It's Saturday night and I am feeling tired and a little low which might influence the tone of today's post. That said I don't have a lot to be low about I think it is just the result of two crappy nights sleep. The fact is that I have now been pain killer free for 48+ hours which is a significant breakthrough. I stopped the pain killers on Thursday and unfortunately I had a really restless night.
Yesterday I was determined to celebrate the improvements and spend some quality time with the amazing Sarah in the evening. We got dressed up and went out for a nice dinner. It was really nice to get dressed up and go out. The unfortunate thing was that the food was really not as good as we imagined it to be. The change in the way we eat has really spoiled us as I am sure it would have been nice in the past but yesterday it was a little too salty and really not all that special. That said we did not let it spoil the night. What did suck for me was another really restless night sleep. I tossed and turned and woke up with a tooth ache due to grinding even with a night guard.
Today was spent browsing the stores and catching up with a couple of friends. It is really exciting to see our friends at DAS Mule expanding the business with a soon to be opened fabrication shop and then to stop in on our friends at Pacific Bike a Ski and spend a few hours chatting and catching up, oh and buying a new helmet.
It was weird buying the helmet as it surfaced some strange emotions. I really wanted to get a different helmet but I ended up with the same model that I crashed in for the simple fact that it was the best fit. I know it is irrational but I was not super keen on getting the same model although it did in all likelihood save my life. Talking about irrational, I am piking up my mountain bike tomorrow following repair of the front shocks and a bent front wheel, yup the bike did better than me, The irrational part is that after spending over $6000 on my dream mountain bike I am not sure I want it any more after the crash. I am hoping that once I get it back and get out on it that will change but it is not a good feeling.
What was a good feeling was completing my first Sufferfest Session on the trainer at 90% of my pre crash FTP following an 50 minute combined Strength and Foundation Training session. Now don't get excited my strength training is limited to 5lbs weights but that has been a step up from no weights. Today I ordered 10lbs weights as I think I will be ready for more towards the end of next week. I may also be getting to the point where I separate the Foundation & Exercise session from the bike session as this week it has been taking about 2 hours a day to complete.
Oh talking about Foundation Training after completing over 70+ hours of instruction I submitted my written paper and video for evaluation and full certification. I got a great mail back but need to submit some addition video footage of a woodpecker and adductor assisted back extension as I did not realize they needed to be included. I will talk nicely to Sarah tomorrow to help me put it together. I am even planning new training classes which I am looking forward to starting.
Well that's about it for today, yes I am now going take some pain killers as I really need to sleep well tonight to avoid being a really grumpy person tomorrow.
Rolling with the punches and maxing life out :)
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Syncro Part 4 - Engine and Pop Top Pictures
Now that the Engine problems have been resolved the build is moving forward. Here are the latest engine install pictures as will as a picture of the opening in the roof.
Fuel Pump and Cooler
Roof
Recovery Injury Part 24 - Tough Day, Better Day
11 weeks to the day and it is great to be back at work and the time away gave me time to reflect on the amazing opportunities I have and the great people I work with. Don't get me wrong not all of them are great but the key is not to focus on them but to focus on those that matter and most importantly to show up as the best person I can be. How's that for a philosophical start to the post....
The second week back has been more tiring than week one and yesterday was a tough day. I had a great time at work catching up on the Eye Gaze Hackathon project but by the time I got home I was officially cooked. I did not want to do anything except crash out on the sofa and watch mindless TV. Oh yes I had to wrestle with the guilt of not doing my exercises but as I mentioned in my last post you have to listen to your body and thankfully I had Sarah on hand to remind me to do just that and not push myself. I still felt bad, but I got over it.
Then after an extremely exhausting evening blobbing out on the Sofa I was rewarded with a restless night dreaming about campers and the beach but not in the vacation or relaxing way you might think. Just like dreams to take things and twist them around. Suffice to say it was good to wake up.
Better day today which started with a soak followed by exercises, it always feels good to get them out of the way early. Set up for the day I was able to catch up on some work projects, have lunch with a friend, catch up with my team mates and talk as a guest speaker about the Hackathon win to help inspire others to address Accessibility in software development. I call that a good day. I finished the afternoon with a PT visit. No surprises my muscles are still tight and not all of them are firing. We worked on turning muscles on which was far less exciting than it sounds.
