Thanksgiving is all over but the leftovers, which will be no chore to consume. It was truly a feast of food and family. The little twin grandnephews had inexplicably become four years old instead of three since last Christmas. How did that happen? It is so much easier to measure time, I think, when you are in the company of children. They grow so fast. And they have such a sense of style. One of them had purposely put his jeans on backwards. Why? So that his sword would fit more easily into his belt loops, of course!

We decided to deep fry a turkey, but the fryer can accommodate only up to a 14-lb turkey, and we didn’t think that size would be big enough to feed everyone. We roasted a 19-lb one as well. Like I said, leftovers. Truly, they were both delicious, but that fried one was a bit more moist. Everything went smoothly, and the things I forgot to do were minimal– I forgot to prepare the asparagus, and I didn’t make gravy. Nobody noticed. We used my mother-in-law’s sister’s late husband’s first wife’s first wedding china that we were given mostly, I think, because no one else wanted it. I think it is beautiful, though, and the set is complete except for the broken gravy boat (and since I forgot to make the gravy anyway…. serendipity!).

After the feast , some of us put the inevitable puzzle together while others of us watched football, read books about how to talk like a pirate, and played with Grendel.

Then each of the three children insisted I teach them to spin, followed by their father, who wasn’t so bad for the first try. What gorgeous results! (Does this remind you of your first spinning?)

The preparations and festivities made me forget all about this, the newest incarnation of the Shoulder, which I still do not like. The I-cord is too 3-dimensional, and I don’t like the seam running down the middle of the motif. I think I’ll try again. More pie should help.

Det är lätt att få för sig att Kicken är Gud. Men så är det inte. Kicken är bara en kemisk grej, inte alls som Kärlek, som ju vissa säger är en kemisk grej men det är den inte alls och dom har fel. Kicken kan dock kännas som en närvaro en stund, men bara om man verkligen har förtjänat det, när den börjar luckras upp blir det som minnet av en hemlighet som är på riktigt och på låtsas på samma gång. Allt blir annorlunda efteråt, på ett bättre sätt.

Om jag vill ha fatt i min Kick så får jag leta i spinningsalen. Det går inte att gå dit vilken dag som helst och hojta hallå och tro att den ska komma lallande som på beställning. Nä, det rävs ett visst förarbete. För nybörjare skulle jag gissa minst ett halvår med minst fyra klasser i veckan, och då inget mesande. Har man hållit igång i tio års tid och slappat en period så kanske det tar två seriösa månader innan man börjar ha så pass koll på läget att man har några som helst utsikter. Och då får man lägga manken till.

De flesta spinninginstruktörer är mesar, det är också ett hinder ivägen. Det krävs nån med lite kondition och kaxighet för att det över huvud taget ska styra åt Kickhållet. Man måste ju som deltagare bli lite inspirerad. Ofta blir det tvärtom och jag sitter där och tänker att människan därframme är usel och förstör mitt liv såpass att jag vill gråta och gå hem, eller åtminstone fly iväg till ett löpband där jag kan reglera hastigheten själv. Det finns dock en sällsynt skara spinninginstruktörer som har gåvan, så få som kanske 2 av 50.  De som har det i blodet. Det är då det händer.

Man måste gå ut rätt hårt. Man har ju trots allt bara dryga 50 minuter på sig. Vissa förutsättningar måste stämma. Maten, till exempel. Inte för lite men helst inget under två timmar innan. Måste ha druckit ifatt det förra träningspasset, vara i balans. Hyfsad i benen, inte massa gammal skit. Lite motivation också. Sen lägger man sig just under mjölksyratröskeln redan efter fem minuter. Kontroll, det är det det handlar om. Man måste vara väl förtrogen med kapaciteten, våga lägga på. Aldrig vila.  Helst inte gå över tröskeln förrän efter 35. Sen börjar det göra ont. Det är lätt att stå ut med i början. Man får inte vara rädd för smärtan. Mosa vidare. Världen runt om försvinner. Smärtan tar över. Nu måste man vara väldigt stark. Fokusera på en fläck, på ett lillfinger, på en del av kroppen som inte gör ont. Låta musiken hjälpa vidare. När det är sju minuters arbetstid kvar så går man upp väldigt nära max. Som om det inte fanns någon morgondag. Som om ingenting mer än här och nu. Där måste man kontrollera andningen. Långa djupa viljestyrda andetag. Det är som att simma i en ensam värld under vattenytan. Runt omkring blir det dovt och oklart. Nu gör det mer ont än allt annat men man vet också att man kommer att klara det. De sista minutrarna så har man inget annat alternativ. Trettio sekunder kvar. Spurten.

