Strong in mind. Sometimes.

Posted on September 3, 2013 by Bo

I would not be lying to you if I said that I have not eaten bread since April. In fact, I haven’t eaten fluffy powdered Portuguese rolls, savoury rice, cheesy macaroni or roast potatoes either. Since deciding to adapt to a low carb high fat (#LCHF) diet, I have managed to stick to this way of eating and seen wonderful results. In fact, I hate calling it a diet because in my mind, it’s a way of life.

It was a comment from a colleague recently who said she doesn’t know of anyone with stronger willpower than me. It’s a fact that I can resist all the snacks at work, even to the point of taking my own lunchbox with me to conferences and workshops. But I do question this so-called ‘strong willpower’ when it comes to my running.

You see, I’m *that* runner that refuses to run when it’s too windy or raining. I’m the type of runner that delays getting out of the car in the icy cold winter to run a race. I’m one of those runners that has a mini mental breakdown when I get to the 14km mark of a half marathon because I doubt I’ll finish in time. In actual fact, my inner voice might be able to say no to a spaghetti bolognaise smothered in cheese but when it comes to running 5kms on a treadmill, it begs me to quit.

Why is it easier with eating right but when it comes to running, I allow my inner voice to weigh me down? Why can I not be more self-controlled when it comes to running?

I think it’s about time me and my little inner voice had a chat…

Taking my slippers off

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Bo

To say that I am feeling miserable is putting it lightly. I’m in a dip, a low point…

I woke up on Sunday morning to the tweets of fellow runners who had just completed the Pirates 10km running race. I remember the race from last year when a great running tweetup had been organised. This year, I lay in bed sleeping, feeling sorry for myself. Worse is that I had promised a fellow tweep that I’d run with her and seeing her joy as she finished her first 10km race really made me feel crap.

The fact is that I haven’t run for ages. My last race was the RAC 10km in June. Firstly, I’m not the biggest winter runner. I hate getting cold. (My ears ache). Secondly, like most people, I was hit with flu which set my training, both running and gym, back for a couple of weeks. Thirdly, I hate my body at the moment. I’m overweight and I feel heavy, irritated and downright miserable.

It’s a vicious cycle. The less I run, the worse I feel. If I don’t get to gym, I feel guilty (and then I eat). It’s a bad place to be. So, Monday is always a good time to make a change, which I did. I got to gym lekker early and decided to do a ‘light’ run before the spinning class started.

To my surprise I managed to run 2kms around the running track without stopping. I was hot, drenched in sweat, aching, out of breath. OMG! It felt fantastic!

Yeah, so it’s only 2kms. But it’s exactly what I needed to do! It’s as if I needed to flick that switch in my head.

I may not be the best runner in the world. I know that I don’t run very far compared to most other runners. I know for a fact that I may even be the slowest runner I know. But I’ve come to realise that running makes me feel good. It makes me feel fit. It makes my body work and my mind work even harder. And that’s what matters.

In life, if you find something that motivates you, pushes you and makes you get off that couch and work towards a goal, don’t ever stop. It doesn’t have to be running. Just as long as it’s a passion that lifts you out of that dip and keeps you going.

A tale of two coaches

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Bo

Whilst enjoying a breakfast with my girlfriends, I was listening how one of them explained how she goes about managing her team at work. She told us that she manages all of them very differently. Some thrive on praise, whilst others need to be pushed and challenged. She concluded that it’s about finding that ‘something’ that motivates them because not all of them respond in the same way. *good manager Mich*

The same can be said about the training techniques of running coaches. Lately, I’ve been exposed to two very different training techniques. The one coach drives me harder than I’ve ever been pushed in my life and has me setting goals that give me serious goosies. The other expresses concern about my love of running and tells me to slow down.

The training methods of these two trainers are so extreme that what it has taught me is that as in life, with running, there needs to be a balance.

You see, while I “get” what each of them is teaching me, I have settled for the middle ground. I’ve decided that while I like to be pushed hard and be motivated to believe that I am capable of so much more, I do understand that there is a time and place for everything.

Yes, so I do need to push myself and reach those running goals, but at the same time, if it causes me to stop enjoying running, those goals are empty. Pointless.

Thanks coach! Both of you….

Running a simple fun run taught me lessons a half marathon never did

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Bo

A week ago, I ran the Pick ‘n Pay Fun Run out at Saheti School. I haven’t run many fun runs before as my focus has been on running the 10kms and half marathons. What I thought would be a quick, simple, unorganised race turned out to be so much more. Not only did I enjoy it more than I thought I would, but I’d like to share three things that stood out for me.

1. Nothing beats watching the sun rising whilst running through lush green suburbs on a fresh Sunday morning. It’s beautiful. I’ve never really taken time to stop and take in that warm sun as it falls on my face as I line up at the start of races. How blessed I am to experience it almost every weekend when we run a race. From now on, I’ll be making a special effort to stop and appreciate it.

2. A fun run is filled with the biggest mix of people I’ve ever encountered, all running towards a common finish. Grannies, children as young as 5, pregnant ladies, runners with dogs on leads, wheelchairs, prams, you name it, they’re there! Even a runner with one leg and on crutches. When people tell me they can’t run, I wish they could see what I saw. There are seriously no excuses in life.

3. I arrived at the start of that race with a charged Garmin, GU’s and butterflies in my stomach. After 10 minutes into the run, I felt kinda silly. The race is just that – fun! Yes, you can speed ahead and get a PB, or you can mill at the back and chat to your friends. It doesn’t matter. No one really bothers with what you’re doing, or your time or how you finish. There isn’t that competitive vibe you feel on the other races. Everyone gets on with their own race in their own time. This was a big learning for me and exactly what I needed to experience. I find I am way too obsessed with my time and everyone else in the half marathons. This was fun!

Sometimes the simplest things in life, like a silly fun run, can make you stop and appreciate the things around you that have actually always been there, but you’ve never really made time to notice before.