So in summary, the back and neck motion is improving slowly. The teeth are still an issue. I really need to go have them looked at but to be honest I just don't want to be poked about any more so I am putting up with the problem and hoping that they will take care of themselves. I know the likely hood is slim and I need to call the dentist. OK Tomorrow I will call.
Hoping for better dreams tonight and wishing you amazing dreams - Maxlifeout
The second week back has been more tiring than week one and yesterday was a tough day. I had a great time at work catching up on the Eye Gaze Hackathon project but by the time I got home I was officially cooked. I did not want to do anything except crash out on the sofa and watch mindless TV. Oh yes I had to wrestle with the guilt of not doing my exercises but as I mentioned in my last post you have to listen to your body and thankfully I had Sarah on hand to remind me to do just that and not push myself. I still felt bad, but I got over it.
Then after an extremely exhausting evening blobbing out on the Sofa I was rewarded with a restless night dreaming about campers and the beach but not in the vacation or relaxing way you might think. Just like dreams to take things and twist them around. Suffice to say it was good to wake up.
Better day today which started with a soak followed by exercises, it always feels good to get them out of the way early. Set up for the day I was able to catch up on some work projects, have lunch with a friend, catch up with my team mates and talk as a guest speaker about the Hackathon win to help inspire others to address Accessibility in software development. I call that a good day. I finished the afternoon with a PT visit. No surprises my muscles are still tight and not all of them are firing. We worked on turning muscles on which was far less exciting than it sounds.
So in summary, the back and neck motion is improving slowly. The teeth are still an issue. I really need to go have them looked at but to be honest I just don't want to be poked about any more so I am putting up with the problem and hoping that they will take care of themselves. I know the likely hood is slim and I need to call the dentist. OK Tomorrow I will call.
Hoping for better dreams tonight and wishing you amazing dreams - Maxlifeout
Monday, November 3, 2014
Injury Recovery Part 23 - Recovery Takes Effort
Today I want to share with you my thoughts on the effort it takes to recover. Don't get me wrong I definitively do not mean to preach as I have just finished a workout I really did not feel like doing. But the reality is that we have to do the best we can to aid recovery or we can only get to a certain point and go no further or at worst have other problems arise.
It is humbling to be told that my attitude was inspiring. Attitude is something no matter how bad things are we can control and it makes all the difference in the world especially in those dark moments when it hurts so badly you want to scream. For me every time I was in pain or feeling sorry for myself I thought of those less fortunate and gave thanks that my situation was not worse. Yes good attitude takes effort, I really don't know why it is easier to feel sorry for ourselves and yes I fell into that trap many times. But the great thing about attitude is it can be changed immediately - trust me I know.
Maintaining good attitude is important as you make improvement as that is when set backs need to be managed. Then there is the final long pull which is where I am today. It is when the pain is manageable and improvements seem imperceptible. To keep focused I set goals every day such as, twist a little further, hold for 10 more seconds or ride harder for 1 more minute. I also set longer term goals visualizing my health and focusing a goal big enough to be challenging but also realistic to achieve.
That brings me to exercising. I know it sucks and yes PT could stand for Physical Torture using benign movements and innocent looking foam rolls. Yup, it is all about attitude. Personally I could not wait to start PT because I knew that was the point I could start to take control of my own journey. Again I have no idea why when the human body needs exercise the mind makes it is easier to do nothing. You would think the body would tell the mind, hey bum get some exercise in, but oh no that would be too easy.
I try to do my exercises every day both floor exercises and riding the bike. It is not always easy especially now that the nights are dark and all I feel like doing is curling up on the sofa and watching TV. For those of you interested my current exercise program consists of approx. 40 minutes of floor exercises including Foundation Training exercises, 5lb weight exercises and foam roll exercises and then I transition to the indoor trainer for a 30 minute ride during which I challenge my cardio. The key is to get into a pattern of doing the exercises but not to beat yourself up if you miss the odd day, that is as long as the odd bit does not become the exercises.
I also cannot underplay the importance of diet. You are what you eat and what you eat can help you to heal. I will leave that topic for another day as Sarah has pointed out how long it takes me to write a post lol :)
Maxlifeout every day ....