Kicken kommer ungefär en halv minut efter målsnöret. Som en ängel på besök som håller mig i handen och målar i alla färgerna i världen så att de blir klara och självlysande. I den stunden förstår jag hela livet och allt är uppenbart. Jag är fokuserad, koncentrerad, vaken och tömd på skräp och ovesäntligheter. Köttet och blodet är varmt och ihopblandat under mig, det snurrar lite stillsamt yrsligt och huvudet som en ballong som kunde lätta och flyga ut i rymden, men Kicken ser till att inget farligt händer och sen går vi därifrån hand i hand. Innan omklädningsrummet skiljs vi åt och jag går och hänger av mig allt det genomblöta, renad och fylld av hemligheten om ett möte. Saknaden redan i kroppen. Planerar redan för nästa gång.

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I am not the only one in my house who appreciates the value of a well-filled fiber stash.

From Spinning

Okay that was silly. Seriously though, I love BFL. I spun up this BeeMiceElf BFL:

BeeMiceElf BFL top in Floribunda colorway

I navajo plied it into 265 yards of fingering weight yarn:

265 yards

I just started on some MCN. My first MCN too!

Ces derniers jours la nostalgie du cyclotourisme a été forte. Dans ma tête, je revois sans cesse une journée en particulier: la route, les villages, le casse-croûte où j’ai dîné. C’était la dernière journée avant d’arriver au Pont de la Confédération. J’avais pédalé 110 km, mon record. Il faisait beau. J’étais en forme. Par bouts, je voyais l’océan. Je me suis trompée de chemin deux fois, mais ce n’était pas grave: j’avais plein d’énergie! Cette journée a été l’une des plus belles de ma vie.

Puis j’ai bifurqué à travers les terres vers Cape Tormentine et tout à coup, sans que je m’y attende, j’ai enfin aperçu le pont. Je vais toujours me rappeler de ce moment. J’étais tellement fière d’avoir réussi!

Je ne sais pas encore où je vais aller l’été prochain, si je ferai encore un long voyage ou plutôt plusieurs petits, mais je sais que je veux atteindre l’objectif de 3500 km. Et j’ai déjà décidé de participer à un camp d’entraînement de vélo en Virginie au printemps, pour commencer la saison. Avril, ça va arriver vite, et d’ici là je vais y aller à fond la caisse pour mon programme d’entraînement au gym, le spinning, le ski de fond et la natation. Je suis accro aux endorphines. Mon entraîneur m’a concocté un nouveau programme d’exercices en “super sets” vraiment difficile, mélangeant cardio et musculation. C’est très motivant de penser que tout cela me prépare pour la prochaine saison de vélo.

En parallèle, je continue d’écouter de la musique classique et d’aller à une foule de concerts. La semaine dernière j’ai interviewé Ton Koopman, une sommité mondiale dans le monde de la musique baroque. Il était passionnant à écouter parler, comme la plupart des grands musiciens. Cette entrevue s’ajoute à celles déjà réalisées avec Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anton Kuerti, Leon Fleisher et bien d’autres. Je suis extrêmement privilégiée de pouvoir parler avec tous ces artistes de calibre international. Ce sont des passionnés, des gens riches à l’intérieur, et le plus souvent assez humbles et sympathiques, même s’ils ont atteint les sommets.

Il y a beaucoup d’avantages à avoir un blogue. L’un d’entre eux est que ça nous fait réfléchir. En écrivant tout cela, je réalise que même si la saison de vélo est finie, plein d’autres activités passionnantes sont devant moi d’ici au printemps. Je n’ai pas à me plaindre!

