1. FROM THE EDITORS
Happy Friday! Welcome to the eighth day of South Africa's lockdown.
You having fun? Me, not so much either! This cabin fever thing... it's real. Even with garden and sunshine breaks. Still, I'd rather have that kind of fever right now, know what I mean?
This week we've been busy getting new content onto the TRAIL website, including resistance band training for runners, and a review of Rugani's turmeric/carrot blend.
Motivation: I'm getting back into a daily routine of early wakeup, a short sharp round of upper body weights, burpees, followed by a cold shower, then a few minutes of quiet reflection aka meditation. I also do a digital journal with the highlights and key thoughts from each day. But mostly I'm sporadic, undisciplined. I need to change that. This Raptitude post on meditation is worth several reads, as it's a pursuit that does require commitment. | | Apart from that and working on our next issue, I am enjoying sun breaks, and an hour or so of gardening every day, which includes harvesting the bounty. This week's crops include piles of tree tomatoes (a small portion shown above). I love how easy this plant is to grow, and monkeys don't eat them either, which is a bonus in Durban. Big harvests too from the Cavendish banana grove, and the incredibly delicious Nam Wah banana. Nature is bountiful. Are you growing your own food yet?
On the not-so-good front, I dropped a razor sharp knife onto my foot in the kitchen on Tuesday and it severed or partially severed the tendon of my big toe. I can lift it, but only very slightly. I've definitely got big toe droop, so that's not a good sign. Calling the orthopaedic surgeon today. So while the world has coronavirus to worry about, we still all have our own mini-dramas, don't we?
We hope you are inspired by those, as well as this twelfth newsletter of 2020.
Happy (lockdown) trails!
Deon Braun, TRAIL founder
PS - it's my birthday today, for readers of the fine print. Donations of spare big toes welcome. ;-) | | | I had a bad day, or a bad couple of days, feeling helpless, hopeless, and purposeless. Even a glass of merlot and a slab of Cadbury Wholenut couldn't put a dent in the malaise!
But I stuck to my 2km a day up and down the driveway, circling under the washing lines. I added some skipping and bodyweight exercises on the floor, and my endorphins pulled me out of it.
I hope all of you have a method to climb out of the hole. Even if it's making a hole in your garden... (more on that in this week's Funny). | My motivation: I'm loving these warmups on YouTube from Seven Star Energy Centre, based in Jozi. You can do them before training or just as a small movement sequence. A few excerises use kettlebells, bands and wooden staffs, but it’s not an issue if you don’t have them. Body weight is fine. And staying with the indoor fitness theme, Sharon Tait Jessop of Iron Angels in PE is running Facebook live fitness training classes every weekday until #lockdown2020 is done. There's no cost. "Let's keep fit together by staying apart!" she enthuses. All welcome. Have a wonderful weekend!
Heloise Hunter, TRAIL associate editor | | 2. NEWS | | Lockdown ultra fundraiser.Hilton-based ultrarunner Matt Dove will run a 56km solo lockdown ultra called 560 Laps tomorrow (Saturday). He'll do this up and down his 50m driveway! Why would he do something so tortuous? To raise funds for the Southern Lodestar Foundation, feeding malnourished children in Southern Africa. You can support the Foundation and Matt's effort by donating any amount via SnapScan, Zapper, PayPal, PayFAST, Given Gain, or Direct EFT. | | Thank You and Congrats! Brooks winners announced.You are awesome! Thank you for your amazing response to our 2020 Reader Survey, powered by running specialist shoe brand Brooks Running. There could be only two product winners, but you will all be the ultimate winners. We read every comment and take heed of every opinion to improve the mag. To choose the winners, we did a random draw from nearly 900 entries. And the winners are... - Henry Fernandes, Gauteng
- Ilene van Dyk, KwaZulu-Natal
Congrats to you both! Henry and Ilene walk/run away with R4,000 value each in Brooks hampers, which includes a pair of Brooks trail shoes ( Cascadia or Caldera) and Brooks high quality apparel. | | | | Twenty one days later...
Is this you? Email us your lockdown running experiences. | | | | 4. TRAIL POLL | | Has your sleep schedule changed or stayed the same over the past week of lockdown? Tell us if the change is for better or for worse in the Facebook comments. | | | | | | Anti-inflammatory foods to speed up your recovery
TRAIL issue 35 features an easily digestible article on introducing the best anti-inflammatory foods into your diet, with foodie Leozette Roode. Check out two delicious recipes to make a Beet & Berry Bliss Smoothie, and Lentil, Pea, and Sweet Potato Curry. Connect with Leozette online.
Read about what's in TRAIL 35 here. | |
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