Yesterday's soundtrack was '90s Alternative, from Found Out About You to Far Behind (with a just handful of skips along the way).

I got out there to run my new Harbor Freight Atlas 80V Brushless 21-in. Self-Propelled Lawn Mower through its paces. Before it was all said and done, I managed to be outside from 11 AM to just before 5 PM.

What did I do?

I fired up my '90s tunes of Bartlett and took a couple gulps from my iced Tactisquatch Roast, yes that same one of the mug I own. Yes, my absence from coffee is over. I forgot that coffee heals me. My quad/knee was not a significant factor for the afternoon.

And thus, I embarked:

1. Cut the front and backyard grass for the first time;
2. Removed more sticks including some on the back of the property that is unfenced;
3. Cleared that STRANGER THINGS evergreen ground cover down the length of our pool sidewalk and the subsequent tangling vines—some with thorns;
4. Pressure-washed mud away from the cleared sidewalk;
5. Skimmed the pool for an hour-and-a-half while in it.

Along the way about 3 ½ hours in, I encountered a heat event that rocketed my heart rate to 174. I had EXTREME fatigue, light-headed/dizzy, was hot on a cloudy day and felt a tingling sensation in my hands. I thought I had kept myself hydrated throughout, but I must have failed.

At any rate, I tossed 4 cups of water over my head and could taste the salt streaming down my face. Thus, I popped back about 4 pinches of Redmond's salt, drank some water and sat down to gather myself. I tried the wet shirt over my head thing, but that was just laborious (and ridiculous). I then put my tools away and grabbed the recharging battery to finish mowing around the pool.

And while I missed my 1 PM date with the pool, I had a lot of skimming to do and could use the cooldown, so I gladly waded in those 71℉ waters with a skimmer for the next 90 minutes. There was not a space open on the shallow end that was not splattered by bits of plants and that was in the context of being careful in my yardwork.

It is a funny thing: later that evening on a trip to Harbor Freight and the Oakland Walmart, I felt refreshed. My leg in short bursts functioned better than it has in months, like pre-August levels. Eventually, an ache in my shins would overtake me, but it is promising. This daily schedule in an upper-60s pool has had a profound impact on my training.