Au lieu d’être nostalgique, je crois que je vais plutôt apprécier davantage tout ce qu’il y a de positif dans ma vie, ici, maintenant.

go my feet and my legs and my running shoes

round and round and up and down and holy god, i’m sore.

i was a spinning virgin, but no more.

i effing love it.

verbal encouragement + cycling + loud music + sweating = my perfect workout

can’t wait for more.

Här uppe, på hatthyllan av alla ställen, har mina cykelskor stått bortglömda den senaste månaden, gömda bland allehanda halsdukar och vantar. Älskade cykelskorna, som aldrig sett en riktig cykel, men som varit med mig på otaliga spinningpass. Älskade spinningen, som var vad som fick mig att inse hur mycket jag gillade träning, och det jag länge tränade som allra mest frekvent. Sen började jag komma igång med löpningen, och plötsligt hade spinningen fått konkurrens på cardio-avdelningen och blev inte av lika ofta. Idag blev det i alla fall spinning igen – dock bara 30 minuter, eftersom jag kombinerade det med ett 30 minuters core-pass. Och 30 minuter, det är verkligen alldeles för kort. Mellan uppvärmning och nedvarvning hinner man med exakt fyra låtar – det är tolv minuters arbete det. Även om kroppen började tycka att den fått nog vid det laget, så hade jag mentalt precis kommit igång. Spinning är nog egentligen den bästa konditionsträningen för mig, det känns som att jag kan jobba mig mycket mer andfådd där än när jag springer. Vi måste börja umgås lite mer igen, skorna och jag.

Tänane päeva tegu oli see, et viisin jooksma oma öe. Ta proovis küll leida igasugu veidraid vabandusi, et mitte tulla, aga ma ei lasknud end tema vabandustest segada ja viisin ta jooksma. Jätkan oma kihutustööd järgmisel nädalal

Eile tahtsin spinningusse minna, aga köik usinamad klubiliikmed olid juba päeval endale koha broneerinud ja nii mul ei jäänudki muud üle kui söita ratast jöusaalis. Enne olid Spartas sellised tavalised spinningurattad – ütleksin, et täiesti normaalsed masinad. Nüüd aga olid uued rattad ostetud. Selles möttes päris toredad rattad, et saab endale treeningprogrammi valida ja siis vastavalt sellele muudkui uhada, paraku aga oli sel rattal ka omajagu miinuseid. Peamine miinus on mu meelest see, et sellega ei saa püstiasendis söita – vahel kohe tahaks. Ma küll ei tea nende ostude tagamaid ja ega see mind väga ei huvitagi, aga mumeelest oleks vöinud osta möne ratta kategooriast Revmaster (praegu on G-force UT), sest tundub, et need Revmasterid on rohkem spordirattad kui G-force’d. Äkki önnestub mul neile kuidagi mingi väike vihje anda

Teine miinus tollel rahvarattal (nimetan seda G-force sedaviisi) on hirmus suur sadul. No umbes midagi sellist nagu linnarattal, millega söidad absoluutselt muul eesmärgil kui sport ja üldjuhul ei söida sellise sadulaga ka palju rohkem kui pool tunnikest.

Kolmas miinus on mingid ebamäärased pedaalid, st täpsemalt see veider plastmasskinnitus. Rattakingaga polnud seal suurt midagi teha. Jälle öudselt kahju.

Sel ajal kui ma proovisin end seal ratta seljas kuidagi pärlendama ajada, tuli mu’ga vestlema Argo Ader. Tundis huvi kuidas on. Rääkisin kohe köik südamelt ära. Ta lubas selle sadula ja pedaalide probleemi ära lahendada – oleks hea küll, see on nagu pool vöitu. Veel parem oleks kui saaks möne Revmaster kategooria ratta. Jah, palun.

Pulsikell näitas eile mul taas väga veidraid numbreid – noh ütleme numbrid 0 ja 17 ja 237 on need, mida ma eile kellalt korduvalt näha sain. See tegi mind juba natukene pahaseks, vötsin täna ette matka Uku tänavale, et endale uus kell osta. Jäin oma valikule kindlaks ja vötsin tolle Polar RS300X. Peab mainima, et too müügimees (Enn Raud vist) oli eriti kohatu suhtlemisega meesterahvas, kui oleks valida, siis ma selle firmaga ei suhtleks, sest klienditeenindus oli halb. See mees ei tulnud kogu selle aja jooksul, mis ma seal kontoris olin kordagi oma toolist nö noormaalsesse isteasendisse. Lösutas oma toolis nagu mauk ja ei lasknud mul sönagi öelda, ajas mingit müügijuttu, mis mind karvavördki ei huvitanud. Nöme suhtumine.

