A couple of hours after running the Two Oceans half marathon race, I posted this update on Facebook.  

 I guess I’ve come to realize that these are the things which matter when it comes to running this race. 

I was one of the lucky ones who got an entry. I managed to make it down to Cape Town. I survived the 27 000 crowds and still made it over that finish line before the dreaded cutoff gun. For most people, this in itself is a dream come true.

These people don’t care about their finishing time. They don’t moan about the goodey bag or the t-shirts. They soak up that incredible vibe of the national anthem at the starting line, the cannon, the supporters and the cheers from the stadium as they run over the finish line. I witnessed so many runners experiencing the race like this and felt so grateful to be running among them.  

  Look, besides trying to be all positive, I will admit that it’s never going to be my favourite race for a number of reasons. It still stresses me out. I still carry the baggage of a DNF (did not finish) and I still don’t believe it’s the ‘most beautiful race in the world’ for the 21km’ers. In fact the half has become way too big in my opinion.

But if KK comes down to run the Ultra, I might as well run. Notice, I didn’t say race. You can’t race every race and with the masses in category E, it’s not easy to get going. (Yeah, I’m still dumped in seeding E while majority of my friends, even novices, got bumped up to D. Two Oceans hates me.) But give it another five runs and I’ll have my Blue number which will mean a C seeding and quicker less congested start.  

 Each year comes with different challenges which teaches me something different about my running and how I approach situations.

This year the rain proved to be a huge struggle for me at that starting line. I had stated the entire week that I would not run in the wind or the rain and on the day, there was both!

Previously I would never have run if it was raining. I’m glad I did. I don’t know how, but I did. It’s made me mentally stronger. I started the race and I finished it. That’s what counts. So, thanks Two Oceans for the medal and the memories. 

 
(Images: Google)