1040.5 Miles

(10.4 bike)

I wanted to get done early today since I wanted to take some time for myself this morning. I've still not gotten the meditation to be a habit, but I will. Of that I am certain.

My calves are still pretty sore and I'm not sure if it's from yesterday's or Tuesday's run. No matter, it will pass before long and I will be stronger for it. My arms don't feel quite as sore from yesterday's weights, just a pleasant ache that reminds me that I'm getting stronger there, too.

There is still a part of me that hesitates losing more weight. I have been thinking about that this week. I've been trying to figure this out, trying to learn more about myself to gain a better understanding of my own thoughts & emotions. For now, I am ready to break past the 165 level that I have been on for a while.

Knitting! I've gotten better at keeping a steady gauge no matter how fast I pedal. I'm practicing on a simple scarf and I am happy to say that there is very little variance in the panels I did while sitting in waiting rooms and the ones I did on the bike.

916.4 Miles

(2.0 treadmill)

We have reached the north side of Caras Galadan. So very close!

It's been far too long since I've posted on here. Part of that was a dumb rebellion on my own part. I was letting my dislike for another person bring me down. It was pointed out to me that by doing that I was letting them win. I deserve to treat myself better than that. And so, today I was back at it, in full force.

Today I did two workouts. This morning was 30 minutes on the treadmill. This evening was 30 minutes with the weights. I think I'm going to sleep quite deeply tonight. I will write more of some of my goals tomorrow.

912.9 Miles

(1.8 outdoors)

This morning I walked to the drugstore then over to the Farmers' Market. Why it didn't occur to me that carrying a bag with 4 pounds of honey and several squash choices the rest of the way home might cause my shoulder to feel like it was going to fall off will remain a mystery. Still, it was a nice morning for a walk. I'm a little concerned that I may have aggravated my cold symptoms, though.

Other Movements

Today was a no-treadmill kind of day. When I got back from the dentist my heart felt kind of wonky. Now, it very well could have been the simple fact that I'd been at the dentist. Or just because I didn't have enough water before I left. Or whatever. Regardless, it didn't feel like it was at a normal pace again until it was nearly time to pick the daycare kids up from school.

I still moved, though. I did my squats, weights, and stand-up crunches while they were drawing & eating snacks. Then I repeated the squats before my shower. Interestingly enough, my shins were sore today. I'll blame it on the sandals from Monday.

Tomorrow will be an awesome treadmill day! Let's see how far I can get.

Final Day

Today I woke feeling still a bit icky, but as the day progressed I felt better and better. I only needed a few tissues and I didn't feel like I was going to fall asleep all day. Through this time, I took good care of myself. I rested, ate only the foods I felt like eating, drank a lot of fluids, and relaxed. I didn't beat myself up over the fact that I didn't exercise this week, either.

I learned something about myself; I used to push and push until there was nothing left to sustain me. This time, I listened to what my body was telling me. Whatever "this" was, it wasn't simple allergies (not with a high fever on Monday and into Tuesday, achy muscles until this morning, and fatigue so strong that I took several naps over the last few days). Whatever it was, it's passed now. And that is all that really matters.

I have gained no weight, and my muscles still feel strong under the surface. I am sure that I lost none of ground I've covered. I'm also sure that I am happier with the ability to stop and take good care of myself when I need to. I do believe that I can now go forward with more enthusiasm and determination than I could have mustered this whole week.

I love Me!

Other movements

Today was strength training only. And about 12 hours of yarn work. By the time the last skein was done I didn't even want to shower (I did anyway). I'm mostly fine with that, especially since the scale this morning showed 171.2! I guess the balance has begun to shift now.

Having the daycare kids here is a little more challenging than I first thought, but I will keep my focus on what is important to me.

827.8 Miles

(9.3 biking)

The going seem very long. We traveled many hours and were ready to sleep. Suddenly we entered a huge empty Hall. Gandalf says there are windows that will let the sunlight in, but since it's still night we cannot see it. We slept in that hall, cold and tired. The next morning, Gimli recited the story of Durin and it touched us all. Gandalf told us about mithril and how it was worth so very much. When he mentioned a corselet that Bilbo had, Frodo seemed more quiet than usual.

