Yet another race: Sasol Half Marathon

Hello Dear Reader,

I know you're going to think I'm crazy for what I'm about to tell you, so I'll just say it straight: I'm signing up for the Sasol Half Marathon. There, I said it! Oh, I guess that me signing up for another half isn't so crazy-sounding. I mean, it's not like I haven't done it before. Well, here's the crazy part: It's this weekend! Yes, this weekend, as in exactly one week after I completed the Ottosdal Draf en Trap Half Marathon...as in Saturday, February 5th!

Several times over the past couple of months, I've spoken a lot about how undisciplined I've become in my marathon training schedule. Now that I'm less than two months away from the Publix Georgia Marathon, it's time to step it up in a whole new way...safely. I need to ensure that my body has time to adjust to the high milage that I'll be asking it to cover soon enough. In order to hold myself more accountable, meet milage milestones, and add a little bit of excitement to training, I've decided to enter weekend races of varying lengths.

The Sasol Half Marathon was an unexpected find. I wasn't exactly looking to run a race this weekend, but what the heck! Why not?! ...And surprisingly, I'm not sore at all from this past weekend, so I think I'm in good shape to run another one (Linesiya, I'm listening to my body and it says "You go girl!")

Instead of continuing to blab, I'll let you in on the race description:

Difficulty Rating: 2.

Route Type: Lap

The marathon is two-laps of the half marathon route. The course is mainly fast and flat with gradual gradients. There is a fairly challenging 900 metre long hill in the last third of the lap. The race is run through the residential, industrial and commercial precincts of Sasolburg.

Sasol Half Marathon

After comparing the route description and the route elevation, I'm trying to figure out how the picture can possibly be call "flat". I guess I'll see when I get there.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress, as usual.

On another note, keep your fingers and toes crossed that my side of town finally gets running water restored- 8 days and counting without it!

Until next time...one foot in front of the other...keep it movin'!

Yours in (unexpected race) training,

Dani

PS: I'm still looking to update my training playlist. At this point, I only have about 3 hours worth of songs and I somehow suspect that more than 5 hours of music is needed for the big day! Thanks in advance.

Top 5 Reasons Why Southern Africa Is Good For Runners

Dear Reader,

On the drive back to Lesotho from my race yesterday morning, I got to thinking about how my life in Southern Africa is good for my running career. As we're all well aware, I never ran a day of my life whilst living in the US of A...other than running from one base to another during my jr. high and high school softball days...so my familiarity with the running set there is limited. All of these things may be true in the US and other parts of the world, but I'm in Southern Africa right now, so roll with it...

Having said all of that, I'll let you in on why I think starting and maintaining a "competetive" running habit is easier in South Africa:

1) Regularly Scheduled Races: As evidenced by this runner's calendar, you'll note that races take place all over the country on almost every weekend, and some weekdays too. The fact that they're compiled in a nifty matrix with race organizer contact details doesn't hurt either. No matter where you are in the country, if you want to race, there is one within reach.

2) Popular Races: The whole time I lived in the US, I never knew anything about ultra/ marathons except for the NY and Chicago Marathons, and Peach Tree Road Race in Georgia. Even when I could care less about running in South Africa, I still knew when and where the Comrades and Two Oceans Marathons were. Additionally, I knew all about the famed Soweto and Two Cities Marathons, and was forced to watch whilst with other friends. True, I'm now more in tune with the racing scene now that I'm trying my best to be a part of it, but the only time the Peach Tree Road race came to mind was when I had to deal with resulting midtown traffic.

Perhaps I'm a more than slightly freaked out by/curious about Ultra Marathons lately. If you are too, here's a list of ultras around the world. A lot of them are in the US...

3) South Africans are Sports Freaks: Football (soccer), Cricket, Rugby, Competitive running, you name it...South Africans love their sports. Yes, I did make a blanket statement, but it's a true one. Just about everyone here is actively involved in at least one sport...they put the F in fanatic...on the sidelines and in the game. Social life revolves around sports and being outside. Perhaps this is what tipped my curiosity about running over the edge. When in Rome (or South Africa as the case may be)...

4) Organized Race Clubs: If you want to run with a registered group, Southern Africa/South Africa is the place to be. Just check out the listing of running clubs in the Free State alone!

5) Low Race Fees: One of the virtual runners I regularly stalk wrote a post on how expensive race fees are becoming in the US. In South Africa (RSA), race fees seem to range from R50 to R60 (about $9) including a temporary running license. Larger, more popular races like the Two Oceans are more expensive. For instance, as a non-South African citizen, I paid a little over $100 for a re-usable racing chip, t-shirt, and entry fee. If I were a citizen of RSA, I'd pay about $60 for the same things. Luckily for me, this race only comes along once a year and hopefully by the next time it rolls around, I'll finally have my Lesotho residence permit and can apply the "rest of Africa" fee!

As I said before, all of these examples may be just as true in the US, but I just wasn't focused on it when I was there. Either way...I love living and running in Southern Africa and will never hide that fact!

