Running towards the fear

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Bo

I saw this quote about two weeks ago. It immediately grabbed my attention and I’ve wanted to shout it out on various social media platforms. But I haven’t. Because I’m not yet ready to be brave enough to say it out loud. To announce what I’m planning on doing.

It feels as if I could easily use this image for a number of incidents going on in my life currently. So I didn’t want to waste the words by sharing it too early or for something trivial. Because it isn’t. And the words are *that* powerful to me.

I read it over and over again and it’s beginning to make sense. There are others that also resonate with me too. Such as these…

So it’s the 32km Tough One race on Sunday. I’ll just leave it there…

Running with the horses: a race review of Kaapsehoop

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Bo

We’ve never run Kaapsehoop before but had heard many reviews of the race itself. Fast, easy, downhill all the way. Great for a PB. Running with wild horses. It sounded magical, so off we went.

The race profile. Downhill all the way home.

My highlights of the race:

Race number collection was super quick and easy. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Mbombela Stadium & it’s stunning. KK got so caught up in the excitement, he decided to upgrade to the 21km.
Busses on the morning of the race were on time & made the run even more adventurous being driven up to the start of the race. Doing “my business” in the forest because the port-a-loo queue was so long is another story!
The water points were excellent! In that boiling hot sun, the water was ice cold at every stop. They even increased the water stops closer to the finish, knowing full well that this is where runners would need it most in that heat!
Snacks, such as bananas, oranges and even koeksisters (yup!) were on offer at the water points. Even Vaseline.
Ice in cups of Coke as you crossed the finish line. What a delightful experience! It’s the little things…
Race entries at the Mbombela Stadium. Is it just me or can you see the giraffes?

Running club tents erected at the finish

What I thought would be an easy race because it was mainly downhill all the way proved to be quite challenging for me. I know that I ~~dislike~~ hate flat races. But downhill ones aren’t exactly easy either. I was consistent in my pace but not that much faster. Running downhill felt like it took loads more energy.

The road had an uncomfortable camber for almost the entire way and I woke up the next morning with blisters between my toes but only on my right foot. The heat made it pretty tough too and I take off my running peak to the marathon runners who battled it out on the road in those temperatures!

What I lacked in speed on the downhills I certainly made up for on the hills. The last three km’s were hell but I felt strong. I’m quite happy with my time. I had hoped to run under 2:40 but came in at 2:44 (my Pick ‘n Pay & Vaal PB) which is great considering I’ve struggle to run under 2:50 since picking up with 21km runs at the end of winter. I can only improve on this and Dischem is coming up in January.

I was so happy to see that finish line!

So did we see any wild horses? Nope, which means we must go back, right? And besides, with such a well organised race in such a beautiful setting, it’s an easy decision.

We stayed with friends at Pine Lake Resort and woke up to this spectacular view every morning

Comparing the Zoo runs – A race review

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Bo

I realized today just how much I have improved as a runner when I compare the time I ran the Sasfin Gerald Fox 10km race with my previous years’ finishing times.

Today – 1:16:24
2014 – 1:19:55
2009 – 1:28:12 (Yikes!)
2008 – 1:21:09

I ran today as well as last year’s race with a fellow Running Junkie runner, Tamryn. I must admit, it definitely helps running with someone, especially someone faster than what I am and this is what helped me push the pace today.

Me, coming into that home stretch, passing the big elephant and seeing the finish line – hence the big smile!

Our race strategy went kinda like this:

We started as close to the starting line as we could (thanks mainly to Francis)
We ran the downhills as fast as we could!
We kept our walking breaks short.
We killed it on that last 2kms, knowing we were done! All of it helped.

Gerald Fox was Tamryn’s first Jozi race last year and she was keen to go back. There’s something special about returning to run your first race as a runner. This particular race is always well-organised and the bonus is the long-sleeved t-shirts at the finish!

Great long-sleeve tops!

Even though the route measured an extra 220m (which was a killer mentally!), considering the difficulty of this route is classified as a 4, I’m quite chuffed with myself. See you next year Tam?

Pirates 10km race review

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Bo

I love the Pirates 10km race in Jo’burg. To me it feels like all the Comrades runners come out of resting and the race is always well supported and organised. I’ve run the race twice before and in my mind, I recognized certain sections of the route but had no idea until Sunday morning, just how hilly those first few kilometers were.

Sharon and I started out, hoping to warm up as quickly as we could. Even with gloves, it was freezing, although not as cold as I remember in 2013. The first few km’s “appeared” deceptively flat but in reality, it was quite a gentle pull. By the time we reached 4kms, I was shattered. My race goal was to try maintain an average pace of 7:41 but I was running the first few kilometers in over 8 minutes per km. Eeeek!

I mentioned to Sharon that I really needed to speed up. I wanted to report back to my Coach better times but in those few moments, all energy was being sapped as I started to doubt myself and be really despondent. I started to plan the conversation I would have with him in my head. “Am I wasting my time? Why can I not pick up my pace? WTF Coach?”

Once we got over the 5km mark, things started to look better (aka downhills arrived). We started to pick up speed. I started to feel better. Stronger. And in that last km, I really pushed myself remembering the key words I’ve learnt at track training: slow poison. 6:41 min/km pace. Niiiice!

As I ~~over-analyse~~ review the race, I see that I’ve improved from previous years. 2011: 78 mins; 2013: 80 mins; 2015: 75 mins. I’m thrilled.

Lessons learned:

I know that I start slow. I need to be patient because I’m usually faster once I’ve warmed up near the end of the race.
Once I allow my thoughts to control me, my race is over. All strategy goes out the window and I use more energy pulling myself out of that negative dip than concentrating on tackling each kilometer as it comes.

There are some great races coming up and so far, my training though winter is going well! See you next year Pirates!