Hi..did you miss me?

Hi everybody,
It is Sunday April 5th and it is a glorious day here in Southern Cal. The sun is a blazing, it's going to be a hot day, need some sunblock day.. birds are a twittering, beaches not yet packed as the summer crowds are not here yet plus it's Spring Break and all the youngsters are probably in Texas or Mexico partying hard!!

Anyway, sorry for the silence but I have been in Florida with Titleist Golf lecturing at the Level 3 Certification course and just got back last night. It was a quick trip Wednesday to Saturday and I am still on East Coast time (they are three hours ahead)..up early and crash early.

Fiesta Island Time Trial and Carlsbad 5000:
Chris and Dedan did the Fiesta Island time trial again this morning but it was a quick turn around once they got back to the house: quick shower, quick bite to eat and then they were off again to watch the Carlsbad 5,000 which is a 5km road race - running - unbelievably fast course - which always attracts an international field...Kenyan, Ethiopian, Morroccan to name a few of the African countries who always field an elite team. (***** Hi this is Janet back again adding to the blog after Chris and Dedan got home. It was a clean sweep by Ethiopia in both the mens and womens race. Apparently Dedan was yelling out to the three Kenyan runners in Swahilli..he loved it and it would have been a blast for the athletes!!!)

Men's Elite Invitational runners early on in the race:



Ethiopia leading the way to win strong (1-4) in the Men's Elite Invitational:


Dedan was cheering in Swahilli for fellow Kenyan Haron Lagat who placed 9th in the Men's Elite Invitational:


First (Ethiopia in the middle), second and third in the Womens Elite Invitational:









I didn't get a chance to ask re details about the time trial other than Chris broke 30 mins (that's good..happy day) and Dedan was tired (not too sure the time) or much about what they got up to while I was away. I know they had a couple of photo shoots/video shoots for the local newspaper but other than that not too sure what they have been doing so you'll have to wait until they get home and fill me in.

Muscle Cars:
I do know that yesterday afternoon Chris and Dedan went to a 'muscle car' show at the Del Mar fair grounds. Dedan said it was noisy with big shining eyes and a hearty grin to boot (lots of revving of big engines...oh la la!) and said that there were lots of Mustangs, Cameros and classic cars for them to check out. Boys and their toys, so who knows what delights they both got up to in my car while I was away! Hmmmm....

Dedan with muscle car number 1:


Dedan with muscle car number 2:

Dedan with his hog:













Ocean Swimming:
Chris and Dedan also went for a swim in the ocean late afternoon/early evening as recovery for the training session that they both did Saturday morning. Dedan got to ride with the Swamis Saturday morning group ride - yeehaa! Chris said he did well and needed some help on one of the climbs as the group was taking no prisoners but he survived - with one leg and was albiet a tad tired from his morning efforts so the late afternoon dip in the ocean was required to restore life into his left leg. I half expected Dedan to come back claiming that it was still too cold but he came back full of glee. Chris said he had to drag him out of the water so I guess that tells us that the water is warmer huh? or he has got used to it. Progress!

Walking down to the beach from our house:




No stopping him this time - straight in up to his waist:

Two thumbs up!

No-one for miles:

Sunset on the way home from swimming:












OK..
english lessons going well - check
bike riding going well - check
training lessons going well - check
leg update...carbon fiber socket being built - check
ocean swimming a breeze - check
racing?.. easy - check
Hmm another good day in Southern Cal then..
Hope you are all well.
Cheers
Janet

Cracked socket, Visit from Patty, Racing again, Fast cars - all in one weekend!

Hey,
Can you say PINCH?
Ah yes...the lesson was a success BUT the temporary walking socket cracked as a result on Thursday!!! (At least we know he's putting weight on that leg and using it.) Kel did say that the socket was temporary and usually only lasted 2 weeks. He was right! Poor Dedan....He was walking back from the library on Thursday morning having checked his email, striding up the small hill to his house and then he heard a noise as the socket cracked...close to a sensitive part of the male body I might add and he learnt a new english word in the process....think lobster claw, think flying crab claws...think PINCH!!! Oh!la!la! When we looked at the socket there was a crack which we thought superglue and tape would mend but that wasn't to be. So walking lessons are on hold until Dedan gets his permanent socket when he visits Kel on Tuesday this week.

