resolution fail

Yeah, yeah I didn't blog all year. Things will change, I know I always say that but they will! For a start this can't really be a cycling blog given how little I get out riding so maybe the title will change. And the layout and colours will definitely change. Plus maybe it'll actually get some blog entries this time. Maybe.

back again

Over a month since I last posted. Back to uni and picked up where we left off, plus we have the new 1st years so a fortnight (yes a bloody fortnight) of events and mingling. Have been looking at far too many images of vaginas* and men's undercarriage is the next topic, roll on neuroscience.

*in a purely professional capacity you have to understand

Green is always grasser

Well that title isn't what I meant to write but I guess it can stay.

Reading blogs (cycling blogs not those torturous "how bad is my life"* blogs) is a great window onto pieces of kit you'll never own, approaches to fitness, bikes and bacon and different parts of the world. It's this last point that has my brain ticking over more than anything else, partly fuelled by a constant desire to travel but also because it feels like some blogs seem to exist within a dream world, a place where every street looks interesting and every dirt road is an adventure.

Exhibit A:


Just an ordinary street but there's so much crammed in there; a yellow fire hydrant, so much foliage, a boat and in the background some sort of offroad attack vehicle.

Exhibit B:


Doesn't that road just shout adventure? Ride along here and you may never come back. If you do come back you won't be the same person that first set out along here.

Exhibit C:


We don't have roads like that here. Full stop. Much less roads like that with such greenery alongside it.

Ah well one day, one day I'll set off on a ride in some foreign land and hanker for wet and dreary.

First couple pics from mod spot and last one from IF blog both of which are definitely worth a read.

*like this one for example

Das Schizel

Nice. This is how you make a proper bike team, check out the custom head badge. To the drawing boards weasels!

must stay a w a k....zzzzzzzzzzz

Leaving the house at half 6 and getting back 11 and a half hours later for minimum wage does not a happy boy make. Still, there's only 3 weeks and 3 days left....

Pass!

Results came out early, a text from a friend lead to a panicked takeover of Carla's laptop and heart in mouth I logged into my email. Pass. In fact I did far better than I anticipated. Thank fuck it's over. I'm not too manly* to deny I may have even shed a tear. This has been a long time coming, around 15 years in truth, but I've made it over that first fence, it's been hard, hellish at times but I'm on the other side thanks in no small part to the person that's picked me up and told me to man the fuck up when necessary, made my tea more times than either of us can remember and never begrudged me picking up a bike to go and flog the demons out of myself. It was nails and I could never have done it alone.

*Some if not many would argue I'm far from manly at any given moment

laziness

It's pretty bad when you can't even be bothered going riding. The sun is creeping through however so maybe I'll strap a set on and head out.

It's been too long

Well holiday time is almost over, first year exam results are out on Thursday and my temp agency haven't yet found me a job so I have a lot of time to think about potential scenarios. I know military veterans can have flashbacks but is it possible to have a flashforward? (and I don't mean the TV show) I find myself visualising having to go through all my notes, all the lecture slides and all the PBL cases for what will be the third time in an exercise in mental pain. I can already see the same words coming up again, skipping over parts that I sort of know not able to see it with fresh eyes and inevitably missing things. I can already feel that quiet discomfort in the pit of my stomach when I question myself about where I went wrong in the initial exam, trying to put it out of my mind, trying to focus, trying to look ahead. I can almost taste the beers I'll miss out on as I refuse myself time to relax or enjoy myself while I prepare for resits. The lie ins that will disappear if I have to start my studying all over again.

I really hope I don't have resits.

less than a week

My head feels like mince, I still don't understand endocrine hormone interactions and I've still not memorised all the drugs. Still, at least it's over a week today.

Ticking over

Only 2 and a half weeks of first year left. *gulp*

Had a dip in confidence, general malaise and unfocussed hatred towards coursemates last week but seem to have pulled out of the funk now (cold receding may have helped) just have to keep the head down hope to cover all the material, remember relevant parts of it and hope to fuck it's enough to get me through first year. Don't think I could face a resit.

Simply, utterly cannot wait for some free time to see family, friends and get some time on the bike.

So tempting

LeMond

Kissing with helmets

I'm sure they could have found a better title

Our share of the SSUK pie

We need more! Jam it's time to step up

Fugly but fast

Well maybe not that fast with me onboard but definitely lots of fun. The superfly is rapid when rigid and while the on one is no looker (Chops' fly is far prettier) it does the job and I *think* suits me better although one ride and a non tech one at that means it's not conclusive. It does mean I don't pucker my sphincter every time I brake and the front dives (arguably I could learn to keep my weight more central and not brake as I descend) as I found with the sus fork but perhaps just a case of having ridden a rigid fork for much of the last 2 years.

