Barafu Challenge - Mount Kilimanjaro

Small Struggles

4/12/2015

Thursday night I came down with the flu and have just fully recovered today. I could feel myself getting tired and lost my appetite and then it was a nasty little bug that worked its way through me. All of my well planned meals sat uneaten in the fridge and training came to a sudden halt. Yesterday I managed two bananas and some eggs and today I am hungry and feeling 100% better. Meals weren't as well planned out today and I made it easy on myself by grabbing ready made items...way more then I would ever have in a day!!
A glorious day for hiking! The sunshine, warm temps and ice free trails were just what we needed to lift our spirits. The time flew by as we chatted and enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings. I feel so incredibly blessed to share this journey with Joanne by my side. Life has a way of bringing just the right people into your life at just the right time. Together we have found balance, harmony, friendship, support, inspiration, motivation, strength...and I could go on and on! We had a great training day and were feeling awesome the entire duration of our hike.

Training:
Laura: 7.25 hour hike and stretching
Joanne: 7.25 hour hike and yoga

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Laura: Coconut Snack Bar (Taste of Nature) and Banana
               Joanne: Eggs, spinach, avacado

Snack (am): Laura: Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (Imagine Organic)
                   Joanne: date/banana muffin, Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Mojo Cliff Bar

Lunch: Laura: Apple and Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt Mojo Cliff Bar
           Joanne: Protein Shake

Snack (pm): Laura: Banana and Lara Bar
                   Joanne: Trail mix (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips) apple

Dinner:
Laura: BBQ Chicken Breast, Green Beans, Baby Mix Organic Salad with Simply Natural Organic Balsamic Vinegrette Dressing
Joanne: Turkey Burger and Spinach/Kale salad

Notes: Laura: My first coffee free day and no headache!! :-)

We consumed lots of water and green tea today as usual. We added Nuun electrolyte drink tabs to our water bottles.
I use these tabs in my water when I am running and they always seem to work well. Today was the first time I have used them while hiking and I was so glad I did. I was feeling so dehydrated from being sick and they perked me up right away, providing me with just the right hydration. They are now a must have item for the climb.

Training and Nutrition

4/9/2015

Training:
Laura: 4.5 hour hike and stretching
Joanne: 4.5 hour hike and yoga

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Eggs with sauteed spinach, 1/2 an avocado, 1 tomato and Himalayan sea salt (SO YUMMY!!)
Snack (am): Green Smoothie (Kale, mixed greens, cucumber, apple, ginger, lemon juice, water)
Lunch: Laura: Veggie and Brown Rice Soup
           Joanne:Soup with Tuna Salad and Hummus
Snack (pm): Laura: Trail mix (Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, raisins, dark organic cocoa camino                                                    chocolate chips)
                   Joanne: Trail mix (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips) and date/banana muffin
Dinner: Leftover brown rice and bean dish

Notes: Laura: Starting to wean myself off coffee :)

Three Weeks To Go

4/8/2015

Wow! Three weeks until departure! It feels like our trip is fast approaching now. We have scheduled all of our training hikes and have planned our meals for the next three weeks. The hours that we have in a week are quickly being consumed with training, organizing, preparing, fundraising, packing for our climb and of course family life and work. Yesterday, Joanne and I worked together to lay out and prepare our meals. It is so easy to slip up on making good food choices when you are short on time. Preparing ahead of time ensures that we will have the fuel we need when we need it. The hours that we are dedicating to hiking are at there peak this week and next week. We have 20+ hours of hiking scheduled for this week and next week and then tapering down to less then 15 hours the week before our climb.

So here it is! Our daily account of training and nutrition which I will share on a daily basis for the next three weeks.

Training:
Laura: Jujitsu workout/stretching
Joanne: High Intensity workout/yoga

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Millet with almond milk and maple syrup, dates
Snack (am): Laura- Green Smoothie (Kale, mixed greens, cucumber, apple, ginger, lemon juice, water)
Joanne - Protein Shake (Protein powder, probiotics, spinach, banana, almond milk)
Lunch: JoJo's spicy rice salad (From - Christine Gingerich's Cookbook - Optimal You)
Snack (pm): Banana Date Buckwheat Muffins
Dinner: Chicken, Black Bean, Chick pea and Veggie Enchiladas in a spelt wrap
Extras: Laura: Cashews
Joanne: granola bar (Cliff Mojo Dark Chocolate)

Growing to Reach a Goal

3/30/2015

To have a goal is to drive yourself day after day...focusing on the dream that lies before you...expanding yourself so that you can become the person you have always dreamed you could be. To have a goal is to have a future full of hope, a driving force that stirs your soul, inspires you to greatness and unfolds a life that is reflective of who you are.

