Charlie's Bird
living the dream with Charlie and Thandi and chirping all the way back to the nest.Archive for January, 2019
Running on empty
…and just like that, I have switched back into survival mode, where my only aim is to make it through my day in one piece. It’s not a cool place to be, because it means that all my promises to myself that I would take better care of myself fall by the wayside. I am tired, I am frustrated and can’t seem to catch a break. I didn’t run this morning, I was just too weary when that alarm went off, and maybe that has given me some of these glumps. I don’t know. The next few weeks are go, go, go – so I have no time to sit around feeling sorry for myself. There is a call coming up and my WWOTR fundraiser. Yes, I am running that again this year – it is a wonderful life restorative weekend. It’s just the getting there that is the issue…
Ok, time to focus and breath. Tomorrow will be better!
Big Brothers
…are big for a reason! This particular one is 13 years older than me, which means he has always been big to me! He’s not the smallest guy in the world at 6foot4; and is an uber athlete. And yesterday he tackled the Ironman 70.3 triathlon here in our home town. And he did it! I am so proud of him, so chuffed at his dedication and his determination. He challenged himself and rose to that challenge – achieving a really incredible finish.
Well done, Big brother! You have a super proud little sisi!
Mortality
…it seems I am at the age where I am starting to face matters mortal. A paediatrician I used to work with, recently retired and is now dealing with a terminal diagnosis; a OBGYN colleague had a near miss cardiac event recently. And so we stare down our fates and wonder what lies ahead. Which is why, I guess, every year for me turns into the year of the body (I think we are on version 27.0). And I wonder when I will get things right; when will I turn that mystical corner and food won’t be my celebrant, comforter and company; when I will get to the point (and I once was there) when the thought of what eating the ‘wrong’ things was going to do to my body made me say no thank you? I wonder if I will ever be able to manage my stress more effectively to minimise the risks to my long term health. And yes, I know all about mindfulness, I know all about saying no, I really do, but I struggle to implement these things…
At least I run.
Yawn
…just when I was doing so well, 2 extremely busy days at work, a slightly late night, and suddenly I feel like I am sliding back into the disaster zone…
Weekend pending
…it’s been a busy week. Lots of meetings, but I have managed to carve out a bit of time for myself. Well, it might not have been all fluffy and pretty, but I have dedicated some time to myself to help myself – I’ve had 2 sessions with the biokineticist, a session with the chiropractor and a massage of my legs. I have also some managed some better runs this week – Tuesdays was very uncomfortable, but yesterday was better and today, despite some pain in my left sacroiliac joint (in the back of the pelvis), I surprised myself with some hill repeats and how I coped! So yay!
The weekend is pending – I have a trip to the neighbouring city planned tomorrow to attend a meeting; I hope to pop into the sports store while I am there to possibly get my shoes assessed, and see if these are still the right ones for me. I just want to maximise my chances of everything going well. I am ramping up the training, and will hopefully get to do a solid long run on Sunday.
We’re being entertained tonight; we’re entertaining on Sunday. It’s going to be busy, but good!
RC vitamins
…so I’m a vitamin and supplement kinda girl. I’m not convinced that these days we get all the necessary vitamins we need from our over processed food and diets. For years I’ve taken a handful of supplements – if you shake me, I may just rattle! On a daily basis I use staminogro, probiotics and digestive enzymes. If I don’t, I’m tired and grumpy with irritated guts.
And now I have discovered this…
The Myers Cocktail. It’s a vitamin infusion containing a combination of B vitamins, vitamin C and a few other things. Every time I have given myself one, I feel fantastic. Maybe it’s all in my head, and maybe it’s just a placebo effect, but it can’t harm, so here we go. Here’s to some awesome colored urine!
RC update
…so, after all of those investigations, I came to the conclusion that I was probably suffering from a touch of burn out (understatement of the day!); despite it being a call weekend, I decided to try to take it as easy as I could. And I did. I slept a lot; and given that I feel like an afternoon nap would do me well around now, I could do with some more. Isn’t it funny how we push ourselves so far, until we literally break!
I ran that race on Friday night; and while it was far from both my PB and my PW; I was just so relieved to run it; and complete it; and feel better that I thought I would. Phew! So now that I have had some rest, it is time to hit the tar again, group and do some decent training. I am also trying hard to settle my eating down; and have managed to drop some of the excess I gained while I overate in December. I am at least this morning, feeling a little stronger and “ek sien weer kans” (Afrikaans for “I can see a way forward” sort of. For my international readers, Afrikaans is this delightfully expressive language – a direct translation of that is “I see a chance again”, but that doesn’t really translate well)
Anyway, the week has begun. I am trying to carve out that me time every day – even if it is just watering the plants in my garden, deadheading the roses – small steps for a habitual giver.
