I get it!

Today I went up to DISC to put myself through another hour of track torture.  To my complete and utter surprise, I managed a 30 lap warm up and felt good.  I floated up to the blue line and was comfortable to stay there. 

There were others on the track and they didn't freak me out. 

I think I'm finally getting a taste of why people love track.  I had some good happy hormones by the end and was pretty pleased with myself.

You know what I thought of for the rest of the day though?   Running.  Running with Fi.  Pumping out 15km and not even thinking about it. 

I miss it.

Still around, still training

Hi!  Remember me?

I thought it was time to update here.   I'm back training well but still haven't returned to work full time.

I rediscovered a love for crossfit recently and will have to work out how I can include this in my training schedule somewhere.

I've started doing rollers at http://jarasport.com.au/ which given how hard it is will surely improve my cycling.

The biggest news is that I've started training here....


without a doubt, the scariest thing I've done in my life.

Can't stop. Won't stop.

See you out training somewhere.  Ride safe. x

Slow progress

Things are getting better, it's just taking a long, long, long time.

I've decided that I need to stop thinking about where I used to be or what I was capable of and focus on accepting where I am now.  This is my baseline, I need to work on improving from here.

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, Used to don't have a place in my vocab anymore.

I've been doing my 15 min rides every second day.  Helen took me up to the velodrome last week and taught me how to ride around on the blue line.  I've been riding up there whenever I can.  I've also done my own little Brunswick-Roibax on the cobbled lane ways around my house.

Pilates is very challenging.  I feel like I'm improving and I am enjoying the classes.  I need to find a way to keep this in the schedule even when I'm back to full gas.

I've also done a little running.  The first couple of times it really hurt, buy my body quickly remembered how to do it. 

I love running.  Just love it.

Fatigue continues to be an issue but that also is improving.  It's all upside from here.

404 error

Hi.

Remember me?

The last month has been rough to put it mildly.  Turns out concussion can knock you around a bit.

I've had memory loss and continue to have concentration issues.  I can't remember much about the first few weeks after the crash, so if you contacted me, thank you for your well wishes and concerns.  I really appreciate it even if I can't remember it.

My memory has improved some, but I've still got poor concentration and incredible fatigue.  However, in an exciting development I'm now approved for 15 minutes of riding on non consecutive roads as long as I stick to bike paths.  I can't process multiple pieces of information so the road is out of bounds for a while. 

So, 15 minutes on the mtb day before yesterday and 15 mins on the cx bike today.

Balance isn't great, so it's a little bit hairy, I'm scared of other people on the path and I need to sleep afterwards.

BEST FUN EVER. 

Car vs Bike

So I was finally feeling good and getting some consistency into my training.

After a gorgeous ride on the Boulevard on Tues morning I was headed home to shower before work.

A car unfortunately didn't notice I was riding in front of them and they hit me from behind as they turned left into me.

Luckily I just have concussion and some bruises.  Big muscles kept my bones safe.

No riding for a month, but I can get in the pool and on the trainer in a couple of weeks.

Could have been much worse, I feel very lucky.  My helmet smashed so bad you can see the frame inside the foam.  Thank goodness for helmets.

Pool

First time in the pool for a long time.

45 min session
Gentle pool running and one 25m underwater swim

Jeff knows me

So that one little comment yesterday has been excellent motivation.  I've had a brilliant day.

After a late night watching Neil at the Austral, I woke early and commuted down to Port Melb for a cornering lesson coached by one of the racing team. 
I'm confident enough on my own, but in the drops in a bunch around a tight corner has been problematic. 
The coach was able to break things down for me and I feel a whole lot more confident now.

I raced the crit to try and put the training into practise.  Being able to go around a corner fast and safely is awesome!

I chased some breaks, did some work, held some pace and then blew up 5 mins before the finish and didn't finish in the bunch.  It's all practise.   First you get droped, then your pack fodder, then....

Gavin and Helen missed yesterday and they both were able to come around for a session.

I styled something similar to Jeff yesterday and yowsers I'm sore now.


15 deck squats

5 times through
20 box jumps
old school barbell run to shop
16kg kbell
50 OA swing
20 snatch each hand
5 LCCJ each hand

'You used to be an athlete'

That sentence will motivate me for a very long time.  Thanks Jeff for today's session, I needed it.  Thanks also for the motivation.  I'm very lucky to have you on my side.

AM
4.5km run to Smith St to get my car.   Glutes and quads cramped, felt super heavy and slow.  Actually turned my garmin off because I was disappointed with the 6+ min k's. 
So, in the spirit of accepting where I am right now,  I kept going, relaxed my face and enjoyed the familiar sensation of running on a crisp morning.  It was fantastic, I loved it.  I feel inspired to keep trying.

