A Plastic Hiccup

The first few weeks of training were going really well and smoothly. I was getting the workouts in, feeling pretty good while doing them and beginning to wonder that maybe this whole thing won't be as bad as some have said it could be. I still feel that way, but had my first little hiccup the other night. I do need to back up and say I was beginning to feel some shin splints starting to set in again. I've had this problem in the past and think it may have almost developed into a stress fracture last summer so I was a bit nervous this time around again. When I say stress fracture, that is completely self-diagnosed as I never went and had it professionally looked at. Why go to a doctor only to have them tell you bad news? I kid (sort of). So anyway, I took a week off from "running" and for those run workouts just did a brisk walk, as fast as I could before I would feel pain in my shins. I still wanted to do the workouts, just not at the point of doing more harm than good. It all worked out and my last 3 runs have been pain free. Well, back to my hiccup. My swim workouts are starting to get longer now and Friday's plan was for 3200 yards (not too huge, but longest yet) with the main set being 2x1000. Heading to the pool the doubt, undesire, feeling of just wanting to sit home on a Friday night, started creeping in. I got to the club, got in the pool and got through my warm up sets. At that point, just 900 into the 3200 I almost got out and went home. I was beat and tired after just 900! Granted, I didn't really do myself any favors pretty much all week and was going to bed later than I should've been so that played into being run down by the time it got around to being Friday (kind of like tonight and posting a blog at midnight!). I hadn't missed a workout yet though in the first 4 weeks and didn't think I would be bailing on one within the first month! I was a little disappointed in me for allowing myself to think along those lines. I quit wallowing and told myself to suck it up and headed down the lane for my first 1000. I got through it and actually felt somewhat good at the end, but I did end up cutting the workout short anyway. I didn't do the 2nd 1000 so I finished up with the 300 cooldown and called it an evening. I'm going to have to buckle down and make sure this doesn't become a habit! This coming Friday's workout calls for another 3200 so I'm making the vow right now I'll be in the damn pool until I complete all 64 laps! On the bright side though, I was able to follow up Friday night's disaster with good double workouts on both Saturday and Sunday - a long ride followed by a short run on Sat. and then a long run on tired legs followed by a short ride that still felt good on Sunday. Ended week #4 on a positive note!
I'm looking forward to Tuesday. On my first day of training I stepped on the scale to see what I was at. I'm curious to see what 9 months of solid training will do to me and how my body might change. On that first day I weighed in at 193.4. I don't think I necessarily "look" that heavy, but I am what I am, can't really deny that. I haven't been on the scale since and have told myself I'm only going to weigh myself on the 1st of each month, which is Tuesday, (and the morning of the IM and that night after I'm done, just out of curiosity to see how much 140.6 miles makes me lose). I used to step on the scale every time I was in the club, but I don't want that to be the main focus of my workouts. I know I've lost lbs., feel like I have, so that's the main thing I guess, not how much. In the end though, I think a good race weight for me will be in the low 170s so if I can eventually get down to that ballpark I can only think it would be a success. From an Actuary standpoint, more like 160s down to 150s is where I should be just based on my height. I don't think I've been that since high school so we'll just leave those numbers in the past! I'm realistic about any weight loss too though. I expect this first month to probably be the biggest drop and then it may not be quite as dramatic the following months. We'll see on Tuesday!
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Hold on, gonna switch gears and get off the training subject so prepare yourself! Set? Okay. I was in Cub Foods the other night picking up just a dozen or so items. I paid for them and as I was packing them in the my reusable canvas bag a mother and daughter were behind me getting their items rung up. Now, I don't consider myself the "greenest" person on the planet, but I do try to do my part despite driving around in a 10 year old SUV - I recycle, try to avoid using plastic bags, if I'm not in a room the light isn't on, I adjust my thermostat in the house, etc. Well, as I'm bagging my stuff, the girl (we'll call her in the 9-12 yr old range) starts bagging their items in a plastic bag. That's fine, if you want to use them, use them, I'm not going to scold you. The mother gets done paying, comes around the end and just mentions to her daughter that she normally likes to use paper bags because they can hold more. She takes the plastic bag that her daughter has 1/2 filled, places it still 1/2 filled in a paper bag and starts packing more groceries in. So, now she's wasted a plastic bag. Wait, it gets better. As she tries to pick up the paper bag and move it, she tears one of the handles off. So, what would you do at this point - A) take bagged items out and pack them in a new bag, B) take extra items out and go back to using the plastic bag you were in the beginning and pack that, C) just pick up and carry the paper bag (which still has the plastic bag in it) with a hand under the bottom? Well, she didn't do any of those 3. Instead, she picks up the paper bag, with said plastic still in it, and places that whole thing in another plastic bag, just so she could carry it with handles!! So, in the end, she used 3 bags where 1 would do. And that, my friends, is why no matter what those of us do to try to help out, it will never all get solved. There will always be someone counter-balancing your good deeds with their misguided ones (sometimes deliberately, sometimes just out of ignorance). This could be said for many things beyond just what happens in a grocery store. I don't mean to make it sound like I'm all "holier than thou", but c'mon Lady, use some common sense!

Okay, I'm done ranting. January ends tomorrow, February is a short month and Spring is right around the corner as soon as March gets here! Things are looking up! Good night.