Visit from Patty Kolb:
A couple of weeks ago we got a voicemail message from a woman called Patty who had heard through friends of friends of what we were doing with Dedan and wanted to offer her help regarding Dedan and apologised that she would not be able to attend our fundraiser on March 14th. She said she was going to be out of town and wanted to meet him later. She sounded really upbeat(which is always a plus) but what grabbed my attention was the fact that she was/is a double above the knee amputee. Whoa...I called her back straight away and her insight, knowledge regarding the whole prosthetic leg process and the importance of the socket fitting correctly was unbelievably helpful and we planned to meet when she was back in town. Well ..that happened Friday. What an awesome woman!!! Gracious...check, full of life...check, two prosthetic legs...check and Dedan may even have a bit of leg envy because Patty...you got the bling, bling legs! Patty showed us her legs which are cool and have a USB port in them and also mentioned that when her children were younger she had legs which were waterproof so she could swim. Since Friday..all I have heard from Dedan is that you have water legs!!!Gurl....he can't be taking three legs back to Africa!!
Dedan and Patty:


Seriously, it was great for us to meet Patty and her friend Marlene. Dedan loved it..so thanks to both of you for visiting..it was a special moment.













Devil Dog Duathlon and Team Ireri:
On Saturday Chris, Dedan and I did the Devil Dog Duathlon (5km run/30km bike/5km run)on Camp Pendleton, our local marine base. Chris and I entered as individuals and Dedan entered as the cycle part of a relay - 'Team Ireri' with David Baker our speedy runner and friend!! 'Team Ireri' did well finishing 6th out of 17 in a time of 1 hour 29 mins and 54 seconds...way to go boys!!

Team Ireri - David Baker and Dedan:




Chris Maund, David Baker and Dedan just before the start:


Transition - anyone for a bike?


Chris's race was OK, but not up to his usual standard/high expectation. He had a FAST bike but according to Mr Maund, he needs to now work on his running as his top end speed isn't up to par. He actually won his age group but that's not the point, that's not what he was after! Dang..I'd be whooping and a hollering! Alas ..someone had to have a bum race..and yep it was me. I held back on the first run (knowing that there was a second one after the bike) and had a blistering bike. I had cycle legs on Saturday. I tell ya.. for 28.7km I was HOT and then...you wouldn't believe it..I got a flat tire, 1.3kms from the finish of the cycle leg. I took my cycling shoes off and started running to the finish and lost so many places that it was sickening..all the girlies I had ridden past were now smoking me...no I didn't have a spare tube and hence my dilemma. Once I got to the transistion I decided to do the second run knowing that my finish time would not reflect my actual race. Oh well..'tis early season.

Chris being the filler of a Dedan and Janet sandwich - Can you say get a tan Brit Boy?:





















Fast cars and Palomar Mountain:
I did an an easy bike ride Sunday morning and then went to a girlfriends birthday brunch out at Poway which was lots of fun. When I got home around 2pm there was a hand written note from Chris... "We have taken your bullet up Palomar!"

Hmm..translated it means I have taken your fast, silver BMW M3 (which is called the bullet due to the speed it can generate) and Dedan and I are out in the countryside somewhere having a good 'ol boy time but I'll throw the word Palomar in there as it will then look like I am showiing Dedan where we will be riding in a couple of weeks, but in actual fact I am zooming around the corners of the 21 hairpins that go up Palomar!
Check out the photos....scouting out the Palomar ride? or just boyz being boyz?
You tell me....







Hmm..can't see any bikes on Palomar...but Dedan certainly looks good wearing my car..and no he is not driving it...well at least I don't think he is...
OK
I'm outta here
Cheers
Janet

This walking thang is a breeze! Isn't it?

