave and Nitrox diver. To put my youth in context, my certification photo is of me holding my father’s cat because I was more enamored with the cat than the diving.
The dives were more than a little bit terrifying. The conditions were scary. It took a lot of physical effort to kick into a cave against the flow of the current. It took a lot of mental stamina to stay in a cold, dark, environment, where one wrong turn could lead you to death by suffocation and drowning. My father opined on this constantly. He went on long winded diatribes about how mentally and physically superior cave divers were to “the average fat tourist in the Bahamas.” Secretly, I would have taken the warm Bahamian waters over frigid caves, but since Dad wasn’t going to the Bahamas, I stayed in the caves.
For a time, cave diving granted me access to my father in a way I never had before. I thought maybe if I could build enough time underwater, get an instructor certification of my own, he’d be proud of me. He certainly harped on me to finish enough dives to get the certification. But I had other dreams. I had dreams of silver wings pinned to a blue services dress uniform. I can’t say “eventually I had to choose” because the choice was made before I ever certified. I chased the dream I’d had from childhood. I got a commission in the United States Air Force and went to navigator school. I earned those silver wings.
And I never dove in a cave again.
Ok, that’s not true. Some time in 2015, a decade after I’d last been in a cave and on one of the few occasions my father was still in communication with me, he invited me along for another photoshoot. Being a model for cave diving equipment doesn’t require beauty, which is in plentiful supply. Modeling cave dive equipment requires a diver who can hold still, hold their breath (no one wants bubbles in the photo), and move just right so their hair fans out in a wave behind them. I’m no stunner, but I fit all the other requirements, so I was brought along for the shoot. Unfortunately for him, I was training for my first attempt at the Mississippi 50k and had fallen on my face, scraping the hell out of my chin just before showing up. I was politely excused from top side photos but pulled in for all the underwater shots. This was the last time I would see my father in person and the last time I would ever cave dive.
What Was It Worth It?
I did have fun. The Mexican expedition was cool to a 19-year-old kid. I met and hung out with divers twice my age who respected my skill as a diver without simply dismissing me as “the kid,” a type of respect I hadn’t had before. I’ve got interesting stories, some of which are the seeds that would grow into scenes in my books. It afforded me an opportunity to chase a man whose respect and love I craved, even if I never really got it. While my father was a pompous windbag and most of his tirades were racist and bigoted, I did absorb his respect for fitness and mental toughness. A true irony because when pushed, I rise and he withered.
But was it worth it? The friends I’ve lost to caves would say no. The terror I felt the few times I thought I would die in a cave says no. The prohibitive cost that makes it a very narrow, very niche, and not welcoming sport says no.
It was fun for a moment, but it wasn’t worth it. Except for the stories…
Excerpt from Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena by KR Paul (2021, Force Poseidon Publishing)
Relieved that Wilson hadn’t seemed to catch his underlying interest, Ares steered her back to the thread of conversation Powell had started. “Mexico seems pretty remote for a dive.”
“Yeah, you aren’t kidding! You fly into Cancun, then you have drive to Tulum in whatever rickety rental you can get. Don’t even get me started on the ‘roads.’ Oh, and keep a few hundred pesos around because if the Federales see you driving they’ll find a reason to pull you over for a shakedown.”
“And the dives?”
She gave an indelicate snort. “Cake walk. Compared to north central Florida, it’s benign. The caves are shallow, so you don’t worry about a ton of decompression, and they go on forever. And there are always dive groups to join for company.”
Ares glanced at Powell who nodded again. “What’s the deepest you’ve been back in those caves?”
“Oh, we got a good way back on scooters one year. I mean, you can only really reach that spot on a scooter or by rappelling in. But if you fast-roped in, you’d have a hell of a time hauling out yourself and maybe sixty pounds of gear.”
“Can you show me?” Ares asked.
“Show you?” She looked confused for a moment. “Oh—yes, of course. Athena told me about the image transfer thing. Yeah, it’s beautiful.” She rose again and held out a hand. With a wicked grin, she grasped Ares’ hand.
Ares caught the image of the cave, with dark stalactites clinging to the ceiling, the room illuminated by a single beam of sunlight from a shaft many feet overhead. He caught an image of her wrist computer showing she was only thirty-some feet underwater, but there was the slightest hint of anxiety. This was the farthest in she’d ever been, and she was nervous that if her scooter died on the way back, she wouldn’t have enough air to make it out without being towed by another diver in the party. Even then, survival wasn’t assured.
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Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Race Report: Wicked Triple
Welcome back to the crazy world of endurance racing! I’ve written extensively about other endurance racing events over the last 18 months and you can find those links below. Since finishing the Mississippi 50k, I’ve also run the Charlotte RaceFest and completed my first paddleboard race.
This weekend I ran my first multi-event series. I’ve done triathlons (swim/bike/run) and duathlons (run/swim), meaning back-to-back events, but those are a single race comprised on multiple events. This was the first time I ran multiple distinct races as part of a series.
