TRAIL RUNNING
days , apart from cups of hot Marmite and herbal tea . I was spraying bleach in the toilet and realised that I could not smell it , and then I went around spraying and testing all the things in my house with a strong smell and realised that I could not smell anything . Eating was the same , as I could not taste a thing … I may as well have been eating cardboard .
Frightening Symptoms There is so much information online about the symptoms of COVID , and they are all so varied , but the main ones that stand out for me are the sore throat ( and I don ’ t mean scratchy , I mean swallowed razor blades sore ), a raspy dry cough that gets so intense that you feel like you are about to cough out a lung , body aches and migraine-like headaches , extreme fatigue , a fever ( not a tried and tested way to determine the virus , by the way ) and the loss of sense of taste and smell .
with close to 7000 metres of vert , in just over 48 hours spread out over 11 days ... and that after my COVID and Adri breaking her ankle and twisting the other one really badly in a freak accident 10 months earlier during lockdown . While planning the journey , I wasn ’ t sure if Adri could do it , but she sure as hell
proved me wrong . As she wrote afterwards , “ Mental state … all over the freaking show ! So proud . So grateful . So broken . So emotional . So happy !”
Tagging another of the 13 Peaks with Adri Bootsma
The other element they don ’ t tell you about is the brain fog . It ’ s so bad that you start to question your own sanity . Things you think you did , but others can ’ t recall , and they go silent on the other end of the phone as you describe in detail what you believe you did . You end up ranting like a raving lunatic , so strong is your belief .
Reading or watching Netflix was too hard to do , and it took me a while before I got back into it . Then comes trying to remember details of names , movies , books , days of the week , or just life in general . I do some work for a frail care centre , and one of the articles we distributed was about Alzheimer ’ s . I went back to this article and read it repeatedly , as I was worried I had early-onset Alzheimer ’ s . Having a conversation with me on some days was a bit like playing charades – you had to fill in the pieces , or try and guess what I was trying to tell you .
It takes a while for the sense of taste and smell to return . I still didn ’ t have them back properly a month after I was sick , and I had to really focus on what I was eating or drinking . I swirled everything around my mouth like I was doing a wine tasting , and then I would get hints of it . Also , I ’ m a coffee addict , but I couldn ’ t face it for weeks after being sick .
SLOW RETURN TO ACTIVITY
Another thing I lost was weight – just over four kilograms – which was not altogether a bad thing , considering I spent a lot of time ‘ comfort eating ’ during lockdown . The weight-loss is because the last thing you feel like doing is eating , as you have zero appetite . It took a long time for my appetite to return , but I knew the weight would come back – it always does , as soon as you start eating properly again .
Of course , returning to exercising is something that must be taken slowly . You either don ’ t have the energy or inclination to exercise , or just doing a short walk leaves you feeling breathless and extremely tired again . I slowly got back into it , but running without my heart rate rocketing up proved to be a bit of a challenge , so I resorted to hiking and walking instead , or doing very easy jog walks with my dog . She was happy , so it was a win-win situation .
Personal delivery by 13 Peaks Founder Ryan Sandes
Sue working at the Ultra- Trail Cape Town
And what a journey it was . It had been a tough few months for me , and this challenge gave me a purpose again , and something to look forward to and focus on each weekend . Looking back , to share the excitement of exploring new places and to show Adri all the different beautiful trails that we have in our backyard while tagging each peak , was one for the memory banks . Also , our friends Stef , Monica and Sue also joined for some of the peaks , and to end it all with good friends , bubbles and cupcakes was a special
As I got my strength back , I found great enjoyment in tackling the 13 Peaks Challenge with my friend , Adri Bootsma , hiking the various peaks in manageable sections . We tagged our 13th and final peak on 14 March , having done over 100 gruelling kilometres , moment to be cherished for a lifetime .
46 ISSUE 145 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | www . modernathlete . co . za
TIME TO REFLECT
I ’ ve never been a sickly person , and if I do get ill , I usually recover within a few days and am back to normal shortly afterwards . This was something completely different . Many of us will survive this virus , but the scary thing is we just don ’ t know . Regardless of what lockdown level we are currently on , and all the rules that keep changing daily , it is our responsibility to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe , because you really don ’ t want this virus . It ’ s nasty , and totally unpredictable , and we still don ’ t know or understand the long-term effects .
Happily , almost a year later , I am back to full health and fitness , I am running regularly , and I am able to line up for the wonderful trail races that we are privileged to have on the calendar , in spite of lockdown restrictions . It has been so good to be out there after a year of very few events , although there were a few times I felt differently the morning after a long race , when I couldn ’ t move ! All I can say is that it was a long road back .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sue is a Cape-Town-based public relations , marketing and communications specialist , with vast event management experience in road and trail running events , including the Two Oceans Marathon , Cape Town 12K CITYRUN and Ultra- Trail Cape Town ( UTCT ), as well as wine and music festivals . She also does copywriting , script writing and editing work for various magazines , books and websites . Her next big project is the upcoming UTCT on 27-28 November – more info and entries at www . ultratrailcapetown . com .
Thankful to be back to tagging peaks again
Images : Barbara Cole , Adri Bootsma , Sue Pullinger , AshrafOrrie & Courtesy Sue Ullyett