Losing focus in order to refocus

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Bo

On the eve of the Sarens half marathon, I lay wide awake in bed knowing something was gnawing at me inside with regards to my running but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I was unsure if I was over-training, if I was mentally or physically drained but something wasn’t right. After an hour of ~~over –~~ analysis, it suddenly dawned on me what was wrong. Here’s what I realised:

I keep comparing myself to other runners I follow on social media instead of focussing on my own running journey. In my mind, everyone seems to be running faster times and improving a hell of a lot quicker than me. (Really?)
I’ve constantly been improving my PB, yet after 7 months with Coach Dave, I am still slower than some of the familiar faces I see at the races. I can’t keep up with runners that I used to. Why not? This bugs me.
I am trying to keep up with my Running Junkie Two friends and frustrated that I can’t.
Once again, I am caught up in that mad whirlwind they call “Two Oceans” and desperately wanting to run a good time down in Cape Town in a race I really hate.

You see, it isn’t just one thing. It is a few things that added up to one major issue: I have lost sight of my goals. I have started to look around at everything else except at my own running journey and the progress I have made since August last year.

But it’s even more than that. Lying in bed at 00h35, I knew that I wanted to run Sarens faster than 2:46 but I had no race plan. No strategy. I didn’t even know what my average pace should be. How crazy that after so many months of running, I had not worked this out in my head!

Surely no runner should go into any race so unprepared. Surely it’s the same with life? With no plan, no vision, do we really know how to reach our goals and how to measure success? set goals

I need to go back to the drawing board. I need to reset some of my goals because the goal posts have shifted. And they should shift as I improve, right?

Sarens was a great race, by the way. I ran it in 2:44.

A tale of two bridges

Posted on January 6, 2015 by Bo

There are two bridges close to my home which cross over the N1 highway. The bridges are quite symbolic for me because they not only remind me of just how far I’ve come with my running but also an indication of my ability to overcome whatever crosses my path.

When you stand on one bridge, you can see the other one. An entire loop from home and back, across both bridges is approximately 4.6kms. When I first started running this loop, it felt like a marathon, an impossible task, too difficult. I dreaded running it. Looking across the bridges now, I am humbled at just how far my running journey has come.

My 2015 New Year’s resolution list is not so much about looking ahead as it is about looking back because 2014 was when I learned more about myself than ever before.

My 2015 bridges at a glance:

Embrace the unknown. I took on a challenge at work not having the foggiest idea what I was doing. I was terrified but ended up loving each and every minute of the journey. I crossed the bridge!
Grab hold of the unknown with both hands: Consistency and discipline. I realised that only I can define what success looks like, both at work and at the races. But both require hard work and don’t come easy.
Don’t be afraid to tell people you don’t know; ensure they know that you want to learn. No one can possibly know everything nowadays. The speed at which technology is changing means that our lives have to be one of continuous learning. Not every run is the same but you need to be prepared for the tired legs, the beating sun and the voices in your head. Your role at work should be like running – a constant journey of discovery.
Done is better than perfect. I love this saying. I’m your typical blue, A-type personality who frets over the smallest detail. What I’ve learnt is to let go. Get the job done and move on. Cross that bridge!
Get the proper coaching and support. Being surrounded by people who believe in you makes one hell of a difference. Especially those people who guide your moves and allow you to grow, both in the office but also on the track. Trust me, your coach believes you can cross that bridge way before you believe it yourself!

Every time I run over any one of these two bridges, I stop and look across to the other side…

Here’s to a magical 2015, full of adventure and lots of bridges to cross, both at work, home and on the road!

Afraid to set a goal

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Bo

At the beginning of the year, my 12 year old niece signed a contract with my sister that states that if she successfully receives good marks for her exams, she will be allowed to attend all the school disco’s. It came as no surprise recently that she was not allowed to attend the latest disco due to low marks because her goals were a tad unrealistic to begin with. Dom goals

But I do feel her pain. Setting my own running goals lately is a challenge. I’m committed to my training and at this stage, my coach has made me run each and every day to build up consistency and a good foundation. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been thinking about my goals and more specifically, the pace I would like to run.

I signed up with Coach Dave to run faster than my current 8 minutes per km. But what is my specific goal? What pace am I working towards? Can I run at 7 minutes per km? Or should I be brave and set a goal of 6 minutes per km?

You see, this frightens me because I don’t know. I have no idea what I am capable of? I’m worried that I set a goal that is unreachable and unrealistic. I set a 5km PB (personal best) time on Saturday, but then the next day ran a race at 7:49 mins/km. Huh?So I went back to one of my favourite blog posts about setting goals posted by Mark Wolff. Bottom line: My goals need to be realistic. Also, to ensure that I don’t get injured and disappointed, I need to accept that reaching my goals will take time, patience and discipline.

So for now, I’m committing to 3 (attainable) goals:

Don’t skip Monday, Wednesday & Saturday training sessions & give it 110% at every session. Push hard.
Run every day (except Friday). As Coach Dave says: Consistency, consistency, consistency.
Keep a log book & focus on learning how my body responds to training sessions. It’s like Mark points out, “Remember to aim that arrow well, don’t just look at the target but assess the wind direction and speed, stay steady in the pull and release with intended purpose.”

This is all I’m committing to until I feel a bit more confident to set more specific goals.

I’ll also be chatting to my niece about her goals and suggesting she might want to re-submit a revised contract if she has any intentions of attending more disco’s. It’s the smaller goals which are achievable that matter more and build up your confidence to set higher goals than having to deal with failures which set you back.

Heading up that mountain

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Bo

As I came out of a meeting last week, I turned to my manager and said, “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I just need you to know that.”

It’s a massive project I am working on and suddenly receiving a launch date deadline to work towards started to give me serious heart palpitations. (Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a bit. I usually get like this when I don’t have control over things.)

So while I lay in bed this morning battling a nagging cough, I was planning both the work week ahead in my head but also thinking about my next running challenge. Should I carry on running my usual 10km races until the New Year or should I take on a half marathon before December? And how the hell would I manage if I was stuck in bed unable to train?

Ironically, the two issues seemed quite similar. Project managing this launch feels like a mountain right now, pretty much like forcing myself to start training during Winter. I never train during the cold months, preferring to take the easy route and run at gym. I also don’t know how I would tackle it knowing what a mental challenge it will be for me.

But running is like that. You don’t know what to expect. All you need to do is put the training in and head for the race date. Yes, I may get sick along the way (like now with my cough that won’t go away). And yes, there will be days when I hurt and can’t go on. But there will be those days when I return from a run and feel absolutely great. It’s those baby steps leading up the race that I need to look out for.

I suppose it’s the same with my project. This time around, there is no easy route. I need to put in the hard work, tackle the challenges along the way, celebrate the small wins but head for that launch date. I can do this…