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?

My three tips for surviving Christmas time

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Bo

It’s quite scary how just the other day I was taking photographs around my house of all the Christmas trimmings to write up a blog post. A year later and I’m doing the same thing. But I must admit, I’m a lot calmer this year. It’s as if I’ve made Christmas time my own. I’ve learned what it is to enjoy the festivities, I’ve seen how happy it makes loved ones around me and so I’ve chilled a bit.

There’s something just magical about a Christmas tree and the soft flashing lights. It warms my heart. But not everyone feels the same way. In fact, Christmas can be a very stressful time of year (for most people). So here’s my arb list of ‘Surviving Christmas’ and ensuring that you get as much out of it as you put in.

1. MAKE AN EFFORT

It can be the simplest thing like putting up a tree or some form of decorations around the house. Change your attitude. Don’t complain when you get asked to go shopping. Don’t moan about having to visit family. Instead of whining, do the opposite and surprise yourself.

2. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT EVERYONE CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS IN THEIR OWN WAY

Every family & person will in all likelihood celebrate Christmas in very different ways & the memories from their childhoods dictates how they approach the day. Do not force your family traditions on everyone around you. Make Christmas your own and do what you must to make it special for you. Allow your loved ones to do the same.

3. TAKE TIME TO APPRECIATE THE SMILES, THE LAUGHTER AND THE LOVE AROUND YOU FOR THESE FEW WEEKS

It’s such a short holiday before we hit 2014 with full force. This is the only time that we get to relax, to overeat and to have conversations over the dinner table with family. Spend an extra few seconds watching the faces of those you love when they open up gifts & be grateful for everyone in your life.

One last tip. Go to a shopping centre after work one night, go buy an ice-cream and stroll leisurely through the shops holding hands with your partner, taking in all the Christmas decorations, listening to the sounds of Christmas carols. KK and I did that last week. Best. Night. Ever. I’ll treasure that memory forever. X

Everyone has their own Comrades story to tell

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Bo

It always amuses me when I chat to (mostly) non-runners and they ask, “Oh, so do you run the Comrades marathon?” (Runners will know what I’m talking about.)

The ironic thing is that as the Comrades marathon draws closer, I might not be running it, but I still get *goosies* and feel the excitement building. It’s one of the highlights of the year for me.

I’m one of those types of people that wake up at 5am on the morning to watch the start of the race on TV. I migrate to the couch later in the day where I veg with strict instruction that no one is allowed to visit. I follow all the runners I know who are running, every step of the way.

I also confess to being one of those types of people that never miss the excruciating cut off guns. I scream and shout urging runners to hurry up and run faster. I’m a bag of nerves watching the hours count down and in that final 10 minutes, when that last bus of hundreds of runners enters that field, led by the legend, Vlam, I’m overwhelmed with emotion.

In my answer about whether or not I run the race, I do tell people that Comrades blood does actually run in my family. My dad ran the race in the 80’s. How fabulous is this old photograph! I’m so proud of my dad! (He’s the one with the black cap.)

My dad was running the race during the 80’s when Bruce Fordyce was the nation’s hero. I often see Bruce at the races now and wonder how such a tiny man could win such an enormous race 9 times!

I guess, in a way, most South Africans grew up with their own Comrades marathon memories – either as a runner, or a supporter or spending the holiday watching the race on TV. Radio DJ, Ironman and my running friend, Brad Brown (@bigbradbrown), is hoping to capture people’s memories of Comrades in a book. Go check it out at: http://www.mycomradesjourney.co.za/. Maybe you have a story you’d like to share!

21 days to go…. just 21 days! *gulp*

My high school reunion: Stepping back 20 years

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Bo

I have always found it odd when people talk about their high school reunions. The discussion is usually about how they are dreading it and how much they hated people they went to school with. So when I got the invite to my 20 year reunion, I wasn’t too sure what to think. Was it really that bad as everyone made out to be?

It’s not like I hated school. I didn’t have any bad experiences. I was well-liked by my teachers. I guess the thing that stood out for me the most was my friends. They’re the ones that made those years so fantastic and memorable.

The experiences with them was what played a part in how I viewed life when I left school 20 years ago and how I learnt to value friendship, trust and loyalty.

So I went. Nervous as hell (especially since KK was away and I went alone). It was like stepping back in time… I could not stop smiling.

My bestie from school (and who still is) put together a slide show of everyone: what we all looked like in 1992, what we looked like now, what we were up to…

It was so cool. How weird to see that friends from school were now parents with kids and full time jobs and responsibilities!

I imagined that we would all be sitting around quizzing each other about our present day lives but it was not to be. All we could talk about were memories from school. Stories of rebellion, our favourite and worst teachers, whether or not our headmaster was still alive. It was awesome to laugh and remember back.

No one really cared who was a big shot director now. No one even bothered to ask where I worked. It wasn’t even about who had put on weight, who had gone bald and who had/had not aged well. When we looked at each other’s faces, we saw the 18 year olds we knew from 1992.

I am so glad I went. It’s the latest I got home from a party in a long time and was on a high for so long. A part of me is happy to have seen all those faces and friends, but a part of me is sad that time is flying by so quickly. So much has happened during those 20 years. Ups and downs. We are sadly not the young, innocent, carefree youth we were then.

But for one evening, we most definitely were!