MY VERY FIRST HALF MARATHON… A LESSON LEARNT!

I received a text from NikerunningZA somewhere in July, alerting me that the upcoming Soweto marathon registration is opening on the 31^st July. That text excited me so much as I previously participated in two Nike marathons and I immediately decided that I’m running 21km. A whole half marathon… Eeeekk!

My mind tricked my body into agreeing, as it was still excited about the text.I registered on the 1^st week of August and got my confirmation about a week later. 

Now training began…

I began my training with the Nikeplus app on the 2^nd September. The app has a COACH, where you update your race date and distance and it coaches you until the day of the race; informing you how many kilometers to run, when to rest and when to do your cross-training. I highly recommend the app, as it’s very helpful especially if you’re keen on participating in marathons.

For the first week of my training, I jogged with my boyfriend, running between 3 and 4 kilometers - I tried my best to follow COACH. It’s very good to run with someone because they motivate you to run more and not stop so often, but more importantly, to keep you accountable for training sessions. However, I was finding it hard to keep up with his pace and I felt bad for stopping when he wasn’t tired. So I decided to start alone. The second week I dropped him and ran on my own as I wanted to run at my own pace and be able to be in tune with my body. After all, it was my own race and he was going to do the 10km.

Week 2 of training was better, I followed the run/walk strategy maintaining a pace of 7’ for runs and 9’ for walks. I even increased my runs to 5km. The fact that I enjoy running helped because I looked forward to the next day’s run, to see how I will do and which improvements I will make.

Week 3 became tougher as COACH increased distance and I came home late from work, so it was difficult to follow training and I started getting a bit discouraged. Thinking of how long the distance of 21km is, and how I’m very unfit and can’t run further than 5 km, I decided to downgrade and register for the 10km race.

I started running after high school, in 2008 and I was on and off until 2012. I could run 7km without stopping and it was easy because I was young and slim. It’s 2014 and I had gained weight this winter so it was very hard to run and not pause. I imagined myself on the race day, running to 5km and my feet not being able to carry me further. I can’t walk 16km within the 3 hours and 30 minutes cut-off time. So it was clear that I would manage 10km. At least I know that I will finish, as I have completed 10km races three times before (two with Nike We Run Jozi and one with Total Sports Women’s race).

I changed my COACH plan to 10km and on the 20^th September, I ran my longest run thus far (with the app) and it was 10km with a pace of 8’10 and a time 01:27:12.  On the same run, I beat my personal best (PB) of 5km with a time of 39:50. Yay me!!!

I was so happy with myself because I have surpassed 5km and that’s when I realised that my body is able to do anything, it’s my mind that I needed to train.

That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learnt through training for this marathon… That the half marathon is more of a mental challenge than it is a physical one. You are alone on the road, attempting to run a long distance and all you have is a willing body and a stubborn mind. You constantly have to affirm yourself that you can do it, you can go an extra km and you can definitely increase the pace. That 10km run gave me so much confidence that I decided to go back to training for the 21km and actually run it.

October began with that end in mind, to run and finish a half marathon. I tried to run at least three times a week, some days being impossible as the weather was off. I would stay home and do some exercises to strengthen my legs. I also checked out running blogs for tips and ways to run better and those were very helpful.

I soon ran 12km in just two hours and I was very impressed with myself, but every time I thought about the race, my heart would beat faster and my stomach knotted. It was a good idea three months ago and now with only a few weeks left before the race, I was again considering to drop the 21km and run the 10km (I had two registrations anyway). 

But you see the way I’m wired…

I’m not a quitter; I will never live with myself if I started something and not finish it. Rather I don’t start it at all than to give up. I was prepping my mind to participate with my body and if these two fail me, I would run with my heart. That was the strategy… if all these failed, I would crawl to the finish line, I had decided that I will get that 21km medal, even if it’s the last thing I do.

The week before race week is taper week, this is where you reduce exercise until the race day. The Saturday before taper week I ran 12km and my knee started acting-up a little, but luckily stopped later that day. On Sunday, I walked 5km with my aunts for some cancer fun walk, and my body was fine the following day. The biggest mistake I did was to not run for three days of taper week and I only ran on the Thursday, were my body was so stiff and both my knees were so painful, I’ve never felt that pain ever since I started training. I only ran 7km then I went home to stretch. After stretching, my left knee was good but the other one was still sore. I woke up on Friday with the same pain and I started crying. Two days before my biggest marathon and I get a knee injury?? Oh no!  I got to work sad and frustrated.

