Mid Week Holiday

Wednesday 21 March is a Public Holiday in South Africa. So I am turning it into a long Weekend and Friday Afternoon The Pretty One and I will pack the Pajero and head West. We will stop just before the Botswana Border west of Zeerust and pitch our tent in a game reserve called Botsalano. There are very basic camping facilities, but we are not there to camp. This is one of my planned stop overs when I will cycle around South Africa as soon as I get fit enough.

On Saturday morning I will start cycling North and do a cycle scouting of my route north towards Beit Bridge. I do not know yet where I am going to sleep on Saturday night, but The Pretty One will give a bit of support and can find something. She will be in the Pajero and will have more freedom of movement.

The terrain is very flat and provided the road condition is not too bad I should be able to make good progress. I will post regular updates on my facebook wall and I will also try and see how well it works to be tracked using the Endomondo sofware on my BlackBerry phone.

Some links:
http://www.endomondo.com/home

My facebook name is: jaco strydom
Send me a friend request if we are not friends yet and stay up to date...

So what are your plans for this weekend?

The dangers of Squash

I decided that 2012 will be a good year to re-visit an old love of mine... Squash. I knew I would have to start slow and that it will take a while to get some mobility into my legs. Since September 2008 I only cycled and then only when I was not being operated on, being radiated or getting chemo. So the legs were getting pretty lazy in the running department, and my leg movement became more and more restricted. My Dr friend suggested I do some impact sport as the effects of the radiation on my bone structure should be something of the past.

Last week Wednesday saw me hitting a few balls with my friend Jan Westenraad at Adelaars Squash Club and I enjoyed it. I was not as sore as I thought I would be. I went for a knock with the "Old Boys Club" on Sunday afternoon. Not much changed about who pitches and plays on Sunday afternoons in 3 years... Again the body held up well and it was only a severe lack of anaerobic fitness and serious immobility that hampered my game. But the enjoyment was there! Last night I played a game with Willem and after the hour we sat down and cooled down a bit. When I got up there was something serious wrong inside my right bum. I battled to walk and looked like an invalid the way I limped to my car. I could barely walk from the garage to the house.

This morning was a struggle to walk the 80 meters to the office and I am sitting where I sit. It is really sore. I hope it is just a little tear and it will heal quickly. Fortunately today is a scheduled rest day so I will see how it goes tomorrow on the bike. A minor setback, but I will bounce back.

Receiving a special award from the Chairman of Northerns Masters Squash

Tours 2012 Info sheet

I will keep this page updated. Please refer to this sheet regularly. I will send out email reminders as well as Facebook links. (strydomi@iafrica.com or facebook me)

17 Feb 2012
I need a R1000 deposit ASAP so that I can confirm the accommodation.

23 Jan 2012
We need your deposits  for tour 1a to confirm your place as I need to book accommodation. I need R2200 per person before 31 Jan 2012, The other R2200 end Feb 2012 and remember to keep money for the transport and support vehicles. As soon as I know the make-up of the group I can start to sort out the logistics and give a budget figure for the support vehicles and transport.

Banking Details:

Absa Montana cheque 010 355 40675

Tour 1a members:
Cancelled

Tour 2 Members:

Jaco & Ilette - 2

Steven Painter - 1

Jani Verster - 1

Simon Donnaly - 1

Kobie en Elaine Hill - 2
Pierre en Retief Joubert - 2 or more ???
Liana Becker - 1
Stephanie Vlietstra - 1
Bennie van Niekerk - 1
Engela van Wyk - 1
Werner Theron -1


You will only need 4 days leave. The plan is to have support vehicles meet us from time to time so we can ride light. Luxury self catering accommodation (Thats where the supporters come in...). Tour 2 have 1 night of camping at Wolkberg. You will need a good level of fitness, but there are always the option to ride the more scenic section on your bike and then jump on the support vehicle for the rest. The idea is to enjoy the trip, not break yourself.

Tour 1a (Cancelled)
Date: 17 - 25 March 2012
Cost: R550 per person per day
Includes

• 3 meals & Accommodation

Excludes

• Transport
• Tipple (Drinks/Booze)
• Energy stuff.

Sat 17 March - Drive to PMB - Meet TBC
Sun 18 March - Ride from PMB to Byrne - 52 km
    Very short hike-a-bike for the not so strong.
Mon 19 March - Ride from Byrne to Allandale Farm - 52 km
Tue 20 March - Ride from Allandale to Centacow Mission - 48 km
Wed 21 March - Ride from Centacow to Ntsikeni - 55 km
    Some pushing. The hardest day.
Thu 22 March - Ride from Ntsikeni to Bancory Farm - 36 km
    Some pushing.
Fri 23 March - Ride from Bancory to Masakala Cultural Guest house
Sat 24 March - Ride from Masakala to Malekholonyane Cultural Guest House
    Lets hope it is not wet...
Sun 25 March - Going home


Tour 1b
Date: 31 March - 8 April 2012
Cost: R550 per person per day
Includes

• 3 meals & Accommodation

Excludes

• Transport
• Tipple (Drinks/Booze)
• Energy stuff.

Sat 31 March - Drive to PMB - Meet TBC
Sun 1 April - Ride from PMB to Byrne - 52 km
Very short hike-a-bike for the not so strong.
Mon 2 April - Ride from Byrne to Allandale Farm - 52 km

Tue 3 April - Ride from Allandale to Centacow Mission - 48 km
Wed 4 April - Ride from Centacow to Ntsikeni - 55 km
Some pushing. The hardest day.