When Jo and I began this journey it came with the single decision to travel to Tanzania and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I don't think that either one of us knew at that time how this single decision would impact our lives. A single goal set requiring months of planning, training, preparation and resulting in walking a path that has brought an amazing amount of determination, discipline, strength, friendship, compassion and self growth...all that and we haven't even reached the base of the mountain yet!

At the beginning of our journey I found a quote that resonated with me.

"Set a goal so big that you could never achieve it, Until you grow into the person that can"

After months of preparation we are getting very close to becoming the people that can achieve the goal that seemed so daunting in the beginning.
4 weeks to go!

Growing to Reach a Goal

3/16/2015

The last few weeks have been full of excitement as we have been busy sharing our story with many people in the community.

We were very excited and felt incredibly privileged to visit our children's school and be a part of their spirit day assembly. The entire school (K-8) sat in on the assembly and it was really amazing to see so many familiar faces in the audience. The children were wonderfully supportive as they listened attentively to us give a brief overview of what Mom2Mom Africa is doing in Tanzania and how we are preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. It was fun to teach and listen to the kids trying out a couple new words in Kiswahili. Voices filled the gymnasium as the children repeated in unison the words "Jambo" (hello), "pole pole" (slow slow) and "Asante sana" (thank you very much). It was an amazing feeling to stand before the children as models of social and global responsibility.

We were able to go into further detail when we presented to the grade 6,7, and 8 classes a few days earlier. We shared the details of our nutritional and physical training, our goal setting strategies and our overall feelings as we steadily progress and get closer to reaching our goal. Alison joined us and shared the incredible work of Mom2Mom Africa and shared some heartfelt stories of the families and children that are involved in the Mom2Mom Africa programs. The personal stories had a huge emotional impact on Joanne and I and we felt an overwhelming sense of excitement, love, compassion and empathy as we suddenly realized the date of our trip is fast approaching. To see the spark of interest and the inquisitive nature of the children's questions, I couldn't help but feel that many of them will go on in their own lives making huge differences in bettering this world each in their own way.

Our First Fundraiser

2/20/2015

Our first fundraiser took place last Friday and proved to be a great success. It was a perfectly small intimate evening filled with great company and food that warmed the soul.
Chef Jasjit arrived nice and early with her totes full of all the supplies needed to create our culinary delights. It was our first meeting and I felt an immediate connection with her as she radiated warmth and kindness.
She settled into my kitchen organizing and arranging a variety of spices and other supplies to ensure easy retrieval for a well planned cooking lesson. She made her way around my kitchen with ease, preparing the chia tea, warming the samosas and filling my home with the most wonderful aromas of Northern Indian cuisine.
Our guests arrived and warmed up with a beautiful pairing of chia tea and samosas. It wasn't long before we were all busy chatting, cutting, dicing, stirring and mixing under the attentive direction of Jasjit.
The beauty of our efforts were set before us as we sat down to enjoy an incredible meal of Butter Chicken, Rice Pulao, Chapattis, Aaloo bhari hari mirch and a delectable Indian yogurt sauce to top it off. The conversation at the table was filled with stories of family, travel, love and friendship. It was a heartwarming experience and one that I will always look back on joyfully. With my new found skills and recipes in hand I'm looking forward to recreating the experience of that night. Thank you Sherry, Sarah, Lisa, Joanne and Jasjit for making the evening a great success. We raised $200 dollars for mom2mom Africa and had a great time doing it!!!

A Personal Account of Mount Kilimanjaro

2/17/2015

Early last week Joanne and I attended Adventure Guides -Armchair Series: Discover Kilimanjaro presented by Joanne Beattie.

The presentation was very informative and gave us an incredible visual account of Joanne Beattie's group climb and her summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in July 2014.

She shared her personal stories and insights of her climb from a very positive and honest perspective.

Joanne and I have spent many hours discussing and visualizing what our climb will be like. We have visualized relaxing in camp after a long day of hiking, sleeping in our tents, eating our meals from the mountain menu. We have visualized our days of ascending, summiting and descending. We have given much thought to how we may be affected by the altitude and what to pack so that we are prepared for just about anything the mountain has to throw at us.

