Midgewater Marshes

I'm traversing the Midgewater Marshes now, and am reaching the point where the company can see flashes of light on Weathertop.
Didn't get to stop at the gym tonight on the way home as things were pretty crazy at work for way too long. Up to 25 minutes on the elliptical now, with speed increasing daily. And the mileage really racks up when you put the bike on "Fat Burn" mode. I'm still not very good at keeping my heart rate down at the FB mode, still tending toward somewhere between "Fat Burn" and "Cardio." 35 minutes this morning in the "Fat Burn" mode cranked the daily mileage up past 14 after I added the elliptical mileage. But I still wish I'd been able to get out of the office a bit earlier.

Bree and Beyond

Bree is now 3 days behind me. And I really didn't want to have to put up with another schedule change! It seems the new guy is leaving us already, and so I'll be starting later and staying later again. I stopped at the Y on the way to work this morning, and will continue doing so until we find a replacement and get that person trained. I also managed to get out of the office just early enough to give me 30 minutes of workout time, so I did another 25 minutes on the elliptical on the way home. I'll need those extra workouts until the replacement is trained, since I won't be able to visit the Y on Sundays.

Ouch!

Why is it that the third day of weight machines hurts worse than the first two days of weight machines?

Approaching Bree

Yesterday I did just cardio, on both the elliptical and one of the bikes (again, the recumbant style). Today I did cardio on the elliptical, 3 sets of 10 reps on each of the weight machines, and then finished up with cardio on the bike. Tom Bombadil is returning home and Strider is watching but staying away.

12-Week Fitness Program

Week One, Day One: 18 minutes of cardio on the elliptical. 3 sets of 10 reps on each of 4 lower-body weight machines and 2 upper-body weight machines. Then 25 more minutes of cardio on one of the recumbent-style bikes. And just under 10 miles more toward Rivendell. It's about a dozen or so more miles to Bree.

Meeting the Trainer

Yesterday I met with the trainer, Terry, and we discussed my goals and my barriers (to achieving those goals), and then established the beginning routines (weights, reps, and sets) on 4 lower-body and 2 upper-body machines. Didn't get started yesterday, but did learn that the Y is open on Sundays for a few hours. I'm planning to head over there later today. They don't open until 1pm on Sundays, so there's no point in leaving much before then. I don't really want to do the grocery shopping before then, as I'd have to leave the groceries in the van while I'm in the gym. I'm just not sure how much distance those machines are worth and how much distance credit I should give myself toward Rivendell for using those machines. Anyway, this 12-week program is pretty much a self-guided program. Terry and I will meet again in 3 weeks to evaluate my progress and to make whatever adjustments are necessary in my routine.

My Butt Aches

The so-far typical 10 minutes (plus 3 minutes cool-down) on the elliptical, then 10 minutes (again, plus 3 cool-down) on the taller stationary bike, both with the heart rate between fat-burn and cardio, then on the shorter (recumbent?) bike, I set it for "fat burn" mode for 15 minutes (plus 3 minutes cool-down). Over 9 miles closer to Rivendell, and now nearly a quarter of the way!

Tomorrow's Friday, so it's just the morning treadmill walk, but I did get up to .75 mile on this morning's walk. Also, some time tomorrow I'll need to call the Y to confirm the appointment with Terri for Saturday morning.

Oh yeah: HP1 is finally on its way to me. Some time next week I'll begin listening to that during my workouts.

I've also just checked the Shield Maidens site (but can't get logged in; they must be having server issues again), and I've left Tom Bombadil's and am entering the Barrow-Downs. I'm guessing that some time next week I'll be in Bree and will finally meet up with one of my all-time favorite characters: Aragorn.

Latest Update

I made an appointment with the trainer for Saturday, but have to confirm it on Friday. My workout currently consists of 10 minutes (plus 3-minute cooldown) on the elliptical, and 10 minutes (again, plus the 3-minute cooldown) each on two different styles of stationary bike. My heart rate, on each of these devices, is about midway between the rate for fat-burning and the rate for cardio. I'm not as pooped tonight as I was last night, but I selected a lower level on the elliptical tonight. Of course, I'm still doing my morning walk here at home.

And they've posted a sign stating that they'll be closed on Labor Day. Already I'm missing my workout, and it's 3 weeks away!

Trainer Time

I stopped in at the Y on Saturday morning to talk with a trainer about all those Rube Goldberg contraptions and will be setting up an appointment tonight for next Saturday to get all the paperwork going for a 12-week personal fitness thing.

Slouching toward Rivendell

Last night my progress, scattered among the elliptical and two different types of stationary bike, exceeded 4 miles. I'm not even in agony, though I am a bit stiff in spots. Admittedly, though, I'm not trying to kill myself, but to increase each workout gradually. I'm planning to stop in this weekend to talk with some trainers about how to use those other Rube Goldberg contraptions.

Life Changes

I did it: Last Friday I joined the "Y." And on Monday made my first visit. Couldn't go Tuesday because of work, but went today. I stop there on my way home. Just taking baby steps because, of course, I need to be able to crawl out of bed the next day and actually move around and function. I need to stop by there some time when the trainers are around so that they can show me how to operate the assorted Rube Goldberg contraptions found in gyms. I have the elliptical, the bike, and the stairstepper thingy figured out. I'll also generally only be able to go four days each week as work permits--although work shouldn't interfere very often; I think this occasion was a fluke. But that's four days more than zero days! I even bought myself a MP3 player device and subscribed to an audio-book rental program. I'm waiting for Harry Potter 1 right now.