-- after a mammoth 46 day cruise of the Indian Ocean -- Singapore, Phuket, Chenai ( Madras) India , Colombo Sri Lanka, Seychelles islands , Maldives Islands, Maputo Mozambique, Richards Bay South Africa, 3 days in Capetown SA, Port Elizabeth SA, Durban, SA, Reunion Island ( part of the French Republic) , Mauritious - and I forgot to add - 30 full days at sea!!!
Runningwise, I managed to get in quite a few runs - about 20 in all - for the first 3 weeks I used my HR monitor while running on the treadmill in the gym, but I started to get a sore left foot ( have never ever had any kind of "injury" before-- internet research seemed to indicate plantar faciitious???) so I reverted to running around the outer deck of the ship ( which wasn't particularly successful) , also did a few 2 hour long walks . Did a leisurely parkrun in Capetown which I did in 33 minutes - - not bad considering I didn't know the course and just "followed" -- I came in 183 out of 730 on an age graded basis!! 
So here I am - tired, put on 3-4 KG!!!, not feeling very "enthusiastic" -- got a 10k "race" in 4 weeks time , a HM in July (18 weeks ) - and am looking at a 35 K fun run and perhaps even a marathon during the 6 months after that.
I noticed that whenever I told anybody about my parkrun in Capetown , they immediately asked me how I went and what time I did it in!!! 
( not that they would know what times 5000 metres are run in - or can even imagine themselves even walking 5K!!!). Without becoming something of a sermon preacher, I found it very difficult to tell them it doesn't matter what time I ran it in - just that I started in it and finished it!! - and my age automatically will put me towards the end of the runners (actually 434 out of 730 across the line) !!! I think from now on I will tell them 19 minutes whenever I am asked this question again!!! Would it be too much to say 18 minutes???
I'm coming back!
I’m back! 👋
Back on track with Sami
