#saturday was 4 hours of bike training

[foreignobjecticus]

Not flying to Scotland tomorrow because weather's bad; flying to Isle of Wight instead. Haven't drawn up my flight plan yet and I've got all this work that's supposed to be done tomorrow and I intended to do it tonight but I have a stomach ache :/

All of this is entirely my fault for doing wayyyyyy too much lately. I'm so tired lol

[alexalblondo]

lance_stroll I want to take a moment today to reflect on the last couple weeks, and share my story with you guys.

On Saturday, February 18th I crashed on my bike while training in Spain. The scans showed I had a fracture and displacement in my right wrist, a fracture in my left wrist, a partial fracture in my left hand and finally another fracture in the big toe on my right foot. 

With the beginning of the season right around the corner the timing could not have been worse. My medical team, at first, believed I was not only going to miss testing, but realistically the first few races.

48 hours after my accident/12 days before the first race Dr. Javier Mir successfully operated on my right wrist. Following surgery, Dr. Mir told me I’d be back for Jeddah if I worked hard and with a bit of luck he was optimistic I could race in Bahrain - but that was a faint possibility. To this day I am convinced the urgency Dr. Mir showed to me helped get me to Bahrain.

The work wasn’t done. Unfortunately, Dr. Mir explained that the fractures in my left hand/wrist and toe weren’t suitable for fixation, and that I’d need to rely on a more conservative approach to heal my other injuries.

My medical team ensured we were doing anything and everything that showed some evidence for bone healing. It became my full time job, trying to combine everything that could help, even if it was by 0.5%. 

Initially progress was slow - I needed a lot of help even with daily tasks at home. 

But each day got better and once the cast came off on day 4 it became possible we had a chance of racing in Bahrain. My medical team devised a programme that would help me restore mobility and strength in my wrists. 

Rehab required hard work and persistence - but with an incredible medical team and my friends and family supporting me - I was able to push through the pain and get back on track in Bahrain with my team and fellow drivers. 

And we did it!!!

I am thankful for everyone who supported me, sent kind notes and wishes! ❤️👊

[reigningmax]

lance_stroll: I want to take a moment today to reflect on the last couple weeks, and share my story with you guys.

On Saturday, February 18th I crashed on my bike while training in Spain. The scans showed I had a fracture and displacement in my right wrist, a fracture in my left wrist, a partial fracture in my left hand and finally another fracture in the big toe on my right foot.

With the beginning of the season right around the corner the timing could not have been worse. My medical team, at first, believed I was not only going to miss testing, but realistically the first few races.

48 hours after my accident/12 days before the first race Dr. Javier Mir successfully operated on my right wrist. Following surgery, Dr. Mir told me I’d be back for Jeddah if I worked hard and with a bit of luck he was optimistic I could race in Bahrain - but that was a faint possibility. To this day I am convinced the urgency Dr. Mir showed to me helped get me to Bahrain.

The work wasn’t done. Unfortunately, Dr. Mir explained that the fractures in my left hand/wrist and toe weren’t suitable for fixation, and that I’d need to rely on a more conservative approach to heal my other injuries.

My medical team ensured we were doing anything and everything that showed some evidence for bone healing. It became my full time job, trying to combine everything that could help, even if it was by 0.5%.

Initially progress was slow - I needed a lot of help even with daily tasks at home.

But each day got better and once the cast came off on day 4 it became possible we had a chance of racing in Bahrain. My medical team devised a programme that would help me restore mobility and strength in my wrists.

Rehab required hard work and persistence - but with an incredible medical team and my friends and family supporting me - I was able to push through the pain and get back on track in Bahrain with my team and fellow drivers.

And we did it!!!

I am thankful for everyone who supported me, sent kind notes and wishes! ❤️👊

[exitrowiron]

Despite temps in the 40's, the nets are up and so we feel compelled to play tennis; 2 hours on Sundays and Wednesdays. We had a rather large group of 7 yesterday and generally 3-4 including Beth and me on Wednesdays.

My return to running is going well - Saturday's 11 mile run was the furthest I've run in 2 years and it felt good. My running pace and VO2 max are still a long way from where they were before I shifted exclusively to bike training in early 2022, but I'm happy with my progress.

I took a bike FTP test last week and was a little disappointed that my FTP had plateaued until my bike coach directed my attention to a Training Peaks performance management chart which highlighted the load created by simultaneously pursuing bike and running training programs. You can see my fatigue (the pink line) begin to rise dramatically in February when I added half marathon run training to cross-Pyrenees bike training. Simultaneously my Form (the yellow line indicating, 'race readiness') began to decline. Fortunately, my overall fitness, the area under the blue line, began to accelerate more quickly too.

These are all just estimates and calculations made by Training Peaks but it is helpful to see objective confirmation of the stress of training.