Today you’re getting my full race report for Wicked Triple – 10k, 5k, and Half Marathon race weekend
Check in:
This packet pick up was easy-peasy! I swung by the local running shop, Run With It, and had my three bibs, two shirts, and very little extra info in under ten minutes. I was glad that they had the packets for all three races in one location, it saved having to get to the starting line early for three separate races. That said, the race was relatively small and I could have managed.
Starting line:
10k: The 10k start was a small corral behind the run shop and typical for a small local race. I really enjoy the small town race feel, it feels more like an ultramarathon start: intimate and for runners who are genuinely happy to be there. The race director played the national anthem from YouTube on his phone, gave a minimal safety brief (“it’s an open course, there’s cops, but don’t get hit by a car”), and we were off with no further fanfare.
5k: The 5k parking was at a restaurant but the starting line was across a 4-lane road and heading in to a residential neighborhood. Aside from playing Frogger to get to the start, it was packed, but low key. Another simple “don’t get hit by a car” safety brief and we were off.
Half marathon: This was the same small corral behind the run shop as the 10k with a smaller crowd than the 5k. (Go figure!) The race director got the national anthem right on the first try then it was a quick “Runners! Ready! Set. GO!” and we were off.
The courses:
Welcome to the Wild West of endurance racing! This weekend offered 10k, 5k, and half marathons as individual races or you could be crazy and do all three. Clearly, I’m crazy.
10k (Saturday morning): flat, fast, and quiet. The course started at a park in downtown Fort Walton Beach, FL. We ran under a bridge and into quiet neighborhoods. The
5k (Saturday night): flat, fast, and packed! This was by fa the most popular distance. There was a crowd at the start but our team quickly broke with the pack and found ourselves on quiet residential roads. This was also familiar turf for me as I had run there extensively before my most recent move.
Half marathon (Sunday morning): this covered many of the same roads as the 10k course and was also flat and fast. A little more vehicular traffic as we crossed certain areas but most drivers were respectful of the runners.
Weather:
10k (Saturday morning): Warm, but not hot. The only thing that kept it from perfection was the oppressively humidity. The entire Team Crows group was soaked in sweat by mile 2.
5k (Saturday night): a cold front started moving in around noon and blew out most of the humidity if not all of the heat. As the sun set, it got cooler and we were relatively comfortable on shaded lanes.
Half marathon (Sunday morning): perfect! A cool 55F to start with very low humidity for Florida. It was in the mid-60s by the end of the race and really just as comfortable as you could desire.
Aid stations:
10k (Saturday morning): Water at every mile except 3 (the turn around) but nothing else. It wasn’t a detractor since I rarely need nutrition before an hour expires. I felt it a little as I came around the final turn, but I still finished in a good time.
5k (Saturday night): I’m vaguely aware that was water on this course but I ran so fast I wasn’t really looking.
Half marathon (Sunday morning): Having seen the previous day’s water only stations, most of the team decided to load up with our own water packs, electrolytes, and snacks. As always, I had Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (caffeinated version) and my Gatorade mix. (Full gear/food list below) It was a good call because I realized after only two miles I was still depleted from the day before and had to start snacking much earlier than I usually would eat. (Mile 2 vs. mile 4-5.) Additionally, the Gatorade mix helped a lot more than the plain water at the aid stations.
Did I hit the Pain Cave?
10k (Saturday morning): I looked inside the cave, gave a little shrug, and continued on. I probably ate too much pre-race and it sit on my belly harder than I wanted, but other than some mild stomach cramping, it was all fine.
5k (Saturday night): nope! One moment of hitting my lactic acid threshold sprinting it out to the end but that was it.
Half marathon (Sunday morning): Despite starting the race at effectively 9 miles into a run, I didn’t start having pain until mile 12. I spent most of the run chatting with another Team Crow runner which made the miles fly by. At mile 12 I started having shooting pain the back of my thigh and in my left foot (bone spur) but I sucked it up and ran on. The pain was maybe a 6 or 7 out of 10, but brief enough that it didn’t drag my fully into The Cave.
Crew:
I had my Team Crow through all three races running along side me and my spouse brought my kiddo out to help man an aid station on the 10k course. Kiddo was very happy to hand out water and cheer on runners!
The finish line:
10k (Saturday morning): The finish line was the same simple corral that started the race.
5k (Saturday night): Another simple, narrow chute that was probably too small for the numbers of runners crossing.
Half marathon (Sunday morning): The same finish line as the 10k.
Of note, none of the finishers medals arrived on time so we turned in the slips on the bottom of our bibs. I guess I’ll get my medal later? I’m honestly a little sad not to receive them since I’m rebuilding my collection after the movers lost the box with my medals in it!
Final time:
10k (Saturday morning): 1:01:08
5k (Saturday night): 26:40
Half marathon (Sunday morning): 2:33:11
Total time: 4:00:59
Overall thoughts:
What a weekend! This was a new and difference challenge but I really enjoyed it. I felt like I ran much stronger than I anticipated, I enjoyed running with my team so much, and I’m so excited to be back running with others!
Ultramarathon training and endurance racing in general is a lonely conquest. It’s rare to find folks who are as crazy and dedicated as you are. So I was extra glad that three of Team Crow were able to run all three races as well as see such great crowds.
