About Bo

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

Improvements often happen behind the scenes

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Bo

When I talk to people about my running, I always slip in the fact that I ‘walk run’. It’s as if I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking that I’m actually capable of running non-stop for kilometers on end. My pace is slow so telling people I walk means I don’t have to explain myself.

But I noticed something today about my running pace during the Alan Robb road race that I wasn’t even concentrated on training for. I managed to run almost the entire way for 15kms at a steady consistent pace! I hardly walked!

I stopped at one or two water stations and walked on the very big uphill (on a very flat route). Other than that, I ran!

Late last year, I remembered trying to run 20 minutes non-stop. It took me over three weeks to get it right. But since then, I’ve forgotten about it.

Something must’ve worked. Was it the exercises from bio Mari? The stretching homework? The weekly runs? Hell, whatever it is, I’m thrilled!

Quite ironic, I’m happy about something I didn’t even realize I was working on!

So true of life, we’re often so focused on things that we think matter and don’t realize all the positive progress were making in other areas of our lives.

Go me! ^5

Tips for treating that dreaded Plantar Fasciitis

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Bo

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common injuries among athletes, affecting approximately 10% of runners at least once during their lives. It sparks fear in most runners because it’s a stubborn injury that can take weeks, even months to heal.

When I was struck down by plantar fasciitis (a little dramatic, I admit), I started to do everything I could to treat it. And I mean everything! Here’s my top 5 treatments:

Plantar Fasciitis treatment

1. I changed my running shoes from Asics to New Balance. Best decision ever to follow the advice of an Orthotist. The tests he performed were so interesting and have made a huge difference. My NB’s are so comfortable.

2. One of my Running Junkie mates recommended the FS6 foot sleeves from Hunt Orthopaedics. These compression socks are designed specifically for sufferers of plantar fasciitis. I wear the sock around the house or whenever I don’t have shoes on.

3. I bought the B4Play ball from Sportsman’s Warehouse. This gadget ties itself around your ankle so while you watch TV, you can comfortably do your exercises with no hassle at all. The best part is that it’s designed specifically to treat plantar fasciitis.

4. This photo is me as a baby, crying. I still enjoy a good, ugly cry. But whatever you do, you need to deal with the frustration that a stubborn injury brings. It demands patience. Plantar fasciitis is a debilitating injury that can take months and even years to go away. For a runner, it’s a death sentence but be patient. Try something else while you wait. I tried hot yoga at the gym and it’s fabulous!

5. Physiotherapist & friend Francis hooked me up with a Strassburg sock. I sleep with it every night religiously and for me, it has made the biggest difference. The compression part irritates me & sometimes I will pull the sock off in the early hours of the morning in my sleep, but it works. I’ll say that again. It works!

6. Calf stretching & massages. My bio Mari alerted me to new research in the beginning & I’ve been disciplined in following her stretching program. It’s worth the read.

There’s a whole range of other treatments which I haven’t even begun to explore yet. Needling, taping, electroshock therapy. The list is endless. What have you tried that’s worked for you?

It’s been almost 6 months since I started treating my stubborn heel. Six difficult and long months. It’s taught me an incredibly valuable lesson in patience. It’s forced me to stop and rest. I think out of everything, for me as a runner, that’s been the hardest part. But it’s humbled me. I long to be out there, running pain free. The time is coming. The foot is healing. Eventually!

I’ll keep you posted!

In the blink of an eye

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Bo

Life changes in the blink of an eye. It really does. But it takes years for you to notice it.

During these recent times of uncertainty in the world, I’ve tried to make sense of the chaos. Have I made the right choices? What will I do if things go wrong? What’s my plan B? Let’s face it. The world has officially gone mad. But whatever it is, when I look around and observe what some of my friends are getting up to, I see a real sense of bravery! Of change…

Sharon & Hillary took up horse-riding. Andrew resigned from his job with no alternative. He just decided one day, “Screw this! No more!”

Chevy & Marc packed up and left Johannesburg for a different lifestyle down in Cape Town where job titles don’t matter. What matters to them is walking the dogs on the beach after work in the late setting sun.

Shaun & Lisa left for an overseas adventure. Taking up job opportunities but with the end goal of exploring the world while they’re still young. So did Meg & Rob. (By the way, follow Meg’s awesome blog on all things Dublin.)

My very good friend Karen envisages a completely different upbringing for her two sons. She is planning a future quite opposite to anything she knows. Listening to her planning to emigrate to Australia has shown me that it’s not as easy as one might think. But she has a vision. A new start to life.

