About Bo

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

The voices around me

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Bo

The people around you, both at work and socially, often have the biggest impact on your goals and the success you are in life. This was my conclusion as I completed my final lap around the track at training on Saturday morning.

Coach had us running 400m’s, then 800m’s a couple of times but I was so preoccupied thinking about the week that was that I hardly noticed the other runners lapping me. My head was swimming with thoughts about the people I work with, about the daily challenges I’m facing and the deadlines on the horizon.

As I started on that final lap, I heard the familiar voices from behind as they passed me, “Well done Bron” and “Keep going Bron, nice work!” My fellow runners.

This is definitely the one thing that stands out for me as one of the biggest benefits about training with other runners; the support of one another. When they catch me running my warm up out on the road, they’ll slow down so that I can (try) and keep up. They encourage me when I’m struggling to complete my last lap. They inspire me to run as fast as I can and constantly keep me motivated.

They build me up, lap after lap…

If you have a similar environment at work, you’re really blessed. Because it’s the people that make the difference. I’m not saying that every day is rosy and that every training session is easy. But I’m truly grateful that the colleagues I work with are who they are. I’m grateful that I have a manager who makes time for me, appreciative that I can laugh (mostly at myself) with my team and blessed to have work friends who care enough to support me daily.

And I’m especially grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome bunch of runners every time I train!

Afraid to set a goal

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Bo

At the beginning of the year, my 12 year old niece signed a contract with my sister that states that if she successfully receives good marks for her exams, she will be allowed to attend all the school disco’s. It came as no surprise recently that she was not allowed to attend the latest disco due to low marks because her goals were a tad unrealistic to begin with. Dom goals

But I do feel her pain. Setting my own running goals lately is a challenge. I’m committed to my training and at this stage, my coach has made me run each and every day to build up consistency and a good foundation. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about my goals and more specifically, the pace I would like to run.

I signed up with Coach Dave to run faster than my current 8 minutes per km. But what is my specific goal? What pace am I working towards? Can I run at 7 minutes per km? Or should I be brave and set a goal of 6 minutes per km?

You see, this frightens me because I don’t know. I have no idea what I am capable of? I’m worried that I set a goal that is unreachable and unrealistic. I set a 5km PB (personal best) time on Saturday, but then the next day ran a race at 7:49 mins/km. Huh?So I went back to one of my favourite blog posts about setting goals posted by Mark Wolff. Bottom line: My goals need to be realistic. Also, to ensure that I don’t get injured and disappointed, I need to accept that reaching my goals will take time, patience and discipline.

So for now, I’m committing to 3 (attainable) goals:

Don’t skip Monday, Wednesday & Saturday training sessions & give it 110% at every session. Push hard.
Run every day (except Friday). As Coach Dave says: Consistency, consistency, consistency.
Keep a log book & focus on learning how my body responds to training sessions. It’s like Mark points out, “Remember to aim that arrow well, don’t just look at the target but assess the wind direction and speed, stay steady in the pull and release with intended purpose.”

This is all I’m committing to until I feel a bit more confident to set more specific goals.

I’ll also be chatting to my niece about her goals and suggesting she might want to re-submit a revised contract if she has any intentions of attending more disco’s. It’s the smaller goals which are achievable that matter more and build up your confidence to set higher goals than having to deal with failures which set you back.

Taking a break

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Bo

I decided out of the blue to take a few days off work last week and the break couldn’t have come any sooner. I could feel that I needed a rest. My stress levels were high. I was tired and weepy. Everything and everyone was irritating me. So I did the best thing I could do: I spent a few days at my parents and then a few days in the bush with KK. It was bliss…

My folks are pretty laid back and my mom has always encouraged us kids to get as much sleep as possible (which I did) and to do absolutely nothing (which I did) when we have the time and opportunity. Three days of lying on the couch, snacking, drinking cups of tea and watching the telly really helps to de-stress a person. I also managed to get in a 5km run with my dad which was so awesome!

Returning home from my parents, KK and I spent a few days in Madikwe at Tuningi Safari Lodge. Again, time well-spent; sleeping late, game drives, massage treatments and eating way too much delicious ~~low-carb~~ meals.

A combination of long chats with my folks and quality time with KK was exactly what I needed. (and of course nothing soothes the soul more than watching lazy elephants at a water hole every day).

Even though I make sure I have a good balance between work and home, I’m the type of person that struggles to switch off. So I made a promise to do just that. I did not check any emails. I did not answer my phone when it rang. I also left the phone in the Tuningi room on most occasions. It’s amazing just how much thinking you do when you give your mind some space to do it.

I survived. I said goodbye to a lot of things that were taking up space in my head. I’m refreshed and ready to move on. Ready to tackle the downhill chase to the end of the year. Who’s with me?

Lessons from 9/11 about married life

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Bo

As the world remembers the events of 9/11, KK and I celebrate another year of marriage. Two years ago I wrote one of my favorite blog posts about what 9/11 taught me about marriage.

Keeping up with the Walkers...

11 years ago today, I was four days away from getting married when the world was changed forever by the fateful events of 9/11. It was a Tuesday. I was 26 years old and about to marry the man of my dreams. I had no idea what awaited me. It’s only now, 11 years later, that I look back at that week with fresh eyes.

Perhaps I’m a little older and wiser, but I realise that there are some valuable lessons for my marriage I have learnt from 9/11.

Expect the unexpected. Just like those two planes, sometimes, with no warning at all, problems, issues, even events will hit your marriage with all its might and come out of nowhere. It is usually unexpected. You cannot know what and when something will come which will test your marriage. But it happens.
Ensure your marriage is strong enough to withstand the hits. If not, one or…

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