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Going nowhere, slowly

Driving in a hired vehicle a few weeks ago was an experience. I was driving a Kia Picanto for the weekend. The first annoying thing was that my suitcase couldn’t fit into the boot. No, not because my suitcase was big, but because the boot was so small. After I had eventually figured out all the dials and gadgets, I drove out of the parking bay. Everything was hunky dory driving in the slow-moving traffic caused by road works. But then I got onto the highway and the traffic was flowing, fast, really fast. I put my foot flat on the accelerator pedal, the Kia didn’t respond. Changed down a gear, still not the response I hoped for.  I’ve been told I am a speed demon and have a heavy right foot, so this did not feel normal at all. By this time I realised that I was hogging the fast lane and needed to move out of the way for the faster cars. At some point I was sandwiched in the middle lane and was contemplating moving over to the slow lane but some cars seemed to use this lane to overtake me. At one point I was overtaken by a Land Rover and a BMW X5 on either side of me. I barely saw them approach behind me but I did feel the tremble of my car as they swooshed past me at lightening speed. It felt like I was hardly moving. Driving up the hills was also super frustrating as I kept hoping I wouldn’t have to meet up with a car driving slower than I was because slowing down meant I’d be literally creeping up the entire hill. Well, after getting all hot and bothered, wondering when I’d reach my destination, I then decided to look at the upside. Pushing this little car to its speed limit still meant that I didn’t have to worry about speed traps on the highway. It was difficult enough to get to 120 km/h. So I could smile at every policeman and speed camera as I cruised past.  It also meant that I would have much better fuel consumption on the full tank.  I resigned myself to the fact that I had to drive in the slow lane and not be bothered by the speed of the faster cars passing me. I would reach my destination eventually, even if it took a little longer than expected.

This got me thinking. Once you make a decision to start on a new journey, whether it be a healthy eating plan, an active lifestyle, a new training programme, a new training goal, race or event, it always takes an adjustment and some changes. Then you get over the adjustment phase and you start getting the hang of it and have fitted the change into your lifestyle or daily schedule.  Things are smooth sailing for a while as you start to ease into the new routine.  But then you will hit a hurdle, this will happen, at some point. Either you are invited out to dinner and you have no control over the food you will be eating, you might need to travel and this will mean you are unable to train or keep up with your training routine or programme or, you reach a plateau. The way you handle these situations will determine the outcome of your journeys goal.  Its true.  This will be your test. You could get totally derailed and go off-track and therefore lose the momentum or you could get over the ‘hurdle’ and continue unfazed.

Here are a few tips you could try when this happens.

• if you are attending a potluck event, take something you know you can eat
• eat a healthy salad, even a fresh fruit salad, before your dinner outing
• try to stick to your meal plan foods as much as possible
• avoid ordering fizzy and alcoholic drinks.  Drink more water
• don’t over-indulge on food, drinks and desserts
• travel with your training kit, you never know when an opportunity might arise to train
• if you can, take a brisk walk or short run
• do exercises which do not require any gym equipment, there are lots e.g. jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, plank
• if you’ve reached a plateau, trying changing things up a bit. Vary your training routine or exercises, change-up your meal items and food combinations.

If all else fails, do not despair. Going ‘off-track’ for one meal or an unplanned no-train day, will not mean all has been lost and is a catastrophe. Remember, eating one bad meal wont make you fat, just like going to gym one day wont make you fit.  It’s what you do after this so-called ‘off-track’ day which will determine your success to handling these hurdles. Continue on with your daily routine or schedule as normal and you will be back on track again.  Its easier to do this than to start all over again. Going slowing, does not mean you wont get there.  It just means it will take time to get there. Staying focused and determined, especially when it seems hard and out of your control, will help you get over the ‘hurdles’ and reach your goal. Getting over the ‘hurdles’ will give you the ‘umph‘ to continue on.

Being back home, driving my car feels great as I can zip through the traffic at my normal pace.  But I do have to say, when I drove back to drop off the Kia Picanto, it was definitely driving  a little faster and responding better than it was when I first drove it.  Guess it needed a little ‘umph’ too.

Fitswazi100 Photo Finish…….

 

Pictures don’t lie…….

Some people still live by the saying “seeing is believing”.  Whether or not you are one of those people, here are some awesome pictures that were captured on Sunday 23rd March 2014, the last leg of the Fitswazi100 – 100 km run over 3 days.

