Race review – Pick ‘n Pay Half Marathon

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Bo

Pick ‘n Pay Half Marathon – 2:46:16 NEW PB!

Feb 2015 – Saheti School

My Rating: 4/5. I struggled out there on my own, fighting all the way. Weather was incredibly hot too.

Previous attempts: 3:05:31 (2013); 3:05:10 (2014) Managed to take almost 20 minutes off my time which shows my training with Coach Dave is working.

Overall: This is one of my favorite races and this year, the organizers did not disappoint. Cold water and Coke the entire way. Well organised. Great vibe. I was planning on running in a bus with some other girls but landed up running on my own. It was hard! I had many mental battles with myself along the way. But I was determined to beat my previous PB of 2:47, which I did!

What I’ll remember most: Getting to the water station just before Bedfordview and stopping to get my head back in the race. One sachet of 32GI down, x2 waters and hearing Deacon Blue was a sign for me. It’s where I managed to get my second wind.

Smelling the roses on the run

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Bo

I’ve always had such a complex about my running pace. (I mean, just look at the name of my blog!). So as I stood at the starting line of Sunday’s race, I was terrified. A running friend asked if I’d like to run a race with her and I jumped at the opportunity. No one had ever asked me to run with them before! I was overcome with my usual insecurities; would I be able to keep up? Would I cramp? Would I slow her down?

At about the 4km mark, we slowed down quite a bit as she started to take strain. She had been struggling with a nasty flu bug from the week before and had misjudged how weak she still was. It had knocked her hard and she was not herself on the day. It happens and so we ended up just taking it easy.

Unbeknownst to her, I was tackling a lot of my own demons. It was only the second race that I was running since starting my running training with Coach Dave so I had no idea what my pace would be. But I felt super strong and confident. This is new.

This is what really mattered on the day:

I’m able to run without having to stop and walk every 500m.
I am definitely getting stronger.
I don’t have to be terrified anymore.
A day came when I was the strong one for a change.
I don’t care what the finishing time was. To me, what mattered was running with my friend.
Runners are a different breed. Why was I worried that she would leave me out on the course? Because I would never have done that to her.

My running priorities have definitely changed over the weeks since I’ve been attending track training. I signed up to run faster but as the weeks go by, things that I never thought of before make sense to me now. Such as managing to run and not walk as much as I used to. Such as finishing a race feeling strong. And knowing that some days it’s not about the time on my watch that defines what a great race is all about. Sometimes, it’s all about the company and facing those demons head on. Thanks Denise!

Thoughts on a run

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Bo

There are some really great 10km races in Jo’burg at the end of every year. Starting with Pirates, Old Ed’s and this morning’s Wanderers 10km road race. Well-supported and filled with awesome vibe, the races wind through some of the most beautiful tree-lined suburbs Jo’burg has to offer. I was really pleased when my running coach agreed to me running the Wanderers 10km race because it’s one of my favourites. It’s also quite apt that a race called ‘Wanderers’ is also what my mind did as I meandered through the beautiful streets.

Here’s what went through my mind:

I forgot to drink water before the race. Crap. I was so happy to get to that first water stop.
Even though I was freezing at 6am, 10 minutes into my race, I warmed up. Next time, remember to ditch the gloves.
Run your own race. Yeah yeah… I repeat this to myself every time but keep watching how older, larger, taller, shorter, younger runners run past me with no effort. It’s my race that I need to focus on. Not theirs.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Just stop it!
I ran today. A lot. Most races, I walk quite a bit but what I tried to do today was run more than walk. No more street pole strategy. If this is running, I need to do just that.
I’ve only been to x4 training sessions with my coach and as desperate as I am to see results, I need to be patient. It’ll happen. It will. But not now. The focus for now is consistency and stability.
I need to run more. Confession: I haven’t been very consistent on my Tuesdays and Thursday.
10km at 8 mins per km is still 10km. Well done! And three out of the 10kms were run at 7:28mins per km.
Watching other runners finish their races after me is a good way to prove to myself that I am not in fact the slowest runner in the field. KK taught me this. There are loads of people behind me. And they come in smiling.
A good cheese griller sausage after the race goes down really well! 🙂

Here’s to a great week, full of tough challenges and awesome running days!

The high after the race

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Bo

It’s been just over a week since KK finished his very first Comrades marathon race. We’ve enjoyed many evenings of analyzing it, discussing the highs and lows, the plans for the up run next year and the sad story of the runner who died just as he finished his race. It’s also been quite relaxing not to have to get up at ungodly hours to run or to plan our weekends around a race calendar.

The most wonderful part for me was running the journey alongside KK as his supporter. The training, the eating plan and the gym sessions. Even completing numerous half marathons while I waited for him to run full ones. But the two highlights for me came as the sun rose and set on the 1st June.

As we dropped KK off on the morning at the start of the Comrades race in Pietermaritzburg, he could hardly talk. In the 17 years that I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him so nervous. But the exhaustion & joy on his face when I finally found him on the field at Sahara Park after the race with his medal around his neck is a sight I’ll never forget. I was overcome with emotion and pride.

So people have asked me if I’ll be tackling the up run with him next year. Um… not a chance! The bug hasn’t bitten and I don’t think it ever will. The Comrades marathon is an enormous physical and emotional challenge which I’m so glad KK has conquered. But for now, I’m sticking to those half marathons thanks.