So we are just about at the end of 2022, the world has changed so much.  The Queen passed which in my opinion was a huge loss, she was such an iconic figure.  Covid vaccines have been had by most of the UK population, using cash seems to have almost disappeared, the only time I seem to have it is when my MIL gives it to me for something we have paid for on the card. My challenges for 2022 changed totally. The Breast Cancer Charity Night Ride and the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). A 500 mile bike ride around Scotland in 7 days, starting and finishing at Inverness.   Mixing the ..read more

The winter / off season is a good time to work on some of the things we neglect during the warmer summer months. For me that's core training, so Pilates and stretching are important, but building up the strength in the upper body is key. As a cyclist, I have leg like tree trunks and arms like two bits of celery with crinkly skin (see earlier posts).   Chris Hoy says his thighs are equal to a size 8 for a woman's waist.  So at least I know I'm not the only one with a problem, although his thighs probably look a lot better than mine. ?  During the first lockdown when my lime ..read more

I'm not a food or nutrition expert having never studied it. However, I have had to recognise that food plays an important part of most peoples triathlon story. Afterall logically, if you don't feed the body properly its not going to perform very well.                                                                           &nbs ..read more

So here we are almost two years on, it's the first week of February 2022 already, 2 years have just disappeared in lockdowns and isolation of one sort or another! The UK has had a relatively mild winter, the birds have started singing and we have daffodil buds in the garden, spring will soon hopefully be here ? My challenges have changed beyond any recognition.  I'm still swimming at Stoney Cove, at least once per week. The water is cold at the moment, about 6.3o, because we have not had a cold winter I'm not sure it will get much colder, but who knows.  I've been back to the swimmin ..read more

So 12 months on since my accident. The world has changed so much, my tiny slice of it, has like most people's changed and progressed with it. Some of it good, some of it not so good.  I generally like to think of myself as a glass half full rather than half empty, for each and every bad thing, something positive has to balance it out, although its not always obvious.  In the UK we are currently coming out of Lockdown 3. With the prospect of things opening up, lighter nights and warmer days along with the rapid vaccine rollout. Generally things are looking brighter. The thought of ac ..read more

I have been pondering about the good old British weather, whilst I had my cast on the weather was beautiful, since the beginning of June, we have had torrential rain, cold weather and it’s been very windy! How does that work!! Despite the weather, it is wonderful to be back out on the bike. On Tuesday this week, I went out with the Tuesday evening group I normally ride with. I wasn't fast but it was so enjoyable.  Hats off to zwift which has helped keep me sane and ensured that my fitness and stamina have not disappeared.     The swimming is progressing, and to be honest a bit ..read more

Its always good to be positive and last week was positive in so many ways.  Tuesday afternoon I managed to go swimming in a friends pool. First time since early March and the first opportunity to test the hand out.  It is a tad odd, and i need to do a lot of work.  Working out how best to front crawl with a strange “catch” part of the stroke. Breast stroke is no longer an option as my hand/wrist won't bend, I would like to say I am upset about that, but I never seemed to go anywhere when I did it, more of a doggy paddle than breast stroke.  As gym’s and swimming pools are ..read more

It’s 10 weeks today since my accident. The ribs are healed, the arm cast has gone and the physio has started. I was surprised to find that after 8 weeks with the cast on, when it was removed my hand was still swollen.  My hand is also a very strange shape, and it doesn’t function like my hand should and it aches quite a lot.  It also looks like it belongs to someone else....not sure who, but not anyone I know.  The physio manipulated it and it improved a lot. I have exercises to do, so do those every day. This week I have started lifting some weights, well 1 kgs, to start ..read more

The cast is off. Time to do a little dance! ?? it was such a relief, I am sure that there were birds nesting in it ?‍♀️. I can’t start running until 1st June, to give the ribs a bit more time to heal. It will then be a run/walk for the first 2 or 3 weeks, to see how things go. The turbo though is calling. Riding with one hand is tough, but things can only improve.  Physio started on Wednesday, with a phone physio session - quite weird really, the exercises are tough and the hand is like a block of wood.   Things can only get better,  I have little or no wrist movement at the ..read more

Well today in about 4 hrs, I am hoping to have the cast removed, so fingers crossed this goes ahead. I am very nervous of the cast coming off, equally, it definitely needs to be removed, it has been on my arm for 7 1/2 weeks, it has been very warm weather, to say it is a bit "minty" is an understatement. ??. The amount of walking I have done has surprised even myself! on one occasion I was walking down a country lane, doing my arm excercises (as you do!) when a car stopped and asked if i was ok, they thought I was trying to flag them down. ? Socially distanced coffee on the go, is my new no ..read more