Although these pictures don’t cover the full 100 km journey or include all the runners that participated, they do show the strength, endurance and determination of the runners! To wake up sore, tired and even blistered and complete the final days run on achy legs, takes a lot of these.  There were many happy, smiling faces throughout the run.  I know I was one of them!

And yes, it was our ‘Victory Run‘, so we brought out our best ammunition – our bright and colourful running gear, and brightened up the streets of Manzini City!

Acacia Hill descent

Stretching the legs….Killing the downhill

Who said runners aren’t fashionable!

Big smiles… Running is fun!

Pictures tell a thousand words……

There are lots of things we don’t see when we run.  We don’t see ourselves and the people behind us, the way we run and how we are feeling at a particular point during the run. We sometimes don’t see that everyone else around us is feeling the same way, ‘bushed’, after a hill climb or after a tempo run.

There are lots of things you don’t see when we run.  You don’t see the strong, fighting, determined and never-give-up spirit that we bring out when the going gets tough.  You don’t see the grit, pain and aches we push through.  You don’t see the support, encouraging, motivating and cheering on we give each other when it’s needed. You don’t see that when we are on the road, we are equal, we are all runners!

Then there’s also the support and assistance of the people working behind the scenes, organising or encouraging us on.

These pictures show all of this.

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…And when its all said and done, and we have our bruised and blistered toes to heal, deep down there’s that feeling of accomplishment and self gratification, that 100 km was run over 3 days!

That feeling no one can take away! 

 

 

“IT ALWAYS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE UNTIL ITS DONE” – Nelson Mandela

All done. Yeah!

Fight, Fight, Fight……..

Standing at the start line I always have a feeling I describe as “nervously excited”.  Sounds funny but its true.  I’m excited to be able to run the race and at the same time, nervous as I’m not sure of what the finish line outcome will be. Never failing, this feeling was there on Sunday at the start of the Sarens Edenvale Marathon (42 km).

I had the pleasure of being a pacer, along with Stanley-Carl, to Nathalie who was running her first marathon. This was also her Comrades 2014 qualifier. The plan was to finish the marathon in just under 5 hours. So I was not necessarily running my own race. No pressure, you think.  Well no! This was going to be the longest I’ve run since June 2013. I decided to go the whole race preparation route as its been a long time since I ran a race. This involves carb loading and taking gels during the run. On Saturday evening we had our final race prep session which was discussing the race pace, target time, race plan and counting out the required gel sachets.  I was tasked with keeping our 10 km splits.  If you know about me and memorising numbers, yes you are right! The splits were written down on a piece of paper and tucked away in my running pouch. Finally, making sure our race numbers and licences were pinned on properly, timing chips secured onto our laces and that our running kits were all laid out, we went to sleep. Sunday morning we were up at 4 am to get dressed and leave before the mad rush of the traffic to the start.  It helps being early and getting to the start with some time to do a few stretches and to get the mind focused and final prepped for the 42 kilometers that await you. The gun went off at exactly 6 am and we were off……….

The start felt a little fast and we passed the 5 km marker ahead of our plan. 10 km down and we were still going and feeling good. 15 km down, 18 km down and extra time still in the bag.  21 km down and starting the second lap.  Now the race would get interesting as we knew where all the climbs were.  Watching the markers as we passed 25 km, 28 km, 32 km. Finally down to single digit kilometers left to go.  This is the point where it starts getting hard, when your legs are tired and you have to dig deep within yourself to hold on to the pace and just keep one foot ahead of the other.  I remember at some point around 35 km, the words ringing in my head ‘… you’ve got to fight, fight, fight!’ from the song Burn by Ellie Goulding. This helped me push through this patch and to the finish. Unexpectedly seeing my hubby Shane, and niece Rebecca just before the finish line, gave us that extra adrenaline rush we needed. Feeling the grass on the last few meters toward the finish line, was great knowing it was all over.  All aches, pains and tiredness are temporarily forgotten.  We finished in 4h39, 6 minutes ahead of our planned time. All race goals were achieved and surpassed.

I have to give mention to Nathalie for such an awesome run.  A good time for a first marathon and, qualifying for Comrades! It wasn’t an easy run for her, not the least. But she held on, fought and pushed through all the aches, pain and tiredness she felt. She was strong and determined throughout the 42 km never losing sight of the goal. All the hard training and time trial runs come into effect. I was super proud of and, for her. I did mention to her that this race indicated the ‘point of no return’.  Welcome to Marathons Nathalie.

