So after a year of commuting and trying to squeeze as much weekend riding in as possible, I've managed To drag my sorry ass 6,657km - a little way off what I'd originally aimed for, but as previously stated it's been less than an ideal year for stretch-goals! Nevertheless that would get me from Inverurie to somewhere in NW India...
There are almost one million new cases of colorectal cancer Worldwide (40,000 in the UK alone) every year. It is a relentless, indiscriminate disease with hideous symptoms and is devastating hundreds of families across Scotland as we speak.
Unfortunately, NHS Scotland is stretched to it's limits, facing significant financial strain and therefore limitations in what it can provide across Primary, Secondary and Community care settings. There is a heavy reliance on Charitable bodies like Macmillan, to provide the additional care and support that individuals living with Cancer need and deserve.
Macmillan Nurses and Advisors helped my parents with many aspects of their experience, from the provision of practical occupational aids, to financial advice and Professional, dignified round the clock care, at the very end.
I guess it's natural for me to want to champion what my Family received and help towards the maintenance of it, for those who find themselves in the same position, however small my contribution may be.
So no, this is not the end...it's just the beginning, watch this space.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Friday 25 February 2011
Confession time...
Ok, so since September we've had our third baby, Scotland got hit by the worst winter in several decades, Santa came and went, i had three bouts of flu-like symptoms and ended up coughing up blood for two weeks. Oh and my wife dropped me off at the health centre a couple of weeks ago and went for a nice coffee, while I went under the doctors knife...we decide three was plenty!
I've continued my commute throughout the winter, braving temperatures down to -18 deg C; this may have contributed to my haemoptasis during the first couple of weeks of 2011. Saying that, some of the worst weather days were as Lola would put it, my favourite and my best. I spent all of December on the mountain bike, straining against the resistance associated with 2kg of Schwalbe ice-spiker tyres. Although heavy, these beauties add a whole new dimension to winter riding, allowing you to ride on solid ice, (which many of the country roads around here turned into). Some beautiful moonlit, car-less, winter-wonderland rides were had during this time. Some of my commutes stretched out to around 2-2.5hrs (normally taking around an hour give or take 10mins) - the spikers suffered a litle in the deeper snow - with only a couple of unceremonious tumbles into the cold White stuff.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a computer on my mountain bike, so my mileage during this time wasn't recorded. Similarly, my computer has gone AWOL (most probably in a safe place or in the depths of Harris' car box) since then, so my 2011 rides thus far (which doesn't amount to that much to be fair) have also slipped by unrecorded - I have however taken a note of the kilometres that I've ridden - although you'll just have to take my word for their validity - alternatively, you could ask Tanya who'd quickly vouch for all the late arrivals Home, just in time for the half hour fight with the kids at bed time!
The swelling has subsided, I pulled my stitches out last night and the insane scratchiness has all but gone, but rather disappointingly, this week has been my first full week back on the bike in 2011; hence my rather humble total 'mileage' to date of 6,010km. A considerable way off what I'd aimed to have done by now, but if ever there was a bad year for me to attempt something like this, I'd say this one has probably taken the biscuit, in fact, it's scoffed the whole blinking tin.
So here's to Spring, a new start and as many hours in the saddle as I can muster, all nicely recorded on the new bike computer I've just bought today.
Meet my Family...the final draft.
I've continued my commute throughout the winter, braving temperatures down to -18 deg C; this may have contributed to my haemoptasis during the first couple of weeks of 2011. Saying that, some of the worst weather days were as Lola would put it, my favourite and my best. I spent all of December on the mountain bike, straining against the resistance associated with 2kg of Schwalbe ice-spiker tyres. Although heavy, these beauties add a whole new dimension to winter riding, allowing you to ride on solid ice, (which many of the country roads around here turned into). Some beautiful moonlit, car-less, winter-wonderland rides were had during this time. Some of my commutes stretched out to around 2-2.5hrs (normally taking around an hour give or take 10mins) - the spikers suffered a litle in the deeper snow - with only a couple of unceremonious tumbles into the cold White stuff.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a computer on my mountain bike, so my mileage during this time wasn't recorded. Similarly, my computer has gone AWOL (most probably in a safe place or in the depths of Harris' car box) since then, so my 2011 rides thus far (which doesn't amount to that much to be fair) have also slipped by unrecorded - I have however taken a note of the kilometres that I've ridden - although you'll just have to take my word for their validity - alternatively, you could ask Tanya who'd quickly vouch for all the late arrivals Home, just in time for the half hour fight with the kids at bed time!
