November down

Remember when I talked about the frustrations of the chronically ill? Well, my failed plans for an active November are a part of that frustration! Yes, I am halfway through my planned super-productive, super-active, and super-plugged-in November, and I’ve accomplished nothing. There’s nothing like a bit of chronic illness to remind you that you’re not actually in charge of your own health!

In the lead-up to submitting my PhD thesis, life was a bit chaotic. With thesis season in full swing, I was not able to commit to running much in September and October. In fact, in the last two weeks of October, I completely stopped running to prioritise my thesis writing. I consoled myself in this sorrowful time-management plan with a promise that I would run every day in November.

Oh yes. That was the plan. Submit my thesis on the last day of October (done) then lace up my running shoes on the first day of November (big fail). I also had big plans for several little adventures all month long. It was going to be amazing!

Instead, I woke up on the 1st of November a bit run-down feeling. And with a 5-hour straight day of teaching ahead of me, I decided that a morning run wouldn’t work; I would have to run after teaching instead. But by the time I was done teaching, my body had entered Basic Cold Mode.

The next morning, I woke early for an all-day workshop. Only I didn’t make it because Basic Cold Mode had morphed into The Dreaded Common Cold. Then on the next day, the cold morphed into The Deadly Common Cold. I was, to say the least, in no shape for running.

But by Sunday, I was feeling well enough to get out of the house. And so, I walked two miles in the sunshine to meet a friend for coffee. (Happily accepting a lift for the return journey home!) That gentle walk took a lot out of me, and come Monday, I was only able to muster a few hours in the office.

And by Tuesday, I was in hospital.

Yes, what started as Basic Cold Mode ended in a platelet count so low that the doctors felt the best place for me was a hospital bed for a couple of days. I’ll spare you the full account, but it was more precautionary than anything else and I am recovering well.

All of this illness means that I am now mid-way through November and I have not run once. Heck, I haven’t even managed to get more than a couple thousand steps in most days. And forget about the adventures! I’ve had to forgo all of the fun things I had planned.

Thankfully, I am now starting to feel a bit alive again. I am still a bit weak and I am certainly not ready for running yet, but I can feel the energy returning to my bones. And that means that I am starting to think about adventures again.

In fact, this weekend I will be heading out for a mini-adventure around Edinburgh. And if all goes well, I will be up for running by the end of the month. (Don’t worry, I will take it slowly!)

And maybe, just maybe, I can stay healthy enough for long enough to actually start having more fun adventures to share with you here.

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