Want to read more about past races? You can find them here: Bear Bait 25k, BUTS Bearly Heavy half, a quik post on pain of training in times of COVID, the ups and downs as I chase down that ultramarathon goal, and the fact that I finally finished an ultramarathon. It was a long journey: four attempts with three failures over five years, an ER visit, and enough self-doubt to sink a person.
The Gear List:
My gear lists so folks can see what I’m carrying and how it changes between courses and weather. As usual, some affiliate links, most aren’t; I am not sponsored by any specific companies.
Clothes:
Tank top: three of my trusty Skirt Sports tanks. It’s a great top layer for hot/humid runs and it gave me minimal chaffing.
Bra: SheFit ULTIMATE SPORTS BRA – a qualified “good,” as per sualy. I like that you buy based on cup size and both the chest band and shoulder straps are adjustable; it’s probably the most comfortable sports bra I have. That said, the metal loop that holds the chest band tab tears my back up after 5 miles. I did not put two strips of sports tape under the tab and paid the price after the half marathon.
Bottoms:
10k: Skirt Sports skirt with built in shorties. Unfortunately, the shorties were too short and I chaffed the inside of my left thigh pretty badly. I guess the right side was pulled low enough.
5k: The Hylete Iris Short with Liner. These cute little shorts are my go to for lifting workouts but they have started being my go to for sprint workouts as well.
Half Marathon: Nike Fast Shorts – What a game changer for me! I have thick, thicc thighs from trail running and squats. They rub together, as seen above in teh 10k. In tights, it’s not an issue but in loose shorts, I end up chaffed. And most stretch shorts only have a 5″ inseam which means the end *right* where my thighs rub. However, Nike’s new trail shorts have a blessed 7″ inseam which left me mostly chaffing free, but for the humidity, it was inevitable.
Socks: Balega Blister Resist Quarter Socks – These are thick and comfy, but the “blister resist” is only as good as how well you lace your shoes and how wet your feet get. At some point, no sock/shoe combo will save you from everything.
Shoes: Altra Torin but with my brand new orthotic insoles. No heel pain, minimal bone spur pain, but I did get a wicked blood blister in my right big toe..
Hat: No hat on Saturday but I wore my brand new rubber ducky hat that my Mom gave me for my birthday.
Nutrition:
Snacks, self carried: None on the 5k or 10k. For the half marathon, I carried both the Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (caffeinated version) and the Honey Stinger Organic Waffle.
Liquid Salt/Carbs: Gatorade Endurance Formula Powder – purchased with coupons on the Gatorade website, which is good because I still don’t love it. It’s not as strong a flavor as regular Gatorade and it does well for replacing salt/carbs quickly but… I dunno, maybe I’m too picky, I don’t love it. But, I’m kind of a cheapskate and won’t buy anything new until I finish this container.
Other:
GPS: Garmin Forerunner 945 – Y’all know I love this watch and I’ve talked about it before, the good and bad. I didn’t have any tracks walk-offs today and I’m confident in the recorded distance/time accurately.
Happy trails (and roads again)!
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Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
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Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Pantheon Release – One Year as a Published Novelist
I feel like this post needs the clip from Avengers: End Game where filmmakers punched the audience in the face with the time jump.
One
YEAR
Later
I’ll skip any additional melodramatic effect and save it for my novels. Yes, novels. Plural. Because one year later, I have two published novels! And, SUPRISE, a chapter in a whole other book too!
In my first update as a published novelist, I described some of the misconceptions I had and the reality of publishing a novel. In the second update, at the three month mark, I gave further updates. The most recent update at six months, I was able to share the good news that Pantheon‘s sequel, Pantheon 2: Ares and Athena, would release on September 9, 2021.
But surprise, quietly in the background, I was working to write a chapter for To Boldly Go, a strategy and leadership anthology framed in the context of science fiction which published on September 30, 2021. For those of you counting along at home, that means I will have published two books and a chapter in an anthology in just one year. Not too shabby for someone who considered the publishing of their first book a fluke.
But how is it going? Really?
Boy howdy, it’s been a ride.
If you receive my newsletter, you’ve seen that I’ve had some personal hardships that have balanced out the soaring highs of successful authorship. But, hey, that’s life!
As with my last three updates, alas, I’m not fabulously wealthy and still have to work for a living. (Update: As of Oct 2021, I’ve sold out my advance and am now receiving royalties for Pantheon!) But also as with my last three posts, I have learned, money isn’t the only measure of success in publishing. I’ve continued to grow the number of Pantheon reviews on Amazon and GoodReads over the last year while still hovering near the 5-star level, which I consider a strong win! P2: Ares & Athena has been out for less than a month and is starting off strong with 5 5-star reviews. (One quick plug, if you’ve read the books, please review it on GoodReads and Amazon so more people can be introduced to Pantheon.)
Sales are for Pantheon slowed for a while, but the anticipated “small bump” in sales as Pantheon 2: Area & Athena released was a respectable bump. My social media presence continues to grow, aided and abetted by my “Confessions from the Trail” series, which is now being published on Medium as well.