[skinks]

“working out” to me just means any kind of exercise, you don’t have to be doing complicated supersets in your matching skintight influencer workout gear in the gym at 5am for it to be a workout. Like my past week for instance has been

Sunday: cycled 40 miles

Monday: rest

Tuesday: free-weights strength training + 2 mile run

Wednesday: 2 hours derby training

Thursday: 11 mile bike ride after work

Friday: 2 hours derby training

Saturday: 4 hour hike

Tomorrow: 11 mile cycle - 1hr kayak - 11 mile cycle home again

plus I like to do little bodyweight calisthenic/stretching stuff in my spare time. Like I’ll do some push-ups and sit-ups or yoga if im bored. I don’t have any set routine aside from derby sessions, I just do whatever I feel like doing that day. I would ideally like to be doing even more than I am, since once you get to a certain point the feeling of working out becomes addictive, or at least it does for me. exercise can be so much fun if you can find something you enjoy

[hella1975]

theo's weekend story time (it's kind of long, sorry)

friday: after a 10 hour bus trip, i get to the city at like 6pm and have to catch a train to the city station, so i haul my duffel bag with my weekends worth of shit in it all the way down the bus terminal, up a flight of stairs, and down a different flight of stairs to get to the train platform. i cannot find the ticket thingy, a lovely woman informs me that they are upstairs and i must have walked right past them, so i trot my dumb ass back up the stairs, buy a ticket, go back down the stairs - at this point im SWEATING bc im wearing three jackets bc it was cold and raining when i left my home town

i get on the train, i get to the city station, i am now on part two of my mission: get to the underground station. the trainline i was on doesn't go there directly, but the two stations are connected so i CAN walk there but i dont now where the fuck im going so i go up the stairs and ask the first person i see wearing a uniform "hey do you happen to know how to get to [city] underground from here?" "i sure do!" "...can you tell me?" he gives me instructions, i repeat the instructions to make sure i heard them right, i head down a different set of stairs and immediately forget half of the instructions but i can't go back and ask again bc i'll look like a dickhead so i just wing it - i go down the next set of stairs, looking for platform 5, i see the sign and follow it up more stairs - dead end. i ask someone in a uniform how to get to the underground, they tell me to go back down the stairs and turn left, i then say "i was so close" out loud, thank them, and go back down the stairs. i FINALLY end up in the underground station, where i proceed to wait for my friend until she finds me. (at this point, after all of the stairs and the several layers and the large bag, i am dying)

it starts raining while we're waiting for the bus, and then i had to dig through my pocket for change for a bus ticket and held up the whole fucking bus for like 5 minutes before finally sitting down. we get to my friends uni, she drags me to the dining hall where i get to met her school friends and THEN, gloriously, i am asked the most beautiful question: "oh, you're writing a book? what's it about?"

and i don't think i breathed for the next like. five minutes.

we get back to my friends dorm and build a bed for me on the floor (it's a sleeping bag), and thus starts my life as a criminal

saturday: my friend has a committee meeting to go to, so i literally just hung out in her dorm by myself all day - had a nap, ate some skittles, did some sewing and some writing, very productive. she finally gets back at 4:30.

we get dressed up as pirates, take a bus to the train station (i once again struggle to pull together enough change for a bus ticket, we are also both carrying two bags each + a gift bag for our friend), we get on the train and then have to take another bus so we're standing at the bus stop and this couple start having the most batshit argument and it's mildly scary and mostly hilarious and then the woman bumps into my friend and we both just freeze bc we think we're about to get dragged into it but instead she just apologises and then HE apologises and then she's like "don't apologise for me" and then they're getting into it all over again, finally the bus comes. i am ONCE AGAIN struggling to get a ticket bc i have the worst luck with buses (this time it's bc we can't remember the exact stop we need to get off at) meanwhile the woman throws a bike helmet at the man except her aim is shit and it hits me in the back of the leg instead and by the time i sit down im trying so hard not to burst into laughter

now, the thing about the friend i came all this way for, is that they live in a really awkward area, so me and the friend im staying with get off the bus and have to walk for half a fucking hour while carrying all our shit - we stopped halfway just so i could text our friend that i was going to kill them - and by the time we get there it's 7pm. we left at 5:20. i was sweaty, puffed, and exhausted.

another thing about this friend is that, we got mistaken for each other a lot when we were in high school - like i spent my first two weeks at a new school hearing about this other kid that i apparently looked exactly like, and then we met and somehow ended up friends, and it's been a running joke ever since - especially bc we're very similar personality wise and after this one time we both walked out of separate rooms to discover we were wearing the exact same jeans (which we had both diy-ed, they weren't even store-bought, we just made the same pair of jeans)

so i get to this pirate themed party, and i'm standing in the kitchen, and the friend-i'm-here-for walks in and we just pause. look each other up and down. and just go "for fucks sake" because we'd miraculously managed to wear the same fucking thing in different fonts.

i get drunk <3 on an empty stomach <3 the horrors set in but i am so brave about it <3

i am given a matress on the floor (an upgrade from the sleeping bag)

sunday: me and the friend-im-staying-with are the first awake, i scare myself with my reflection (pale, eyeliner smudged down my cheek bone, half my hair falling out of it's bun), i drink two cups of coffee while watching my friend-that-im-here-for power clean (they refused any offers of help), finally we all get dressed (there are five of us, we are the main group, 4 of us went to high school together and the other is K's boyfriend who is now our friend) and we head out to get food! i got a chicken and avo crepe and it was really fucking good actually, and there was some random kid dressed as chainsaw man running around which was just. brilliant.