It is humbling to be told that my attitude was inspiring. Attitude is something no matter how bad things are we can control and it makes all the difference in the world especially in those dark moments when it hurts so badly you want to scream. For me every time I was in pain or feeling sorry for myself I thought of those less fortunate and gave thanks that my situation was not worse. Yes good attitude takes effort, I really don't know why it is easier to feel sorry for ourselves and yes I fell into that trap many times. But the great thing about attitude is it can be changed immediately - trust me I know.
Maintaining good attitude is important as you make improvement as that is when set backs need to be managed. Then there is the final long pull which is where I am today. It is when the pain is manageable and improvements seem imperceptible. To keep focused I set goals every day such as, twist a little further, hold for 10 more seconds or ride harder for 1 more minute. I also set longer term goals visualizing my health and focusing a goal big enough to be challenging but also realistic to achieve.
That brings me to exercising. I know it sucks and yes PT could stand for Physical Torture using benign movements and innocent looking foam rolls. Yup, it is all about attitude. Personally I could not wait to start PT because I knew that was the point I could start to take control of my own journey. Again I have no idea why when the human body needs exercise the mind makes it is easier to do nothing. You would think the body would tell the mind, hey bum get some exercise in, but oh no that would be too easy.
I try to do my exercises every day both floor exercises and riding the bike. It is not always easy especially now that the nights are dark and all I feel like doing is curling up on the sofa and watching TV. For those of you interested my current exercise program consists of approx. 40 minutes of floor exercises including Foundation Training exercises, 5lb weight exercises and foam roll exercises and then I transition to the indoor trainer for a 30 minute ride during which I challenge my cardio. The key is to get into a pattern of doing the exercises but not to beat yourself up if you miss the odd day, that is as long as the odd bit does not become the exercises.
I also cannot underplay the importance of diet. You are what you eat and what you eat can help you to heal. I will leave that topic for another day as Sarah has pointed out how long it takes me to write a post lol :)
Maxlifeout every day ....
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Syncro Part 3 - Build Check-in
It has been 8 months'ish since the last build post so today I am excited to share the latest update.
This morning started slowly as a much as I wanted to I just could not get to sleep last night. Note to self taking the laptop to bed does to assist with sleep. I finally got off to sleep around 3am and then surprise, surprise I felt crappy in the morning. Waking up still feels like someone has used me as a punch bag all night.
From March to now the build has felt a little unreal because of the lack of progress due to the unforeseen problems with the engine build. Problems that I am told are now resolved but that took considerable troubleshooting. I am not that technical when it comes to engines but I am told the problems resided in the ECU configuration and to resolve the problem Kirk the owner at North Westy sent his own van and his pride and joy down to California to allow the engine supplier to fix the problem. He is heading down this month to pick it up and drive it back and here is our engine where it is supposed to be. So cool to see it and Kirk tells us it will be fully installed this week.
The problems with the engine resolved the build can now move forward so we headed out to see Kirk today and start the process of locking in all the options. The one thing the delay has given us is time to think on our color scheme and options and as a result some of those have changed starting with the color. If you look back you will see our original color choice and although I think it is a good color we were both a little concerned it was a bit bling. That and our experience with working on Benny in the summer re-enforced the need to have a paint color that can be easily touched up and purchased locally. We then started throwing around color options again and fell back into the "I don't know what color to paint it" syndrome. The one thing we did know and agree on was a bold fun color that would make us smile. We love the tornado red of Benny and really did consider the same color again. It was then that we saw the inspiration for our color choice the Jeep Wrangler Orange.
It is fun and the black and orange combo was something that would work for us both on the outside as well as the inside. It also had the benefit of going with color choices we had already made should we want to keep them.
Today we reviewed our options and changed the cabinet laminate and pop top fabric colors. We added carpet, curtains and flooring options as well as reviewed a bunch of questions and decided to have the undercarriage completely refurbished we also added the 91 rear windows with vents.
Having gone backwards and forwards on the solar question we have decided not to install one at this stage. If we were in a sunny climate it might be a different decision but here in the Northwest the benefit seems to be limited to a short window of summer months. So instead we plan on relying on idling the engine to recharge the batteries should we need to.
