After the exertions of the last two weekends, yesterday's excursion was just a short 35 mile ride around Poole and Bournemouth, taking in Sandbanks and Hegistbury Head. So not too taxing, but including all those short steep hills that the seafront has to offer here. The one up from Alum Chine is probably the steepest, although Branksome Chine comes a very close second and Boscombe pier a very close third. They all get the heart rate up a bit. Haven Road in Poole is also pretty good.
During the week, there have been a couple of gym visits that have been a bit on the stiff side. In the wake of commentary on the tour de france, I decided that I had better start getting serious about the long mountain climb we have in front of us. One of similar gradient and length (12 km at 7.7%) was described as tough and would leave riders 'all over the mountain'. If this is true of these amazing professionals, it suddenly came home that it might leave me all over the mountain. Not a pretty prospect .. So I forced myself to set the static bike on the maximum resistance and do 12km. The first time it took 48 minutes. Friday it took 42 minutes. Still about twice as long as the professionals, but encouraging.
And speaking of the professionals, Isn't the tour proving amazing. Wiggins performance yesterday was something else. To win the time trial by 76 seconds is just unbelievable!
So yesterday has been more mundane matters. Ordering fence panels because three are now broken and my neighbour has been very patient. (B&Q have a lot to learn about customer service. I hate going in there. It always takes about four times as long as it should.) Various other things that have needed doing.
I was able to call in and see Mike Hardy in the morning. Mike lives at the top of our road and was diagnosed with MND 9 years ago. His is one of the slow forms, but he is now completely dependent on the wheelchair and his carers. He is always so amazingly cheerful and copes so well with his problems. He now has a device that allows him to type a sentnce and then have it pronounced for him. So although he has not been able to speak much for the last two years or more, he is able to have a conversation with you. Once again it brought home the very practical difference that can be made in peoples' lives with the money that is being donated. His wife is his full time carer.
And this evening there has been a prom to listen to on BBC4. Beethoven symphnoies 3 and 4. I haven't heard number 4 for many years and, although the Eroica has always been a favourite since my early teens, it still has evokes a powerful emotional response. It struck me that the last movement must have been a model for the last movement of Brahms 4th symphony - that wonderful great passacaglia movement.
Enough of my meanderings. Remember to sponsor me if you haven't already done so and give more people like Mike a chance of as normal a life as possible when living with MND.
No comments:
Post a Comment