The swelling has subsided, I pulled my stitches out last night and the insane scratchiness has all but gone, but rather disappointingly, this week has been my first full week back on the bike in 2011; hence my rather humble total 'mileage' to date of 6,010km. A considerable way off what I'd aimed to have done by now, but if ever there was a bad year for me to attempt something like this, I'd say this one has probably taken the biscuit, in fact, it's scoffed the whole blinking tin.
So here's to Spring, a new start and as many hours in the saddle as I can muster, all nicely recorded on the new bike computer I've just bought today.
Meet my Family...the final draft.
Saturday 11 September 2010
Saturday 28 August 2010
The Joy of Bikes
3770km to date...(inc 330km offroad).
One of the greatest joys about being a cyclist is not actually riding, but thinking about riding, dreaming about that next new bike, congering up, linking routes, honking up alpine climbs, and replaying rides and races with great friends in your head, dabating the pros and cons of 172.5 v's 175mm cranks, 42cm or 44cm road bars, flat or riser mountain bike bars and how much of a rise, deciding whether half a kilo of beautiful brooks leather on that new lightweight frame is a good idea, or whether two pairs of shorts will continue to do, short or long mudgaurds, goretex, e-vent or paramo, where the next proper tour is gonna be and how the hell do I take 3 kids on a bike holiday anyway, etc, ad-infinitum? "What are you thinking?" Tanya will often ask. After 14 years together, she knows exactly what I'm thinking, this question is just a reflex, from the insecure early years, times when she imagined I might have been thinking about other girls I suppose. It's our 12th Anniversary today and therefore very bad timing, but I have to admit to having had several love affairs [with bikes of course], the latest being with my new Sabbath Silk Route. Yes the Thorn and Rohloff sadly is going, albeit to a great home and an equally obsessed bikie (Terry). Anyway, the Silk Route is a lovely frame and should build up to be much more of an enjoyable ride on the road (although one which will demand more time and care), with the ability in theory to eat up more miles with less effort. If the grass turns out to be not so green on this side of the fence afterall, not to worry, the best combinations of titanium and the amazing Rohloff hub are already brewing...
One of the greatest joys about being a cyclist is not actually riding, but thinking about riding, dreaming about that next new bike, congering up, linking routes, honking up alpine climbs, and replaying rides and races with great friends in your head, dabating the pros and cons of 172.5 v's 175mm cranks, 42cm or 44cm road bars, flat or riser mountain bike bars and how much of a rise, deciding whether half a kilo of beautiful brooks leather on that new lightweight frame is a good idea, or whether two pairs of shorts will continue to do, short or long mudgaurds, goretex, e-vent or paramo, where the next proper tour is gonna be and how the hell do I take 3 kids on a bike holiday anyway, etc, ad-infinitum? "What are you thinking?" Tanya will often ask. After 14 years together, she knows exactly what I'm thinking, this question is just a reflex, from the insecure early years, times when she imagined I might have been thinking about other girls I suppose. It's our 12th Anniversary today and therefore very bad timing, but I have to admit to having had several love affairs [with bikes of course], the latest being with my new Sabbath Silk Route. Yes the Thorn and Rohloff sadly is going, albeit to a great home and an equally obsessed bikie (Terry). Anyway, the Silk Route is a lovely frame and should build up to be much more of an enjoyable ride on the road (although one which will demand more time and care), with the ability in theory to eat up more miles with less effort. If the grass turns out to be not so green on this side of the fence afterall, not to worry, the best combinations of titanium and the amazing Rohloff hub are already brewing...
