Strange Encounter.

It seems a lot has been happening of late and because as human beings we are surrounded by both positive and negative energies, it is for us to find the power within us just to attract the positives.
I woke up feeling really energetic today, and very positive then I went out for a 10k push. It felt easier than it has been in the past and halfway through I started to ask myself why I was feeling the way I was. Then I just realised that it was partly coming from within me, from the moment I woke up and got out of my bed my words of affirmation were positive. I was embracing the beauty around me, and being outside in the fresh air, pushing, huffing and puffing, just gave me a profound sense of gratitude for everything I have, my achievements and successes, and even for the things I've failed in that have made me stronger.
As I was nearing the end of my 10k push an elderly lady rushed to stop me, shouting; 'Stop, please stop!' I finally managed to stop and this lady walked up to me and said;'Excuse me, do you enjoy your life?' I looked up at her and smiled and told her I did in so many ways but in my head I was thinking to myself,'oh no here is another one feeling sorry for me because I'm in a wheelchair'. As she moved closer towards me I thought she was going to pat me on the back, or patronise me in some other way. I was very wrong! She surprised me by saying that the reason she had asked me whether I enjoyed my life was because she didn't enjoy hers. She explained that after 43 years of marriage her husband and true friend had passed on seven months previously and she feels lost and incredibly sad. She said that all the money and property her husband had bequeathed to her meant absolutely nothing and she wished she was me so she could just enjoy life as I was! As she said this she broke down and began to cry. I pulled her down towards me and gave her a big hug, with a bit of difficulty because I'm low in my chair and she was elderly. All I could do was to wipe her tears with the sleeve of my sweaty top and then she asked me;'How can I be happy again?' I didn't really have the answer but what I did say to her was that I was sure her husband would not want her to be unhappy, and that she should treasure her memories of her 43 years with him. As we parted she said,'Thank you for that beautiful smile. It will keep me going for some time'. As I pushed off I was thinking to myself,'what a strange encounter'.
The most wasted of all days is one without sharing a smile.

Flat as a Pancake.

Training has been going well and I've been working really hard. I've started pushing the three miles to the Mark Hall track as a warm up before I do my speed work on the track itself. I then push the three miles home, which is normally no problem but a mile into my journey home last night I got a puncture and had to do the last two miles with a flat tyre. Not good. I'm now just about to replace the tyre because you can't repair the puncture. Wheelchair racing is an expensive sport! Oh well, 'no pain no gain' as the saying goes.

Have Wheels Will Travel.

It's been a busy time since my last entry and I seem to have done an awful lot of travelling, not to mention a lot of time apart from my family.
First of all I went up to Liverpool by train to take part in the Knowsley Disabled Grand Prix event. It was great to be back in the wheelchair racing fraternity and having the opportunity to blow off the winters cobwebs with some good competition. My only complaint is that it was too windy to get any seriously good times.
I barely had time to see much of my son Tim before I was packing again and on my way to Heathrow to fly to Zurich. I love going to Switzerland because it gives me the opportunity to pit myself against the best racers in the world, and it is such a beautiful country. It was great to meet again with one of the women who inspired me to start racing, Louise Sauvage from Australia, and also to do some serious talking with a Canadian racer called Michelle Stilwell. Mind you, the schedules were pretty gruelling, getting up VERY early to travel to the meetings, and getting back just in time to sleep. Anyway, it was well worth going because I managed to get A and B Standard qualifying times. I now need to repeat, and better my times during the rest of the season.
It's good to be back home. I've had a lot of time on my own to think and I feel I am in a much more powerful position thanks to positive affirmation, self belief, and personal motivation.