Thu 5 April - Ride from Ntsikeni to Bancory Farm - 36 km
Some pushing.
Fri 6 April - Ride from Bancory to Masakala Cultural Guest house
Sat 7 April - Ride from Masakala to Malekholonyane Cultural Guest House
Lets hope it is not wet...

Sun 8 April - Going home - Avoid Easter Monday traffic.

Tour Members:

Tour 2
Date: 27 April to 6 May - This is a more demanding tour than Tour 1

A short description

Cost: To be confirmed but work on R550 per person per day
Includes

• 3 meals & Accommodation

Excludes

• Transport
• Tipple (Drinks/Booze)
• Energy stuff.

Fri 27 April - Drive to Musina
Sat 28 April - Beit Bridge to Tsipise - 87 km - Flat
Sun 29 April - Tsipise to Camp Mangwele - 48 km - Maybe we ride with elephants
Mon 30 April - Camp Mangwele to Thavhine Kliphuis - 48 km - Some walking
Tue 1 May - Kliphuis to Madyisa Lodge - 48 km
Wed 2 May - Madyisa to Moketsi - 73 km
Thu 3 May - Moketsi to Haenertsburg - 55 km
Fri 4 May - Haenertsburg to Wolkberg - 20 km or 46 km
Sat 5 May - Wolkberg to Makhutsi (Lekgalameetse) 66 km

Nearly Chritmas Again

Well... Nearly...

Christmas 2011 flew past, new years was a blur and the pace is relentless. I think it will be foolish to pack away the Christmas decorations to far...

So what happened since my last post?

• My shoulder got better and then one night I slept through without feeling it and then it was gone. The pain, not my shoulder.
• We had a few lovely kuiers and cycles in Empangeni with My sister and Swarry.
• We had a lovely New Year's party and kuier with The Pretty One's family on Hoogland and we cycled a bit.
• Then it was work and cycle and work and cycle...
• I tried a bit of running for some impact training and decided against it, so I went back to the squash court for the first time since September 2008. It certainly worked some muscles that gets very lazy by just cycling and I think that for now this is the right sort of cross-training. I will just have to live with the fact that I will not be able to play at my BC level again. (Before Cancer).
• I am getting fitter and stronger every time I ride and pretty soon I will be at the same level as The Pretty One - Just unfit, not Chemo Pathetic. Then I can start to work on my fitness...

So how about a few photos...

The Scenic route to Empangeni

Lekker Mountain Biking

Swarry, Elbie and Kids

Granny and ...

The Tree

Gordy Poo, Lover, Peet, Jenny Penny, Elbie (My Sister), Swarry, Anizeg, Granny Gezina, The Pretty One, and Me sans hair (in my Chemo disguise)

Giant Maiden Voyage

The Date: 5 December 2011

The occasion: Test ride on the newly built Giant:

Verdict: The stem is too long and I will put a shorter stem on, but otherwise everything seem to be perfect.

Hassles After The Fact

My Pajero was recently liberated of it's radio, just a symptom of the type of person roaming the streets in this beautiful country of ours... So I got a case number from the police (all they are good for lately) and put in a claim with the insurance. They sent me to Gearlock City for the replacement and then the shit started. These guys are really not up to scratch. They had me waiting 2 hours yesterday with an initial promise that they will sort it out within an hour or so. Then I asked them to sort out what they need to sort out and let me know when I must bring the car back. So this morning early they said they are ready for me and it will be quick. I drove all the way there, parked the Pajero in their workshop and waited. After an hour they told me they have a problem. There is damage to the console and that will need to be replaced. This I told and showed them yesterday already. So I have now spent 2 trips into town and back (30 minutes one way - 2 hours), 3 hours of sitting on my hind quarters playing hangman on my BlackBerry and I am exactly where I was yesterday morning early. Their level of service does not excite me at all.

In the mean time I am riding a bit, and yesterday afternoon I thought I would try and get a weekly jogging session going in my training program. I eventually managed all of 800 meters in 6 minutes. So this is something I can hugely improve on. My shoulder still hurts like crazy and the medicine does not really do anything.

I have worked on the alarm system and in between all that I am also doing some garden paving. The office work seem to be drawing to close for the holidays, so I am chased outside to get these chores done.

5 of the 7 rows are in place. Now for some green stuff inbetween.

Stil the shoulder hurts

Pain is something that one cannot just ignore, no matter how hard you try. On Monday night I just could not sleep. The shoulder was hurting really badly. I eventually scratched in the medicine drawer and came across the last tramacet tablet and a single panado tablet. I popped these two and by 01:00 I started feeling drowsy and I could feel the pain ease a little bit.
Tuesday morning I made an appointment with our local GP and by 14:30 I was sitting in his consultation room telling him the shoulder saga as it unfolded in July. He also prodded and pressed, bent my arm every possible and impossible way and even made me do some stuff the Orthopedic guys did not think of. None of it hurt. So eventually he asked me: "What do you think is wrong and how should we treat it?" That is why I went to him. To get this exact question answered...
So we also went the cortisone injection, tramacet, lyrika route and will now wait and see. Now it is Friday and although I sleep fairly well after I do the tramacet thing, the shoulder is not really any better yet. At times when I sit in a very hunched position it feels as if the pain goes away, and it hurts most while I an upright like walking or standing.
I have ridden on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday and while in the riding position the shoulder is also not too bad. I think it must have something to do with the tumors in my abdomen and the irritation that it might cause on the diaphragm.
I would like to go for a ride this afternoon, but it has eventually started raining and it does look very wet outside. So I might have to do the indoor spinning thing...

Too muddy for training, nice weather for red wine and pizza and...