Perspective

Well the plan today had been to put up a post about how swimming one handed had gone. Possibly interesting insights into what worked and what didn't. How to make a swim session constructive when injured etc.

Unfortunately that isn't going to happen. Yep, I managed to not make it to the pool again. Although this time I got really, really close, I was even in the car and part way down the road this time. That has to count for something.

It turns out that I had unfortunately forgotten an important phone call that I had agreed to receive early this morning. I was a couple of kms from my house when my wife rang to say remind me (she had forgotten too). The phone call was a previously arranged appointment, so it had the priority, so unfortunately that was it for my swim session. I will get there though. Wednesday for sure.

Since I don't have any training to complain about I thought I would write about perspective instead (I mean of course, the obvious next choice). I have been sitting here a lot recently feeling a bit sorry for myself and my sore shoulder. The training I can't do, the fitness I am losing etc. Then on Saturday I got news via Facebook that Alistair Mullen who is one of the guys behind Falco bikes had been hit by a car in South Africa. I don't mean bumped off either. He was knocked off by a car doing around 100km/h and left for dead. He is alive but has a number of compression fractures in his spine. On Sunday he made a post expressing how thankful he was to be standing, since he hadn't been sure that he would ever again.

Every time somebody you know has a serious accident it hits home the realities of riding a bike on the road. I know it is something that most of us don't like thinking about, but it is a constant part of what we choose to do. The reminder that it can happen can be an uncomfortable one. But it can also make us think a bit more about what we do, where we ride, what we wear, are we doing everything we can to remain safe. It can also make us think about why we do it. Is it worth the risk? Always a question worth re-asking now and then as circumstances change. For most people I know the answer is normally yes, but not always.

For me Alistair's injury was also a big reality check in regard to my shoulder injury. I was only talking to Alistair on Skype a week ago. He was getting back into training and things were all go. Then a car takes you out like a lightning bolt a week before Christmas. It certainly put my sore shoulder into perspective. An injury caused by stupidity and fixed by choice. My shoulder is painful and it is limiting and damn frustrating, but really I have a lot to be thankful for.

I shouldn't forget that.