When I have defeated the biggest challenge, my mind - now I struggle with a knee? Wow! I concluded that I would make the decision on Saturday morning, whether to run or not, if my knee were not better. I woke up a little better and I iced the entire day. What’s strange is that I had fought so hard with my mind about running the half marathon, and when I decided that I’m doing it, my body gives in. That was the most discouraging thing ever. I thought about the effort I have put in this training and how much I was now looking forward to it. I then decided that I would go ahead with the race whether my knee was willing or not.

Race day came and when my boyfriend and I got there at 6:10 we found professional runners stretching and warming up and that was so intimidating that I even forgot how to stretch. He helped me prepare and put on my race number, as I was about to start at 6:30. I moved closer to the start line and that was it… I started running. I used my app as I’ve been doing for my training and it felt so good to hear a familiar voice informing me of my time.

And I did… I ran and finished the race three hours with a slight pain in the knee but with a determined mind and a full heart. I accepted the toughest challenge thus far and I did very well given the fact that I only trained no further than 12.47km. If I could do it again, I would, without the knee injury though. I’m extremely proud of myself and what I have achieved. Like I said: Your body can do just about anything, but the biggest challenge is your mind. Win your mind and you will conquer anything. I screamed so hard when I got to the finish line as it had now registered that I have just finished a half-marathon. I did it!!

By Lebohang Masango aka King Nova

I was going to write something about the passing of Nelson Mandela and how he has impacted my life, but I came across a post by Lebogang Masango, who's known as Nova. It was so beautiful that I had to repost. Check below:

"I hold you like I held Malcolm before he went away. Before Robben and Mecca laid claim to brilliant, roaring bonfires and hushed them to quiet embers. I remember you as the man who said “it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”, as the man who led Umkhonto weSizwe (mama le papa), as the man who said we must arm ourselves to take back our land and dignity, as the Black Pimpernel, the boxer, the lawyer, the one who survived on Madikizela’s devotion - when you were all fight and fire and flame - this is how I love you. 

Lala kahle, qhawe elihle Rolihlahla Mandela.

Because of you, Luthuli, Tambo, Hani, Sisulu, Biko, Mahlangu, Mashinini, Kathrada, Sobukwe and countless, countless others we are able to rightly walk free in this land of our ancestors. 

I didn’t think I would cry because the deification of your memory had fatigued me. But this morning, a little past midnight, I slowly collapsed into myself as I looked around me: I thought of my address, my parents’ tax brackets, my education, my flight to Cape Town in a few hours, my ability to choose the direction of my life and all the opportunities I have. Without you, without your brave peers, without my parents who fought too, without our people, without the tears and without the lifetimes and lifetimes of blood - I would surely be cleaning the house of some white family or teaching a Bantu Education syllabus to brown-skinned babies who would be forced to internalise the message that they were born to be servants. Without all of you, we would be born and die in the chains of servitude to evil, despicable people; prisoners in the only place we’ve ever known as home.

I cried when I thought of how you wore that Boks jersey and walked onto the rugby pitch in 1995. I cried when I thought of all the shuffling and shmiling you had to do to set them at ease after all they did was murder us, steal from us, rape us and plunder our resources for 300 years. I cried because you had to dance. I cried because you had to be the Magic Negro. I cried because CNN called FW de Klerk first this morning as if he hadn’t upheld the very system which equated us to animals. I cried because you did so much and yet for the majority, South Africa is still what it is. I cried because I have an amazingly privileged life. I cried because I so badly believed in a rainbow that does not exist. I cried because I choose to believe that being president was hard and you tried your best to make the best decisions. I cried because I don’t know how to process a world where you, as a man and an ideal, have to be spoken of in memoriam… 

It’s all so overwhelmingly complex. I should be in Houghton giving flowers to your memory and singing struggle songs with my kin but I’m writing this from a pretty hotel room in Cape Town, overlooking Table Mountain. This city makes me feel like I am the only one in mourning, there are hardly any brown people here. As we drove in this morning, Brenda Fassie’s tribute to you played and all the heaviness rose and fell and settled once more as I turned to my left and saw the terribly named Castle of Good Hope. History hurts.

Everything hurts but you lived and you loved and you tried.

