Fuss Lap

Happy New Year! 2013 allyuh. I expecting big tings from all ah allyuh eh! And mehself too. It’s always a time when I reflect on what needs fixing. Like when yuh was in Primary School and it was a new school year. New books. 

New teachers. New pencil case! It was a time when you could almost wipe your slate clean and start again. Life, however, is not that simple. So what will I be working on in 2013? Or would like to anyway. 

Now dat list long. So many things I wish I could just wave a magic wand and fix but alas, Harry Potter is just one of my favourite movies and not a reality. I can fix the things I have the power to fix. So I go focus on those. 

The biggest priority is de body. My body. And yes those who know me go say ah skinny and ah good jes so. I happy with my size, I eh go lie. Maybe I could drop one size just for so. 

But it’s the tightness I need to work on. I want everything to stop jiggling. I want to be like how I was before I had the boy. 

Prancing around in a bikini and jes comfortable. So ah going to run around de Savannah to start. 

Ah nice morning run to kick off de day. You makin’ joke! I love that feeling. Red Bull eh want nothing with dat!

I eh go lie, the last time I had a serious running regime, I was in London and London have road to run. It was nice. Running in the summer was great. Would get a little tan and just overall enjoy the pace of running in the city with the sun beating on my back. 

Now opportunities like that were far and few in between. Sun don’t shine dey as much as here nah and even if it does, it cold. 

Which brings me to running in the cold. I remember the first time I did it. I was living in Fulham and not far from the Embankment Road, which is a joy to run on, along the Thames. 

Such a scenic route, especially with all the bridges, each majestic and different in its own right. 

Back to the cold. First thing, the air is thinner. So I had to adjust my breathing techniques cause dat cold does make yuh feel like yuh suffocating. 

Yuh running and using all dat energy and like de air not coming in fast enough. Just required a more focused breathing regime to go along with the running routine. Soon I got the hang of it. Suck eye! Next ting was de wardrobe. 

Now I’s a tights, sports bra and vest kinda girl. On a hot day, me eh even need de vest. Too much clothes does harass meh stride nah. 

The first time I took ah run in de cold, and ah talking real cold eh, I remember putting on thermal tights (super-duper-keep-yuh leg-dem-warm tights), a long sleeve top, a hoody and meh gloves. I remember thinkin, “Mich, yuh go freeze yuh tail off eh. 

And I know yuh go say yuh doh run in plenty clothes but is right back home yuh go end up for yuh coat and ting eh!”

Eh heh? I buss out in de road wit meh kit and it was coooold. I usually start with ah little walk, then break into a trot then run. It had no walking dis time nah. Ah start to run one time. 

I felt the cold go straight through my body. 

Especially dat space on meh ankle in between de socks and de tights. Oh gad! Now we still talking about the first two or three minutes of dis run eh. De pace pick up real fast. By five minutes, I was running. 

And hear nah, it wasn’t cold anymore. By the time I done, I was reaaaal sweating. 

Next time, was back to meh vest and tights yes! Hear nah, creating dat heat with a run in winter was a wicked feeling. Brilliant even! 

Music in meh ears in time to the beat of my feet on de road. De best part of my run was getting a vanilla latte from Starbucks after.

Now this brings me back to running in sweet T&T. I am looking forward to the sights around the Savannah. Whenever I drive round dey, I done feel everything in HD, fuss it pretty. Now allyuh know me and ah like to talk. 

I hope ah doh run for two minutes and den bounce up ah padna and start to ole talk. 

Or if ah runnin eeen de night, stop by de gyap (de food people in de Savannah on ah evening) and stuff meh face with shark and bake and mango chow! 

Nah man. I go do it. As for de Starbucks? Who needs it when yuh could get a nice cold nut for de wind down. Hail meh out if yuh see meh but doh make me stop eh!

• You can follow Michelle on Twitter at @mimieng77