What Triathlon Training Has to do with Recycling

Some people believe anyone can overcome any hurdle if they want something badly enough. Write a book? Complete a triathlon? Earn a PhD? Anyone can do it, the idea goes. Most people just don’t want to. Or, more likely, there are hundreds of other things they would rather do. But is everyone even capable of the feat?

A member of my triathlon group recently challenged this concept when she told me, “Anyone can do an Ironman triathlon if they want to.”

In case you don’t know, the Ironman is a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run (aka marathon), all one after another. If that isn’t daunting enough, there are cutoffs. Yes, the race takes all day, and many competitors start at daybreak and don’t finish until well after dark, but the race organizers can’t keep the course open indefinitely. If you take too long and don’t get to the cutoff points in time, they will tell you to stop racing.

The triathlete I was talking to has completed a dozen Ironman triathlons. She thinks, if I can do it, so can you if you put in the training. I know that I’m not willing to sacrifice work and family to the extent that would be necessary. So, I suppose I won’t ever know if I could complete an Ironman because I’m not going to try.

For me, training for an Olympic distance (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) is plenty hard enough. I recently had an internal conversation with my legs that went something like this.

Me: It’s time to run for 30 minutes.

Legs: No, we are tired from the 2-hour bike ride.

Me: Then just run the first mile as fast as you can.

Legs: We don’t want to.

Me: You don’t have a choice.

Legs: This is really hard. Can we stop when we get to that tree?

Me: No. You have to finish the mile. Then you can walk.

My pace for that first mile was slightly faster than the last time I had completed a brick workout (bike ride followed immediately by a run), so I called it a success. I allowed myself to take plenty of walk breaks during the rest of the 30-minute “run.”

How is triathlon training related to the topics I usually discuss in this blog? I’ll explain.

It’s about keeping the end goal in mind and making progress toward the goal. Small steps add up. When I push myself on a brick workout, I will get stronger.

When it comes to recycling, I know that it’s tempting to take the easy way out. Either toss everything into the blue bin that might be recyclable or give up and throw it all into the trash. While fixing the world’s recycling system is a hard problem, you can take actions that will make a difference if enough people do them. The goal is to place in the recycling bin only stuff that is likely to get recycled into new products.

Bricks, by the way, should not go into the curbside trash or the recycling. They are considered “construction and demolition materials.” In King County, where I live, there are several dedicated recovery facilities that accept bricks, concrete, wallboard, and other such materials.

Many materials, however, are recyclable curbside. Metal cans, paper, and cardboard will get recycled, provided the bin isn’t contaminated with stuff that doesn’t belong. Plastics are, as you probably know, the most challenging materials to recycle. Unless your city specifically accepts them, many types of disposable packaging, shouldn’t go into the bin.

I explain how to handle various types of plastic in my latest book, Rethink the Bins. That information, plus perhaps a visit to your city’s recycling website, will tell you what you need to know to place plastic packaging into the correct bin. But it is better to avoid the packaging in the first place.

I want you to push yourself to stop the next time you reach for a product that comes in plastic packaging. Do you need it? Perhaps you can let it stay on the shelf. Or you can check if a plastic-free alternative is available. It might not be the brand that you normally buy, or it might cost a bit more, but you can vote with your wallet.

As for the challenge of competing in a triathlon, writing a book, or earning a PhD, I know those things are hard because I’ve done them. I don’t believe that everyone should attempt those goals. But I believe that we all need to be more mindful of what we buy and what we do with the packaging. Thanks in advance for doing your part.