Once we got home we ordered the our bumpers and rear tire carrier from Rocky Mountain Westy. We really wanted our friends at Das Mule's bumpers but unfortunately they will not be ready in time.
Here are a few pictures of the beastie as it stands today
Our new gauges have arrived and ready for install
This is the color of the of the door panels
We kept the basic colors and added the Charcoal as the curtain color. For the curtains we decided to go with pop on rather than having curtain hooks.
This is the revised cabinet color. We wanted to go with a more modern look than our original choice and so we decided on the color below for the fronts and a brushed aluminum for the tops.
Making all the color choices has been far harder than I ever thought and we are now excited to see it all come together.
This morning started slowly as a much as I wanted to I just could not get to sleep last night. Note to self taking the laptop to bed does to assist with sleep. I finally got off to sleep around 3am and then surprise, surprise I felt crappy in the morning. Waking up still feels like someone has used me as a punch bag all night.
From March to now the build has felt a little unreal because of the lack of progress due to the unforeseen problems with the engine build. Problems that I am told are now resolved but that took considerable troubleshooting. I am not that technical when it comes to engines but I am told the problems resided in the ECU configuration and to resolve the problem Kirk the owner at North Westy sent his own van and his pride and joy down to California to allow the engine supplier to fix the problem. He is heading down this month to pick it up and drive it back and here is our engine where it is supposed to be. So cool to see it and Kirk tells us it will be fully installed this week.
The problems with the engine resolved the build can now move forward so we headed out to see Kirk today and start the process of locking in all the options. The one thing the delay has given us is time to think on our color scheme and options and as a result some of those have changed starting with the color. If you look back you will see our original color choice and although I think it is a good color we were both a little concerned it was a bit bling. That and our experience with working on Benny in the summer re-enforced the need to have a paint color that can be easily touched up and purchased locally. We then started throwing around color options again and fell back into the "I don't know what color to paint it" syndrome. The one thing we did know and agree on was a bold fun color that would make us smile. We love the tornado red of Benny and really did consider the same color again. It was then that we saw the inspiration for our color choice the Jeep Wrangler Orange.Today we reviewed our options and changed the cabinet laminate and pop top fabric colors. We added carpet, curtains and flooring options as well as reviewed a bunch of questions and decided to have the undercarriage completely refurbished we also added the 91 rear windows with vents.
Having gone backwards and forwards on the solar question we have decided not to install one at this stage. If we were in a sunny climate it might be a different decision but here in the Northwest the benefit seems to be limited to a short window of summer months. So instead we plan on relying on idling the engine to recharge the batteries should we need to.
Once we got home we ordered the our bumpers and rear tire carrier from Rocky Mountain Westy. We really wanted our friends at Das Mule's bumpers but unfortunately they will not be ready in time.
Here are a few pictures of the beastie as it stands today
Our new gauges have arrived and ready for install
This is the color of the of the door panels
We kept the basic colors and added the Charcoal as the curtain color. For the curtains we decided to go with pop on rather than having curtain hooks.
This is the revised cabinet color. We wanted to go with a more modern look than our original choice and so we decided on the color below for the fronts and a brushed aluminum for the tops.
Making all the color choices has been far harder than I ever thought and we are now excited to see it all come together.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Westy's at Marymoor
On a chilly and overcast Saturday morning we got Benny our VW vanagon camper ready for the annual VW Wet Westies meet up in Marymoor park. Having charged the house battery last night because the battery monitor and linking system I installed this year failed again and due to my accident I have not had a chance to investigate. Don't you just hate it when things stop working for no good reason. To be fair it did not take much to get him ready to roll.
This year the meet up was earlier as the temperature in pervious years combined with holiday commitments kind of impacted attendance, and I can attest last year was really cold. So after a week of heavy rain I was thrilled that the day turned out to be dry and not to cold.
Whilst I lounged in bed after finally getting to sleep last night at around 4:30am having failed in my attempt not to take painkillers Sarah made pumpkin soup to keep use warm whilst hanging out with old and new friends. With the soup made, Benny ready and the girls (our dogs Candy and Daisy) itching to go we headed out to the meet up.