I hope that where ever you are, you find a way to stay active and find as many opportunities as possible to stay involved. Just take the example of my friends, former Peace Corp buddies, and amazing supporters- Marti & Dave. These two inspirational individuals are really big into cycling. In fact, they are in the midst of biking from San Diego to the Adventure Cycling Association's trail across the southern USA!!!

If you want to follow along with Marti and Dave's adventures, check out their online journal:My Fine Cycle. You can also access the link to their blog on the side panel of my blog under "Folks I'm Running With"!

Enjoy and be inspired!!!

Until next time...one foot in front of the other...keep it movin'!

Yours in(spiration) training,

Dani

Catch Up

Hello Dear Reader-

While I may have been on a blog-writing vacation, I certainly haven't been sitting on the couch! Friday morning, I wasn't feeling so well, but knew that this could not side-track my goal- marathon preparation. After work, with a make-up workout session on my mind, I headed to the gym for a 45 minute fast walk/run. Although I was a bit worn down from not feeling my best, core strengthening was up next: side, abdominal and back crunches (4 sets of 20); and the beloved ham string "crunch" capped the day off. In total, my workout lasting about 1.5 hours.

As you know, Saturday is my designated break day, but rest, it was not. My roommate, who I've managed to rope into running with me, and I went to Bloemfontein, South Africa, to pick out new running shoes and a few other things. To be honest, that was the most productive Bloem trip I've ever had. Usually a trip to Bloem equals a mall meander, dinner, movies and light shopping. My roomie and I, however, were on a mission, and in the process, took the opportunity to explore the "other side" of Bloem (read: got lost).

While looking for shoes, I actually found the Nike + iPod gadget that helps you set and keep track of running goals (distance, time or calories burned). The special Nike + shoe includes a little pocket under the insole for a little sensor. A tiny white receiver fits on the bottom of the iPod to capture the data being transmitted from the sensor. In addition to pace/distance/calorie monitoring, the Nike + iPod gadget also keeps you updated with motivational songs and a spoken account of your progress. The things that Apple comes up with! Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, I thought so too, until I got home, plugged the receiver into my iPod "classic" and got the message that "this accessory is not recognized"! What!?! A call to the Apple store confirmed that the Nike + iPod= Nike + iPod "nano"...the baby version of what I have. In other words, I have a super cool, fantastic gadget that I can't, at this point, use. Boo for Apple on this one! Perhaps someone from the Apple store is reading this little blog o'mine. If you are...I'm giving you the side-eye and hoping that this intimidates you enough to expand this tool to the rest of the iPod users. Please?!?

Nike + iPod gadget or not, I have running shoes, sports bras, thin running socks, and running pants with a zipper pocket in back for keys and things. Oh, did I mention that I got a hammock and a blender too? Can we say together..."Summer is (almost) here!" True, the hammock is an outdoor couch of sorts, but hey, I've gotta sit down sometimes! The blender, in addition to many planned frozen adult beverages, is a great way to get your daily fruit and veggie intake...a round of smoothies for everyone- on the house!
Bringing it back to exercise...after returning from Bloem, we drove around to clock our planned Sunday morning running route- 4.1 K. At 7:30 this morning, we walk a little over 1K to our starting point. Remember, it's always a good thing to "warm up" prior to any exercise. A positive note was that we ran the majority of the way with only a few short slow down breaks (completed in 28.14 minutes). Furthermore, I wasn't physically tired at all. What frustrated me however, was that my asthma, caused my chest to tighten a bit and forced me to stop to catch my breath. I'm sure that, with better management and listening to my body, this will not get in my way. Management includes carrying an inhaler, taking prescribed asthma meds regularly, and a few other tips and tricks.

Running was followed by a "cool down" trip back to our flat, and back out again for a walk to the grocery store. Delicious fresh fruits (blueberries, strawberries, bananas and passion fruit) and yogurt were blended to make a fantastic morning breakfast drink. A fruit smoothie, along with pancakes from scratch, was a nice way to start off the day! Speaking of breakfast, remember that eating well is just as much a part of marathon preparation as running. Without the proper type of fuel for your car, it won't run to its full capacity, right? Eating balanced meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner...along with healthy snacks...helps your body to perform at the optimal level. Because I'm interested in performing my best, I've started working with a nutritionist. This week, we're focusing on healthy snacks for (before and after) running: carbs (fruits and easily digestible carbs like white bread) before & protein (nuts, beans, etc.) afterwards. Pre-run carbs assist in providing your body with the energy it needs for continuous movement. Post-run protein aids in muscle building. As I get nutrition tips, they'll be passed on to you.

It feels great to have maintained my goal of running, working out and eating well. Because I'm feeling so motivated, I'll head to the gym a little later for some core strengthening...as a reward (of sorts). Never thought I'd "hear" myself calling a workout a reward for working out...but I'll take it however it comes!

Thanks again for all of your encouragement and for following along with me in this journey!

Until next time...

Yours in training,

Dani