Before we dive into things, here are a few photos from our hike last week. We went to see five pools hidden in a rocky gorge with icy-cold mountain water. They’re called “Crystal Pools” and it was quite beautiful.
And now for this week’s update: On the Achilles front, Lady A is still behaving like a true diva.
First, I thought I could get back to running in November. Then December. Now, it’s looking more like January. I’m waiting for that miraculous moment when I can get out of bed without hobbling around for the first few minutes.
Fortunately, there are still plenty of things that brighten my outlook:
The Big Race for 2023! Last week, the drawing results for the Berlin Marathon were announced. Imagine how excited I was to win a spot! It’s nine months away – enough time to train once I’m back to running. This time, I will hire a coach so that my training is more focused.
Also, I’ve managed to get a spot for the Two Oceans half-marathon in April. This half-marathon is the ugly little sister of the legendary ultra (56km), but I think it’s a great goal to work for when coming back from injury.
Being allergy-free: when we left Cape Town earlier this year, I was battling with mysterious allergies. Swollen eyes and scratchy skin. In Switzerland, it disappeared. Since we’re back in Cape Town, the allergies have returned in full force. I couldn’t figure it out. Was it different food? Vegetation? Something in the apartment?
I finally got an allergy test – and guess what was on top of the list? Dust mites! Or rather, their droppings.
We immediately got to work and removed all carpets, rugs and curtains. We got a new mattress and new bedding (fun fact: a mattress can nearly double in weight over 10 years because of accumulating dust-mite particles. Yuk!)
Our apartment now feels like a biotech cleanroom. My allergies are slowly getting better – I guess it will take a while for the immune system to calm down.
A lyno treatment: when friends recommended a “lyno” treatment for my Achilles, I had no idea what they were talking about. According to the website, it’s a full-body assessment of the fascia. The goal is to release fascia restrictions that cause dysfunctional movement patterns. So excited to try this out!
- Any big races for 2023?
- Do you have allergies? Were you able to get rid of them?
I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida’s link-up, Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner and Runs with Pugs.
My heart melted when I saw that “check under your car for penguins” sign! Such weird, adorable creatures.
I´m sorry to hear your allergy, but thank goodness you found out the cause! I´m sure the symptoms will go away quickly now you´ve found the culprit. I suffer from pollen allergy in the spring, and oddly it seems to be getting better with age.
I´m excited to hear more about your plans to train with a trainer for the marathon – sounds like you mean business!
Penguins are the sweetest! There’s a very cute documentary on the endangered South African penguins on Netflix. I haven’t seen it yet, but I plan to watch it this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2X-1Ui3G48
I hope so too! So cool that your pollen allergy is getting better! I’ve heard of many cases where it’s the other way around. Now at least you can look forward to spring (and finally more daylight, too!)
I’m going to meet my coach Sean this afternoon for the first time. I’m so excited!
Guten Morgen, liebe Catrina, macht Spaß, wenn man hier morgens aus dem Fenster sieht, alles düster, neblig, nass erscheint und man dann deine Fotos aus CapeTown sieht – dann auch noch die Pinguine, toll ! Immer wieder – herrliche Landschaften !
Tja, und deine Lady A will auch nicht spuren, du musst energischer mit ihr umgehen, sag’ ihr, was Sache ist, laut und deutlich !! 😉
Allergien hatte ich zum Glück noch nie, ich wünsche dir, dass du sie bald loswerden wirst !!
Zum Glück hast du ja noch genügend Alternativen, wenn du auch nicht laufen kannst, aber – wie gesagt – das WIRD – gaaaaaaaaaaaaaanz bestimmt !!
Schicke dir heilende Ostseeluft in Säcken !!🍀
Guten Morgen, liebe Margitta! Diese Wetter-Kontraste sind immer wieder faszinierend – vor allem wenn man bedenkt, dass wir in der gleichen Zeitzone sind – nur halt auf der südlichen Halbkugel.