The decision to hold the event earlier and the lack of rain lead to a really good turn out and as we pulled in it was exciting to see all the Van's with there pop tops up and proud owners socializing, sharing stories and quite frankly geeking out.
It was awesome to see our friends and as always at these events it was great to meet new friends. We even had a VW camper celebrity by the name of Nacho from Drive Nacho Drive. It was great to see inside Nacho and to meet the owners Brad & Sheena after following there blog and reading there book. I look forward to seeing them again and having the chance to show them some of the great on and off road cycling we have in the area.
My good friend Joe was there with our local celebrity DasMule and it was great to catch up. If you haven't visited the store in Issaquah I highly recommend it for all you adventuring types.
Amongest the bread boxes (Vanagons) was a hightop bread loaf (Earlier Camper) and I just loved the charm of the living space.
It is always great to swap stories and see these wonderful old vans being loved and used for the purpose they were built for 25+ years later, no matter if they are loved as is, a project in progress or fully restored they all have there own character and bring joy to there owners and smiles to people around them. Everyone who owns one has a story of someone asking them about there van or sharing a memory. Here is our boy Benny.
Talking of character this little gem snuck in amongst the Vans as the owners Van is currently in the shop for an engine upgrade. How cute is that face ....
Seeing it took me right back to my childhood, I am the little guy in the middle, camping back in the day. You know when camping is in your blood it is in your blood.
The day is a gift, enjoy it, cherish it and above all live it - Maxlifeout
This year the meet up was earlier as the temperature in pervious years combined with holiday commitments kind of impacted attendance, and I can attest last year was really cold. So after a week of heavy rain I was thrilled that the day turned out to be dry and not to cold.
Whilst I lounged in bed after finally getting to sleep last night at around 4:30am having failed in my attempt not to take painkillers Sarah made pumpkin soup to keep use warm whilst hanging out with old and new friends. With the soup made, Benny ready and the girls (our dogs Candy and Daisy) itching to go we headed out to the meet up.
The decision to hold the event earlier and the lack of rain lead to a really good turn out and as we pulled in it was exciting to see all the Van's with there pop tops up and proud owners socializing, sharing stories and quite frankly geeking out.
It was awesome to see our friends and as always at these events it was great to meet new friends. We even had a VW camper celebrity by the name of Nacho from Drive Nacho Drive. It was great to see inside Nacho and to meet the owners Brad & Sheena after following there blog and reading there book. I look forward to seeing them again and having the chance to show them some of the great on and off road cycling we have in the area.
Nacho
My good friend Joe was there with our local celebrity DasMule and it was great to catch up. If you haven't visited the store in Issaquah I highly recommend it for all you adventuring types.
Das Mule the Wheel Shot - for more pictures just search online
Amongest the bread boxes (Vanagons) was a hightop bread loaf (Earlier Camper) and I just loved the charm of the living space.
It is always great to swap stories and see these wonderful old vans being loved and used for the purpose they were built for 25+ years later, no matter if they are loved as is, a project in progress or fully restored they all have there own character and bring joy to there owners and smiles to people around them. Everyone who owns one has a story of someone asking them about there van or sharing a memory. Here is our boy Benny.
Talking of character this little gem snuck in amongst the Vans as the owners Van is currently in the shop for an engine upgrade. How cute is that face ....
Seeing it took me right back to my childhood, I am the little guy in the middle, camping back in the day. You know when camping is in your blood it is in your blood.
The day is a gift, enjoy it, cherish it and above all live it - Maxlifeout
Recovery Journey Part 22 - Happy Haloween
Happy Halloween and wishing you a Spooktacular Time. This year as you might guess has been a quiet one. I am just happy to have gotten through the first week back at work and thankful for the ability to work from home and for the support of my manager. Of the 3000+ email in my inbox I managed to get them down to just under 400 by the end of today.
Yesterday was a big day with a visit to my acupuncturist and a massage. In the morning in acupuncture my therapist did some deep soft tissue work and then in the evening the masseuse worked on my neck which was both uncomfortable and a little disconcerting. All I can say is I am glad I was in safe hands. I also had a training breakthrough yesterday pushing my rpm on the bike up to 100 and increasing my power output to 220 watts for 1 minute during my 30 minute session.