the friend-im-here-for drives me and the friend-im-staying-with out of the city to her parents house (where we are staying tonight) and bc the drive was long we got to just talk about anything and eerything which was nice bc it's hard to actually catch up with someone at a party, so i'm glad i got to actually hang out with them yknow?? they dropped us off, and i've upgraded again to an actual bed <3 then i got dropped off at my aunties, and i got to catch up with her and then my grandma came up so i got to surprise her! and then my aunty offered to drive my back to my friends instead of having my friend pick me up, and then we detoured to get maccas, and then me and my friend watched ghost files and now i need to go to bed bc i have to get up at a ridiculous hour (i mean technically i don't, but the more anxious i am about something, the earlier i have to be prepared for it)

and yeah!! so the 10 hour bus trip was honestly worth it, bc the vaguely chaotic events of this weekend was everything i should've expected from this lot, and hopefully i'll get to see them again on my birthday bc they all said they're keen on coming down so yeah. very happy, very fulfilled. thank you for listening <3

theo 0 : public transport : 1

[prettyboyprettyeyes]

Dream Day in the Life

8:00 am Wake up, feed Pup, Get dressed for a walk, 10 minute morning yoga, Fill up my water bottle, drink my morning green juice, take my vitamins

8:30 am Take Service Puppy on a 30 minute walk/jog. Do fifteen minutes of maintenance training.

9:15 am Eat breakfast, take meds

9:30 am Quick shower, skincare, and oral hygiene. Get dressed and pack work bag.

10:10 am Bike to work (Library Assistant) with pup in a dog trailer

10:30 am Clock in

1:00 pm Lunch

4:30 pm Clock out

4:45 pm Long walk for Pup.

5:00 pm Bike home

5:30 pm Change into comfy clothes, Unwind from the day, let Puppy play, partake in hobbies.

7:00 pm Start cooking dinner if it’s my night to cook

8:00 pm Dinner with D 🖤

9:00 pm Take a bubble bath

10:00 pm Spend time with or coexist with D

11:00 pm Nighttime mocktail, meds, screens off

12:00 pm Bedtime

———————————————————————

🖤- work twenty hour work weeks, five hours Monday through Thursday

🖤- Book club Wednesday after work

🖤- Crochet Club on Friday mornings, Grocery shop and clean afterwards.

🖤- Date nights Friday nights

🖤- Magic The Gathering & Farmers Market on Saturday mornings

🖤- Group of my friends over 2 Saturday nights a month

🖤- Dnd campaign 2 Saturday nights a month

🖤- Sunday is the chill/ Baking day where i bake or freeze my treats that i bring places for the week.

[hashirun]

Haaaa it's been a long day. Started the morning doing routine admin work and social media management for my brother's business. Midmorning we started cleaning up our place which took almost the whole day to finish (a wedding reception was held here last Wednesday, then the bride's relatives stayed until yesterday). After we finished cleaning up at around 3 PM I got ready and left for Imus to pick up some orders for my business.

I had to meet with my sister along the way so I decided to hang out at Robinson's Imus while waiting for her. If I remember correctly, high school pa yung huli kong punta dun. Nanood ako mag-isa ng Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets kasi yun na yung pinakamalapit na mall sa Silang na may cinema – wala pang Robinson's Dasma at SM Pala Pala nun. Byahe pa lang papunta masama na pakiramdam ko, tapos lalong sumama pagpasok kong cinema kasi sobrang lakas at lamig ng aircon sa loob. Tulog lang ako buong byahe pauwi tapos pagdating ng Silang Bayan ginising lang ako ng driver kasi nasa last stop na (I do realize that was a pretty dangerous situation to be in). Anyways ang haba na ng kwento ko, ang gusto ko lang naman sabihin eh natawa ako kasi pagpasok ko kanina ang liwanag sa loob Rob Imus – I've always had this impression of Robinson's malls in the province being dark and depressing.

Going back to my main purpose sa pagpunta ko sa Imus.. Grabe ang traffic sa looban ng Imus di ko kinaya. First time ko makapasok dun nang rush hour sobrang kipot pala ng mga daan sa loob tapos andaming sasakyan na dumadaan. I spent more than an hour sitting in the traffic eh 4 kms lang naman from Aguinaldo Highway yung destination ko. Wtf. After picking up our orders, we headed to SM Pala Pala naman to run another errand.

Got home around 9:30 PM. It's been more than 2 hours since I got home. My body's tired but my brain's still pretty active at this hour. I'm thinking about going for a ride tomorrow morning if the weather permits. If not, I'll just do strength training at home. Bike ride or no bike ride, I still have a lot of things left to do tomorrow. Then on Monday and probably until Friday. Or Saturday. Or Sunday. Who knows.

Haaaa it's been a long week. And it's gonna be another long week next week.

[gdmbrwiththerealcrew]

Day 3 - July 1st (Canada Day)

Yes, I’ll say it again, last night’s campsite was the worst ever. When we got up, the five of us (including Natasha) decided to go for breakfast at Mel’s instead of cooking in camp. When we got there we learned that it was closed but that the Lions were holding a pancake breakfast at the community center. Sure enough, when we found the community we were able to enjoy some local hospitality for a good cause, whatever it may have been. By the time we left breakfast, we already had 5 ride miles logged.

The route out of Elkford started with a 1000 foot climb on pavement over 3 miles that took us north of town. At the top we turned onto a gravel road that was soon rutted with 4 wheel drive tracks and mud puddles. About 10 miles in, we looked into the valley below to see Elkford. We had gone north only to pass Elkford again as we came south and it took us about two hours to get there. That mountain road continued through high meadows with lovely mountain views. Fortunately it was taking us downhill.

