About Bo

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

I’m just disappointed, that’s all.

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Bo

I’m disappointed.

I’ve been going through some real ups and downs at work in the past few weeks. Moments where it has felt as if things were all coming together, only to be faced with everything falling apart. It’s left me in a nasty dip. I’ve been walking around the office feeling lost, feeling extremely let down and pretty miserable to be around. I’m highly irritated with myself that I was mentally prepared for change and the change did not come and now I don’t know which way to turn…

Chatting to KK about it, he reminded me that he’s seen this happen before. Periods in my work life where I have been forced to make decisions based on a number of factors. He said, “Things do come right. They always do, but maybe just not when you expect them to.”

I guess the one lesson I’m learning from this experience is how I deal with situations that don’t go my way. I don’t deal with disappointment well. I let it overwhelm me and look to blame others. Nobody is at fault here. Things just didn’t pan out as I thought they would. It’s really up to me now to decide: do I look for a new path or just stick to the old one and wait? Going through some photos recently, I came across this one…

While on holiday in April, KK and I decided to go for a walk through Cecilia forest in Cape Town and chose the hiker’s path through the forest. After 2 hours, we landed up getting lost. We really did not know whether or not to continue on the hiker’s path, which was full of climbs and unexpected turns, or to just find the path that everyone else was on and stick to it. Regardless of the path, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. It didn’t really matter to me that we did not quite know where we were because I was having fun.

This is what I’ve come to realize about my current situation. I’m more focused on the disappointment than on what’s next on the horizon.Why am I letting this bad patch bring me down? Things happen for a reason. I need to stop sulking and start enjoying the journey. “Build a bridge Bron and get over it!”

Everyone has their own Comrades story to tell

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Bo

It always amuses me when I chat to (mostly) non-runners and they ask, “Oh, so do you run the Comrades marathon?” (Runners will know what I’m talking about.)

The ironic thing is that as the Comrades marathon draws closer, I might not be running it, but I still get *goosies* and feel the excitement building. It’s one of the highlights of the year for me.

I’m one of those types of people that wake up at 5am on the morning to watch the start of the race on TV. I migrate to the couch later in the day where I veg with strict instruction that no one is allowed to visit. I follow all the runners I know who are running, every step of the way.

I also confess to being one of those types of people that never miss the excruciating cut off guns. I scream and shout urging runners to hurry up and run faster. I’m a bag of nerves watching the hours count down and in that final 10 minutes, when that last bus of hundreds of runners enters that field, led by the legend, Vlam, I’m overwhelmed with emotion.

In my answer about whether or not I run the race, I do tell people that Comrades blood does actually run in my family. My dad ran the race in the 80’s. How fabulous is this old photograph! I’m so proud of my dad! (He’s the one with the black cap.)

My dad was running the race during the 80’s when Bruce Fordyce was the nation’s hero. I often see Bruce at the races now and wonder how such a tiny man could win such an enormous race 9 times!

I guess, in a way, most South Africans grew up with their own Comrades marathon memories – either as a runner, or a supporter or spending the holiday watching the race on TV. Radio DJ, Ironman and my running friend, Brad Brown (@bigbradbrown), is hoping to capture people’s memories of Comrades in a book. Go check it out at: http://www.mycomradesjourney.co.za/. Maybe you have a story you’d like to share!

21 days to go…. just 21 days! *gulp*

Shame on YOU!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Bo

I had 2 hours and 4 minutes to myself during Sunday morning’s 15 km Colgate running race and during this time, two topics crossed my mind: the pair of skinny jeans I had purchased the day before and the YOU magazine cover featuring Kate vs. Kim.

Trying to find a new pair of jeans on Saturday had put me in such a bad mood. I could only find jeans that were either skinny or bootleg. Nothing in-between. In my mind, this means that you are either fat or thin. There’s no middle ground. I consider my body to be more of an in-between kinda shape. I resent the name ‘skinny’ for an item of clothing! It’s no wonder women have such issues about their bodies.

To that point, the second issue is with YOU magazine. Last week’s cover page is shocking. To compare two very different pregnant women’s bodies using the wording waif vs. whale is disgusting. Love her or hate her but I feel sorry that so much negative attention has been focused on Kim Kardashian’s body. Why do women not stand up and support one another? Then again, it is the YOU.

The ironic thing is that as I thought about these issues, I looked around. The female runners passing me during the race where either thin or large. Some of them were tall, others were short. Each had a very different but uniquely shaped body. More importantly, all of them were strong, fit, healthy and beautiful! Trust me, there’s something to be said for running next to a chubby woman pushing a pram for 15kms and not being able to keep up!

These are the inspiring stories we need to be focused on as women. Regardless of the size of our bodies, majority of women are great role models. We should not be defined by the name given to a style of jeans or what a trashy tabloid considers acceptable.

A photo trip to the Neighbourgoods Market

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Bo

I can’t believe a month has passed since KK and I were down in Cape Town to run the Two Oceans half marathon. Whenever we do go down to Cape Town, we always plan a trip to one of our favorite places, The Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill. It’s a treat! Trying to decide what to choose to eat is absolute torture after you’ve walked up and down the food aisles a million times. But it’s fabulous! Here’s just a glimpse into the world of foodgasm from our last visit…