Hi everybody,
So you may ask what's happening in the Encinitas hood on this glorious sunny spring day? Well, for sure Dedan is becoming a local fixture and has added several taglines to his name: a) 'the guy that rides the bike with one leg...fast!', b) he is also 'the guy with the big grin from ear to ear', c) 'the guy with the prosthetic leg', d) 'the guy who used to be on crutches', e) 'the guy at the jeans shop', f) 'the Kenyan guy staying with Chris and Janet' and now another tag line can be added g) 'the guy walking around the neighborhood'.

New tagline for Dedan:
So what's the big deal with the last tagline? Why did it make the list? I'll tell you why. Yesterday was day 7 with the new walking socket and leg. Dedan walked from our studio on Vulcan Avenue to our house on Arden Drive, with his new leg and without assistance from a crutch. OK...hmmm you may be thinking but get this.


View Larger Map
From the studio to our house is just over 1/2 a mile (.59 to be exact) and if you follow the direct way as seen on the map, it is a flat walk along Vulcan (but there is no footpath) and then a hill up 'I' Street which joins Melba and down to Arden Drive. Dedan chose to go up McNeil Avenue which is a decent hill, along Cornish Drive which has two minor inclines - rollers, down Melba to Arden Drive and then up an incline at the beginning of our driveway. Piece of cake you may say...but wait for it there is a story!!

Walking on the flat and swinging the arms in a correct gait pattern is a breeze for Dedan. Going down hill - sweet as, going up hill...hmm gets tricky and sometimes it all goes postal!! Uphill has yet to be mastered and so it wasn't the distance to our house that was the issue it was them hills!! You also realise in situations like this that the human knee joint is a brilliant piece of mechanical engineering (side note: so look after the ones you have ok!)and whoever designed it was a genius....real smart!!

Dedan will be going back to live in Kenya and so after consultations with SCOPE and the head honcho Kel Bergman, it was decided that a basic solid prosthetic leg which could take a lot of wear and tear would be the best option. Dedan won't have the luxury of 'popping' in to see Kel for alterations should anything happen to the socket/leg. If it was a fancy, bells and whistle model then it just wouldn't work and so the model he has can be altered to work as a walking knee and a cycling knee just with the turn of a hex key. So, when he heel strikes in gait, the knee locks allowing him to transfer his bodyweight onto, over and past the leg and when he toes off in gait the knee bends allowing for the swing through. Great for flat stuff and down hills but not for uphills.

New tagline for Janet:
So with anything that Chris and I do and especially in our line of work..if there is a problem..what do ya do? Yes..you go about fixing it..anyway you can, right? I was determined to sort this uphill walking thang out and decided that Dedan and I needed to have an outside walking lesson.

HHHHHMMMMMMMM.....memo to self:...in future make sure the Kenyan guy is wearing shorts so then people in cars who are parked at the stop sign and who are all watching you with absolute horror on their faces, can see that the tall kiwi woman is NOT beating the hell out of the poor mans leg as he attempts to walk. Oh my word she is not satisfied to do it once but she is now walking along side him and whacking him as she yells 'toe' at the top of her voice!!!

I was in the middle of 'helping Dedan unlock his knee' when I got the intense feeling that I was being watched. Picture this: I am on Dedan's right side, bent down walking sideways, using the back of my right hand in a karate chop motion to unlock the knee. I look up and see a line of drivers with looks of sheer disgust on their collective faces just staring gobsmacked at me. I instantly pulled Dedan's tracksuit pant leg up and pointed at his prosthetic leg, as one of the drivers wound his car window down and all the other faces changed to a mixture of relief. It was another funny moment as he yelled, 'You had me wondering for a moment'. I grinned and replied that he didn't need to call social services and continued walking. I bet if we were in New York no one would have given us so much as a look! You have to love little 'ol Encinitas BUT I do wonder what my new tagline is??? I hate to think..may have to lay low for a few days!Enough stories from me.

We had lunch with a delightful reporter yesterday who will be doing a real story on Dedan, about his life and cycling and so we'll let you know when that is coming out. We all have the Devil Dog Duathlon this weekend so it is a taper week before the race and easy training.Yeehaa.

