Test Drive Latest
Mar. 14th, 2015 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
davidgillonI was out for lunch today (on my own again, unfortunately, friends keep being hit with bugs, or visiting relatives, or exiting relatives). It was really difficult finding a car parking space today so I ended up in the car park (that statement does actually make sense, the car park isn't quite as convenient as either of my two regular parking spots and it's normally completely full by that time on a Saturday, but I took a swing through on the offchance and found a gap the two cars in front of me had driven past).
So I swapped into the chair and tried to find a way out. I was practically next to the footpath out, could wheel right up to it, but getting to a kerb cut to get up onto it would be over a hundred metres, as I'd have to wheel round practically the whole car park. In fact the closest kerb-cut to get up onto the path may have been the same one I needed to go down to get out of the car park once I was on the path!. So I wheeled up to the kerb at the edge of the footpath, and at third attemp managed to wheelie the front castors up onto it! That's actually the first time I've managed the combination anywhere - I've been practising wheelies in the house, and the time between wheelieing up and crashing back down is getting gradually longer, but I haven't quite got the knack of holding it yet, or of doing anything useful once up there. Of course once I was up there I needed to get the back wheels up, but the chair was at sufficiently steep an angle I chickened out, backed off the kerb and stood to push it up. In retrospect I realise trying to push up would have made the angle shallower, so I should have given it a try, but I'm still figuring these things out.
Pushing was a pain, I'd clearly left it too long between practises (plus post-dud-shoulder-physio-exercise aching) and I struggled on the relatively shallow slope the high street has by the car park - one shout of 'Ere, mate, do you want a hand?' (from the person you'd probably have labelled least likely to offer), but it got easier, if not entirely comfortable, once it flattened out. Call it 400 metres there, 400 back. What I really should be doing is pushing the length of the high street (about 800m) at least several times a week to build up my strength, but Saturday is the only day it's pedestrianized, the rest of the week I'd be stuck on the footpath, with the cobbles.... Coming back though was a lot easier, particularly once I hit that slope.
So I swapped into the chair and tried to find a way out. I was practically next to the footpath out, could wheel right up to it, but getting to a kerb cut to get up onto it would be over a hundred metres, as I'd have to wheel round practically the whole car park. In fact the closest kerb-cut to get up onto the path may have been the same one I needed to go down to get out of the car park once I was on the path!. So I wheeled up to the kerb at the edge of the footpath, and at third attemp managed to wheelie the front castors up onto it! That's actually the first time I've managed the combination anywhere - I've been practising wheelies in the house, and the time between wheelieing up and crashing back down is getting gradually longer, but I haven't quite got the knack of holding it yet, or of doing anything useful once up there. Of course once I was up there I needed to get the back wheels up, but the chair was at sufficiently steep an angle I chickened out, backed off the kerb and stood to push it up. In retrospect I realise trying to push up would have made the angle shallower, so I should have given it a try, but I'm still figuring these things out.
Pushing was a pain, I'd clearly left it too long between practises (plus post-dud-shoulder-physio-exercise aching) and I struggled on the relatively shallow slope the high street has by the car park - one shout of 'Ere, mate, do you want a hand?' (from the person you'd probably have labelled least likely to offer), but it got easier, if not entirely comfortable, once it flattened out. Call it 400 metres there, 400 back. What I really should be doing is pushing the length of the high street (about 800m) at least several times a week to build up my strength, but Saturday is the only day it's pedestrianized, the rest of the week I'd be stuck on the footpath, with the cobbles.... Coming back though was a lot easier, particularly once I hit that slope.
no subject
Date: 2015-03-14 10:49 pm (UTC)I am So Impressed (because I've tried to operate a manual chair—a light sports chair at that) and I know how much work it is.
Could you use the carpark itself as a practice area? Park on top, wheel down and practice braking, wheel back to the car to get your muscles burning.
no subject
Date: 2015-03-15 12:01 am (UTC)