dyhydracodeine rocks!

hi all

and a warm welcome those new to the blog! firstly, to those i have just added to the email list, please let me know if you don't want to be on the mailshot. i also thought i should ask those already on the list whether any of you would like to be removed, i will understand, i just won't want to talk to you again ; ) please let me know : ) i guess you will just add to spam in any case!!

now that it is coming up for 2 years since i started this journey, i thought i would check with you how i could improve the blog/ updates etc, i would really welcome your thoughts and ideas. some of you may not realise, but the email i send you is actually a copy of the blog entry, but it does not always include the images and videos that i post, so you have to click on the link at the bottom of each email to take you to the blog tobyyounger.blogspot.com

btw, do you think i should rename it myjourneytodakar.blogspot.com?

currentlyt i collect all your emails via a google.mail filter, but would love to capture your comments via the box at the bottom of each blog entry, that way everyone can see how supportive you have all been, i would also love to share the banter!!

some of you may have already noticed that i have set up a 'my journey to dakar' group on facebook, linked from my blog too. there is a link on from the blog to facebook as well, so comments and thoughts can be shared that way if it is easier for you.

although it was one of my first blog entries, i have created a 'plan' page and added a 'calendar' page, which is a live schedule of planned and proposed events over the remaining 18 months. jago is also adding his schedule to this calendar.

well i am back at home now, still drinking water and juice like there is no tomorrow, alternating the ice packs, chewing the co-codamol, dyhydracodeine and diclofenac - just kidding, only taking the odd co-codamol and diclofenac twice a day. oh, i also woke up worrying about my blood pressure last night as i realised that 140/ 70 was very high!! i think i must have misheard the nurse, it must have been 114/ 70

before you check out the funny video clips below, i would like to thank everyone for their emails, texts and calls over the last couple of days, i certainly did not feel alone in the hospital, never had so much attention ; )

see you all soon

tobesx

desert rose

i'm sitting in room 105 at the wellington hospital in st john's wood. i have a lovely room as hospitals go, the sun is shining, the election coverage is on the television, lovely.....but i'm starving! nil by mouth since 0730 this morning and i've been told that the op won't be until 430!! to add insult to injury they then gave me a menu to fill in for supper and breakfast, i think i ticked every box!! anyway, i've used this opportunity to update you on my dakar plans.

 they certainly have enough staff here, i was escorted to my room, had a visit from a nurse who took my blood pressure and pulse (140/70 and 56 respectively), a nurse who gave me an electric razor to shave my knee/ leg with(!), one who took the menu, a physio, an anesthetist, the consultant and the staff nurse!!

jago and his wife lucy and i met up with patsy and zippy in the new forest last friday evening, to discuss the dakar, planning and preparation. over a couple of beers and plenty of crisps, we covered a lot of ground. patsy asked me what i thought i needed to work on most. i made it clear that i had never ridden on dunes, i had never ridden off-road for 12 hours plus per day for 15 days in a row and i had never used a roadbook! so funnily enough these are now my training goals for the year and here are some of the exciting events i can look forward to:

1/ zippy has offered to train with jago and i over in dunkirk, riding an infamous sand motocross course there. apparently i it is a killer! perfect, i think we could be doing this a few times, i can't wait = ))

2/ i am going to join patsy, zippy and a few others in morocco in september for a week or so to learn to ride them dunes.

3/ i hope to ride in the moroc rally from 23.10.10 to 30.10.10, where i can put my dune riding, road-book navigation and fitness to the test!

4/ then in march next year, jago and i will ride the tuareg rallye (to be confirmed), a 6 day rally in tunisia from 27.03.11 to 04.04.11.

awaking to the sound of little footsteps (jago and lucy's kids!) on saturday morning, we headed down to somerley park in the pickup, with jago's clean ktm 400 on the back. there we joined patsy, zippy and vince, plus bob and rob who were down to try out the ktm 690 enduros.

i don't know the new forest that well, i've only been to ringwood to watch dad play polo, or pick up the isle of white ferry at lymington, so this was new territory for me. a private estate encompassing some forestry commission land, the soil was sandy, gravelly with a good layer of loam, and being very dry made it fun to ride on. with plenty of small hills, dips, bumps and jumps, we had plenty of scope for fun and practice. being a day for riders to try out the 690s, meant that the emphasis was on riding rather than specific training, however, zippy structured the 'unstructured' day so that not only did the guys leave having tested the bikes, they had tested their off-road skills too.

it was my first time riding the 690 and i have to say it was a pleasure to ride. considering i am now used to riding the 400, the added weight and bulk, although noticeable was not too much of a hindrance. the fuel mapping was set to position 3 of 9, which meant you had to use a little more throttle to get a good response. however later in the day zippy adjusted the mapping to position 9 (i think??) and the bike went like stink, tearing up the gravel beneath with barely a twist to the throttle, it was a beast,  but it was a lot of fun!! with the dry weather, the standard tyres on the back and front gave more than enough grip which was just as well, managing to avoid hurtling into the bushes!
it was not an intense day of riding, but allowed me to take stock of what i was doing, make the mistakes and then try to avoid repeating them. it was also great to have so much time with zippy to talk about the dakar, the required training and planning.

