CMIYC | Keeping up with the Walkers…

I couldn’t wait to share this post with you! Check out my new running vest! Zoom in closer and spot the name above the Randburg Harriers club name. *squeals* Yip! My blog!

I know, awesome, right? When the club secretary said we could have any name printed on our vests, I couldn’t believe my luck! Having the name of my running blog on my running vest just feels like the most perfect spot too.

Yeah, so as you can tell, we’ve moved running clubs and joined Randburg Harriers Running Club. It only made sense. My running coach, Michelle, coaches her runners on Monday & Saturday from Harriers. I’ve been hanging out with the Catch Me If You Can Randburg group on Thursdays. KK and I have been joining the club for their weekend long runs and lately, it feels as if we’re always at the club for something or other. It feels right to support them fully.

We’ve also made loads of friends at the club. What a difference it makes to run with people who stalk you on Strava. *snort*

Speaking of support, I’ve never been one to purchase my race photographs. I cringe when someone uploads them to Facebook and tags me. Until recently…

As a small business owner, I’ve woken up to the fact that when entrepreneurs such as ourselves are supported in this country, there is hope.

At the time of writing this post, road races have been canceled, even time trials and weekend runs at Randburg Harriers are off. That doesn’t help all the people behind the scenes, many of which relied heavily on these events as income. Such as photographers.

So my plea to you is this: consider buying one (or more) of your race photos from SMacPix.

Pricing per photo starts at R17 each & there are different sizes to choose from. Ordering is so simple, you can even pay with Zapper & there’s no waiting – the photos are available for download immediately.

Also and perhaps more importantly, don’t abandon your running coach. Use the next few months to reset the goals. Use the “downtime” to focus on all the other aspects of running that we often neglect – strength training, form, mindset.

Take time to think of all the ways you can support others during this time of uncertainty.

And even if you can’t run races, there are so many more ways that running fuels the soul. You need to keep running…

Look at KK! FFS. I wish I looked this good after running a marathon! Seriously dude.

Unsponsored post.

With Two Oceans just around the corner, I’ve woken up to the fact that sooner or later, I need to up my mileage. Weekends are fine. I’m currently running a Parkrun (5km) on Saturday and 10km on Saturday with Tamryn, with plans to up this distance to 15kms soon. But somehow, I’m just not getting to running during the weekdays.

My training program I printed off Runner’s World

My training program is stuck behind me in my office and haunts me daily! It’s not a difficult program either. Run 30 mins one day, do some hill training the next.

I have no excuse. I work from home, I don’t deal with traffic, my time is my own. It’s a combination of a lack of commitment and zero motivation. I talk myself out of it almost every single time. I thought to myself that if running with others on the weekends was the magic trick, maybe I should look for running groups in the week too?

I’d seen the Catch me if you can (CMIYC) running updates shared on various social media platforms and even more updates since my friend Tanya signed up as a CMIYC Leader in her neighborhood. I was still skeptical so I messaged her and asked what the deal was.

Knowing my pace (and all my insecurities), I felt I would be left behind and then run on my own. I might as well then run at home then, right? I also felt bad that I would be holding other runners up if they had to wait for me. Her answer: Just go! Go try it, and then decide.

So off I went. I was so nervous. But excited too. We weren’t a big group and when the leader, Naomi, said we’d all stick together, I blurted out that I was slow, very slow. But she didn’t seem to take much notice and off we went with me sprinting that first kilometer! After a while, I realized that I didn’t need to.

We ran. We walked. We stopped to take photos. Those that needed to run off ahead did so but also ran back to fetch the slower runners at the back. Naomi divided her run equally between the faster runners in front, as well as scooping up those of us at the back. Effortlessly too!

Posing along the way

Obligatory running shoe pose

It was relaxed and fun and embodied everything CMIYC promises to be. Not once did I feel awkward or conscious of my pace. In fact, in between the running, the walking, the talking, the laughing and getting to know one another, (and all the stops for photographs of course), 5kms flew by so quickly. It’s also safer which is a huge plus.

Will I go again? For sure!