Toe Nail

I returned to my dormitory (which by the way sounds so much better than “cell” and it is certainly an accurate description) for the lunch period. I could feel myself getting hungry, however; due to the fact there was a PFT class in the afternoon, I did not want to eat heavy. I needed a little something so I had a granola bar and the green apple. These two items did satisfy my hunger pangs and also gave me some much needed energy. The hour for lunch does pass quite quickly and the unlock for the afternoon session of the PFT class was upon me. I made my way out towards the basketball court where I noticed the substitute “Coach” standing. The substitute is the regular Coach on the other yard where they also hold PFT classes. As I have stated before there are two separate yards level 1 and level 2. I am situated on the level 2 yard even though I have level 1 criteria, it was just a matter of finding an available bunk. Quite frankly I am very happy to have been placed on the level 2 yard because I have heard nothing but horror stories regarding level 1 yard. In fact, the level 1 yard is currently on “lockdown” status due to a riot which occurred last week. I am not sure how long the lockdown status will last but so far the inmates on that yard have been confined to their dorms for one week. This started prior to the Christmas Holiday weekend. I shutter to think how much of a basket case I would have turned into if I was confined to my dorm over Christmas. Everything does work out for the best.

This substitute Coach is very different than our regular Coach and judging by what happened yesterday afternoon I am happy he is not our regular coach. All of the instructors know the PFT Program very well and we all have laminated index cards which detail the daily program. Normally we would start out with a 4 mile power walk and go through various exercises until we finished up with a 1 mile run. The substitute Coach informed the instructors we would start out with a 1 mile run which would then turn into a 4 mile power walk. This was going to be the entire training program for yesterday afternoon. No one (including me) questioned the substitute Coach because we all follow orders very well. Also, all of the instructors know our roles which come from the Coach. I thought it was odd performing only the run and power walk but thought at least I would get 5 miles of cardio activity accomplished. We set out on the mile run which went fine, and then we went into the power walk. Halfway through the first lap the substitute coach came out on the track and abruptly stopped the lead pace man which also stopped the entire class. Apparently the substitute coach noticed one student who could not finish the run in the required 9 minute time frame. Instead of going up to the student, the Coach thought it better to stop the whole class and point out this student. Again, I though this to be a very peculiar method but my mouth remained completely shut. After the brief pause we then resumed the power walk.

I got to lead the class on the second mile of the power walk and I do enjoy being in front of the class. I have also established a “game face” (if I may?) when I am performing the power walk. This “game face” may be a bit too serious so I may have to back off slightly, however; I do take what I am doing as serious work and hope it rubs off on the students. I just need to be careful not to cross any unnecessary lines with my “game face” which is why I am constantly evaluating myself. I am also one of the most vocal (I mean this literally) instructors as I call the cadences often and loud. For whatever reason I don’t like it when there is silence during the walks and runs. I feel the students lose focus and may become disinterested. While I call the cadences the students recite the words back. This does keep them focused and more interested. Also, it does make the time go by faster for them, I am calling the cadences so often one of my fellow instructors has labeled me the “cadence stealer”. I try to give my fellow instructors an opportunity to call them as well, however, when I feel it has been silent too long I start calling them. Maybe this is all part of my control “freak” mentality. Nevertheless the students performing the walks and runs seem to enjoy it.

The students may have enjoyed my cadence calling a little too much yesterday. We were just about to finish the 7th lap (2.3 miles) when they really got into the cadences. There is a physical reason for them. As the students recite them they are expelling air from their lungs thus regulating their breathing. One particular call is a “Haaaahh” which really gets the air out of the lungs. Yesterday the students really got into this call and instead of doing it once they carried it over and over again for a few minutes. As they were doing this, the yard alarm went off. The students were so loud I couldn’t hear the alarm but noticed everyone going to the ground as is required when the alarm goes off. I am not sure if all the noise the students made caused the alarm to go off but there didn’t seem to be any other odd behavior at this time. Yes, we may have caused the yard to go down but there was absolutely no intention of any of the students for this to happen. They were louder then usual but they were functioning as a team and that is a goal of the PFT class because once we are wildfire firefighters we will be functioning as a team.

We were down for about 3 minutes while the alarm went off. This was unfortunate because it stopped any momentum the students had at this point in the power walk. The hardest part about any exercise program especially power walking and running is getting started. I know for myself once I get started I don’t like stopping for anything. We still had just about 2 miles to go on the power walk. The substitute Coach informed the class that the power walk was over and also said we should do 10 minutes on the Harvard Wall to finish up the class. I was disappointed to hear these instructions because at the very least I would have liked to finish the four miles. It appears I was in the minority with this thought because the students in the class were elated to know the power walk was cut short.

