Churning away

Finding time to update here is getting harder and harder, what with the combined pressures of work and family. We’re well into the winter illness season now, and the house seems to be forever full of the sounds of coughing, sniffing and sneezing! I’ve amazingly managed to stay illness-free up until now…

Today was supposed to mark the day I am officially discharged off the books from St George’s Hospital, 6 months after breaking my wrist and finger, and just over 4 months after the operation to insert the screw in the scaphoid bone. In fact I need to go back in Feb next year for a CT scan to check that the bone is growing around the fracture - at the moment the screw is holding things together well, so I'm really hoping this is simply a precautionary measure - the consultant seemed pretty pleased with progress. The wrist is still a bit sore, especially in the cold weather, and the mobility is a little reduced. Hitting potholes on the bike also hurts a lot more than it used to.

As far as riding goes, I’ve been churning out to Chertsey on the Dynamo route at least once a week, usually alone. It’s easier not to have to hang around for anyone else at the start, it’s a good workout as a solo ride, I can judge my speed into the roundabouts as I see fit (I like to make sure that the entry is safe, which I feel I cannot do in a group at +25mph in the dark) and, most importantly this time of year, I can make a last-minute decision to go based upon the weather. It is a bit lonely though, and someone remarked that it showed all the signs of someone in triathlon training!!!

Other than that I’ve been following a regular routine of commuting every day and fitting in a couple of turbo sessions each week, aiming mainly at long-ish intervals around the 260W mark. I’m still undecided as to whether to take part in the Hillingdon Winter Series this year. I did a couple of rides last year which I treated as fast training rides – I’m never going to stand much of a chance against Elite and 1st Cats. This year there seems to be the choice of either riding the E123 or doing the 3rds only, which looks like it combines with the 4ths race - usually a recipe for disaster at Hillingdon!

Next project at home – I really need to buy bikes for the kids after Christmas, mainly for short rides on Wimbledon Common. So I’ll be needing to buy a ‘cross bike or a MTB then! And of course there’s the ever-present need to find a house. And no-one’s selling. Frustrating.