Werde ich! Gestern wurde sie zur Strafe wieder mal mit einer Eispackung kaltgestellt. Danach benimmt sie sich immer besser 🙂
Oh, du Glückliche!! Ich habe seit Kindheit immer wieder mit Allergien zu tun. Mal sind es Tiere, dann Pollen, dann Nahrungsmittel, immer wieder etwas.
Das mit dem Laufen wird irgendwann mal wieder klappen. Ich habe ja schliesslich Pläne, die umgesetzt werden müssen. Danke für die heilende Osteeluft!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem tiefen Süden!
Liebe Catrina,
ich würde sagen, ihr erwandert euch gerade ein ganz tolles Kontrastprogramm zum laufen! Wow, so eine tolle Landschaft! Wenn ich hier aus dem Fenster schaue, ist das schon ein verrückter Gegensatz. Gestern gab es sogar eine leichte nasse Schneedecke!
Wunderbare Pläne für 2023, du weißt, wo wir uns sehen werden! Und bis dahin hat Madame Achilles klein beigegeben, du darfst ihr nur keinen Raum geben, dass sie weiter im Hinterhalt lauern kann! Nun ja, das Thema Geduld haben bei der Genesung teilen wir ja gerade…
Das ist ja auch eine Sache mit deiner Allergie! Ein Glück jedenfalls, dass du durch den Ortswechsel schonmal klar eine Abgrenzung vornehmen konntest. Aber Hausstaubmilben sind natürlich quasi überall, schwer auszumerzen. Ich hoffe, du kannst das in den Griff bekommen. Und im Zweifel geht es ja dann zur Erholung in die Schweiz. Ich habe Gottseidank keine ausgeprägten Allergien, worüber ich sehr froh bin!
Liebe Grüße aus dem dunklen Rheinland!
Elke
Liebe Elke
Diese Wandertour war ganz besonders schön. Es war etwas kompliziert, weil man sich eine Woche vorher anmelden und Eintritt bezahlen muss. Der Prozess war sehr umständlich über Mail. Zehn Mails später hatten wir die Bewilligung….
Ihr habt Schnee!! So richtig winterlich! Wunderbar. Schön, dass das Wetter für einmal saison-konform ist. Da stört es dich hoffentlich weniger, dass im Moment gerade auch nicht laufen kannst. So kannst du in der warmen Stube an Grinch-Projekten arbeiten. 🙂
Sei froh, dass du nie Allergien hattest! Es ist super mühsam. Ende Dezember reisen wir nach Zürich für 2.5 Wochen, spätestens da kann ich mich wieder erholen. Und vielleicht auch etwas Schnee sehen!
Liebe Grüsse aus dem sonnigen Cape Town!
Liebe Catrina,
oje, oje, eine Hausstaubmilbenallergie! Das ist ja eine der lästigsten, weil die Dinger sich ja überall verkriechen. Für mich als Putzfaule eine Horrorvorstellung! 😉
Was für eine herrliche Wanderung habt ihr da wieder gemacht. Die Crystal Pools sehen ja zauberhauft aus. Dann noch die Pinguine! Ich glaube, ich bin verliebt. 😀
Gratuliere zum Startplatz in Berlin! Da hast du ja ein wunderbares Ziel, um dich schon vorzufreuen.
Liebe Doris
Total ekelig! Vor allem, wenn man dann danach googelt… dann sieht man überall nur noch diese kleine, grässlichen Tierchen… Jetzt, wo wir fast keine Textilien in der Wohnung haben, fühle ich mich viel besser. Nur sieht die Wohnung jetzt halt etwas keimfrei aus. 🙂
Ah, die Crystal Pools kamen nicht ganz an deine Seen heran, aber immerhin waren sie auch schön kalt… und ganz viele kleine Kaulquappen haben sie auch gehabt.
Danke dir! Ich denke, wir werden wieder ein schönes kleines Grüppchen sein. Falls du Lust auf einen Ausflug mit Brownie hast!