Anyway it was awesome fun and really can't wait until get back to the 7 stanes to give it a proper run. Once I sort out some summer work* I can start planning which to ride first :D

fugly


fuglier


passable but not pretty



*A job which may involve them teaching me to take bloods *gulp*

sunny pedalling

Yup the 'fly has dust on it today! Managed to rack up a few hours after deciding yesterday to take today off from studying to recharge the batteries. Good news is that the rigid fork is excellent, not tech trails to be fair but just feels right. Bad news is I missed out on an awesome birthday party for Mr D back in Eburg. Carla went up on Thursday and it sounds like it was a cracking knees up, finally getting to bed at 4am. Ah well only 3 and a bit more years of uni then foundation training. Then specialist training. *sigh*

Have a look over on Velo Club Moulin at Andy's vid, really, really worth a look.

almost there

6 weeks on Monday until the final year 1 exams, an end of module set of exams and clinical exams before then but it's definitely the focus. Missing out on another knees up back in Eburg this weekend so I can get more studying done. *sigh* give it another 8 years, it'll all be worth it.

Gratuitous bike shot, mmm slack chain

Gorgeous

Stunning craftsmanship


stolen from speedbloggen

rollin'

Ah that feels better. Did a bit of work this morning and then procrastinated for hours while the weather did a great Glasgow impression before finally shifting my arse and getting the cross bike out. Brake pads are almost invisible and chain was a bit slack but theres not much in the local wood to justify taking the superfly out (and i still havent got he bolts on it yet)

Cracking weather even had to whip off the merino (woodland animals heard vomiting around this time, at least those not blinded by the sweaty monsoon) and only issue was chain slipping and getting baggier. Thought not too much of it, to be fair my tiny tool* turned out not to be up to the task and I had no choice but to plough on so inevitably I dropped the chain on a descent. Knocked about for a while longer before taking the long descent I normally climb up to get to the road quickly. Slight mistake. I've always thought it would make a fun descent but also knew that walkers and horse riders use it plus it has a couple of unsighted corners and cross brakes aren't that great at the best of times. Annnnyway I rattled my bloody teeth out and my plan to angle the bike into the hill side in order to slow it down did fuck all and I ended up doing a mini huck come anal sphincter tightening exercise to clear a faceplanting rock.** Still I made it in one piece and aside from when I hit mud so deep my front wheel dived so far and so quicky underneath me that I found myself standing in front of my bike dismounted. (seriously, christ knows what happened)

So it turns out 3 days being flogged by Lance and Jan Ullrich*** in a skirt does help you find both your riding mojo and your riding legs. Bravo chaps!

*You know what they say about a man with a tiny tool-tiny bolts

**We've all seen them, unsuspecting buggers lurking on a trail until at the last moment you realise they're little wheel breaking face planting fuckers. This applies to tree stumps in Chris' case.

***I forgot to mention in the last post how Alec rode like Lance all weekend rather than his ginger haired nemesis. Chris receives no special mention as he has clearly been doping for years.

SSEC

Prompt as ever it's been a week since the euro champs and already it seems far, far longer. My only reminders are whats left of a bottle of Jura whisky and saddle sores on the inside of my thighs, a complimentary pair if ever there were some.

I'm relatively close to the race venue so only had a 4 or 5 hour round trip as opposed to the other 2 who had double that at least. I organised a barbeque for their arrival and after my course mates had sickened alec with talk of babies and faecal matter night and I managed to avoid an impromptu mohawk, they spent the night on the inflatable palace.

We got there Friday pitched and headed off on what has the be the slowest group ride ever, more time spent stopped than riding but at least we got a flavour of the trails. That night was cheese flavoured-over a hundred different types to sample and the middle of the night saw Chris amongst the portaloo relay racers all vying for a dark hole in which to relieve the stomach cramps. It also saw us pay 8 quid for the privilege of eating the worst meal I've had, even though we had missed lunch none of us could finish it.

