Choosing a parasport

Now that I've been more active, getting out as part of the Make Your Move challenge, I feel drawn to try some other sports. I've never been big on team sports, so let's start by ruling those out. If I hated them playing the regular way, chances are I'll still not like them playing in a chair. So, this week, I've been trying to find some different sports to have a go at...

Wheelchair racing

This is what I want to look like...

Maybe that's one of the reasons I love my freewheel so much - it makes my wheelchair look like a racing chair. But it's still broken. Good news though! They are going to repair it, so I've sent it back and I'm hoping and praying that it returns very soon. When it does, I'm tempted to pop over to the Costello Stadium in Hull and get out on a proper track. I could do some timed exercises and see what sort of distance suits me best. 

Of course, if I ever decided to take it up as a serious sport, I'd need somewhere nearer to train and a proper racing chair, but given that it's a summer sport, that's unlikely.

Gym

We get gym membership as part of our corporate leisure centre deal. I've given it a try a couple of times but I could do with some proper coaching to help me know which exercises to focus on. The good thing is that it's indoors and most of the machines have built in fans, and the building has air cooling. The downside is that it isn't very wheelchair friendly and I feel quite self-conscious because I can't do very much.

Table tennis

Yesterday afternoon, Neil and I went to the leisure centre and played table tennis together for an hour. I really love this. It's an ideal sport for playing as a hybrid pair - one able bodied and one in a wheelchair - and I can play well enough to keep the ball going back and forth. We decided yesterday that when I get my assistance dog, one of the first things I need to teach it as an extra, is how to retrieve a delicate ping pong ball. It's hard work, trying to pick it up off the floor in a chair, though I did improve my technique. 

The downside of table tennis, is that our membership only gives us free play during the day, so we can only really play at weekends. Even then, it depends who is on the front desk - some will give us table tennis for free because it's on a badminton court (which is a perk of the membership deal) but others say it isn't mentioned specifically and therefore is charged.

Swimming

I love swimming and would happily do this most days but the pool only has lanes from 7:00 - 8:00 in the morning. The rest of the time, it is a free-for-all and often quite busy. Plus, there's only one accessible changing room, so we try to go when we know nobody else will be needing it. I did once have to stand/sit outside for 20 minutes, waiting for another person to get changed. When my legs gave out, and I could stand no more, I sat in my chair but my bum was wet and that made my seat wet and it just wasn't nice. 

Having said that, we are going swimming this evening, so we'll see if it's a bit quieter for the last hour on a Sunday. 

Sit-skiing

Having had my first lesson at ChilFactore, and loved it, I have now found out that Xscape have reintroduced adaptive skiing. This is the best news ever! ChilFactore is just too far but Xscape is just down the road. So, I have a lesson booked this week. I will be learning in one of these...

I like the idea of a biski, where you sit on two skis but the teacher there eventually has ideas of getting me on a monoski, where the seat is on one ski. At first, I really didn't want to consider this but when I think about it, it can't be so very different, so I could give it a go. For now though, I will be biskiing. 

At my last lesson, the teacher held on to me at the back with a bar but this week, I'm going to be tethered. The main difference is that now, I'll have to get the turns right by myself. The teacher assures me that we will start part-way up the slope (not right at the top) so that I can get the technique right. Who knows though, I might make it to the top by the end of the lesson.

Challenge Completed

For the last 30 days, I've been doing a BBC Get Inspired challenge. Even though I'm not as active as I'd like to be, I do like to push myself and engage in sporting activities. Plus, I want to inspire other people with disabilities to be active and to achieve things they thought they couldn't. So the challenge I've been doing is the Take a Hike challenge. Here are the goals...

Aim - walk/roll every day

I haven't walked every single day but I have walked (or rolled) most days. I've just added up how far I have 'hiked' during the challenge and it's between 28 and 30 km. That is just amazing! What I have loved about this challenge, is that there were many evenings when I would have just sat and watched the telly but being an ambassador put a bit of pressure on me to get out for a walk first. So the challenge has really made me change my lifestyle, albeit in a small way.