Since it was Saturday and Canada Day we got to see how the locals enjoy the mountains. Let me tell you, it was on bicycles. Our first encounter was with a half dozen 4-wheel drive trucks and jeeps speeding their way higher into the mountains. Our second was with a couple trail motorcycles. Everyone slowed as was necessary but probably would have been more happy if they didn’t have to.

Somewhere along the way.

Eventually we reconnected with the Elk River Trail. This time it was a few miles of flowy single track. Fortunately not technical but definitely up and down. We popped off that and onto some secondary roads into Sparwood. As we approached town we could see the coal mining operation that was reducing a nearby mountain to 1/2 its size. The coal was hauled away by train, one of which we saw rolling by but never saw its first or last cars even after watching for 5 minutes.

You’re looking at a coal mine. Zoom in to see current operations. To the left of that is previous operations.

In Sparwood we checked out the worlds largest truck (a monument to big coal) in the center of town. That gave us a chance to have lunch and just sit in the shade on a patch of grass for an hour or so.

Big truck! Used to move coal.

After we left Sparwood we ended up on a stretch of gravel road that was so rocky it was like riding on the cobbles in France. Again, bone jarring. It required all of our concentration to stay upright.

Steep AND rocky!

Later we found some smooth gravel then some double track that required a little hike-a-bike. Back on smooth gravel we found the road’s end at some railroad tracks. We had to carry our bikes over the tracks to get on pavement for the final miles into Fernie.

Busy tracks!

Throughout the last few hours of the day we were hammered by a constant headwind. It both slowed our progress and drained our spirits.

Insane winds.

Finally at our hostel for the evening, we quickly ordered beers and sat out on the porch overlooking the street and the mountains beyond. Two women were there and, naturally, we sparked up a conversation. They were in town from Calgary to see a band they liked, Daring Greatly. They didn’t have tickets so they needed to get to the club early for the 10pm show. They were already 3 drinks into their evening at 5pm so it was going to be interesting to hear their reviews on the show. It turned out they didn’t make it to the 5th song.

Beers upon arrival.

We, on the other hand, filled our afternoon with laundry and a good meal downtown. Upon returning to the hostel we met an attractive young couple that said they had just moved into the area. They were quick to invite us into the bar for shots. However, they just gave off a grifter vibe and we all thought better of their offer. Our bunk beds without AC were the better choice.

Downtown Fernie

Couple observations from the day: First, it may look easy on paper but… today was our toughest day mentally and physically. Jet lag, lack of sleep, head winds, rough terrain all made it difficult. Second, sometimes people give off a vibe and you know there’s an agenda. Follow you gut and avoid a situation.

Cheers!

Ride stats:

Miles ridden: 49.53

Elevation gain: 2,027 ft

Max elevation: 5,075 ft

Start time: 8:07am

Moving time: 5:21:05

Elapsed time: 8:04:46

Ave speed: 9.2 mph

[f1]

Stroll updates fans on extent of injuries in lengthy Instagram post

As Lance Stroll continues his recovery from his pre-season cycling accident, the Aston Martin driver has detailed his injuries and the surgery he needed in an extensive Instagram post. A cycling accident and the resulting surgery caused Stroll to miss pre-season testing at the end of February, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich stepping in to complete the programme alongside Fernando Alonso, before Stroll returned to participate in the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. He maintained throughout that he would be able to race, and ended up finishing sixth – ahead of Mercedes' George Russell. READ MORE: Stroll recounts 'insane journey' from hospital bed to P6 in Bahrain with a broken wrist On Instagram, he wrote: "I want to take a moment today to reflect on the last couple weeks, and share my story with you guys. On Saturday, February 18th I crashed on my bike while training in Spain. Alonso and Stroll celebrating with the rest of the team after the season opener "The scans showed I had a fracture and displacement in my right wrist, a fracture in my left wrist, a partial fracture in my left hand and finally another fracture in the big toe on my right foot. "With the beginning of the season right around the corner the timing could not have been worse. My medical team, at first, believed I was not only going to miss testing, but realistically the first few races. 48 hours after my accident/12 days before the first race Dr. Javier Mir successfully operated on my right wrist. READ MORE: Go behind the scenes with the best social media from the Bahrain Grand Prix "Following surgery, Dr. Mir told me I’d be back for Jeddah if I worked hard and with a bit of luck he was optimistic I could race in Bahrain – but that was a faint possibility. "To this day I am convinced the urgency Dr. Mir showed to me helped get me to Bahrain. The work wasn’t done. Unfortunately, Dr. Mir explained that the fractures in my left hand/wrist and toe weren’t suitable for fixation, and that I’d need to rely on a more conservative approach to heal my other injuries. "My medical team ensured we were doing anything and everything that showed some evidence for bone healing. It became my full time job, trying to combine everything that could help, even if it was by 0.5%. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences 2023 Bahrain GP FP2: Lance Stroll feels the effects of wrist injury during second practice "Initially progress was slow – I needed a lot of help even with daily tasks at home. But each day got better and once the cast came off on day 4 it became possible we had a chance of racing in Bahrain. "My medical team devised a programme that would help me restore mobility and strength in my wrists. Rehab required hard work and persistence – but with an incredible medical team and my friends and family supporting me – I was able to push through the pain and get back on track in Bahrain with my team and fellow drivers. And we did it!!! I am thankful for everyone who supported me, sent kind notes and wishes!" MUST-SEE: How Alonso muscled his way onto the podium in Bahrain – plus his ecstatic reaction Accompanying the post, Stroll included behind-the-scenes footage and photos depicting his path back to fitness – the Canadian seen wincing from pain in several shots as he completed his rehab. Aston Martin left Bahrain second in the points standings after Stroll's P6 – a personal best at that circuit – and Alonso's podium for P3. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[engbergsinfinland]

Hello everyone and happy Saturday!