The last six months before publication day was what military folks know as “hurry up and wait.” Finish writing then wait for my brain to dump it. Re-read and start editing. Wait a week then edit again. Send a final copy to the publisher and wait for them to read it. Set a publication date and finalize a title, then wait to announce it. Announce cover art and title! Then wait to do that final, final edits. Send to beta readers, then wait for corrections. Make corrections and wait to see e-pub. Freak out and become very excited to see the finished product, but wait for publication day.
It feels a lot while a pre-deployment line.
Oh, did I mention I have a full-time job while doing all of this? A new one, with even more responsibility and time commitments! To say it’s been a challenge would be a massive understatement and there certainly were sleepless night.
But I’m fueled by my passion for writing and my drive to achieve. And pain. Personal pain or the pain cave, I’m driven by that too. So, I guess we could say that after a year of be honest about what I’m willing to endure for a goal, I’m being upfront about what drives me.
As I stated in “How I Got Published!” I was turned down many times when I first tried to get published a decade ago. “A good author with a compelling plot, but because you cannot publish on our schedule, you would not be considered commercially viable” is soul crushing to read. At the time I received that rejection, I couldn’t commit to writing a book every 18 months due to my work commitments. To be fair, I still can’t make that kind of commitment and expect my third book to take much longer, since “Ares and Athena” was 90% complete when I signed the contract for “Pantheon.” But the books will keep coming out and I’m so excited and grateful for the opportunity.
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
KR Paul Tries Blacksmithing: Frustration and Hilarity Ensue
This past weekend, I took a blacksmithing class and, true to form, I tweeted all about it. However, since this was my second time going to a class at the forges, my thread missed many things I couldn’t capture in the 240 character limit of a tweet. I asked if y’all wanted more and you overwhelmingly did. So, while I wait for my author copies of Pantheon 2: Ares & Athena to arrive, let’s talk blacksmithing! After all, if you’re supposed to “write what you know,” then this is all most fun and authentic when I’ve actually done the thing!
*Standard disclaimer, I’m not a professional, learn from someone who has more than two classes of experience and I’m in no way responsible for your burnt/smashed fingers and hands.
The Basic Class:
I take my classes at a local forge (Traditions Workshop) that focuses on folks who want to dip their toe in the world of blacksmithing. They provide classes that build groups of skills then offer open forge time for those who move beyond classroom instruction. They require you to take an introductory course that focuses on safety and basic skills before you can progress on to more advanced classes.
I took my intro class back in July and let me tell you, standing in the dragon’s fire while surrounded by Floridian high summer is quite the experience!
The class starts with a 20 minute or so safety lesson: how hot the forge is (2000+ degrees Fahrenheit), how to move safely around other blacksmiths (“hot metal!”), and the location of all the quenching buckets. After that, we moved on to forge familiarity, learning the basic tools, the structure/design of the anvil, and what types of metal can be worked and how.
It was nearly an hour before we struck the first hammer blow, which is probably wise. Our first creations were nails. My first nail came out a bit wiggly, the top was nowhere near flat, and I was soaked with sweat. But, it was fun, engaging, and certainly a challenge. I was able to turn the end of a ¼” diameter iron rod into a nail in about fifteen minutes. Heat, hammer, turn, hammer, turn, heat, and create the tip. Heat once more, slam it into the nail maker to break the tip off, then smash the top flat. (My top was way off-center, oops!) I felt very proud of my accomplishment until my instructor told us that an apprentice blacksmith of old was expected to churn out almost sixty an hour. I don’t think I’ll be seeking an apprenticeship anytime soon. I made two more nails as we got everyone up to par on the skills then we moved into the class’s intended outcome: crafting a coat hook from the remainder of our rod. This taught us several of the basic blacksmithing skills: drawing out, upsetting, and punching. One frustrating, but still enjoyable, hour later, my coat hook wouldn’t win any prizes, but it was done! And so were my hands, I blistered most of my right hand. Not from hot metal or hot flake, but from the sweat causing friction on the hammer.
The Advanced Class:
This weekend we tried one of the advanced classes that was intended to make a “Viking spear.” This class combined all the skills we learned with the into class plus a few new skills. And, with the ever capricious nature of unknown steel… a few more!
The class started with no safety brief as we were all held accountable for our previous class and dove right into the making. No whiteboard, no chalkboard, you listen and listen good, or you lose out on a step. Our instructor walked us step by step through the plan, which we soon deviated from. We also learned that we would not be using expensive, but predictable, propane forges. We were going to the less expensive, less visible, and much more temperamental coal forges.
The first steps seemed relatively easy: heat your metal, craft your tip, create your shoulders, then draw out the steel to create the spears flared shape.
What happened: heat the metal, craft the tip, manage the fire, heat the metal, rework the tip, manage the fire and dig out metal bits to keep the air flowing and the fire hot. Rework the tip again. Realize the flue was cracked open and there wasn’t nearly enough airflow to keep the desired temp and why the metal wasn’t getting hot enough to work. Reheat the metal. BURN AND SLAG OFF MY ENTIRE TIP WHILE I GRAB A SIP OF WATER.
