About Bo

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

Lessons about donkeys…

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Bo

Ever heard the fable about the donkey?

Lunching with a friend recently, I was expressing a concern about worrying what others might think of decisions I had made with regards to my running. She stopped me and proceeded to tell me a story about a donkey which I’ve never heard before but one which I’ll never forget.

It turns out that it’s one of Aesop’s fables and goes like this:

A Man and his son were walking with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: “You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?”

So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: “See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides.” So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn’t gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: “Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along.”

Well, the Man didn’t know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey of yours and your son?”

The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey’s feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.

“That will teach you,” said an old man who had followed them: “Please all, and you will please none.”

A tale of two coaches

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Bo

Whilst enjoying a breakfast with my girlfriends, I was listening how one of them explained how she goes about managing her team at work. She told us that she manages all of them very differently. Some thrive on praise, whilst others need to be pushed and challenged. She concluded that it’s about finding that ‘something’ that motivates them because not all of them respond in the same way. *good manager Mich*

The same can be said about the training techniques of running coaches. Lately, I’ve been exposed to two very different training techniques. The one coach drives me harder than I’ve ever been pushed in my life and has me setting goals that give me serious goosies. The other expresses concern about my love of running and tells me to slow down.

The training methods of these two trainers are so extreme that what it has taught me is that as in life, with running, there needs to be a balance.

You see, while I “get” what each of them is teaching me, I have settled for the middle ground. I’ve decided that while I like to be pushed hard and be motivated to believe that I am capable of so much more, I do understand that there is a time and place for everything.

Yes, so I do need to push myself and reach those running goals, but at the same time, if it causes me to stop enjoying running, those goals are empty. Pointless.

Thanks coach! Both of you….

Go to bed!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Bo

I don’t get enough sleep at night. There, I said it. It’s my own fault too! Even though we go to bed religiously by 21h30, KK falls asleep immediately while I sit behind my laptop reading blogs, surfing the net and tweeting, of course.

KK is constantly moaning at me because even though I switch the light off, the bright light from the laptop glares across the bedroom. The tick-tick-ticking of my fingers on the keyboard keeps him awake and I realise, it’s not fair on him.

I sometimes feel like a 2 year old, fighting it, not wanting to go sleep. And I have no idea why this is? It’s not as if I have I have nightmares or sleep badly.

Here’s the facts: Not getting enough sleep can affect weight loss. No wonder I’m not losing weight! Sleep deprivation affects productivity at work. I’ll admit that I often wish I could grab that quick kitty nap on my desk when it gets to the afternoon shift.

The most important thing is that with my running training, it’s very important that my body gets to rest!

I know the facts, but come 23h30 at night, I’m still awake?

So…. I have made a promise to KK that I will try get to bed by at least 22h00 every night. It’s a start. No more late night blogging. No more tweets after this time. Just sleep.

To help, I’ve been taking melatonin at night. Boy! Those buggers knock me out, fully! The really are great! According to sleep experts, I need to get at least (!) 7 hours of sleep a night. This means that if I get to bed by 10, and wake up at 5:30, I’m good. Right?

Looking after my body is not only about taking my vitamins, going to the gym, eating healthily and drinking enough water. But with the amount of stress we live with, my body and my brain needs to sleep. Here’s to getting some good night’s rest!

I sure as hell need it!

March 2012 – Am I coming or going?

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Bo

Wow, can you believe it’s March already! It’s absolutely crazy how time just flies by so quickly.

So I thought what better time to do a quick assessment of my year and see whether or not the goals I set out for myself in January were still relevant and if I had achieved anything.

My weight. Nothing happening! I have plateaued on level FAT. Even the scale says I’m obese. *shock* As much as I try eat healthily and try not cheat, the weight stays stuck. I’m getting a little frustrated. My goal is to lose 7kgs this year and so far, since January, zero. Action plan required. STAT!

My work. Never been better! My new boss has turned out to be incredibly supportive. Coaching sessions have proved invaluable and I feel as if I finally understand what it is I’m meant to be doing every day. It’s a pretty powerful feeling to know that you can add great value to your team and be awesome at what you do.

My family & friends. This is most probably the area I’ve had most success with. Having not had anyone over to my place last year, I’ve already had our besties over for spaghetti and meatballs. I’ve also managed to make time for my close friends and made a concerted effort to meet at least once a month. I slipped a little by only seeing my niece two weeks after her birthday, but all was forgiven when we arrived with gifts. Phew…

My running. Even though I’ve been running for 4 years now, the last two months have been the most emotional for me. What a rollercoaster ~~ride~~ run I’ve been on! Training with a coach, speed work, pulled quad muscle, caught in the rain. It’s been pretty hectic. Ironically enough, it’s been more mentally draining than physical. I’ve changed the goal posts a few times, going from wanting to run Two Oceans in record time, to focussing on 10km races. I’ve also gone through stages of hating my running to falling in love with it again.