Contact

Weeeelll, that has been an intense few days there. Lots of seriousness. It has been good though, I have really enjoyed some of the conversations I have had with people prompted by some of the posts. Might be time for a bit of a step back though, a bit of a return to business as usual.

Not quite business as usual though, because this week I have undergone a major change, a physical transformation if you will. Well okay perhaps not that significant, but big for me. This week I got contact lenses!

I have been wearing glasses for years now. I started wearing them on and off at least 15 years ago and it has probably been 10 years since I started to wear them all the time. Despite the fact that I have been wearing them for ages, I still don't really think of myself as being a glasses wearer. My mental image of myself is without glasses.

Physical appearance wasn't really the reason behind me getting contacts though. The main appeal for me was the potential convenience. I have been training with poor eyesight for years now. The reality of glasses is that they usually aren't that great for riding or running in, so for a long time I have been persevering without. I can see well enough to be safe, but my poor eyesight is still far from ideal, particularly in the dark mornings of winter. I have a reputation for ignoring friends when I ride and that is usually because I simply don't see them. All these things will be improved with contacts. Not to mention racing. I will finally be able to see like normal during my training sessions and races. Awesome.

There are other small benefits too. Little things like being able to buy and wear normal sunglasses rather than prescription ones. Being able to carry just my sunnies and not have to carry my normal glasses too. Little things that add up to make a big difference in convenience.

Not all smooth sailing I must admit. I have now had a few days of living with the reality of putting contacts in and taking them out. I have always watched people do that and thought it looked sort of horrible. Turns out it kind of is. I am not sure how many times I have poked myself in the eye in the last couple of days. I am getting better, but the process of learning hasn't been much fun. I can totally understand why lots of people don't bother with the effort. For me though the benefit of being able to see while training makes it worth persevering with.

Whether it is something I will stick with long term I am not sure. But for now I am looking forward to when I can train properly again and being able to do it and see at the same time.