As a Christmas present in part to my wife and myself, I bought an ID band by road ID. I spend most of my free time running, biking, hiking, surfing, climbing or undertaking any number of other potentially dangerous outdoor activities.
Were I to come a cropper somewhere, I feel I owe it to my wife to have a means of getting what’s left of me back to her :-).
Since breaking my back in 2011 I am more conscious of the consequences when things go wrong. The accident failed to stop or even slow down my adventurous activities, they are what makes me…me, but I am now more open to having sensible measures in place to look after my well-being and give my family piece of mind.
About
The ID band arrived quickly, even with shipping to the UK, it was beautifully packaged, presented and does exactly what it says on the tin.
I opted for the Wrist ID slim, it has the lowest profile and it is great, in fact I forget its on my wrist. (They offer countless styles and colours)
Weighing 0.1 of an ounce and being laser engraved, satin polished surgical stainless steel, the plate is fantastic quality.
The wristband is a standard silicone wristband, they come in a variety of colours. The plate can also be fitted to other charity wristbands.
I had opted to have contact numbers of next of kin engraved on mine.
They also offer a number service, where for a small subscription fee they will keep medical info on a database, so if you are in an accident emergency services can get your history quickly.
The stainless steel plate comes with a lifetime guarantee, it you wear it out you get a new one.
This product is cheap and so light it goes unnoticed. At worst it will give your family piece of mind and at best could save your life. I see no reason why all outdoor enthusiasts don’t have one!
Since my blog began, I have been following the blog for active outdoor dogs and Travels with the Blonde Coyote. Although not a dog owner I have a soft spot for animal stories and found those shared on these blogs heartwarming. Our home is a refuge for unwanted animals, we have rescued snakes, lizards and unwanted cats but until recently we had resisted getting a dog, we recognised that they are a huge commitment. All our other animals require feeding and tending to, but are otherwise pretty independent. Dogs on the other-hand are pack animals that require constant companionship and a much deeper investment to keep them happy.
I spend most of my time outdoors and didn’t want to get a dog and not give it the home life that it deserved. I have come to realise through reading about all the active outdoor adventure dogs, that a dog does need stability but it also needs exercise and stimulation, that is something any dog that joins me will have by the bucket load.
I have really taken the decision to get a dog seriously, to me it was a bigger deal than buying a house, but when a little pup needed a home I decided it was time. So I would like to welcome Eliza to my family and introduce her to my readers, I’m sure you will be seeing much more of her.
She has quickly found a place in our hearts and I cant wait to get her out with me on various adventures.
In the next year I have Ultra Marathons, Bike Tours, long distance hikes, Surfing, Canoe and climbing expeditions planned, hopefully she can enjoy many of these with me. Pretty typically of an outdoor adventure type, I have somewhat of a thing for kit and I cant wait to outfit her with some of Ruffwear’s finest gear!
Perhaps she will post some reviews on my blog in the near future?
A smile can be brought to my face by simply seeing the smile of another or a token act of kindness from a stranger holding a door open.
Temporary satisfaction can be found getting the latest object of my desires, those new trainers or that new book.
Temporary comfort can be found from eating a hearty meal or gorging on a sweet snack.
Working hard and achieving a goal can for a moment make me feel on top of the world.
I often feel impervious and invulnerable after a good run or workout.
But in between these moments my heart and mind can sometimes betray me, darkness can creep into the space these fleeting feelings of satisfaction once occupied. This darkness can cast a shadow over all the good in my world.
In these moments of pain and sadness you will continue to see me smile, when the odds seem insurmountable and life feels simply too hard I find a reason to keep going.
The suffering comes from pains of the past and anxiety, a fear of pain to be felt in the future.
I am learning to let go of the past and to not worry about the potential future. Living in the moment creates a peaceful mind in the now that will take me safely through anything that the future has to offer.
The outdoors bring a release for my troubled mind, the miracle that is the natural world energizes me and drives me too challenge it. Not fighting against nature but fighting to feel a part of it and feel everything it has to offer. For that I am thankful.
The power of nature can sometimes overcome me. Where a successful day of running Swimming or climbing can leave me exhausted, an unsuccessful day leaves me broken. When you give everything to feel all the world has to offer you experience highs and lows most can’t imagine. Few understand when successful the feeling of true peace and satisfaction or when unsuccessful the pain of a broken body does not compare to the anguish of self-doubt that follows.
