“Let’s add a 6th day to my training week….”
“Or maybe not”, was my body’s reply.
Training was going very well. My muscles are nothing in comparison to October last year when I started my training. Strong is an understatement. In 77 days (11 weeks) I’m on a plane to Kathmandu, the clock is ticking, and every training session is now valuable, but I have learned in the past 3 weeks that there is also value in rest. Let’s just say, it was not by choice. One extra day and my EDS body rebelled like you wouldn’t believe. 2 tennis elbows, inflammation in both hips, my knees are not happy, and I am fatigued – more that usual. So, with the advice of my trainer I took a break this week from most of my sessions. Mentally it was harder than I thought because it feels like the journey ahead is much more important than rest, but clearly it is much needed. When you have set yourself a challenge, you sometimes have to stand back and chill to recover but also to take in how far you have come and what you have achieved so far - and that is what I did. I felt proud, even in my brokenness.
With time away from my training and short hikes here and there, I focused on my packing. Yes, you have heard right people, packing! I know I am organised but there is method in my madness. I have a 10kg weight restriction on my duffle bag from Kathmandu to Lukla airport, which will be carried by a porter or yak and my backpack will be roughly 5-7kg, so things have to be tried and tested. I bought a lot of my clothing etc. in the last 3 weeks. Things I need but unfortunately some I won’t be able to train in as it is merino wool and we are in mid-summer.
I have read up and done so much research on clothing and gear in the past 6 months that I’m convinced I can be an ambassador for any outdoor retailer LOL. It pays to do your research. I like to be a good steward with my GoFundMe as I know people believe in me and donated towards me. I buy all my necessities at the cheapest prices I can find, and I found some great deals. In the next week I will focus a bit more on promoting my GoFundMe as it is my lifeline to achieve my goal and time is not on my side.
From the start my desire was to get you involve, taking you with on my journey. When I started my GoFundMe, I decided to link every person’s donation to an item on my list, closest to the value of their donation. I do this so that this journey will be a personal one for you too. Every night when I climb into my sleeping bag, I’ll be thinking of the person who made it possible by making a donation so that I was able to buy my awesome sleeping bag, and when I drink from my water-bladder on my trek, I know that it was someone specific who donated and believed I can do this and bought me my water bottle. That goes for everything I’ll be taking with me. I take it very serious and personal as it is amazing to know that people believe in my cause and dream!!! Thank you so much for every donation my GoFundMe received so far. I still have a big mountain to climb to reach my target. If you want to donate towards my challenge, please click on my GoFundMe link and it will guide you through the easy process. If you want to donate in cash, please contact me on my email. Thank you very much! Over the next week I will send out personal thank you emails to everyone who have donated so far with detail regarding the item they donated.
I want to thank Renata van der Walt who helped me design my target picture. You are a legend Renata!!
Last week Friday I received great news from Nepal. Some of my medication is restricted in Abu Dhabi and Kathmandu and for a whole month I’ve been trying to get in contact with a doctor via Travel Her Way to find out if they can help me. On Friday a health centre in Kathmandu contacted me and offer to help me with my prescription – thank you Jesus. It feels like my puzzle’s pieces are starting to fall in place.
77 Days before embarking on my Everest Base Camp challenge.