Monday 2 August 2010
Goals should be S.M.A.R.T right...?
Specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, timely. Meatloaf suggested that 2 out of 3 aint bad, so I guess 4 out of 5 aint bad.... Well, it may have been good enough for him, but I've been putting off updating this blog recently, because the prospect of not achieving my original target of 12,000km is rather stressful. Riding 250km every week would indeed be an achievable goal, but the reality is that motivation has been low and family life has taken priority recently. Whether 12,000km is realistic now seems painfully debatable.
Hold onto your hat Kev and weep at my excuses. I’ve always been an early bird and one of the first to arrive at work in the morning; since Dad passed away (during which period I ‘lost’ 2-weeks of cycling...how inconsiderate), the heart-warming morning cuddles with the Wife and Kids have proven too much to sacrifice for the purposes of increased corporate revenue and profitability - life has fundamentally changed. Even riding a bike, which feels as natural to me as walking, has to some extent lost its appeal.
Tanya is 36 weeks pregnant – what with Olivia (5) and Harris (2) she needs me around. We had 2 amazing weeks holiday in July, during which time I rode all of 74km (all be them 74 fun km on my new mountain bike).
Including offroad km's to date, cumulative distance (2932.7 + (278.8 offroad)) = 3211.5km.
This year has turned out not been a good one to set ambitious goals of any sort (my Professional goals are faring no better). I will plod along with what I’m doing and try to get as many km’s under me as possible; instead of resenting the first love of my life, simply by setting myself an arbitrary, unrealistic goal, I need to start enjoying it again - who knows, maybe things will pick up and Meatloaf will be silenced....
Hold onto your hat Kev and weep at my excuses. I’ve always been an early bird and one of the first to arrive at work in the morning; since Dad passed away (during which period I ‘lost’ 2-weeks of cycling...how inconsiderate), the heart-warming morning cuddles with the Wife and Kids have proven too much to sacrifice for the purposes of increased corporate revenue and profitability - life has fundamentally changed. Even riding a bike, which feels as natural to me as walking, has to some extent lost its appeal.
Tanya is 36 weeks pregnant – what with Olivia (5) and Harris (2) she needs me around. We had 2 amazing weeks holiday in July, during which time I rode all of 74km (all be them 74 fun km on my new mountain bike).
Including offroad km's to date, cumulative distance (2932.7 + (278.8 offroad)) = 3211.5km.
This year has turned out not been a good one to set ambitious goals of any sort (my Professional goals are faring no better). I will plod along with what I’m doing and try to get as many km’s under me as possible; instead of resenting the first love of my life, simply by setting myself an arbitrary, unrealistic goal, I need to start enjoying it again - who knows, maybe things will pick up and Meatloaf will be silenced....
Tuesday 29 June 2010
The Best kind of Therapy
If there's such a thing as a drug for the numbness of bereavement I've experienced since the 4th June, I think I got a fare dose of it this weekend. I rode across Scotland with some 'old' friends. Leaving Arbroath at stupid-o'clock on Saturday morning, we rode (and ate) steadily, arriving in Oban (143miles and 14hrs up the rode) at 7pm. The weather, like the company could not have been better. Laughter filled the air late into the night and the following afternoon as Peem's Moira drove us home. I felt thoroughly revived and look forward to further such rides this summer - if only we could bottle that drug.
Monday 14 June 2010
Difficult Times...
Dad passed away peacefully at home on the 4th June, after being discharged from Ward 32 Ninewells Hospital (who pulled out all the stops to acheive it) on the 3rd as wished by himself and the Family. He was comfortable overnight and discovered on Friday morning in exactly the same position he fell asleep in. We gain enormous strength during these difficult times from our amazing memories of Dad, from one another and the support offered by many great friends.
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