Kell on ilus oranžikas-punane, mulle meeldib. Aga kuna kasutusjuhend on ilmselgelt nörkadele, siis ma seda lugema ei hakanud – panin, aga kella ning vöö peale ja läksin jooksma (mäletate, öega koos?). Köik oli väga äge, aga kohati näitas kell ikka nulli ja ka numbreid 23 ja 37 sain näha – see ajas mind natukene kurjaks ja ausalt öeldes tahtis nutt peale tulla. Nagu, mis möttes, ah? Samas kui käe asendit muutsin, st töstsin ette, et seda vaadata ja ootasin kuni taas nö öige jooksupulss kellale tuli, siis näitas kell normaalseid numbreid. Uuel kellal ei saa ju patareides viga olla? Ma nüüd ei saagi aru, kus on viga – kas viga on minus (aga kuidas?) vöi siis ma isegi ei tea rohkem midagi arvata. Kui kellelgi on kasvöi mingi öhkörn lahendus pakkuda, siis loen huviga – ärgu hoitagu oma teadmisi vaka all.

From Spinning

I call this Holy Alpaca because it’s the samples I got in the spinning class at Sacred Heart Monastery in Richardton, ND. They raise alpacas and have the fiber processed by a mill in South Dakota. I also call this Holy Alpaca because it’s a corespun boucle and it kinda looks like there’s holes in it, get it? (I am easily amused.)

It’s not quite done yet – there was an ounce of fawn as well that I haven’t got to. Each is one ounce and approx 75 yds. I love the way corespinning stretches small amounts of fiber.

The technique is one I learned in Watertown from Patsy Zawistowski’s “Five Quick Novelty Yarns” class. Basically you corespin onto sewing thread; you can bunch up the fiber as you spin for a thick boucle, or leave it as is for a wispier one (I left it as is.) Then you ply with sewing thread again. Quick and satisfying.

1. I love being home with my family, and each time I come home I spin less and less about them.

2. Seeing my best friends, who I grew up with, after a few months is the greatest thing in the world–a few months is forever for us, because we used to spend every waking moment of every day together.

3. “Better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness” ~Chinese Proverb

4. I am really looking forward to seeing my grandparents and cousins. I never, ever, take for granted how incredible my family is, how close we all are, and how much we love each other.

5. It is a million times easier for me to justify to others why they can/should share their feelings/be honest, than it is for me to justify to myself why on earth I would get the right to share my own thoughts and feelings.

6. When the sun isn’t out for a few days, it literally feels like I’m suffocating. That’s the best way I can describe it. The sun is peeking through the clouds today and already I can breathe easier.

7. I need to work on being compassionate.

8. “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” ~Ayn Rand

I’ve been busy trying (and failing) to get my Level 3 homework done.  Here’s a shot of one of the yarns and a sample I had to do using it.  It’s 100% bombyx silk cabled yarn, with which I did some Hardanger onto linen embroidery cloth.

Spin Mix#4 – Dr. Feelgood   More great music to get the legs pumping.  This workout is a great combination of sprints, and killer climbs guaranteed to get those feel good endorphins flowing. 

Get This Party Started – (Pink) 3:14

Let It Rock – (Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil’ Wayne) 3:26

Everytime We Touch – (Cascada) 3:19

Bad Romance – (Lady Gaga) 4:54

Gonna Make You Sweat – (C&C Music Factory) 4:06

The Way I Are – (Timbaland ft. Francisco & Keri Hilson) 3:55

You Shook Me All Night Long – (ACDC Techno Remix) 5:33

Breathe – (Prodigy) 5:35

Thanks For the Memories – (Fall Out Boy) 3:24

Love Drunk – (Boys Like Girls) 3:51

Pump It – (Black Eyed Peas) 3:37

Mambo No.5 – (Lou Bega) 3:42

Grace Too – (The Tragically Hip) 5:35

Spin Mix#3 – The Hills  A great mix of music and a killer workout.  This is still a new one to my spin classes at Omega Fit Club.  It’s a hard leg busting climb and not for the faint at heart.  A great mix of rolling hills, steep hill climbs and lots of jumps….get ready to ride!!!