We had a really nice Saturday. It started with a too-early wake-up (for a weekend, in my opinion), at 7:00, so the kids could get to their ice skating training at 8:15. It was the "far away" rink today (which is actually two rinks, totally underground -- like, a bunker!). But, we got there with plenty of time and they only had a 1-hour session today and it went well.

On the way home, we stopped at the skating shop (also a ballet and gymnastics shop, called Pirouetti) to put in an order for one of the team's skating jackets. I found another one through the WhatsApp group for their skating club; someone was selling one that her child had grown out of.

Once we got home, we had about an hour before we needed to be at a classmate's house, actually two classmates' house: siblings. One is a classmate of Rowan's (Joakim, pronounced sort of like "Yokam") and one who is a classmate of Cece's (Hertta). The kids had been invited the kids over for a hobby-horse race. It turned out that a lot of kids in school have come down with beginning-of-the-school-year cold, so it was just our kids and these two siblings. Eric and I went too, and ended up visiting with the parents the whole time; they were so gracious and wonderful and encouraged us to stay, too. We ended up being there for 4 hours! The parents have lived in the US, in North Carolina, and in China. They returned about 2 years ago. Anyway, the kids did do some hobby-horse jumping in their backyard and then they did other playing in the house -- and candy eating. It seems to be an international phenomenon ;)

After we were at their house, we went to Ikea like to pick up a couple of things: a pan lid, and then (like at Costco, where you just can't seem to leave without many more things than you planned to get) a miscelanous assortment of other items (including a set of four metal sporks for 59 Euro cents).

For, dinner I fed the kids some homemade refried beans and rice, now that I have procured pinto beans from the Mexican grocery in Helsinki! Hallelujah! I also got dried hominy and dried red chiles. There is nary a pinto bean in all of the "Tex Mex" sections of the super-abundant grocery stores in our town or other towns! I have a lot to learn about their impression of what "Tex Mex" cuisine is.

Eric and I went on a walk while with Cece while Rowan read at home. He is trying to finish the Oz series. He's on the last book that we have here, but when Alia comes in about 11 days, she's going to bring the rest of the books, which I'm going to give him for his birthday on September 9th.

There are a few things that Eric and I wanted to be sure we mentioned in this week's post. First, last night we happened upon a television show called Naked Attraction Suomi ("Suomi" is how Finnish people say "Finland," in their language). Apparently, there are other versions in Sweden and Norway. This is the most bizarre television show I've ever seen. It is a dating show with four people standing in obscured boxes where you can see them from the hips down -- and they have no clothes on! The primary contestant and the host are standing facing them, analyzing the naked bodies that they see before them.

The first episode we watched was all in Finnish and had no English subtitles. Eric said, "this is a very weird way to learn Finnish." Haha! Anyway, the bottom line of this show is that, incrementally, the other parts of these naked contestant-bodies are revealed and the main contestant then decides on one person to go on a date with. It is such a weird way to arrange a dating show and I am just not sure whether this would be something that would be viable in the American television marketplace. I can tell you that my inherited Irish Catholic prudishness was very much scandalized by such a television show!

Another thing we wanted to note was that while I was in Helsinki and the kids and Eric were back here, the kids finally got their bikes! They have been thrilled to have them.

As I noted in my last post, I was in Helsinki without the kids and Eric from Tuesday night through Thursday night. The rest of the Fulbright orientation was as exhausting as the first few days, but it was very fulfilling and I am so lucky to have been able to glean all the information from the guest speakers and the Fulbright Finland Foundation staff. We also had many university representatives, government officials, and former Fulbrighters speak to us. The settings for these talks were universities (Hanken School of Business and Aalto University), a very fancy law office (White & Case) that made me say, "wow, we are definite not in a university conference room anymore!," and the national art gallery -- plus other spots. We also had a reception at the US Ambassador's house! It was such an honor to be there, but also exhausting. My face literally hurt after so much looking interested and half-smiling and I was emotionally/mentally taxed afterwards too.

After the orientation wrapped up at Aalto University on Thursday, I went with another Fulbrighter (another Julie! She is at Oulo University this year) to the Mexican grocery, with a few graduate students along for the adventure, and then we also popped into Hakaneimen Market Hall and I went into the Rosebud Bookstore. I have got to get back to Helsinki soon; there are so many places I was hoping to get to this last week while there, but there was absolutely no time.

