The green light

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Bo

I never get the opportunity to run with KK. At a relaxed pace, he runs almost 2.5 minutes per/km faster than me. But tonight was different. Tonight we got to run track together and I loved it!

Okay, a quick catch-up. KK is finally back at track. After discovering he had a fractured pelvis after Comrades and spending 8 weeks in complete rest and doing nothing (not even swimming), he has been given the green light to return to track. He is only allowed to do mini sessions of 100m light jog with 100m walk for now. The ‘bone doctor’ has prescribed some medication that he needs to start taking and then to monitor it from there.

We still don’t know what caused it. Initial reports about osteoporosis have been shrugged off by the ‘bone doctor’ but then again, he can’t say for sure how KK managed to get himself injured? Very odd. I think KK might have overdone the training a tad?

Every runner hates an injury and when you’re out of action for so long, it’s a death sentence no matter who you are and what pace you run.

KK is just thrilled to be back at track and has committed to taking it slowly. There’s no use rushing his rehab and injuring himself again. Especially since entries for Comrades have opened (he’s entered) and Two Oceans entries are around the corner. Mentally, runners start setting their 2016 goals now.

I don’t really mind how long it takes KK to fully recover. If he needs me to pace him, then sure, I’m available. 😉

To be honest, not every long run is long

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Bo

I’ve been slacking. I’ve been slacking on my training schedule and on Sunday, I felt it. It hurt.

According to my training schedule from my Coach, my Sunday long runs need to be between 15kms and 18kms. But I’ve only been running a maximum of 10kms on Sundays. In my head, I’ve been telling myself that 10kms is still pretty good. I mean, it’s Winter and I’m out there, running, way more than I typically run during Winter. I was doing good, right?

There are a couple of half marathon races coming up in August so I decided to do a proper long run on Sunday. The plan was 15kms. Off I trekked with the Randburg Harriers Sunday running group, route map in hand, fresh legs, big smile. It went well until we hit the 13kms mark. Then it started to hurt. Big time!

Regardless of the weekday track sessions and Thursday 8km time trials, I knew in my head that I had not run that far in ages. And I felt it. I dawned on me that I had not been following my training schedule properly and that even though 10kms was a great distance, it wasn’t helping my goals of running my 21km races any faster. I was so not prepared for the distance.

My legs felt tired for the rest of the day (such an awesome feeling though) and I could feel the run had been some good training on my whole body. But no more short runs. I need to get back into it and be more disciplined. Spring is coming! Thank goodness too because things are so much easier in the Summer. Especially running.

My new sho’t left running route

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Bo

Ever since I can remember, I’ve started my weekday afternoon & Sunday morning long slow distance (LSD) runs heading up the same road every time. It’s a nasty pull which is around 1.3km long. By the time I reach the top, I’m grumpy and the average pace on my Garmin has shot up to over 9mins/km. It’s always the worst part of my run but for years now, I’ve convinced myself that it’s “good to do uphill training” and that at least the run home is “all downhill”.

But when I received my May running schedule from my Coach, I needed to factor in an 8km route so I decided to run a different way. Instead of going all the way up, I turn left at the first main road and sort of run the route in the opposite direction. The biggest benefit is that I don’t start my run huffing and panting ~~and vloeking~~ the run. Yes, I do still encounter some hills and yes, I’m still hitting that downhill on the way home. But I guess mentally I don’t start my run feeling like I’ve got such a huge mountain to conquer before I start.

Why I never thought of it before is beyond me. I think we easily fall into a rut. We often think what we’re doing is the best thing. We don’t like to change. It’s too difficult to think up something new so we just go with the flow.

The biggest lesson is that in life, there are always big mountains to climb. They’re often at the beginning of our journeys. But there’s always more than one way over that mountain and yes, sometimes, an easier more fun way too! Find it!

It’s (mostly) all in your head #quote

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Bo

My Coach has managed to teach me that yes, running is all about consistency and discipline. On the days I get home from work and crash on the bed, I know that heading out that door for a 30 minute easy run will do my body and mind a whole lot more than a half an hour snooze.

I’ve come to realise that it’s my mind that needs the extra training some days, not so much my body. Running, home-life, at work. Believing in myself. Pushing myself out of comfort zones and stretching myself. I know I can do it. I need to train my mind to believe it!