Walk to Rivendell and Beyond: There and Back Again Challenge!

A

Arandiel

Grey Havens
It's Thursday – time to find out where in Middle Earth all our walking, swimming, biking, gardening, running and other forms of physical activity has brought us this week!

There and Back Again
Group Challenge Progress
Miles covered last week: 161.3
Cumulative miles: 8790.59
Miles along the journey: 586.04
Miles out of Rivendell: 189.44

We're still swooping and soaring high over Middle Earth, heading for the Carrock with Bilbo and the Dwarves... whee!

My progress:
Miles covered this week: 2
Cumulative miles: 347
Goal: There and Back Again!

Harrumph. Meetings. Errands. More meetings, scheduled back-to-back. Grump.

Beamer's progress:
Miles covered this week: 4
Cumulative miles: 365
Goal: Group Challenge

Beamer passed level 6 swimming! Her first time taking the class! We have a swimmer! And she starts school tomorrow. Woohoo!

Arandiel

The Scoop on the Walk
The TORn Walk to Rivendell thread meets right here on Main, on Thursdays.
Learn about TORn's There and Back Again Challenge

The Eowyn Challenge/Walk to Rivendell (and beyond) is a Middle-Earth-related fitness group that began in March 2003, and has been going on with walkers around the world ever since. TORn's Walk is open to all people and healthy types of activity. Please visit the Eowyn Challenge site, especially the main page and the Walk page, for more information. Useful links, including mileage charts compiled by the late Karen Wynn Fonstad, are on the Tools page.
grammaboodawg's awesomely awesome site for Bilbo's return mileages from the Lonely Mountain to Bag End, some helpful activity conversion charts, and the Walk to Rivendell's TORn-up Postcards
Notta's Super-Duper Walking-Equivalents Chart
Eowyn Challenge Login Page to register miles

If you use the Eowyn Challenge site to track your progress, please update your mileage via the login page, and be sure to keep a backup record, in case Warg attack, Wizard-induced blizzard, or other fell calamity causes the Shields page to crash.
 
A Swimmer!? Speaking as a Pisces... I'm impressed :D

I had an excellent week of activity. We're moving/withdrawing about 5,000 vhs tapes from a collection, and guess who is moving, packing, carrying boxes and hauling those ol' puppies around!? *point at head* Plus I've gotten some major yard work done and walking and a study in perpetual motion! It's felt great, but I've gotten nothing else done ;)

Bilbo, Gandalf, Beorn and I are still travelling north of Mirkwood. The days are crisp and getting colder, but the camps are warm.

Thanks lots for keeping us on the road, Arandiel!! *waves to fellow travellers* Have a great week everyone!
 
Good on Beamer for her swimming advancement! Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us. [laugh]

Wellllll, a large part of this week’s mileage comes from a full day at King’s Island. Several miles of walking + thrill rides galore. I am very proud of Little D – he overcame his fear of roller coasters after a couple of tries. By the end of the day, he was whooping it up with the rest of us.

Then there was the requisite weekly yard work, which I am thoroughly enjoying. Round-up is a wonderful thing. It sure beats pulling those infernal weeds out of the gravel landscaping.

Cub Scouts is back in full swing. We are working a Family Fun Fair at our church on Saturday, then have a picnic on Monday, which is intended to bring in new members. I think we actually get to chill out at home on Sunday – the first time in several weeks.

The paperwork came home yesterday for Little D's first fund-raiser at his new school. So I wasted no time in getting him outside knocking on doors. To be continued this afternoon. The early bird definitely gets the worm in this case.

Have a great weekend fellow walkers, runners, swimmers, bikers and those who don't move much during the summer.


Miles covered since last check-in: 20.7
Cumulative miles: 842.9
Goal: There and Back Again!

Still on the Forest Road. Is that a fire over there? Why, I believe it is. Let's go check it out.
 
Mr. Eruvande was in Boston for work last week, so I joined him over the weekend. We were actually in Peabody, so we got to visit Rockport and Gloucester as well, where we did a lot of walking around. I don't know the mileage, so I'll just guess 2. Rockport is a cute little town with lots of little arty shops and a few hippy shops and it smelled like a Renaissance Fair, with all the food available. In Gloucester, we ate at The Gloucester House restaurant, which was very good. We then had to walk around the area for a while since we were so stuffed. We didn't get to go on a whale watching tour because they were sold out, but I'm not sure I would like it anyway because I tend to get sea sick. [blush]

Anyway, on Sunday, we took the Salem Ferry over to Boston Harbor, which is the way to go. No worrying about driving or trying to find a parking spot. We walked the Freedom Trail on our own, since we had to be back at a certain time for the ferry ride back to Salem. We kind of walked it twice, since we started in the middle, went to Boston Commons, came back, went as far as the Old North Church and came back. We didn't go as far as the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides), because that would have cut it too close to the time of the ferry's departure. However, the day we were there, Old Ironsides made a short voyage in honor of victory over the British warship Guerriere 200 years ago this week during the War of 1812. Unfortunately, the trip was only 17 minutes long, and we missed it. [crazy]

While in the North End, the Italian section of Boston, we wound up in the middle of the Fisherman's Feast. Very exciting! I had never seen anything like it. Even though I am Catholic, in the traditions around me, my family, church, community, etc., I can't think of any time other than Christmas when a saint's statue is paraded around like this. Go here to see pictures of this year's feast. I didn't take these pictures, but they are exactly what we saw.

