See it to believe it!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Bo

Trying to decide which medals to hang up on my medal hanger was difficult! I was amazed at the number of medals that I had accumulated since I started running. After every race, I chuck them into a shoe box and kinda forget about it. But sorting through the medals made me realize a few things.

I’ve run ~~a shitload~~ loads of races
Some races mean a lot to me and I treasure those memories more than others
I’ve come along way as a runner

My medal hanger from some of my favourite races

My medals from some of my favourite races!

We get so caught up in the goals, so focused on what’s next and the training that we forget the journey we’ve been on. Every runner started as a beginner. For majority of us, 5km was a huge milestone. Now, we push on to get PB’s for half marathons, 42kms and even ultra’s.

I hung up my favourite medals with a huge sense of pride and became quite nostalgic about certain favourite (and not so favourite) races. I remember the races where I rejoiced and felt good and those which made me cry and hate running.

I recall my first 10km race where I managed to come in under 80 minutes and the Johnson Crane half marathon where I hit my first (and hopefully last) wall. The races I’ve hated and then fallen in love with again, such as the dreadful (but now my favourite) Deloitte, and Two Oceans – my schizo’ mix of fun runs and serious 21.1kms. When the selected medals were all hung up, I felt really good, incredibly proud of myself. We don’t get many opportunities in life to feel that way lately.

My friend Pamela custom makes these medal hangers with whatever quote or title you want. I wish she could make me one with the title “Bron’s life” and I could see everything displayed up on the wall. All my goals accomplished, the lessons in life that I’ve learnt, the different experiences which have made me grow and become the person I am today. Oh wait… actually, nothing does that better than running and I’ve got the medals to prove it.

Sometimes in life, you need to see it to believe it!

In case you want your own hanger, go check out these links:

SA Medal Hangers on Facebook

SA Medal Hangers website

Final thoughts on my Two Oceans race

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Bo

I’ve been away on holiday and haven’t yet had time to blog about my Two Oceans half marathon race yet. But after returning to track training this evening, I realized that I still wanted to capture some of my thoughts from that day before I forget them.

It was the 5^th time I ran the race – 3 medals, one DNF as well as numerous fun day runs under my belt. This year was the second time running the ‘new’ and perhaps more challenging 21.1km route.

A couple of things I have finally come to know and accept about the Two Oceans half marathon race:

It’s congested. Very congested, especially for those runners who start in E batch.
Due to the congestion, aiming for a PB is a tough job (I say that even though I ran a PB and so many others did too).
For so many people, Two Oceans is their first half marathon and often, a dream come true. It’s only fair to allow them to get caught up in the vibe, the emotions and enjoy their race. <Note to self: don’t share all your previous blog posts filled with too many negative feelings>
I need to remind myself that being one of the lucky ones to have gotten an entry and afforded the trip down to Cape Town is a blessing.
Running with friends and family make the day extra special and I loved every step of the race with my Dad at my side.
One of my biggest running goals has been achieved. The one where I don’t need to stress about making that final 3 hour cut-off gun. The tears swelled up watching runners dash onto that field, desperate to make that cut-off. The jubilation of those that made it but also the anguish of those that didn’t. It’s all in the spirit of the race.
I guess my final comment is that I’ve made peace with the race. I don’t hate it as much as I used to. I don’t fear it. We’ve become friends.

See you next year Two Oceans. XoXo.

Okay Two Oceans, clean slate, here I come!

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Bo

If you’ve been following my blog for a few years now, you may recall that the Two Oceans half marathon is not one of my favourite running races (understatement). I find the anxiety of the congested start, the hype around the race, and making the race cut-off all contributing to it being a very stressful run. I’ve even documented my feelings in various blog posts throughout the years:

How I started this blog in 2011 with Two Oceans in mind
My excitement in 2011 when I signed up to run the race after missing cut-off in 2011 which devastated me
I’ve analysed the race like a slice of pizza, slice by slice
I blogged about my feelings when I pulled out of because of injury in 2012 and then for being overwhelmed by stress
I recall blogging about nightmares I’ve had just thinking about the race
I wrote a “Dear John” type letter to the race, officially splitting up (hysterical!)
My Two Oceans fun runs have also been documented the year it rained and 2013’s 8km run
Conquering my fear of Two Oceans in 2014 was my last post.

Yowzer! I’ve realized I’m clearly obsessed with the race and focus on pretty much all the negative things about it. So I decided to look at the positive side this year. Instead of analyzing all the negative things that stress me out about the race, I’m going down to Cape Town focusing on the positives.

I am one of the lucky ones who managed to get an entry.
An Easter holiday down in the fairest, most beautiful Cape. I can’t wait.
I am blessed to report that I am fit and healthy while there are others, such as KK, injured and having had to pull out of the race. Sorry KK.
My Dad will be running the race too! This might be the most special thing about that day and I’m going to try and run at least some of the way with him.
There are so many of my friends and Running Junkie training friends who will be competing. It’s been an honor training with them and I can’t wait to see them reach their goals.
I have trained hard. I have covered the distances and done the work I need to do.
My Championchip times show that I am able to run a 21.1km race in under ~~3:00~~ 2:50 minutes. I no longer need to stress about that 3 hour axe cut-off over my head.
I am able to run a distance that majority of people have never even tried to run. I am a runner. I can run 21.1kms! Me!

The Two Oceans countdowns posted on social media still take my breath away and give me serious *goosies*! It’s going to be fab! It’s going to be epic! Two Oceans, here I come!

Are you also running? How are you feeling about the race?

Pirates – difficulty rating of 5 but accomplishment level of 10/10!

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Bo

The Pirates half marathon road race pretty much mirrored the kind of week I had last week. A Runner’s Guide difficulty rating of 5 (the worst you get!) it’s an extremely hard route that features a run over Northcliff Hill. It is tough going up and jarring coming down. The race is characterized by three epic hills with names such as ‘Kakhuis Een’ and ‘Kakhuis Twee’, and the road is spray painted with the words ‘Oh Sh1t!’ to make you humorously acknowledge that perhaps crawling on your knees would be faster than trying to run.

Ironically, the race did not scare me as much as I thought it would. With my two running buddies (Running Junkies) alongside me, there was never a doubt that I wouldn’t finish the race. My week had been challenging in a similar way with lots of moments where I was thrown out of my comfort zone, forced to take on challenges that my mind immediately conned me into thinking I wouldn’t succeed. But I did. I really did.