A December to remember

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Bo

As colleagues return to work, the first thing they do is ask one another how their December break was. My reply has generally been “great!” and I really do mean it. For a change KK and I weren’t rushing around planning for Christmas eve, we had loads of time to ourselves and each and every day we did well… pretty much nothing but lie at the pool, watch TV and veg. The perfect holiday in my mind!

I flicked through some of the photos I took during my time off and it’s a great reminder of the fun we had…

Lots of braai’ingLying next to the pool and swimming (and yes, even I swam with my head fully dunked!). This was the view most days of the sun beating down on us. I’m not as pale as I was last year. 😉Jo’burg is so quite over December, we managed to eat out at some of our favourite restaurants, including the Mexican restaurant in Illovo, Peron. The food is superb!Talking about food, a Domino’s Pizza opened up around the corner from us so we decided to try it out. Not bad, but I don’t think we’ll be back. I much prefer Andiccio’s.Christmas came around so quickly and we celebrated with KK’s family on Christmas eve and with my family on Christmas day. But it’s our own Christmas tradition of putting up trimmings in our home which I look forward to the most. We dedicate an entire evening where we have a kickass supper and then have fun placing all our ornaments all over the house with carols playing in the background. Speaking of Christmas, this year we also visited the Bryanston Organic Food Market at night. There were carol singers and the most divine food on sale. The market is just down the road from us and I’m ashamed to say that we’ve never been before. We promised to return after a really relaxed evening out.For New Year’s eve, we slipped away to Mount Grace for a few days of pampering. We entered the new year with massages, food and snoozes.It wasn’t all relaxing. During December, we both managed to get great training under the belt attending as many track sessions as we could. I clocked up over 120km’s of running during the month which really prepared me for the races I’ve just completed now in January. Kicking the year off with some wonderful memories is just such a great way to start a new year!

Here’s to the strong ones. #womensday

Posted on August 10, 2014 by Bo

It was pure co-incidence that my sister and niece visited me on Women’s Day. But what better excuse than to head out to celebrate a fabulous girlie lunch together!

I’m always reminded of the strength, guts and determination of single moms when I hang out with my sister. They really have it tough and yet she always has a positive attitude and often makes me feel bad for complaining. Happy Women’s Day Gwynn! Dom is growing up to be a beautiful girl! I love you both *this much*!

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* 🙂

My three tips for surviving Christmas time

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Bo

It’s quite scary how just the other day I was taking photographs around my house of all the Christmas trimmings to write up a blog post. A year later and I’m doing the same thing. But I must admit, I’m a lot calmer this year. It’s as if I’ve made Christmas time my own. I’ve learned what it is to enjoy the festivities, I’ve seen how happy it makes loved ones around me and so I’ve chilled a bit.

There’s something just magical about a Christmas tree and the soft flashing lights. It warms my heart. But not everyone feels the same way. In fact, Christmas can be a very stressful time of year (for most people). So here’s my arb list of ‘Surviving Christmas’ and ensuring that you get as much out of it as you put in.

1. MAKE AN EFFORT

It can be the simplest thing like putting up a tree or some form of decorations around the house. Change your attitude. Don’t complain when you get asked to go shopping. Don’t moan about having to visit family. Instead of whining, do the opposite and surprise yourself.

2. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS IN THEIR OWN WAY

Every family & person will in all likelihood celebrate Christmas in very different ways & the memories from their childhoods dictates how they approach the day. Do not force your family traditions on everyone around you. Make Christmas your own and do what you must to make it special for you. Allow your loved ones to do the same.

3. TAKE TIME TO APPRECIATE THE SMILES, THE LAUGHTER AND THE LOVE AROUND YOU FOR THESE FEW WEEKS

It’s such a short holiday before we hit 2014 with full force. This is the only time that we get to relax, to overeat and to have conversations over the dinner table with family. Spend an extra few seconds watching the faces of those you love when they open up gifts & be grateful for everyone in your life.

One last tip. Go to a shopping centre after work one night, go buy an ice-cream and stroll leisurely through the shops holding hands with your partner, taking in all the Christmas decorations, listening to the sounds of Christmas carols. KK and I did that last week. Best. Night. Ever. I’ll treasure that memory forever. X