There is so much beauty in South Africa–thank you for sharing all your photos. I can’t imagine ever seeing a penguin under my car, lol
I too have dust mite allergies and this time of year, I’m seeing a lot of kids in my office with the same thing. i don’t do testing for it because in the cold weather, it’s really one of the only triggers. I’m glad you found answers!
It’s such a beautiful place! And there is so much more to see… I can’t wait to explore more of the area.
I never thought of that! No pollen, but more time indoors = dust mite allergies. You can’t believe how happy I was to see those carpets and curtains go. On the downside, our apartment has a very hollow ring to it now. When I was on the phone with my dad the other day he said it sounds like I’m in fish tank! 🙂
It’s crazy how “dirty” our mattresses and fabrics actually are! We once had some proper spring cleaning done on ours and were SHOCKED to learn what was lurking beneath as on the surface it all looks clean right?! So glad you guys figured it out – it’s so much better once you know what’s causing something.
Was so tempted to sign up for Two Oceans (the Half) but the kids school fees are killing us right now, so having to limit a few trips to keep up! I see entries are still open for international runners so if anything changes, you may find me there!
Exactly! On the surface, everything looked clean and neat and tidy… and then, once you remove everything, you realize how many little bugs have been sharing the apartment with you. Eww. 🙂
OOOOHHHH that would be awesome if you could come for the Two Oceans, Shathi! It’s an expensive trip by any standards (petrol prices are going up yet again) but if you could make it happen, it would be wonderful! Let me know if it works out!
That hike looked so beautiful.
I used to be allergic to grass. It has mostly gone away.
Finger crossed for a painfree Achilles in 2023.
No big goals yet.
So glad to hear your allergy has disappeared! That’s what I’m dreaming of.
I hope so – it would be cool to start the new year with running!
I’m sure you’ll have your goals figured out by January, Darlene. Looking forward to your update!
First- the photos from your hike are BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the penguin signs (I almost asked if you saw any but then realized the bottom picture has about 1000 penguins.)
Sorry your achilles is still acting up, but it sounds like you’re keeping busy with fun things- and it’s very important to have things to look forward to! I’m very curious about that lyno treatment- sounds like something we could all benefit from. You’ll have to tell us all about it!
It was a great hike, Jenny! I love that we were the only ones there… you have to apply a week before and go through a very complicated payment process for the entry fee. But at least it keeps the area undisturbed by masses of people.
I agree! Mentally, it really helps me to look forward instead of focusing on that stupid Achilles. I saw my coach for the first time today and his first reaction was that I should start to do short runs! That would be so cool! I’m waiting to see what the chiropractic says on Thursday.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the lyno thing works!
Beautiful photos from your hike, as always!
Okay, so one thing about me is that i am obsessed with penguins so that last photo made me smile, lol.
I thought of you when I saw the penguins because I remembered that you love them. They are really sweet.
Netflix has a cute documentary on the endangered South African penguins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2X-1Ui3G48
You might enjoy that.
Liebe Catrina,
vielen, vielen Dank für die schönen Bilder von euren Wandertouren mit Kletterabschnitten, Pools und super Aussichten! … und dann der tolle Hinweis: ‘Check under your car …’ – Sehr bewusst und fair gegenüber Tieren! 🙂
Allergie: mich verfolgen verschiedene Allergien seit über 40 Jahren, da bleiben dann auch Kreuzallergien mit ein paar Lebensmitteln nicht aus. Auch wenn ich nicht direkt gegen Hausstaub(milben) allergisch bin, ist doch eine gewisse Sensibilität gegenüber diesen Viechern da. – Momentan glaube ich auch nicht so recht an einen Erfolg meiner Hyposensibilisierung. – Ich tröste mich mit dem Gedanken, dass Allergiker angeblich länger leben sollen, da ihr Immunsystem hochaktiv ist!!! :lol
Schön ist doch, dass ihr die Allergene für dich und euch reduzieren konntet. Vielleicht gehen deine Reaktionen nicht nur zurück, sondern verschwinden hoffentlich und bald!!! – Lieber in einem Biotech Cleanroom wohnen, als sich mit Allergien rumplagen müssen!
