Training during military coup

I just saw a post in my drafts that I had begun the day before the Mali coup on the 21st of March. Reading it sent me back at my week and a half of waiting patiently in my hotel room, while hearing gunshot fired not 10 block away.

I was there for a three weeks contract, and everything was going according to plan, even with my indigestion (which is never a surprise when working in Africa!). My training at that point was going down to nothing, I had to run for Iceland's ultra marathon, but everything seemed against me (the excuses we give ourselves for not training ...).

Then the coup happened ... we were in the ACI 2000 part of town, really near Bamako center and the  radio station, so when we heard gunshots, we heard them quite well. So I had to forbid exterior training, and Hotel Massaley did not have any Gymnasium ... so much for running, so I got quite serious about my Insanity program.

What we can learn about this:

• Never take the political stability of a developing country for granted

• Always have a plan B for training abroad, be it rubber bands, water filled weights, or training videos (subject to some review soon i guess ... that could be a good post would it not ?)

• Keep training, whatever happens, even if you have to shift from specific to general maintenance ... except if you get sick, then, take a reality check and some days off, at least until you are not at risk of shitting yourself while doing a power squat

• When people start shooting their guns in the air, don't stay in the open, Mali had around 15 deaths by stray bullets

I'll keep my political views out of my blog, I don't think I will comment what happened back there and what is still happening now, I feel really sad for the malians that I know to be good people, solution oriented and successful professionnals that are seeing the country the were so proud of being slowly driven to ruin and chaos...

Guiness, the quality drink in any environment, and the best recovery drink...