Benefits

I don't know about stronger legs but my arms and shoulders have definitely got stronger. At the beginning, I was tired and achy after a kilometre but now I can propel over 3 km before feeling really achy. Even though I've done the 30 days, I really want to keep this up because I'm feeling more confident because of being stronger in my upper body. I feel less vulnerable about getting stuck somewhere and being unable to get myself home or back to the car.

Goal

My original goal was to get to 5 km. I haven't achieved this but I made it to 4 km and that is just fantastic! I haven't given up on the 5 km but time is the biggest issue... and the summer. Once the heat and the wasps have all finished (hopefully October-ish) I'm going to resurrect this challenge and try to get to 5 km at least once a week, with slightly shorter runs in between. However, I have increased my time and distance, something that I will continue to work on.

Next step

My major heartbreak of this challenge was the death of my freewheel. I've contacted the company that I bought it from and they are trying to sort it out with the suppliers but so far, I've been unimpressed with freewheel's response. They are saying it's wear and tear but I only bought it in November and 8 months for such an expensive piece of equipment, doesn't sound very good to me. Because I have no freewheel at the moment, hiking anywhere off-road is... well... off. Plus it really is now above my threshold temperature for being outdoors and the wasps are beginning to bother me. So, I have a plan...

I had an adaptive skiing lesson a while ago over in Manchester. I loved it but it's too far to travel regularly. However, I've just found out that Castleford have resumed adaptive skiing and that's just down the road. So for the summer, I'm going to aim to become an independent skier. I had ruled out monoskiing because of my awful balance but I'm now thinking I might give it a go. If not, then biskiing looks manageable, if a little less independent.

Loopy about my new Loopwheels!

I have been so excited this week, after ordering my new wheels on Saturday! I knew they were due to arrive today and all day, I've been checking my phone in the hope that Neil would have Whatsapped me to say they were here. Eventually, just as I was leaving work, they arrived.

I should have done an unboxing video really but I only thought about that afterwards. I wanted to get them straight on my chair and test them out. I went for a quick spin round the block and they work! Neil is less excited about this than I am. He apparently knew they would work because they are round and that's what makes wheels work. Deep sigh!!!

So aren't they beautiful?!?!?!

Oh, I should probably explain what is so good about them. They are designed with suspension built into the wheel, so when I go over bumps or uneven surfaces, they should take the vibrations and shocks out before it gets to my back. Given that I feel everything through my lower back, any improvement has got to be good!

You can get them in loads of different colours. I chose white to match my wheelchair and because white is my favourite colour. It's the colour of snow and I love snow!

I'm just working out when I can get out for a really long ride. I was hoping to go this evening but we've got someone coming to give us a quote for doing the garden and then we're going to collect Andy from his uni house. Tomorrow I'm at work most of the day but might be able to go out later. We'll have to see.

Wheels, cars and fun

The last two days have been awesome! I'm going to have to break it down...

The Rav 4

We're looking at getting a new car before Neil's no claims bonus expires. Last time, we could only get 20 minute test drives from Ford and Kia and ended up buying a car that is okay but not great. So this time, we're only considering makes where we can get an overnight test drive.

So we collected the Rav 4 on Friday evening after work and drove it all around my work area. Then yesterday morning, we drove it down to Newark. Newark? Yes, because that's where Loopwheels are based.

Loopwheels

I already have my freewheel, which enables me to go over rough surfaces without too much difficulty. Last year, when we went to the Mobility Roadshow, I tried some Loopwheels and liked them but at that time, I had my old chair and my priority was getting a new chair. This year, I got a quote for some Loopwheels. Okay, they're expensive. It's a new product (2013) and a lot of work has gone into designing them. They are wheels with a carbon fibre suspension system built in. As an added bonus, they look dead cool!

