1143.3 Miles

(5.1 outdoors since Monday)

We have reached the Northern edge of eastern South Undeep.

 I'll admit that I've not been listening to the book lately. As soon as I get a few things done enough for me to skim through it, I will certainly catch up on more details of the journey.

In the meantime, I'll catch up on the journey of the road. This week I didn't get as many miles as I was supposed to. Part of that was my own fault for not following the maps a little better. I'd planned to attend a 5 mile hike yesterday but didn't turn when I was supposed to which had me drive quite a bit out of my way. Sadly, by the time I realized this, the group was already beginning the hike and I was more than 20 minutes away.

Still, I have to say that I'm really happy with how the run on Friday went. April and I went to Carrier Park (lots of runners, walkers, bikers, and roller-skaters go there, too). I knew that I needed to reach at least 3 miles that day (I have a goal to run 5k in less than 37 minutes by the first weekend in November) and that's not far from now. Well, April kept encouraging me to keep running (slow pace). And, as much as I really wanted to walk, I actually ran most of it. April says 99%, but I think it was onlu 90%. But that "only: that you see there? Don't let it fool you, I worked really hard to keep going. And I feel so proud of myself for finishing.

1016.2 Miles

(2.5 treadmill)

This week starts a new phase of my journey. I will now be doing the cardio portion (treadmill and bike) five days a week and the weights three days a week. Yes, that means that there will be three days that I will have a double workout. I already know that there will be a bit more pain while my body adjusts, but it will be well worth it. You see, no matter what challenges I find along my road, no matter what pain I need to endure, and no matter what fears I find within, I know that I need to keep going. I need to reach my goals in such a way that I can look back, briefly, and celebrate the triumphs.

I want to thank those who are traveling with me and cheering me on. April with her patience and guidance, Brianna with her suggestions for more challenging exercises, Kevin with his reminders of my successes: I love you! To my Fiberly with the virtual cheering and encouragement, you are fabulous friends!

There are days when I am not so sure I would make it without you all.

959.9 Miles

(10.2 bike)

I'll admit that I've not been listening to the book lately. I know that the traveling on the river doesn't take up a lot in the story, and I don't like to only listen for a couple minutes at a time. Soon, though, I will have to make a decision about which path to take. Will I stay with Frodo or will I go on with Strider?

Wednesday was a weights day again. I should be more specific since it's not just weight-training, but that's what I call the day. What it involves is various exercises that work the muscles of my body and I use 8-pound weights. Cardio isn't really a factor even though I do tend to get winded sometimes.

On these days I set my timer (an app on the iPad, but I can't remember what it's called right now) to intervals of 1 minute with a 10 second "break", repeated 12 times. During the 1 minute I will do an exercise for 30 seconds, then switch sides for the remaining 30 seconds. For example, if I am doing lunges, I'm doing the right leg for the full 30 seconds, then the left. The 10-second break gives me enough time to get into position for the next exercise. When an exercise works both sides at the same time (squats, for example) I will do them for the full minute. There are 12 different exercises that I do during these intervals so the session lasts 14 minutes. At this point I will take a short water break then start all over again. After that, I will do stretches and a few Sun Salutations.

So, when I say it's a "weights day" you now know what I mean.

Today's ride involved reading on my iPad. I've tried to knit while I'm pedaling, but when you're trying to maintain a speed of 20mph, your gauge just gets wonky.

911.1 Miles

(3.1 - Hills of Asheville)

This post is quite late. I ran/walked in my second 5k before my 41st birthday (and still keep forgetting that I actually had a birthday). I have a lot on the agenda for the remainder of this calender year and I'm looking forward to the progress I know I will have. In the meantime, here is a cool picture of April and me after she finished her part of the race (she ran the half marathon!!!)

908 Miles

(1.9 treadmill)

In a clearing we could feel the warm sun on our faces and met another group of elves. They finally took our blindfolds off. Gimli was spoken to with respect and was the first Dwarf to see this land since the days of Durin. Samwise looked in wonder and said that it was as if we were in a song. We climbed to the top of the hill of Cerin Amroth. We could see all around us and stayed for about two hours.

A little bit slower today, but I'm still getting to the end of that 30 minutes with less and less strain. I have made a promise to myself that right treadmill distance will be 3 miles, even if I have to walk most of it.

 

Other movements

Yesterday I walked swiftly & steadily and learned my limits of speed. This morning when I woke I was pleased that the sore muscles I had weren't nearly as bad as the day after I'd done the lower body chains for the first time. My back was a little sore, but I gently warmed it up with a couple belly dancing moves. While I was finishing up the shop stuff I worked on weights. You see, while the yarn is winding into a ball, I can do other things (yes, that is very cool) and I chose to get in some strength training. Today I used the 3lb weights, but lifted until I couldn't go any further. Then I'd switch to a different lift (bicep curls, tricep curls, overhead presses, etc). By the time I was finished with the yarns I was sure I couldn't even left those 4oz skeins.

My legs? Oh, yes, I did my squats this morning and felt good about the strength I could feel in my legs. Shortly after 10-ish, however, my legs started feeling more sore. By lunchtime I could feel the tightness even more. So I kept drinking water and gently stretching. I did walk a very short distance to have lunch with some friends, but when I got home, my calves were hollering at me to knock it off. I ignored them and continued to gently stretch.

I know I still have a long way to go, but I feel really good about the progress so far.

226.9 Miles

(16.4)

I camped by a small stream, among some stunted alder trees. The moon is still waxing (interestingly, it will be full on Monday) and it's frosty, but clear.

Today was the one hour ride. I was lucky enough to talk to a friend during this ride which seemed to make it go by a little faster. Kind of interesting. I am feeling better and better about all of this. Yes, the changes are slow in coming, but I know that my body is being nourished each day and that I'm doing this right. Each time I push myself a little more, I can feel the love coming from my friends, encouraging me and cheering me on. I love it.

I finished the bamboo washcloth. It's too soft to be a kitchen cloth, so I might put it away for a face cloth as a gift for someone.

191.2 Miles

(9.3)

I'm still heading toward the eastern part of the marshes.

Today was a bit off-kilter for some reason. Lack of sleep created a need for a short nap this morning. Perhaps getting on the bike instead would have changed that, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Still, once I was up, had eaten breakfast (eggs & mushrooms), and actually got on the bike, it was great. There isn't much soreness anymore, but I still sweat like crazy. Maybe that will never go away.

The assisted chin-ups are starting to get easier now, too. I'll be increasing the number next week. I don't know what I'll be increasing it to, yet... probably at whatever number I can't pull myself upward again. Last week that number was 8. Who knows what it will be by Monday.

I'm still knitting that bamboo cloth, but I would much rather work on something I will use.  I'll get some dyeing done today and look through the patterns I have for scarves. I can always use them as gifts through the year, right?

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.

30 Miles

I suppose the cumulative miles works fairly well for the titles, so that's what I'll do until I change my mind.

Today was a little harder to complete 8 miles. It took me 31 minutes and I was really tempted to stop at only 20. My legs just didn't seem to want to go any farther. Still, the music was cheerful and I wanted to get another row done on the scarf (I started it over again). As I pushed past the 23 minute mark, I realized that I had less than 7 minutes to go. As sluggish as my legs felt, I kept in my head the combination of one-more-row and only#-minutes-left.

I'm going to make myself remember to lower the thermostat a bit more than normal while I'm on the bike. I was burning up when that darn furnace kicked on! Also, more water. Lots more water.

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.