Sick..ugh..

Woman down.

Guys, I am not to well.

On Thursday I felt an itching in my throat. I knew that it was my tonsilitis about to act up.

Usually it starts like that and then gets progressively worse. So I know to gargle and take lots of hot drinks and lots of rest for at least a day or two.

However I hae realised that this is something that happens to me around this time of year. Thankfully it is not as bad as it was when it first happened some 9 years ago.

On Friday I went to a pharmacy to get antibiotics because I know that this is what works for me.

Sidenote: I don’t like to take meds unless I am in deep serious pain that I know rest will not be able to deal with by itself. Usually I take meds for migraines.

The pharmacist listened to my symptoms and first recommended a lozenge but I again asked for antibiotics. He then recommended a syrup, again I asked for antibiotics. He said that since I don’t have a fever, I didn’t need an antibiotic. I said a lozenge will really not sort out the issue but rather be a stopgap for a few minutes and then the pain comes back. He recommended something else and I just sighed and said “You really don’t want to give me the antibiotics huh?” At that point he realised that he was frustrating me. I then suggested that we meet halfway, I take the lozenges and antibiotics. He agreed.

As a result, I do not feel up to working out. I just want to wallow in bed till I feel better.

Maybe a walk will do me some good.. Having some eucalyptus oil in the shower is helpful as does tea a

It has been 3 days since and my throat stopped being itchy on Friday but now I have a runny nose from what became a cold. At this point, the lozenges help but they are a bit much. Every day I notice something is changing. Today is Sunday evening, day 4 and I notice that my voice has been getting hoarse and might be gone by morning.

Also I do not think it is Covid and if it is, I’ll get better.

The Next Challenge

My friends in Uganda shared an Easter challenge that they have coming up.

I am excited about it but also quite a bit scared.

It is to be held on the 15th to the 18th of April. So for this challenge I get to choose whatever distance I can achieve in 4 days. It could be 10k, 21k, 42k, 50k, 84k and 100k.

The 10k and 21k get a silver medal and other distances get a gold medal.

I am thinking of challenging myself and aiming for the 42k because I can do the 21k in 2 days and 10k in a day and where’s the challenge there? Anything more is so overwhelming I’ll give up before running and many other things so..

This year is about challenging myself, scaring myself and did I say challenge myself?

So as to not collapse with exhaustion I will be testing my body, hydration and nutrition by doing the challenge the first weekend of April and see how my body handles it.

In preparation I plan to rest on Wednesday and Thursday, maybe run a 10k on Friday, 5k Saturday morning, 5k Saturday evening, 10k Sunday and 5k Monday morning and last 5k Monday evening. I intend to ask for help from neighbours because I am sure I will be wiped out on Sunday.

Perhaps I can start it on Thursday so that it ends on Saturday and I sleep it on Sunday..hmmmm..

Anyone care to join me?

Kili marathon…loading

Here we go….

3 days to the big day.

My first 21k in years. Let’s do this.

This is my first time doing this race. I have wanted to do it ever since I started running 8 or 9years ago.

I have my transportation and accommodation sorted out. I have also roped in one of my best friends to go with me and be my personal cheerleader and drag me to the hotel.

I have to be honest with myself:

My training has not been good. It could have been better but it is what it is.

Is my attitude right? Yes it is. All I want to do is finish, no matter the time.

I have talked with another runner who have done the run and she says that I should just do my race no matter what time I finish it. The cut off time is 6 hours 30 minutes, so my cut off time is 6 hours 28 minutes..hahaha..

One of my targets this year is to do new races. So I am excited about this.

I’ll let you know how it goes nd I’ll do my best to take pictures and share with you dear readers.

100 days of fitness

I did it! I finished it!

I started on the 21st of September and was scheduled to finish on the 31st of December 2021.

I started out with the plan of doing 5k a day which I did for about a week..soon after I realised that I would have to scale that back because my legs were just too tired and I didn’t want to fail in the beginning like I had so many times before. Also I did other exercises like yoga and swimming (shout out to my nephew and niece who were great company) Swimming was a great relief for my legs.

