I got up at 4am to eat my bowl of oats for fuel. By 5.20, we were out of the door to make registration at UCT by 6am. Miguel, the sweetest man in the world, came along for moral support. I registered successfully and met the rest of the OptiFit group for a warm-up before [...]
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WEEK 12 and beyond: RUNNER’S HIGH
Yes, people, this was what Week 12 was all about: I felt like I could run forever…! We ran 7km on Monday night. I ended up running ahead as I lost my group at the traffic lights where time stands still (Rhodes Avenue and Paradise Rd) and couldn’t hear the splits whistle, so I just [...]
Taking control…again
So I went through a tough month, ate way too many marshmallow Easter eggs, picked up some weight (about 3 kilograms…yikes) and slowed down way too much on my exercise regime. The adventure race and November seemed so far away and my motivation slowly started spiralling downwards. But enough is enough! I am taking [...]
Week 11 – Not My Finest Hour
Week 11 of Optifit was a disappointment to me, due to my own performance and mood. After the Easter weekend, we met on Tuesday for our motion tests – that is, to see how fast we could run around the field at Westerford High in 12 minutes. Every time you finish a lap you move [...]
THE DAY OF RECKONING & MY TITANIUM KNEE (yes, this is the longest blog posting ever!)
FINAL WEEK: PART I It’s 2.53 am and I’ve only managed three hours’ solid sleep. There’s a light rain falling outside and the wind is gusting somewhat – not the ideal conditions for our first Two Oceans. I groan and try hide away from my clanging nerves by burrowing deeper into my warm bed and [...]
Running in the dark!
Jip! Literally running in the dark! Last night I did the third Kinetic Gear Night Trail Run in Johannesburg (www.kineticgear.co.za) at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club with Rosalie, Kim and Pierre. This was my first night trail run and didn’t know much about it. Here is some information for all [...]
I am a runner (this is not a funny blog)
Chronicles of a Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon Virgin The mission: Run – and finish – the Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon on 7 April The method: Train with the Sports Science Institute’s 21km OptiFit Running Programme The end goal: Take my time, have fun, don’t kill myself and finish within 2:45 – 2:50 [...]
Trying out a few Cross Triathlons
I really enjoyed the combination of MTB races and cross triathlons that I’ve done in the past month or so. Races like the MTN Sabie Classic, Babba’s Lodge MTB race, Buffelspoort Sasol Cross Triathlon, Emerald Casino Sasol Cross Triathlon and the SA National Cross triathlon championships. At the second and third Sasol Cross races of [...]
Week 10 has come and gone…
I can’t believe we’re already in Week 10 of our training! We were all quite shocked to find out on Monday that the race we’re training for has been postponed to the end of May, instead of the 22nd of April. I read this email announcement on my way to our Monday night run and [...]
Fit like a girl
I’m such a girl. I went to a single-sex convent school that was so small that there were only first and second sports teams, so everyone got to play. This was great for morale and self-esteem, and so unlike some of those massive state schools where you get lost in the fray. Moulded by the [...]
Focus on the finish line
1 day 20 hours to go It’s hard to imagine that, in exactly 48 hours’ time from now, I’ll be on my way back home from my very first Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon, hopefully holding onto my finisher’s medal. I’m excited but also a little scared and I’m trying my best to block any [...]
Counting down the sleeps
3 sleeps to go… I can’t believe that I’ll be lining up at the start on Saturday morning. That’s three sleeps away!! Good thing then, that I worked my way through all three installments of the Hunger Games before this weekend, because these books have accounted for many late nights over the past week [...]
