I've just returned this afternoon from a weekend full of cycling. On Saturday, I took part in local cycling race, called 50 Českým rájem. I used to do this more often in the past, but it's been gradually declining and this race was the first in one and a half year that I participated in.
And it was.. hard. I've had several crises during it. From not being able to breathe to feeling like I will vomit. But at the same time, it was great! I realized once again that I love cycling, and that I want to dedicate more of my time into it. I'd also like to participate in more races this year, and to train more so I am in better condition and that I'll enjoy them more.
The lesson
The lesson here is simple. It's mostly for me but I believe the analogy could be applied to any kind of work where you mostly sit and think.
Sport (for me that's mostly cycling) is a great complement to the programming lifestyle. It helps me clear my head and break the otherwise unstoppable thought process that usually goes on in my mind.
Do you remember how I said a couple of times in previous updates that I need a break? Well, that was it! It wasn't a break physically (quite the opposite), but mentally it was very uplifting.
What I've been up to these last 4 days
In the spirit of keeping this short, I'll try not to sink into irrelevant details.
1) Working on the New app!
I've dedicated most of Thursday working on my new app. I've cleaned up the code I wrote so far, tested that it really works as intended, and made a few optimizations to it. I also worked some more on the main and most important component of the app.
On Friday, I've also worked on the app. But I've struck a wall with it and that was quite discouraging. But in the evening, I've got an idea how to work around it, tested it out and it seemed like that is the way! I am now very close to figuring it out. And then, the development will go fast. At least that's my optimistic prediction.
2) Finishing the client job. Almost
On Friday afternoon, I did what was hopefully final set of tweaks that needed to be done on the client app. Unfortunately, in the evening, there turned out to be one small little thing that still needs to be fixed. That's what I hope to do after finishing this post.
3) The race, and start of cycling season
As I've mentioned above, on Saturday I took part in the cycling race. What I didn't mention is that then we (I with my father) went to the 'start of season' cycling gathering with some friends and acquaintances of ours.
It actually started on Saturday as well so we missed the first trip, but we were there for the second one that was today. There were some major hills (the total climb was actually bigger than that of the race), but it was also great. And the atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed.
Overall, it was great! It was the best weekend I had in a very long time. In spite of being very tired right now, I feel that my mind is relaxed from all the thinking and I am looking forward to the next week. It seems that I will spend most of it by working in the new app, and that's very exciting!
That's it for now (much shorter than usual, huh?) I wish you a productive and happy next week! And don't forget to come back here next Wednesday for another update.