back in the saddle and almost at the end of the race...

Lots of goings on here in diplomatica-land. While d has been furiously finishing school work, I've been busy crafting and getting back in the normal swing of things with exercise. I've gotten the OK to bike again. I went out with ll on the bike path on Saturday. So much trepidation, but lots of fun. I went slow - it was the first time I'd been back on clipless pedals since my fall in July.



I started to take pictures of my vintage clothes for an etsy shop I'm going to open. I just need to wrangle d for a moment and have him help me create a banner.

I can see the end of the road from the goal of making my Christmas gifts. I just have one small snag - figuring out what to knit for d. I told him about the sweater curse, so that's out of the question, per his directions. I just need to make up my mind and cast on. He liked the cowl for his birthday last week, so at least my knitting mojo is okay.

Intervals...

Exciting news! I really am running again! I didn't really post about this earlier because right after I started, I got a cold that has decided to linger past the Thanksgiving weekend. I've done several interval runs. It's great to actually run, not plod. Between my numerous lunges, calve raises and stretches, this is a great energizing activity. I'm hoping to have this jumpstart a better workout routine during the holidays.

I haven't been feeling the digital photo bug, so I'm woefully behind on spinning, knitting, cooking and exercising photos. I've been ordered to get back on my road bike for short rides, so hopefully this will spurn on some photos. It's just so dark here (besides the time I'm cooped up in my office). I think I need to make a light box.

Okay, off to drowsily celebrate D finishing his model and presentation for studio. He still has two more big assignments for the term, but this was the big one. After being awake for 36 hours, I'm not sure how much celebration we'll be doing. Probably a beer, dinner and falling asleep to our Netflix selection.

Fuzzy warmth

It hasn't been snowing here in the Willamette Valley, but is has been quite chilly (and foggy - darn inversion) the past few weeks. It's made us turn on the heat and me crave knitting a warm, squishy sweater instead of the smaller, xmas gift knits I've been cranking out for awhile now.

One thing that's made it so much easier is the addition of the Monday night knitting group I've started to attend down the street. It's great to a) meet other people that love to knit as much as me, b) take the dedicated time to talk and knit purposefully for a couple of hours, and c) learn a few things (tonight was about slapping handspun yarn to help set the twist - a much better method than weighting it after soaking). Which reminds me, I'm actually getting a much better feel for spinning and plying. The recent skeins have really improved. I gave one to my aunt on Friday and she seemed to enjoy the color palette. No pics just yet since some of it is yet to be gifted...I'm excited to spin some recent fiber from a wonderful woman who lives up the hill from me. You can see her blanketed sheep as you walk up to her studio - so cool!

giving thanks

It's that time of year to give thanks for what you've got. This has been a rough fall for me. Normally, I would smirk at what some would say has become just a tag line to sell more turkey and sweaters, but this year, giving thanks is more important for me. It's a good exercise to realize how fortunate you actually are, in the grand scheme of things.

This website about the Willard Suitcases was the aha! moment that made the thankfulness click for me this year.



Reading the stories of those that were at Willard State Hospital is moving. I've always wondered how I would have ended up if I had been born 100 years earlier - would this have been my fate after raising a stink in public or after a few unfortunate events. The eerie idea of the patients' suitcases left in the attic for years (containing their entire possessions). Most states had/have these institutions and these types of stories. Thankfully, many have returned the possessions or tried to give these people a story. That's what I like about this online exhibit - it gives a voice to those that were silenced years ago.

After reading their stories, especially Madeline's, it made me very thankful for my freedom and the endless opportunities still out there for me.

fiber frenzy

Knitting, spinning, coveting woolen cardigans. These are all things that have I've been up to. It's definitely fall, nearing Thanksgiving. The weather, the excitement for Christmas and D's birthday next week have gotten me obsessed with making and/or acquiring woolen goodies.
On my recent stops to yarn and fiber shops, I scored this:



I've been drooling over Habu patterns recently and just found out some dangerous news, Knit/Purl carries Habu and various kits! I love this tunic and this jacket.

I've been spinning a lot, which has also helped with my craptastic past 10 days. Highs and lows. Bad work stuff and great personal stuff. Big news - I can run again! I'm doing running intervals, something new for me. I've done interval training in the pool, but besides the random fartlek on weekend hill runs, I've never done timed interval running practices. It's fun. I think I'll be enjoying my weekly exercise.

More pics after Thanksgiving...

Wool overload

Lots to report -
- First, I'm learning how to spin fiber (not spinning on a bike, which two of my family members thought I was talking about - I've already been to many a bike spinning class). It's fun - but I'm still at the frustrating point where I'm still learning basic skills. I'm enjoying it. A colleague is letting me borrow her spare Ashford wheel.
- Second, I'm almost back to running. I'm now swimming a lot and doing my yoga regularly. Yoga has been amazing at improving my form in the pool. All that core strength really does make a difference. After I gain more hip strength, I can begin to run again. Soon...just in time for the cold, rainy weather.
- Last, sooo much knitting going on for the holidays. Obv, no picks for the gifts, but here's a picture of my new fall FO - a great wool stole that also seconds as as scarf:

Recouperation and Routine

After a visit to the orthopedist, and x-ray and a huge shot of cortisone into my ankle, things are getting better. Oh, maybe it's the massive anti-inflammatory meds I'm on. Either way, it led me back to yoga. Without (full body) swimming and running, I was going bonkers. So, I finally found a use for my Borders Rewards coupons that fill up my spam folder. I bought a yoga CD set from Baron Baptiste. I've been doing it regularly and it really has helped in strength, flexibility and balance. Not to mention general toning and happy feelings. I had really let this injury make me feel defeated. Hopefully it will work out. I've been banned from my road bike with clipless pedals, but I'm now supposed to start swimming again. Yippee!

