181.9 Miles

(16.1)

I've entered the western edge of Midgewater Marshes and camped there. Currently heading east across them. Yuck.

Yes, that says 16.1 miles for today. Yes, I'm pretty sore (especially when I squat down to pick something up). And, yes, I was extremely sweaty afterward. But, (and this is the important part) I felt fantastic about it! No, not physically! I was sweaty & sore, but inside, where it matters the most? Yeah, I felt pretty darn awesome. I biked for one hour today. It feels pretty good knowing that I can go that long. So, I'm thinking that I will do this each week. I'll continue three days of thirty minutes, then one day of an hour. I think the long steady ride will work the muscles in a different fashion and that is a good thing.

And now I have real mats for it! Kevin brought over a whole bunch of mats for me, the professional kind, so now I'm not running the risk of messing up the floor or messing up my blocking mats. Yes, that makes me grin.

The ultimate goal (a healthy body and low sugar levels) is the most important thing to keep in mind right now. Yes, I keep thinking about the weight loss and how I will look in several months, but it the quality of my health that really keeps me going. I know that someday I will be a grandmother, I will travel, I will have alpacas... in all of that, I want to be the healthiest Me possible. This crazy journey across Middle Earth is just the beginning. When the season changes I will be buying a pedometer and will start to include walking as part of this journey. Running? I don't really see that for me (even though I know that could change later), but there are a lot of lovely places around here to go for a walk.

I crocheted a little washcloth today and might be doing a little more of that. It was pretty easy to keep the project in my hand while keeping a steady pace. I am looking forward to figuring out other project that I can do. April has a couple patterns she created for the Cardio-Knitting, and I will be starting one of the more simple ones after the 1st.

165.8 Miles

(9.2)

I've already left the camp at Chetwood and am still heading east. I know that the Midgewater Marshes are not far ahead.

I'm not sure how I feel about the time limits in the morning. There are days when I would prefer to go at a slower pace for a longer time, but I know I can't do that during the holiday break. Still, I feel really good about keeping this up.

I started a new project. This is going to be a simple towel, but I'm not sure how I like the thought of using such a soft yarn to dry my hands. We'll see.

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.

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.

137.8 Miles

(10.2)

Wow! A lot has happened! I said goodbye to Tom, made it to Bree, met up with Strider, had the ponies stolen, Left Bree, and am heading toward Chetwood. What a busy few miles.

Eating has been a little more challenging since it's winter and I want warm & filling foods. Even so, I found that butternut squash soup makes a really good soup base, especially when you add lots of mushrooms & veggies.

The knitting was a little more challenging today. Part of that is because of the shape. With a scarf I can drape the end over the handles to keep the weight from pulling it out of shape. With this blanket, I'm not sure I'll be able to do that. I did slow down a little on the decreases, but for the most part I was able to keep my speed hovering around 16mph.

127.6 Miles

(8.5)

At this point I've reached the dike and hedge which was the former boundary of Cardolan, part of the North Kingdom of Arnor.

This morning I had to make sure I was completely done & showered by 6:45 so I didn't take a lot of time checking emails & such. Why? Because the winter break has started for the daycare kids and I won't have time later in the day for a shower. Or much of anything else.

The knitting was pretty straight-forward since I'm still on a garter stitch portion. We'll see how it goes tomorrow with the double decreases.

119.1 Miles

(9.3)

I've passed the place where Frodo began singing and Tom rescued them. This part of the journey was a little unnerving for me. Partly because I wonder what would have happened if Tom hadn't been around.

The last two days have been early biking. By 6am I'm pushing off and have gotten into the shower by 6:35. I'm not sure if I like this better or not, but it feels good knowing that I've gotten that part of the day completed. When I can't get to it right away after the kids are off to school I feel as though it was a weight dragging at me throughout the day. That makes it challenging not to feel guilty. And that makes it challenging to be enthusiastic about it.

I started a new knitting project last night and I'm looking forward to giving it to the person. I really do think they'll like it. I like the fact that I can work on it while biking since I feel it's sending good energy into it. And, since it will be for a very important little person, it should have as much good energy as possible.

109.8 Miles

(8.4)

 Still traveling through the Barrow-downs. Dark & creepy here.

Today I got up early to bike. I'm not sure what prompted this, but I wanted it done before the daycare kids got here. I didn't eat first and had a protein drink almost immediately after I was finished. I will eat a more substantial breakfast after I get back from dropping the kids at school.

I stood on the scale the other day and was pleasantly surprised at what it said. But I didn't want to post anything until I waited a couple days to be sure. Yep, this morning it is still in the same range... 175.6. That is pretty cool.

There is no picture today because I forgot to bring my camera into the living room, but I'll make it a point to remember from now on. :-)

101.4 Miles

(10.1)

Yes, I have already left Tom Bombadil's house and began zig-zagging up the hill on the west side of the Barrow-downs. there are no trees or water. Somehow I ended up in the Barrow-downs which is inhabited by a great evil.

In all seriousness, when I woke up this morning I was determined to get to 100 miles. I knew it would be tough, especially since I woke a lot earlier than I'd planned, and I had a ton of work to do for the yarn club, but I was going to make it to the 100 mile mark. I did it in about 40 minutes.

Knitting is getting easier for me so I know that it won't be long before I can work on patterns and not just garter scarves. Still, I feel pretty good that I can now knit even during the high-speed moments.

91.3 Miles

(9)

At this point, I've been in the Forest and was heading southeast, but too many turns eastward got me lost. Soon I found that I was in the fold too deep to leave, followed it to Withywindle.

I decided not to push myself for speed today, instead I kept it steady at about 15mph. It didn't really feel like I was taxing myself, but I still ended up quite sweaty. It was a little surprising. I think I was on the bike about 40 minutes, but I didn't really look at the time since I was most concerned about the distance. I will try harder to make note of that later. The knitting was pretty smooth and I'm thinking that I will certainly get this done soon. I still have only worked on it a little while not riding, but I'm hoping today will change that.