The sun is out, Dedan is having a strength training session with Chris at the moment and then he is hitting the beach for some R and R before another massage with Wes Boyce at Encinitas Acupuncture and Massage on Second Street. Wes generously gave Dedan some massage gift vouchers and we are putting them to good use.
A great massage sounds like a plan!!!
OK, I have to love and leave you. It's back to the studio for me to put Dan the golfing man through his paces.
Cheers

Wow! What a weekend!!!

Hey..I can't believe that it is Monday evening already!
We had a very busy weekend of training - hill repeats Friday for Dedan, following Chris and sucking fumes on a hard ride through Elfin Forrest and back along Del Dios Highway Saturday and then an easy recovery ride along the coast Sunday, making it home just before the rain came in. Unfortunately I wasn't so lucky. I had my head in a magazine article and was late getting out of the house...and I paid for it! The rain they kept telling us about actually came in and consequently I got dumped on..big time....wind, rain and freezing cold temperatures. I would have asked for my money back from the 'it never rains in Southern Cal and the sun always shines party' but I was too busy riding my butt home to a warm bath!

Before you raise your eyebrows and say..'don't they give that boy a break?'...Let us not forget that One: Dedan is an athlete, Two: Dedan is on the Road to London 2012 Paralympics, and Three: Dedan is here to train with a new leg.....BUT ahh...yes we do have a life other than training and hence our crazy weekend. We had invites to two parties during the weekend. One at Ingrid and Tims Saturday evening to celebrate their birthdays and an afternoon garden party..(thankfully the sun came out), Sunday afternoon at Jack and Barbara's, who are our neigbors and live only two doors away.

Jean Shopping:
So..as we had been invited to a couple of parties I figured that Dedan needed a pair of jeans to wear. With the morning training sessions out of the way, Dedan and I went shopping.We had a blast trawling the stores and treated it as an extended walking lesson for Dedan and the new leg. We hit a couple of fancy shops but they didn't have what Dedan liked, as he was looking for jeans that didn't look too new and so we ended up back at one of our local Encinitas stores.

It was really busy and we had to wait in line for a dressing room, so I warned the store girlies that we may take a while as Dedan had a prosthetic leg. No problems they said. Pair after pair were placed in the changing room and the saga to find the right pair of jeans began. Too big, too tight, too short in the leg, too long in the leg.....not that much of a problem until...too narrow.. too narrow?...hmmmm BIG problem.

So picture this. I'm outside the changing room, Dedan is inside. He calls me and says that the jeans are stuck. Stuck? What do you mean stuck? I can't get them off the bottom was the reply. Huh? What's the bottom I think to myself, then I click..oh the jeans are stuck on the prosthetic foot that doesn't have much movement. So without missing a beat I say...in my normal quiet voice...yeah right..(me quiet? hardly...)I say in my loud New Zealand accented english voice.....'Dedan, just take your leg off!'. Ah.....can you say 'politically incorrect moment'. Can you say 'explain very quickly to the people waiting in line, who are now looking at the floor or straight ahead pretending to not be taking any notice of you but they have totally heard every word you've said moment'.

I tell ya, it was hysterically funny as Dedan's reply was even funnier and more amusing. He poked his head out of the changing room, curtains on either side of his head and said,'I can not, no fitting sock'.Well that really had them wondering! When Dedan puts his prosthetic leg on, he first puts on a long fitting sock over his stump which then threads through the end of the socket, pulling the flesh on the outside of the stump down to fit nice and snugg in the socket. If you don't have the fitting sock, you can not fit the leg hence Dedan's concern. I managed to laugh off my comment, put Dedan at ease, unstick the jeans and foot AND find a pair of Lucky brand jeans with a sweet leather belt that made the grade. He looked good..certainly was 'wearing them jeans'.

Both parties were great fun and it was good for Dedan to meet and mingle with two different groups of people. His english has jumped to another level since the weekend and so we'll have to keep this party lark up..suits me!!!