So so, Berlinteilnahme ist schon in trockenen Tüchern! 🙂
Ich erlaube mir einen Hinweis zu deiner Aussage: ‘I will hire a coach’ loszuwerden. Der beste Coach hilft dir nur, wenn du schön diszipliniert bleibst! 😉 So könntest du den Coach sparen und auf deine Erfahrung setzen, oder auf Tipps von Freunden hören, es sei denn, du brauchst jemanden die/der deine Disziplin überwacht?! – Es gibt ja tolle Grundregeln und dann braucht es sensible Sinne Körpersignale zu hören und die Disziplin darauf zu reagieren. – Ich wünsche dir von Herzen, dass es dir dann – ab der nächsten Trainingsphase – sehr gut gelingt!!!
Vielleicht gelingt es dir mal das Thema weit weg zu schieben, möglichst wenig dran zu denken, dich auf andere Dinge zu konzentrieren und anderes zu genießen? – Es wäre doch so schön, wenn mit der Heilung deiner Achillessehne spätestens ein Weihnachtswunsch in Erfüllung ginge!!!
Genieße eure Weihnachtsfeier heute Abend!
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred
Ha, das war schon wieder eine nette kleine Tour, die dir sehr gefallen hätte! Die kleinen Pinguine waren noch das Tüpfelchen auf dem i.
Du bist ein Leidensgenosse. So übel – die Allergien können manchmal ein echter Spassverderber sein, nicht wahr? Aber wie du sagst, Allergiker sollen angeblich länger leben. Eine Ärztin sagte mir sogar einmal, dass Allergiker viel weniger krebsgefährdet sind. Könnte was dran sein.
Berlin! Bist du natürlich auch dabei, das versteht sich von selbst. 🙂
Wegen dem Coach hast du Recht. Das Problem ist, dass ich eben nicht auf meine Körpersignale höre (sh. Achilles) und alles immer bis zum Exzess übertreiben muss. Ein Coach würde mich in meine Schranken weisen und mir sagen, wann es zuviel ist. Heute nachmittag traf ich übrigens den Coach (Sean) zum ersten Mal. Er fragte mich nach meiner Lauferei vor Berlin und meinte bereits, dass ich eher zuviel gemacht habe.
Ich versuche es mal mit ihm. Ich werde dir berichten, was er alles so plant. Ich bin auf dein Feedback gespannt!
Zum Glück gibt es genügend Ablenkung… Crossfit und Wandern sind eine schöne Ablenkung. Danke dir! Eine heile Lady A wäre das schönste Geschenk! 🙂
Liebe Grüsse und einen schönen Bloggertreff!
Sorry to hear that your Achilles is still annoying. I have not heard of Lyno treatment but I sure hope it works for you. Is it like Gaston? Congrats on Berlin-something to look forward to. I have never seen a sign warning about penguins! 🙂
I hope that it’s only a matter of weeks now until I’m back to running. I’m not sure if it’s like Gaston… I think it involves more calculations and analysis. I’ll report back after my first session!
So looking forward to Berlin and finishing that marathon!
Alright we’ll give Lady A another month of being a diva but then she’s got to get out of the spotlight. Fingers crossed that the lyno will get her off her throne.
Yay for Berlin 2023 and penguins!!!! Boo to dustmites:-(
Exactly, Birchie! She’s got three more weeks to snap out of it, ha! I hope this lyno thing will work… I have my appointment next Tuesday, so I’ll do post about it after that.
I think I’ve won the dustmite battle…. now for Berlin!
What gorgeous hikes! I can’t imagine seeing penguins in the wild! So many years ago I had a partial rupture of my hamstring at the ischial tuberosity (where it attaches to the sit bones). I had “myofascial release” treatment and it worked wonders. Sorry about the allergies. That is a very gross fact you shared about mattresses. Yikes and yuck!
