Obstacles for exercise

I'll be honest, I have slacked off on my regular running schedule since arriving in Kijabe. There are a few things that have held me back.

View of the valley from my run

The first is that the school is at almost 8,000 feet above sea level. And even just walking from one part of campus to another leaves me very much out of breath. I wanted to give myself time to get used to that. Unfortunately, everyone here told me that it will take me months to actually get used to the elevation.

View from the guards trail that I run on

Another view from where I run

Another excuse that I have used in avoiding exercise is that I've been "settling in and getting used to my schedule". Which is true, but that's not a real reason to avoid exercise. In fact, I should have gotten a jump on it sooner so that it would be a part of my regular schedule.

Then I had finally started to go on morning runs with a friend, when I was hit by a cold. We started to do three morning runs a week on the guards trail that is a 2 mile loop around campus. Then she got sick, and we went another week without regular exercise.

This is a colobus monkey

The good news is that I am finally feeling better, and wanted to get back into the rhythm of regular exercise. Especially since I just committed myself to hiking Mt. Longonot over mid-term. Sunday was so beautiful, I decided I would go for a late afternoon run. I was about halfway through the loop when I found another terrifying obstacle on my path. I first noticed a few colobus monkeys in a tree near the path, watching me run. Up ahead, I saw another tree moving - a clear sign that monkeys were there - and I expected to see more colobus monkeys. When I turned the corner near those trees, I saw several baboons on the path ahead. I quickly, and quietly, turned around and found another path to take to continue on the loop. No way was I going to run past those terrible primates.

A baboon - for reference

I did finish the loop, and enjoyed the scenery along the way. It is hard work, but worth it as long as I can get past all the obstacles. Please pray that I can keep up with my schedule and be prepared for the hike on Mt. Longonot.