Get A Haircut Or Get A Real Job

Bondy in a Beige Brigade shirt with a beige Jeep found in Amsterdam

I was in London this weekend, and sporting the New Zealand supporters uniform - the beige brigade shirt, went to a local pub to watch New Zealand (a.k.a The All Blacks) play England. The manager of the bar was charging 5 pound on entry, and as he was of course English, was not happy that his team was being well and truly beaten by the mighty All Blacks.

There was some light-hearted comments made by all about the relative performance of each team, and as he must have become frustrated, asked me a question loud enough so all could hear:

Bar manager: 'So, did they give you a short back and sides?'
Bondy: 'No, it is a radiation haircut'
BM: 'what????'
Bondy: 'I had a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball, as you can see from the scar, and 6 weeks of radiotherapy, which is how I got my hair cut'
BM: '...'
Bondy: 'and....you have no comeback???'
BM: '....'
[at which point the bar burst out laughing at the bar manager]

A great lead-in to the 44-12 victory to the All Blacks.

In the triathlon world, I am entered in the Nederhorst triathlon here in Holland on July 6th, which is a 500m swim/20km cycle/5km run. This is much shorter than the Monaco Ironman, but will be a great warm-up race. I also have another lead-in triathlon on 9 August on the island of Texel which is 1000m swim/40km cycle/10 km run. I can't wait to see my training come to fruition!

Incredible Hulk or Ironman?

The conflict within

After seeing the two great movies The Incredible Hulk and Ironman, I am left wondering whether or not this is an internal conflict that is happening within me since my brain operation in December and the 6 weeks of radiotherapy that followed.

My similarities to The Incredible Hulk
- Exposure to radiation

- The Incredible Hulk's name on his birth certificate is David Banner. My name on my birth certificate is David Bond


My similarities to The Iron Man
- The use of machinery and apparel to achieve great speed and distance. For example, on Sunday, I biked 110km with an average speed of 30km/hr. With the help of a friend's wetsuit, I swum 2km on Tuesday, followed by a day that included 50km of cycling.

- I am competing in the Monaco Ironman race

It was hard to avoid the existence of this conflict given that a local clothing store is even selling underwear promoting it...

So it is still not clear which one of these superheroes is going to win the fight within me, but just to be on the safe side, take the advice of David Banner:

'Don't make me angry, you won't like it when I'm angry'

Stepping It Up A Notch

As the Monaco Ironman race on September 7th draws closer, my triathlon form also continues to improve.

In swimming I was lucky enough to borrow a triathlon wetsuit from a friend of mine. Normally I would swim 1 km in 20 minutes, but with the wetsuit I swum 1 km in 17:30!

In running I am now running 4:20-4:30 min/km on a normal 10-15km run.

I was in Cesena, Italy last week for a good friend's wedding, and managed to get the opportunity to run up one of those fabled 'hills' that we don't have in Holland where I am based.

The monastery that overlooks Cesena (1733)

See the exact course that I ran by clicking the following link [be sure to click show elevation at the bottom of the map]:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/italy/47023-cesena-forlì-cesena/710564368321

My cycling is also coming along nicely with a 60km ride on Friday by myself - in true Ironman style - with an average speed of 30.2km/hr

RADIOTHERAPY COMPLETE!!!!!!

Yeeeeeeuuuuuuuwwwwww beeeeeeeaaaaaauuuuuuutyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

I have finally completed the 30-session radiotherapy program, and with no side effects apart from a slight glitch in the last week (see Burning A Candle At Both Ends below) and a new haircut, I am fine!!

Bondy's new haircut

I am still on training detox (again explained below) but will be back into my triathlon training on Monday.

I would like to thank the great team at the AMC hospital once again, and wish them all the best with future zapping sessions.

Bondy with the AMC radiotherapy team

Now it is onward and upward for me - so as boxing referee Mills Lane would say:

MONACO IRONMAN, LET'S GET IT ON!!