Oh, that’s good to know that the fascia treatment helped you, Marcia! I love hearing about successful treatments.
I have no idea what exactly will happen in this lyno-thing, but I hope it will be as effective as your sessions.
The allergy is getting better every day! I nearly feel normal today.
Aren’t dust mites the most disgusting little things? Eww!
Your photos are so beautiful! Im sorry your achilles is still giving you trouble, but hopefully the new treatment will help!
I hope so too, Lisa! I tried a walk-run today, and it seemed to go alright. Typically, I will only be able to tell on the next day how the Achilles is feeling.
PENGUINS!
So I haven’t talked about this but Mr PugRunner has been unwell forever. It’s been especially bad the last few months, and we finally convinced him to go to an allergist. He’s allergic to… are you ready… NOTHING. Apparently, he has overactive nerves and neurons in his nose that leads to extra mucous, which is creating sinus, breathing, and stomach issues. We have a treatment plan, but it’s a slow and frustrating journey.
Oh noooo, that sounds like the worst diagnosis ever, Jenn! I can imagine how overactive nerves can create havoc. It must be very frustrating for your husband – and for the whole family, too.
A few years ago, an allergy doctor explained to me that not all doctors use highly concentrated allergens. She always imported her testing sets from a specific supplier in the US, because it was much more effective than the other ones on the market.
I hope the treatment plan will help Mr PugRunner – hugs from across the pond!
The Crystal Pools are gorgeous! You live in and travel to such beautiful places!
I hope the dust/dust mite remediation did the trick and your allergies continue to become less noticeable! I also hope Lady A responds well to lyno treatment.
Those penguins… 🙂
The pools were very special, Debbie. We had to book days in advance because they limit the number of people visiting the pools. This was great, it meant we had the place practically to ourselves.
The allergy has improved a lot! On some days, it’s completely gone. And Lady A is also behaving better these days… So glad!!
Oh gosh! My mattress is over 10 years ago. I would like a new one but keep telling myself to wait till I move when I also buy new furniture. You saw penguins!!!! Why did I think that they only lived in the cold weather???
Well, I think you will be moving very soon so you might as well wait until then with the mattress. A new mattress with new bedding is such a great feeling!
Good point!! The penguins swim in the Atlantic Ocean which is freezing cold. Here in Cape Town, people go to the beach but hardly anyone swims in the water because it so cold.
Well that explains it. I don’t think I’ve ever been to the Atlantic Ocean.
So sorry your Achilles is still bothering you. Have you looked into shockwave therapy? It helped me, but it didn’t help Jenny, so who knows?
Congrats on Berlin. I entered the lottery for Cherry Blossom in April and might sign up for another race in April.
Yes, I have tried shock wave therapy, thanks for the tip! I’m not sure it helped. But I have a massage thing that I use at home – strangely, that seems to loosen things up a bit.
Oh, how nice! It’s great to have races on the plan for the new year. I hope your 15k went well yesterday!
Dear Catrina,
Nature is so beautiful there and then the penguins! Wonderful!
I have no idea about lyno, but if Lady A doesn’t get better on it’s own it’s time to find something that gets to the root of the problem. Sounds like lyno could do that for you.
Yeah Berlin and a mini Two Ocean. I hope you find the right training balance with a coach!
There are so many beautiful spots in South Africa, Roni! And we’re only scratching the surface.
I have my lyno treatment tomorrow – I’m curious to see how it goes. The tendons typically take a very long time to heal due to a lack of blood flow… but I think Lady A is slowly starting to cooperate.
I hope so too! The coach already hinted that I was most likely doing too much (hence the injury). I’m looking forward to having more guidance, I think I need it! 🙂
Those Crystal Pools are spectacular! What an amazing looking hike out there.
Wishing you all the best on the allergy recovery front Catrina! I don’t think I have any – at least none that I am aware of. I’ll keep this in mind though if anything flares up in a new environment.
These Crystal Pools would make for a great family outing! The hike is short and you could bribe the kids with a swim at the picnic spot.
