Sunday, February 12, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Bonjour!
Bonjour, comment allez-vous?
Last week I attended my first French class and absolutely loved it! The class is filled with a great bunch of people and the teacher is very engaging. The course is held at 'The French Centre' in Sydney.
I'm pleased with the way they structure their lessons by using lots of repetition and conversation rather than written. I feel I learn alot through this style of teaching. They also provide a CD outlining the lessons we learn in class so you can continue your studies at home. This to is helping immensely.
Compared to Italian (which I can speak fluently) some of the French words are a little harder to pronounce. The good news is, I'm starting to see and hear the similarities between French and Italian which is helping me grasp this beautiful language.
Looking forward to attending next week's class!
Au revoir!
:)
Last week I attended my first French class and absolutely loved it! The class is filled with a great bunch of people and the teacher is very engaging. The course is held at 'The French Centre' in Sydney.
I'm pleased with the way they structure their lessons by using lots of repetition and conversation rather than written. I feel I learn alot through this style of teaching. They also provide a CD outlining the lessons we learn in class so you can continue your studies at home. This to is helping immensely.
Compared to Italian (which I can speak fluently) some of the French words are a little harder to pronounce. The good news is, I'm starting to see and hear the similarities between French and Italian which is helping me grasp this beautiful language.
Looking forward to attending next week's class!
Au revoir!
:)
Plan B
Whilst I was away at a 3 day silent meditation retreat last week, it dawned on me, I need a plan B!
As you know, I'm suffering from tendonitis in my left foot and the healing process is very slow, which in turn is doing my head in...lol
So, I've come to the conclusion if my foot isn't 100% before my walk in September, I'll hold off until April 2013. Some of the obvious benefits by holding off are, more time for healing to take place, save more, train more and possibly extend my overall trip to a 4 month holiday, which is very tempting!
Alas, my heart wants to do this walk this year, lets see if it's in the cards!
:)
As you know, I'm suffering from tendonitis in my left foot and the healing process is very slow, which in turn is doing my head in...lol
So, I've come to the conclusion if my foot isn't 100% before my walk in September, I'll hold off until April 2013. Some of the obvious benefits by holding off are, more time for healing to take place, save more, train more and possibly extend my overall trip to a 4 month holiday, which is very tempting!
Alas, my heart wants to do this walk this year, lets see if it's in the cards!
:)
Adapt and overcome
It's been a little over 2 weeks since my last entry and lots has happened. To begin with, my tendonitis is still lingering around, although the healing process is taking effect, thank god! I returned to walking as mentioned in my last entry, alas, it was a little too much, too soon for my poor foot. I obtained a new pain due to sheltering the affected areas. So, I decided to stop walking and remove my new orthotics as I had a sneaking suspicion they were contributing to the tendonitis. And waaalaaa, the healing is moving forward in leaps and bounds!
I'm scheduled to see my specialist tomorrow who prescribed the orthotics. Maybe I need gel inserts? (as the current ones are too hard) or like my previous inserts, I had my feet moulded using plaster/clay rather than heat moulded. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
In the interim I couldn't sit around doing no exercise whatsoever, so I invested in a new exercise bike (Guy Leech Gle-1) and what an investment it is! It's a little pricey, but well worth it as it has some great features. Atleast I'm getting my daily exercise hit and the good news is my knee is responding well to this activity. Thanks for the recommendation Brad!
My intention for this week is to head outdoors and see how my foot holds up. Fingers crossed this is the beginning of my training.
:)
I'm scheduled to see my specialist tomorrow who prescribed the orthotics. Maybe I need gel inserts? (as the current ones are too hard) or like my previous inserts, I had my feet moulded using plaster/clay rather than heat moulded. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
In the interim I couldn't sit around doing no exercise whatsoever, so I invested in a new exercise bike (Guy Leech Gle-1) and what an investment it is! It's a little pricey, but well worth it as it has some great features. Atleast I'm getting my daily exercise hit and the good news is my knee is responding well to this activity. Thanks for the recommendation Brad!
My intention for this week is to head outdoors and see how my foot holds up. Fingers crossed this is the beginning of my training.
:)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
1st walk after injury
Today, I finally managed to get outdoors for a 30 minute walk after 15 days of virtually no exercise. God, it felt so good to walk again! Overall the foot held up pretty well, it did feel a little tight (sprain like kind of feeling) between my foot and ankle, but no sharp shooting pains like I experienced these past few weeks. Hopefully, I'll never experience it again! Knock on wood.
I saw my physio today he was happy with my healing progress. We decided to slowly up my training program over the next weeks. For now, one day on, one day off and increasing the time along the way.
Today I mentioned to my friend Donna (who's coming on the walk) how my last Camino kind of felt like a race. So I came up with a saying 'piano, piano, arriviamo.' Translated: slowly, slowly, we will arrive. So as I was walking today, I realised prior to my tendonitis I was rushing my training walks and not enjoying the scenery (and it's so beautiful where I live). This injury has forced me to slow right down. I also left my ipod behind (only because the battery was dead) and as I began walking, I made a conscience effort to pay attention to each step whilst scanning my body for various sensations. For such a short walk, I felt like I really benefit from this practise. What a difference when you really bring your awareness to the present moment. Apparently they call this walking mediation.
