Category Archives: My Blog

My blog has been silent and yet I have so much to share!

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My blog has been pretty quiet lately. It’s not that I have nothing to share. Quite the opposite in fact! I’ve been busy. Very busy!

Here’s what’s been happening:

  • We bought a small business. What an eye opener this has been! It’s taken us ages to sort things out. From bank accounts, merchant accounts, web development, ordering stock, waiting for the stock to arrive. It’s been such a learning experience, full of ups and downs. We wanted to wait until we were ready to start telling everyone and sharing our news, but that seems to be taking forever! So here it is: We’re officially the distributors for CW-X in Southern Africa! *Squeal*
  • Running your own social media content plan for your own business takes time! Most weekends and weekday evenings, I’m sitting down writing posts and creating content. The Instagram account is live (go check it out!) but we’re reluctant to get going on Facebook until our website is ready & people can purchase stock. Want to help me? If you do wear CW-X and have any photos showing the running kit, please can you share those with me. I’d much rather show real athletes (that’s you!) than posed models in the kit.

    This is us both in our CW-X clothes at Parkrun. We might need to work on our posing. LOL

  • Like almost 90% of Jo’burgers, I got bronchitis and was out of action. It took forever to heal, two visits to the Doc, daily nebulizing, lots of sleep (read: Allergex). Then out of the blue, I get shingles. On my face! WTH? 3 weeks of misery has taught me two lessons. One: listen to my body. Read bullet point number one. It’s been a stressful time! Lesson number two: when you can’t run, your body had no way of de-stressing. You get even more niggly. I acknowledge the huge role running does play in my life & will try not complain about my running again.
  • I have been on a mission to help an after care centre in Kliptown called Izanokhanyo Community Based Project get SnapScan so that donations can be easier as well as kickstart their social media so that we can start telling their story. Let me tell you, it’s made me incredibly happy inside to help. It’s early days but here’s holding thumbs I can help make a difference! I’d love your help! I’ll let you know how soon!

    Helen, who runs Izanokhanyo without a salary, handing out sweet to the kids.

  • I’ve been successful in my application to be part of a pilot project kicking off at work. All new. Unknown. Virgin territory. Exciting as hell but I’m also nervous. But after climbing in & assisting with some of the project management for the last couple of weeks, I’ve proven to myself that I am capable of learning & trying something new. Doing this nowadays at work needs to be the norm.
  • My Dad’s partner Rina passed away too. It’s funny how you think you have time and you discuss illness and old age and plans on what to do if this happens and if that happens. But when things do happen, no one is quite prepared. Everyone grieves differently. Each person says goodbye in their own way. I’m glad we’re spending more time with my Dad. I wish my parents stayed closer.

Everything I’ve mentioned above happens for a reason and at the right time. The delays in getting our business up and running gave me more time to spend with my Dad. Getting sick slowed me down and forced me to rest and take stock of what mattered. What mattered was helping Izanokhanyo in my spare time and not using that time for reading work emails. And yet I was rewarded by getting the job at work.

I’m going to make more time to blog too. This one was long. If you made it to here, the key take out is that I’m fine, I’m excited and yes… I’m still running! We’ve got Run-The-Berg (or in my case with limited training Walk-The-Berg) coming up, Kaapsehoop and Otter.

Can’t wait for that purple carpet to line the streets!

By the way, the jacarandas are starting to bloom. It’s the most beautiful time to be outdoors! Go for that run!

25 questions for 2015

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I love lists and what better list than one listing 25 questions summarizing the year that was. Thank you @TanyaKovarsky for the idea!

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?

I ran a 32km road race! The furthest I’ve ever run before has been 21kms.

RAC 32 km road race

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I stopped reading work emails on my phone & decided that when I left work in the afternoon, to focus on my running, my hobbies and KK. I stuck to it. Best decision ever. I’m thinking of what to decide to do differently in 2016.

3. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?

At home, in comfy clothes, sipping wine. Pretty much the same way as previous years.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?

tokyo cherry blossomsTokyo (I’d go back tomorrow) & Hong Kong (My first & last visit)

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?

Less stress. More time to unwind and spend time on doing the things that make me happy.

7. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Two Oceans half marathonRunning Two Oceans half marathon with my dad was pretty cool!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I’ve mentioned my 32km race. Also achieving my 21km PB. And yes, managing a team at work in a very challenging environment.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Allowing work to turn me into a monster some days.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Several arthritis flare-ups and a niggly knee.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

An Apple watch.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Cups of coffee and tea at work.

13. What song will always remind you of 2015?

None that I can think of?

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More blogging. This is what my 2016 New Year’s Resolution will be.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Allow work stress to get the better of me.

16. What were your favourite TV shows?

Game of Thrones. Power Couple.

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No

18. What was the best book you read?

I confess that I did not get time to read a single book this year. How bad is that?

