About Bo

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

Tapering for the “BIG C”

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Bo

After months of intense training, KK has started tapering down for Comrades. It’s a relief for sure, especially since the recent weeks have involved nothing else but running, sleeping and eating and running and eating and running, then sleeping. Aiming to run between 100kms and 120kms each week has been insane and I could sense the exhaustion setting in.

We ‘park’ our running shoes at the front door when we return from our runs.

I’m thrilled! Tapering (for me) means:

Not having to wake up on Sunday mornings in an empty bed
Less water bottles stacking up on the kitchen sink
The freedom to go to Saturday movie again, even if we do go to the 5pm show
Hopefully packing less lunch for work?
KK not falling asleep as often in front of telly at 8pm in the evenings
Less ‘what time are you going to bed because I need to sleep’ comments
Eating curry again and not having to worry about the “consequences”.

The dedication to his training regime has been quite impressive and shows his dedication and commitment to what is required when tackling a race of this magnitude.

gas mask to avoid sick Now begins 3 weeks of avoiding any sick people and ‘overdosing’ on vitamin C.

The mental prep and countdown has begun.

The excitement is starting to build!

Running through my weekend…

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Bo

Weekend april 17 memories 1. For me, there’s nothing like that drive home on a Friday afternoon, knowing it’s the weekend! ~ 2. Curry & wine at The Raj to celebrate my birthday with KK. My new favourite dish: Aloo Paratha which is a potato filled roti. ~ 3. Wimpy breakfast & cupcakes with the Running Junkies after track. Makes waking up at 4:30 worth it. ~ 4. Snuggling with Annie. Her post-op checkup is this week. ~ 5. Sunday morning run. It’s mid Autumn and look how beautiful and green everything still is! ~ 6. My banting cheese bread – perfect with any braai.

How was your weekend?

The obligatory Two Oceans half marathon blog post

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Bo

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)

Run like the wind

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Bo

I doubt very much if I would be a runner if I lived down in Cape Town. I’d blame it entirely on the wind.

What I concluded after a short run this morning in 37km/h wind is that it’s difficult to run against. It blows so hard that it forces your body off balance. It forced me to stop and walk a few times. (Okay, maybe I shouldn’t blame everything on the wind).

The sound howling through the trees and over the ocean upsets me and leaves me feeling uneasy. It’s an angry wind. Loud. Violent. Unforgiving. Nasty. All characteristics which don’t gel with me.

Post run shot of my fizzy wind swept hair!

Maybe it’s easier running on the trails through the forest? Maybe those beautiful trees would shelter me from the wind? I saw this suggestion tweeted from someone in the know (aka a Capetonian).

I’ll give it another try tomorrow. The weatherman has predicted rain for Saturday’s Two Oceans race. Wind or rain. I don’t know what’s worse.