Today is an interesting day...at least mathematically. As of today...there are 63 days unitl I start Sea To Sea. Sea To Sea is 63 days long. There are exactly as many days before I start Sea To Sea as there are after. OK...I thought it was interesting; could just be the head injury.
Today was a cold and rainy day. I have a feeling that this is what our first day will be like...although maybe slightly warmer. Today's ride was one of my best so far. Apparently rain and cold suit me and my head. I have been struggling with light sensitivity since the accident. Which means the past 14days of sun that normally would have delighted me instead have made living much more difficult than it needs to be...for anyone. We(and I am including my medical team) are working on this;adjusting medications, wrap around sun glasses, training at certain time of the day; trying to figure out just the right combination to give me a reasonable quality of life.
It's humbling as I struggle to remember that even on my worst day, I still have it pretty good. And a reminder of what Sea To Sea is about-Raising funds and awareness so that people are given the resources to find the right combination to give them a reasonable quality of life- breaking the cycle of poverty.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Small steps and cookies
The snow is gone. The sun is out and only 80 days until the start of Sea To Sea.
This week was my commitment to get back to my physical routine outside. Monday was a good start. Art and I headed out long a trail in Springbank park. A lovely 20 km with a snack break. It was good but a reminder of how much work still I have to do in order to be ready for the tour. After I was tired but decided that a hike would be good to add. I hadn't been to the Komoka Provincial Park since before the surgery. This is a natural trail of sorts that changes with the seasons. It was a test of not just my physical capabilities but also my cognitive. There were definitely things that weren't familiar even though they have probably always been there.Others that were definitely new. Others that seemed familiar. It felt like I hadn't been there in years, even though only a few months had passed.
My energy was low, it took more effort but I completed it.
Tuesday I was discharged from my physio for my surgery! 2 less appointments to worry about each week. When I started just after surgery I had a 70% deficit. After the accident I plateaued at a 40% deficit for months. Now I have about a 2% deficit- I can live with that. It's encouraging to know that some progress has been made.
Wednesday I hit the road with my friend Kirsten. She was going for her first ride with her new bike and clips, I was interested in seeing if I could complete my former 30km route. We headed west towards Komoka and that nasty hill in Byron. Sure enough we had a brutal head wind. It was harder than I had hoped and struggled on the hills and to gear. This is where pedalling on a trainer doesn't help you prepare. Kirsten was very encouraging and was willing to cut the ride shorter if I wasn't up for it. The Byron hill really did me in. I only got 1/3 of the way before losing mechanical advantage and I resorted to walking. Mumbling to myself-Why kill yourself the first week? At the top of the hill Kirsten was waiting for me(she made it all the way up- WTG girl!) it was time for a water break and a decision. I told Kirsten that I should probably just cut it short for today. I was worried about overdoing it and not being able to recover for therapy the next day. A head Wind really SUCKS! Kirsten said," Sure but remember the wind wouldn't be stopping on Sea To Sea!" I know. Point taken. Along with water, I had also brought Girl Guide cookies. We talked about the vanillas being our favourites and other enjoyable snack and suddenly life was a little bit better. Cookies can do that. I looked at the road ahead and said "What the hell. Let's just do the whole 30kms!" Kirsten agreed and we were off again. It was a lot easier with the wind at our backs on the way home. And it felt good to do the old route again. It felt great to complete it. It gave me a moment of normalcy that have been few and far between since being hit by the car. Hope.
This week was my commitment to get back to my physical routine outside. Monday was a good start. Art and I headed out long a trail in Springbank park. A lovely 20 km with a snack break. It was good but a reminder of how much work still I have to do in order to be ready for the tour. After I was tired but decided that a hike would be good to add. I hadn't been to the Komoka Provincial Park since before the surgery. This is a natural trail of sorts that changes with the seasons. It was a test of not just my physical capabilities but also my cognitive. There were definitely things that weren't familiar even though they have probably always been there.Others that were definitely new. Others that seemed familiar. It felt like I hadn't been there in years, even though only a few months had passed.
My energy was low, it took more effort but I completed it.
Tuesday I was discharged from my physio for my surgery! 2 less appointments to worry about each week. When I started just after surgery I had a 70% deficit. After the accident I plateaued at a 40% deficit for months. Now I have about a 2% deficit- I can live with that. It's encouraging to know that some progress has been made.
Wednesday I hit the road with my friend Kirsten. She was going for her first ride with her new bike and clips, I was interested in seeing if I could complete my former 30km route. We headed west towards Komoka and that nasty hill in Byron. Sure enough we had a brutal head wind. It was harder than I had hoped and struggled on the hills and to gear. This is where pedalling on a trainer doesn't help you prepare. Kirsten was very encouraging and was willing to cut the ride shorter if I wasn't up for it. The Byron hill really did me in. I only got 1/3 of the way before losing mechanical advantage and I resorted to walking. Mumbling to myself-Why kill yourself the first week? At the top of the hill Kirsten was waiting for me(she made it all the way up- WTG girl!) it was time for a water break and a decision. I told Kirsten that I should probably just cut it short for today. I was worried about overdoing it and not being able to recover for therapy the next day. A head Wind really SUCKS! Kirsten said," Sure but remember the wind wouldn't be stopping on Sea To Sea!" I know. Point taken. Along with water, I had also brought Girl Guide cookies. We talked about the vanillas being our favourites and other enjoyable snack and suddenly life was a little bit better. Cookies can do that. I looked at the road ahead and said "What the hell. Let's just do the whole 30kms!" Kirsten agreed and we were off again. It was a lot easier with the wind at our backs on the way home. And it felt good to do the old route again. It felt great to complete it. It gave me a moment of normalcy that have been few and far between since being hit by the car. Hope.
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