I will write again on Tuesday -- the day before my teaching starts! I have so much to do before then. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[steamishot]

T-35 days

work is now easing into its slow season. i've still been training the new girl A here and there. the last time i met up with her, i was "too nice" and continued training her for 2.5 hours and basically held her hand through everything. it's really frustrating when we have gone over something 3x before and she doesn't remember how to do it. at the rate of which she's learning, we still haven't gone over the other populations i used to manage. the last time we met up, i set a hard boundary at 1 hour and told her i had to go.

i believe this is a hire of nepotism, which puts me in an odd place. i haven't complained or made comments about her to my previous manager because i think she's some sort of distant friend or relative. but going forward, she will be my old manager's responsibility.

boston: we took our first amtrak ride to boston. by coincidence, we've gone to boston once a year during aug/sept for the past 3 years. the first time was by plane, the second by driving, and third time by train.

after a 4 hour train ride, we arrived to the boston back bay station around 2pm on saturday. we checked into our hotel room where the wedding venue was also taking place. took a shower and got ready.

they provided a shuttle to the church. it was my first time witnessing a church wedding, and for white people, lol! it was the most "like the movies" wedding i've been to

the wedding was pretty intimate, about 6-7 tables. matt was surprised he got invited

we got seated with the groom's (who was matt's coresident) medical friends. i sat with an endocrinologist, pathologist, PCP, palliative care consultant and hospitalist. the spouses of the doctors were also non-med. and the one PCP who is married to another doctor, his anesthesiologist partner didn't show up, lol. other people kept asking if i was a doctor too and i had FOMO for not having a dr title

on sunday, we met up with K for about two hours. she's going through some personal things so i sensed that she wasn't really in a sociable mood and didn't want to hang out for long. however, we got to exchange creations with each other and have dinner together. she crocheted a unicorn for me, and i gave her a bowl i made in ceramics (color taro).

randomly, matt and i stumbled upon a korean group dancing at the park while we were walking around. they gave out bracelet freebies and i picked up 3 packets. we all made and wore a "friendship bracelet". she texted me today that she's still wearing it because it reminds her of spontaneity + friendship 🥰

although my friendship with K is 99% digital (this was my third time ever meeting in person over 4+ years?), we've gotten pretty close because we're now texting almost daily and are learning japanese together via duolingo

even though i was pretty anxious about these two events, i left boston feeling pretty fulfilled. i got to hang out with matt's medical friends, their partners, and got to also see my friend for a bit. it makes me feel proud to see the friendships/community we created on the east coast, even though the meetups are quite infrequent, lol

exercise: i'm motivated to start running again, or being more consistent with cardio (biking is another option). since returning to NYC and being in a whole mood about this move, i realize i've been more or less like a potato. i was mentally at my best when i did consistent, challenging workouts. this was a long, long time ago. and when i'm overly emotional, it's easy to just slip into a depressive mode and not workout at all.

upcoming plans: we have a double date for pizza with S&I tomorrow. i'll be going on a hike with T&S on sunday. a pool hangout with A&S the following weekend. then, switzerland. i don't have the same excitement for social plans as i used to have when i was in the "building my life here" mode, because now it's become "leaving my life here" mode. and it feels a little pensive and sad thinking about our last hangouts, but the thoughts are probably always worse than what actually is. it's like i'm ready to leave, but i don't want to say goodbye.

media: currently reading i am not your perfect mexican daughter and enjoying it. also watching kdrama recommended by ceramics friend LG called king the land with matt. we both like it and find it funny.

[umichenginabroad]

[week 4] Prague to Paradise

Ahoj everyone!

Welcome back to my blog where we have officially passed the halfway point of our Engineering in Prague program! I am currently on a 10 hour train ride through the alps back to Prague from this week’s weekend trip, so shockingly this blog may come out on time! 

Let’s get right into it with a little bit about my classes from this week. On Monday we had a midterm for my Engineering Statistics class which was a bit difficult but hopefully we did well? I also had a quick midterm for my Cross Cultural Management class which was very straightforward, followed by a trip to the European Parliament experience in Prague. This was a really interesting experience where we learned about how the EU parliament works to pass legislation and even participated in a simulated activity where we played certain countries and parties in the EU and attempted to pass certain laws. It was a really eye opening experience and showed us a bit more insight into European politics. Closing out the class week, I had my final for my Cross Cultural Management class and officially finished up with that course for the summer. I highly recommend this course if you are interested in learning about different cultures, interactions, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and international business. 

Now for this weekend trip, this was the trip I was most looking forward to and it was to Lake Bled, Slovenia. I was initially planning this as a solo trip but was able to convince a friend to come with me on this journey. We woke up bright and early Thursday morning and began our 10 hours of train rides to this hidden gem. Shockingly, we made it to the final train station without any issues despite us having 4 transfers and there being an international cellular data outage while we were traveling (gotta love Verizon). When we arrived at the station in Lake Bled, there was a massive thunderstorm where we couldn’t walk to our hostel and with the lack of service we were a bit stuck. Fortunately, we met two Finnish girls who were able to call a taxi and offered to split it with us (shoutout Moona and Heela). Upon arriving at our hostel, the rain finally cleared up and there was a double rainbow which honestly set the tone for this trip. 

Friday morning, I had booked a white water rafting tour for us where we ventured through one of the most beautiful rivers in the world surrounded by insane nature. Our Slovenian guides were super knowledgeable and let us swim in the freezing yet refreshing water. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever had! We even saw a bunch of horses afterwards which were so adorable too! 

For the rest of the day we explored the town surrounding Lake Bled. We took a traditional Pletna boat to Bled Island and then hiked up to Bled Castle for some of the most insane views of the lake and mountains. Up on the castle we had a local Slovenian wine tasting and discovered a traditional printing shop. We also stumbled upon a wedding on the top of the castle which was pretty interesting to see ahaha. 

