About Bo

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

Unprepared for what lay ahead.

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Bo

I remember running the Jackie Gibson Alan Ferguson half marathon a few years ago. A tough race which starts off very hilly but which ends on the most glorious downhill stretch all the way to the finish line. That’s the route I remember. So when KK decided not to run (manflu), brave little me said I’d still like to race and so off we drove to the South on Sunday morning.

The night before, I had tweeted the Johannesburg Harriers Athletic Club and inquired about the new route. The reply from the Club sounded positive, in fact, it’s what convinced me to run:

There were thousands of runners at the start, thousands! The announcer even commented that almost 3 times the number of runners had pitched to run the marathon and almost twice the numbers of runners for the half. Awesome! This was going to be a goodey!

But what awaited me was nothing I could ever have imagined. The new route shuffled us through some fairly flat roads and I was doing fabulously. I had started the run with my running friends, Carmeni & Kerry and our street pole strategy was working nicely. Until around the 12km mark…

From here, the race started to climb. And climb. And climb. I was hot in the sun, the water tables were spread out too thinly and still… we climbed. The old route had us do most of the hard work at the beginning of the race, this had us working to the end. It was relentless and sapped all my energy.

There were times when I wanted to plonk myself down on the pavement and cry. I came close to quitting many times. If it wasn’t for Carmeni and Kerry pulling me along, I would have!

This year, I’ve run quite a few half marathons and feel I am better trained than in previous years. Physically, maybe. But nothing prepared me for today. Toughest race I think I’ve ever run. I still managed to come in under 3 hours, but mentally, Jackie Gibson, you killed me. Never again. (Well, until next year, maybe…)

Relaxing on the run

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Bo

When we’re not out running a race, I dedicate my Sunday runs to long, slow, ~~drawn-out~~ distances (more commonly known as LSD’s). It’s a time to be by myself, get time on my feet and just relax. But on my run this morning, I began to notice how tense I was. When I walked the dreaded hill up passed Cumberland, I felt incredibly guilty for walking. As I headed down the beautiful tree-lined Elgin Road, I kept checking my watch and calculating time. What for?

I eventually stopped, breathed and re-examined why I was out running in the first place. It wasn’t to get a PB, so why the rush? It wasn’t to do any speed work or hill training, so why the guilt? I consciously had to slow down and start my run over again, ensuring I was doing so with the right frame of mind as I ran.

I found today’s experience similar to when I go for a spa treatment. Numerous times throughout the session, I have to actually tell myself to relax. And when I do, I can feel my body calming down and unwinding, but I need to do this a few times. It seems as if I’m constantly wired and uptight. Relaxing does not come easy to me.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel as if the lives we live today have become so stressful, so tense that we are in a 24/7 state of anxiety and tension?

Running definitely allows me to release some of that worked up tension and really gives me the time and space to think (and over think) everything that’s going on in my head. But every now & then, it’s good to stop and examine the reasons for doing something in the first place.

So as I stood on the pavement and took a deep breath, I slowly started running again. I promised myself that my Sunday runs were all about me giving back to my body and to relaxing my mind. But mostly to be out there enjoying myself.

I must say, the rest of my run went much better. I decided that although I love posting my runs to Strava & Facebook, it might help to leave the watch at home every now and then. If only to relax while I run.

(Image: http://thoughtsandpavement.com/tag/runner/)

It’s been a good run so far…

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Bo

Regular readers of my blog know that as much as I enjoy running, I tend to moan and complain about it way too often which is evident by a couple of ‘pity me’ posts. But having run x4 half marathons, x2 10kms and one 5km race since January, I must admit, I’ve fallen in love with my running again.

Here’s why:

There’s no pressure. With KK & DSM focusing on their Two Oceans & Comrades training this year, all the attention and focus has shifted to their running schedules. Their half marathons have turned into full marathons which they run in 4 hours or less. So for a change, I wait for them to finish a race, compared to them waiting for me to come in. It allows me to stroll back to the car after my race, get cleaned up & relax in the sun without feeling like everyone is sitting around waiting for me to finish.
I haven’t stopped. I try run often, even if it’s a 5km run on the treadmill at gym. I make sure that I make the time to run.
I run far. I’ve pushed myself this year to run as many half marathons as I can. The first one I ran was Johnson Crane which hurt like hell. I even popped two myprodols after the race because my body ached so badly and I wobbled around for the next two days. But two weeks later, I ran another half. I’ve kept at it. The wobbling has stopped.
I’ve stopped over-analysing what time I finish a race. I realised that this was making me miserable. The fact that I run races surrounded by walkers and those considered “slow” is not what matters. We all cross that finish line and we all get a medal for the same distance. If I have a good day and do well, great. But sometimes it’s okay if I feel like doing a slow run too. I remind myself of this fact often.

I celebrate small victories. I managed to run a 10km race in 74 minutes. I was over the moon! I also managed to run the dreaded Deloitte half marathon in under 3 hours. Yay! And more recently, I ran Sarens half in 2:54. Go me!

It’s only a few more months until KK takes on Comrades and I’m sure a lot more races ahead. I’m looking forward to them and might even consider running through Winter. OMG! What am I saying? Let me not run ahead of myself! *you see what I did there* 🙂

A street pole strategy

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Bo

I put off blogging about my recent races because I was unsure if the results were real or just lucky. Three races down and I’m amazed that it has taken me four years to realise that tackling my runs the same way I tackle life would be the winning formula which would help me not only run faster, but stronger. Wait, let me try explain myself…

But first, let me take you back to this year’s Pick ‘n Pay half marathon. I happen to notice around the 10km mark that two runners were running according to a walk/run strategy. As much as I tried to keep up with them, I was not fit enough. But two weeks later, I happen to see them again at the Deloitte half marathon and pushed to keep up. The strategy is simple: run two sometimes three street poles, then walk for one.

I’ve always walked during races. But usually because I’m so tired and can’t get going again. This is different. This is planned and structured.

Having run Deloitte in under 3 hours using this strategy, I decided to try it during the Vaal 10km run. Success! I ran in 74 minutes! In fact, I managed to run each and every kilometre under 8 minutes a kilometre. I tried it again at the Saren’s half marathon too. My time: 2:54. This is working for me!

You see, I like structure, planning and preparation. I’ve always gone into races just hoping to get to that finish line before the 3 hour mark but with very little planning. But with this street pole strategy, I feel very much in control. It’s like my running friend Kerry, who has pulled me through both Deloitte & Sarens said, ‘It’s as if the street poles were made just for us runners.” I like that.

It’s the same as in life, without a strategy which works for you, you’ll only be drifting. And I guess every runner needs to find that certain technique that works for them. We’re all different and even though we run the same race, (just like life) we all need to run our different ways in order to finish. I’m glad I’ve found mine and something that finally, after 4 years of struggling, happens to work for me.

What’s your strategy?