Edinburgh Marathon Festival

A while ago, John's first wife Sue and daughter Louise decided to enter the Edinburgh Half Marathon together. In no time at all John made a swift decision to join them and, with my new lightweight chair on order, assured that the course was 'fast and flat' and not wishing to be left out, I entered too.

Too late we realised we'd double booked ourselves with our dear friends Mike and Debbie's Wedding in Manchester. By luck the wedding was on Saturday and the run on Sunday.  Nothing that organised travel and accommodation arrangements couldn't cope with.

Too late I looked carefully at the course profile. The race starts at the University of Edinburgh, climbing towards the Castle around the Mound, a steep descent turning towards Princes Street followed by an even steeper freefall down the Royal Mile. Edinburgh city centre is more a series of steep climbs and kamikaze downs laced with cobbles than safely fast and flat! If I could make it down to Leith, a level-ish push around to Musselborough should be possible.

Too late I discovered that my grippy Gekko push rims and gloves turn to frictionless slippy smooth surfaces in the pouring rain. I'd never, not once, thought to practice in wet conditions.

Sunday morning came as wet as forecast. It's been a long time since I last huddled under a bin bag listening to race announcements. Slow start somewhere near the back, gradually overtaken by slower and slower runners. Then came my first downhill wasted opportunity whereby I crashed around the Mound, taking out a cone or two as I went. Another wheelchair passed me, using a traverse ski across the slope method (he probably did the equivalent of an extra mile!) rather than my attempt to head straight down the fall. By now terrified, crashed into the pavement down the Royal Mile a few times before being rescued by a kind volunteer from the sweep vehicle. Together we safely made it down to Holyrood Park where I recovered somewhat and pushed as best I could with next to no grip to the 2 mile mark. Caught up with John patiently waiting and we made the sensible decision to retire gracefully. By the time I got home (Holyrood Aparthotel) recorded 3.5 miles in total plus about 0.5 miles to get to the start.

Meanwhile Sue and Louise had previously decided not to run, Sue changing to Saturday's 10k and Louise opting out completely.

Next year, we decided, will be different. The Beveridge family Edinburgh 5k.  Or maybe we'll save our money and do a parkrun together  instead.

Back in the game!

Introducing my latest investment, a lovely new (as yet unnamed) everyday made-to-measure (very small) wheelchair in a brilliant glossy purple complete with bolt-on Freewheel at the front. Seemed like a more sensible choice than a racer.

This machine is lighter than Mac the all-terrain Trekinetic, has a set of sleek Marathon puncture-resistant tyres to match and is equipped with ergonomic super-grippy Gekko handrims. Less rolling resistance for sure, but still hates climbing! Using arms to propel ensures you detect even the smallest of gradients and wheels only ever want to roll downhill! Cambers introduce their own challenge and left arm being much weaker than right confounds this problem.

I've been out for several practice rolls and have become adept at fitting and removing the Freewheel. The Freewheel is essential for anything more challenging than a smooth level  surface, the front castors objecting to bumps and spinning round to downhill akin to taking a supermarket trolley for a walk!

This morning I officially completed my very first wheelchair parkrun with no assistance. My Strava time of 52 minutes is deceptive, some moments must have been too slow to even register as moving! In fact it took over an hour to negotiate twists, turns, camber, rough ground (temporary detour due to contractor's works) and a few sneaky short climbs. All under a beautiful blue sky on one of the busiest and hottest parkrun weekends of the year so far.

Had hoped to finish in under the hour and I really wanted to do 50 minutes, my old pre MS 10k PB. Another time, with bit more handling practice and perhaps a smoother course, maybe I'll get there.

In total this week I've rolled nearly 7 miles. Better than nothing and got to be worth a cake!


#ThinkHand, #loveparkrun

New Home

As you may know, with my mobility worsening, we've been looking for a bungalow. I'm managing just fine at the moment, what's wrong with climbing stairs on your bum and using hands to lift legs behind? I know a stair lift might be theoretically possible in our lovely Victorian house, but really? And a proper wetroom shower with seat would be a dream!

Thing is, there aren't many bungalows around in Street and we're fussy! Most of all, having lived in our quiet home with its South facing garden, a short level(ish) wheel to town, swimming pools (yes, Street boasts two!), theatre, parkrun, Clarks Village (occasionally useful) and a slightly longer wheel to Glastonbury for the hipper alternatives.... location is everything!

We viewed a bungalow in Wells that ticked some of the boxes and John's always had a hankering to move away from Street when he retires in May (gulp, that's only two months away!). But at huge cost, needing a ton of work and still quite a few negatives.

So we got to thinking, there's nothing wrong with where we are that can't be adapted.