All of the work yesterday definitely resulted in me waking up this morning in a little bit or discomfort but a little longer in bed and a soak in hot water got me going. Oh and a cuddle with Daisy, that one of our pup's in case your wondering.
The teeth are still a problem but the breakthrough has been a reduction in the intense throbbing allowing me to go through the day without painkillers and on occasion pain free, that is until I suck in air or worse still allow cold fluid touch them. I will say that the night guard has been great and I suspect contributed to sleeping better.
Today I pushed myself a little harder on the bike, upping the intensity for 2 minutes and including standup sessions to work the shoulders. I also introduced 5lb weights into my floor sessions. The Foundation Training and exercises are paying off. At PT today my therapist told me I was doing all the right things and more for myself each day than she could do for me in our session. This has resulted in me being further along in my recovery in a shorter period of time so we decided to reduce visits to once a week which is great. We discussed the ongoing tightness/pain in the neck associated with head movement and I learnt that my first rib, that is the one I broke is really close to the collar bone and not at all were I thought it was. See learning all the time. She showed me and most importantly Sarah how to apply pressure to allow me to stretch the neck. She also explained how the muscles in my back as a result of the collar are still compensating for the deep muscles near the spine. They ache because they are not designed to hold the body up and are working overtime. The Foundation Training Exercises will continue to challenge the deep muscles so that they turn on and stay on. It is interesting to feel how sore they feel and how it hurts when I breath deeply. Nothing like experiencing it to understand it, see there is an upside however small.
Tonight I am going to try and get through the night without pain killers. As I type this my teeth are throbbing but with the night guard I might succeed.
Early tonight I had to rush out and put the charger on Benny our VW Camper as the house battery is dead as a door nail and tomorrow is the Wet Westie meet up in Marymoor park. If you like old VW buses come and geek out, oh and stop by and say hello to Sarah and I.
I couldn't have a Halloween post without some Halloween pictures so here are a couple remembering past fun.
Yesterday was a big day with a visit to my acupuncturist and a massage. In the morning in acupuncture my therapist did some deep soft tissue work and then in the evening the masseuse worked on my neck which was both uncomfortable and a little disconcerting. All I can say is I am glad I was in safe hands. I also had a training breakthrough yesterday pushing my rpm on the bike up to 100 and increasing my power output to 220 watts for 1 minute during my 30 minute session.
All of the work yesterday definitely resulted in me waking up this morning in a little bit or discomfort but a little longer in bed and a soak in hot water got me going. Oh and a cuddle with Daisy, that one of our pup's in case your wondering.
The teeth are still a problem but the breakthrough has been a reduction in the intense throbbing allowing me to go through the day without painkillers and on occasion pain free, that is until I suck in air or worse still allow cold fluid touch them. I will say that the night guard has been great and I suspect contributed to sleeping better.
Today I pushed myself a little harder on the bike, upping the intensity for 2 minutes and including standup sessions to work the shoulders. I also introduced 5lb weights into my floor sessions. The Foundation Training and exercises are paying off. At PT today my therapist told me I was doing all the right things and more for myself each day than she could do for me in our session. This has resulted in me being further along in my recovery in a shorter period of time so we decided to reduce visits to once a week which is great. We discussed the ongoing tightness/pain in the neck associated with head movement and I learnt that my first rib, that is the one I broke is really close to the collar bone and not at all were I thought it was. See learning all the time. She showed me and most importantly Sarah how to apply pressure to allow me to stretch the neck. She also explained how the muscles in my back as a result of the collar are still compensating for the deep muscles near the spine. They ache because they are not designed to hold the body up and are working overtime. The Foundation Training Exercises will continue to challenge the deep muscles so that they turn on and stay on. It is interesting to feel how sore they feel and how it hurts when I breath deeply. Nothing like experiencing it to understand it, see there is an upside however small.
Tonight I am going to try and get through the night without pain killers. As I type this my teeth are throbbing but with the night guard I might succeed.
Early tonight I had to rush out and put the charger on Benny our VW Camper as the house battery is dead as a door nail and tomorrow is the Wet Westie meet up in Marymoor park. If you like old VW buses come and geek out, oh and stop by and say hello to Sarah and I.
I couldn't have a Halloween post without some Halloween pictures so here are a couple remembering past fun.
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