LIVE DEEPLY, TREAD LIGHTLY
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Little by Little
I was tired this week and a few times had a fear that I was actually not better and that I really did have chronic fatigue. By Wednesday I was so tired I had to block my diary off and take a nap. Not a regular occurrence for me pre- cfs. I was relieved to hear that my...
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This has been a great week. I did my first double training session in over 8 months. And I felt great! It is still surreal for me to feel so amazing all the time. To feel normal and have energy that I forgot existed! I know I keep harping on about it, but it really is...
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Being away from home always makes you appreciate the things that make home yours, so much more. 3 weeks away with a team, traveling with like and unlike minded people is a long time. I have been back just under a week and I am so happy to be home. This is my first...
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It has been an incredibly long week here in Congo with very little for most of the medical team to do as most of the teams had left to go back to SA. I was unable to swim because they closed the pool which was sad. I managed to do two Pilates sessions and one strength...
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“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson’ This is another insightful quote from Chris Bertish’s book, ‘Stoked.’ This is an incredibly relevant quote for the African Games here in Congo. I have been here for 2 weeks now and there is always some drama. Yesterday I...
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Being on tour, days and weeks mingle together in one big clump, so you don’t really keep track of time. It’s a bit like watching grass grow. Have you ever noticed the blades get longer as each day passes? It is only after some time that you realise you need to cut...
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My second training week has been very different from my first. It started off with me fighting a scratchy throat and high heart rate. By Wednesday I was getting restless and took my morning off to get in the water and swim an easy 1km. I then went to join my training...
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This week has been my rest week and it has been good. Work has not played the rest game well with me though with me being fully booked for the last two days of the week with a waiting list. My average heart rate was between 75 & 80ish which is rather high. On one...
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So I survived my first ‘official’ training week on my road to full training. I did a total of 3 training sessions and 2 active rest sessions and generally felt ok. I had 3 days of feeling completely exhausted, but managed to get through my daily tasks ok. My final...
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Today I did my first proper training session in 7 months. For most people it could hardly be called a training session. But for me, it was the start of an intentional and very specific training plan towards my goal of completing the Kawi channel crossing next year. I...
My thoughts on rowing and the World Student games
I have spent the last three days working with the South African national student rowing team in South Korea. I had no idea how technical rowing was. I was wondering what on earth they needed a tool box for, until I arrived at the venue and saw these complex boats all...
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I guess it is rather fitting that with 52 weeks to go (give or take a few) I have just spent the last 52 hours travelling. That is 1 hour of travelling per week of my countdown! Or one and a quarter times the swim distance I am planning to swim. Or 4 -5 x the time I...
The Countdown
I have decided to start a 52 week training diary in preparation for my 40km channel crossing next year. 1 year seems a long way away, but when you break it down to just 52 weeks, it seems very close and with me in a position of minimal training, it is easy to want to...
Four Elements swim for change ocean challenge
Yesterday I got to participate in the Four Elements Swim for Change Ocean Challenge. The initiative behind this event was to create awareness for conservation as well as to fundraise for a development program exposing young students to the environment and providing...
Shoreline
I have just got back from a fun, spontaneous night away. I needed to escape from the regular routine of life I have subtly created for myself. I needed to find myself some space and just rest in a new environment. I picked the south coast, because for me it’s always...
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