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).

Strength-training

Today I started the workout that April posted in our thread on Ravelry. Each month she's going to change it up a bit. Today I set the interval timer (free app on the iPad) and get moving. I didn't follow her routine exactly, instead I did each exercise for 30 seconds before moving to the next one. The whole session lasted just over 13 minutes but I was more than ready for a break! Instead, I got some water, walked up & down the hallway a little, then did it one more time. For the second time, though, I had to use the 8-pound weights instead of the 10. Yes, my arms were that shaky.

A step backward

In my Ravelry group there is a thread called Summer Era. In this thread we post goals for two weeks, then recap and revise the goals as needed. These aren't just fitness & health goals, but also goals for our overall well-being. Some of those goals can be clearing out old boxes and decluttering your home and these are good for our mental and spiritual health.

So, my goals for last Session (what we call the 2-week period) were to get running again. Which I did, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. My last time on the treadmill was on Saturday.  I know why and I know that I don't have the will or the energy to change it right now. I've had the daycare kids here for about 14 hours a day. By the time they leave and I get the house cleaned up and take a few minutes to myself, it's well after 8. This might not be a big deal if I wasn't going to bed by 9:30.

I have tried getting on the treadmill and bike after they leave but, by then I feel like lead. There is no joy in completing the miles, and it just feels like castor oil or something (you know, really icky). If I could legally leave the house while they were sleeping each morning I would walk/run around the block a few times or something, but I would get into serious trouble if anything happened while I was out.

So, as much as I wish otherwise, I'm going to lighten my goals for the next session and I'm going to post them here as well as in the Ravelry group.

Week 1 (nearly over already):
- get on the treadmill today if they leave before 5, walk
- get on the treadmill Saturday morning, walk, maybe run
- continue building up the chains, I've been doing half and I want to get all of them done (there are 55 total reps, and the complete round consists of 8 different movements)

Week 2:
- Sunday, get on treadmill again, even though it's Sunday (normally I'm busy until 6 or 7, which would seem a bad time to do this, but I feel relaxed and content with life and I do believe that makes all the difference), walk, maybe run
- continue working on the chains
- Friday & Saturday, get on treadmill walk, maybe run

Okay, the main reason this really upsets me is that I won't be able to reach my goal of running 3.1 miles by my birthday. This bothers me on so many levels I can't even describe it. I know it's not really that big of a deal since I'm still putting in effort, but I really wanted to start out my next year on a different track. Yes, I've looked back at my progress and am pretty happy with that, but I wanted more. So much more. Once these kids are back in school (August 27th) I will be able to shift my training into high gear. I know that, realistically, I won't be able to push myself (without injury) to run that distance in 3 weeks. Instead I will push myself to get as far along as possible. Until then, I will keep doing other physical activities that will help bring strength and endurance to my body.

Whoever reads this, please keep in mind that there are times when it's important to evaluate what really will be right to do. Listen to your body. Nudge it, push to the limit, but don't go so far over the edge that you feel like giving up completely.

-

Edit: Okay, my trainer told me some cool news -

Here’s the thing. You don’t need to go back to the C25K program. You need to get on the treadmill and warm up then RUN. Run for as long as you can and then hop off and catch your breath for a few seconds and then start running again. (This is because of the way your treadmill adjusts. I would have you walk otherwise.) Run at a slower pace than you usually do for your intervals. I’d try running at 5.0-5.4 and see how long you can run. The intervals you described to me are speed work. You need some easy runs in there too. The easy runs help you extend your distance. The speed work helps you improve your time. Right now you just want to run for 3 miles. You are not looking to break any speed records. I wish I were there with you. I’d have you run 3 miles today. I know you can do it!

So, provided the kids leave early enough, I will be trying this out. I'll use a stopwatch to keep my time and figure my distance that way... which means I won't get a picture, but I'll take a picture of the stopwatch instead.

Sometimes it just takes knowing that someone is cheering you on and has faith in you to keep your spirits up enough to push harder.

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.

22 Miles

I haven't yet decided how to title each day, so it will most likely be a mix or various ideas.

Today I made another 8 miles, so I'm past the first night, at least. It's odd to think about this whole journey in tiny pieces like this. I'm thinking about reading the books again... or getting them on cd (the Rob Ingis version). The cds are currently $32/book and I just might be able to save up for those pretty soon. We'll see how things go.

The knitting went backward a bit, but only because it looked a little silly to me, being in different patterns. The stripes are somewhat small, so I wouldn't be able to have any designs that were larger than a few rows. Now the scarf is well on it's way in garter. I figure that will be better anyway. I even thought of who I'd like to give it to, but I can't tell since she may actually be reading this. ;-)

I'm feeling really good right now. A few members in my Ravelry group are joining me. Not necessarily traveling this distance, but walking beside each other, encouraging and supporting us all. I love them so dearly. I wish I could hug them all.