1049.5 Miles

(2.6 treadmill)

I'm not sure what happened with my other pictures, but I did spend some time on the treadmill and the bike last week. Oh well, that just means I have to go a few more miles on this journey.

Today I did something awesome. Seriously awesome. I ran for 10 minutes before I had to walk! Then I walked for 2 minutes and ran another 5 before walking again. I walked another 2 minutes and was able to run another 3 minutes before getting a stitch in my side. My warm up and cool down times were about 5 minutes each so I went over the 30 minute mark just a little, but I didn't care. I felt pretty euphoric that I was able to go for 10 whole minutes before walking.

1042.6 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

What a wonderful weekend! I was able to spend some time out in the country and relax. There were a couple of stressed moments (like when I got a call from Anthony about something Brianna had done), but over all it was lovely. And it gave me the time away from work and everything else that I needed to come back even more determined to stay healthy. Part of it was simply the way my body reacted to the foods I ate (and the dessert-drinks) because I didn't get that rapid heartbeat that I sometimes would get. Instead, with the combination of a healthier body and the right foods, I was able to enjoy without fear.

Now if only I can get that perfected in the rest of the areas of my life! Determination...

Today I actually was in pain during the run. It wasn't serious and it wasn't enough to keep me from getting on the treadmill, but I did need arnica salve before and after. You see, the wind was a bit strong this morning when I was getting out of the Jeep and it caught me by surprise. There is a colorful bruise on my shin and it's going to be gone soon (my arnica salve really is awesome).

The weights... I still am struggling to do the back fly movement with the 8-pound weights. I am determined to use the 10s soon. As soon as I can do more than 15 with the 8s. I've thought about a barbell, too, but only for the squats since I don't have a bench or a spotter (the last thing I need is to drop the thing on my own face or something like that.) Perhaps one of these days, but I'm not sure yet. Right now I feel like I really need to focus first on the steps I'm taking and not jump a few miles down the road.

Tomorrow will be the bike!

1030.1 Miles

(2.2 treadmill)

Even though I feel pretty shaky right now, I feel pretty good with the workouts I did today. This morning I was on the treadmill for my 30 minutes. I didn't get as far as I did on Tuesday, but I think it's simply because I've been working out each day. I know that it's good for me and I'll see results a lot faster. Today I walked a little less than half the distance due to the soreness in my calves. I'll be glad when that subsides a bit. I also had to go down to the 8-pound weights for the second round of strength exercises.

I don't see either of these as failure, though. I see them as a triumph because I still did them.

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.

1013.7 Miles

(1.8 treadmill)

Okay, doing the weights in the early part of the day, then getting onto the treadmill was quite and experience. What was I thinking? Well, I had some dental work done yesterday and didn't feel up to lifting weights, so i told myself that I'd do it today. I nearly didn't. My muscles are currently wishing that I hadn't. But my heart and pride are pretty darn happy that I did.

Update...

I've already shared this on Ravelry and Facebook and now am sitting down to share it here, too.

As some of you might remember, just over a year ago I had my blood drawn to check all the levels for sugars, cholesterol levels, and lots of other stuff. Last week I had it drawn again for an update. There has been an amazing improvement in this year. There is still some work to do, and I know I will continue to achieve all my goals.

Test name: Old results/New results

Overall Cholesterol: 176/165
HDL: 56/58 (we want more of those)
LDL: 102/95
Triglycerides: 89/58

Hemoglobin A1C:5.9/5.8 (going to work on this one a little more)
Glucose: 102/95
TSH (thyroid): 3.27/2.12
T4: 1.0/.83

Today was a weights day so I don't have that much to show for it. I'm okay with that, especially since I can feel the differences.

Tomorrow I'm going to reach 1,000 miles. Because I know I can.

Still traveling...

More than a year ago I started this journey. A lot has changed since then including the fact that I'm not just using the bike anymore. That has slowed my progress on miles, but I believe it has sped up my progress for physical health. The treadmill is a different kind of focus and one that makes me push a lot harder than the bike does.

I'm fasting tonight. Lots of water, of course, but no foods until I get home tomorrow. Just another round of blood-work to see where my numbers fall. Only, it's not just another round. It's very different. This time I'm going in with a sense of expectancy. There are still some things that aren't quite balanced, but I know that, overall, the numbers will be better. And whatever the numbers may be I know that I'm going to keep going. Why? Because, as I stated in my goals, I deserve this.

Today's workout was all about muscles and soreness. Tomorrow, after getting to eat, I will be back on the bike (I have new batteries!) and getting my heart going.

This is a great journey. Thank you to all who have been with me so far. One thousand miles is pretty close. Are you ready for the next thousand?

983.5 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

The last two days have been interesting. Yesterday I couldn't do my strength-training with the 10-pound weights. My arms just wouldn't get past a few lifts. So, I dropped down to the 8s and finished the workout. I do NOT feel bad about that at all. In fact, considering that I really wanted to just give up, I feel pretty damn good.

Today I am still sore (calves mostly) from my running on Tuesday, but I got on the treadmill anyway. I know I could have gone on the bike and there would have been less pain, but I also knew that I needed to get my leg muscles loosened up more than the bike would do.

Now it's time for lunch and some more water.