I did a challenge with Team Jasho running club where I did 5k a day for the month of November. They call it the Womens Challenge. It was hard. It took me out. I really did not want to talk about working out for a long while after and I did take some days off to rest.

I ended the challenge with a 2k walk and a swim.

I am super proud of myself and I think I can do it again but with better prep.

I ended the year with a mileage of 584kms. The most I have ever done.

That is the benchmark for the new year.

I intend to do my first half marathon in 6 years.

The Kilimanjaro marathon. I have wanted to do this particular run for the last 10 years.

So far, my training hasn’t been the best but I am putting my foot forward.

All I want to do is complete it.

Cheers to me and being consistent.

More New Beginnings

I’ve been thinking of other things to change..been thinking them for some time and I think that there is no time like the present to apply them. I did all of these things 10 years ago and they made me feel great, healthier and in a better head space.

Here they are:

Giving up meat and sugar. I did this about 10 years ago and it made a great difference in my weight and overall well being.

Sleeping earlier.

Turning off the devices early like at 7pm.

Reading more.

Exercise. Get out of the uber a km away from home, take the stairs and not the lift. Do 10 lunges and squats every time I go to the bathroom. Do either 3 5ks a week or a 10k and a 5k a week.

Drink 2 litres of water a day.

Are these difficult or too hard? No. Achievable..perhaps maybe even too easy. But I want to be able to do this for a week or two and then move up from there.

A day at a time.

5 months post op

It’s been 5 months since the surgery.

Can’t believe it.

I went on a run, the first run since February, there was no pain..win! I was able to run a bit but of course it is nothing like it used to be.

That gives me hope.

I’ve been trying to get more disciplined with exercise (some days it works) and meals (some days I don’t eat dinner) all these things… Some days are good and some days not so good. The important thing is that I keep trying, right?

Cheers to trying again tomorrow.

Half marathon, done and dusted!!

The day rolled around.
Dull and overcast. “Perfect for a run”
Watching on TV as the 42k runners were flagged off as i waited for my cousin to get ready. My feet could not keep still and I knew that I could still back out but I’d never forgive myself. We got to the start line just in time to be flagged off. We started at a slow jog on the first of a few steep of the steep hills that characterised the run. I told him to go on as I knew that I would not be able to keep up that pace. I walked and jogged and walked and jogged some more. There was an older gentleman who I decided would be my pacesetter. He was walking and jogging and we had a good momentum going until he met his friend and they started talking. So I left him and his friend behind. My strategy was to have a pacesetter that would keep me motivated, despite us having different training levels.
When I passed him I was lost. I mean, what do you do when you surpass your pacesetter?? Solution: find another.
Next, I saw these spry older Indian gentlemen at one of the loops just before the 5k mark. They were about 600m ahead of me and I thought I could catch up to them. I never did catch up to them. They were deep in some discussion that kept them distracted. At the 14k mark I saw them running at high speed (at least it seemed so) while I was debating the level of madness versus sensibility.
Till I got to the 10k mark and decided to go for a toilet break. Big mistake. Momentum was lost and I didn’t get it back 😦 Turns out it was just nerves. I walked some more and jogged some more, I wondered where the turn off was and I estimated it to be 2km away round a bend. It turned out to be 5km away! Oh the horror!! I wasn’t going to turn back or be picked up by the stragglers bus so onwards onwards. I saw the spry Indian gentlemen run at top speed. I just marvelled at them and said “These are the guys who gave us yoga and Kamasutra.”
I met my friend and it helped to have company until she told me she couldn’t talk. Lol! She needed her energy to focus on walking. We got to the 16km mark and we had to do a loop and we thought about just going under the tape as we had seen people do numerous times on the course, we looked at each other and knew we’d never forgive ourselves so round the loop we went.
I hit another wall when I got to the 18k mark, plus it was a hill. I wasn’t sure where I was, I couldn’t hear the music from the stadium, I was just following the people in front of me. This self imposed agony needed to end!
Soon enough I heard the music and saw the stadium *joy oh joy* It wasn’t clear where I was to go so I just kept walking until I go to the 20k mark,where I realised I have to do another short walk outside the stadium and then get to the stadium. I met friends who had finished it and wanted to chat but when they realised I was still on it, they pushed me onwards. Good friends.
I got there and I was so happy that I had made it,I tried to do a run then a jog but my legs told me to forget that idea. I did jump over the finish line and the trackers on the ground. Proud moment that 🙂
All I wanted to know next was “Where do I get my medal??” I was directed and I heard the sweet sound of metal upon metal, beautiful music. Soon I was plonked on the grass doing some stretches and light yoga.
I soaked in my achievement. At the time I just sat and barely talked. I thought that Batman would be proud of me but in his silent way would tell me “You could have done better.”