Want to cry.
Look like I’m going to cry (after 1.5 hours of work, wouldn’t you?)
The instructor hastily remakes my 1.5 hours of work in 15 minutes. Proceed to step two: shape the shoulder of the blade and draw it out. At this point, I just have to laugh.
Three hours in, we are severely behind pacing, there isn’t enough metal to make the collar of the spear and they have us try to forge weld the file onto itself to have enough material. We’re all frustrated.
Instructors call a halt so we can grab lunch while they hastily construct collars from spare metal and weld them on. I munch on sandwiches and an apple in my blissfully air-conditioned car and contemplate how long it will take to finish and/or wash all the coal off.
An hour later, we’re revived, the collars are on, and it’s time for the grinder. Twenty minutes behind a belt sander, we’ve got the weld smoothed out, the edge formed, and we’re ready to harden and temper the blades.
This was relatively easy and fun. Mostly, we held our blades in a pair of tongs while the instructor heated the metal, then once the blade was no longer reactive to a magnet (lemme tell you, chemistry and physics are WILD!), we dunked them in oil.
The last bit was to temper the blade, so it didn’t crack overnight, a simple matter of reheating the center again. The final bit, now 2.5 hours over our time, was to affix the blade to a shaft.
Thoughts:
Blacksmithing is fun! It’s also a lot of physical work in hot and dangerous conditions. It’s probably not like what you see on TV and your fellow blacksmiths don’t look like they’re described in high fantasy novels. Do you remember Perrin Aybara from The Wheel of Time series? With his broad “blacksmith’s shoulders”? It’s a lie. A damn dirty lie. The most talented, skilled, and experienced blacksmith at my forge is a wiry man in his middle years. He probably weighs what I do. It’s solid muscle, to be sure, but he is lightly built, not bulging with muscles.
Next time I go to the forges, I’m looking for smaller projects that take less time or skills. I will admit that my attention span can be short and I am a perfectionist. If it takes 6.5 hours and is not perfect, it is not worth my sanity to make it. (Yes, writing is a huuuuuge counter to this. Nothing I write is every perfect, it’s just done.)
So, yes. I will blacksmith again! (But in smaller doses and with cold beer waiting at my house after.)
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Race Report: Paddle At The Park 2021
Welcome back endurance racing fans! We’re taking a different approach today and you’re getting my race report for a stand up paddle boarding race. I love endurance racing but some days its good to swap it up. And when you live on the beautiful Florida panhandle, you learn to love paddle boarding!
By this point, you’ve read all about my last training cycle, my successes at the Bear Bait 25k, my semi-failure at the BUTS Bearly Heavy half, the pain of training in times of COVID, and the ups and downs as I chase down that ultramarathon goal, and the fact that I finally finished an ultramarathon. It was a long journey: four attempts with three failures over five years, an ER visit, and enough self-doubt to sink a person. But I finished the race and immediately did what all endurance runners do, swear I will never run long races again, which is a filthy dirty lie. I also ran in the Charlotte RaceFest back in June and have signed up for the Rock and Roll NOLA full, but that’s when the wheels started falling off.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I have a new superpower: growing extra bones! Unfortunately, that comes in the form of bone spurs in my feet. Combine that with inflamed Achilles tendons and arthritis in my feet, I needed to back off run for a while. But my competitive nature remains, so a group of friends and I decided to try out the world of stand up paddle board racing.
Today you’re getting my full race report for Paddle at the Park – Stand Up Paddle Board Race (1 mile)
Check in:
Easy peasy. I decided to skip checking in the night before and get my packet at the park. No biggie, was done in minutes. The biggest wait was on weather! The night before, the beaches were listed as double red flag, which means no one can enter the water, even on a paddle board. The race director had put out a message stating they would make the call at 6:30 on race morning but by 6:45 there was still no word. In order to make my start time, I needed to leave the house before 8 which meant I was gambling a 40 minute drive that it wouldn’t be canceled. Fortunately, it wasn’t and we did race but it was choppy out there.
Starting line:
All race distances started in the same location, Henderson Beach State Park, and it was a run straight into the surf.
The course:
This race offered 1, 3, and 6-mile options as well as a kids race. Since I have never raced a paddle board before, I opted for the 1-mile course. One of my buddies joined me on the 1-mile and two were brave enough to attempt the 3-miler.
Due to the weather hold, all the races started late and it was chaotic. So chaotic that I started a full minute behind the pack. The horn went off as I was still hustling my board to the starting line! However, the pounding waves made many people slow and strategic in starting, pushing through after the break, so I ended up not being too far back by about 5 minutes in.
Weather: Perfect temperature but the wind made for some chop and breaking surf at the shore. A little daunting for a new racer.
Did I hit the Pain Cave?
Hahaha. Nope! But, had I done the 3-mil course, I probably would have. Both my friends who raced that distance described it as “brutal.”
Crew:
No crew for this race, just a few friends from work. The Running Crows were the Paddlin’ Crows that day.
