About Bo

Dog lover. Runner. Although very slowly. Keeping up with the stresses of running and life...

My favourite holiday pics…

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Bo

If you were worried that I was going to take you through 2 300 photos of our holiday (with a commentary on each shot), you can breathe a sigh of relief. We have reserved that ~~torture~~ fun for our family. 🙂

However, after experiencing such a wonderful time, I can’t stop myself from sharing just one or two photos and special moments that stand out for me. These are not in any order because we went to so many places. Just random photos which made me smile…

Here goes…

(Ps: If you click on the first photo, it enlarges and you can click through to the next one using the ‘Next’ button – if you want to..)

No turning back… 193 days to go!

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Bo

My blog is meant to be a ‘running’ commentary about my ‘jogging’ trials and tribulations (in addition to the moaning and groaning about daily life). But let me begin with an honest confession. I have not run a single race since July’s RAC 10km. Yes, I’ve done some runs at the gym, but no serious running training. Until now…

There are 193 days left until the 2012 Two Oceans Half Marathon. And I have decided to give it another go!

Phew…it gives me goosies just reading that back to myself. It’s a big deal for me, especially considering that for me, running a half marathon involves a lot more training and dedication than a simple 10km and because I have to ensure my running speed gets me to the finish line before that dreaded 3 hour cut off gun. (A gun, yes! It’s that dramatic!).

There are a few lessons I’ve learnt in the past 3 years of running Two Oceans that have prepared me for the 2012 race. The one is that I need to start training early in order to be fully trained in time for Oceans. The other lesson is that even if I manage to run 3kms in a day, it’s still more training than doing nothing at all.

So today was day one of my Two Oceans 2012 training.

I started with an hour’s run at the gym, clocking up 7kms. Mentally, this is a great start. It is important that I manage to run 7kms under 60 minutes. This will ensure that I run 21.1kms within 180 minutes in order to make the cut-off time.

I have always followed Coach Dave’s (RIP) training tips and so today, I did ~~2 minutes running, followed by 1 minute walking~~… (be honest Bron!)… 1 minute running, followed by 1 minute walking. As tough as some of those minutes were, I kept reminding myself that I have managed to conquer many half marathons already and have survived running for a solid three hours – one minute will seriously not kill me.

As with all things in life, I know that dedication and training will ensure I reach my goals and only I will know in the end if I have been honest with myself and have done enough.

Running is a very personal journey, especially if one has specific goals to reach.

I have one. I want to run the 2012 Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2 hours 45 minutes. *gulp* There. I said it!

Let the training begin! *my heart is beating so fast right now!*

10 Years of Wonderful!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Bo

Dear KK,

Happy Anniversary!

I have treasured every single moment with you.

Every day, my love for you grows stronger.

I am touched by how you deeply you care for me.

You make me happy. You make me smile.

I love you… Truly. Madly. Deeply.

15th September 2001 xxx

Silencing the addict

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Bo

I’ll be the first to admit it – getting a Blackberry changed my life. It changed it in the most wonderful, but also destructive way.

It connects me… to work, to news, to old friends, to new friends, to celebrities, to communities… 24/7. No longer do I watch TV alone. I am the first to know of breaking news and events. I am connected to people I would never before have had any access to.

But just as euphoric as it has been, I have became so accustomed to it being there, that when I do not have my phone with me, I go into total melt down. And no, I am not kidding.

I have developed a habit of checking my phone every 23 seconds, sometimes, every 7 seconds. I never log off Twitter. I read work emails over the weekend and will reply without hesitation. I wake up at 2am and check my Twitter time line. I hold it in my hand while i cook supper, I take it to the loo (overshare), and even check it during runs on the treadmill at gym.

In fact, when I see that little red light flashing, my heart skips a beat. I HAVE to check my phone and respond if necessary. (Blackberry addicts, you guys know what’s it like, right?)

But here’s my dilemma.

Soon, KK and I fly out to Europe for a 3 week holiday to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I have made the decision to leave my phone at home. For 3 weeks… No Twitter. No Facebook. No BBMs. No emails.

*gasp* I know!

My friends will know that this has not been an easy decision to make. In fact, KK and I have had many arguments as to “why” I would need to take my phone with me in the first place. For someone who isn’t on social media platforms, it’s difficult to explain.

It has nothing to do with not wanting to enjoy every second of my holiday with KK. It has nothing to do with the excitement of going away. But it’s about not being able to share every precious moment with those I have become so used to sharing everything with…

I will be going from being connected to my virtual friends and chatting non-stop, to nothing. Silence.

So, yes, this will be my last blog entry for a while. My Blackberry is currently in overdrive as I send as many tweets and RT’s as I possibly can. The withdrawals will come. I know that. And I will miss it.

But the only person I want to be talking to for the next 3 weeks is KK. Because in the bigger scheme of things, that’s who matters!