Trail and Error

So my holiday in Cape Town flew by! After a lot of eating and some running, I am back in Johannesburg and of course there is a thunderstorm to welcome me back and keep me off the road.  I planned to do two races during my stay in Cape Town.  I made full use of the  fresh air and sea level and both races went exceptionally well, both also ending with PB's.  While in the Mother City, I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with a few runners from Brackenfell Running Club.  The handfu of members that I met were welcoming, friendly and in fact they reminded me a lot of the people in my own club.  So when they suggested another race on Boxing Day (one that I had not planned on doing) I was immediately keen!  The only problem with this race was that it was not a road race.  This would be my very first Trail run, something that I had been avoiding due to my clumsiness...until now.  If I was ever going to do one, I suppose Cape Town would be a good place to do it, given there are some real views to be seen! I read up about the Tokai Manor House race and found that it was considered a fairly tough run with about 9km of steep uphill climbing and then 7km of steep downhill running.  I didn't have the right shoes but really, how bad could it be?  Well the first few km's of climbing weren't too bad.  Steep and tough, but pretty manageable.  At about 5km though, this Trail run suddenly turned into a Trail hike.  My legs burned from the unfamiliar surface and they worked hard to get up those steep hills.  Once at the top though, the view was amazing and the pain forgotten...until we started the descent.  Different muscles starting speaking to me as I had to hold back to prevent myself from rolling all the way down to the bottom.  But 16km later (and not a bad time), I could officially say that I completed my first trail run.  Will I do another one any time soon? Probably not.  But at least I can say I've tried it...and after that I'm bound to thoroughly enjoy my next road race.

The Mitchell's Plain experience

I lived in Cape Town for 22 years but I was never a runner, nor did I ever think I would become one.  I spent my Cape Town years enjoying the sea and the relaxed vibe, being completely oblivious to this running world that actually existed all around me.  Now that I live in Johannesburg, Cape Town has become my holiday destination and now that I'm a runner, I usually try to fit a race or two in while I'm here.  So it's the Christmas season and here I am, in Cape Town. Before I came I checked the race calendar and found that there were two races taking place in the Mother City that I would be around for.  The first one, the Mitchell's Plain half marathon took place the day after I arrived which was perfect as I could take full advantage of the sea level!  The only less than perfect thing however, was that it took place in Mitchell's Plain.  In all my years of living in Cape Town, I had never been to Mitchells Plain, but had never heard anything good about the area.  I wasn't convinced this was the best race to do given the surrounding township so like a ridiculous Gautenger, I phoned the race organiser to find out more about the event.  When I told him I was from Johannesburg and was just wondering if it was a safe race to do, I could almost hear him thinking...you ignorant woman...you idiots run marathons in Soweto and Joburg CBD and you want to know if Mitchells Plain is unsafe?? But instead of verbalising that thought, he simply giggled as politely as he could and told me it was perfectly safe.  So off I went on Saturday morning to run the Titans Half Marathon. The race ran along the beach and as I looked up at the mountain and dodged the last bit of the high tide, I couldn't help laughing at myself.  The friendly Cape Town runners all welcomed me along the way and the entire race had such a good feel to it.  I suddenly felt incredibly silly for thinking this could be unsafe.  Perhaps its not a great area on any given day, but on Saturday morning it was buzzing with good vibes and happy runners. The race was well organised (apart from not getting a medal) and enjoyable....and on top of all that, I even ran a PB.  I'll definitley be back in Mitchells Plain next year!

'Tis the Season...

Sea, sun, food, drinks, family, more food....when one thinks of December and January, these are pretty much the things that come to mind.  So with less than five months til my first Ultra marathon, where exactly does running fit into this picture? The Comrades training program I'm following advises runners to relax to an extent over the Christmas season.  While it's important to keep fitness levels up, it must also be remembered that a grueling few months of intense training awaits after the Christmas tree gets taken down.  So my goal for this season...try not to pick up too much extra weight, don't get too carried away with the New Years champagne, but at the same time, don't tire out the legs just yet.  The running year starts with some tough races for which I want to be fit, but fresh.

The Tough One

Even the name sounds scary.  The Tough One is a 32km race that takes place in Johannesburg every November.  Apart from the Soweto Marathon a few weeks earlier, its really the first tester for runners since a long and fattening Winter.  It's pretty much what I've been training for since I started running again.  It's given its name for a reason...its a Tough One!  I ran the race last year and since it was going to be my farthest distance ever run, I had no idea what to expect.  All I knew was what people had told me...expect it to be hot and expect it to be tough.  Despite my nerves on the day the race passed by in a bit of a blur and I ended up enjoying the atmosphere on the road so much, that it really didn't seem so bad.  I put no pressure on myself for time and since there is always a 5 hour cut off for this race (the same as a 42km marathon) I wasn't worried about completing it.  I assumed I would come in around 4 hours and I was perfectly happy with that.  To my surprise I finished the 32km in 3:14 and even qualified for a special Athletic Icon medal for a sub 3:15 (just made it).  I think the best part about the race last year was not knowing what to expect.  I had never put my body through something like that before and so I had no idea how it would perform.  This year, however, was different.  As much I tried to convince myself that time was not important, I knew that I actually wanted to run a sub 3. I was never 100% convinced I could do it though, even during the race I had my doubts.  Under 3 hours is the cutoff for men to qualify for the Athletic Icon medal so it's not an easy thing to do.  But, no harm in trying right?  Since the route of the race had been changed this year, I again didn't know what to expect.  But it was certainly hot and it was certainly tough! I made it through the first half of the race with little problems but when I reached 20km I suddenly realised I had to move a little faster up the hills if I still wanted that sub 3.  I suddenly became demotivated and unbearably tired.  When I started to walk up a particularly long hill, a man in front of me turned around and shouted, "If you want it, you have to decide now!" And so after a few seconds of thinking that I didn't care if I got it or not...I was tired and I wanted to walk...I re-evaluated and realised that actually I did want it.  So I said a quick prayer, made the decision to go for it and ran the last 11 km fairly comfortably.  I finished the 32km Tough One in 2:56 and was ecstatic!