Phase 1: relandscaping to raise patio to level threshold, remove steps and provide smooth paved path to back road. Why didn't we do this when we bought the place in 2001? Oh, I was 31 and fully fit, guess steps and gravel weren't an issue back then.

Phase 2: reconfigure ground floor layout at front to extend and convert WC to wet room. Whilst we're at it, may as well remove chimney breast on both floors and gain a bit of space.

Phase 3: here's the magic bit, one of these:

https://www.lifton.co.uk/lifton-duo-home-lift/

If all goes to plan, this nifty little thing should tuck in next to the front door. Future-proofing, my new made-to-measure wheelchair is so small it fits in too. All subject to very careful survey and reconfigured stairs. According to my tape measure and back-of-an-envelope geometry it should just be possible.

Now I've just got to find a good Structural Engineer and someone to draw it up. Better get on with it before May.....

♧♧♧

In case you're wondering about the tortoise photo, it was the result of a spot of out of the (lego) box thinking by a vet in Germany in 2014:

https://metro.co.uk/2014/12/03/tortoise-fitted-with-lego-wheels-after-he-lost-the-use-of-his-legs-4972889/


http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Information-News/Vet-Attaches-Lego-Wheels-Onto-Tortoise-to-Help-it-Walk/

Happy New Year 2019!

This isn't the post I hoped to write. This is, yet again, a failed attempt at finishing a parkrun unassisted. I have, over recent months, built up sufficient strength (in my right arm at least) to push 3 miles at walking pace. Big proviso, smooth ground and reasonably level route essential.  The slightest upward gradient and I'm painfully slow, slightest downhill and I speed ahead. On average, things even out and at least with the climbs  I burn a few calories! The problem comes when descents are too steep and my (usually faithful) all-terrain Trekinetic Mac McLaren requires reining in or spins wildly out of control.  A great waste of all that hard-earned gravitational potential energy. I have also learned the hard way not to touch my too-powerful hub brakes (tailspin risk) but use my gloved hand to pull back on the wheels.

New Year's Day is the only day of the year it is possible to complete two parkruns. So after volunteering as usual in Street, I joined the rest of our team and headed off to nearby Shepton Mallet for parkrun number two. I had understood the course to be suitable for chairs with tar paths and no significant hills. How wrong I was! In the photo I'm pushing slowly up a long gradual climb. The chance to catch up was never possible. Survived most of the first lap (which included pushing up a short steep off-road length and carefully negotiating a congested out-and-back stretch with four lanes of runners) before pulling off across the grass to avoid spinning out of control on a steep downhill and wiping out a whole lot of people! To my credit, I refused help and got round the uphill section unassisted.

Sorry to say this little mouse cried all New Year's Day afternoon and felt rather sad and sorry for herself.

What have I learned?
Research well. Wheelchair racing is a whole different kettle of fish to running. Look for smooth surfaces and pancake flat courses!

New Year's Resolution:
1. Buy or borrow a racing chair and practice regularly.

2. Use this horrible experience to encourage  parkrun to be more wheelchair friendly. It would be fantastic  to see a few chair-friendly events, with experienced volunteers and, maybe,  chairs to borrow.


I did try a Bromakin racing chair last year on the track at Exeter with the wonderful Sonya Ellis of South West Athletics Academy:

On the track, this was like running on Speed! Chair is so light, a quick push sends it whizzing round!* Hoping to be able to meet up with Sonya again in 2019. I've also plucked up the courage to contact the team at Bromakin Wheelchairs in Loughborough and hope to visit soon. Ebay is great, but it kinda needs to be right.

I only want to get round a 5k. Target first attempt 50 minutes, my old 10k PB. Maybe parkruns are too busy for chairs (which is great!) but we're lucky to have our local Yeovilton 5k race series. Yeovilton is a flat single lap course around Yeovilton airbase and, I'm reliably informed, popular with wheelchair athletes.  Got a suspicious feeling they'll be sub 20 ex-military guys, not 30 minute fun runners! I have also entered, along with John and Louise,  this year's Edinburgh Half Marathon. No need to be too impressed, it's generally downhill!

It's a big problem I think, there is no wheelchair equivalent of jogging or fun-running. We either see paralympian or Invictus athletes (typically super-fit spinal injury) or people with MS in electric chairs.

Why is this? Use it or lose it  #ThinkHand








*John had to break into a gentle run to keep up!

My plane

L'île de Pietra, L'île Rousse, Corsica

September came and went without a moment to pause and pen a few words.

