This week was a pretty big one for me — and another dramatic one for the compound. But honestly, most weeks are at least interesting when you live in a prison camp.
First, some good news: July 1st marked my official halfway point! Half my time is now behind me — more days served than left to serve. That’s a great feeling. I’m planning to write a longer post soon about what I’ve learned, how I’ve tried to better myself, and all that good stuff, so stay tuned for that.
The real highlight this week, though, was July 4th. It was a rare treat: we got special meals. Breakfast came with a big, warm, gooey cinnamon roll (one of my favorites), and lunch was hot dogs and hamburgers. Pretty standard cookout fare, but in here it feels like fine dining.
I decided to mark both my halfway point and the holiday by pushing myself with a big run. Right after demolishing that cinnamon roll, I hit the track early before the heat got unbearable — there’s no shade out there, so once the sun’s up, it’s brutal. I’m excited to report that I ran eight miles nonstop at a 9:15 pace. That’s a huge leap for me — my last long run was six miles with no breaks. This means I’m on track for our 10K in August and, even better, it puts me more than halfway to my big goal: a half marathon (13.1 miles).
I’ve always enjoyed running, but before I came here, I’d never done more than four miles at a time — so training for a half marathon is totally new ground for me. Hitting eight miles nonstop feels like a huge step forward. It also means I’m ready for the 10K coming up in August. One of the guys here is putting it together for anyone on the compound who wants to join — we’ll run loops around the track to coincide with a real 10K happening in his hometown that day. It’s a cool way to feel connected to the outside world, even from in here. So, even though there were no fireworks for us on the 4th, finishing that eight-mile run felt like its own kind of celebration.
Now, for some of the compound chaos. I’ve made a good friend here named Austin. He was in the Air Force and used to run marathons, so he’s been giving me solid advice. He’s the one who told me I should jump to eight miles on my next long run. I’d never have thought to push it that much, but he was right — that’s how you build up the distance.
Unfortunately, poor Austin had a rough week. Here, we have to log in to special computers to send emails and check our commissary accounts. It’s super important to log out when you’re done — and a lot of guys forget. I’ve forgotten before, too. But leaving your account open can be a big problem. There are some real dirtbags here, and sometimes they’ll hop on and send nasty or vulgar emails to staff — especially female staff — under your name. When that happens, it’s almost impossible to prove you didn’t write it.
That’s exactly what happened to Austin. He saw the emails in his sent folder and reported it immediately, but it was too late. A few hours later, they came and got him and threw him in the hole (solitary). Now he’s stuck there until they finish the investigation — and since it’s a holiday weekend, nothing was moving. He had to spend the whole Fourth in the hole, missing his daughter’s birthday, too. I feel terrible for him. He’s a good guy, and if they don’t clear his name, he could lose his RDAP program spot and spend extra time in the SHU. Fingers crossed it works out.
And, because prison is never boring, there was one more incident. Someone in a car tried to drop off a package filled with weed, alcohol, cigarettes, and cell phones — all the classics. They stashed it somewhere around the track, but the perimeter guards spotted them and gave chase. Rumor is it turned into a high-speed car chase like The Dukes of Hazzard. Supposedly the driver jumped a curb and got away, which is funny in a way — but not so funny for the rest of us. They locked down the entire camp all weekend. No track, no gym, no workouts. Rumor is it could stay locked down for another week, which would really mess up my marathon training plan. I’m hoping they open things back up soon — otherwise, I’ll be running laps in my imagination.
So, that’s the excitement (and drama) for this holiday week. Keep an eye out for my upcoming halfway point post — I’m looking forward to putting that one together.
Stay safe — and stay legal — out there.
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