Thoughts from a race – #picknpayhalfmarathon

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Bo

The Pick ‘n Pay road race is one of my favourite races. I’ve completed the half marathon three times and last year, I enjoyed the 8km fun run. Looking back, there are always moments during a race which stand out for me. Here are the ones from this particular race:

At 15 minutes before the race started, there were no queues at the loo’s. Bonus!
Even if I thought we were standing close to the front of the start pack, when the race started, it looked like a kilometer of runners stretched out in front of us.
I have started to recognise the same faces from previous races and it’s great to say hello as we head on out.
Another runner stopped me as we headed close to the 3 km mark and told me she remembered me so clearly from the Johnson Crane race. (That’s all she said? I hope it was a good thing.)
You get water points and you get water points. But two water points on this race rocked!
Having KK meet me at the 19km mark to run me to the finish line – Wonderful! I was filled with emotion.
A girl who had run slightly ahead of me the entire way slowed down in the last kilometer. I pushed her in front of me when we got to the field. It’s only right that she deserved to finish the race ahead of me.
Don’t under-estimate the awesomeness of a hotdog after running 21.1km!

If you ran and would like to add to my list, feel free to do so.

See you next year Pick ‘n Pay!

Keep up. This is my race.

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Bo

It gets to that point of any road race where the elite runners shoot off, the slower runners / walkers start lagging behind me and I find my spot among others who run/walk at the same pace as what I do.

Running a 21.1km race alone is tough. There’s no one to chat to. There’s no one to push you and no one but yourself to keep you motivated. So every now and then, I look around and strike up a conversation with those around me. The thinking is that we must* be doing the same pace so we might as well get to the finish line together. But that’s not always right. I learnt this lesson during the recent Johnson Crane half marathon.

It was close to the 14km mark and I found myself running next to a guy who ‘appeared’ to be running at 8mins/km (my pace). I was doing a run/walk strategy of 800m run/200m walk at the time and he joined in. We chatted away and my spirits lifted as I started to think that we would get each other to the end. It wasn’t meant to be. He started to struggle on the 800m runs and requested we walk a lot sooner. I gave in too easily and we landed up walking 800m and running 200m for about 2kms. But eventually I realized that he was holding me back so I waved goodbye and ran off.

Reflecting on the race (and analyzing as I do), I realized that it was really great to run a part of the race with him. I enjoyed it. It’s the one thing I long for is a running partner. But another part of me acknowledges that he was not right for me and was slowing me down. It just shows how quickly my running strategy changed to accommodate someone else. It was a horrible feeling leaving this poor guy behind, but I had to do it.

How quickly in life we accept situations which are not what we wanted. We get into relationships which are not right for us. We fall in to a comfort zone and make excuses. Sometimes, those we are with are on a different path and will hold us back. Choices we make will either slow us down or get us to the finish line a lot quicker. It’s deciding what you want more that matters.

(By the way, if you run at 8mins/km, I’m looking for a running partner.)

Getting back into the swing of things

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Bo

In October last year, I made myself a promise that Johnson Crane would be my first half marathon of 2013. I started training in November and kept to a disciplined routine of weekly running, even managing to sneak in a 16km LSD. But it came as a surprise to me when I ran Johnson Crane this past weekend that I struggled so much. Even though the route is quite flat and fast-paced, I did not manage to make 3 hours (story of my life!).

Wait a minute. Why am I so critical of myself. When I sat down and thought about it, I realised that this race is my first 21.1km race since Two Oceans in 2011. That’s almost 2 years since I’ve run that kind of distance. I’ve run a couple of 10km races here and there, but the training and dedication for half marathons was put on hold last year as I rested a foot injury (and a mental block).

It was good to experience a half marathon again: The familiarity of the nerves at the starting line, the crowds, the vibe, the discussions I have in my head as I negotiate each and every one of those 3 hours and the absolute joy of crossing the finish line.

However, it did get me thinking and when I do any running analysis, I like to consult my “Lore of Running” ~~bible~~ handbook. This is what I found: there are 15 training laws listed. The very first law says this:

Law 1: Train Frequently, All Year-Round. If you want to be a good athlete, you must train all the year round, no matter what. What is really required is a little exercise constantly; this will benefit you permanently to a far greater degree than single heavy doses at long intervals.

I needed the break. But running does not come naturally to me and while a 10km race is easy, the 21km races requires me to dig a whole lot deeper, both physically and mentally.

The lesson in it for me is that to be good at something takes practice. Constant practice. Not only with running, but other areas of my life too. I can’t neglect certain aspects of my life and come back expecting everything to be the same as it always was. It’s about frequency, all the time.

For now though, it feels great to once again be able to say the words I ran 21.1kms. I’m proud of myself.

Everyone needs to start somewhere

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Bo

I’ll be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy the Dischem 21.1km running race. I find it quite challenging. In 2010, running down A.G. De Witt Drive hurt like hell and I almost ~~died~~ injured myself. So every year, I commit to at least doing the 5km Rehidrat Dash (don’t you just love that word – Dash!)

At the starting line of the race this year, I looked around and was amazed to see such an eclectic mix of so many different people. The serious runners fiddling on their running watches trying to locate satellite, the ‘fun run’ gang who kept promising each other that they’d stick together and not go too fast, the moms with prams already feeding kids with sticky snacks, and the walkers with headphones and backpacks full of …stuff (I never know what they’ve got in there).

In that huge crowd of what must have been over 2 000 runners and walkers, the ages ranged from as young as 5 years old to over 85 years. It reminded me that running is truly a sport for everyone. To say you’re a runner doesn’t necessarily mean you do the Comrades every year. Often, running means just putting on your running shoes and getting out there, enjoying yourself with other runners, regardless of the distance. Everyone can do it!

And so having completed my third Dischem Rehidrat Dash, my 2013 race year has officially kicked off…