I saw my physio today he was happy with my healing progress. We decided to slowly up my training program over the next weeks. For now, one day on, one day off and increasing the time along the way.
Today I mentioned to my friend Donna (who's coming on the walk) how my last Camino kind of felt like a race. So I came up with a saying 'piano, piano, arriviamo.' Translated: slowly, slowly, we will arrive. So as I was walking today, I realised prior to my tendonitis I was rushing my training walks and not enjoying the scenery (and it's so beautiful where I live). This injury has forced me to slow right down. I also left my ipod behind (only because the battery was dead) and as I began walking, I made a conscience effort to pay attention to each step whilst scanning my body for various sensations. For such a short walk, I felt like I really benefit from this practise. What a difference when you really bring your awareness to the present moment. Apparently they call this walking mediation.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Pain, pain, go away
It's been a little over 2 weeks since I was struck down with tendonitis in my left foot. Man, talk about a challenge! I thought my knee injury was bad, atleast with the knee I can carry on walking and attend yoga classes. Tendonitis on the other hand limits me to fewer activities like swimming and riding a stationery bike. I confess I've been slack carrying out these exercises this past week. Although, I am contemplating purchasing an exercise bike (as long as it doesn't aggravated my knee too much) like that I can continue training if the weather is crap or knock on wood, I injure myself again. Ohhh how I long to get back on the road again and walk amongst nature and hold a triangle pose. Not long now... :)
On the other hand, the good news is my Xray ruled out a stress fracture. My physio will be happy to hear this next week.
My healing techniques for foot tendonitis is taping, physio, anti-inflammatories, wearing shoes with orthotics, acupuncture (this is quite painful IMHO...lol) and plenty of rest. Having worked from home for the past 2 days allowed me to rest my foot and I gotta say, this has worked wonders for the healing process. Boni thank you for the tip. Today I noticed how much better my foot feels, still a little tender though.
It's weird trying to walk normal again, as the past 2 weeks I've been walking around with a limp. I'm trying to distribute the weight evenly but this in itself is a tough feat as I'm concerned the pain I felt several days ago will return.
Like the camino, one step at a time...
Lessons learnt: Do not rush or push myself too hard in training. Stretch before and after sessions. I really want to accomplish this walk injury free!
:)
On the other hand, the good news is my Xray ruled out a stress fracture. My physio will be happy to hear this next week.
My healing techniques for foot tendonitis is taping, physio, anti-inflammatories, wearing shoes with orthotics, acupuncture (this is quite painful IMHO...lol) and plenty of rest. Having worked from home for the past 2 days allowed me to rest my foot and I gotta say, this has worked wonders for the healing process. Boni thank you for the tip. Today I noticed how much better my foot feels, still a little tender though.
It's weird trying to walk normal again, as the past 2 weeks I've been walking around with a limp. I'm trying to distribute the weight evenly but this in itself is a tough feat as I'm concerned the pain I felt several days ago will return.
Like the camino, one step at a time...
Lessons learnt: Do not rush or push myself too hard in training. Stretch before and after sessions. I really want to accomplish this walk injury free!
:)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Boots
After purchasing 2 pairs of Merrell boots (Moabs and Chameleons) I was toing and froing between the two. In the end, I opted for the Merrell Moabs mid boot.
The difference between the two (in my humble opinion) is the Chameleons are very sturdy although they lack comfort. They are a stiff boot. Whereas the Moabs are very comfy more like a sneaker and lightweight. When I'm walking in Moabs it feels like I'm walking on clouds. They provide good ankle support and alot of cushioning. Although the downside to this boot the sole is not as sturdy as the Chameleons.
Reviews from the Camino de Santiago forum indicate people either love Moabs or they don't. The main reason is due to the sole not being sturdy enough and apparently you can feel the pebbles under your feet.
Everytime I've taken these boots out for a walk, they feel great! When I finally reach the time to commence pack walks, my opinion might change.
In the meantime, these boots were made for walking...
:)
The difference between the two (in my humble opinion) is the Chameleons are very sturdy although they lack comfort. They are a stiff boot. Whereas the Moabs are very comfy more like a sneaker and lightweight. When I'm walking in Moabs it feels like I'm walking on clouds. They provide good ankle support and alot of cushioning. Although the downside to this boot the sole is not as sturdy as the Chameleons.
Reviews from the Camino de Santiago forum indicate people either love Moabs or they don't. The main reason is due to the sole not being sturdy enough and apparently you can feel the pebbles under your feet.
Everytime I've taken these boots out for a walk, they feel great! When I finally reach the time to commence pack walks, my opinion might change.
In the meantime, these boots were made for walking...
:)
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