Today was my first day on the uni since the “F**K I’m such a moron I fell off a 20 inch wheel and hurt my foot” incident. I was hoping that things would go smoothly, but I have obviously offended the gods of unicycling in some way.
First off - do you know JUST HOW FLAT a tyre can go when it’s been left unattended since mid July? I do - it goes VERY FLAT. No problem - I have a foot pump. That worked fine until the f-ing thing broke. No problem - I’ll use the hand pump. PROBLEM - that’s in the kitbag with all the uni-hockey stuff that I gave to Dave before I went to Canada. Fine - I’ll ride it as it is. Went OK but it is fairly YUK riding a squishy tyre when you don’t want one. Think - “I’ll pop into the shops on the way home tomorrow and get another one”. Remember the car is in for a service tomorrow so shops will have to wait until the weekend. BLAST!
Well - what can I say - it was like I’d never been out of the saddle. I am just as useless now as I was the last time I tried. On the good side I did manage about four pedal strokes unsupported, the longest run I can remember on the 24. On the bad side I managed to give myself a saddle bite just below the knee on my left leg. The 24 has one of those “Savage” seats and when I fell off it managed to catch me with one of the infamous metal bumpers. It has broken through the skin, but nothing spectacular enough to photograph. I anticipate a bruise.
SO - what can I do to appease the unicycling gods? I know that Klaas Bil will say that it’s my fault for giving up learning on the coker in the hope of getting riding sooner. I think they just hate me. I’m willing to sacrifice my EX husband in their name. One more stunt like the “mom’s away for a week and a half so I won’t empty the cat litter for the WHOLE TIME” and I might be willing to sacrifice the boy-child.
This is one of those times when you realise WHY we have chocolate.
I KNOW - there is only one thing for it - PRACTICE. The harder I have to work at it the more I will appreciate it. If it was easy to do everybody would be doing it. All that sort of codswallop we feed kids when they want to ditch piano lessons.
Welcome back. Glad your foot is healed enough to ride (I’m assuming that’s why you’ve been off). Go get your tire pumped up and stroke your uni a few times telling it how good it looks and how you’ll try not to neglect it anymore. Maybe that’ll appease the gods.
this is not certain: last year I was out for 8 months (saddle hitting me = severed achille’s tendon )
I kept thinking about the movements
and when I tried again it was quickly better than before!
strange? I do not think so.
I am now out again (2 tendons!) but I hope things will not decline
bear
other option for progress; before getting unto the saddle try those wonderful ZA wines
(half serious; when slightly tipsy you’re not afraid to fall and you’re more relaxed)
Just practice, at least an hour a day and NEEEEEEVER give up!!!
I am going on 4 weeks now, I can mount myself about 30% of the time, I can ride at least 50feet 90% of the time. Each day I also manage a few rides between 200ft and 400ft. I can do down curbs about 90% time and up curbs about 30%.
Take the seat and throw it away. Get a seat with plastic guards. Save Yourself!!!
Yes - I had a similar suggestion to “help” when I was learning to juggle. When I tried it then (with beer, not wine) I dropped just as many balls, it just didn’t bother me so much.
Sorry to hear about your tendons! How did that happen? Was your coker being a BAD GIRL again? Hope you get better soon and make sure you have some physiotherapy afterwards - it helps get your ligaments and stuff back in shape so you have a slightly longer delay before the next injury.
If I could fit it in, I would. Working FT, two kids, and a house to run don’t leave me too much free unicycle friendly time.
Well, I’ve been at this on and off since February - admittedly on a coker for most of it. I switched to a 20, FINALLY felt that I was getting somewhere, fell off, landed badly, and got myself a 2.5 month layoff. See why I think the unicycling gods hate me?
Can’t really do that - the uni is not mine and, living in South Africa, I’ll have learned to ride on this seat before I can get hold of another one.
I will persevere. The 4YO is visiting a friend at the moment and the 14YO is vegetating in front of the TV. I’m going to grab lunch and see how much practice I can get in before I collapse from exhaustion. If I actually manage to get across the paving I’ll let you know.
How did that happen? Was your coker being a BAD GIRL again? Hope you get better soon and make sure you have some physiotherapy afterwards - it helps get your ligaments and stuff back in shape so you have a slightly longer delay before the next injury. 
