16/5/13

So I rode my bike today. 

Cycling has become a little bit odd with me, I rode my mountain bike properly a couple of weeks ago with almost no pain, and then on the road bike the following week I really struggled in that respect (although thankfully the legs were still working ok).

I went out today to test the loop I've planned for our next shop ride, I wasn't sure how it was going to go as I'd never ridden that route before, and I was (and still am!) definitely feeling the effects of physio this morning, but ignoring a slight "funny turn" in the middle it was a really enjoyable ride. Just shy of 20 miles and I managed a 16mph average so not too slow.

I don't know where I'm going with it though, I miss racing - I never even got close to winning anything but it was always good fun ('cept the one time when I crashed!) but I'm definitely a way off doing that sort of thing again, both in body and mind. I wondered about road racing but I know I'm not quick enough yet, and that brings some of the same problems as XC racing 'cos I'm still a bit funny about riding in a group. Maybe I'll try a time trial if I get a bit faster...

Not that it really matters, I think it's enough to just enjoy riding bikes and if I go back to racing at some point then that's OK, and it's still OK if I don't. It might not be back to how it was yet, but I'm really quite glad that I've managed to get back to a level where I can ride a bike again at all, hopefully the improvement will continue! 

It's not just riding them either, I just like bikes in general I think. I was a bit indifferent about the whole thing when I started working at "the bike shop" 5 and a bit years ago, but I soon got into it - and now consider myself very lucky to be able to continue it. 

Sorry. Will stop waffling now. Combination of being really quite tired, but having had a good ride means I can't help it!

Until next time... 

13/5/13

Sorry - I know I've been rather quiet recently, but I have been quite busy!

Most notably I applied for teacher training, was invited for interview, got down to the final 2, so had another interview but then was unsuccessful. Bummocks was a friends reaction to the news. Didn't know how much I wanted to do it anyway, but I'd convinced myself during the application process and rejection when you've tried your best is never good!

I've been out on the bike a couple of times too. I had my first proper mountain bike ride in over 18 months thanks to a new splint type thing for my elbow, and apparently a fair amount of luck! It was great fun to be back. I say there was a fair amount of luck involved because I went back out on my road bike last week and really suffered. It was my only stupid fault, it was a ~20 mile loop (further than I'm supposed to be riding) and I got carried away, particularly on the final climb. That and perhaps more lifting of things than I should have done at the weekend and I'm still grumbling about it now! New physio exercises are still hurting too, back to see him this week after 3 weeks off so hopefully we can get things sorted!

Not much else to report. Currently watching the first series of Sherlock (I only started watching it on TV when the second series started!), am enjoying it so far! 

Catch you later...

15/4/13

Going through school it's expected that you decide what you want to "be" when you grow up. It's understood that this isn't set in stone, as a teenager you're not really equipped to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life, but you do have to choose your GCSE options, then your A-levels, and then where to go next - each of these must be done with a goal in mind, and each choice that you make will narrow the field that you can eventually end up in.

I currently find myself once again faced with a junction where I really ought to to choose a path that heads towards something. Having made the decision that I want to be a doctor, but then getting only rejections from the medical schools I applied to (not to mention several members of my family trying to push me in another, unspecified, direction because they don't think medicine for me) has left me back at square one. 

Having been struggling with a few other "issues" of late (those things that I'm still not going to talk about!) I have been trying to avoid thinking about it, my default response is I don't want to do anything...but that isn't an option! I have done a bit of thinking, and came up with 4 viable seeming options - one of these is to apply for medicine again. I put in a lot of thought when applying a few months ago and really had to persuade myself that it was what I wanted to do, getting only rejections leads me to thinking "well am I really the right person for it?", and at the moment I don't know. 

The other options I've come up with also go down the "career for life" approach. But whilst pondering what to do this morning, I came up with the question:

"Do I have to *be* anything?"

It's perfectly plausible to have a job as opposed to a career, earn enough money to support myself and have some fun along the way...

It seems almost appealing, probably because it's the "easy" option (although finding a way of getting enough money to support myself perhaps isn't that easy at the moment), but then I don't think that's really a long term solution for me.

 It goes round in circles doesn't it? This is why I've been avoiding it!

*Hides in corner playing with Lego* 

2/4/13

*raises head above the blogosphere parapet*

I rode my bike today.

That's 3 times in 3 weeks.

Today was the longest one of those 3.

With the most climbing in it.

22 miles. 1191 feet of climbing. 1 hour 40 riding time. (Yes I know that's not particularly quick!)

My excuse shall be the permanent head/cross wind!

It was great to get out and ride in some sunshine, but it has proven to me that I still have a long way to go, and yet I am really lacking motivation to do physio exercises at the moment (there's a long list of things I'm lacking motivation for actually!), I know I need to do them, and I kind of know they're helping but I just can't bring myself to do them as much as I should. 

There's lots of other things I'd really like to write about, but as I'm not (yet) shouting about "the thing" I can't so I shall sit here and quietly mumble to myself instead. It seems to be growing inside me (and again, no I'm not pregnant or dying!), so I suspect it's only a matter of time before it gets "announced", but I'm not at the stage where I want everyone to know yet!