So for the last three weeks I have been telling myself to start writing my blogs again but between trying to rest and adjusting to life after Tokyo (YES I did go! ), restarting work after seven weeks off, attending post-Olympic functions etc., I just haven’t had a chance - or the energy!
In planning how to possibly catch my readers up on the last three months of my life I have decided to not do the usual chronological order of how things happened but rather choose a topic and write on that and then move to the next topic. If you, my readers, want me to write on certain topics or themes of the trip, leave me a comment either here on my blog or on my social media and then your request might be the subject of my next blog! What do you want me to write about? The food? The people? The racing? The travel? Now is your chance to have your say.
My first request was to write about the preparation phase and what and how I had to organize for the trip. This might be hard for me because that time seems to be a bit of a blur.
In July, even before I received notification that I was in the team for Tokyo (but I had strong suspicions and didn’t want to be caught out) my mom came to Stellenbosch for three weeks to assist me. She would stay with me for a few days, then go to her sister during the week to allow me space and time to work, then return to me over the weekend. A lot of my focus was to get enough time on the road on my trike. Because of my bad coordination and balance, riding my trike doesn’t come automatically, even after all these years. It is something I need to work at consistently. So, before a major competition the more time I spend on my actual trike and not just on the indoor trainer, the more comfortable I am and the faster I go because of increased confidence. Looking back on my calendar there wasn’t a weekend in July and August that I did not train, some weekends I trained both Saturdays and Sundays because that was when the roads were quieter and friends could take me out (and that was in addition to my training on the indoor trainer during the week).
Added to the training, there was much more admin and paperwork than I ever expected! Yes, I had not yet received the email to say I was officially selected to the Paralympian team, but that did not stop the emails and the requests for info coming thick and fast. I just knew there was no way I was not going to be in the team judging from the admin work that was coming my way. Although SASCOC was doing the bookings and so forth, there was enough other admin to attend to whenever I had a spare moment. Apart from the forms that the other athletes were filling in at this late stage, I had the additional challenge of having to change the person who was coming with me as my helper. Athletes who were on the potential team list had been submitting information for almost the last 18 months, at this late stage, I had to ask someone else to come with as my athlete assistant, plus I had to resubmit all the paperwork that I had already submitted (for the other person!) We had to submit the normal passports and so on, but also confirm changed clothing sizes for the large SA Olympics kit, I had to submit my current medications, vitamins and supplements and those I would be using at the Games, equipment sizes and weight, and things I can’t even remember right now.
Eventually things came to a head by the 22nd July when I sent my boss an email asking if I could maybe get an extra afternoon or day off during the week because I just could not handle training, the admin side of going to the Games, and still work. She must have heard desperation in my voice because I was very graciously told to finish my work the next day, on the 23rd, and then I would be on 7 weeks leave from work in order to fully prepare for and attend the Paralympics! She also added that my job would be waiting for me when I returned, which brought me immense relief as I had only started working for her in April and wasn’t sure how she would view my absence for so long. She also added that the practice was also contributing R2000 to my expenses! She thought giving me extra time off would allow me not only to focus on training but also give me time to rest before the trip. Alas! There would be very little rest in the next few weeks!
At this late stage I still had to decide whether I would be taking the vaccine. Everyone has their own opinion and I had to still make up my mind. It is probably the one thing that I have prayed about the most this year. I am not convinced that there won’t be long-term effects, and had to hear from God before I made my decision. Eventually I felt ready to go but by this stage there was only time for one Pfizer jab and I had to leave the second dose till after Tokyo – a decision I was very ok with. So in the end that had to be added to my ‘to do’ list.
The most difficult thing for me that I had to deal with in the run up to leaving was isolating. Because we could not fly if we had Covid and I didn’t want to risk getting sick and missing the Games, I withdrew from most social gatherings for about two or three months. My community understood and supported my decision and whatever could be moved online was, so that I could still participate, but it was hard. Because of my speech disability I am not always understood over virtual meetings, and the isolating and lack of physical presence and touch was tough. On days when the weather was good a friend might come to see me and we just social distanced outside to make sure we were taking every precaution. Eventually I longed to just walk into a grocery shop, or go to church instead of sitting in front of a screen but I had a goal and had to stay focused.
In between the paperwork, the training, the pre-trip interviews, and more, both Gill, my friend and assistant for the trip, and I had to do two online courses, medical check-ups, attend two online meetings with the other Team SA members and Team doctor. There was so much going on that I even got the day of the second meeting wrong and had to make use of the second opportunity to participate in that meeting. Life was just hectic!
The Sunday before we left Gill arrived. We had decided that it would be beneficial for her to be here, to help me with final preparations. We could then also isolate together and I would not need others to help me as often - (that plan failed as you will see). There was an element of risk and stress for both of us because a week earlier Gill had flown back from the UK and although she had been careful there was still a chance she had had contact with someone who had Covid on her travels. Yet we both had seen the miracles that had taken place already to get us to this point, that we trusted that all would be fine. I thought having Gill here would make things easier and it definitely did, but for the next six days instead of just me being crazy busy, we both were! To keep us sane I made a rule, we had to take at least one hour a day where we were doing something that wasn’t trip related, such as go for a walk, fiddle in the garden or make a meal. Most days we got it right but we never did get a chance to pack my puzzle that we wanted to.
The day Gill arrived we went on my usual Sunday road training with JC and Elbie. This was the first time Gill would actually see me on the trike and she had to learn how to assist me, and what I needed and when. Monday was paperwork, training at the track, and booking our two Covid tests. Tuesday was a short virtual race on Zwift and probably more paperwork. Wednesday, if I remember correctly, we had to ask one of my friends to drive us to Parow to do the first of our Covid tests. By late Wednesday night Gill received her first negative Covid test and there was relief everywhere. To my dismay I couldn’t log in to the site and had to wait until for the team doctor to send me my results on Thursday. I had a short track session (another friend drove us to the track) and I think we were still doing the last of the paperwork. Friday I was supposed to do a light cycle on Zwift and we were hoping to sort out our kits and do the packing, so we could relax the Saturday before we flew Sunday morning, but none of these happened! I think Friday was our second required Covid test in Parow and more admin - by Friday night we knew we would be boarding a plane on Sunday because all our tests were negative! Saturday, our rest day, turned into our packing day and we fell into bed that night hoping our alarms would wake us up to be ready for JC, who was as always, our lift to the airport on Sunday morning.
I don’t know what I have missed but I think you get the picture of how frantic the final few weeks were!
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