It's late and time to go to bed. I'll get some photos from the parties and post them later in the week.
Hope you are all well..more stories from the hood tomorrow.
Cheers
Janet

Jimbo's and day three with the new leg!

Hey,
I had to put photographs on the blog of one of Dedan's favourite stores here in Southern Cal..Jimbo's named after the owner who is called Jim..fancy that! Anyway, we agree with Dedan and think it is a pretty special store too, so it's just as well he likes it because that's where we buy most of our food!! He has a current fixation with blueberries and cream and any type of bagel! Don't ask me why..but as an athlete he can eat what he likes. He did hill repeats up Torrey Pines again yesterday morning in the fog...(dang the boy is a sick puppy..as he likes doing them) and so that is more than enough of a reason to eat blueberries and cream !

Dedan and blueberries at Jimbo's:

















Today during his walking lesson...(only day three on the new leg and progressing like a star!), I put his crutches in the rubbish bin/trash as he was going so well that I told him that he wouldn't be needing his crtuches anymore. Dedan flashed his customary grin when he turned around and saw them in the bin!!My client Peter Israel captured us on his iphone and in his words - 'it was almost a misty moment' watching Dedan walking with his new leg. To see it is amazing and very hard not to tear up. Yesterday, Sue Evans stayed after her morning workout just to see Dedan with the leg....thanks Sue that was cool, Dedan loved the support!

No need for Crutches!




Dedan walking the line:

We placed strips of tape on the studio floor to form a 'T' so Dedan could learn to 'walk the line' so to speak. He has been using crutches and hopping on his left leg for 16 years and so he is used to using his upper body and only one leg. He doesn't toe off or heel strike in gait with his 'good' leg and so we have to teach him how to do it properly. Even though he is a very fast learner the whole process of re-learning gait, having to think about it AND change an old engrained pattern is quite an energy brain drain. So after his daily walking lessons, Dedan goes home to sleep as the neurological drain knocks him out and his brain has to chill out. He bounces back in a couple of hours which is just as well as we have quite a few social events this weekend - birthday party with Ingrid and Tim on Saturday night, BBQ on Sunday afternoon at Jack and Barbs so Dedan can meet all the neighbors plus of course some cycling training. If the sun comes back out of the fog..yep it has been foggy the past three days..we may even hit the beach. Sounds like a plan doesn't it.
Wish you were all here with us.
Cheers
Janet

Waaaahhhooooooo!!!! - St Patrick's Day, Shamrocks and NEW LEG FOR DEDAN!!!

Hey,
Well the moment yesterday, when Dedan walked....yes WALKED into the studio at 4.45pm was not lost on me. It was of all days, St Patrick's Day. The day celebrated by Irish all over the world, shamrocks, four leaf clovers, good luck charms, the color green and ok a little bit of beer thrown in for good measure at Irish Pubs worldwide..a definite party day!

A huge grin from Dedan with his new leg:


Well, on this side of the pond...here was Dedan, tentatively walking in, minus crutches, first time in 16 years with his brand new leg. What a sight to see, such joy and yes with the trademark HUGE grin!



Dedan Walking the Line:




Week three in America and he has the leg! We have the walking socket and the cycling socket is still to come. As I write this, Dedan is having a 'walking lesson' with Chris in the studio. 16 years of not using the right leg makes for some serious re-programming! But..have no fear, Dedan is a 'cat', a 'quick learner', an 'elite athlete' and already after only two days with the leg..you can see a big difference in his gait and Chris will have to take the leg back to be adjusted. Initially they make the prosthetic knee quite soft as most people do not put much weight through the leg. Dedan...hmm he is an animal..in a good way. Mantra: I have the leg...I will walk! So consequently the knee has to be stiffened up...isn't that cool! He'll be jumping and running soon - watch this space.

I had to share this great news with you all.
Last night I had to spend time helping Dedan share the news with his friends and family via facebook and so the blog didn't get a chance.

Team Dedan's New Leg - WE HAVE DONE IT!


