Goals. I found a recipe for success!

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Bo

I had a rough idea in my head of my 2017 goals. Some random things like make time to read and more time to blog, walk the dogs, spend more weekends over at my Mom, visit my Dad more regularly, stress less at work, lose weight (yeah, who doesn’t list this!). But it was only when seeing KK’s running calendar and knowing the finishing times for the races he plans to run this year that I realized that as much as I’d like to think I’ve set goals, unless I follow up with a proper action plan, I’ll never succeed.

Firstly, he has a 2017 calendar with all the race dates written in which is lying in our study. Most of the races have already been entered and paid for too. After discussing race goals, his Coach sent him an entire training program via Google calendar up until Comrades. It lists his daily running schedule and distances. And boy does KK take it seriously! Every time I look, he’s analyzing Strava and comparing his runs. (LOL, like most of us runners! Obsession much!)

In the last few weeks, we’ve had quite a bit of rain which didn’t stop him from running. Pffft! Unlike me. I’ll confess that sometimes I secretly appreciate that I can sleep late on a weekend listening to the rain fall.

Drenched! But smiling!

KK is dedicated to his running goals. He is consistent, motivated and disciplined. But more importantly, he has a vision. He knows the races and times he wants to run this year and knows exactly what he needs to do to achieve this. He has a plan and he works at it. That’s the perfect recipe for successful goals right there.

The races I’ve entered so far are as follows. Let me know if I’ll see you there?

Dischem 5km
Johnson Crane 10km
Vaal 10km
Pick ‘n Pay half marathon
Two Oceans half marathon
Drakensburg Run-The-Berg

Deer in the headlights moment!

Now all I need to do is put my plan in place as to how I manage to make time to read and more time to blog, walk the dogs, spend more weekends over at my Mom, visit my Dad more regularly, stress less at work, lose weight, all in between training for these races.

Easy peazy, right? YIKES!

Feeding an Otter athlete

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Bo

With so many running goals in his sights, KK has upped his training. Having successfully completed his first ever Otter trail run, his running calendar includes events such as Kaapsehoop (ticked off his list), 94.7 cycle challenge and Ultra Trail Cape Town (UTCT) with a couple of Westcliff stairs and Kingskloof training sessions thrown in.

He loved Otter! Compared to road running, Otter gave him a challenge he’s never encountered before. With Comrades, you just run and if you’re mentally strong enough, shut out the rest of the world and make sure you jog along to the end. But with Retto (Otter run backwards) this year, the course did not allow for any sections where your mind clutches out. In fact, trail running is a whole other beast!

14 000 steps awaited KK, including water slides into the Bloukrans River, river crossings, runs on beaches, crossing boulders, making his way through forests, balancing off edges of cliffs…

But with the increase in training has come an increase in appetite. He eats. He eats a lot!

Each evening when I pack his lunchbox for work, I try match it to his training schedule. I know for example that a 4am session running the Westcliff stairs means he’ll be starving for the rest of the day. KK has been complaining that he doesn’t have enough food in the day. So in my search for new and exciting ideas, I found this recipe:

Sweet potato bacon cakes! A great lunchbox filler perfect for KK!

Sweet potato

Full recipe at: http://paleoleap.com/sweet-potato-bacon-cakes/

It’s a hectic downhill rush to the end of the year. Not too many races ahead but still a lot of training. Hope this fills KK’s belly and gives him the energy he needs.

As for me, just knowing there’s a mandatory rest period pencilled in his training schedule is enough to look forward to!

Happy training runners!

Ps: Oh and Otter 2017. Already entered. KK wastes no time!

A run down of our Comrades 2016 marathon

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Bo

This was KK’s third Comrades marathon. He has successfully run the up and the down run, receiving his back-to-back medal, but one thing I’ve learnt is that even if you’ve run Comrades before, each year is different. The training was different, the build-up was different and yes, even the weekend down in Durban was a different experience this time around.