The finish line:
This was a wild experience for someone who’s never raced SUP. To finish, you ride your board in as far as you can get, then ditch it. (A volunteer collects it for you.) Then you *sprint* up the beach, paddle in hand, to the finish line. Why? Because you have to hand a paddle in hand for it to count as a finish!
Final time:
15:26 for slightly less than 1 mile. I had no goals other than finishing and not losing my board! I did not think I did very well with my delayed entry and left once I’d packed my board and said goodbye to my friends. Of course, not one minute after I’d cross out of the park and on to the highway, one of my friends called to tell me I took second and to come back for my medal. Since I was already out of the park I asked him to collect my medal and hang on to it for me. Thanks Kenny!
Overall thoughts:
I had a blast! Hung out with my group of friends, took in the sun, and enjoyed a new experience. Even better, I got a cool medal for it!
The Gear List:
My gear lists so folks can see what I’m carrying and how it changes between courses and weather. As usual, some affiliate links, most aren’t; I am not sponsored by any specific companies.
Clothes:
Swim Suit: I’m a disaster here, I have two different brands on! My top is the Tyr Durafast Diamond Back Workout Bikini. Great top for swimming and SUP if you need more support than their tieback tops. The bottoms are the Nike Essential Cheeky Swim Bottom. Doesn’t cover much but it stays in place and I like the freedom of movement, especially as I’m running of popping up on the board.
PFD: I’ve just switched to the Drift Belt since my bulky kayaking PFD impeaded my movement too much.
Leash: Uni Gear 10′ Coiled. I’ve never needed a leash before but damn I needed it on race day!
Hat: My trusty finishers hat from the River Cities Tri a few years ago. Lost it to the waves on turn 2, but a kind race watcher found me and gave it back after the race.
Nutrition:
Snacks, self carried: None because, duh, water. I did pack myself a nice bagel with peanut butter that I snacked on while watching the 3/6-mile race.
Other:
Board: Bote HD 12′ – It’s big, its bad bass, its versatile, and my daughter loves riding it. That said, she’s heavy, turns like a pig, and it’s a great racing board.
GPS: Garmin Forerunner 945 – Y’all know I love this watch and I’ve talked about it before, the good and bad. I didn’t have any tracks walk-offs today and I’m confident in the recorded distance/time accurately.
Happy trails!
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
Race Report: Charlotte RaceFest
Welcome back to endurance racing and the time honored tradition of race reports! By this point, you’ve read all about my current training cycle, my successes at the Bear Bait 25k, my semi-failure at the BUTS Bearly Heavy half, the pain of training in times of COVID, and the ups and downs as I chase down that ultramarathon goal, and the fact that I finally finished an ultramarathon. It was a long journey: four attempts with three failures over five years, an ER visit, and enough self-doubt to sink a person. But I finished the race and immediately did what all endurance runners do, swear I will never run long races again, which is a filthy dirty lie.
This weekend I ran my first road race since COVID started. My last was the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans, LA, where I pushed myself to a new PR. This being my first time off the trails since February 2020, I set my expectations and goals low, knowing that between the hills and recent long (read: slow) training, I wasn’t in PR shape.
Today you’re getting my full race report for Charlotte RaceFest – Half Marathon (13.1 mi) Race
Check in:
If you’ve read my race reports for BUTS Bearly Heavy half, Bear Bait 25k, and the Mississippi 50, you know that races have changed with the times over the last eighteen months. Social distancing, masks, and overly anxious race directors were the new normal. I can tell you that race directors are still concerned with making the race go on time, but this was the first race that felt “normal” in a long time. Packet pick up was a relatively brief affair at a local brewery. Some folks had masks but many others, like myself, were fully vaccinated and didn’t wear masks. As with many small local races, the packet was minimal: a bib number, fliers for sports related local establishments, and a chip clip. Honestly, the chip clip was the best thing because I used it to hold the plastic bag full of my sticky race clothes closed while traveling home. There was also a nice race shirt in a pretty pale mint color and nice U-neck. I might actually wear that one.
Starting line:
Held in the parking lot of the local brewery, the race start was small but enthusiastic. They did a good job balancing pacing groups and despite it being a fairly narrow course, I felt like the pack un-bunched within a half mile.
The course:
This course offered both a half marathon and a 10k option. The first portion of the course was a 10k out-and-back and at the 5 mile point split to allow the 10k runners to turn back up hill to the finish line. The back end of the course was a mix of paved greenway and gavel roads. Unsurprisingly, I did better on the gravel than I did on the paved greenway.
Despite some pain in my feet and ankles from pounding the pavement, this was a really really pretty course. I grew up not too far from here and looking across the greenway, into the heavy woods and creeks felt like home. I felt a keen sense of nostalgia running this course and I think I half expected to see my cross country coach at the bottom of the hill yelling at me to work “short, choppy steps, Kay!”
Weather: Sheer perfection! At the 7 am race start, it was a balmy 73F and humid but 10% what I expected for a North Carolina summer morning. The shade provided by the greenway kept things cool and I didn’t have to regret forgetting my sunscreen.
Trail conditions: Not applicable here. There was a little gravel through stretches’ but the greenway path was well maintained.
