its all about stodge, bikes, MTBO and the outdoors
A bit of Twitter based networking recently has got MTBO, me and Pozzoni Architects onto the front page of Building Design Magazine’s online version – BD Online. To read the whole thing you will need a free subscription login.
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/culture/architects-bikes/
Holly has been struggling with 20 inch wheels not rolling smoothly over bumps for a while, but her legs have been too short for a 24 inch wheeled bike. Luckily, a growth spurt over the last couple of months has coincided with her birthday and she has taken delivery of a very purple new Beinn 24 Isla bike.
For those not in the know, Isla make ‘proper’ kids bikes: lightweight, kid-sized adult-style components and no daft cheapo suspension which never seems to work on kids bikes anyway….
Based out of Ludlow in Shropshire, they even have a test track your kids can zoom around to get the feel of the right size http://www.islabikes.co.uk/
Hopefully, her next bike she will be a full-sized 26 inch, so this one should keep her going for a while. Today it had its first mud splatters, getting ridden around Gentleshaw. Tomorrow it will do the first leg of her Sport Relief Challenge, and next weekend its first MTBO!
Well, as I am crocked, Holly is doing the exercise and I am supporting. Please help to raise lots of money for Sport Relief by sponsoring my daughter, Holly, on her Challenge.
“My name is Holly, and I will be 9 in March, 2012. Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I was inspired by Helen Skelton from Blue Peter crossing Antarctica to the South Pole for Sport Relief. I watched a programme about her getting ready for her trip (getting fitter and more confident) and she went to Sierra Leone and met Issa. Issa is a boy who’s Mum and some of his brothers and sisters died from drinking dirty water. His safest well is an hours walk away. He goes there every day before school.
After I watched the programme I wanted to do something to help, too.
My challenge is to do as many individual sports for half an hour each in one day – so far I am planning on ice skating, skiing, swimming, dancing, orienteering, running, mountain biking and climbing. I will be digging deep and working hard to do this, so I want you to dig deep into your pocket and donate now.
Thank you.”
About to disappear off to try and go skiing with the family next week an article cropped up that caught my eye.
Snow crop circles in the Alps. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104755/Crop-circles-Alpine-style-Artist-creates-incredible-impression-giant-patterns-snow.html
Lots of amazing geometric patterns in the snow. Then I noticed the artists name: Simon Beck. His dad christened me and I orienteered with him throughout the 80s. Small World !
more on his facebook group at www.facebook.com/snowart8848
Details and online entry now available for Rawnsley MTBO.
http://www.walton-chasers.co.uk/wchevents/rawnsley-mtbo/
If you feel Mad there is also an XC race next door starting at 2pm
http://gorunandride.co.uk/cannock-chase-classic/ or http://midlandsxc.wordpress.com/
This week, Open Orienteering Mapper an open source alternative to the ubiquitous OCad has been released.
Its still in Alpha development, and is mainly at present aimed at interested developers and ‘adventurous’ users. more information at http://oorienteering.sourceforge.net/
I’ve now been using the lumbar traction device for about 6 weeks, 3 times a day 15-20 minutes a time. That means I’ve spent 40 odd hours lying there looking ‘odd’.
Well is it working? Simple answer is yes, certainly to relieve symptoms. I can now feel my shin again, its not numb any more. The sciatic pain now doesn’t go below my hip, where as over Christmas is was going right down to my foot. I am more mobile generally and moving less like a robot. The other major difference is that for three weeks in a row, when seeing the physio, my lower back stability is much better, no pelvis / SI joint misalignment, something I’ve not had for years, meaning no crunching and cracking from Ivor the physio!
But…. I still get lower back ache and have to be very careful I don’t over stretch. I use a lumbar roll most of the time and if I stand up for too long I get pain.
I am also icing a couple of times a night and doing core stability exercises when I feel able.
My orthopaedic referral has now come through. Staffordshire has an Orthopaedic Triage centre which provides initial assessment of backs, hips and legs, to prioritise treatment. My appointment is next Friday, so Ill know then how long I will have to wait for possible injections or other invasive treatments.
In the meantime I will carry only slowly building my Whyte E5 in readiness for whenever I am allowed back on a bike proper !
My physio has always said that as long as I don’t push a big gear or over do it, I can get back on the turbo trainer for some light spinning as soon as I felt ‘right’. I have tried a couple of times over the last few months but found it uncomfortable and ‘wrong’ so haven’t managed it, up until now.
My cabin fever reached a all time high this week: a combination of too much work, too much driving and a conscious eye on the scales showing my weight again steadily growing. I’ve also been cold the whole time, in the car, in bed, at my desk. Perhaps my metabolism is slowing down due to months of inactivity?
So, Wednesday night I dug into the back of the cupboard for my cycling gear for the first time since November and ventured out into a chilly garage. As normal, I seemed to gravitate to Top Gear on BBC iplayer as I fiddled with the seat and stem positions to get comfortable. Orange supercars streaked round an oval trying to do over 200mph, with Clarkson genuinely looking terrified for a change, as my legs tried to remember what to do. I really struggled with my cadence for a few minutes, 80rpm feeling like the 110 of old. The bike seemed to be struggling as well, not wanting to get into gears I have been using for 3 years!
Eventually I seemed to get into the groove, but was ready to finish when my allotted 20 minutes came to an end. There don’t seem to have been any ill effects and I have since been out once more, to watch the rest of that Top Gear episode.