By race time all was clear but the start was marred by yet more waiting although it gave us plenty time to get our whisky heads on. Before we knew it we were off and first impressions of the new assos kilterse were good-it seemed to sit under me well and the gooch was fairly intact even after a few climbs. Sadly over the course of a lap (it was 10 miles mind) all was not well and more than once I got the kilt caught on the front of the saddle as I moved over the back wheel not to mention the amount of time I spent bare arse to saddle. I yo-yo'd the boys, catching up as they waited and inevitably watching them pull away again soon after. I caught them for the last time as they sat at the top of a pretty decent climb and whilst they sunk a bit more from the hp flasks, I dropped in a heap. We sat for a fair bit and then pedalled off to find the end of the lap about 5 minutes away! Should have just pushed through but never mind, the best brownie I've ever had some water and then some beer made up for it. An hour in the sun, more beer and then being told there was loads of beer left prompted us to discard the paper cups and fill our water bottles with ale. A few more trips to the beer tap and then a trundle home (albeit getting a bit lost on the way) before a shower and more beer.

Plenty more beer and whisky saw off Saturday and we were kiboshed in the tent by 11! Sunday we skipped the group ride and instead explored the forest, watched some DH weasels make a descent look hard (even I could ride it FFS) before a cafe stop and another pootle (I was properly blowing out my arse by this time and was thankful Chris had to fire off to try and find his misplaced head camera) and then a grind upwards to the campsite. (punctuated by an ice cream stop at halfway)

And then it was over as quickly as it had started, jobs returned to, lectures attended and lab work mused over. Until SSUK.

Looking and feeling gubbed whilst Alec has his permagrin intact

Had enough

Singletrack is a wonderful place mired in endlessness.

Bring on the cheese!

It's close, really close.

Short circuit

I couldn't for the life of me switch off my brain last night. It didn't matter that I'd had a bath or that I'd had a drink or that I read before trying to sleep I simply couldn't drop off. I heard Carla come to bed and drift off and still couldn't get my head to shut down. Nothing and everything swam past my mind's eye, a continuous torrent of incomplete ideas and thoughts, each bleeding into the next until I thought perhaps I was asleep. It was quarter to 5 when i last checked my phone, after that I finally settled into something resembling sleep. Not sure why it happened, ended up doing very little today as result just got to hope that doesn't throw the big old guilt trip and start the process all over again.

Back at the coalface

Or visiting at least. After a 2 day holiday in carlisle bookmarked by 5 hour train journeys I went back into uni this week to sort out more notes for revision. Whether I should have been actually revising rather than simply making notes to that end is debatable. Anyway the sun continues to shine, my backside is raw from getting a few hours in on the bike and I haven't managed to get up early in weeks. Must be almost time for the SSEC, mmmmm cheese and prizes....

Riding!

At flipping last. Dug out the cross bike (fly still in disrepair) and headed off to a local woods. I'm still not sure about public access down here but I practiced my blank look so if stopped I could plead ignorance. In the end I didn't see anyone. Well not people at any rate, I did watch 15 dogs cross my path and disappear into the forest. Riiiiigggght. That'll probably be a shoot then. I turned round and took the long way round before finding myself facing a path I hadn't encountered before. With time and light on my side I ploughed on and ended up on some back road, it was lashing down but it felt great to be out on the bike especially as I didn't have a clue where I was at that point. A short while later I recognised where I was-right back at where I enter the woods! So I dropped back in to rattle around a few trails before setting off home. Felt pretty done in when I finally got back in the house but totally worth it. Just wondering how many more I can fit in before term kicks off again...

not a pretty picture but the only one I have

tubeless my arse

The front tyre from the Superfly has been flat for ages and I've not had time to sort it so yesterday I decided to take action, washed it, soaped it and headed to the garage to use the air compressor. No joy. Bugger. Now do I scout for another garage with a better compressor (not had this issue before) or tape it up and pop a tube in so it's good to go? Probably the latter, I don't have rigid forks for the 'Fly so it's not the end of the world not being tubeless nice as it is and the amount I've been riding this year (Sod all) means I'll be happy with anything.

Just need to work out how to sort the forks now...

Engage Sleep Mode

Holiday time! Finally, finally finished school for a few weeks. Friday saw a surpise Birthday meal for me organised by Carla and some of my mates and then onto a pub where another 20 odd folk were loitering (some had moved on as Chan was somewhat optimistic regarding timings...) but it was good fun and managed to chomp through some booze. Got home and spent ages chatting to Hannah and David, who were staying at ours, before hitting the hay at half 4.

Copy, paste repeat so far. Yesterday we managed to get a barbie in (well James eventually got it started) and again more booze, food and mates-pretty awesome weekend all in all. Was going to go riding today but a lie in, too long spent in front of the computer and crap weather means I'll probably do a bit of work and go tomorrow. Cinema, mates for dinner and friends arriving on Friday means there's still loads of fun to come.

and another thing!