Little Bones – (The Tragically Hip) 4:44

Give it to me – (Madonna) 4:48

Evacuate the Dancefloor - (Cascada) 3:28

Tush – (ZZ Top) 2:17

Rock That Body – (Black Eyed Peas) 4:29

Jai Ho – (Pussy Cat Dolls) 3:46

Get Up and Dance – (Faber Drive) 3:08

SOS – (Jordan Sparks) 3:31

Hide and Seek – (Imogen Heap/DJ Tiesto Remix) 7:27

What I like About You – ( The Romantics) 2:57

Funhouse – (Pink) 3:25

Hey Fatboy - (Maximillion) 3:33

Second Chance – (Shinedown) 3:40

So Fine – (Daniel Wesley) 3:48

You Still Hurt Me – (William Fitzsimmons) 3:25

Due to the fact that I earned credit for an internship this summer, I am only taking three classes this semester, and as such, I signed up for two gym classes at the FitRec to help fill my time. I had experimented with a few courses over the summer, Power Yoga and Pilates, and I really enjoyed them, so I was excited by the thought of taking a few this fall to help me stay in shape and keep me active. After spending a lot of time this summer trying to figure out what I wanted to take, I had finally decided on a spinning class and a step aerobics class called step training. Classes were back to back, Monday and Wednesday from 1pm to 2:45pm.

I loved them. Spinning was challenging and step was so much fun. Then my instructors stopped showing up. At first, it was no big deal, I’ve certainly had professors send in substitutes before. But then it started happening on a more regular basis and I started to get angry. How was it that I was required to be at every class, but my instructors could 1) have constant subs or 2) fail to show up altogether?

I wasn’t as upset by my spinning instructors absence as she always set us up with a great substitute. But my step instructor wouldn’t show up, wouldn’t email is that class was cancelled and wouldn’t set up an sub. I would show up at the FitRec and have no class to attend. It was extremely frustrating and a complete waste of my time.

Now, I have no step instructor. She quit. I’m not quite sure what the whole missing link is here. So much is required of students and I feel like instructors, at least at FitRec, aren’t held to the same standards. Additionally, a lot of the instructors are students and I wonder if they are at a place where they really know how to balance teaching and schoolwork.

I was really excited about my FitRec classes this semester, and now, I’m really just more disappointed.

For all of the courses I teach, I send like to send participants home with class notes that they can reference later. I cover a lot of material and it’s easy to miss a detail or two, and it frees up students from having to write anything down. In the past I’ve had booklets printed up and handed them out at the start of class, which has worked fine, but I usually end up with a few too many. Given that I’m always updating the notes, I’ve ended up with a stack of older booklets that I don’t have much use for, which is both a waste of money and an unnecessary negative environmental impact.

When I taught at Ariadne a couple of weeks ago, however, I decided to offer my students a choice: I could either email them a pdf of the notes after class or mail them a hard copy. Everyone enthusiastically chose the pdf, saying they’d prefer to save paper and were more likely to lose a printed booklet, anyway. So, from now on I’ll offer all of my students the same choice. I usually have one or two people who don’t have email, and I’ll be happy to mail them a hard copy, but I predict the pdf will remain the more popular version, and I’ve solved my problem of excess outdated notes.

All that being said, for my next intermediate spinning class, I will be having one sheet of cardstock printed up for each participant. I took a few classes from Kaye Collins back in Colorado and she gave us all yarn sample cards to save lengths of each type of yarn we spun, along with a few lines to note the style of preparation and spinning:

I’ve used it a few times to help myself make similar yarns to the ones I spun in her classes. I also like the tactile part of it; notes can tell you a lot but being able to see and feel the yarn is a greater inspiration to try spinning that way again:

Like Kaye, I use a variety of preparations and fibres in my intermediate-level class. Although everyone goes home with a chain-plied sample skein of everything they spun, I think the addition of the sample card (as well as the usual notes) will help keep everyone confident and inspired to practice the new techniques they learned.

