I ate a whole cow (or thereabouts), got plenty of sleep and even more rest, took all of my medicine, and slowly built up my walking again. It wasn’t until I started to feel truly healthy and strong that I realised how unwell I had been, and how long it had taken to feel normal once again. I suppose I thought that once my blood was clear of the malaria parasites, the infection defeated, the fevers gone, I would be fine again. I didn’t think about the reality or importance of recovery, the need to rebuild what was damaged during my illness- specifically, to grow some new blood cells – and just how much rest and nourishment that would require. The first few days after I was released from hospital I slept for about 14 hours a day!
I ramped up my training quickly. Gentle 20 minute strolls with the dog built up to a solid 15 mile session (30858 steps, 1116 calories) in under 2 weeks. I felt healthy, increasingly strong, but I knew that in order to have the condition and (more importantly) confidence that I’ll need for the Challenge, I needed to get back to my pre-malaria best – I needed to tackle a 50km beast, and come out the other side in one piece! That was accomplished yesterday (63095 steps, 2181 calories), when after 15 miles along the comfortably flat and familiar Exe Estuary Trail, we hopped on the boat across to Shaldon and tackled the beautiful but painfully hilly section of the South West Coast Path to Torquay. Lifting tired limbs up up up up step after step after step was exhausting, and I found myself viewing every descent with distrust, for what goes down must come up, but it was satisfying to feel my muscles stretch and ache, building endurance, strengthening my resolve.
In just under two weeks, the London2Brighton challenge gets underway – 100km in one go, over 20-30 hours or more, through day and night. I don’t know if I will be able to do it, but I have decided that I will try.
One of my favourite training companions
Getting back to it; breaking out the Bolt!
Devon adventures in Teignmouth
Worth the burn!
Where's Viv? 