Skiing Update.

I was looking forward to a quiet couple of weeks to recover from the bike accident, get to the gym and sort stuff out for the skiing holiday. A trip came out of the blue and I had to head 'up north' and was a bit pushed for time in the end. At least I managed to get some digs in Rugeley and a quick thrash round 'Follow the Dog' in the snow and after dark.

The knees works fine on the bike, with little lateral movement, and I'm hoping they will be OK for skiing.

I was worried that the damage to the good knee, caused by the bike accident, may cause another delay in operating on the bad knee (if they find out). I need not have worried because the hospital called a couple of days before we left for France to postpone the operation (again) until April 12th. Marvellous !

We had an indecently early start to drive to the Alps and stayed, as usual, with Robin and Lorna (http://www.chaletverger.com/) in Albertville. A quick hour on Saturday morning saw us in Les Allues and we were on the slopes by 11:00am. By midday we experienced some good French hospitality and were fleeced for just shy of £40 for seven coffees and a Sprite .. must be a record.

Molly & I were away with my two brothers (note the resemblance?), kids and a couple of mates and had a very sociable and chilled out holiday. Nothing too strenuous and nothing too silly, bearing in mind the fragile state of my limbs at the moment. We even skied pretty well considering we haven't been for a couple of years.

The trip was organised with the excellent www.skiblanc.co.uk and we would thoroughly recommend them. Great accommodation with fantastic hospitality and food courtesy of Woody and Jennifer who looked after us a treat!

We are now re-planning the next couple of months because I have to re arrange work committments around the new date and fill in the time in the short term with more training now that I am able to. I would have rather been in hospital today and had two months before the golf trip to Spain in May (and five months before Durango), but I guess a month to recover will have to do. I have one of our 'Personal Trainer' friends available to sort out a water based remedial programme once the cuts have healed, so I am hopeful I can compete in Spain - even though I will not have played much.

The proper 'training' is actually going well, even though a lot of it over the last couple of weeks has been of the 'non-riding' type. A more consistent and regular regime plus a general re-education of my palate has resulted in a reduction of girth and a weight loss of about a stone (14lbs). I got round 'the Dog' faster and more comfortably than last time and am looking forward to the Friday night fight club meeting with Mick and Stu. The first one in a few weeks.

I guess I should 'publicly' state my aim of getting into shape and under 14st 4lb (200 lb) eventually. The extra weight was justified (and useful) for rugby, those days are gone and it's time to sort it out. I started at 16st 7lb (231) on Jan 1st 2010 and currently reside at 15st 10lb (220). I will be 15st (210) when we go to Colorado in August and aim to see in 2011 at the target weight. I will be 'in shape' sometime after that !

Bring it on ...