Thank you for your life. Thank you for your spirit. Thank you for showing what it means to truly serve the people. Siyabonga, Dalibhunga. Rest In Power, eternally.

My Black President."

IT STARTED WITH A PRAYER, R250 AND SACRIFICIAL LOVE..

 I get emotional when I think about this part of my life, as it became a defining moment for me, the chance to make   a decision that will affect the rest of my life; it might seem little to you, but trust me, I’m eternally grateful for it.

 The year was 2009 and the month was May when my sister came into my room and gave me R250.00 to go and write my learners, as I had been home for almost a year now, in the hopes that it will better my chances of getting a job (once I got my license too). I was a baby Christian and yet to understand God’s love for me, but that moment was just God Himself telling me that He loves me and He’s got my back.  I was in between what I would like to call “growing up is tough and is this the highest form of dream-selling” phase. I mean, I worked so hard in High-school, not the brightest of sparks but I managed to get a university entrance (you see, I too can be modest) and good marks to go back to my teacher and pull a “you must not know about me” look…

Going back to that evening of the prayer, R250 and priceless love. My sister already had gotten me a learners’ book to study with and had given me a slight idea of how she will pay for the license. I had already gathered that it might take longer than my excitement could comprehend, but I was overjoyed about the gesture and how I will finally know how to drive. The 19-year-old thing to do is think of how I will get a car and suddenly become the coolest thing to happen to humanity. Can you believe it, one moment I’m depressed that I can’t find a job; the next I’m thinking of getting a car…I did say it was the 19-year-old thing to do. Ambition!  Anyway, reality interrupted my imagination and knocked the silliness out of me faster than I could think which car model I want to drive. I thought about my sister’s offer and how I will fit in her plan, and I came to a conclusion that, No, I do not want a license because I don’t want a job because I want to go to varsity and just make ads.

That’s what got me to school at 7am and brought me back home at 8pm. That’s what drove me to practice harder at Math and accept being changed classes because “I lack focus and I know I can pass”. Going to varsity is what made me ask for application forms from all the universities I could think of, fill them up and post them without an application fee (I did say I was a baby Christian, so imagine the stupid faith levels and naivety). So I decided to ask for a UJ application form and instead use the money to apply there for something that is in line with advertising.  Without my sister’s knowledge, on the 1^st June 2009 I submitted my application at Uj for a BA in Marketing Communications. That day, I remember Thoriso, (my part-time lover) who was doing her honours there, walked me to the humanities department and showed me all the places I needed to go that day. Thinking that her exam is later that day only to find out that while she was being generous with her time her fellow, focused students were writing. Dear Homie, if you never get into ish for me again, I will forever remember this day. If you’re wondering, things turned out fine for her, nothing an affidavit couldn’t fix.

On the 15^th of the same month, I got a letter back from Uj telling me that I have been accepted for a BA in marketing communication. YAY!!! I’m a varsity student who’s about to wake up to a shatter that there’s still is no money to go varsity (I had been previously accepted for a Degree in Civil Engineering in 2007, but didn’t pursue it for lack of funds). Now I have to tell my sister who’s waiting for me to tell her that I’m ready to go write my learners, that I decided to apply for varsity with the money she gave me. I finally told her and surprisingly enough, she was happy for me and asked me pertinent questions about how I will go to school. At that time, God was my answer and Faith was my only currency. Fast-forward, God came through and I went to varsity, did my 3 years in Marketing Communications, and right now I’m well on my way to making Ads.

It all started with a prayers, R250.00 and sacrificial love. Out of the goodness of her heart, my sister contributed to what I have become today, we may not have had the same picture of how I can better my chances of getting a job, but we both had the same end in mind, to see me do justice to a pool of potential and resilience that I have. She planted a seed, which not only opened a door to my desire to go to varsity, but it also made me see love in action, an outpouring of God’s gift that is family and her will to see me succeed. All it took was a prayer, R250.00 and sacrificial love.

THE IMPACT OF A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE…my gun incident!

