The astute among you will no doubt notice that I skipped the 27th of Feb. That’s because all I did then was two trips up the front garden holding onto a handy arm.
Today I put in two 15 minute sessions. The improvement is there but it is slow. I know that my technique is improving as I am less exhausted at the end of a session and I don’t need to remind myself about “weight on seat” quite as often. I did take a while to get used to the feel of the paving again. The hall floor I used on Thursday night is both smoother and bigger than my paving.
I did notice that I was finding it harder to ride alone with the assistance of the wall and that Leslie wasn’t that good at supporting me when I left the wall. Then we figured it out - he wasn’t cracking under pressure or anything - the hard plastic plates in my wrist guards were digging into his arm! Pain is a pretty good reason for getting out of the way. I ditched the guards and things went much better. Don’t worry - the only reason I am happy to take them off is that I’m not going particularly fast at the moment and my falls are all very controlled. Once I get some speed up the protective stuff is going right back on!
Tomorrow we’re going to drive out to the local shoppping mall. It isn’t that big and they close early on a Sunday afternoon. They have a nice big parking lot and, other than some people learning to drive, it should be pretty empty. I think one of the reasons things seemed so much easier in the hall on Thursday night is that I had more space to work with. At the moment, just as I get over the “I’m on, I’m moving” phase, I have to get off. I think I need to practice turning or something.
I am getting in the odd unsupported bit every now and again. I think my body is ready to ride, it’s just my brain that isn’t.
Jayne