International First Love Day…

Today is International First Love Day and I felt like I wanted to contribute…

When examining what qualifies someone or something as a “First Love” I was rather shocked to discover that running ticked all the boxes!

Love is about sacrifice – we all know about this when training for a specific race, I for one can’t even remember what my surfboard looks like or which way to put on my wetsuit, don’t even mention my friends (I have to write their names down to remember them).

You spend most of your time with those you love – don’t even get me started on how much time I spend running, thinking about running or planning a run.

First loves are like prized possessions – well we all know what I think about in times of crisis…

In all honesty though there are things about running which would qualify it as a first love, for me anyway.  These are the things I love about running:

• An early morning run through a beautiful place, when it’s quiet and nobody is around
• The feeling of crossing the finish line of all of my races
• Having people come up to me at a race and say ‘Hey, aren’t you the Reluctant Runner?”
• The fact that it serves as a platform for me to give back in some small way
• The knowledge that I can do anything I put my mind to

I keep saying that after this Comrades Marathon I’m going to be putting running on the back burner and taking up all those other things which I enjoy doing, but in the back of my mind I  wonder – will anything else be able to compare with that feeling of running across the finish line of the Ultimate Human Race…?

4 Comments / May 15th, 2009 / Comrades Marathon, Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Running Inspiration

Note: I have sorted out my PayPal issues, so donating is going to be as easy as pressing SEND

I also found what I’m going to be using as my inspiration for when I’m feeling dog tired and ready to keel over (other than all you folks who have donated).

I first heard about this father and son team from my friend Glen, check out the video, you won’t be disappointed!

Leave a Comment / May 13th, 2009 / Comrades Marathon, Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Running Route Series – Part 1

Chapman’s Peak Drive is a spectacular piece of road which hugs the side of a mountain and is quite regularly closed due to rock falls, which is actually the best time to run on this road because it means you don’t have to compete for your little piece of tarmac with any cars, although cyclists do put up a pretty good fight…

The road from end to end is about 18km return, it also offers ups and downs which is great for training.  The following images were taken from above the road while on a hike in the area:

First half of Chapman's Peak

Second Half of Chapman's Peak

2 Comments / March 23rd, 2009 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Kloof Neck Classic – 2009

Last year when I did this race I distinctly remember walking a lot, cursing the race a lot and hurting a lot in the days which followed.  This year, although not a leisurely walk in the park, it seemed to go by in a flash with very little cursing or walking and as for hurting – the sunburn I got after the race did more damage than the actual race itself…

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment / February 9th, 2009 / Fund Raising, Half-marathon, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running

Running, The Past Year and What Now?

On Sunday I do the Grape Run – the first half marathon I ever did – exactly a year ago…

With this landmark coming up I’ve been thinking about the past year (I tried not to because it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long – but I failed) and what I’ve achieved.  It’s been a pretty hectic year for me career wise, emotionally and financially and to be honest I’m not sure I would have weathered it as well if I hadn’t had such a massive goal to work towards. 

Yes I complained about running monopolising my time, it was the cause of some pretty substantial physical pain and I managed to blame it for everything that didn’t go right in my life – but it is also responsible for my biggest accomplishment.

This is what I have learned over the past year:

• I proved to myself by training, participating and finishing the Comrades Marathon – that I can do anything I put my mind to, which is empowering in so many ways.
• Blogging has been my outlet for running frustrations and indirectly some of my emotional turmoil (which is for another type of blog all together) and has put me on a new career path I hadn’t even considered.
• Fundraising is not only easy but immensely fulfilling and is something I’d like to carry on with into the future.
• The ability to run and motivate others is infectious, and I seem to be good at it.
• Not to take myself too seriously because it forms barriers against having to pee behind cars and bushes in a race – and not care if anyone is looking.

Moving Forward
I realize now that I’m not really the “Reluctant Runner” anymore – although I most certainly started out as one and some days still feel like that person, but I’m going to have to shift my focus a little where this blog is concerned. 

I’ll fill everyone in on my plan in the next week or so but for now I’m going for a run – coz I want to…

2 Comments / October 23rd, 2008 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Reluctant Runner has a New Challenge…

Quick Note:

Ok everyone, so I’m still trying to find the balance with my new job, running, blogging and the other things that make my life worth living – so bare with me (and the infrequent posts) until I have the balance back!!

So I have a new challenge!! 

The Cape Town Marathon (42.2km) is on Sunday, September 21st.   Plus I have an added twist to motivate me (don’t worry I won’t be asking for money again – this time:)

Going back to the very beginning of my running career – all the way back to a year ago when I decided I might kind of like to run an ultra marathon - one of the first people I voiced my kind-of wish to, was my friend Andre who basically laughed in my face (to be fair he wasn’t the only one) although he did try to mask it with a bit of a snort and a raised eyebrow (again to be fair, he was one of the supportive SMS senders and contributors, but I can tell you that first response is what initially spurred me to get on the road).