Terrain: Flat with one massive caveat! The preponderance of the course was flat with minimal rise which made for a great run. The one caveat was the first and last mile which featured a 3/4 mile steep climb. And by steep I mean: “no one ran, everyone walked, and my heart rate was pegged *walking* up the hill” kind of grade.
Aid stations:
Boy am I used to the Wild West of aid stations. Here might be the one major failure I had on this race, I didn’t look at where the aid stations would be and what they would have. I rolled in with my usual assumption that they would be well stocked with a variety of food and beverages.
I will give them credit, the aid stations were well spaced and well manned. That said, there was only water and Gatorade available at all but one station and a sugary gel at one station around 6 miles. It was an unfamiliar brand and I can definitely say I’m not a fan.
Had I taken the time to study the course and what was offered, I would have carried a water bottle full of my usual Gatorade mix and some Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews (caffeinated version) but alas, I did not.
Did I hit the Pain Cave?
Not really. My feet and ankles ached around mile 7 but by 10 I was only a 5k away and just girt my teeth. I was barely getting enough calories in from the Gatorade and felt on the verge of hitting the wall during the final hill climb. But as far as the deep pain of the ultramarathon Pain Cave? No, I wasn’t even close.
Crew:
No crew for this race and it was short enough that I didn’t need a pacer.
The finish line:
This was the first course to feel like a real party at the end. Music was cranking, runners had a coupon for a free beer, and there were sport massages available. It really felt like road racing pre-COVID.
Final time:
2:25:32 for 13.1 mi. My goal was to finish in a window 2:15-2:25 and I just missed it. But, this was also my first time back in the game and hillier than I anticipated so I’m pleased.
Overall thoughts:
I knew the course and terrain I faced and built my entire training plan around it. That bit me in the butt when I did BUTS, but I was 100% ready for this race, even after losing two critical weeks at the end of the training cycle. A day later, I was up and walking around with no problems. Heck, I was speed walking through the Dallas airport in heeled boots without problems. Two days later, I started running again with no issues. My new technique of taping where my bra chaffs worked great, not one single problem there. That said, if it had been much warmer, I would have sweat the tape off and been in trouble the last few miles. I’ve got a few blisters and one incident post-race, but overall I’m thrilled with how well this all went.
The Gear List:
My gear lists so folks can see what I’m carrying and how it changes between courses and weather. As usual, some affiliate links, most aren’t; I am not sponsored by any specific companies.
Clothes:
Mask: Under Armour Adult Sports Mask – carried but not required to run. Must wear items for air travel to and from the race but Charlotte did not enforce mask wear for the vaccinated per current CDC guidelines.
Tank top: my trust Pearl Izumi tank that’s so old, I can’t find it for sale any longer. It’s a great top layer for hot/humid runs and it gave me minimal chaffing.
Bra: SheFit ULTIMATE SPORTS BRA – a qualified “good.” I like that you buy based on cup size and both the chest band and shoulder straps are adjustable; it’s probably the most comfortable sports bra I have. That said, the metal loop that holds the chest band tab tears my back up after 5 miles. I now put two strips of sports tape under the tab and it works perfectly.
Shorts: Nike Fast Shorts – What a game changer for me! I have thick, thicc thighs from trail running and squats. They rub together. All the time. In tights, it’s not an issue but in loose shorts, I end up chaffed. And most stretch shorts only have a 5″ inseam which means the end *right* where my thighs rub. However, Nike’s new trail shorts have a blessed 7″ inseam which left me mostly chaffing free, but for the humidity, it was inevitable.
Socks: Balega Blister Resist Quarter Socks – These are thick and comfy, but the “blister resist” is only as good as how well you lace your shoes and how wet your feet get. At some point, no sock/shoe combo will save you from everything.
Shoes: Altra Provision – I have both the Provision and the Torin but chose the Provision today since it gives a little more stability, something I probably needed with the foot pain I’ve experienced lately.
Hat: My trusty finishers hat from the River Cities Tri a few years ago. It wasn’t cool enough to need a warmer hat.
Nutrition:
Snacks, self carried: None because I am dumb.
Sacks, from aid stations: Gatorade and water. One terrible energy gel that I promptly forgot the brand.
Other:
GPS: Garmin Forerunner 945 – Y’all know I love this watch and I’ve talked about it before, the good and bad. I didn’t have any tracks walk-offs today and I’m confident in the recorded distance/time accurately.
Happy trails!
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!
My Father Died Today
This is the companion piece to “What Drives You? Pain.” Following a long, rocky, and glacially paced cataclysm, I have finally broken the last ties to my father. In my heart, mind, and all legal paperwork he is effectively dead to me.
My father died today. I’m not sure if I killed him or if he took his own life by a suicide that took nearly thirty years.
Everyone holds an idea of what a father should be in their heart and mind. Some are fortunate enough to get it, but everyone else is left scrambling. What is fatherhood? What makes a man? What does it mean to be a father? What does it mean to support another’s life until they can function as an adult?
And what are you if you walk away from that?