In other news, I finished Archival Clothing's sweater -



I got so inspired, I started my own February Lady Sweater with the other vintage, hardship wool. Today my wrists are questioning that decision and so I ordered some squishy yarn from Webs to counter it.

Okay, off to sewing class at the Craft Center. I'm trying to become one with my vintage Singer.

Summer injuries

Well, it was all working out and then, like last year, something bad happened in July and I was forced to take a break from my gym time and fun swimming. Last year, I had to have a small operation on my toe and this year I had a collision on my road bike. After 8 weeks or so, I'm heading to an evaluative orthopedist next week to see what really happened. Icing after 8 weeks has gotten really old.

...Instead, let's talk about knitting. I've been doing lots since I've been somewhat out of commission. A nice shawl was started and finished this summer.


I finally finished my own log cabin blanket,


Now, I'm nearing completion on a sweater for archival clothing. Pictures to come soon.

For exercise - I might need to even stop my arm weights and floor work until I get back my ankle and hip strength. Today is the pool - a place that normally brings me joy and relaxation, that has caused me pain that last several times I've dove in.

MUFA, huh?

I'm at home, trying to deal with this fatigue issue I've had for a couple of months. I've added Vitamin D, which has seemed to help a little, but not 100%. So I thought it would be a good time to talk about MUFAs - an acronym I was unfamiliar with until yesterday via this article about "flat-belly foods." Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), when taken a little with every meal (so the article says), can help reduce belly fat. I'm okay with this, since the MUFA categories are nuts and seeds, oils, olives, avocado and chocolate. Throwing a little bit of walnuts or cacao nibs on something is a good reminder to diversify at dinner time.

In other news, I gleaned some new free-weight arm exercises from a guy in the gym this week. I tried them out and realized that other than my swimming twice a week, I'm not really working out my deltoids. Next up, figuring out the medicine balls...

no-go

So, technical difficulties decided that I didn't go on the 100km ride on Saturday. I was more than okay to go back to sleep at 5 am, so no worries. Instead, I did a round of household errands and a run along Pre's trail. Something must have happened on the run to my right knee and now something does not feel good in there. No make-up 100km for me today. Just a hopeful swim in the rec center pool (if the mechanical issues have been resolved in the pool) - primarily working on arms with the pull buoy.

On the food front - I roasted a chicken and mixed root veggies for dinner last night. Salad was another accompaniment.

Lots of knitting and brainstorming this weekend instead of the long bike rides. I want to start a full garment soon. I think my left-handed knitting skills are improving (or mirrored knitting, to be PC).

austere but powerful

I was very proud of myself. Last night was a great dinner - couscous salad, raw celeriac salad with a bit of parm and a minneola. I splurged and made homemade chocolate pudding but subbed lowfat, lactose-free milk for the 1/2 and 1/2.

Now that I'm going to be doing another 100km bike ride in less than a week, I'm realizing austerity today and tomorrow won't be in my favor. It's time to eat up lots of calories in prep for tomorrow's snoozeville populaire. Last Sunday's 60-mile ride was my first to push the 40-mile boundary. It also had several miles of intense hill climbing scattered throughout the ride, an intense headwind and a nice pub halfway through that seemed so tempting to just stop at and have David pick me up later in the afternoon. Snoozeville has a lovely pub at the end of it, so that's even better...austerity returns on Monday.

live to tell

This isn't an epic post about a near-death experience. The song of that title by Madonna was ironically going through my head for some of the 60-mile bike ride I did yesterday. The track on main rotation was the lead track on this album, by Iron and Wine. There were big hills, a massive headwind coming back to town and moments where I really wanted to get off the bike and run my bike up the hill (thankfully, I never succumb to this urge).

This ride signals a day off from the gym to recoup for tomorrow's lunch time fun. After doing that ride, I realize my neck and core muscles are still in need of some work.

minutia

Taking stock of what you actually consume on a day-to-day basis can feel tedious. A food journal seemed too post-modern and touchy feely to me. So I decided to use a site I heard about. Logging my food and exercise into this website everyday has given me a new insight into what I eat in my idyllic world. Trying to find beet salad with goat cheese and local greens is tough. You have to de-romanticize your food and enter 2 cups mixed greens, raw; 1/2 cup beets, cooked without fat, 2 oz goat cheese. Nevertheless, it's a good exercise in looking at my meals and how it breaks down in terms of calories and vs. exercise.

Today was my day off from workouts. Tomorrow, it's back to the gym, where ideas for new exercises will be observed from various folks taking their lunch break to exercise, as well.

new blog info

This post from my defunct blog spurred me to create Gleaned Regimen as a new place to talk about athletic activities and food habits gleaned from books, movies, other media and observations in the gym and in daily life.