it is obviously a passion for patsy and zippy, who have both invested huge amounts into this sport and continue to do so. no sooner had we assisted zippy pack up the site, he was back off to heathfield to clean the bikes before heading down to tunisia to support another team of riders, it's inspiring stuff and i'm thrilled to be part of it.

can't wait to get this op out of the way and start riding again. time is flying by and everyday is a day closer to the dakar and there is so much to do!

i'm off, anesthetic awaits..... ah, i'm back already, time warp...wierd ?! foods arrived too : )

keeping the faith

unfortunately i did not make it to the race on sunday, they would not accept my late entry, so i went for a 4 hour walk instead!

on monday the mri confirmed a torn cartilage, almost exactly the same as my right knee which was operated on 18 months ago. plus i have a golf ball sized cyst behind the knee as a result of the fluid being generated by the tear, which is then forced out with nowhere to go, so it collects and forms a cyst - i'm no doctor, but i'm pretty sure that's how it was explained, a simple version for a simple person ; ) so this means an op, and it could be as early as next tuesday, yippeee can't wait! more importantly, the recovery plan, discussed this with my physio sam last night:

week 1
elevation, ice-packs and compression for knee
gym for upper body

week 2
elevation, ice-packs and compression for knee
physio to get full range of knee movement
stitches out at end of week
gym for upper body

week 3
elevation, ice-packs and compression for knee
physio

start swimming for cardio work
start cycling to work to help improve movement
gym
enduro shuckburgh hall at end of week??

week 4-6
as above

week 6-8
as above
start jogging/ running
enduro long compton at end of week

but i am under no illusions that this will be that straight forward after the last knee op, but it is worth a try. good thing is that at most i will miss one race event from the cec series and i will be able to train and enjoy the rest of the summer.  i was able to put up with the tear on my right knee for 4 years before having an op, as it was more gradual, but it still always swelled up when i ran, it was always stiff and never felt very strong when i skied, in fact i had to wear a pretty serious hinged support. the tear in my right knee was very sudden as i explained before and i struggled with a simple walk on sunday which confirmed that i had to sort this out asap. anyway this is all rather dull, as i would rather be talking about enduro and the events and places i have been to and going to!!

so, on friday i'm heading down to ringwood with jago and his family to see patsy quick, and start planning the dakar bike training schedule in earnest. we may even be able to have a ride out on the saturday, but we'll see. really looking forward to focusing on the bike side of the training, i have to do more, i want to do more!!

hope you have a great day whereever you are!

tobesx


p.s. my friend danny commented on my salad and herb garden as he has just planted his, so we are now in competition on who can grow the best and then have a 'cook off'..... i think that is where i might come unstuck, gonna have to do some reading! i'll start a salad and herb blog and include photos of my spinach and thyme ; )

.....onwards and upwards

quick update....
seen the consultant, its a torn cartilage
had the mri scan today, but will find out extent of tear on monday
racing on sunday if i can get an entry, at chavenage farm, tetbury
been to the gym twice this week and been cycling, although slowly, to work too

depending on where the cartilage is torn depends on whether it will be a simple tidy up or a stitch up ; ) hopefully the former, as it is quick and simple and i can be back training within a few weeks

as mentioned before, my training has included my diet and i'm going nuts eating.....nuts, seeds, more nuts, raisins, but to liven things up i'm growing a few herbs and salad plants in my garden at the cottage! parsley, chives, sorrel, welsh onions, sage, mint, thyme, lettuce, spinach and strawberries, all in this little bed....

.....curved balls!!

survived my first race of the 2010 season.....
survived 9 days of awesome skiing in the wasatch mountains.....
went for a run in battersea park with chobe on tuesday night and....
i think i have torn the cartilage in my left knee!!!

hmmm.....seems familiar territory......arrrgggghhhh!!

could barely walk on wednesday
saw sam 'my' physio on thursday
am off to see 'my' knee surgeon mr sweetnam on tuesday
(i feel a song coming on!)

on top of which chobe went down with some stomach bug and was vomiting and squirting around the flat for most of last week, poor girl! she woke me up in the middle of the night, so i knew there was a problem. i hobbled while she squatted, it must have been a funny site at 2am, i was still half asleep as i walked her down by the river......i then had her in the vet being fed and watered intravenously before bringing her home again as she couldn't hold anything down. anyway, it gave me time to clear the place up before the carpet was being fitted on friday morning....good timing i guess = ))


knee no longer looking like a balloon and i can walk on it quite well now, so hopefully damage is only cartilage........can i race this saturday?