During the Harvard Wall exercise the sky became very threatening and a slight drizzle had started falling and the wind picked up considerably. The class did get through the exercise then it was back to the basketball court for cool downs because the class was finished. There was no post class instructors’ meeting with the substitute Coach because he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He did speak with the lead instructor very briefly prior to his departure. The lead instructor did pass on his words which were to be ready for anything tomorrow. He didn’t pass on a set schedule for the remainder of the week so it was back to being on-call once again which is just as well.

As the class commenced I was sort of caught in no man’s land with the time issue. It was 2:00 pm and the next unlock was not until 2:45 pm. It was also threatening to rain and the wind was blowing hard. I wanted to exercise more but I certainly didn’t want to run due to the howling wind. I could have done more on the Harvard Wall but the 45 minutes wouldn’t be enough. I did decide on doing my own callisthenic workout which includes burpees, push-ups, crunches, and jumping jacks. This is my modification of the PFT Plus Class which I call Super Plus because I have doubled the number of repetitions from the PFT Plus class. This workout usually takes me 30 minutes to complete which was perfect timing to catch the next unlock. I did this workout but it was so windy I had a hard time keeping myself balanced. Also, any sweat I had was quickly wiped from my body by the wind. I did manage to get through the workout and as is always the case I was happy I did something.

It was now time to go inside for some lunch, shower and oh yes laundry. I did discover that for once my workout clothes were not soaking wet with sweat do to the wind. So I decided to wash only my undergarments and air out all of my other clothing articles. I am not sure how sanitary this is but I am constantly looking to cut corners when it comes to doing laundry. The clothes did not seem to smell at all and the less daily laundry I need to do the better! As I was getting undressed to take my shower, I took off my right sock and noticed something very peculiar. I looked down at my big toe to discover I no longer had a toe nail; my toe nail had finally fallen off.

My toe nail on my big toe was in grave danger ever since I started running in the too small running shoes. I was fortunate enough to receive a new pair which fit perfectly. However; the damage to my toe nail had been too much and it was only a matter of time. The very odd part about having my toe nail fall off was I couldn’t find the toe nail any where. Naturally I thought it should be in my sock because the entire toe nail came off in one piece. It was not in my sock or in my running shoe. I looked on the ground and in my bunk but it was no where to be found. The toe nail must have fallen off while I slept and when I folded up my sheets for the laundry it must have stayed in them. I did not notice it in the morning because I get dressed in the dark. Also my toe feels fine. It actually feels better now that the toe nail is gone.

I thought I would have an issue in the shower now that I was one toenail down but everything was fine. I guess I should keep it clean and free from any infection. If I do notice pain or changes in the appearance of my big toe I will seek medical attention. Of course by the time I do get seen in medical either the problem would have gone away or it would have gotten worse. No matter I will keep a watchful eye on my big toe until the toenail is fully formed.

The dinner last night was chicken, rice, black-eyed peas, carrots, salad, and apple crisp. I did decide to go in spite of the rain now that the black-eyed peas were meatless again. It is only a 3 minute walk to the dining hall but these 3 minutes seems like an eternity in a driving rainstorm. No, I don’t have an umbrella (nor does any inmate) nor do I have any rain gear so I got wet on the way to and from the dining hall. Not really a big issue; it is just another one of the multitude of reminders not to go to prison! Once inside the dining hall I received my tray filled with black-eyed peas, carrots, salad and apple crisp. Apparently the rice was already mixed into the chicken so I received a very generous helping of black-eyed peas. I ate most of everything including the apple crisp because it was warm, again, it is all about the calories and I consumed plenty at this dinner, I did not eat the rest of the evening.

After braving the elements again I composed a letter to yet another one of my unexpected pen pals. I am not sure what it is but in spite of my current situation and losing many friends due to my actions, I know I have more true friends than I ever had in my life. I do owe this to my recovery which comes from the Gamblers Anonymous. I am now living a truthful positive life with a sense of purpose and it feels great. I love writing these letters because it keeps me in touch with the outside “real” world. My time will pass soon enough and I will be back in the real world and I love having these connections.

I had all intentions of going out for the evening yard so I could sign-up for a telephone call. However, the rain did not stop and the wind was blowing hard. The rain appeared to be coming down sideways. I could have waited in a covered area for the telephone sign-up, but that covered area was not providing any shelter from the rain. Also, I didn’t want to waste my time just in case there weren’t any telephone sign-ups so I decided to stay inside. After composing the letter I started “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling which is the sixth book in her series. I wonder who Harry will save in this one. I read the first 100 pages and so far it is much like the other 5 books which have preceded this one, which means it is good.