Roller coaster January

I'm not sure what it is about January, but it does not favor me. It always makes an interesting start to the year that is for sure!

My running was going so well, i was cutting my track times down to only a second off the training times i was doing this time last year and it felt good! Christmas was wonderful, we spent it home in Bunbury with the family and had our grandparents over from Busselton and of course ate so much wonderful food we had prepared! I was keeping up my training while also working at a Chemist up until the 29th of December where we were flying out to Bali! By we i mean myself, my boyfriend Kyle and 4 other friends. I had never gone on a holiday away from my family before so i was quite excited... even if it meant i had to have a week off training, but little did i know the week would turn into three :(

Bali is an interesting place, many Australians head to Bali for a cheaper holiday. My family and i had a wonderful holiday mid year up in Kalbarri, i loved it and all the activities we did from abseiling to 4WD quad biking and fishing, but lets face it when you can go overseas for the price of petrol to drive up North and an activity costs $250 in Kalbarri and $50 in Bali you can see why many people choose Bali.

We had a late flight leaving Perth at 5, i am not too good with planes so had Kyle holding my hand, and we arrived at 8.30pm. It was interesting arriving at night not really being able to get your bearings, but we found our hotel by transfer and settled in all a little weary but excited. We stayed at the Bali Rani hotel and spa in Kuta which was small but nice.

The days that followed were spent relaxing in the pool, shopping and bartering at markets, a trip out to Ubud, White water rafting, cycling from Kintamani and Ubud, seeing the Safari Park, lovely dinners and a massage, manicure, pedicure (minus the guys) and a flower bath! It was a wonderful time until we all got a dose of the dreaded Bali Bellie and some food poisoning one by one. They say day 4 is when you get it and it was day 4 the first 2 people got it. I was lucky i was only feeling unwell until we actually came back. We were lucky enough to spend New years in Kuta and spent it out at Oceans 27 club on the beach with a wonderful view of fireworks and an impressive bubble machine. I think most of us were ready to come back after a week there though after getting ill!

Kyle and I on the plane over...

Having breakfast over Kintamani volcano before cycling...

Emma, myself and Verity during our Ubud tour...

White water rafting!

Cycling through villages

New Years eve at the Oceans 27 club in Kuta

Our pool at the Rani Hotel and Spa

Bali markets

Holding the Orangutan at the Safari Park

I had a weekend to try get better before myself and Emma studying med with me (and also went to Bali) had a trip to Geraldton to continue a research project we are undertaking interviewing Aboriginal women and their experience of Menopause. The weekend before i had a trip to hospital with horrible epigastric pain and night sweats. What followed was horrible headaches/migranes, fatigue and a viral rash over my legs and arms... not much fun! I was getting convinced it was Dengue fever from Bali and once we drove home for 6 and a half hours at the end of the week i went straight to the doctors surgery to get checked out but 2 doctors did not know what it was! I went back Saturday to another doctor and got blood tests and a serology check for Dengue fever, it could be an unnamed virus. From that they found my liver function was mildly abnormal but that is normal with a virus but i'm not sure still whether it is dengue or not. It was a good experience in Geraldton and we have been learning so much, but the virus was a bit of downer on the trip. I was getting desperate to run and keep up my fitness too but i was soo tired!! head aches do not help either. So feeling ill and over it when i was finally home i did what helps best when i cannot exercise... i baked cupcakes! It was good therapy :)

Today after 2 and a half weeks of the odd walk i went for a run, but it left me exhausted, i only ran 5.5km on the tredmil. I am still not totally well but it is progress. I may not be able to get my goals for the summer track season for the 1500m but that is how it has worked out this year. It is not the end of my track running, just a step backwards before i can go forwards again next season stronger than before and of course viral free! Although i had a good season last year after getting shingles in Geraldton last January... viruses, they must love me :P