I was so so excited at the start of last week - I was heading to an induction week for my new daytime teaching job (back into public schools, woohoo!) and I was feeling pumped. I'd been looking forward to this for a few months, having signed up with them around about May time. Everything was going really well: lovely colleagues, a few familiar faces, and excitement all round. That is until a mystery, and debilitating illness struck me down mid-week, noooooo....... This continued to get worse and worse until finally, thanks to a good friend, I realised that I would need to go back to hospital (I did try the hospital route on Thursday but was misdiagnosed and sent home, only for the problem to get worse. Boo....). Ok, so this was completely NOT in my plan hey: being admitted to a hospital in Vietnam and then spending the next three days stuck there before they performed surgery on me on Monday and sent me home yesterday. Definitely a low-light of my time living here. But that's life yeah? Just when you're thinking how amazing, incredible and wonderful things are, the universe seems to be a bit of a jokester and tells you: erm, nope, here you go, have a forced week or two off.... (By the way, I'm not going to go into exactly what surgery or illness it was here, but let's just say it was extremely painful but now I'm getting much much better, so nothing too serious I hope.) I am eternally grateful for my wonderful friends who have helped me through the past week (and continue to do so) - thank you so much, I don't know what I would have done without you. Also, all the staff at Vinmec International Hospital were really great - if you have any health concern here in Hanoi I would definitely recommend them.
So, I haven't run all week and apparently I won't be running for another week either! Arrghhh, kind of my nightmare as you can imagine. Oh well. Now that I am mobile again and not stuck to a drip in bed, it puts everything in perspective anyway, and I'm just thankful I can move around again (and with no pain too, so amazing!). I will get back to running, and hopefully in time for the Longbien Half Marathon on 23rd October! This will be my next race and I will treat it as part of my marathon training for the Bangkok marathon in November.
As I can't write re: any running or training of late, this post will be another food-focused one (close to my heart).
I was really impressed by the hospital food over here hey! Seems a world away from what I witnessed during my time working in a hospital back in Oz. Here I was plied with lots of fresh, healthy meals: variations of rice porridge (chicken, beef or bean) and soy milk for breakfast, then rice, lots of veggies, chicken and fish, plus fruit and yoghurt for the lunches and dinners. Excellent foods for healing! Citrus fruits, lean protein (chicken, fish, soybeans), garlic, ginger, mushrooms, veggies... This went some way to make up for having horrible body-destroying antibiotics being routinely pumped into me. My good friend helped me supplement this with some much needed dark chocolate and other goodies, mmmmm, antioxidantalicious.... I tried to capture most meals in a photo journal of sorts:
So, I haven't run all week and apparently I won't be running for another week either! Arrghhh, kind of my nightmare as you can imagine. Oh well. Now that I am mobile again and not stuck to a drip in bed, it puts everything in perspective anyway, and I'm just thankful I can move around again (and with no pain too, so amazing!). I will get back to running, and hopefully in time for the Longbien Half Marathon on 23rd October! This will be my next race and I will treat it as part of my marathon training for the Bangkok marathon in November.
As I can't write re: any running or training of late, this post will be another food-focused one (close to my heart).
I was really impressed by the hospital food over here hey! Seems a world away from what I witnessed during my time working in a hospital back in Oz. Here I was plied with lots of fresh, healthy meals: variations of rice porridge (chicken, beef or bean) and soy milk for breakfast, then rice, lots of veggies, chicken and fish, plus fruit and yoghurt for the lunches and dinners. Excellent foods for healing! Citrus fruits, lean protein (chicken, fish, soybeans), garlic, ginger, mushrooms, veggies... This went some way to make up for having horrible body-destroying antibiotics being routinely pumped into me. My good friend helped me supplement this with some much needed dark chocolate and other goodies, mmmmm, antioxidantalicious.... I tried to capture most meals in a photo journal of sorts:
So, at least my nutrition has been 'on point' this week despite my training being non-existent. Oh well. A sort of forced week or two of rest? There are multiple silver linings to this whole episode, one of which being my apartment now feels like a florist with the most beautiful assortment of flowers (thanks again everyone!!):
I am now keeping up the healing foods: TURMERIC, ginger, garlic, dark green veg, fruits, tofu and beans and fish, probiotic yoghurts, fermented veg/pickled veg, dark chocolate etc... Instead of running or cycling I will be walking (slowly), and taking this time to catch up on lots of typing and writing. But watch this space, I will be back to running soon!! Longbien Half Marathon and Bangkok Marathon, I'm coming for you!!
Wishing you all a wonderful week, and on that note, I'm off to get some much needed sunshine. Ahhh, so good to be free again!! :) xx
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