I didn't walk today. The wind feels as if it's trying to work its way into my jacket. Instead I increased the time of hooping and I completed the upper and lower chains. As for the biking, I decided to take it a little easy today, sort of. I kept it steady at around 18mph instead of doing any high intensity.

I brought up to April that my scale is still pretty steady. I lost four pounds in the last 2 weeks, but then gained two over the weekend. However, there are a couple inches fewer than there were. For example, my waist was 35" and now it sits at 32.5". I won't list all the differences, but they are there. She says that the scale doesn't matter as much while my muscles are gaining strength and I trust her.

For the knitting, I started a potholder from some old handspun I have. I don't even know where I got the original fiber, nor do I know if it will felt at all. But, it's pretty and I can turn it in for another class.

459.8 Miles

(9.4)

I've reached Rivendell! From here I will be heading to Lorien (462 miles).

The website starts the miles over again, so I am thinking that I should track the mileage for daily, this leg, and total. We'll see how I feel on Monday. You will see a new tab at the top to show the journey from Rivendell to Lorien and all the interesting things that happen along the way.

I only was on the bike for a little more than 30 minutes today. I wanted to spend time with the hoop and some weights as well. So, there was still a full hour, just fewer miles.

I am not going to reach my weight goal by the end of this month, simply because I'm still at 173 (the goal was for 167) and that is too much to lose in such a short amount of time. I'm not really worried about it, though. I know that it will continue coming off.

Knitting was the 2nd pair of socks and I'm still pretty determined to get them finished by Tuesday. We'll see how that goes.

147.5 Miles

(9.7)

I heading east toward Chetwood and things are going along just fine. I still have a long way to go.

This morning was in interesting ride. I hadn't been in the bike in 3 days so I expected a lot more soreness or fatigue, but experienced none. Tomorrow may be a different story, but I'm looking forward to the early morning ride. Early again because the daycare kids will be here by 6:45 so I need to be showered & all that stuff before then. I don't really mind.

The scale has begun to hover again, but I'm okay with that. I sat down the other day and figured out where I want to be at the end of each month and I know that I can accomplish it. There will be no going hungry or anything like that, but there will be a slow shedding of the pounds.

The knitting was pretty interesting this morning. Part of that had to do with the fact that I draped the blanket over my arm while pedaling. I'm not sure how that will work as it gets bigger and I may have to start some washcloths or something instead. I'm still working on getting good enough for socks.

82.3 Miles

(5.8)


I have passed the Bonfire Glade and am now traveling along the path in the Forest.

Today is a slow day. My thought is to have two days of 30 minutes, one day of 20 minutes, 2 days of 30 minutes. On Saturday I usually run errands, so I'll focus more on weight training.

I had a good talk with April about numbers. You know, weight, body fat, sizes, etc. She gave me a number for the size I will reach. I won't be sharing it yet, simply because it doesn't really feel like it's possible to me. Still, I like the thought of that number and am holding it inside, letting it grow in brightness. When it feels stronger than a whisper, I may share it here, too.

I hope you're all enjoying some movement!

Also, for anyone who is curious, I'm only going up to the tenths and I won't be rounding up. So, whether I reach .83 or .87, I will still only count it as .8 simply because it's easier to deal with.

76.5 Miles

(10.5)

Wow, I can't believe I'm over 1% now! I've already passed the Ferry, spent the night at Crickhollow, and entered the tunnel to get into the Old Forest. The fog is still very thick and the ponies are slow... almost as if they don't wish to go any further.

Today I played some great music and was determined to get past 10 miles again. And I did! Just like yesterday, I was sweating like crazy, but I didn't feel like my legs were going to fall off when I stood back up. Currently the tension setting on the bike is 7. My thought is that I will leave it there until February 1, then move it up to 8. Then move it up again each month until ti gets to the top (10). After that? Well, I'll figure it out as I go.

This morning I stood on the scale and was sure I wasn't seeing it right. Seriously, I reset it 3 times just to be sure. Yep, I am now 175.6. I have no idea what I will treat myself with, but I'll think of something soon.