Reconstruction underway
…ok, so all those tests I did earlier this week were tragically normal. While I am relieved there is nothing seriously wrong with me, I can’t help feeling a bit aggrieved that I have nothing to blame. It means that my tiredness is probably just a lack of sleep and some burnout; and my joint and muscular pain is probably just from a lack of exercise (really!). I’ve tweaked some treatment that I am on, so hoping that I do start to feel better.
The biokineticist is excited to work with me, I think that’s worrying! I know I have some weaknesses; and I haven’t really addressed them the last year or so, so before I get injured, its time to get strong. And since I lack the motivation to go to gym myself, someone needs to instruct me and make me accountable.
Tonight I am going to attempt a 10km race, I hope I have the staying power to finish it. It’s a fun race as it heads down from the club, along the beach and then back up to the club; but it does mean there are lots of hills in the second half! not my favourite!
Next week I will have another Myers Cocktail – a vitamin infusion to kickstart me, I hope! details to follow.
Reconstructing Birdie
… so, as I mentioned, this is the year of the reconstruction. I am at risk for lots of health issues, so I want to address them now, to minimize those risks. Today I took a step in the right direction and set up an appointment with a local biokinetics practice. It’s time to address my muscular weaknesses which negatively impact on my running. I started with SR a few years ago, but things fizzled out; I am giving it a bit more commitment this time.
I also did some baseline blood tests today, I’m awaiting all the results still, I’m sure I’ll be fine, but just checking! My running has been tough lately; I’m battling with exhaustion and joint pain, maybe I’ll get a few answers. Watch this space!
Family and Holidays
…and just like that, all good things come to an end. The holiday is over, all the friends and family have left and Thandi goes back to school on Wednesday. Tragic really!
The holidays have been good. Good to see friends and family, good to take a little time out, but, in their own way, some stressors too.
Work over Christmas was very busy – lots of babies, lots of heartache and some craziness thrown in for good measure! There was one baby born on Christmas Day; and such a fun delivery! It was a privilege to be involved. But, as I mentioned I had more than my fair share of tragic cases too – twins born too soon to stand a chance, miscarriages after long awaited pregnancies; my heart did break a little more this year. But that is the nature of my role, it isn’t always J&J babies and roses…
On the friends and family side, it was busy! My brothers arrived over the weekend of the 22nd with their respective families; and then our German friends arrived on the 23rd, just in time for one of those big fat crazy family Christmas lunches. It was noisy, it was hot, it was messy, there was tinsel and ribbons and confetti crackers. Totally crazy! The feast was good; the gifts appreciated and the love palpable!
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The aftermath of Christmas meant lots of cleaning and washing! Thankfully, my fairies stepped in and lent hands, and my house survived the chaos! In between trips to the office, we had the chance to visit some friends staying just out of town – good to catch up, good to connect on different grounds.
On the 29th we headed, with our German friends and our local friends, to Blanco, a fun guest farm near Tarkastad (very rural Eastern Cape). What an experience. There are families who have been coming to Blanco for over 50 years, and they keep returning; It felt like we became part of a very special family while we were there. The kids had a ball – horse riding, swimming, riding bicycles, playing tennis, jumping on trampolines, playing card games – all the things that a good holiday requires. The grown ups slept, swam, ran and walked, drank good SA wine and enjoyed some craft gins! All essential when the temperature hits the upper 30’s! One of my favourite things about Blanco is the compulsory tractor ride for all the children in the afternoon; what this means is the adults all get an afternoon kip! Yay! A very festive New Years party happened – with the theme being announced the night before – Blanco Burn – so the 31st saw all the guests traipsing through parka doing some shopping. Our best buys came form the Co-op! And we won the best dressed table!
A s the dust settled on the party, it was time to head home and back to reality – I did some deliveries, saw some patients and then we celebrated through the weekend, ending with a magnificent party at friends yesterday, to wish our germans farewell. Or rather, as they say in Afrikaans, Totsiens (Until seeing).
It was a holiday where I know we made some awesome memories with our children – cookie decorating with the family was special too; crazy uncles in the pool; endless rounds of ‘Would you rather?’; spontaneous dance parties and swimming with the moms (“But G, you even got your hair wet today!” said one little girl to her mom!) memories that I hope my girl will carry in her heart…
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