Retrenchment has meant Sam has registered her own company. I can see that she’s nervous. The unknown always is, but she’s doing it. How frikking exciting!? I wish it was me!

Full time running coaching has given Coach Neville a second chance at “life”! They always say follow your passion and I suspect he’s been surprised by the journey that perhaps he should’ve embarked on years ago.

Turning 40 was a biggie in my life! Watching Samantha training to run her first Comrades marathon on her 40th birthday in a few months time, well … that’s pretty epic!

Susan is fighting cancer. Too many people I know are fighting cancer. Their resilience to never give up inspires me. Their approaches to decisions that they don’t exactly have control over is heartbreaking to see.

Terence has gone solo! I wish I could do that… But what do I have to offer?

This is me in Cape Town in 2007. In a blink of an eye, it’s 10 years later.

I’m seeing newbie runners like Russel bursting with runner’s high. I watched my sister, Gwynn, buying her own home and then going on to lose 17kgs! Janine is going back to university. New jobs. New hobbies. New lives!

It’s inspiring! It’s brave! It’s been happening in front of my eyes all this time, but I’m only seeing it all now. As if it’s a sign I need to see. For a reason I’m still grappling with.

I took a gamble on Om Die Dam & it paid off

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Bo

My foot is still not better. Even though I’ve been quite obsessive with all the treatments, socks, granny shoes, massaging and exercises, it still aches. I was about to surrender my Two Oceans half marathon entry but then spotted on KK’s training program that he was running the Om Die Dam (ODD) 50km race. It got me scheming…

I had not run a 21km race since last year’s Two Oceans half marathon
I need to run a 21km race for this year’s Two Oceans half marathon
If I get halfway and struggle with my foot, I can walk to the end. Time on feet, right?
The race has a 4-hour cutoff for the half. Ample time!

So off we drove to Harties early Saturday morning. We haven’t run ODD for a couple of years. The congested traffic, the crowds, KK wasn’t running many ultras. It was a race we rather avoided. This year was different. Parking 100ms from the start, well-organised and 24/hr manned spotless port-a-loos in every corner. Always a good sign.

KK and I split up before the start. He wanted to slip into his starting pen early, I wanted to take my time lubing up and getting into ‘the zone’. I had not set a goal time. I was hoping to run under 3:10 but had no idea how under-trained I was. Perhaps 3:20 was more realistic?

My half marathon time ranges between 2:44 and 3:15. But this was the first time I had taken such a long break, focusing instead on 10km distances. Would it come back to bite me? I was also unsure if I would undo months of resting & care of my foot. Only one way to find out. *stupid thinking*

Mentally I had done my homework. In the days leading up to the race, I had envisioned running the distance. I wrote down a few positive statements on my pacing chart that I planned to whip out & read when I hit the dark patches en route. I was ready.

The fish eagle crowed (the start gun!) and off we ran. I had bumped into friends, Billy & Christa, at the start of the race & when she mentioned that she wanted to run 3 hours, I thought, “Okay Bron, stick with them.” But soon found this to be impossible.

In the first few km’s their pace was too fast. I was struggling. I desperately wanted to keep up with them thinking that if Comrades race veteran Billy was pacing, I’d be fine. But they slipped further and further away. Getting to that finish line was all in my hands now.

I slowed down to a more comfortable pace and looked around, trying to take my mind off the run. I had completed 7kms in 1 hour. Was this too fast? Typically, if I can run 7kms every hour, I make the 3-hour cutoff gun. I was on track. I was confident. Was I overly confident? Perhaps. Definitely. I was over-thinking.

Just as I was about to pull out my pacing chart, a friendly face popped up alongside me. My ex-colleague and friend, Thiren. We started chatting away and it was just what I need to take my mind off the run as we neared the 14km mark. 2 hours had passed.

It’s quite amazing what the body can achieve if the mind believes and I declared to Thiren that we would make 3 hours if we pushed ourselves. I started to see that finish line! He was struggling with calf pain and managed to run to the 18km mark together before he trailed off.

I wasn’t done yet. I felt fantastic. I was strong. Hurting, but still strong. As I reached the 19km mark, I spotted Billy’s familiar white Comrades cap. I had caught them! What joy! I was thrilled that we had both achieved the goals we had set out at the start. It was 3 hours.

I crossed the finish line, elated! My foot had survived. It wasn’t sore (YET! The afternoon was hell). But my mind had achieved what I needed it to do – believe that I could manage the distance. The body explodes with feel-good hormones when you finish a race. The best part is that this feeling lingers for quite some time afterwards…and boy was I happy!