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.

New Weights

Today's workout was brought to you by the number 10! Yes, you read that right, I used 10-pound weights today. I was very happy to have gotten a special surprise on Saturday and was able to use them today. I can tell you that I just barely made it to the end of the session. My muscles will most likely be rather sore tomorrow, but I will just remind myself that I am going to reach my goals.

Looking back...

Looking back over these last posts... it looks like I haven't been doing that much. I'll admit that I slacked off with the miles (only a couple times on the treadmill, a couple times on the bike, and 3 outdoor walks), and only a little slacking on the weights (twice a week instead of four times). I probably reached the thousand-mile mark last month, but I didn't take pictures, or even really track the miles, so I am not going to guess at them.

I am looking forward to getting back into a set routine over the next few days. I think it helps a lot with various areas of my life.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderfully healthy year ahead.

965.9 Miles

(1.9 treadmill)

I learned an important lesson today. I decided to put both of my workouts together and went directly from the weights to the treadmill. Not such a great idea. The treadmill felt like torture. I didn't realize how much refreshment that hour or two in between really was. Now I know. Tomorrow? Treadmill first, then weights after lunch.

Also, I'm going to amp up the miles starting tomorrow. Even if that means more walking. I will reach 1,000 before the end of the year.

962 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

Today was a pushing kind of day. I was on the treadmill before lunch, did weights before Brianna got home, then another short session with Brianna in the early evening. I might hurt tomorrow, but it will be worth it all. I also now have a write-on/wipe-off calender on the fridge (found at the thrift store and in great shape) so I can start keeping track of my water. I think that it's even more important during the winter to make sure I stay hydrated.

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.

949.7 Miles

(11.6 bike)

Monday was a weights kind of day, even though I'd split some wood over the weekend. It really wasn't a lot of wood, though. Mostly my hands hurt from the impact of the maul to the wood.

Today was a bike day. Because I was also still dealing with some emotional junk, too. Perhaps the running would have done some good, but I just felt drained and empty, so the bike seemed the better choice. Sometimes I really don't like this time of the year.

918.5 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

Only 1.5 miles to reach the gates of Caras Galadan!

Yesterday my muscles were crying at me. They were begging me to stop moving so much, to sit down and relax, to leave them alone. But I didn't listen. Instead I did the workout with the weights then got on the bike for 30 minutes. Only, I forgot to take a picture of the miles. Why? Because as I reached the 30 minute mark I realized that I was supposed to be on a call with Kam. I think she understands why I forgot about it.

So, I'm not counting yesterday's miles, even though they were probably 8 or 9. Yes, that would have gotten me to Rivendell, but that's okay. For today, I got on the treadmill.

I'll be using the weights later today, but for now I have to work on some yarn and other goodies for the shop. :-)

902.2 Miles

(1.8 Treadmill)

Today I took April's advice and ran slowly. So very slowly, it seemed. 4.0 mph seemed like I was dragging my feet the whole time. The really awesome thing about that speed was the fact that I did run for longer increments. Instead of needing to stop every 2 minutes, I actually kept going for 5 minutes, and walking for only 2 minutes. That felt really good. Tomorrow I will keep the same pace, maybe for the whole week, but I'll have to see how it all feels. So, I only ran/walked for 30 minutes today since there were other things I needed to take care of (weights) and feel awesome about it!

I'll admit that the only reason I ran so slow is because of the soreness of my upper body. Yesterday I was helping lift a truck and my arms feel like lead. Yes, a bottle jack was involved, but to raise (and lower) the darn thing you have to turn the crank, which is similar to pedaling a bike using your arms instead of legs. Not really a big deal unless you do that a few times. But it gave me an idea for a different way to use my weights!

Afterward, I stepped out into the back yard and stood in the pouring rain for a while. I can't even describe how great that felt.

Other movements

Between the sunburn and the pulled muscle, today was not what I'd hoped for. The sunburn is preventing me from wearing a sport-bra and the pulled muscle is hindering my walking, much less anything else. Still, I did a bit of yoga this morning and a light session of chains. I was starting to feel guilty about this until I remembered that I did do a little yard work yesterday. Not a lot of it, but there was some shoveling and pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt a couple times.

So, a cool shower, some more salve on my back, a little arnica on my leg, another few glasses of water and another night's rest will set everything back on track.

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.

867.4 Miles

(1.1 walking)

We are still traveling to Lothlorien. 

Boy, this seems so much slower with a treadmill! Yes, yes, I know I'm "only" walking instead of biking and walking is slower, but still. Anyway, I feel it differently when I walk and I really do think it's making a bigger impact physically.

Today I walked slower than usual. Mainly that's because I stubbed my pinky toe on a bathroom wall over the weekend (yes, I know that corner's been there for the last couple of years, but it jumped out at me, I swear!) I'm just happy it isn't broken.

I also did the chains today and I think I was sweating more from that than the walking. Oh well, it's all toward a great cause, right?

On the food subject... I was craving bread so very much yesterday and today. I know it's more the sugar (simple carbs) than anything, but I could almost taste the chunks of bread being dipped into a thick  au jus sauce. Kind of pathetic,  in a way. I do hope tomorrow is different.

I wonder if the picture would be better by turning the treadmill around.