The kilomathon went well :D

Cranked it out in 2 hours 19min even got a 500m sprint at the end. Eyeing up a marathon entry for September....

dead behind the eyes

Ok so got to bed at 3am after spending hours editing the comedy revue, made it in for the morning lecture, full aware of next weeks written and practical exams. And the drug review hand in. And sorting out an issue with the school about paying for our CRB checks. BUT I was not prepared for the bombshell that in the midst of all that we're starting our next module with a double workshop! What the fuck! Holidays are in a week and it sits right in the middle of the exams plus they're 20 pages apiece on an entirely new system. FFS.

2 weeks

Until holidays, I really need them too. Comedy revue is going well and includes some gems such as Nursery Rhymes A and E, If Carlsberg made a PBL (topless ladies) and a Top Gear send up. Lovely biscuits but I'll be glad when it's finished. Achilles is making weird noises/sensations and race is on Sunday :O

There's also the small matter of 3 exams before we break up for the holidays. Little by little, inch by inch getting to the end of term.

on the up

Taught sex ed to some high school folks today and found my mojo, good to be out of uni for sure. Also got a run in, knee hurt a bit poss Iliotibial tract and/or shoes on the way out. That'll be more money to spend then *sigh*

Did I mention the £500 gas bill? We checked the readings, they're correct. Fuck me. Still it's Friday, that's gotta be a good thing. Show some love for the Ibis Hakkalugi in Phlegmish yellow.




Stolen from Monkey Wrench

hanging on by a thread

That's what it feels like at any rate. 3 weeks until the next exams and a few days after that until holidays. I can't fucking wait, my normal physical state is now mole like in that my half open eyes register what's happening around me without being able to fully engage. A few nights of poor sleep at the start of the week almost killed me and I even got up one morning only to turn around and head straight back to get some more sleep. This is first year Christ knows how I'll cope with F1 when it's actual work-70 hours a week doing nights, on call and every shitty job on the ward. I guess if I make it that far I'll probably have developed some form of coping mechanism, like self prescribing.

On the bright side I cornered a physio for advice about the achilles and it seems fine now, going to try and knock out a run tomorrow. Padre arrives tomorrow night and I'm aiming to consume vast quantities of beer and food.

EDIT: So eh I wrote about speaking to a physio in the last post eh? Good to see my tiredness not affecting my performance.

pyscho somatic

Managed to tie myself in a bit of a knot this week. Came back from the second decent run last week, felt a bit tight but ok and later that evening crouched down to sort the telly only to hear a crunch noise come from my achilles. I felt sick but no pain, breath, breath ok no pain. For the record we're looking at that area of the body this week so there was always a chance I'd get sympathy symptoms.* Later the same night as I went upstairs another cracking noise but again no pain. By now I was freaked out, the achilles is my pet fear of injuries so this was winding me up no end. Got to uni the next day all good and then walking downstairs another pop noise, even my mate heard it. Seriously worried now so end up walking like a gimp.

Days later still no pain but makes weird noise if crouch down so I spoke to the physios that were teaching us today. It was clear they thought maybe I'd lost but were helpful nontheless so I've got a few exercises to do to test it and advice on how to feel the tendon for lumps and bumps. Assurances that whilst not to push it that it shouldn't go if have helped with my head side of things but fingers crossed can still make the kilomathon next week.

In other news I managed to emabarass myself again this week: Today I was playing* with a reflex hammer whilst listening to a physio explaining how to use them only to watch the head of said hammer fly across the room and skelp her in the chest :O

*Wish I could say I was using it properly but nope I was playing :(

a thing of beauty

How many bike manufacturers have art exhibitions of their work?

Pinched from the IF blog


One day, one day I'll own one...


Managed to bash out another 16km run today, I'll try and up the ante again next week.

Aces high

Still waiting on clinical reasoning exam but to be honest I'm not that fussed about it. Managed to get a good pass in my essay exam, very pleased and if I'd understood one of the questions better I think I might have even pushed up to 80%* Pretty stoked though and feel justified in my slacking in this module, I'll prob get a very borderline mark in the exams 3 weeks from now but I can't go full tilt indefinitely.

Not long till SSEC, can't wait! But before that Kilomathon looms large, did a decent run yesterday and want another one tomorrow to try and set me up a bit better. We'll see.


*If I'd broken 80 I would have actually let some sex wee out. Really.

winding down

greeted with blanket snow this morning so sacked off the run telling myself I'll do a long one tomorrow. Prob won't but too sleepy to care, almost managed to keep my promise of not working today. Almost.

