THE ED ’ S DESK by SEAN FALCONER the ed ’ s desk
It Won ’ t
happen to Me …
As we are all too aware , the past 19 months have seen most businesses , projects and events disrupted by the COVID pandemic , but in recent weeks the effects of the virus really hit home for Team Modern Athlete . And I am just thankful it wasn ’ t as bad as it could have been …
Early in September , I started showing the first signs of the sniffles , so for safety I went into quarantine mode , along with my partner Nicole . We ’ ve all lost somebody to this pandemic , or seen family , friends , colleagues and acquaintances suffer serious illness , so I didn ’ t want to take any chances , but my temperature had not increased , so I was still hoping it was just a typical end of winter , seasonal head cold . The symptoms were worse the next day , so I went to see my GP – again , just to be safe .
Initially , the Doc said it looked like I may just have the good old rhinovirus – the cause of the common cold – so he prescribed normal cold and flu meds , but said I should stay in quarantine until sure . Two days later , I was eating some blue-veined cheese when it dawned on me that I couldn ’ t smell or taste the stink cheese ! A COVID test the next morning confirmed what I already suspected ... and Nicole tested positive a few days later as well , although she was not showing any symptoms .
The All-important Vaccine
Thankfully , I had already been for my first vaccine shot six weeks earlier , while Nicole had been for both . I was actually due to go for my second shot the same day I ended up having the COVID test done , so it is still temporarily on hold , but I am convinced that the one jab I did get saved me from a far more serious illness . That ’ s because while Nicole just had an elevated heart rate and fatigue , my symptoms were a bit more serious … Rasping coughing , shortness of breath , heart rate rocketing just from walking to the bathroom , extreme fatigue and lack of energy , and more .
Still , I knew all along that my symptoms were much ‘ lighter ’ than many of the horror stories I ’ ve heard about this virus . I therefore felt lucky , and remained quite upbeat , but Nicole and my whole family were clearly very worried , constantly asking me to measure my blood oxygen levels with the pulse finger oximeter . ( Sidenote : My temperature never went up , which just shows that it is not a sure indication of a COVID infection .)
There was one really bad night when I coughed my lungs out for 40 minutes straight , leaving me absolutely shattered , and Nicole insisted she was going to drive to the 24-hour chemist to go get a nebuliser for me . I didn ’ t want her driving from Somerset West to Bellville so late at night on her own , on deserted roads due to curfew , so I said I would only let her go if I went along . We made it home safely and I got some rest after nebulising , and I want to take this opportunity to thank Nicole from the bottom of my heart for looking after me so well while I was ill . Love you , Noodle !
Deadline Put on Hold
As a result of being ill , I was unable to do much work for three weeks , so the September edition deadline passed me by in a haze of foggy ‘ COVID-brain .’ Our team therefore took the decision to bring out this September-October edition instead , to give me time to recover and ease myself back into work . I had kept my illness out of the public eye until we announced the later edition , and I would like to say how much I appreciated all the messages from friends , readers and advertisers , wishing me well with my recovery and offering help wherever needed . It really has shown me once again how many good people there are in this world !
This past week , more than a month after falling ill , I finally saw my coughing start to become less , but I am still feeling the after-effects of the fatigue , so am trying not to overdo it on the work front , and have put running on hold for a while longer . Everybody says the road to full recovery may still take a while , but I remain thankful that I only had a light does of COVID , and equally thankful that I got my vaccine jab !
On a related note , there are two items in this edition from close running friends who have also been through a much more serious COVID experience . There is a note from Jeff Ayeliffe on the Letters page , and a three-page feature in the trail running section from Sue Ullyett . I want to thank them for sharing their stories , and tell them that I and others take inspiration from the way they have dealt with their illness and recovery .
In the meantime , we ’ ve gone to an adjusted Lockdown Level 1 and sports events are finally reopening , bit by bit . We saw terrific racing in the recent SPAR Grand Prix series , and as I write this , the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is just days away . I am so looking forward to more races in coming weeks , but I know that a fourth wave of COVID infections is expected in coming months , so continue to be safe folks , and get that vaccine jab if you have not yet done so .
Sean Falconer
Image : Nicole Hayes
6 ISSUE 145 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2021 | www . modernathlete . co . za