First came 5 minutes of fame via an article I'd written being posted as lead item in the parkrun UK monthly e-newsletter and across social media:

http://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2018/09/11/parkrunning-with-multiple-sclerosis/

Joined the parkrun MS Facebook group and met some super lovely people still running all kinds of distances. No sooner had I finished chatting, tweeting (remember, neurologists tweet, friends facebook) and liked/replied to the last comment then we were off on holiday to Corsica for a whole week. Lucky, lucky us! Absolutely loved every minute! We travelled via Nice then Corsica Ferries to L'île Rousse on the north coast, rolled off the ferry along to the lovely and conveniently located Hôtel Santa Maria.

From our ground floor room terrace 

Having stayed along the coast in Calvi two years ago I remembered Corsica doesn't do accessible not to mention all the beaches there are to visit . So opted to take Mac McLaren the all terrain wheelchair powered by breakfast and cake rather than Sitzkrieg the scooter powered by Lithium ion battery. In preparation, decided some practice was called for so began short trips around Street. I've gained confidence and learned techniques for turning, slowing down and stopping (without throwing Mac into a tailspin). It isn't easy starting over and using arms instead of legs to get around. Managed fine on my own around L'île Rousse in general, although it was good to have John to handle difficult road crossings and kerbs. 

One thing we've learned is that, like an aircraft, only one pilot should be in control at any one time. Years ago, when I first met John as my flying instructor, I learned that the pilot says 'I have control' to take charge or 'you have control' to hand over to his co-pilot. In the US they say 'my plane' and 'your plane'.

So now when I say 'your plane' to handover to John or 'my plane' when he's not to interfere I smile to think how we had no idea all those years ago that we would be saying these words in this context today.

As it happens it's just as well I've become confident with Mac as Street parkrun has become difficult to negotiate with Sitzkrieg due to all the cracks that have opened in the clay from the summer.  I even set Strava every time I take Mac for a push now! It's another exercise opportunity and chance to get an aerobic workout!

Haha, according to this a whole 5k would take 1 hour 20 minutes. Which is why I will never attempt a parkrun on grass!

Hello to Ellie

Overdue update from our tandem world.

So what happened? At the beginning of June we drove down to Devon (fact: when heading west from home it's down and east is up. Why is that?) and collected our new Hase Pino Steps from the lovely Tom Pales aka Tom Freetrike:

https://www.freetrike.co.uk

Tom has an amazing business, combining his professional training as a physiotherapist with his love for the outdoors, especially cycling! Having  previously supplied my beautiful Hase recumbent trike Harriet for me we didn't hesitate to entrust him with ordering and assembling our new tandem.

And wow! What a tandem she is!  Took a bit of getting used to it must be said, especially manoeuvring round corners at slow speed (eg turning round in the road when you realise you've gone the wrong way). We've named her Ellie. She's grey, equipped with an amazing Shimano Steps electric motor and weighs rather a lot. Ellie the Electric Elephant! The recumbent seat is oh so comfortable and the front seat view as we whizz through the countryside is amazing! No more being stuck at the back. John and I are also sitting really close so conversation is easy and he can't pretend not to hear me when I tell him which way to go. The best thing is the motor is always there ready to kick in if we need it. And we do, more and more. It also means we can go faster which can be a lot of fun! Above all it enables us to go on slightly longer and more challenging rides with our tandem friends again.

What happened to Charlotte? I can report she's doing well with our friends Mark and Liz. If you look closely behind Ellie in the photo you might spot an uncharacteristically shy Charlotte lurking at the back.

We'd clocked up 4300 miles with Charlotte, here's to thousands more with Ellie.

Tail'walking' #loveparkrun

We're in Scotland on holiday, staying in Aberdour for the festival and Donkey Brae run. On Saturday we were parkrun tourists and visited the Beveridge Park (named after John's family*) in Kirkcaldy. The course is two laps of the track running around the park and, as I've brought Mac McLaren with me, I (somewhat naively) thought I'd give it a go....

The Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy 

*Beveridge is a common family name in Fife 

So, at 9.30am** I managed to self-propel for maybe a couple of hundred metres before accepting more than a little bit of welcome help from one of the tailwalkers. We then turned the corner and started the ascent up Mount Beveridge. In theory the descent should have been easy, except that Mac (being a tail-dragger) has a habit of spinning out of control around corners or when attempting to brake. In the end I left steering to my assistant and concentrated on putting power in. John and Ali joined us as we completed the final lap. Fortunately, none of us had barcodes so the near hour it took is lost forever to historical record.

With tailwalker Sandie from Dunfermline 

**parkrun in Scotland starts at 9.30am in order to give everyone chance to recover from the indulgences of the night before.


Haha, next time it'll be a flat course, I'll take an assistant to steer, I'll wear gloves to avoid nasty blisters and just maybe I should one day invest in a real racing chair. Don't get me wrong, I've no desire to go fast, just get round parkrun without having to apologise to the tailwalker. But once completed, another run calls and before I know it I'll be a chair-parkrunner ever searching for my next PB..... #loveparkrun