In 2 weeks time (13 days to be exact), I have my first marathon in what feels like AGES…  The last marathon I ran was last years Comrades, just to put a few things into perspective   I have been SO slack this year with races – this is not to say that I haven’t been training, of course I have but I just haven’t tested out how well that training has been going…

So the Peninsula marathon is on February 21st.  I was going to use the marathon to try and better my Comrades qualifying time as well as to qualify for the Two Oceans, but since I haven’t taken part as consistantly in races as what I have in previous years – I’m starting to feel the ever annoying running nerves which seem to burrow themselves right into my stomach and make it lurch every time I think about running a marathon again.

Let me know if you are doing the Peninsula too, it would be great to say hi!!

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As mentioned in my previous post about swimming, I think I made it pretty clear that it isn’t one of my talents especially after a practice swim last weekend left  me exhausted and barely able to crawl out of the pond I’d just come from – after only swimming 3o0 metres…  I’m sure you can understand why I’m battling with anxiety!

The distances are relatively short which apparently make this event “fun” and “for the whole family” – I’d hate to be the one to put a damper on things and insist on an age restriction when they pull my half-drowned body out of the water, cursing my sinking body and Nicola for making me say I’d do the Half Ironman…

The triathlon is made up of an 800 metre swim, followed by a 20km cycle and a 5km run which can be done individually or in teams.  There are other events too so check out the website to see if you (or your kids) would like to take part.

Let me know if you will be there too…

The Clanwilliam Dam

Photo Credit

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His reasons were quite valid I thought – when you run with shoes on you strike the ground with your heel first, when you run barefoot you strike with the ball of your foot first which causes less tension on your knees.

Of course the barefoot training never materialised, actually coming to think of it neither did the schedule, but last week a runner passed me on the road while I was driving home and he had these on.

I have seen these (called Vibram 5-Fingers) before and mentioned them on a few of the running forums I go on from time to time, but I’d never actually seen someone using them.  The theory behind these shoes follows what my knee guy had to say about training barefoot – which due to obvious reasons isn’t really the way forward when you are looking at boiling hot, tarred roads with glass, stones and various other foot piercing materials littering your way.

I’m curious to see how these rather peculiar ‘shoes’ perform…  Have any of you out there used them??

Photo Credit

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The concept of cycling, balls-to-the-wall and not actually covering any ground has always seemed a bit bizarre to me, but I put this aside last night and joined Nicola for my first spinning class.  “Its only 45 minutes” said Nicola which sounded a lot better than the 90 minute class which I thought was our only option.

I felt like such a beginner when I walked in and had to be talked through the bike set-up by Nicola (it is quite technical), then I settled in not really knowing what to expect from the super ripped, all muscle guy who was our instructor.

The first 10 minutes was a bit of a warm-up which had me a little worried about how the rest of the class was going to progress considering I was already battling,  although I had at that stage made a mental note NOT to wear the shorts I was wearing to cycle in, ever – I’m not even going to go into my views on camel toe.

Before we ‘really got going’ I was picked on by the instructor because he said I looked funny on my bike and needed to change the setting – a small dent in my already fragile ego.

And then…  Well lets just say that half the time I was totally lost with increasing and decreasing the intensity, trying to work out what 70% of my max was (with nothing to compare it to) and there was something about cadence – whatever that is – that I just ignored because I was concentrating on not flinging sweat onto the person next to me or melting into a little puddle on the floor (which was already there and belonged to me) from exhaustion.

And yes, the class was only 45min – with a 10 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down…

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I’m writing this letter in the hope that you will forgive me for trading you in last night for the mountain bike, but I thought that if I am going to take part in the Cape Argus next year, I have to make a start somewhere.  To be fair I haven’t even looked in the direction of a bicycle in all the time I’ve known you, so if that offers some comfort then I’m glad.

I also need to tell you that you don’t need to worry about being replaced – I officially hate that bicycle!!  It is not because I am physically lacking the ability, it is that anatomically I just don’t think I was made to sit on a saddle.  Running shoes, I can have you on my feet for hours at a time and you still fit me comfortably and never hurt me – I was barely out the gate when I realised that the ride we were taking was going to be a strain, and we only went 14km’s!!