Give yourself a pat on the back, a pinch and a hug. It feels good huh? Wait until you see him....PRICELESS!
Mucho gracias, thank you, asante sana
Janet

Fundraiser Saturday March 14th 2009 - Successful? - You Betcha!!

A big thank you to all of our friends and clients who made a special effort to share part of their day with Dedan, Chris and myself at our fundraiser on Saturday. We really appreciated your support and can not thank you enough for your donations and kind generosity. To date we have raised $11,000 and so we are well on our way to reaching our goal of $15,000 which translates to a cycling AND a walking leg!!! Dedan had a great time and loved meeting you all and was very excited to have delivered his 'first English speech' with flying colors.

Dedan's first English Speech:

"I am Dedan from Nairobi, Kenya. This is my first time in the United States. I only speak a little bit of english but I would like to thank you all very much for coming today. I am very grateful for all the money you have donated and the support you have given me. It is my dream to one day win a medal at Paralympics. With your help I believe this is possible. I promise to make you all very proud of me. Thank you".



Now..put yourself in Dedan's place. Let me drop you in Nairobi, Kenya and in two weeks I would like you to say a speech in perfect Swahilli. Hmmm quite a feat don't you think! He did really well!


Dedan with Phil & Marlene Kerbis, Elizabeth Minter, Patricia Burkhart and Wes Boyce:








I'm sure you will all agree the DVD of Robert Blunt speaking Swahilli and translating into English and welcoming Dedan was unbelievable. Robert is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and a fluent speaker of Swahilli. He was the person in Dedan's bio (www.dedanireiri.com) who bought Dedan a Fuji cyclocross bike and suggested to him that he become a bike messenger in Nairobi. I knew that Robert wanted to be at the fundraiser but could not attend so I called him and suggested we surprise Dedan by having a DVD of Robert speaking to Dedan. With the help of my friend and fellow Chek Practitioner Mark Stone he took up the cause and went to Robert's office and interviewed him and then did what Mark does best and formatted it so that all we had to do was put it in the DVD player. Hey presto! One surprised Dedan. The look on Dedan's face was priceless especially when Robert started speaking immediately in Swahilli.

Dedan watching Robert's Swahilli Welcome:

For those of you who were unable to be with us Mark is working on a compact version so we can get it out to those who would like to see it...it really is astounding and yes Robert..you rock!!!.


Dedan also showed everybody his cycling skills on his 'brand new, one day old, Specialized Roubaix, speed machine!' You can see that he was definitely 'wearing his bike'. It is one cool carbon fiber bike and is it obvious that the boy on the bike doesn't look half bad either? You can tell by the photo that he is certainly lovin' that bike and having way too much fun!! Plus the Tour d'Afrique jersey looks great too. For the TDA'ers out there...Quizz time.. What year jersey is Dedan wearing?





















The food was good...a combo of home grown and a little bit of local catering from Andrea and the boys from Seaside Market. Mucho gracias....very tasty! You can see we had an African theme going with the table cloth (purchased from the Sunday market in Cape Town the day after we arrived with TDA 2007), Serengetti plates and serviettes in the foreground and OK let's make an exception for the Japanese sushi but you can see where we were going!




Hakuna Matata - No worries T-Shirt from Kenya. Dedan with Randy Olmstead:


Dedan,Tim Murray and Ingrid Saffert:


Dedan and Angie Yang:


Robert Yang with his boys:


Dedan with Michael Shelly and Tyeara Camacho:


Dedan with Penny Crozier:


Dedan with Kim Koch and Ingrid Saffert:


Dedan with Kevin Koch:


Dedan with Pam Higgins:
The company was great, everybody enjoyed meeting Dedan but best of all we are almost there with our target goal of $15,000. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping us make this happen.Virtual hugz are being sent to you all as a token of our appreciation. To those of you who were with us (physically on the day), you're lucky as you got your hug in person. To all others who have contributed to the fund but were unable to attend...I owe you...a big, kick ass, hearty bear hug!!
Oh! la! la! Can't wait to pay that debt off.
OK I'm outta here.
Rest day tomorrow.
Cheers
Janet