Now, Andre is also running the Cape Town Marathon and although I will never compete with him on time (his last marathon was done in 3:30, just a whole HOUR faster than my best marathon time), he has decided to share his Google training calendar with me, which I can use to log my training on – along with his, so we can kind of compare who is doing what and how often.

Why is this motivating for me??

Well I think if I had someone to compare my training with, I might actually be more motivated to train a little harder because let’s face it, my training programme for the Comrades went something like this:
“Do I feel like running today?”
“No”
“Ok, well if I walk really fast from my car to my apartment – which counts right?”

Which is NOT the best tactic when training for an 89km race!!!??

So, in the weeks to come I will be logging my efforts next to Andre’s (he already has his training programme all worked out – and he is the type of person who will stick to it too) which will hopefully spur me into pushing myself a little, plus it would be fun doing this with someone who was there from the start…

I wonder if I should set a finish time now, or wait to see how much training I’ve done…?

One Comment / August 6th, 2008 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Thank-you’s

Finally, I have wound up all the donations and the total made for Reach For Recovery from my running the 89km of the Comrades Marathon was just around R6 200!

For my first time fund raising attempt I didn’t have any expectations, so I’m really happy about the generosity everyone displayed in helping motivate me!

Now, this may read like a bit of a Grammy Awards winning speech (but let’s face it, this is probably the closest I’m going to get to one of those) – but I do need to thank a few people who had an impact on my life since I had decided to run this race.

I think to begin with it would be fair to thank the Van Kets Family for letting me run in memory of Gemma, this is my tribute to someone I didn’t know for very long but whose strength and courage made an indelible mark on my life.

My running partners over the months (I had to keep changing when they got sick of me) Jo, Mary & Shaun, Nicola & Shaun, Jess, Jacques and James – thanks guys you made this process a lot less lonely than it could have been.

Michael Heath for being my morning running partner and comic relief on 4 Hills for Lindsay!

Cobus, thanks again for the ride when I bailed on the West Coast Marathon and then for all the encouragement, I think besides filling the role as nutritionist, head-coach might have also come into play…

Mom thanks for being my role model in all of this – you are a machine!

Dad you are really the best possible example of what being a great father is about – giving up your Father’s Day to stand on the side of the road holding out potatoes and chicken legs, which I still managed to complain about.

Thank-you especially to Nicolene and Erin for being there for most of my big runs, as the greatest seconds ever!

To both mom and dad for financing my trip and for buying my first pair of running shoes, less than a year ago.

To Andy at igiveada.mn for providing such an awesome platform for donations, you will be used on my next fund raising endeavour for sure!

Thank-you, Thank-you to everyone who donated money I am flattered by the response and convinced that I must have some of the most generous friends a crazy running girl could ever have.

I have to make mention of the team at Cruise iQ and Ocean 7 who put up with my tired rattyness at work.  It was also a blessing that the job I had allowed me enough head-space, energy and time to set up this blog and to run every day.

Thank you to everyone who sms’d me before, during and after the race.  I even had a call from Australia just minutes before we were due to leave for the start!

Thanks for all the encouragement Umhlathuze AC, my running club!

Thanks to SABC for putting me on TV for 3 seconds – I feel almost famous!!

This was the most amazing journey! It is surprising how strong you actually are, and until you put yourself to the test I don’t think you really know what you are capable of.  The human mind is stronger than what I had ever imagined, my mind – which hopefully spells great things for the future!

Thanks again everyone, I am truly grateful!

One Comment / July 28th, 2008 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

Pledges to date…

Charles: R6 per kilometer – ONLY if I finish

Brendan:  R1 per training kilometer and R50 for standing on the Start line

Russell:  R200 for the race and R100 if I beat him

Werner:  R10 per minute that I beat the cut-off time by

Thanks again to everyone who has donated money straight into the Reach For Recovery bank account, and to those who donated through igiveada.mn – I have a running list on the Reach For Recovery page so that I can keep track of who to think about on Sunday…

2 Comments / June 13th, 2008 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training

How Long??

I’ve just gone onto the Comrades Marathon website again (it seems to be a bit of an obsession at this stage, slowly watching that little countdown clock tick away) and they have a fancy “prediction” calculator which, with a few times from your previous races, will give you an estimated finish time.  Mine is 10 hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds – gulp… 

On a brighter note, I was at a party on Saturday night and one of my friends who had pledged money – against me finishing actually – upped the wager!!  I am now running at R6 a kilometer provided I finish.  How is THAT for motivation??

Thanks again to those who have already donated/pledged money, only 10 days and 15 hours left until the big day so let’s see how much 10 hours and 25 minutes of my time on the road is worth!!!

Leave a Comment / June 4th, 2008 / Fund Raising, Motivation, Reluctant runner, Running, Training