Well, it looks like it's been more than 18 months since I last posted. I just can't STAND those blogs where nothing is posted for months on end, and there am I doing that exact same thing. Me BAD and I apologise profusely. See, it's not even a New Year's resolution to pick this up again, because here I am, right here, right now.
I can't even remember the rest of 2015, suffice to say it went along with no major happenings as I slowly recovered from the crash in 2014 and built up my exercise regime to try and get back to my pre-crash self. I basically had a 'year off'. It took me a long time to get over my injuries and I now know that some aspects of my body (specifically my elbow and collarbone) will never be the same again. That's ok though, hell, I never really, really liked circuit training and yoga anyway, so now I have a perfect excuse as it's difficult (read impossible) to put weight through my elbow for a long time, so no burpees or downward dog for me!
2016 has been plagued with illness. Novovirus? Anyone out there had that? I know you have. One minute I'm in the lounge having eaten my dinner feeling my fabulous self, the next I had my face on the bathroom floor, and was trying to empty all of the liquid contents out of my body from any and every available orifice. Pleasant it is not. That came on the back of a pretty horrendous flu and chest infection too, so the year up to March pretty much passed me by and I missed a couple of planned races.
That said, through February to September, I managed to complete the following races during the season : Crystal Palace triathlon, Thames Turbo triathlon, Southwater relays triathlon, Windrush aquathlon, Bedford duathlon, London Fields Aquathlon and Jekyll and Hyde duathlon. Overall, this saw me come 3rd in my age group in the British Triahtlon London league, which then meant that I scooped the club Ladies duathlon award as well as the Captains's award for basically being brilliant in 2016. Get me!
I continued to be plagued by various infections - including impetigo, two ear infections and a particularly nasty bout of sinusitis. Each time I pushed the exercise envelope, I became ill. The illnesses came with a pretty severe fatigue each time which I have never had before, so I would go from running 10km one day to being unable to walk to the kettle the next. I have never spent so much time on the sofa...
To cut a long story short, I had my GP refer me to an immunologist, who then referred me on to an endocrinologist. It seems I have a hormone disorder called acromegaly caused by a benign tumour on the pituitary gland. Search it on the internet, it's an interesting condition and finally provides an answer to the illness and odd symptoms.
I'll see the docs in the new year, so I will post again then. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to a fab Christmas and I am determined to get fitter than ever. Who knows... maybe there's a half iron(wo)man in me yet.
Merry Christmas All. Chase your dreams. Never give up on them.
