After visiting the dark side of depression again (hence the lack of fresh, cutting-edge whinges from your’s truly) it finally dawned on me that I’d not done anything physical for a long while. I’d let my gym membership lapse because they were closing, I’d stopped running due to constant leg problems and, well, I haven’t ridden regularly since touring. That was it – I HAD to start riding to work!

It took ages to sort it all out; I needed permission to access the bike room and showers at work, I needed to work out how to get office clothes (FYI: I fscking HATE ties!) to work un-crinkled and so on. In my mental state, this was quite some chore.

On Saturday, I’d bought some new kit – a pair of Nike knicks, a pair of Pearl Izumi knicks and a very funky Altura Night Vision jacket:

On Sunday, I tested the route out. It took 43min to cover the 13.5k from Ealing to Baker Street, via Oxford Street. I wasn’t going hard at this stage, knowing I’d have to ease back into riding after being off the bike for so long. Back home after 27.56k, 1h23m with a massive 19.8kph average speed.

Monday: I couldn’t fit everything in my bag at once so I took stuff like jumper, ties and shoes in on the train (size 12 Docs are not small or light!) to make it easier tomorrow.

At night, knowing I needed to do SOMETHING, I ran a loop. EARL took me 44:04, which is slower than the first time I’d ever run it. But, I purposely ran slow and reduced the load on my right knee, walking whenever I felt like I was going into injury territory. The last EARL I’d run on the Monday prior was a crazy-slow 47:16, with constant stopping due to knee pain. I can’t stand not being able to do something because my body is failing me – arrgh!!! Running is for mugs! 🙂

Tuesday: I woke at 6am and spent an hour prepping, packing, eating toast and drinking coffee. Then, I rode in!

It was very cold and raining so I was glad I wore the new jacket. I would be changing from knee warmers to full leg warmers tomorrow though!Brrr!

43min in again, showered, wrestled with my tie and at my desk at 8.30. The ride home was faster: 38min (20.8kph).

Wednesday: Up at 6am again and much quicker to get ready. My butt hurts from yesterday’s ride – told you it’d been a while! Mind you, I’m still using that crappy San Marco saddle that totally doesn’t suit my backside. I’ll pick up a Selle Italia Flite or bite the bullet and test a Fizik Arione as soon as I get paid. 45min in, taking it easy at 17.9kph. It sleeted at lunch time! That’s how cold it was today! Unfortunately it didn’t continue for the ride home – I really want to ride through snow! This ride was longer because I missed Oxford Street and had to take a detour. How I missed turning at Oxford St. is anybody’s guess!! Even with my braindead navigation and detouring I still made it home in 37min at 22.4kph.

Thursday: Congrats to the newlyweds Tee and Keith!

I found a shortcut in the A-Z which cuts out Oxford St. and involves riding up Sussex Gardens Rd. and Marylebone Rd. This saves about 800m but, more importantly, means I don’t have to dodge a million peds and buses cruising up Oxford. 13.09k in 35:58 (21.7kph). This included turning wrongly and doing a lap of Lancaster Gate instead of riding along Lancaster Garden Rd or something. I was so fast in the morning I must’ve dislodged the speedo magnet, so I have no speeds for the ride home 🙂 All I know is that the outbound traffic in the rain was ridiculously slow and congested! It took AGES to get out into “open” road. With all the stalling and car/bus/scooter dodging it took 41m23s to get home.

Friday: I got the Sussex Gardens shortcut right this time and the distance in was only 12.73k. It was very cold this morning and I actually rode into sleet. It’s like rain but you can feel the particles hit differently (until your face goes totally numb that is) and you can see the snow-like bits collect on your clothes. My legs were bright pink from cold when I peeled my knicks off to shower! (there’s an image to scare the masses with!). Time was 38min at just over 20kph. Same route home took 34m50s (21.8kph). I think it was faster because I left later at night, having taken four hours off in the middle of the day to get my National Insurance (NI) number. Just for the record, NEVER EVER EVER EVER complain about ANY government process that occurs in Australia – it is nothing like the sh1t fight you have to go through to get stuff done over here!!

Saturday: Packed the last of our stuff upstairs and cleaned the house. Then there was an inspection and we cleaned more – frickin’ tightarse inspector! Carried our essentials to Leo, Mei-Ling and Fiona’s place on the other side of Ealing. Only minor spinal damage sustained after the two trips to cart everything there!

We pick up the keys for the new place (still in Ealing) on Wednesday. I might be in Southhampton at a client’s site though?

Grant returns from Oz (enjoy the sun you lucky b@stard?!) on Saturday and moves everything from the old place to the new place while Sheila and I have coffee and cake and bark orders at him 🙂

I posted this last night but the c*nt of a webhost seemed to have done a f*cking rollback on their database and cheerfully f*cked my post up so here is a shorter, lamer version. Also the c*nt landlord has told us we can’t store our stuff in the old place (he’d previously said we could) so now I have to hire a car and we have to move out Thursday night. I can’t wait to drive the f*cking hatch over his front garden! We’re happy little Vegemites..