(Image from a tweet by @johnsmit123)
Because all champions know, winning always starts with a little jog…
Reply
(Image from a tweet by @johnsmit123)
Category Archives: My Celebrations
I may not be Gareth Pon but …
As a little girl, my sister and I would often tag along with my Dad to camera club. We’d watch how photographs taken with very big fancy cameras where presented and judged and how the smallest shadow or angle could make or break a near perfect shot.
30 years later, these memories all came flooding back with two different things but both involving photos. The first was that I was invited to join a camera club, and the other is that one of my photos was chosen for the iPhoneography exhibition in Johannesburg.
Like majority of people, I take all my pics on my phone, apply a filter and upload to Instagram or other social media platforms. What surprised me by both the camera club evening as well as iPhoneography is that it doesn’t matter if you’re not a professional photographer or that the pics are taken with your phone, it’s the fact that nowadays, anyone can be good at taking pics and enjoy capturing that one great moment. It’s about coming up with something different.
I was incredibly nervous at my first camera club evening. Everyone gives feedback on each other’s pic and as they ‘judge’ your pic, you get to see a different side of your own shot from their perspectives. The themes so far have been eggs & freckles. Here are my two submissions:
The photos at iPhoneography were absolutely incredible. KK and I walked around looking at the entries a few times and each time, we saw something new which made us gasp. I felt really honoured to see my photo up on the wall among so many exquisite others. It was a picture I took in the rain at the Palace Gardens in Tokyo earlier this year of the most beautiful cherry blossom trees.
But it’s more than that. I was proud of myself. I was proud that I had the guts to enter. Guts to put myself out there. But also immensely proud. Proud that one of my photos was chosen. And proud that it was my name on the wall under my photo.
Both camera club and iPhoneography have taught me the courage to put my work out on display. Camera club in particular is teaching me to deal with criticism feedback and learn from others. It’s made me aware of my work and how I feel about it. It’s the fact that I can be and do anything I want to. It’s about growing. And it’s all about having fun!
Dad, you’d be so proud of me!
(*ps: Gareth Pon is the most amazing photographer and Africa’s top Instagrammer. When I grow up … http://www.garethpon.com/about/)
See it to believe it!
Trying to decide which medals to hang up on my medal hanger was difficult! I was amazed at the number of medals that I had accumulated since I started running. After every race, I chuck them into a shoe box and kinda forget about it. But sorting through the medals made me realize a few things.
- I’ve run
a shitloadloads of races - Some races mean a lot to me and I treasure those memories more than others
- I’ve come along way as a runner
My medals from some of my favourite races!
We get so caught up in the goals, so focused on what’s next and the training that we forget the journey we’ve been on. Every runner started as a beginner. For majority of us, 5km was a huge milestone. Now, we push on to get PB’s for half marathons, 42kms and even ultra’s.
I hung up my favourite medals with a huge sense of pride and became quite nostalgic about certain favourite (and not so favourite) races. I remember the races where I rejoiced and felt good and those which made me cry and hate running.
I recall my first 10km race where I managed to come in under 80 minutes and the Johnson Crane half marathon where I hit my first (and hopefully last) wall. The races I’ve hated and then fallen in love with again, such as the dreadful (but now my favourite) Deloitte, and Two Oceans – my schizo’ mix of fun runs and serious 21.1kms. When the selected medals were all hung up, I felt really good, incredibly proud of myself. We don’t get many opportunities in life to feel that way lately.
My friend Pamela custom makes these medal hangers with whatever quote or title you want. I wish she could make me one with the title “Bron’s life” and I could see everything displayed up on the wall. All my goals accomplished, the lessons in life that I’ve learnt, the different experiences which have made me grow and become the person I am today. Oh wait… actually, nothing does that better than running and I’ve got the medals to prove it.
Sometimes in life, you need to see it to believe it!
In case you want your own hanger, go check out these links:
Keep calm, you’re turning 40!
I turn 40 years old on Saturday. There, I said it. I know, right! The Big 4-Oh as most of my family & friends like to call it. I’m dreading it. It suddenly feels as if my youth will be gone and I’m stuck in that middle place between being young and old. When people say, “Agh, it’s not that bad! Life begins at 40!” I’ve been unsure what they mean? But as the big day draws closer, when I take a step back, I realize I’m already pretty much deciding on what that so-called ‘life’ needs to look like.
It’s almost a week since I ran my 5th Two Oceans Half Marathon. The new route is slightly tougher than the old one, that’s for sure, but when I look back on my times, I am really pleased with the progress I’m making with my running Coach. I’ve come a long way since that DNF (Did not finish) in 2010 and I’m not afraid of that 3 hour cutoff anymore. And yes, as Coach Dave told me a while back, “You’re turning 40. Stop comparing yourself to runners half your age!” *ahem*
Surprisingly, I am happy with my body. I’ll never be skinny but after two years of living on a LCHF lifestyle, I’m in control of my weight and love the way I look. In fact, down in Cape Town I was brave enough to sun tan on the beach in a bikini sans a wrap tucked around my waist! The grey hairs, well let’s not go there… I digress.
Trust me when I say that it’s also the biggest relief to know that at the overly-ripe age of 40 that I am still happy with my decision not to have kids. It would’ve been scarier to be in a situation where I wasn’t sure and that clock was ticking.
I have a close bunch of absolutely amazing friends – You guys rock! I have a wonderful wonderful wonderful family – I love you’z so* much! And I’m blessed to have a job which challenges me to grow & learn every single day. My house is beautiful. My dogs love me to bits…
The best part is that it’s the night before I leave on a fabulous adventure with KK. I wanted to be somewhere totally different & exotic for my birthday and decided Tokyo was the place to be! Cherry blossom season. Mount Fuji. Sushi, sushi, sushi. Celebrating it all with the man I love.
Happy 40th Big 4-Oh Birthday me! X
Keeping up with the Walkers... 