I have been very busy with work but some progress has been made, however slight.
I purchased my first pair of Vibrams (in Slate/Palm). Well, first i purchased the wrong size because i couldn't actually try them on (the style i wanted is not available at the local REI) and followed the chart rather than my gut, but after another order and return i'm now wearing the right size. I'm a little annoyed about the poky side of the velcro strap being at the base facing out rather than at the end of the strap and in. I've broken them in and they feel lovely until i've stood in them for four hours straight. I'm not sure i'll ever be able to wear them for a full shift at work while standing on a pad on tile over concrete for 8-9 hours. I'm also annoyed that the velcro is starting to fray, but i suppose all things wear out. I've been trimming stray threads.
I bought Barefoot Running Step by Step with the B&N gift card i got from my Secret Santa. This book isn't available at our local library and i must admit that i've barely read it. Saxton doesn't seem to like Vibrams because they cut off too much sensation. From personal experience i can confirm that i was surprised how thick Vibrams feel. I feel more than with normal shoes but less than i would like. That is, unless i'm walking on gravel, and i'm still getting used to that. What bothers me about his claim is that calloused feet cut off sensation, too, in my experience. The more one walks/runs barefoot the thicker the skin on the bottom of one's feet gets. Is he going to start blasting barefooting next?
I really, really want to start training for my next triathlon but i'm not sure where to find the time or energy. My feet and legs have been killing me at work again. I finally got to a point where my calves aren't cramping every morning as soon as i try to get out of hammock again but on Friday i felt like i had low bloodsugar right before lunch despite the fact that i had eaten breakfast and a snack that day. I've only felt like that when i was sitting most of the day in the past...say at the end of a class and then walking on the way to get food right NOW rather than after standing on my feet for 3.75 hours (less a fifteen minute break) and with another fifteen minutes to go before i can rest and eat.
Every day at work i feel like i've run 10k, which is to say twice as far as i've ever run before. You wouldn't think that standing in one spot for most of the day would feel like a full body workout, but believe me it does. And per usual the scale doesn't seem to take note. I think that i need to have a better diet but i'm not sure i can afford one or have the time. Things are further exacerbated by the fact that i have no reliable transportation and work is too far away for me to bike to. The majority of the time that i have been at this job i have been dropped off at the beginning of the shift, picked up at the end of it, straight to, straight from except for picking up siblings from basketball practice or attending one of their games. If i'm lucky i get to go grocery shopping once every two weeks and i grab frozen dinners and a few other things. I don't think i have a high enough caloric intake...but once again, i'm still not losing any weight.
Time and energy both seem to be valuable commodities that i have far too little of. I can't even comprehend how i was training two years ago while working and attending college full time. It seems impossible. And here i am wanting to get into backpacking/hammock camping in a really bad way. I'm thinking of starting locally and trying to find some amazing places to take photos to start out. But financial issues are a big concern. I don't know that i will have my conventional job in February (we're in the midst of Inventory and i am seasonal help). There are no jobs to be had via the paper or Craigslist. I might have to make a go of it on Etsy or DeviantArt. I might suddenly have a lot of time for writing and training but not be able to pay my bills. Time will tell...
I was looking for an online support group or local training group today and was surprised to find next to nothing. I found one blog where a woman has lost 40-50 pounds and is whining about not being able to lose the last 15 to get below the Athena threshold. I can't even imagine getting my weight below 200 pounds anymore. I still wonder what it would be like to race for charity and then realize that no one probably would want to support me at my weight.