PM
Jeff in the park.

Aqua bag run 1.5km
20 x 16kg kb resistance band run uphill walk recovery downhill (50m)
2 x 16kg kb farmer walk 1.5km - that was a good mental test.   I found it really difficult, but again used gratitude for the fact that I was doing something I love to get me through
forearms and grips were now well and truly gone so
100 snatches each hand 10kg kb were really difficult.

Perfect session.

Kaboom and Kinglake

Sun

SKCC crit.  Not sure what happened today but I felt less than ordinary.   I started and felt fine, fast bunch this week.  I was 5th wheel and quite happy and comfortable sitting there.   All of a sudden I went to pedal, no faster, just pedalling and I went from 5th wheel to off the back and not able to get back on.
I rolled around to the finish and called it quits.  I haven't felt like that before, something was NQR.

Kinglake
Jen and I drove to St Andrews and rode the climb at Kinglake.  I felt ok doing this but something is wrong with either my glute, my bike fit or both.  My back hurt way too much, not just usual muscle fatigue and soreness either. 
I'll go back and see Skinny this week.

Rest of the Week

Thurs

JBSECT hybrid today.  I left the guys up at the Boulevard and joined David from work in a loop.  He helped me work on my pedal stroke and cadence and I worked out how to ride smoothly up the hills by shifting my weight slightly forward on the saddle. 

It was a gorgeous morning.  I love it up there.

Sat
Rush ride (kinda).
Fi and I joined the start of the Rush ride, pace was hot today but I was pleased that I could hang on.  We got left behind after some confusion when half the bunch turned around for the start of Chain Reaction and then Fi and I got split by lights. 

We were late heading off so we didn't have time to go to Mordi, we turned around just after Black Rock.  So nice to be out with Fi again.

Breakfast was lovely.  The girls gave me a gift that left me speechless.  That almost never happens!

Dads are the best!

AM

Kew Boulevard Crit track with JBSECT.  I watched the guys in the dark to check their lines and listened for where they use their brakes.  They don't brake.

I tried to get through the corner without braking but only managed it once.  I need to do alot more work on my cornering.   Every time I get a little better but I've still got alot of room for improvement. 

PM

My Mikey came to kettlebells at the gym.  He did so well, it was very hard for him but he kept going.  I'm very proud.  I don't think he'll be able to walk tomorrow.

OA swings
snatch
lunge
clean
jerk
squat
long cycle

18,15,12,9,6,3 es

PRO hours MTB

I went for a mtb this morning with Jen.  She took me to a new area in Greensborough, lots of ups and downs, nice grippy trails and nothing too scary or technical.

No stacks.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday - Total Rush skills session Beach Rd

Had a good ride with the crew from Total Rush, it was nice to ride them and not be chewing stem.  We did an easy roll down to Hampton and back with some bright newbies.  When we got back to Richmond it was raining and I wasn't too surprised to see the Cykel Women's Grand Prix had been cancelled.  I was disappointed because I'd been looking forward to that event but now I get to look forward to it for a bit longer as it's been rescheduled for March 24.

If I'd been really keen I could have gone and trained in the rain with Jeff in the arvo but I went to the movies instead.  I know he'll make me pay for that another time.

Sunday

SKCC crit - here's what I wrote somewhere else. The only thing I forgot to include was the bunch coming to a complete stop on the back straight as workmen were carrying pipes across the length of the road. 

I need to pay better attention. B and C were together today as the field numbers were pretty small. The fast B grade girls were out and one team has a score to settle with the handicapper so I knew it would be an interesting race. It was fast from the start, I think B were hoping to drop C, we lapped A grade. I held on. (!!!!). At what I thought was 2 laps to go I noticed that the team were on the front and wouldn't chase me if I attacked around the back straight so I did and they didn't. I came into the last corner first wheel with a big gap back to the rest of C and was pretty confident about staying away when I noticed that I had one more lap than I thought to go. They caught me on the 2nd last corner of the bell lap and I didn't have the legs to go around and over them in the sprint. 4th. Better racing but dumb.

PM
Playing in the back yard with 2 x 20kg kettlebells and the box.  I'm sure I'll hurt tomorrow.

Whoops

I forgot to update here.

29.2

Nobody for me to propose to today :)
I was the ride leader for the Wed 6am SKCC womens ride.  It was alot safer than last week, although personally I found it tough as my front light died just after Racer and bunch riding with no lights in the dark is not the most fun I've ever had.

