A Week-Plus Later

It's been over a week since I last posted. I apologize to my adoring fans (all both of you - my wife and mother - you're the best!).

Rather than a long essay, I thought I'd use bullets and briefly summarize things as they come to mind.

• I was telling a colleague at work a few days ago that I should be working out, but maybe it would be a good rest day (I was feeling pretty sore from lifting). He nodded his head sympathetically and said, "Ah, the sound of dedication." Passing by his desk a few minutes later, I held up my gym bag, gave him my best sneer and said, "jerk!" Walking down the hall, I heard a faint, "You'll thank me one day!" Yeah yeah, whatever.
• Getting in the pool and swimming laps has been a great way to get sore muscles moving, which helps in sweeping out the lactic acid out, making me feel (somewhat) better the next day. I haven't swum more than 600 meters (24 laps in a 50 meter pool) and have taken most of that at a fairly leisurely pace.
• A few days ago I felt a familiar ache in my left foot. I did what doctors hate and looked it up on the internet. I apparently have Morton's Neuroma and have had it since the last time I worked out heavily, about five or six years ago. It's an annoying pain, feeling like a cramp in my foot just down from my toes. When I wear shoes, it feels like a thin, flat rock is in my shoe. I'm going to make an appointment with the podiatrist on Monday.
• Speaking on injuries, apparently Joshua has had some pain in his knee, and stopped working out for a day or three. We talked and he's going to go to the pool and swim laps and lift weights. I hope he doesn't stop working out because it will make my victory all the more sweet!
• When I began this whole thing, I promised that I would eat half as much. However, I've found myself eating half again as much and still managed to lose a pound last week. I have no such illusions tomorrow, when I weigh myself at the gym. Still, it's been good to get back into the gym and lift some weights and do some cardio.
• I'm finding that I'm making better progress on lifting weights than on cardio. As I walk and jog a tiny bit every day, I can feel the beginning ache of shin splints, and of course the increasing pain in my foot isn't helping. It's crazy, I'm walking only about 10-15 minutes a day and only running about three minutes of that, and I still can feel my old injuries coming back. Getting old sucks.
• There's one cardio machine that is the absolute torture device of the Devil. It's called a Step Mill Escalator and it's just what it sounds like - three steps of an escalator with handle bars and a motor which controls the speed of the steps. The computer will tell you how far you've climbed, both in miles and in floors, but it won't tell you that you have an imminent heart attack coming on. I used to walk on that monstrosity for up to a half an hour but can only manage five minutes now. Still, it's a great machine for producing aches, sweat, and barely muffled cursing.

Enough for now, I'll try to do better in writing.