Latest Report

Monday 11-19: 40 minutes on the elliptical, at the same ol' same ol' 20 minutes at Level 3, 5 at Level 6, 5 at Level 3, 5 at Level 6, and 5 cooldown. 2.64 miles. Then the weight-training circuit. After work I stopped by and spent something like 30 minutes on the treadmill bouncing back and forth between 2.5 and 3.0 mph at an Incline of 3.0. 0.82 miles.
Tuesday 11-20: 8.75 miles on the stationary bike, but I didn't get out of the office early enough to make a repeat visit.
Wednesday 11/21: didn't get to the gym at all, but I don't remember why. Lazy, I guess.
Thursday 11/22: Y was closed for Thanksgiving Holiday. Worked on my holiday cards all day.
Friday 11/23: 40 minutes on the elliptical, at the same ol' same ol' 20 minutes at Level 3, 5 at Level 6, 5 at Level 3, 5 at Level 6, and 5 cooldown. 2.85 miles. Then the weight-training circuit. Didn't get away from work early enough for a return visit.
Saturday 11/24: day of rest.
Sunday 11/25: Back to my normal "wear myself out because the only time constraint is when the gym closes" Sunday. This time I went for the treadmill first. Set the Incline for 3.0, but the machine told me when I was done that my average incline was 2.5. Baffles the heck outta me, 'cause I never touched the Incline setting! Anyway, today I decided that I would go for a minimum of 5k, instead of arbitrarily stopping at 60 minutes. The first 5 minutes I spent getting warmed up, working up to 2.5mph. Then I alternated 10 minutes at 3.0mph with 5 minutes at 2.5mph until I reached 60 minutes. I kicked it up to 3.5mph, but only held that for 2.5 minutes, then dropped back down to 3.0. My 5-minute cooldown consisted of 2.5 at 2.5mph, then 2.5 at 2.0. It only took about 65 minutes to do the 5k. Total mileage: 3.33. Then an hour on the bike, starting at Level 7, then up to Level 10, down to Level 9, down to Level 7, up to Level 9, and the 5 minute cooldown that drops to L2 and then L1. 12.24 miles.
Total mileage from Bag End, through Rivendell, toward Lothlorien: 658.57.

Day One...

…of the new program was today. Met with Terry yesterday (Saturday) and was congratulated profusely not only by Terry but by anyone within hearing range. Don't know yet what kind(s) of congratulatory goodies are involved beyond the certificate of completion. Terry said this was her first finish in this particular Y.

The last day of the 12-Week Fitness Program was spent on the elliptical and the weight machines. I managed 2.75 miles Friday, and moved the level up one step. So, same old program for the elliptical, but at Level 3 and Level 6 instead of Level 2 and Level 5. Still only spending 5 minutes in reverse, but my speed is definitely increasing. Not as fast as forward, but better than it was.

Today I spent an hour on a bike ride to nowhere for 12.64 miles. Twenty minutes at Level 7, 5 at Level 10, 5 at Level 7, 5 at Level 10, 5 at Level 7, 15 at Level 9, and finally a 5-minute cooldown. Then an hour on the treadmill, bouncing back and forth between 2.5 and 3.0 mph, all at Incline 3.

Monday I start work 3 hours earlier, so I'll be getting up 3 hours earlier and hitting the Y three hours earlier. The cool thing about this shift is being able to stop at the Y on the way home, too. At least some nights. I'm sure not going to count on using the after-work time for my main workout; it'll just be used for extra time, like maybe getting back on the treadmill on a more regular basis. Even if I leave the office right at 8pm, by the time I get to the Y there's only about an hour left before they close.

A Week? Already?