Once we were home, Little Eruvande had the job of feeding the neighbors' goats and chickens while they were on vacation. I calculated I got another 2 miles walking back and forth to their house. Plus, on the second day, we accidentally let out about 15 chickens (although it seemed more like 100) that I had to chase down and catch by hand. Fortunately, they are fairly tame and I was able to account for all of them. So maybe add another quarter mile of chicken-chasing. [laugh]

Miles since last time: 7.25
Cumulative miles: 402.95
 
Yet another thing we have in common. (And a love of Round-up!)

The Little Goblin is going to be a Tiger this year. We have a table at his meet-the-teacher night tonight. And I'm making Little Eruvande help at the table so he can get service hours for Boy Scouts. [cool]

Heh, thanks for the shout out. [blush][laugh]
 
I forgot to add some of the mileage in.

Miles since last time: 9.25
Cumulative: 404.95

And congrats to Beamer for her swimming prowess! That is a good skill to have, says she who would not be upset if she never got in water ever again, ever.
 
Yes, yes! Congratulations to our 'happy otter' at home in the other medium- water[:)]. As i take my long swims (remembering my times going down the pond at night with the stars above) i would reach as far as i could with each arm, each stroke, getting on each side doing so, reaching for that barrel of stars within my reach. And with each reach i'd pull that barrel back with my hand and forearm (correct stroke mechanics) to my 'pocket' where the stars would be poured into[:)].
Perhaps beamer would like that little story.
During the daylight hours especially with bright sun. i love to watch the emerald bubbles pass by my ears from my hands entering the water before me.

The week for me was good. I had a banner swim of 2 miles feeling really strong on finishing. I had a double loop on the bike around greenwood lake for 35 miles and a couple of really spirited runs of 5 mi or more, one with a long hard hill.

So with 2swims, 1bike + 2runs i got 49 miles converted to the walk. (Total of 153miles)

It was a scary inside the Barrow Downs. I was on the verge (having nothing else beside a bike tube) was ready to wack that arm with my zefel bike pump but Tom saved the day and brought in the light of day. I was outta there spinning and speeding away with the wind in my face and Tom's word's echoing in my mind, "Be bold, but wary! Keep up your merry hearts and ride to meet your fortune!"

Bree was an experience without a doubt. Aragorn moved with a particular grace being a woodsman, and he moved like a cat. The black riders with their wails reminds me of the moment after a tremendous crack of thunder, of being frozen in place.

Due to Strider's lead we had out of there. Man i will tell you Sam has the wicked throw of a catcher throwing a liner to 2nd base on a steal attempt. That apple sounded like rock hitting dead wood, it did. Finally it was then, finding thankfully the quiet of the Chetwood, and going down hill too.
 
Sil, your descriptions are awesome! You should write a "journal": Bike Trek Across Middle-earth! [laugh]
 
What a task! I did something similar years ago, but on a much smaller scale; you have my sympathy!

"Bend with your knees, not with your back..."

The yard work sounds muchly much better!
 
all that swooping and twirling - and then you go home and even your bed feels like it's swooping and twirling, too! or maybe that's just me... I get dizzy just watching roller coasters on TV.

Have fun with the Scouting and fundraising!
 
The Freedom Road, that is. [;)] I haven't been in Boston in years. It sounds like you were there at just the right time (even if you didn't get to see Old Ironsides set sail [:(]).

And chicken-chasing as well; now that's a story worth remembering for the grandkids!
 
when she wakes up; between her first day of school yesterday and marching in the parade today, she's worn out!

It's good to hear your swimming, biking and running is going well - and that you made it out of the Barrow-Downs and Bree, with Tom and Strider's help (not forgetting Sam's right arm!).
 
We didn't do too much of the swirling rides, makes me nauseous. Even so, we had a brief reprieve when the park closed - fireworks! Then a relatively short drive back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I think we were both so tired, we didn't even notice which way to room was spinning. [laugh]
 
Yesterday's activities turned into a sweat-a-thon very quickly, so I made an executive decision. I fired up the chariot with AC on full blast and finished making our rounds through the neighborhood. Little D did so well, he earned an all-expense-paid, round trip limo ride to McDonald's (for real) from school. And he could not be happier.[:)]
 
What a great way to get some mileage :D

It sounds like a very busy week for you. It's always great when our mileage is also productive. Well Done!
 
Hey guys. Sorry you haven't heard from me. For a week and a half I was in Alabama helping out with my friend's wedding, and once I got home I got sick. But altogether in that time I think it's safe to say I worked this equivalent of miles. Because it was a load of work...whew man! I would ask that some of you keep me in your prayers, because it's difficult getting back on schedule with my exercise, and I really want to reach my goal this year. I'm going to try running. I hope everyone has had a good week. Keep going strong!

miles (past couple weeks) 16.2
cumulative 634.1
goal: There and Back Again Group Challenge!

Keep going everyone! [cool]
 
I'm so sorry you've been ill :( Don't worry about goals and deadlines. Just take it a little at a time and build yourself back up at a healthy, steady pace. You'll get stronger much faster that way rather than to beat yourself up and push when your body's not ready. I'll definitely keep you in my prayers :)

You did good on the mileage, fersher! Weddings will really put you through your paces!

*high five* It's so great to see you :D
 
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