Thanks, Sean! I think we’ve successfully got rid of the dust mites and my life is getting easier. The things that pop up out of nowhere!
I am sorry to hear about the allergies, Catrina. But glad you were able to find the root cause. That is a huge thing in itself. Quite ironic I pulled a book off the shelf the other day called High Speed Healing by Rodale Press. Topics are alphabetical and the 1st chapter was on allergies. I was reading it because my wife’s allergies are extreme. The chapter dove right into dust mites, which are a 3mm relative of the spider and tick. Without mites we could be inhaling a lot more allergens. But as you mentioned, it is their feces which is the problem (what goes in must go out). They haven’t caused me any issues, but I must get a new mattress (somewhere between 10 and 15 years old). I flipped it the other day and it did feel heavier. I just put it down to me getting older. What it is I’m sure after reading your post, is that it not only “feels” heavier, but is heavier due to dust mite droppings. Thank you for sharing this.
I have registered for the 50k Pick Your Poison again, the last Saturday of April. Not sure what else I want to run. I’ll be 65 this year. Plus also this coming year will be my 10th year running.
Sincerely hope your Achilles comes around and you will be able to get back training. Love your photos.
Oh, that’s an interesting fact about dust mites, Carl! You mean that they are actually useful AGAINST allergies! Why does nobody ever mention that?!
If only they wouldn’t leave their poo around, then it would be even better. 🙂
Meanwhile, we have practically no textiles in the apartment except for our clothes and washable bedding. My allergies are much better, but not yet gone… I guess the body is now overreacting to other things like pollen. But it will get better, I’m sure.
I hope your wife will get better soon, too. Do you know what she is allergic to? Is it seasonal or do her allergies stay the same? It’s very tricky to find the root cause.
Our mattresses in Switzerland are over 10 years old, too. Flipping and airing the mattress is a good idea.
Awesome that you registered for POP again, Carl! At 65, racing doesn’t get easier. All the more impressive that you signed up for it. It will challenge your body and mind and keep you young and fit. You are a role model for many other runners, don’t forget!
Thanks, Carl! My Achilles is a wild roller-coaster ride. Yves has the same issue. It’s a long and wearisome injury…. but it’s just a matter of time and patience, I guess. 🙂
Hi Catrina,
Lynne is anaphylactic with me. Around 20 years ago she kept getting hives. Did all the things that you would do such as changing detergents etc. But they kept getting worse. Doctors prescribed an epi-pen. Had one serious reaction & had to take the pen. Doctor prescribed another epi-pen. A few days later she was running & was swelling up. Got home, took her pen, phones a neighbour. When neighbour arrived, she was out and blue in colour. Neighbour phoned medics who arrived quickly.
Long story short, after a battery of tests, she is highly allergic to wheat and (get this)…exercise. It is called exercise induced anaphylaxis. Lynne no longer can exercise to the intensity where she starts sweating. She will go for gentle walks or very gentle bike rides.
Wheat is so hard because it is in so much. We are constantly reading labels. If it says “may contain wheat”, she won’t touch it.
I didn’t realize Yves also has Achilles issues. Hopefully both of you will get there soon.
edit…1st line should read, “Lynne is anaphylactic with wheat (not me)…hopefully…lol
That typo made me laugh!!! 🙂
Oh wow, Carl, that is quite a story with Lynne!! What a shock that must have been for her and the family.
A good thing that the neighbours were quick to alert the medics that day. It saved her life.
I have heard of exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Even I noticed this on a very moderate level. Whenever I started exercising and sweating, I got incredibly itchy all over, to the point where I had to stop and scratch because it became so unbearable. My doctor said that is very typical for people who have allergies. I guess for Lynn, exercise-induced anaphylaxis would be much more severe as it would affect her breathing. I’m so sorry that she has to go through this. I’m sure she misses exercise.
And then having to avoid wheat which is EVERYWHERE…. that’s really hard. But I feel you are on top of things and managing it very well. Wishing you both the very best!