Thankfully I’m not alone, at my worst even I can’t stand myself, but my wife is my best friend. She accepts the good with the bad and we share more than intimacy. We have moments of true synchrony. When out for a run, cooking a meal together or both happily sat in silence reading a book, there is a knowing that a fire burns in each of us for the other and it cannot be extinguished. When I’m riding those tremendous highs she is truly happy for me, but reels me in where necessary and when I’m feeling the lows she picks me up and never gives up on me.
For my birthday a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get a Trigger Point The Grid Foamroller, I have began to incorporate soft tissue massage into my daily routine of pliates, yoga and stretching. The benefits of which are being sung from the rafters at the moment, time will tell if these will be a stay around or vanish like the abb cradles and Swiss balls seem to be.
What they say:
The Grid represents a revolutionary advancement over traditional foam roller technology.
It won’t break down, lose its shape, or require costly replacement as a result of day-to-day use.
The Grid can be used from the comfort of your home, as part of your daily massage routine, or integrated into your athletic activities to help support and achieve a comprehensive core workout.
The Matrix incorporates Trigger Point’s exclusive Distrodensity Foam Zones to help massage and release tight muscles by delivering a precision massage based on your unique and individual needs.
With Matrix technology, you can enjoy the massage associated with Myofascial Release Therapy with different levels of intensity – perfect for that pre- or post-workout massage experience.
My first impressions:
The roller is well made and appears durable, it is visible that it has had daily use, but looks in no way to be wearing.
First use of the roller was a little uncomfortable on my IT band and Calves but this is easing and was clearly due to their tightness.
The massage process is simple rocking on the roller over the desired muscle groups and exploiting the grid pattern to penetrate stubborn areas.
After just a couple of weeks I have noticed a genuine improvement in aches, soreness and tension.
It is also noticeable that my core is engaged and inadvertently getting a good workout as I massage.
Overall I am pleased with the way things are going. At present I am suffering from a tight IT band and this seems to be helping, so as I continue I will update this post perhaps adding the exercises and their effectiveness. Please share any experience you have, I love to refine what I’m doing.
I Have been privileged to have Kerry, from Ventura Upon Thames award me with the Sunshine Award.
She writes a wonderful blog about family Life as an American in the UK, please check it out!
Thank you Kerry!
According to the instructions, I am supposed to:
acknowledge and thank the giver, link it back, and put the award on your page;
answer 10 questions about yourself found below;
pass the award on to 10 or a random number of bloggers (I’ll nominate only five for now but may add to this list later) and notify them.
So to the questions:
What is a real fear you have?
That those I love and care for will at some point have to overcome adversity and suffer and I will not be able to help them. I guess I value being strong and being able to protect the people I care about but the truth is that at times there are difficulties that you have to go through alone. I have had obstacles to overcome that have caused me great pain and I would hate for my loved ones to go through that. but I realise that the reality for most people, is that at some point in their lives they will be in a dark place and only they will be able to effect a change.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As kid I wanted to be Mowgli from jungle book so naturally I wanted to grow up to be Tarzan!
As an adult with a mortgage and responsibilities I still want to be Tarzan!
What are some of your hobbies?
My love of the outdoors and adventure is clear and the subject of my blog but I also love gardening, growing vegetables, reading, drawing, art and crafts and cooking but often these take a back seat due to not having enough hours in the day. I have just began to help bee keeping with my friend, it is fascinating!
What hobby would you like to start?
Ever since reading Kes as a child I have always wanted to try Falconry, I would also like to try horse riding. I am fascinated by nature and love something about the primitive bond and relationships that man and animals can share.
If you could tell people anything, what would be the most important thing to say?
Respect yourself, from loving and respecting yourself comes love and respect for all things. Learn to love yourself and you will understand that you have unlimited potential!
Name one item from your “bucket list”?
I am training for an Ironman triathlon. I would also love to run an ultra marathon. My list is so long it’s beyond most people’s imagination. the main thing is not to waste any time ever and keep chipping away at the list
What’s the best prank you’ve pulled off?