Almost a year ago, in September, the strange closing of my bedroom door woke me up in the middle of the night and I immediately got up to go check what’s on the other side of my room.  I put on the light but before I reached for my doorknob, someone beat me to it; and with my half-closed eyes I saw a dark hand reaching for the switch and managing to switch off the lights. By now, all the soberness that had escaped in the first part of what turned into a horrible night revisited again. Although, in between moments, I would fall into a trance to reminisce about what I just experienced, the stranger on the other side didn’t give me the opportunity to let my mind decide it this all a dream or not. He managed to open the door and come in, while I’m still trying to be in the moment, I suddenly felt a very cold and heavy thing on my head and I touched it only to feel that it’s a gun…

Let me hold that position as I reach back in time a few hours earlier to the incident. I went to bed fairly early, as I do on Sundays and it had been quite a good one. No sign that I was going to be held at gunpoint at the dawn of the next morning; not that there normally is. I actually prefer it this way. (I mean, who wants to know that they are about die in the next few hours). Anyway, the stranger pushed me back inside, closed the door and sat me on my bed. Only then I realized, I know this stranger; I know this stranger so well, in fact, I’ve spoken to them quite a few times to be confused by what I’m seeing. While this is all happening, no words are coming from my mouth, I can’t even think properly. This stranger starts asking me to participate and not even make any noise, because he will blow my brains out.  Tears started rolling down my eyes as my mind finally joins the party. I’m about to die!!

Since my mind is trying to catch up, I’m imagining gunshots in my head, what’s going to happen next, and what exactly is happening. Great! So I’m not dreaming… that much I’ve gathered from the tears that freeze my warm cheeks. In between my wild imagination and a pending reality, this person is telling me the reason he’s here and what he plans to do during his visit. I’m about to die. I’ve gathered that his plan is to kill one of my family members, so he drags me outside my room to the other one, at this moment, he’s tied my hands so I struggle to find balance. While all of this is happening, I come to the sad realization that I haven’t started living, yet my life is about to end. Trust me, the last thing on my mind is the 20 page assignment that was due the Wednesday, all I could think about is death. Whenever my tears give me break to see through, I looked up hoping to see some staircase rolling out for me to climb on. From this day I knew I should sop watching so much TV.

Since this story is about me, I’m not going to go into detail about why the person wanted to go on a kill, but I want to talk about how this experience changed me. There is something about a near-death experience like this that changes your whole view of life and forces you to mend your priorities. I was just a girl looking to get my degree and finally start living. With a gun held to my head, I thought to myself “if this person doesn’t shoot, I’m going to scream at those who didn’t protect me while they were well aware of what happening, then I’m going to go to school and tell my lecturer to not expect my assignment because I’m not doing it.  Well, I’m here and you’re reading this, so that means he didn’t pull the trigger, so as I promised myself, I did both of those things, except, my senses came back and I submitted my assignment a week later. (You see; it helps to have a case number, especially when you plan to push all your tests because you’re not ready).

There’s so much damage that this incident caused my family and I. Everyday is a day to recover and try not to think it will happen again. I’ve since got a lock for my room and its only recently that I stopped locking, because I cant live my life with the fear that someone else will come into my room and only this time, they’ll be bold enough to kill the whole family. To this day, I wake up everyday around 2am and then fall asleep when I feel safer. I know I’m going to die one day, but this experience has shown me that this is not how I want to die, without having lived and explored all that life could offer. I’m on a quest to create new experiences, make mistakes, learn from them and do as much inking my body can have capacity for (don’t mind this, I just want to make my sister mad). 

WHO TO KEEP IN YOUR CIRCLE...

I’ve been blessed with wonderful people in my life and I’m one those people who’ve never struggled to make friends, good ones at that. However, I learned that it’s very important to choose your friends wisely and always keep your circle watertight. For all the friends I had, I have come up with those that are worthy to have in your circle because people are not the same and it’s important to keep those that are fitting.

1.    The Homie

This one is the all-rounder; she’s the closest to you. The homie serves as everything you want, from a friend to a part-time lover (when your boyfriend is not around and you don’t want to be alone) and never complains because well…she loves you so much.  You have most fights with the homie, since you spend most of the time with her and she knows a lot about you. This kind of friend is very protective of you because they’ve been with you for long that they know what’s best for you. With that said though, its key that she knows that you have the final say in your life.

2.    The cheerleader

I’m a very confident person and I believe so much in my own hype, but sometimes uncertainty creeps up so much that I find doubting myself. So, this kind of friend is one that also believes in you and your hype. They have an idea of what your becoming will look like, so they wont let you settle for anything less than that. You can tell them that you want to be a singer and even though you cant sing, they still pat you on the back and tell you, you can do it. These friends are good for your ego and those ‘I don’t know if I can do it’ moments. They are your number 2 fan, through and through. If you have both the cheerleader and The Homie in your circle, you’re bound to work out well because the Homie will bring you back to reality if the cheerleader is gassing you up.