An afternoon with no rain, Flickr playing well with others, and some mail that piled up makes for a yarn-crawlish post.   Grab a cuppa’ (it’s chilly here), your favorite snack, and settle in!

We’ll start with the long-neglected last Loopy Sock Club package that arrived a couple of weeks ago.  This is the last of this season’s sock club, but it’s also my last after two years in the club.  To the best of my recollection, I’ve not knitted with the first yarn from ANY of the packages, so there’s little point in putting my name in for the lottery for next year.  I’ve gifted some of the yarn, sold one offering, and I really do like some of it, but…

The yarn is a rich color that reminds me of the fur-girls.  It’s Numa Numa’s The Usual in Red Bartlett Pear.   I’m thinking that eventually I will knit these socks with this yarn, but once it swims into my stash, who knows?!

Then there’s my first Creatively Dyed Sock Club kit!   This is a sneak peek at a new technique Dianne is doing.   I’m quite certain this “Wild Thing” yarn will get knitted up in that pattern, right after 2010 becomes the current year.   I’m leaving the pattern tamers right there with the yarn and the pattern too, so there will be no excuses!

Now, I know spinners like a WIP (wraps per inch) tool, but do other knitters really use them?  I definitely didn’t, not before I started spinning.  I mean…  There’s swatching and there’s a label around the yarn, right?!  Karat Stix made these little cuties.  Obviously, they were part of my Loopy kit.

Still with me?  Moving right along…  Next up, we have some beautiful Gypsyknits BFL roving in Gem-Spin that grew up to be yarn.

I wanted to make the most of this beautiful yarn, but in the end, I decided to navajo ply it because I didn’t have enough of any solid that would work with it.

I love how muted the colors are.  It reminds me of the beach, where the sky and earth and ocean seem to just slip together at some point out on the horizon…

A little larger than life, and those aren’t wrapped, but draped across the WIP tool, so it’s really about sport weight.  I’m pretty pleased with myself…  Three-ply, sport weight, with about 214 yards.  I’m thinking I’m going to do Anita’s Mermaid scarf.

Ready for Thanksgiving, if you live in the States?   We are!  We’re going to have a not so traditional pot roast tomorrow, because that’s what the Knight wanted, and he’s cooking, so what’s not to love?  I’ll add a couple of pies – because the extras can always go to the firehouse – and we’ll have a quiet day at home.

Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating!

Still confused, obviously.

Today is apparently technically Wednesday, but it sure as hell feels like Friday.  I’m even wearing JEANS! 

Last night I went to Spin with my friend.  It was good.  It was weird to be in the back of the room, not the front.  It was a good class.  Different from how I structure mine, which is not bad, just different. 

Starting soon, I’m going to be teaching 2-3 classes per week, including a 90 min class every other Saturday.  Eeek!  That ought to keep me moving.  All of my classes now are 60 minutes, so I need to spend some quality time revising them to be able to go a full 90 minutes.  I’m a little concerned that this class is too long for a lot of people, but we shall see how it goes. 

I got up and ran 5 miles this morning on the treadmill.  Nice to have it out of the way for today.  I have crap to do tonight. 

Yesterday I ended up at ~1571 calories for the day.  Mostly clean, with the exception of the Clif Kids bar I had before Spin and the Baked Scoops I had with my soup…  and who knows about the Japanese Pan Noodles I had at Noodles for lunch.  But still, not too bad.  I am relieved to see the scale moving down from the alarming high on Monday morning of 196.  One hundred and ninety fucking six.  I was at 188 about 3 weeks ago, so this is ricockulous.  This morning it was around 194, so that is at least going the right way. 

Can I power-whine here for a second?  All of my clothes are too tight.  That is what happens when you gain 8 lbs in three weeks, I guess.  Fuckers.  So what sucks is that I’m even more uncomfortable than usual in my clothes.  I’m rarely comfy, because I’m always worried I look fat, or you can see my rolls, or whatever.  I’m so sick of it.  I can’t even imagine what it must be like to put on clothes and not worry like this.  Or have that fear that even when you are maintaining your weight, that somehow something won’t fit anymore, especially if you haven’t worn it in a while. 