Ride from home to Black Rock and back via Collingwood and Clifton Hill.

2.3

Thursday JBSECT ride on a Friday.  5 postmans after one boulevard.  The dinner at Mo Vida last night made it hurt abit.

Ouch

Rode for just over 2 hours today on Kew and Richmond Boulevard.  I'm surprised I managed to last that long.  My back hurts, I couldn't breathe deeply or turn my head very well. 

I'd like to race tomorrow but I just don't think I'll be safe.

Stay on the trail stupid

Well, quite an eventful morning on the mtb today.  If any of my family are reading this I am A-Ok and I will be on a bike again tomorrow.

I was riding the Yarra trails with JP and CV around Fairfield, it was such a nice morning.  JP and CV took off to ride at their own pace and we agreed they'd catch me on the way back.  They are fast, they got to the end and turned around before I was much more than half way through the section.  I was having a good morning, not totally enjoying the bar mounted light as I couldn't see around the corners but I was feeling safe and riding pretty well.

When the boys caught me CV rode first so I could see with his light as well as mine (my light is really bright, it was just the corners that were not so great) and JP was coaching me from behind.

We came to a bit of an incline that I've ridden up a few times before but about half way up I realised I was in the wrong gear and weighted wrong and the front wheel started lifting.  I shifted my weight but the wheel hit a rock and I bounced off it rather than over it as I wasn't going fast enough.

To my left it was straight up and to my right a very steep drop off with the river a long way below. 

In slow motion I felt my weight shift the wrong way and my bike tilt to the right.  I put my foot out but there was no ground so fell.  I hit the ground a fair way below the trail and then rolled a number of times (felt like 6) before I came to a stop just before the edge into the river.  I heard JP say 'oh no.  ow, ow, ow, ow, ow' as I rolled.

I called out to JP and CV that I was ok and then sat up.  Hey?  Where's my bike?  Oh no, in the river, floating away from me.  Luckily the lights were still working, so I could see where it was.  CV came down to the water and some kayakers pushed it towards him where the both of us could lift it out and up the cliff.

I know I'm lucky that I didn't hurt myself at all. 

I got right back on the bike and rode for another hour.  Adrenaline was major.  Now that it's worn off, I'm bruised and scratched.

Thanks to JP for taking the photos.

The trail.  See the slightly flat rock where there's the split in the log?  That's all it took.

I left the trail where this photo was taken and came to a stop where I'm standing.  The edge of the grass is the drop off to the river.  Close!

Thanks CV for coming to my bike's rescue before it floated away forever. That's him fishing it out down there.

Safe at the top.  Bit of a drop between the trail and where the ground is hey?  The rock is up behind where CV is.

Safe at breakfast.

Running was never this exciting.



Sandown

Gotta love a commissaire who says he'll hook me up.  I'm loving racing at Sandown, such a friendly crew and I'm learning heaps.

I did heaps better today.  Hung in for 4 3/4 laps and when I did pop, I worked to catch up to another 2 people and rode around with them for the rest of the race.

So much easier to ride together rather than alone.

Lotsa riding

First time ride coordinator for the Wed women's ride to Black Rock return from Racer.  I kept the pace up and focussed on keeping the bunch safe.  It took alot of concentration but I got everybody back safely and a few people said it was a good ride.

After work I drove up to Hans Loop to meet Gavin.  We did one loop together and then rode some fire road trails to loosen my legs up. I got around alot more than usual, and at least when my legs were shaking it was because of effort not fear.

Was great to hang out with Gavin, I don't know anybody who has such a genuine joy for life as him.  He's always happy and so much fun to be around.

Knowledge

I rode with the beginner women at St Kilda this morning.  It was a sketchy, surgy (is that a word?) ride and it didn't feel safe to be on the wheel of most of the people there.

Liz does a fantastic job of keeping people safe and out of trouble, she was working hard today.  I found myself paired next to a chick who was doing some strange things, I asked her if she was ok and she said it was her first time in a bunch and she had no idea what was going on. 

I gave her some of the advice that people have given me and I was surprised to find that I know more than I think I do. 

I'm hosting the Wed ride tomorrow morning so today was a good recce for that.

Crits and Rollers

SKCC crit this morning and my only goal was to give everything I have in an effort to string the bunch out and see if I could get a breakaway.

I did give everything, I didn't get the break and I spent the rest of the race deep in the hurtbox.  Ended up in 7th place after clawing back a couple of places.

I went to Bikefest and ran into the Brunswick crew who encouraged me to give the roller racing a go.  It was super awesome fun!