I once put an egg down my wife’s knickers and then slapped her bum breaking the egg….don’t think she thought that was the best prank I’ve ever pulled, I also once text my wife to tell her I had bought a Canadian canoe at a car boot-sale, I sent her a picture of the canoe and she was not impressed as we did not have the space for such an item at the time. When she returned home from work, she found out that the canoe belonged to an action man and that I had used clever angles with the camera to make it look bigger 🙂
Not sure why she stays with me really?
What book are you planning to read next?
I am currently reading David Attenborough’s The First Eden: The Mediterranean and man
It is an amazing book that chronicles man’s history and mythology along with nature and geology and how they have all impacted upon each other in the Mediterranean.
Next will probably be James Lovelock’s GAIA: a new look at life on earth
The Gaia hypothesis proposes that living and non-living parts of the Earth form a single entity that adapts in order to sustain life
Coffee or tea?
Gunpowder Green tea
Lemon torte or chocolate cheesecake?
Neither, I have enjoyed some of these lovely raw whole food snacks lately though:
Travels with the Blonde Coyote See more of the world…on foot and on the road! This is one of the first blogs I ever followed and is packed with wonderful images and adventure stories, top of the list!
The Weekend woodsman Woodsman in training, enjoying the forests and fells of Finland. A fantastic blog giving me an insight into adventures in another part of the world!
The Mountain Library A reading list of mountaineering, mountain culture and travel, just need to read more of their reading list!
Ahucah One of the most prolific Barefoot Bloggers!
Thanks again to Kerry for the nomination, thank you to the above blogs for educating and entertaining me and thank you to anyone who made it to the end of this lengthy post!
My posting hiatus is over, I have had a week in the lakes on a bushcraft course, I then had to catch up with all I had missed. I am in the process of writing up that adventure but first I’ll share where my head is at the moment.
I have just received a new Ragley Blue pig x mountain bike frame, so like a child at Christmas I can hardly contain myself. It is being built into the ultimate hardcore hardtail, more soon folks…
My old ride served me well but it has had a hard life and is now looking for a retirement home, I always find the transition from one bike to another a little melancholy, perhaps I’m too sentimental?
I ride my bike every day; for work, for fun, for fitness. I am blessed that being up north we have stunning scenery, for the best part nice roads and even better some of the best off-road trails in the country, we also have a world-class skatepark and a couple of ok bmx tracks a stones throw from my house. There has been some serious investment in mountain biking in the area with the mountain bike world cup being held in Dalby forest on a couple of occasions.
It is a superb area to be a cyclist!
However
This year the Olympics are being held in London and that is tremendous for London, but up until last week I have struggled to get excited. My only chance to watch any of the events is on TV like most of the population. Very little barring the Olympic torch parade is going to be in my area. My interest however has began to change, last week I was lucky enough to be able to visit the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, not quite London 2012 but as close as I’ll get. When there I was able to see some of Team GB training. Although most of the big players were elsewhere, it was mind-blowing seeing those who are perhaps on the fringes of the squad tearing up the track. The training and dedication needed to get to that level is truly amazing.
This trip has really helped spark my enthusiasm for the Olympics and Cycling, Last night I rode on a local club ride with renewed enthusiasm and cant wait to book some track time myself
The Olympics may be a world away but I’ve got some of the best cycling in the world on my doorstep, I’m not really jealous the most exciting thing about cycling in London is a close call with a double-decker bus, those guys need this more than I do
I thought I would share with you a heart warming and inspiring video, not just for those who ride bikes. The video was created by a jack for DannyMacAskill, whom shot to fame a few years ago after releasing some sensational videos showcasing his skills. I will often watch videos of Danny’s tremendous skills before a ride to get revved up. I find this child’s enthusiasm just as inspirational as any of Danny’s videos.
It reminds me that the reason I ride in the first place…fun!!!
This is going to be a very short review, what is there to say about a bike bell?
Well…
The king of ding is a super stylish looking brass bell with the sweetest chime I have ever heard, loud enough to alert anyone to your presence and sounding so good they will smile as they make way. It’s simple to fit and would attach to just about any type of bars, there is just one drawback to this great bell, when the going gets rough the bell starts ringing.
So to make this the perfect bell I modified it to incorporate a little helping hand that sits between the striker and dome which can be swivelled into place when off- road preventing the constant chiming:
Plan
Template
End result
If you need a bell I have never seen a better example, but if you ride rough roads or trails it may need a little modification to get the best from it.
Posted with Blogsy
movingfastblog 