19. What was your greatest musical discovery?

None.

20. What was your favourite film of this year?

I saw so many movies but none springs to mind.

21. What did you do on your birthday?

TokyoIt was a biggie: I turned 40 and spent the day celebrating with KK in Tokyo.

22. What kept you sane?

Knowing that I could escape everything and go for a run.

23. Who did you miss?

I thought about my Granny a lot. I longed to talk to her just one last time and keep imagining her answer to some of the things I’d tell her.

24. Who was the best new person you met?

I can’t believe I can’t answer this? I can’t think of anyone new that I met this year. Something to re-look in 2016.

25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015

Turning 40 years old was liberating. I suddenly stopped giving a fuck. And my running. Discipline and consistency matters. Like anything in life.

When do you stop keeping up and just move forward?

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I received notification that my blog has turned 4 years old. Wow! 4 wonderful years of sharing my running ups and downs, my race stories, my work stresses, the joys of my weekends and sometimes, my inner most thoughts.

Reading my very first blog post made me quite teary-eyed. I started a blog to share my frustrations with being such a slow runner. The more I hated my slow pace, the more I loved blogging about it. With each and every race, I was learning more and more about myself. My running forced me to step back and look at what it all meant to me and what was important in life.

But looking back and reminiscing about some of my favourite blog posts, something has started to niggle me…

Two Oceans half marathon 2008

This was me crossing the finish line at the 2008 Two Oceans 8km fun run.

During the 4 years of blogging so much has changed, not only in my life but with my running too. In fact, my running has improved. Dramatically.

What started out as being a frustration and the source of many (many, many) blog posts, I’m not that slow runner anymore. I can confidentially say that I can now run a half marathon in under 3 hours. Comfortably. In fact, my next goal is to run it in under 2:40.

Sarens half marathon Tanya Kovarsky

Running with Comrades green number runner Tanya Kovarsky at this year’s Sarens half marathon. My time: 2:44

So then what’s been niggling at me you ask? Well, it’s what I say about my running. It’s how I talk about my blog. And it’s how I introduce myself on the various social media profiles.

I use words like “slow” and “trying to run faster than 8 minutes per km”. I keep saying I’m a 3 hour half marathon runner. Really? I keep holding onto something that I’ve grown out of and it’s holding me back. “I am what I speak” and I need to stop harping on about my so-called slow pace. I need to change the way I speak, because I’m most certainly not acting like that anymore. And if I’m going to achieve my next goal, I need to speak it into being.

I need to start telling people that I’m —“this close”— to running a half marathon in under 2:40. Because I am. I can feel it, it will happen. Soon!

I will never move forward and reach my goals if I continue to hang out in my past with all my failures.

I love the name of my blog and won’t change it. Keeping up with the Walkers and managing the stresses of life is still very much part of me. And no matter what my pace is, running continues to teach me so much about just that! But I need to listen to my gut and start being proud of my achievements. I am a great runner and yes, I can run in under 8 mins/km!

I haven’t updated any bio’s just yet. Watch this space.

Dear Blog…

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I’ve been distant and I know it. I’ve been far too quiet and haven’t posted quite as many blog posts as I used to. I’m sorry. It’s not you, it’s me. I’m unsure what’s wrong with me and I keep thinking of all the excuses as to why I’ve been neglecting you.

– Too busy with work. Yes, it’s been a busy year with so many exciting challenges that have taken up all my time and energy. I’ve worked on projects that I never dreamed I’d be part of before. Projects that have pushed me each and every day and challenged me like nothing before. In fact, work has been fabulous and come to think of it, here would’ve will be the perfect place to talk about it.

– Vulnerable is how I felt. I came across two strangers on Twitter discussing my blog a while back. The fools didn’t realise that I could see their conversation. They called my blog self-centered, self-loathing and a real sad pity party. One of them even said she couldn’t believe I even had so many people reading my blog because it was sh*t. For days their comments gnawed away at me as though they were speaking on behalf of the universe. Bouncing back has been hard.

– Two good friends have left a hole in my heart. One moved on and one passed away. Their opinions mattered and without them, I feel as if some of my mojo is missing too. Accepting that people come and go in life has been tough.

– Time. Oh my gosh, where does the time go each day? I used to be able to write up to three blog posts a week, filled with the most awesome pictures. Nowadays, I struggle to post even one. I have hundreds of ideas and thoughts written down in a book and even more in my head but finding time to sit down and write hasn’t been easy.

Laptop

Something I’ve learned this year with my running is that it takes consistency and discipline each and every day. I need to make time to run and I guess the same is true of my writing.

Next year will be different. I can already tell that I will have so much more to share. Crazy work stories, an update on my running training progress and exciting holidays planned for 2015. I promise to be more dedicated and committed to making this work. I promise. If there’s one constant in my life, it’s this blog. It’s you.

Love Bron