I will be happy to get a few more pounds off so that my clothes don’t feel like sausage casings, and so that I’m at least comfy with my level of fat-roll-showing.  Soon.  I’m headed the right way.

Here’s the second-to-last batch of completed yarn. It was really really hard to get a decent picture of this one, for some reason. It’s thick-and-thin and soft spun (with a silver-white rayon racing stripe!) so most of the pictures looked really uneven and fuzzy.

From Spinning

From Spinning

I got two skeins, about 120 yds each, from 4 oz of merino/bamboo/tussah batts. I don’t have a good before picture so I will refer you to the luscious original listing by Moonlightbaker.etsy.com. (I have a couple gorgeous braids of Rambouillet from her calling my name!)

I really appreciate when sellers do repeatable colorways! This was a lovely soft quick spin and it’s comforting to know I can get more batts if I need them.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

5:15am. I want to sleep. No, I have to go to the gym. I’m going out tonight. There will be no other time for me to go to the gym. But my bed is so warm… okay, I’m getting up.

It’s a good thing I have my alarm clock at the foot of my bed so I’m forced to at least sit up when I wake up. This morning was fairly difficult. It’s been grey, cold, and drizzly for the last few days, and I was craving the sanctity of my comforter for another 45 minutes. But a training schedule is a training schedule. It must be done. Besides, the half marathon starts at 6am and I have to get there at 4am. Might as well get used to it now and be adjusted come race day.

So I ate a banana, drove to the gym, and plopped down on a spin bike for 35 minutes. That’s by no means a long time (and probably much easier in comparison to the spin class that started around the same time as my arrival. But at 5:30am, that’s all I could muster (fortunately, it was also all my schedule called for today). I managed to get about 14 miles in during that time; a good, solid ride. And I felt pretty great afterwards, too. So from here on out, I’m going to try to do most of my training in the morning.

Please note that I said “try.” Don’t hold me to that.

In other news, I’m up to 11.7 points for the HBBC for this week. Shout out to my teammates Alisa, Genesis, and Lindsay (her blog link isn’t working :\).

Have any of you ever participated in non-race challenges before? If so, what was it, and what did you think of it? Did it motivate you to work harder?

Happy Wednesday!

I’m offering 20% off on my entire Etsy shop plus free shipping starting today until Friday 12am. The discount will be refunded via Paypal.

There is also a little story the my friend Mesa sent to me this morning:

A little something to put things in perspective. ..

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest rangers
began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage..

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched
statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat
sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under
their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of
impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the
tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing
that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her
babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her
small body, the mother had remained steadfast ..because she had
been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A new Spin timetable has been implemented from the 24th of November. Please ask in the gym or phone reception on 0800 232 1290 for details, online version coming shortly.

What a day! I got off work at 7 am this morning and slept until noon, then I had to get up to go to my eye doctor appointment. Thank goodness for that though, I haven’t been able to see well at all lately. Unfortunately my eye doctor loves to talk and talk and talk. I was there for 2 1/2 hours!!! Finally I got out of there, but I have to go back Monday to have my eyes dilated. He couldn’t do it today because he didn’t want me driving myself home and Tim wasn’t with me.

Tonight I watched The Biggest Loser and made tacos from leftovers from this weekend. After dinner I made my casseroles for Thanksgiving. I have to work Wednesday night so I figured if I made the casseroles ahead of time all I would have to do on Thursday is pop them in the oven. They are going to be delish! I stole a couple  way too many bites while I was cooking.

Tonight I wanted to talk about how I started running. I get alot of questions from people about how I got to the point I am now with my running, how I run as far as I do, and how I run the speed I do. So I thought I’d share with you what I did. I’ve always hated to exercise believe it or not. I was the kind of person that would rather starve herself than workout. I ran a little when I was in highschool but nothing serious or regular.

In February I started really thinking about getting serious about losing weight, but at that time I was 235 pounds. I knew that I was going to have to start exercising if I was ever going to lose any serious amount of weight. So I bought a Wii and Wii Fit. Everyday before I went to work I would do boxing, step aerobics or hoola hoop on the Wii Fit for about 30 minutes. Then I bought Dance Dance Revolution and started doing that as well. These were fun ways that I could get active without feeling like I was truly exercising.