Burning A Candle At Both Ends

[cue drum roll....]

RUMBATUMBATUMBATUMBATUMBATUMBATUBBATUBBA CHISHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[that last bit was the cymbal]

Well, I have almost made it to the end of my preventative radiotherapy treatment schedule. I have had 29 treatments, and have only one more to go!!!!

This is where my ultimate plan has come into effect, and explains the picture above...

The candle is my total energy reserve

- One end of the burning candle is my radiotherapy

- The other end is my triathlon training

The basic logic is that I would try and concentrate on my triathlon training to have focus on something other than my radiotherapy treatment, and if it my health deteriorated, then I could taper my training down as and when necessary.

I told Dr Stalpers (my radiologist) about my theory early in my treatment schedule. His response was that I should not push myself too hard. I said that unfortunately, I can't not push myself hard. If I do something, I do it 110%. He said that he simply didn't have clinical proof that this was an advisable plan, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't work. It has.

I cycled 130km on Sunday in just under 4 hours (avg speed 30.8 km/hr). I had planned to rest on Monday, but instead played touch rugby for two hours. While it was great fun, it is the equivalent of doing 2 hours of wind-sprints. That night, I had a terrible sleep, and was feeling nauseous. I put myself on compulsory 'training detox' until the end of the week which in-effect stops one end of the metaphorical candle burning.

It worked really well, and I am back to feeling 100% today! I will be back into my training this weekend as long as I continue to feel 100%, and given that the radiotherapy end of the candle will stop burning tomorrow. WAHOOO!!!!

I got proof yesterday that I am in good physical shape as well - on my way home from my radiotherapy session, I was on the Metro (subway train). The train goes past the Amsterdam Stadium - the home ground of AJAX Football Club (Dutch equivalent to Manchester Utd). I was in shorts, a t-shirt and jandals (flip-flops for those who don't understand New Zealandisms), and a 14/15 year old boy approached me, and in a shaky voice asked (in Dutch):

Do you play for Ajax?

Locked and Loaded In Triathlon Mode

After well and truly entering the home straight in my radiotherapy treatment schedule, my radiotherapist has been just as surprised as I have with the only symptom that I have exhibited being a new haircut.

In our weekly meeting, I told Dr Stalpers how I was actually starting to feel some muscle fatigue, although mentally I am feeling fine. He was listening intently, and making notes. I followed this up with...

'...and I have only swum 2km this afternoon on my way here...'

To which he immediately stopped writing, looked up and laughed out loud.

He said that my triathlon training before and during the radiotherapy treatment schedule has helped me to respond so well, with almost no noticeable side effects.

My triathlon training this week has increased in intensity, with a target training heartrate of 152 - 166 bpm. My schedule for this week is as follows:

Monday: REST!
Tuesday: 2km swim, 8km run
Wednesday: 60km bike
Thursday: 2km swim, 8km run
Friday: 50km bike
Saturday: REST!
Sunday: 120km bike

I am going to be competing in Monaco, but rest assured, I am not just there to make up the numbers!!

The Real Way To Get a Haircut

Some guys get their hair cut with scissors, while some go for clippers. These are both widely considered the 'soft guy' approach. The real hard men get their hair cut by getting it shot off with radiation.

Following in the footsteps of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, I am now sporting a new haircut carried out using the radiation method...

Dr Jekyll

Mr Hyde

Since receiving this new haircut, I have noticed a marked improvement in my surfing, electric guitar-playing and cage-fighting skills.

After an intermittent triathlon training week last week thanks to Queens Day and a twisted ankle sustained while playing touch rugby, it is back to full steam ahead this week:

Monday: 75 km bike

Tuesday: 15 min swim (cut short thanks to a crowded pool with one other guy swimming down the lane as though he was an octopus), 60 min run

Wednesday: 50km bike

Thursday: 45 min swim, 35 min run

Friday: 120 min bike

Saturday: 60 min run

Sunday: REST!!!!