Post holiday blues and doubts

After a fantastic time away in a place that still feels so much like home I have hit a real low, physical and mental. I have felt lethargic and just low on energy. Maybe it's the travel and adjustment back to the cold. Either way it doesn't warrant well for training for 100 miles. I have been questioning whether it is a good idea to do the event, if I am up for it and so on. But then, after speaking to my wise husband, I realise that I feel freaked out and overwhelmed at trying to pick up where I left off with training. So I am going to try taking the pressure off and remember why I entered the event in the first place...getting out running in the mountains, preferably with others. So i am not going to focus on how many miles, meters of ascent or hours I have to put in and just get out for runs, short or long, low or high and get back to looking forward to and enjoying being out. With that I am sure the miles will be done and i will get the motivation to do some hills in.
I started today with a  great run out, nice and steady around Crummock and Buttermere with a friend and had a great time :)

Lamu

 

Early Morning walks, a swim in the sea, followed by fruit and eggs for breakfast was a great start to each morning. Shela really is a special place where you meander through the narrow sandy alley ways, passing little kiosks selling the limited range of produce towards the sea front that's decorated with dhows and boats. There is a real sense of calm and unity and no fear for your safety. I spent my mornings and much of the day between the village and the beach, chatting to the locals and enjoying the serenity of the place. I couldn't get enough of the tea and though our diet was limited to fruit, salad, fish, eggs and chapatis or rice, it was always fresh and well prepared. Even if you did have to wait over an hour for it. It felt good to have a bit of a cleanse but won't lie I missed a good bit of bread, cereal and looked forward to something other than fish. You know you've been spoilt when it gets to that stage.

Whilst I have missed running, I have embraced the yoga and think that it may have been good for me to work my body in a different way. Swimming in the sea was also a good way of giving my upper body more attention and exercising in a different way. I just hope that I'll be feeling fresh and motivated when I get back, especially now I have relaxed into holiday mode. 

 

Time to chill

Ha, just wrote a post and lost it 😩 Sat drinking gorgeous Kenya tea in paradise that is Lamu. I have taken two weeks off to spend time relaxing, bonding with my sister and getting back to my roots in Kenya. I grew up in Kenya and having spent 19 years here it will always be home to me. I am lucky enough to come back and spend some time with my sister who's finances family live here, and even more lucky to come to the Island of lamu and spend a week relaxing by the beach in a home like hotel where the staff cannot do enough for you and we can do yoga every evening. Camt forget to mention eating fresh fish and of course the local tea and coffee that's just awesome. Saying that I have to admit to struggling with the idea of doing nothing for two weeks. After pushing myself in January to get in the miles and ascent and feeling like I couldn't quite do enough it's hard to switch off and be ok with the odd stroll and swim in the sea. I feel guilty and find it hard not to think of what others may be doing. Yes, I hate to admit I compare myself to others and usually those that do 60-80 miles a week, stupid amounts of ascent, not to mention the gym, swimming and extra stuff on top. So the more obsessive types. But I need to remind myself why I run, what else in life is important to me and that I do a lot more than many others. I really just want to be ok with doing less or not much for a period of time, all the while knowing that I will always want to get back to it and then embrace it more. My body I'm sure will thank me for it. Does this sound like I am trying to convince myself that's two weeks of not doing much, eating, sleeping, reading and relaxing taking time out is ok?! I think it probably does because that's probably what I'm doing lol.  Saying that I did enjoy a very leisurely jog on the beach, a paddle in the sea and am looking forward to a walk and yoga later... Maybe tomorrow I'll do much less, maybe I'll do more. I will continue to try and not let it be the be all and end all and in the mean time think about how hard I'll be working when I get back. I think I'll lie down now 😜