When we got back running shoes, and I saw you standing there looking all alone and unworn, even in my pain – I felt just horrid for thinking I could trade you in…  I’m not asking for your sympathy, I just want to try and explain and hopefully you will understand.  Do you know how hard it is making people believe that you are walking like John Wayne because of a saddle…?

My poor bottom is battered and bruised (it is much more difficult trying to survey the damage down there than on my feet), which I know you would never do to me dear shoes – I really hope that you can find it in your sole to forgive me…

Yours forever in comfort

The Reluctant Runner

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I usually get changed at work, throw all my stuff in my boot (that is what us South Africans call a trunk) and head to where I plan to run from – in this instance the Sea Point Promenade which is always a hive of activity.  I am very aware of petty crime and theft and so I’m careful not to leave anything in sight to tempt people to break in and steal my stuff, yesterday being no exception.

Anyway after spending a lovely hour and 40 minutes or so on the route, Jo and I got back to our cars having solved the worlds problems and feeling very proud of ourselves for putting in the distance (eventhough it might be a little late, Jo is running the marathon route of the race I’m doing this weekend).  Upon driving off I thought I heard my boot bang a little like it wasn’t open, so I stopped to have a look…  Turns out some low-life had stuck a screw driver into the lock, opened my boot and stolen my handbag (with camera, ID, purse, bank cards etc) along with my bag full of work clothes!!!

Now I’m no stranger to crime, especially petty theft having been relieved of my purse not even 6 months ago from a spawn of satan, right outside my front door (of course I was uber fit so I chased the scum bag all the way down my road and would have caught him if he hadn’t chickened out and jumped into a car which was waiting for him) – I mean who steals from a 5ft nothing, slightly built girl with her back turned???

Anyway, I don’t want to give anyone a bad view of SA, it is a magnificent place and like any developing country you have to be careful and keep a close eye on your stuff but I’m really getting sick of this!!  I think it is time to band together as a nation and make it impossible for the dregs of society to get away with stuff like this.  It has also taught me not to get too attached to any of my belongings and although Leo over at Zen Habits says this is the way forward, I’m sure I don’t need to be taught this lesson again…??

Anyway what I’m really after is a couple of ideas on how to stop this from happening again.   I can’t go home and then head out to run (not in winter anyway, it gets dark too early).  Should I fit an alarm??  Does anyone know of a fancy locking mechanism??  Either way if you have any bright ideas/contraptions please let me know!!!

Safe running…

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Since January I have been keeping a log of all my training and race kilometres, I’d decided to do this just so that I’d know how off track I was, but as it turns out I only ever plugged data in, I never actually looked back to check how far off I was – yes, (head hung low) I was ostriching it because I had a sneaky suspicion that my training wasn’t anywhere near where it had to be.

Of course the story doesn’t end there…  The day before the race when I met up with other runners from my club, everyone was comparing how many kilometres they’d logged in training which ranged between 1 000 and 1 200km’s since Dec/Jan – I stealthily stayed out of these conversations because when I thought back to my training calendar I remember it being rather sparse…

SO, this weekend I decided to count up how much I actually did and finally go cold turkey on the ostriching,  an exercise which made me realize that luckily I did ostrich with this particular thing because as it turns out I had to round up – to 600km’s!!!!

No really, I’m not joking I even counted again to make sure which has lead me to start thinking about this whole training thing.  Do we train incessantly for the Comrades (or any longer race for that matter) to help our bodies or our minds?

My theory is that mental training is totally separate and has nothing to do with running or how much you have trained.  Sure if you know you can do a marathon then you’d be more confidant to tackle an ultra, what I’m talking about is the fact that on most of these races I’ve found that it is my mind which determines how well my race is going to go, not my fitness…

I’m going to think about this a bit more, what is your theory?

My Comrades medals for 2009

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I (ok not me, but someone who I’ve asked) will be updating my Twitter and Facebook status with my progress.  I’m not sure how much time I’m going to have this afternoon so if I don’t manage to get online – See you at the end!!!

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Thanks everyone who has donated up until now and for those of you still contemplating it, here is some motivation…

Yip, looks different from this angle...

"Classroom"

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I even considered coming in to work with a surgical mask on, or asking my operations manager (who is also running so is as nervous as what I am) if I could work from home this week.

I hate this feeling…

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