On Saturday we woke up super early and went to the alpine coaster which was a bit sketchy but really fun with some amazing views of the lake. After that we had the brilliant idea of renting mountain bikes to go to Vintgar Gorge. The ride there was so so difficult because it was basically entirely uphill directly in the sun. However once we arrived at the gorge, it was completely worth it. We were required to wear helmets as we ventured through the rocky terrain and were met with some of the most breathtaking rapids, waterfalls, and canyons. We then hiked back to the start of the gorge which was about two miles through the mountains with some insane views. Thankfully the bike ride back was much more enjoyable going downhill lol. To finish off the night, we watched the Germany vs Denmark Euro Cup match in our hostel’s pub.

On Sunday morning, we began our trek back to Prague and are currently on our final 6 hour train traveling through the Austrian alps. Moving into next week, I’ll have some friends visiting for a few days before a bunch of us head to Barcelona for the weekend! Thank you so much for reading and I’ll see y’all next week!

Matt Sinanis :)

Aerospace Engineering

Engineering in Prague 

[cas-project-mm]

TITLE: CAS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Description:

This month I spent 6 hours volunteering at "Uniwersytet Dzieci" where I helped setting up classes and managing every class. Everything took place this weekend from 9:30 to 15:30. For my creativity I spent whole 3 days on a MUN conference as a photographer. I had to take pictures of delegates and the event overall. Moreover, I spent around an hour playing guitar. I spent most of this time trying to tune it the right way. Activity took the most chunk of my time. In whole September/October I spent around 31 hours on weightlifting (around 4 hours per week), only around 3 hours on a bike (62 km in total) and around3 hours running (26 km in total). Unfortunately due to my sickness I was not able to do any cardio for most of this month so the only activity for me was weightlifting.

Reflections:

Creativity:

As I've been interested in photography for a long time, taking photos on a MUN conference was a fun activity for me. The only difficulty I've encountered was walking into a conference room and taking photos while people are talking. It was a bit awkward and uncomfortable at the beginning after a few hours It became very easy. Unfortunately after this event I also had to edit those photos which also took some time. Overall, this was a pleasing activity and I may also do it again in the future. The second activity I've tried was taking up guitar. I only practiced for an hour so I don't have any specific reflections. However, I already know that it won't be an easy task to master as tuning the instrument took me a lot of time. I am not gonna give up and practice this week as well.

Activity:

I've already posted some of my reflections on a previous post about my 10k PR and running. Unfortunately I was not able to do any cardio this month as I am/was sick and had to take antibiotics and steroids. However, I'am looking forward to starting again next month. I spent most of my time weightlifting which I love! I started to pick up more and more weight and want to attempt my PR in the powerlifting (bench press, squad and deadlift). As I participated in the powerlifting competition last year I want to do it this year as well. The most difficulties I've encountered was staying consistent. Waking up at 6:30 in the morning to go train even though I had my first classes at 10 really strengthen my will power. All in all when I will be able to do more cardio I think I'll spend less time in the gym since I won't have enough time.

Service:

For my service I spent my Saturday helping at the "Uniwersytet Dzieci" where I helped taking children to their classes, taking attendance, helping during the class and making sure every child will find their parents. I spent a great time as I was doing it with my friend Ksawery who also volunteered there. Even though I saw the same class 6 times it was still heartwarming when students were excited about the topic, asked question and overall where engaged in the lesson. It was extremely sentimental as I got flashbacks from where I was in the early years of primary school. I also started to appreciate teachers more as I've seen the professor energetically explain the same topic for the 6th time in one day. I admired it a lot. Overall, I'm glad I did this service and I'm looking forward to the next meeting!

[type1cyclingdan]

Sleep is overrated!!!

Sleep is overrated! well people that cant sleep will tell you that, I would love to be able to sleep well but currently my diabetes is making that impossible. For the last week my sleep has been pretty rubbish with only 1 good day, the last couple of days have been particularly worse with Saturday into Sunday my alarm for low glucose starting at 3am and me giving up and getting up at 5am. Then Sunday into Monday well as I type I have pretty much been awake since before 12am, I got up smashed 10 jelly babies in the hope that that would keep my levels high enough to sleep and in theory that should have shot my levels up but nope nope nope it was not to be and the alarm was back sounding at 02:30 with me giving in and just getting up at 03:30. With out even thinking the words I said to myself as I got up was "Fuck My Life" which is how I was feeling, feeling sorry for myself, but even though sleep is a massive part of recovery from training it is what it is and letting it get to me is not going to change anything is it. 

After eating the jelly babies my levels only went up to around 5.8 and then started dropping again, there are 20 grams of carbs in 4 jelly babies so with me eating 10 thats 50 grams of carbs with no insulin which should see me spike considerably. The only thing to do is reduce the amount of long lasting insulin (Levemer) which seems to change every week, I have been having to take 5 units in the morning and 5 at night to keep my levels consistant a little while but that will be more like 3 units at the moment.

On the plus side I have had a really good week on the bike with the training rides in Exeter and Newport and then a rest day Friday and then into a tough race specific training session that on paper was hard but I smashed it with way harder number hit that what was prescribed. Sundays ride was a 3 and a half hour ride with some endurance efforts, I started to struggle towards the end but managed to get through with only one of the intervals that I could not hit as my legs would not let me.

