1112.3 Miles

(10.3 bike)

The river has turned southward and we are still surrounded by high hills.

I wasn't going to do anything today since my calves are still very sore, but decided that if I didn't do anything my goals would be even further away. So, after getting Brianna settled (she has a fever and pretty heavy congestion right now), I got on the bike. Only 30 minutes today, but I am glad that I did it.

Oh, and I did get a little knitting in, too. That little bit of black might become the OWL project for HPKCHC (on Ravelry).

818.5 Miles

(2.5 walking)
(10.5 biking)

After taking a short break to eat and have another sip of miruvor. We began following Gandalf in the dark. True, Gandalf's staff shone brightly, but it was very small in this great, dark cavern. Frodo has been hearing steps behind us, but didn't say anything. After a bit of time we came to a junction and Gandalf was too weary to decide which way to go, so we camped in the guardroom.

It was so cold this morning! I really pushed myself to go out there and walk, but I figured it wouldn't kill me so I bundled up a bit and headed out. Before very long I was already starting to sweat. I didn't take off the outer layers simply because the breeze would have chilled me to the bone.

The biking was a little more pleasant, and I really pushed to keep a good speed and a few bursts of high intensity. Afterward I was pretty done in. Oddly enough, I felt more tired after the walking than I have lately. I think it's simply because of the cold. I didn't do the chains today, but I'm not upset about it. I know that I will make them up tomorrow by doing the whole routine.

I am pretty sure I won't get this scarf finished by the end of the month since I'm spending any extra knitting time working on the sweater. I am determined to finish this for the OWL on HPKCHC.

691.6 Miles

(12.4)

As Sam was keeping watch with Strider, a cloud of something took shape in the distance. Before long a flock of crebain flew overhead and we knew the danger was even greater.  With the full moon overhead we continued onward.

Today I wasn't able to get on the bike until after 7:30. Why? Well, there was a snow day, which meant there were kids in the house most of the day. I will say that I do not like exercising in the evening and nearly didn't do it. The thought crossed my mind that "one more day" wouldn't make that much of a difference. But it would. Perhaps not to my body, but it would have made a difference in my head and in my heart. So, I finished my 45 minutes of biking, and my 6 songs of hooping. I haven't done the chains today. There really isn't time since I will be in bed shortly. So that will have to be done tomorrow.

I'm glad I got on the bike, especially since it helped work off some of the irritation I'd felt most of the day. I'm hoping it will help my sleep be more restful.

I finished a slouchy hat while I was biking and I'll be turning it in for one of the HPKCHC classes some time tomorrow. Then it will go into a basket of gifts that will be sent out as soon as I have another one done. You see, I put out word that I would hand-craft 5 gifts for people as long as they passed it along to 5 more people. One of the coolest "chain letters" there are, don't you think?

659.3 Miles

(16.1)

I'm still not caught up to the book (at this point only 201 miles from Rivendell) so I don't get to listen for a couple more days.

I went the whole hour today and made it to just over 16 miles (exactly 10 more than yesterday). I wanted to go faster, but since there is still just a slight twinge in my knee I decided to take it easy. My arms are pretty sore from yesterday and I'm trying to decide if I'm going to go ahead and do the chains tomorrow. The worst that can happen is I won't make it through the whole session, right?

I haven't talked much about the changes in my nutrition yet, so I'll add a little today. I've almost eliminated all grains and sugars at this point. At first it was strange to eat eggs in the morning without toast and I did still have a piece every now and then. Plus I'm still using up the stuff in my pantry. It's been a couple weeks since I had bread (and I only bought whole grain before). Only, I had some last night with the soup I ate. I regretted it later last night and even more today. I won't go into detail, but if you stop eating most grains for a while, then eat white bread, your belly will not be happy. Anyway, I'm not going for a gluten-free diet or anything like that, just letting go of them until all the blood levels are where they need to be. After that? We'll see.

With the sugars I've learned to replace most sugar in drinks with stevia. I don't get that "truvia" from the grocery store since it has other stuff added. Instead I buy the real stuff from NuNaturals. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt making hot cocoa with raw cacoa nibs, milk, and stevia. I'll be sure to let you know how that works out. Why hot cocoa? Because that is an awesome drink through the winter and I miss it. The other sugars... I've learned that when I eat something sweet pretty close to the end of dinner (or whatever meal) I don't have as many issues. I've also learned that eating something with some protein in it soon after eating sweets helps keep the symptoms at bay. Even with that knowledge, however, I need to get this even more under control. I like to eat the things my loved ones make and don't like having to pass them up. Brianna's brownies are heavenly, Kevin's custard is wonderful... I don't want to miss out on these small bits of life. And I don't want them to refrain from their enjoyment of baking/cooking just because I have to focus on things a little differently.

I'm also learning about sprouts. They're kind of fun, actually. I made some red lentil sprouts last week and am looking forward to trying several other seeds. I'm also learning to make salad dressing with plain yogurt. Pretty cool stuff.

Okay, today's knitting was really good. I figured out that it takes a little over 7 minutes to do a complete row (2 socks at the same time) so I am happy to say that I can get between 7 and 9 rows complete in an hour (or slightly longer). At that rate I should have these finished by the end of the month and I can turn them in for a class on HPKCHC.

450.4 Miles

(17.7)

We're being attacked! Glorfindel told us to run and a Nazgul came out of nowhere! The horse took Frodo across the river, but he fell. I think we're running out of time.

I kept a steady pace again today and am just about ready to turn the tension up a notch. I had decided that I would be doing that at the end of this month and I'm right on track for that. I know that might slow down my speed and mileage, but I know that it's the right thing for me to do.

Knitting was great! The purl stitches weren't nearly as bad as I thought they'd be. I did save the cast off for later, though. If any part of the socks needs to be stretchy, it's the cast off. The cool thing is that I turned these in for one of the classes with the HPKCHC along with a cool video made by other Gryffindors. Yes, we're just that cool.

381.2 Miles

(17.8)

We've been climbing and it's raining, which makes it slow going. Tonight we're camped near a small cave on a stony ledge.

Today I decided to go a little slower simply because my legs are still a little stiff from yesterday's speed. I still got a little more than 17 miles, so that's pretty good. I also took a short video of me knitting while I rode. This will be used for a secret Gryffindor project. ;-)

The socks were easier to knit than the tool case was and I'm glad for that. The tool case had such a tight gauge that it was a bit challenging to keep all the stitches where they were supposed to be.

156.6 MIles

(9.1)

Still heading toward Chetwood and am pretty sure that I will reach it tomorrow.

My legs are pretty sore today, but I kept my pace steady at 16mph. When I checked the mileage tab I was surprised to see that I'd gotten just past 9 miles for the morning. I didn't have a lot of time for a shower, but that's not really that big of a deal.

Knitting was a challenge. The blanket is now just large enough to be too large for comfort, but too small to drape over the handles. I think washcloths are definitely in order now. I don't really want to start a new project, but I still want to keep my hands busy. Luckily, after the first, there will be new classes in the HPKCHC group so I'll be able to focus on what I want to craft.

For now, I want to keep going. To remain enthusiastic about this. After all, the main drive behind this is the blood sugar levels. They need to be a lot lower than they are. And that is the most important thing to remember.