The owners met us there specially. They don't normally open on Saturdays. We were there ages, had a really good try-out of the wheels - on gravel, grass, cambers, curbs, etc. I loved them! I ordered them. They'll be here on Friday!!!

Back to the Rav

Having driven the Rav quite a long way on every road type we could find, I have to say I really like it. There's loads of space - I could install an ensuite bathroom and still have room for passengers! From the driver's seat, the bonnet looks massive! I like a substantial car but this is bigger than we really need. The fuel economy was excellent - Neil was quite relaxed and even let me have the air-con on. The boot was enormous too! We could put my wheelchair in with the wheels on and there was still more than enough room for all my other stuff, plus luggage, a dog, some passengers, etc.

Tucson

Immediately after taking the Rav back, we collected a Hyundai Tucson. This was one of the cars we drove at Silverstone a few weeks ago. We popped home for some extra clothes, as the weather looked decidedly threatening, and then headed through the East Riding to Scarborough to see the boys.

It's not quite as big as the Rav but still plenty big enough for our needs. It has several quirky features. For example, it tells you the speed limit on the dashboard and is remarkably quick to change when you pass a new sign. Also, it has 'lane assist'. It detects lane markings and tries to keep you within them. You can easily override this steering back into lane but if you cross the line, it sounds an alarm.

Fun with my boys

I'll write a separate update about my hiking achievements, because the BBC aren't supposed to like advertising and this post is full of it! We went to Scarborough though, met the boys on the beach, took them out for fish 'n' chips and then went for a walk past the Spa. It was just lovely to spend an evening together, having fun, laughing, catching up, etc.

I wish we'd got some video footage of me bombing it down some of the hills. Next time, maybe.

Well that escalated quickly!

My two sons use this phrase when something has been ticking along quite nicely and then suddenly grows in significance or size. Usually, they say it to make me laugh and often to get them out of trouble. Well, I think it sums up what has just happened...

My last post was about doing the BBC Make Your Move YMCA challenge. I tweeted a link (as you do) and over the weekend the BBC got in touch and after a few phone calls, they've invited me to become one of their ambassadors - yikes! No pressure! I wasn't expecting that but I'm really excited about the opportunity to inspire others and prove that the only limitations we have to achieving something are in our minds.

I was finding the YMCA challenge quite easy and not really that challenging, so I took this opportunity to engage with one that would be a proper challenge. So here I go with Take a Hike. Well, obviously I'm not going to do much walking but I am going to adapt the challenge for my part-time wheelchair use. I will do a little bit of walking (I use my chair as a zimmer frame) but mostly, I'll be self-propelling and building up my strength and stamina, so that I can go further. Ultimately, I really would love to participate in a 5K race. I have my trusty freewheel so if I want, I could even do an off road race.

By doing this challenge, I'll be facing some fears (more on that in a tick), working on my mental stamina and continuing the battle to convince my brain that the nerve pains that attack my foot are not real.

I'm starting this challenge at the beginning of summer. Everyone who knows me knows that I hate summer. I'm terrified of wasps and bees... and nettles (though they are easier to avoid) and I don't cope well with heat. Some of my training will be indoors (to minimise stress) but I want to do an outdoor session at least twice a week. This will get me ready for when I'm matched with an assistance dog (I'm on the waiting list) and will hopefully remind me that being outdoors in summer isn't as bad as I think.

I'd love to say that I was skinny as a rake before my injury but no, I've been overweight since having my babies (who are now adults). Recently I've been trying to diet a bit but my resolve is weak. I know from previous experience that when I exercise more, my willpower (or won't-power) increases too. So I'm hoping that as I build my physical stamina, I'll also build a resistance to the temptation of chocolate.

Over the next day or two, I'm going to work out a workout plan. I'll post it here. If you want to take and adapt it, I would be chuffed to bits! Also, if you feel inspired to join me in this challenge, please get in touch. Either comment below or tweet me @finnberrys.