Will I do it again? Hell yes!!
In fact, I’m looking for the next race.
Right now, I’m relaxing and massaging my sore and tight calves.

Happy trails 🙂

Gym Visit

A friend told me about the gym he attends and i kept mentioning how i would visit and check it out. My visit didn’t look like it was going to happen as things just kept proping up and i would forget. So he told me the daily rate and made sure that i would attend it with him. So on Wednesday this week i did.

Got up early and went into town.

I found him pounding the treadmill. I was impressed.

The gym instructor got me on the pedal machine and then the treadmill for 15 minutes each. I hated the pedal machine, ugh!

While i was on the treadmill, there was a lady who walked in and started doing squats. She couldn’t get to knee level and i remember laughing inside but applauding her effort all the same. I remember thinking “Everyone has to start somewhere.” I looked to my right at the middle aged lady who was on the treadmill next to me. She was running the hell out of that machine at a speed of 8.8km/hr and i was struggling at 5.5km/hr. Humble pie.

Do not look at someone and dismiss their effort because you can do it better than them, because the next person, or that same person. can do something better than you. 

All the while through the corner of my eye, i can see my friend, K, doing lunges with a weight balancing on his shoulders…don’t know what they are called. I knew he was fit but watching him was something else. It was motivation to keep moving on the treadmill machine 😉

The gym instructor was keen to have me do squats and lunges and was pleasantly surprised that i could do them with minimum complaints. He was really keen for me to go for another session.

You know what? I think i will. And hopefully i will go with my friend K.

I found that i sweated more than when i work out at home.

It helps to be with a groups as it keeps you motivated and engaged as opposed to when you are at home and you can easy stop for extended breaks.The gym doesn’t let you do that.

Having a friend is an added bonus.

Enjoy your workouts!

Splints

Ola!

When i went on my long walk,i did a short run to test my shins and to my joyous surprise, the splints were gone WOOHOO!

After a month of strength training and no running it was good to jog without pain.

I did a short run in the beginning of and i found out that i had run the fastest ever time in 13 runs.

Rest truly does work wonders for the body.

I think i can start on my training for the half marathon in October though i will take it a lot slower this time around and not push myself so hard. Now that i know better, i will add a lot more strength training and yoga to my regimen, along with vegetables.

I may have to start lower than where i left off but that ‘s ok. In life mistakes are there to teach you lessons.

Failure can each us lessons that success cannot.

Happy running.

Back on track..

Last week i passed by the bakery i usually pass daily and don’t give a second look. I stopped and took a short look at the display case and ordered a cup of tea and one of the pastries. To be honest, it was worth it.

It melted in my mouth. I thought that it has been six months since i rewarded myself with some good cake. I dragged my feet out of there but my mouth remembered that feeling all day. That scenario was repeated for four more days *wails*

So now, I am home for a visit and my mother mentioned that i have added some weight *gasp!*

I had been feeling lethargic and not liking myself for not getting any exercise and the good endorphins going so i quickly organised a lunch date with my friend Mr N (more on him later)

I went on a long walk and a bit of jogging. I tracked it and it turns out i walked 4.8km and walked back 5.5km.

It felt so good! Energy restored and all is right with the world ooommmmmm

The interesting thing i found out the morning after is that, only my hip joints hurt. In the past when  have walked 10k, my leg muscles and Achilles hurt for days. I think it helped that i broke that walk into two.

I can say that i am back on the fitness wagon.

Don’t give up, everyone had bad days. Pick yourself up and keep going. Don’t quit. Believe in yourself.