After a couple of months I started getting bored with the Wii games, but I was happy to see that there was exercise that I could do and enjoy. It wasn’t nearly as unbearable as I remembered. I decided to join the YMCA, and I started going several times a week and using the elliptical. From there I started taking Spin classes. I was really enjoying everything! I couldn’t believe it!

Shortly after I started to get really interested in working out a few girls from work started the Couch to 5K program. I didn’t jump on the bandwagon right away, but it didn’t take long before I joined in. When I first started I would run at 4.0 miles per hour (15 min mile) and I could barely run 1/4 of a mile without stopping. I hated every minute of it at first, but I kept up with the program and I was able to (barely) complete each week. At some point during those weeks I realized that I was really starting to like the way that running made me feel and the weight started seriously dropping off.

I remember the first day I ran 2 miles without stopping. I felt like I had just done something that was AMAZING! And for me it really was amazing at the time. I started experimenting with my speed and kept running the alloted distances. I’d do intervals of 4.0 mph and 5.0 mph on the treadmill. Before long I started trying to see how long I could run at 5 mph, then intervals of 5.0 and 6.0 … and so on and so forth.

I never did try to run outside because everyone told me how hard it was compared to the treadmill and I definitely didn’t want to do anything harder than I absolutely had to. But one of my friends who was doing the program found a 5K and several of us decided to sign up. I figured that if I was going to run in an actual 5K I should probably practice running outside. The very first time I ran outside I was absolutely amazed at how different it was than the treadmill. I was IN LOVE! I found running outside much easier than the treadmill and much less boring, and I was able to run much faster outside than I ever did on the treadmill.

We did our Big Brother/Big Sister 5K and I actually had a fairly decent time. From that point on I was totally hooked. I loved the whole atmosphere of racing and being around the other people. My only goal in that first race was to run the entire thing. I almost threw up! But I did it … and I wanted to get even better. Now I am following the Beginner Half Marathon Training program.

I highly recommend anyone that is interested in starting to run to follow a program such as Couch to 5K. It will give you guidance and help you keep from injuring yourself by doing too much too fast.

This is the mix that got us hungry for more.  Still the class fav and mine too!  Letting go of  a good music mix is like letting go of a good friend, music always takes you back to a time and a place.

Jump – (Van Halen) 4:01

Right Round – (Flo Rida) 3:26

We Didn’t Start the Fire – (Billy Joel) 4:51

Mr. Vain – (La Bouche) 4:18

Shake It – (Metro Station) 3:00

Poker Face Remix – (Lady Gaga) 4:43

Smooth Criminal – (Michael Jackson) 4:17

Evacuate The Dancefloor - (Cascada) 3:28

Seven Nation Army – (The White Stripes) 3:50

I Gotta Feeling – (Black Eyed Peas) 4:05

The Pretender – (Foo Fighters) 4:30

Get Up and Dance – (Faber Drive) 3:08

Good Girls Go Bad – (Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester) 3:18

Breathe – (Moist) 4:53

Apparitions – (Matthew Good Band) 5:11

Spin Mix#1 – Leg Lessons….this was a lesson in more than just legs.  Worked out some kinks and learned what kind of music fits together.  This was a great start to spin at Omega Fit Club but after a few weeks we transitioned on.  Doesn’t mean I don’t miss some of these tracks though…nothing can push you harder than Smashing Pumpkins!!!

Sex On Fire – (Kings of Leon) 3:24

Let it Rock – (Kevin Rudolf) 3:56

American Boy – (Estelle ft. Kanye West) 4:05

DOA – (Foo Fighters) 4:12

Bullet With Butterfly Wings – (Smashing Pumpkins) 4:18

One More Time – (Daft Punk) 6:07

Good Girls Go Bad – (Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester) 3:18

I Dare You – (Shinedown) 3:54

Fire Burning – (Sean Kingston) 3:53

I Gotta Feeling ( Black Eyed Peas) 4:05

Sunday Morning (No Doubt) 4:33

Breakdown (Jack Johnson) 3:33

Better Together (Jack Johnson) 3:28