Blind in one eye

My grandfather had a lot of sayings.  Whenever he couldn't find something, and then there it would be right in front of his face, he would say, "I'm blind in one eye and can't see out the other."  I feel like that sometimes.  Maybe it was that kick in the face last week at Tuxedo.  Maybe it's my bionic eye (as my eye doctor likes to call my crystal lens replacement after cataract lens replacement).  But for the past few years I have been doing what I call "playground runs" for OCR training.  The equipment there can simulate a lot of obstacles.

I thought I had seen everything and used every possible playground object out there.  But after ABF Mud Run added "Black Ops" to their course last year, I needed to add beam traverse training.  Well wouldn't ya know that right next to my playgrounds were these gigantic wooden cabanas with exposed beams.  Perfect for me.  Been there all the time.  I even helped build some of them.  But until that race, I never used them except for shade.

Then it happened again in April.  ABF added two rigs to the course.  They sent me to the penalty box and I was not happy about that.  The bars were no problem.  But the chain grips got me.  So last night as I was trying to decide what to do on my run this morning, I chose the playground run.  Then it occurred to me that there was something I had missed, even though it had been there all the time.  Yep, I was blind in one eye and couldn't see out the other.  Swingsets!

I was almost ready to go to the hardware store and drop $5 a foot for chains to hang in my backyard gym.  Not gonna happen.  These playgrounds are loaded with chains on those swings.  Perfect.  And right in front of my face.

So now I'm thinking that I have to get ahead of the game.  What other obstacles have I not seen yet?  When will they pop up on some course and surprise me?  You see what I mean.  I need eyes in the back of my head.  I need eyes to see the future.  I need to see these obstacles and start training for them before they see me and gobble me up.  I hate to fail new obstacles on a course.

I know it's bound to happen.  My devious friend and obstacle designer Larry Cooper will see to it.  Oh well.  Keep training my friends.  Keep your eyes wide open.