3.    The narcissist

This friend loves herself so much and would do anything to look good and get praised. Its good to keep this friend in your circle because they thrive to put up appearances, and because they always want to come off good, they’ll ensure that when you’re with them, you also look good.  You may sometimes feel like a trophy, but it comes in handy because you get to enter into the narcissist’s network. You’re also bound to learn a lot from this person because they seek to always be in the know, for the purpose of their reputation. In this here instance, you’re good by association.

4.    The experienced

Talk about a walking encyclopedia. The experienced knows everything about everything, from politics, to relationships, to sex. If you have this one in your corner, just dial them up if you’re in desperate need to impress someone and they’ll provide you with info that’s relevant. The experienced has gone before you in matters of life and whenever growing pains seep in, they are there for free tutorials. You’ll always feel like a dumb, which will make you read up and become well informed. The good thing about the experienced is that you get to share and discuss books with them. For me, that’s quite cool.

5.    The grounder

When in comes to matters of God, I’ve found out that with or without God, life is tricky. Life does this thing of becoming so unpredictable it leaves you in shaky grounds. The grounder is there to remind you about God and what He promised. The grounder is your prayer partner and they come with sound advice based on God. In normal circumstances, the experienced and the grounder have contradicting views because the former finds the latter impractical and naïve.

As I said, people are different and one may not necessarily need these particular types of people in their circle. All of these friends somehow complement each other and one without the other may not complete the circle. In one setup, all their views may contradict, but its usually the Homie who covers all of them in one. They say you attract that which you are, so you might also have one of the traits that these groups possess. Remember, you’re responsible for your life and even when you take advice from friends, check at which point they are in their lives and how that affects their views. Also, you make the final decision pertaining to your life. Enjoy friendships and be a good friend.

BEING THE NEW GIRL...

One of the trickiest things for me is finding myself in situations where I'm the ‘new girl’. It could be an event or within a new circle, I find the first few moments hard and sometimes tiring. Not that I have an alter-ego or anything like that, but I end up negotiating with myself about which personality trait to bring across. It's always a question of which part of myself would I like to show off and how do I want to be known, provided that these are qualities I can control. You might read this and think to yourself that this is an easy task if one is always themselves and you're right, but ‘myself’ is made up of a lot of things like character, personality, habits and mannerisms. So I always have to decide which part I am showing off that day. 

For example, I went to some braai with a friend, I was fairly new and she was the only person I knew there. From the discussion to participate in, to the jokes I chose not to be offended by and yes, to the 3^rd serving of dessert I had to decline; I had to think about all of them. Bearing in mind that I shouldn't, in any way, put my friend in any awkward situations. I mean, I don’t want to be remembered as that girl who was stuck-up and callous.

The evening started off well as I found it easy to connect to most of her friends quite well. The conversation was smooth and endearing and everyone had very idiosyncratic views. Being the ‘new girl’ in a group of people who have already established some sort of camaraderie comes with eyes that question nothing but ask everything. I always dread these setups because I sometimes find it intimidating to be the center of attention.  ‘What do you do for a living?’ and ‘how do you spend most of your time?’ are some of the questions that make the rounds and are coupled with much attentiveness. 

The new girl syndrome is one I never get used to because I'm always around people I know and I'm comfortable with. For an outspoken person, I have to take cognisance of how much I let out and which I decide to keep, a huge task if you ask me.

One of the things that bore me is how narcissistic people can get. It's an opportunity for them to shine and tell the whole world their best sides. Don’t get me wrong, I know that no one can consciously express their not-so-good side but my goodness; others don’t let the opportunity to let us know how they are the best thing to happen to the world since ice-cream, pass.  Although I don’t like being new, I love how it's an opportunity for me to know great people and engage in very interesting conversations.  The perks of being new is that I get to tell people about my latest habits, even those I've yet to do and I don’t have to feel like I'm lying, because well...I’m dreaming aloud. However, I'm glad I get to experience being the new girl because if not, there wouldn’t be any post to blog.

Please don’t take this as a decline to your future invites. I promise you I'm so cool, you’d mistaken me for the other side of the pillow; that is when I'm not being my usual over-thinking self.