Wow! Can't believe it's been so long since the last update.
Friday (11-9) was the usual cardio and weight training, continuing the "new" routine (which is now not so new). 2.92 miles.
Saturday (11-10) was my day of rest. Spent it at the LNS at the all-day Open Stitch Class, and Melissa and I walked the 1/3 or so of a mile to the restaurant and back during our lunch break. So I generously gave myself a half-mile of walking credit for the day. Not that shabby for a "day of rest."
Sunday I ended up not making it to the gym because friends invited me to lunch, then I went to run an errand and ended up having to visit two other stores to get what I needed. By then, it was too late to get to the Y. The main disadvantage to using the Y is the limited hours when you compare it with places like 24-Hour Fitness and Bally's. No walking credit for shopping.
Monday was pretty much a repeat of Friday, but with only 2.91 miles.
Tuesday (11-13) I got "lazy" and went for an hour-long bike ride to nowhere. 25 minutes at Level 7, 15 at Level 9, 5 at Level 10, 5 at Level 9, 5 at Level 7, and a 5-minute cooldown. 11.94 miles.
On Wednesday the battery in the MP3 player died and I discovered that rechargeable batteries have to be charged before use. 2.82 miles on the elliptical with the "new" routine and then the weight circuit.
Thursday I got to the gym and realized I'd forgotten to charge the batteries, so I went over to the CVS just up the block a bit and purchased a pack of batteries. Returned to the gym, got changed and ready to get to work, and found out the batteries had passed their freshness date. So it was a lonely journey, with just the machines to listen to. The same old "new" routine on the elliptical, for 2.99 miles, and then went for a walk to nowhere for the rest of the time available to me, for an additional 1.21 miles.
Total mileage from Bag End: 618.11
Mileage from Rivendell: 160.49
Current number of Shields: 24
This Saturday I meet with my trainer again, for the final week of my 12-week fitness program (and it's only taking 14!). Not sure when I get my completion certificate, or if this will be the meeting in which we establish my on-going fitness plan. After this the meetings will be quarterly. And yes, the rechargeable batteries are charging.

The Week So Far

On Wednesday, I continued with the new elliptical routine. And followed that up with the weight circuit. Then on Wednesday night I discovered I could now wear a pair of jammy pants that I'd never been able to wear before! I guess not wearing them will make them get bigger.

Thursday was all cardio, and I again continued with the new elliptical routine. Time on the stationary bike consisted of 10 minutes of Level 7, 5 minutes of Level 10, 5 minutes of Level 7, 5 minutes of Level 9, five minutes of Level 7, and then the 5-minute cooldown, which was pretty much Level 1.

Friday is cardio and weight training.

Fair Start…

…to the week. Could have been better, but then I'd still be dealing with electrical-system issues in my van if I hadn't taken Monday off from the gym to get that taken care of. Today I decided to vary my elliptical routine a bit and after 10 minutes at Level 2 going forward, 5 minutes at Level 2 going backward, then 5 minutes at Level 2 going forward again, I spent the next 5 minutes at Level 5, then 5 minutes back down at Level 2, then the final 5 minutes before Cooldown at Level 5. On the bike today, I spent 25 minutes at Level 7, then the final 5 minutes before Cooldown at Level 9. Tomorrow is weight circuit day. Have I mentioned how glad I am to have the van's assorted issues resolved and to be back at the gym?

Because of the van issues last week and because I'll be spending Saturday at the LNS at the all-day stitch class, I've scheduled my last meeting with Terry for the 17th of this month. Then there's one more week of the 12-week program left to do. And it's only going to take 14 weeks to get done! I'll get a certificate of completion and then set up a new fitness program that will have me meeting with a trainer every three months.

And it's because of the van issues that I'm having to put a hold on my bike acquisition. October was an expensive month, and the registration's due in December. At least I don't have to smog it this year! Although it'd certainly pass quite handily this time around.

I'm a Loser!!

Okay, so I don't recall exactly what the scale's ugly and depressing figure was last month, nor whether I weighed myself with or without my shoes, so I don't know how much the actual loss was. But it was somewhere between 7 and 10 pounds. And considering that I missed 4 days at the gym last week because of transportation issues, I think that's pretty darned good! For the record, it was shoes-off this time.
Finals for October:
14.85 miles walked on treadmills
121.11 miles on ellipticals and stationary bikes
135.96 total miles
555.95 cumulative miles from Bag End by way of Rivendell
As for today, I arrived a bit later than I'd originally planned, so again no time in the pool or spa. And again went for just stationary bike and treadmill. An hour on the bike, with 50 minutes at Level 7, 5 at Level 9, and the 5-minute cooldown at both Level 2 (2 minutes) and Level 1 (3 minutes). A full hour on the treadmill, too, with a bit over 8 minutes at 2.6 mph, about 44 minutes at 2.8 mph, and a hair over 7 minutes at 3.0 mph. And like last week, I opted not to take the whole 5-minute cooldown because the last couple of minutes are less than 1 mph. All but the cooldown period was at an Incline of 2.0.

What an Ugly Week…

…it's been. Only made it to the gym on Sunday and Monday because my poor van has been in the shop. I'll be picking it up tomorrow (Friday), and will pretty much consider this week a virtually total loss. I'll start over on Sunday for certain and may put in a bit of time at the gym on Saturday just to be able to say it wasn't a complete and total washout. What's really sucky about the whole thing is that when I started this week, I was down to the final two weeks of my 12-week fitness program!

Also, I went ahead and ordered the book Goal Sisters, and it arrived yesterday. I'll start reading it next week.