When Date Night becomes Race Night...

Every Wednesday is Date night.  When you live busy lives and have a million things to do, sometimes couples have to pencil each other in to make sure there's still time for a little romance.  So since Tuesdays and Thursdays are Time Trial nights, Wednesdays seemed like a good night to eat sushi together, go see a movie or even just stay in together.  However, since all this crazy Comrades training has taken over our lives, Wednesday nights have been set aside for a different kind of date.  Often, there are night races that happen on Wednesday nights and so this is becoming our date night.  Last night was the first of many such date nights, where we drove all the way to Krugersdorp squashed into a car with six people to run a very hilly 15km race...which of course we didn't even run together.  After which we stopped for a very romantic burger and chips at the local Krugersdorp Road House before making our way back home, sweaty and too exhausted to even speak.  Very romantic! Next Wednesday...a 15km night race in Kempton Park for another special date.  So how do you know when you're a runner?...when even date night becomes race night!

Track work equals hard work

You hear about people doing track work to improve their speed, you read about speed training in running magazines, but really...I didn't think  was for me. I've never tried it before, only heard other, better runners talk about it.  Well, this morning it was my turn.  My running man decided it was time for me to step up my training somewhat and introduce some speed training.  The plan: to run much faster than what you're used to for 800m ie twice around the track and then cool down and catch your breathe for 400m ie once around the track.  Repeat five times with no stopping, no walking, no collapsing.  Trust me, it sounds easier than it is! So of course, this being my first time at really sprinting around a track, my pacing was rubbish.  Like a real coach, my running man sat at the start with a stop watch and after my first 400m he shouted "too fast" as I ran past.  Well, about 3seconds later I knew what he meant! I couldn't keep up the pace and completed my second 400m too slowly!  On the cool down my coach jogged with me and gave me some pointers.  I couldn't say much in response as I was too busy dying from loss of breathe.  However, apparently this is normal...the point is to push yourself faster than what you're normally capable of. So when we finished the first cool down, he decided that perhaps I needed him to be my pacer to help me get my timing right.  Again, the first 400m I stayed close behind him but in the second lap, I fell pretty far behind and just couldn't keep up.   He kept turning around and shouting "stay with me" and if I could talk at all, I would have said "I'm trying dammit!"  Another little pep talk on the cool down resulted in repeat number 3 being spot on (of course there were more shouts of "don't slow down" and "run faster!").  I managed to keep up the pace and finished the 800m in the goal time! Same for the last two repeats.  After the 6km of speed training, I couldn't speak, it felt like my stomach was in my throat and my heart was about to explode.  But again, apparently this is normal!??  They say this kind of ridiculous training is supposed to help your speed...well it better, because I'm going to be pretty upset if I keep putting myself through this for nothing!

Varsity Kudus

The running year in Johannesburg always starts off with a bang ie Varsity Kudus.  The new year has just begun and everyone has set these promising resolutions of redefining themselves as non smokers and new runners, keeping fit, losing weight bla bla bla.  So they hear about this race called Varsity Kudus starting and ending at Wits University.  It's only 15km and so what better way to put this resolution into action than by a little running race...how bad can it be right? Well I have a sneaky suspicion that the orgainisers of this particular race are just out to laugh at all the newbies on the road! You can spot them a mile off.  Their shoes are clean and crisp, they are wearing temporary licenses (joining a club is next on the list of resolutions) and they start out way too fast.  Because clearly, they have never done the dreaded Varsity Kudus before!  Runners that have done this particular race will know that it's going to be the worst 15km of your life! Don't be fooled by the easy 6km that start this race...from this point to the finish, its absolutely hellish! Most of the resolution runners that took part in this race on Sunday would have probably already packed away their brand new running shoes till next years resolution comes around again.  And I don't blame them! I more than likely would have done the same thing if I had come into the running world bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on this fitness thing...only to be met with some of the steepest hills I've ever seen in my life! In fact, I almost did pack my own running shoes away after Sundays race...I struggled up each and every hill and walked more in this 15km race than I did in my first marathon! I felt demotivated and 'over it' as I came up to the finish on the university campus on Sunday morning.  But luckily, since then I've realised that sometimes, its just a tough race and you don't run your best.  So all that means is that there's lots of work to be done before 3 June.  Thankfully, I made my resolution a long time ago to run Comrades...so its going to take more than Varsity Kudus to make me pack my running shoes away now!

Colds and flu

I used to enjoy getting sick.  As long as it was nothing too serious, a throat infection and some aches and pains meant a little extra attention, an excuse to take a time out and stay in bed and if you're lucky, a day or two off work.  Since becoming a runner though, things have changed in my books! Supposedly, exercise is meant to boost your immune system...up until a point.  When you start exposing your body to serious doses of hard work and strain, this can lower your immune system, causing runners to be more susceptible to colds and flu.  As a runner I now hate getting sick, because what used to mean a time out, now means a time out of my training...which is less than ideal.  I've read that exercise may continue as normal as long as the infection has not spread to your chest, in which case all activity should come to a halt until recovered.  However, the fact of the matter is, even if you're just fighting a few symptoms in your nose and throat, your running suffers.  Your body feels tired and running becomes sluggish.  So a day or two off the road is often inevitable. But all runners will know that this is not an easy thing to accept.  So in my case, what usually happens is a serious case of denial.  I'll ignore my body, convince myself that I'm imagining all the symptoms and then plod through a 10km run all the while analysing  the reasons why I'm not having a great run...weighing up all the possibilities except the most obvious of course.  Unfortunately this does not always work.  Sometimes you just have to do the sensible thing and stay off the road and in the bed for a few days. 

While I had big running plans for my last two weeks off from work, unfortunately I've had to accept that 2012 has started off, not with a bang, but rather with a cold.  So I spent one day in bed with an overdose of vitamins and a box of tissues.  Despite the sore throat I woke up with this morning, I decided that one day of rest was enough and convinced myself that I was feeling much better.  While I made it through the 10km, it was slow and sluggish...however, I have no doubt that this was due to the heat and the fact that I didn't sleep very well last night...but surely not because I'm still fighting a cold??