My father was never anything more than a specter in a beard, a ghost who lingered on the edges of my life haunting me. As a child, I held that idea of what a father should be in my heart: warm, caring, stern but reasonable, and an ever-present source of comfort and guidance. Instead, I got the transparent parent who ghosted me at every opportunity, only to reappear at another place and time. Like a soul lost to time, he would reappear, expecting the world to have remained exactly as he departed it. In his mind, I was still the six year old girl he made buttermilk pancakes for every Saturday morning. In his mind, I was the young girl who adored the tall bearded face that loomed above her. In his mind, I loved him.
Somehow he forgot about the abuse, about losing custody, and a period of only being allowed supervised visits. Perhaps to him, it was all a minor inconvenience, easily forgotten.
“The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.”
In reality, that ghost of a man’s life crossed mind infrequently, once every five to ten years. At each interval, he only brought me more pain and grief. Bringing a wife only a few years older than myself to my High School graduation, he was confused by how that affected me. The ghost drifted away again, blissfully happy in his new marriage and unwilling to spend time mending his bonds to me.
After another period as a ghost in my life, he suddenly appeared again, ill and desperate. I dropped every summer plan I had to spend three months as his in-home nurse, only to have debt collectors hounding me over his medical bills for the entirety of my junior year of college. The debt collectors talked to me more than him and I was desperately in debt from buying his groceries for three months. Warm ramen noodles were cold comfort each night as my student debt grew.
At my wedding, he was hurt not to be asked to walk me down the aisle but so clueless that he introduced himself to my brother, his own son, who was my escort for that long and beautiful walk. His Father-of-the-Bride speech was so horrific that the photography company mercifully cut half his speech out of my wedding video.
Peppered through my adult life are phone calls where he waffled between waxing poetic over my childhood (most of which he missed) and rants that were so racist and sexist I would hang up on him.
The first time I ever struck back at him was on my final deployment. I was not many weeks removed from the event that started my PTSD; I was sad, homesick at the holidays, and cold from dry December winds that whipped across the dunes. He mocked me and chided me, making some asinine comment that at least I wasn’t guarding the gate at some CONUS base on Christmas. As if being deployed over the holidays was some comfortable and pain free existence. I stabbed at him the only way I knew how: cutting off all contact over social media. My silence was the first wound that ever hurt him. I reveled in the peace while I knew we withered.
I left the silence flow. Drawing back, shutting him down, and refusing to acknowledge him. Because that’s what every deluded narcissist needs to thrive: an audience. I could almost feel him bleed out from the violent peace of my silence.
I was so close to freedom.
A single call drew me back. My beloved grandmother was dying. Finances had to be arranged, wills updated, and plans made. She passed peacefully, but my father, the ghost and ghoul, had made last minute changes to her will, effectively cutting out everyone but himself. When he called to tell me of her passing, I acknowledged it and hung up. His mother was a gift of a woman and a bright light my life, but she had tied me to him and while I mourned the loss of her, I knew it was another tie severed. I vowed not to speak to him and was successful until this past holiday season. He had my grandmother’s home, which meant I could evict him from the home I owned, one he had lived in rent free for nearly a decade. He reluctantly moved, a specter lingering in the back of my mind as I waited for a text to say he was gone. My silence continued to bleed the narcissistic soul from his body.
“There’s some damage I need to fix up before you can sell it.” Like so many statements from him over time, it was a lie. A half truth. An obfuscation meant to deflect actual anger. In reality, there was missing, rotted drywall, black mold, a broken HAVC system, and thousands of dollars in damage. The specter haunted me still and I couldn’t cut the final tie until the damage, which may have spread across to another unit, was repaired and the property was finally sold.
The pain and anger that was tied to the home created an emotional burden that crushed my spirit and my spouse had to take over the project. What should have taken six weeks dragged on six months because the pandemic made materials and labor scare. We finally had to make the decision to sell “as is” or let the specter linger on? For my sanity, we elected to sell it as is, my sanity was worth more than the time and money it would take to see the project through. We to could push the labor and materiel problems to a company looking to flip the unit before universities opened again. The cost was worth it.
At 7pm on June 19th, the property was under contract. At noon on Tuesday, 30 June, I signed the last document to sell the property with tears in my eyes. Two witnesses, my spouse, and a notary public watched me fight back tears as I severed the tie to a man who had been a ghost for decades.
The ties are finally cut.
The roles are reversed and now I am the axe. I can cut him in the only way I know how, severing the tie like an artery, halting the flow of blood to his narcissistic heart. Crush him with my silence and let him be a ghost for the last time.
My father died today.
I’m not sure if I killed him or if he took his own life by a suicide that took nearly thirty years.
One day I will get a call from the local sheriff’s office telling me that his body has died, finally withering away like his narcissistic heart, and his burden will haunt me the one last time. But today, I am free.
Enjoy what you just read? Please share on social media or email utilizing the buttons below, fans like you sharing what they love are what keeps this train rolling!
Want to read more works by Author KR Paul? You can find my first novel here and it’s sequel here.
Want more than that? Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Stay up to date on the latest KR Paul news by joining our mailing list.
Just looking for wild stories of cave diving, ultramarathons, blacksmithing, or powerlifting. Yeah, I’ve got those too!