Honourable discharge...

Visited Mr Kitson, my spinal surgeon yesterday.  He's delighted with the progress I've made and, effectively, has discharged me.  "I'm here if you need me," were his parting words.  I hope to bejaysus that I never do... I tell you, that is one part of my life I never want to re-visit.  Oscar Wilde once opined that (and I paraphrase) we should try everything once, 'except incest and morris dancing'.  Well, I'd like to add herniated discs to that list.

Truth be told, I've engaged in rehab like never before.  This is a make or break time for me.  I'm 48 years old and was closing down on becoming a sub 10 hour Ironman.  Some might think I've pushed my body too far.  My thoughts are that the engine is fine, but the mechanics needed a lot of tweaking.  A couple of the wheels have come off.  I need to spend a while getting those mechanics right and then - and only then - can we see what the future holds.

In the meantime, I continue my back rehab exercises and begin my second battle against the achilles.  I'm now addressing some key mechanical issues which have developed over the years since my rugby injuries, particularly the weak glutes and collapsing knee on the right side of my body (coincidentally the same side as the disc herniation and the achilles tendon problem).  It's too early to say what the results will be but, once again, it will be a long, long struggle.

But I'm good at those.

In the meantime I must keep my weight down and my spirits up.  I'm kind of enjoying being back at the gym as it allows me to focus on rehab without running up mountains or cycling in 20 miles per hour winds and the like.  The downside is some kind of ear infection brought on (I'm pretty sure) by the pool and a general lack of tattoos which makes me stand out in the changing room like a schoolboy at Wormwood Scrubs.

What else have I been up to?  I've enjoyed a day at Twickenham watching a rejuvenated England lose against New Zealand's All Blacks (see pic right... great seats for once at Twickers!).  We had a reunion of the Manchester University Rugby Football Club and it was terrific to see many faces from nearly 30 years ago.  I'll be returning to Twickenham again in a couple of weeks to see England versus South Africa.

Work is ticking over and I'm taking the opportunity to re develop my website and company showreel before hitting the phones to try and shake the business tree.  It's never been a part of my life that I relish but I know that it results in work which I love and which is also so rewarding to us here at O'Neill Towers :)

Fiona is overseeing work on our bathroom and the main guest bedroom which is being gutted.  It's long overdue really and amazing how one begins to accept things that they'd sworn to change.  I guess that's true of life and a reminder of why it's never too late to chase a dream or take on a new challenge.

Today's main photo is from last week when the weather was great and I hopped onto my R3 for the first time since July.  It was so good to be riding again.  Long may it continue.