A year to remember for some of the right reasons and some of the wrong ones

Well, What a year it has been! Sounds like the words to a song doesn't it, but alas it isn't. This year has been one of those that you want to forget but dont know you shouldn't. There have been so many things that have happened this year that it is hard to break it down and summarise for you all. How ever I wil make an attempt so that when found in the same situations you can have an idea of where I have been.

THus year started like any other in the Army, flatout and without direction. I started of by finding out I was instructing on a course which started about 3 weeks later. Nothing had been prepared for the course although my Unit had known about it for well over 6 months. So with a bit of knuckling down and getting into the instructor groove I belted through it, much the detriment of my family and cycling.
At the end of the course I was begrudgingly given a week off, only to return to find I had been moved into another unit.

So begins a new chapter in my Military Career.

So after the move, all of 600m, but a move all the same, I settled into the new workplace and got my career back on track. I completed the courses required to secure my position ion the next rank level and did it relatively easily. However this involved me being away from my family again. Once again this was to the detriment of my relationship with my wife and my kids. Some of you can see where this is heading but it gets worse.

Upon return, I found that I had been pannelled for the course I had been trying to get for over 12 months but it again involved going away for around 6 weeks. This again caused further suffering to my long suffering family. Once this course finished I was ome for the longest period yet for the year. I managed to stay in the same vicnity as my family for 5 weeks, including a 10 day trip to Fiji, which I have previuosly spoken about. Many of the absence issues came to a head in Fiji, and were never really resolved. Once we returned from Fiji, I was once again off on another course insyructing. This time 6 weeks 3hours from home. Not that far can easily come home when time permited. Guess what, I got home 3 times, in the first 2 weeks, thats it.

So by the time all this finished only about 2 weeks ago the damage from the year had been done. Dont get me wrong, Army is not totally to blame here and either is the work rate or work load, but it hasn't helped. Combine all that with a poor sense of prioritising between work, family and cycling and it came to an explosive finale the night I came home.

SO what has happened since then, after so long nights just sitting and talking with my lovely wife, Emma, and family, we are rebuilding our friendship and love for eachother. We are spending as much time with eachother and starting to go out on your trusty old fashioned dates again, and she gets a few little surprises every now and again (something I had stopped doing years ago). My involvment around the house has increased in order to allow us more time to do the things we want to do and in the end when it really comes down to it, because I want to.

So I am now on holidays and spending the time with the kids while Emma is still going to work each day. The kids and I are having lots of fun and doing stuff together again. Emma and I are becoming really good friends again and together a really close family. I know it doesn't just fix itself overnight but at the moment we are all doing the right things because we want to and really enjoying it.

As for my cycling, I have had 4 weeks off the bike and dont see the point in trying to rebuild for the last 2 races for the year. My Jayco Bay Classic bid is off, so I can spend more time with Emma and the kids over Christmas and the school holidays. So I have decided to take off the rest of the year from racing and heading out on to the road, either solo or with firends until the New Year. For the first couple of months next year I will primarily target the Track racing, culminating in the State MAsters Championships in February. SO between now and the New Year I will be doing daily and sometimes twice daily roller sessions on both my track bike and my road bike, as well as weights. Why only rollers? SO I can spend it all at home with the Emma and the kids, and target specific things. Once the track starts up inthe new year my leg speed and stength wil be there is will just be a matter of fine tuning to weather conditions and some racing intensity to get it all spot on in time for the State Titles. Once Track finishes then I will be back into the road crits and road racing.

My team are still looking for local and international sponsors to take us into the 2009 season. WIth Metro Crit titles to defend, Tours to win and National Police and Miliatry Titles to win it is to be a big year for all of us. We also plan to expand the team to include a Womens team and and A and B grade mens team. So if you are interested you know what to do.

To all those who read this and or follow my ramblings, Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Prosperous New Year.