Ah well, Poirot, couch, tea, beer and possibly more Poirot help relax the mind.

another week

and not much work done. At least I'm starting to feel a bit more human, night out on Wednesday meant I felt like death on Thursday but managed to get 2 runs in this week with either a pedal or run on Sunday to come. Slightly further forward on learning my muscles but still need to master the origin and insertions of some on them, plus their main movement function, and their innervation, and the related vascular supply, and surface anatomy...

Mondays

Aren't normally all that bad, after all I really enjoy what I do* but today I was out of sorts, tired and at least 2 of the lectures had me flitting between abject boredom and confusion/outrage.** Still tomorrow is another day and I need to climb back on the wagon and start learning all this muscular skeletal jazz.


*You may be surprised to hear if you read this blog

**a not unusual mental state for me to be in at any given point to be fair

beer me

Thank fuck that's over for another month. Exams all seemed to go alright, at least I wasn't aware of any terrible screw ups. Clinical exams all passed (although says in block capitals on my feedback sheet: BUY A NEW STETHOSCOPE! Cheeky gits.) So what do you do after a week of 10 hour days revising, 4 exams and a new module that starts before your exams even finish? Well you head to Nottingham for council meetings. I had 2 one of which was a high falooting grand affair which in reality means it was incredibly tedious and over ran by over an hour. So after 5 and a bit hours of meetingness boredom I walked to catch a bus to Derby from the nearby hospital. Only to see it pulling away from the bus stop, damn I'll have to wait half an hour for the next. Eh no it's an hour until the next :( Ended up catching a slow bus instead, got to Derby same time as if I'd waited but at least I could feel my feet in the relative warmth of the bus. Got into Derby at midnight :( Managed to catch my mates in the pub celebrating the end of exams and got to bed at 2. Needless to say I missed this morning's 9 am lecture...

beta adrenoceptors cardiac glycosides dihydropyridines (sp?) ace inhibitors and other larks

No runs this week, technically breaking a New Year's resolution except that I've added a clause whereby exam weeks are exempt from running.* Got into uni at half 9 this morning and left at half 7. Been doing that all week and still not covered everything we need to know. Clinical skills exam on Friday went ok I thought (hard not to when everyone has done the same exam and tells you what they did) tomorrow is the killer, 6 essay questions in 2 hours that cover the whole of cardiovascular and respiratory modules. :0

Then there's the small matter of the clinical reasoning exam on Tuesday. Ah at least we get to drink on Tuesday though! Well sort of, I have at least 1 meeting in Nottingham in the evening plus we have a lecture on the new module at 9am on Wednesday. *sigh*

Did I mention these are formative exams? (But we have to see the academic progress panel if we fail)




*probably soon to be followed by my other resolutions...

right foot, left foot

Managed to force out another half marathon (well almost, think im a few hundred metres shy) difficult to properly ascertain a time, around 1.50 with stops including a run back to make sure the Chansan was alright and then beasting myself to catch up with Kat again. All good and a decent elevation, especially at the end. A decent soak and some light physiology reading followed, got a hankering for chocolate now though...

The pain in numbers

s l e e p

Got to bed at 3am after a few jars out only to be woken up at half 8 by the neighbours building next door. Still clawing the sleep out of my eyes and trying to get my brain to start working. First exam on Friday. *sigh*

drifting off...

Really need to get to bed early tonight but I can foresee by the time I've done the work I need to do I'll want to watch TV and it'll be midnight before I hit the hay. Can't complain though, course is still ace (even if I am about to hit a series of 4 exams :O) managed to get another run in today and got a comedy revue coming up for which I've* written a few sketches and have been asked to compere.

*Carla wrote one too, nursery rhymes A & E.....

Deep burn

Managed to stamp out another 20km today, feeling it in the legs though. Despite being pretty slow and not having run too much knocked 20 min off last weeks run?! All good and as long as mates are training for marathons then I should have enough running partners to keep me motivated. Just need to get out on that lovely carbon bike...

Pocoyo Mofo

Bloody facebook, couldn't get my pic to upload. I'll try again tomorrow but here's a preview for all the devoted blog readers. My resolutions (not including blog updates) are going well, the fruit a day is getting into its stride and only a couple times have I found myself scouring the kitchen for an apple at midnight. Runs are ok too, half marathon last week and another pencilled in for tomorrow. That's about it. Not managed to get out on the bike yet but hopefully in a couple of weeks after the next round of exams. *sigh*