Joanne Beattie's account of her climb brought so much more clarity to the visions we have conjured for our climb. They helped us to better understand how altitude may affect us and gave us tips on what to bring with us. Her stories added warmth and personality to the porters and guides. The entire presentation made us feel confident that this is going to be an adventure full of amazing moments, great beauty and personal growth.

Ten more weeks and growing more excited everyday :)

Everyone Matters

2/8/2015

Last night as I sat down after a busy and productive day I took a moment to look around me. The fire was warming the house and our spirits in its golden flames. The children were happily playing on the tablet, having earned extra game time by dutifully completing their homework. Our bellies were full from a wonderfully nutritious meal and the dishwasher was humming away as it cleaned up the dishes. It was getting late and the children would soon be getting ready for their bath and one last snack before they cuddled up with mom and dad into their warm cozy beds to share stories of their day. I think about how much we have and how much we have to be grateful for.

Life is great and yet life is not like this for everyone. When we are wrapped in the safety and comfort of our lives it is easy to take for granted all that we have. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without the basic necessities for survival and yet people around the world struggle with this every day. They struggle with the challenges of finding food to nourish themselves and their families. They struggle with the challenges of providing shelter that will adequately protect their families. They struggle with the challenges to provide their children with a quality education and a brighter future.

As parents, grandparents, educators, community helpers and mentors we spend so much time teaching our children what is right, what is fair, what is just. We teach them what it is to be empathetic, caring, sharing and kind to others. We teach them that everyone matters.

Mom2Mom Africa, a local non-profit organization, is an incredible example of what it is to act upon these principles that we teach. Mom2Mom Africa provides funding to build schools, support families, and provide quality education to children in Tanzania. It was with great privilege and excitement that Joanne and I accepted the invitation to join Mom2Mom Africa as they were traveling to visit the schools, families and children in Arusha, Tanzania.

With the families and children as our inspiration we challenged ourselves to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and to raise money for Mom2Mom Africa. The funds that we raise will be going towards Mom2Mom Africa's "Sustainability Project”. The "Sustainability Project" was designed to build upon the efforts of the Cheti Schools and to ensure the schools continue to be self-sufficient and equipped to provide the best environment for students to learn. This project includes building a well that can support vegetable gardens and hens, providing food for the students and acting as a source of income for the schools.

Our fundraising efforts are in full swing right now as we are looking to our family, friends, neighbors, community and businesses to help us raise money for an amazing organization that is working to make this world a better place for all. Please help us reach our goal. Visit www.mom2momafrica.ca/barafu-challenge to donate to our climb. Your contributions are shaping the lives of children and families and we are incredibly grateful for your support!!

Get Ready. Get Set.

1/29/2015

After an enlightening conversation with Robert from Everlasting Tanzania Travels it came to my attention that I may not be putting enough into my training. Is it possible that I have underestimated the challenge of climbing such a majestic entity? So this week I have amped up the hill work. I will be adding lots of hills of all shapes, sizes and elevations to hike up and down as many times a week as I can fit into my schedule. I will also be planning some winter weekend trips to do back to back 8 hour hiking days. We have 13 weeks now until our departure. This is crunch time! The training package that we were given was a 12 week program with nutrition included. The time has come to invest all of our energy and right choices into preparing for this climb. We have one shot at making this experience great. Being prepared is going to make all the difference between an enjoyable or excruciating experience. I'm planning on enjoying myself and sitting back after a long day of hiking and taking in all of my surroundings with a sense if wonder and excitement of what the next day will bring.
Thanks for the visuals Rob!
Laura

Another Busy Week...

1/28/2015

A new adventure sure does bring about many challenges as we try to incorporate new habits and routines into our already full and busy lives. Joanne and I have both felt the mounting pressure of time commitments and a growing to do list pushing down on us. As we have slowly started to lay out our plan, relax the expectations we have placed on ourselves and organize our thoughts, the 'to do list' is becoming more manageable. This week marks our 15th week until departure and we are continuing to meet our goals in nutrition and training.
Everlasting Tanzania is one of the few companies that takes a holistic approach in its training to get ready for the climb.
They have provided us with extensive nutritional information that focuses on strengthening our immune system, improving the efficiency of oxygen transport, increasing energy levels, increasing metabolic rates, supporting muscle growth and improving our overall health and well being. It is with these nutritional goals in mind that I am creating my weekly meal plan. I have been doing my best to stick with it! Having the right food in the house, preparing food in advance and packing food to go has been a focus for me this past week. It takes a great deal of planning and preparation to eat with intention.
Joanne and I both found great pleasure in our physical training this week which proved to be an outlet to release stress, clear our minds and find focus.