Also, a high five to Stanley-Carl for time-keeping splits and the gel intake and, for keeping us to the pace and motivating us.  Being a pacer is a tough task as besides keeping tabs on all these things, you are also running a race yourself.

I read the most fitting quote the other day “Only the afternoon knows what the morning suspected”. This sums it all up very nicely – the feeling of sore, tired legs and feet and also the feeling of elation and sense of achievement when you cross the finish line. This is a wonderful feeling that no other person can experience for you nor can it be take away from you.

Needing Motivation

Not being able to run for the past two days because its been raining elephants continuously is starting to get to me.   I run my first marathon for this training season on Sunday, and yes I’m a little anxious.  Knowing that I need some rest days before the race, makes not being able to run these mornings even more difficult to accept.  Also, missed mileage can’t be made up easily without risking some sort of injury and training setbacks.  I don’t want that. So instead of being mopey, I’ll focus on resting my legs for Sundays race.

Of all the aspects in my life that I try to keep in check and within my control, unfortunately the weather isn’t one of them.  But it is what it is……

So I need to remind myself that unplanned rest is sometimes a good thing.  This is my self motivation for today:

There’s always a time when we all need some kind of motivation in all every aspect of our lives.  I don’t believe that there is any person who doesn’t need motivation.  No matter who they are, how successful they are or how strong, focused and committed they are ….. we all need motivation.  Motivation is the encouragement we need to keep us going, especially when it feels like it’s getting tough and too much to handle or when things aren’t going according to plan. Needing motivation is not a sign of weakness, failure or defeat.  I believe its a good way to identify that any journey has bumps and if it were all easy sailing, the journey wouldn’t be interesting. These bumps are the things that make you more determined to continue on your journey and makes you mentally stronger. Different kinds of motivation are all around us, everywhere.  Just look around you –  people, conversations, internet, social media, books. Some people need motivation from others, whilst some people are motivators to their peers and others are self motivators.  Which ever you are, look for and find the motivation that you need to keep you on your path and towards your destination.

Feeling like a tourist…..in my own City

How well do you know the town or city that you live in? No, not the malls, or where the best restaurants and bargain shops are.  What about right in your neighbourhood and your surrounds?

I have lived in Manzini all my life and it is not a big city, not at all.  But its shocking how much of this little city I know.  There is so much beauty right on our own doorsteps that we dont get to see.  This is partly because we drive everywhere, focusing on the traffic hustle and bustle.  The final destination is always the main focus and we never take time to enjoy the scenery around us. I always feel like a tourist when I run in another city or attend a new race outside the country.  Looking around and enjoying the scenery. Why not in the city I live in?

On Sunday morning I went out for an easy run.  I was tempted to take my camera with but the thought of running with a camera didnt sit very well.  So i decided to take in the sights around me as I ran.  Now the route was not a new or unknown one, but a route I run twice a week and have run too many times to count or mention.  For the first time, I noticed a road that I had never seen before. Shocking! I even ran back and stopped to look at the road again to make sure I wasnt imagining things and that it was not a new road.

Going out on long runs I’ve seen parts of Manzini I didn’t even know existed and would have never had any reason to go there.  Being outdoors early in the morning, taking in the fresh air, seeing the sun rise and appreciating the beauty of the landscape around us,  is so awesome. I always say why would you be sleeping in on a weekend morning and missing out on such an awesome experience!  Once you experience this, you will be hooked.

Training for that big event, race or competition I tended to get so fixated on being too serious and focused that sometimes the fun of training aspect is lost.  I have learnt to take things easier (sometimes) and relax a little more.  Yes, there are days when its hard, focused training but I’ve learned that there should also be easy, relaxed days too. Maybe this comes with age, but I’m hoping it comes more with experience!

Here’s a challenge to all of you:

Get up earlier than normal on a weekend day, dust off your trainers and lace up.  Take your partner, spouse, children and your dogs too.  Get outdoors and take in the scenery around you.  Whether you run, walk or cycle.  Get out there and be active.  For those that are training for a particular event or race, do this on your recovery day, this way you still get to fill that need to train. Look around you, stop for a while, take it all in and most of all enjoy the great outdoors. Be a tourist in your own city.