There is a cycling magazine called Cycling Weekly which comes out every Thursday and it Publishes the results of some of the races around the country, I normally have a look to see how people that I know or know of have got on. This week I was looking and realised that the race that I was in was in there and that there I was in the CAT 4 race in 3rd position, only the second time I have been in there. The first time was years ago, again a 3rd place, but in a time trial race Back when I was a lot stronger and faster. Hopefully, plenty more additions will have my name in them, and with some first place results, actually, not hopefully there will be many first place results to come. A phrase that I say to the kids alot is "If you think you can't then you are right you can't but if you think you can you are also right you can" so I have to live by my own example hey. 

I have a few recovery days ahead of me with some easy zone 2 rides and then a hard sesion on Wenesday, I am then away for work Thurday and Friday in Avonmouth and then back to racing on Saturday with a race down in Kent. It is a circuit that I really like and is a good one to get away in in a break so I will be looking to improve on my 3rd place in the last race and with my current form there is absolutely no reason why not.

Dream big, work hard, keep trying, and never give up, and always believe that you can achieve.

#Typeonewarrior #T1D #Keeptryingnevergiveup #Wegoagain #giant #GiantPropel #Giantpropeladvanced #Giantbikes #BelieveAndAchieve

[loiswolf]

Day 33 July 1 Radisson - Saskatoon 82kms

Technically today should only have been 65kms but I had extra places to go which you find out about soon.

I wake up really early so it’s hard to leave late on a short day. I managed to string breakfast and packing out until 8:30 when I hit the highway again.

Since it was early Saturday morning it was very quiet. This was good as the shoulder on the first 15kms was pretty rough so I cycled the highway. It actually wasn’t much better.

Eventually the road improved but I wasn’t going very fast as I was cycling into a light headwind again. Today there was actually a bridge

and a hill!

Such excitement all on one day!

At about 27kms there were signs for a lookout on the other side of the highway. Well, why not? I crossed over and doubled back on the side road about 200m to this lookout.

It was nice little spot even though there were no seats, so I sat for a few minutes to enjoy the peace.

Not too long because I knew the town I had picked for my break was only a few kms up the road.

A little over 30kms was Langham. I didn’t bother going into the town as there was a Subway/service station just off the highway. Today I chose 3 subway cookies to go with my coffee. I was served by the lovely Chantalle

We had a nice conversation where we found out a bIt about each other. Today was actually her last day working at Subway.

Back out on the highway knowing I had to make a right turn after 18kms. I was bypassing the city and heading for the railway station. Once I’d made the turn I was out of the headwind so things were a little easier. The next turn I took too early and ended up in a big shopping area. I managed to get out without adding too much distance and only riding on the wrong side of the road for a little while. 😟

Even though I was on the right road I was sure something was wrong. I was way out of town near some canola fields

Then it looked like I was heading for a big storage area for containers. Nope, just around the bend and there was the train station, in the middle of nowhere. I had gone there to inquire about taking Shirley on the train tomorrow. I had seen somewhere on their website that bikes were no longer allowed to be left in the corridors.

Of course, there was no one there. Grrrrr. The train leaves at 6:15 in the morning. You’re supposed to be there 45minutes before departure.

Did I want to get up at 4:30am , get ready, packed and cycle back out to the train station to be told Shirley would have to go in a box? No, I did not!

Now on the way out there my knee, which I had been babying all day, suddenly seemed to improve.

Here’s the thing. The weather is supposed to change tonight and tomorrow there should be a strong tailwind blowing me eastward. Hmmm, sounds better than sitting on a really slow train for 14 hours even if Shirley was allowed on.

Although I am overdue for a rest day, and my knee would probably benefit, I’m not wasting that tailwind.

I headed back towards town and stopped in a Tim Hortons to work out accommodation and route. Naturally there was some bagel and donut consumption while I was there.

Since I was moving on I also needed a supermarket stop to replenish my dwindling supplies. Only a couple of kms to go to my Airbnb and I had managed to fill in time before my 3pm check in.

My shopping was on top of my backpack which had the iPad in it. I had roughly remembered the distances for turns and when I saw a house on a corner with the correct number, 401, I assumed I was in the right place.

I unloaded my bags and locked Shirley to the gate then made my way to the door. A lady was behind to window so she opened the door to find out what I wanted. It was not the Airbnb, but luckily it was a very lovely young lady who was not at all worried about a random cyclist appearing at her door.

It turns out all the houses on the corner of every block have the same number. Crazy!

I rolled up a couple of blocks to the correct corner and was let in by my host, Nathan.

My room is quite nice but the place has no kitchen facilities except a small fridge ( which I have packed full) with no freezer. Nathan has taken my frozen berries and ice bottle to his mother in law’s on the next street and will bring them back in the morning. He and his fiancé are living there while they rent out the bottom of the house.

I showered straight away as everything is white. When I went down for a coffee I found Anna from Germany sitting on the front step.

I joined her and talked for a while before we decided to walk down to the river. There was a free jazz festival going on because today is Canada Day.

We ate food from the food vans and sat on the hill in the shade to enjoy the live music.

Eventually I had to come back to do some washing and write this. The sacrifices I make for you guys!