We stayed at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort for the first time. It’s beautiful and when I forgot the stress of the race that hung over KK’s head, it felt like we had escaped to Bali for a getaway weekend. The resort was nice and quiet too which was good for KK to rest his legs and head before the race. Feet up Zimbali Resort

First things first, the Expo which was packed with both nervous runners and excited supporters. It was a bonus to pick up KK’s race pack in record time. Comrades marathon 2016 expo

Back at the hotel and I forced KK to put his feet up and relax. We did lots of napping and snacking and just walking around the gardens of the hotel. And yes, wine for me. It was bliss. File 2016-06-05, 7 12 12 PM (2)

Preparation on my part meant packing a bag of sunscreen and more snacks. Mapping out my supporter’s route was to ensure that KK knew exactly where to look out for me. Here’s me being all clever with my Comrades route map but KK knows I can’t read a map. Thank goodness for Waze. LOL! Mapping out my supporters route

The morning of the race is always incredibly tense. As much as you’ve prepared for the race, it all comes down to how you feel on the day. KK had been battling with an Achilles heel injury which weighed heavily on his confidence to predict what time he would run. Two very nervous runners at the start of the Comrades marathon

Only runners are permitted beyond these gates which somehow looked like once they were through, they were trapped in a cage with no escape! The starting line of the Comrades marathon

The first stop was Cato Ridge. I must admit that finding the right spot to stop was tough because it was pitch dark. I have serious night blindness and even though it felt like I was sitting on the dashboard trying to see the road, my supporter companion Linda, looked very nervous! Cato Ridge Comrades stop

Cato Ridge Comrades marathon down run 59km mark

The first batch of runners started to trickle passed. I was amazed at how fast they ran! And then I even spotted a partially blind runner. Amazing! Blind runners running Comrades

The first stop where we met KK and Shaun W was at the 30kms mark. I have run 32kms before and felt like death. But they looked fresh and were still smiling – a good sign! The first Comrades stop at Cato Ridge

It’s hard work being a supporter but one family had a good idea. While standing on the side of the road, a runner ran up to me, handed me a card and ran off. On the one side of the card was a beautiful motivational message from his daughter. On the other side, a message to me with a cellphone number, “Please can you send my wife a message and tell her where I am and that I’m fine.” Brilliant idea and of course, I sent the message with pleasure and a smiley face! Updates for family

After a while, we shot through to our next stop, Hillcrest. Here we were able to find some toilets, a Woolies and a place to grab some lunch. #priorities

Somewhere along the way, KK and Shaun W had split up. When KK reached us at Hillcrest, he was still smiling (still a good sign) and felt strong but running alone. I knew that once he had reached this spot, the head was required to take over the work as the legs had done all they could. Comrades is a mental race after about 60kms…I was nervous! Meeting KK at Hillcrest 60km mark

The advantage of the down run to Durban is that there is ample place for spectators to sit and watch the runners finish the race. It looks much bigger on TV and we chose the spot where we could watch the runners enter the stadium as well as run down the last strip to the finish line. Comrades finish line

I don’t know how people were able to track their loved ones during the race in previous years, but with new technology, we were able to watch all our family & friends who were running via the Ultimate Live app on our cellphones. It helped to know exactly where KK was and allowed me to be ready to see him enter the stadium, still smiling!

He did it! My heart leaped when I finally found him on the field. It was a PB and he was thrilled with his run. Comrades finish

To take on an ultra marathon such as Comrades means you have to not only have done the hard physical training, but your head needs to be right. Many of the Comrades runners have admitted to dropping into a very dark head space along the route when they were overwhelmed with with negative thoughts. To pull yourself out of this and not quit must take incredible strength. For me, this is what stands out as the most inspiring and amazing quality a Comrades runner possesses. Comrades medals

It’s been a week and KK is itching to go run again. He was told to rest for at least two weeks but every now and then I catch him checking out Strava and looking at trail running sites. He loves Comrades and I know we’ll be back again next year. I can’t wait!

Tapering for the “BIG C”

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Bo

After months of intense training, KK has started tapering down for Comrades. It’s a relief for sure, especially since the recent weeks have involved nothing else but running, sleeping and eating and running and eating and running, then sleeping. Aiming to run between 100kms and 120kms each week has been insane and I could sense the exhaustion setting in.

We ‘park’ our running shoes at the front door when we return from our runs.

I’m thrilled! Tapering (for me) means:

Not having to wake up on Sunday mornings in an empty bed
Less water bottles stacking up on the kitchen sink
The freedom to go to Saturday movie again, even if we do go to the 5pm show
Hopefully packing less lunch for work?
KK not falling asleep as often in front of telly at 8pm in the evenings
Less ‘what time are you going to bed because I need to sleep’ comments
Eating curry again and not having to worry about the “consequences”.

The dedication to his training regime has been quite impressive and shows his dedication and commitment to what is required when tackling a race of this magnitude.

gas mask to avoid sick Now begins 3 weeks of avoiding any sick people and ‘overdosing’ on vitamin C.