Could i do it, should i do it, i'm a new mummy, is it even possible to achieve this milestone with only 8 months training, were the questions that went through my head.I had been off running for 7 months, wd it be insane to put my body through this "ultimate human race"!!. The first marathon after i resumed training was the Pnp marathon in Jburg on the 10th of February, followed by the PWC 3in1 marathon in Nelspruit on the 1st of March, then the Loskop ultra marathon in Middleburg on the 12th of April n eventually the Slow Mag marathon on the 27th of April. In between these there were long runs from Malagwane to Manzini, Oshoek to Lozitha, Oshoek to Manzini (which i didn't complete due to illness).
I've done the comrades before, i knew what it meant going to that race, the pain, the fear, the challenge, the difficulty, but i wanted to just be part of the spirit of the race. Never at any point did i imagine i could complete that race because i did not think my fitness was at the same level as it was in 2012 when i went for my 1st comrades. I didn't tell anyone i was going to the comrades, i didn't want pressure, i didn't want the glances of shock, the expressions of fear added on to me coz i knew already what i was getting myself in for. When i mentioned to hubby i didn't say i'm going to complete this race. I told him, i don't think i can finish it especially within cutoff time, but i would like to be part of this ultimate human race spirit, and please do not stop me. When i feel weak i will stop and get into the rescue bus, and i foresee this happening at 60kms, if i still feel i can go on, i will do so, if i can't i will not feel ashamed to get onto that bus, he agreed n supported me. I love that man.
I had enough fear within me, hence couldn't share this plan with anyone else lest they add more pressure. The day came, i walked to the start, on my own, waited for my teammates to leave our lodge, i saw them off, and after they were gone, i prepared myself and went to the start. It was very lonely, as usual, The national anthem came, then shosholoza, then the chariots of fire, i wondered, what the hell am i thinking even being here. The race started, within about 5kms i met up with a fellow Swazi runner, Lungile Zulu & then a couple of other teammates. Little did i know that i would run this race with this special lady up to the finish. While i insisted i'll try hold on to her company for as long as i can, she kept insisting that we're taking this to the finish. I wasn't dreaming of the finish at this point, see this race is a very long race, i told her i'm taking it one bite at a time. For now my focus was reaching the halfway mark then assess how i was feeling at that point.
That place called 1000 hills is very vicious, those fierce hills are unforgiving, of course the consolation being that when you reach halfway, Drummond, the hills ease off and u start seeing a few of the downhills. While climbing those hills i could feel my right knee starting to ache bitterly, as it did in 2012 at this same race, n i mentioned to her, ya my knee is starting to hurt, we kept moving. At halfway mark, i looked at my watch n we had done 6 hours, I told my mate, if we continue the way we've been running, we won't finish this race within 12hrs, the assumption being that the 2nd half of a race shd take u longer than the first half given u're tired. All the 12hour buses left us while we were still around 30km mark, of course these buses run a quite a fast pace in the beginning and if you're not used to the pace it isn't quite favourable to join them.
We had only 6 hours to spare to complete the last half of the race. We strategized n agreed to push, we motivated each other, we kept looking at the watch, yes that very special watch, even counted with our fingers how many kms we need to be at if we are to even dream of finishing. Downhills came, the mission was that we will run fast down those hills, n run until an uphill came, then we can walk the uphills. We sprinted thru those downhills, knees throbbing, toes hurting, took painkillers, drank water, energade, coke, u name it. We caught up with all the 12 hour buses which had all left us before the 30km mark. We caught up n left all 5 or 6 of them one by one, n we agreed that worst case scenario if we fail to keep up our pace at least we'll join one of the buses towards the end. Every km counted. We ran pole to pole if we had to. We agreed at some point that when we get to water point we grab n run, no stopping. We did the maths after each hour we spent on the road, kept analyzing how much we needed to push to be able to finish the race. May i mention that the watch we were using wasn't ur top of the range watches. This was just a STOP WATCH, the only thing it was telling us was how much time we've spent on the road, the rest of the maths we did in our heads.
We took more pain killers at some point then we ran, n ran, n ran, we even discussed having to meet after comrades n just have an all fat meal to just discuss the happenings of the race. When we had 4 kms left, we met up with 2 fellow Swazi teammates, who then joined us to the finish. As we entered the stadium we held back tears, we cheered, we ran. Got to the finish, cried, hugged, thanked each other with Lungile, cried some more. This was a very special journey. A journey i shared with someone that has become a very special friend. Before this race we ran a 3day 100km challenge together 2 months ago, but that was just a fun n very slow run where she convinced me to take part by promising to nurse me throughout the 3 days if i committed to taking part in the challenge, n boy didn't she just keep her word.
This was the real deal. We kept motivating each other that no stopping, no need to save the knees, this is what we had been training for all this time, let the knees get injured, we'll sort them out at the finish. 11hours and 40 minutes spent on the road from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. THE ULTIMATE HUMAN RACE. Thank you for a wonderful race Lungile. This was one hell of a journey, i cldn't have done it alone. To my parents who always believe in my madness then my special husband who has to watch me put my body through hell, occasionally having to babysit, listen to me whining, the list is endless. THANK U. Without my husband's support this would be truly impossible. He is such a wonderful man. To my friends, those who are always cheering me on, regardless of the madness i put myself through, i thank you. It means a lot.
When i started training in October i weighed 76.8kgs, & before i went to the Comrades i was weighing 66kgs, i lost 10kgs in total within 8months of training, same as i weighed before i had my baby. Suddenly the famous quotes like "it always seems impossible until its done" seem true. The ironic thing is that i was doing this race for the 2nd time & my fellow runner was doing it for her 1st time, but i was more worried of not being able to finish than she was. I think the changes one goes through as a woman do impact greatly on one's fitness, hence my worry. My 2012 comrades experience was equally surreal but i remember it to be a very lonesome journey considering this time around i had familiar company with me. There is some kind of security that comes with knowing that you have someone familiar near you, someone you can whine to about the fatigue, the hurt etc. Back in 2012 i remember wanting to cry when my knee started hurting just around halfway through the race. I kept fighting back tears until i met up with the 12 hour bus which i stuck to til the end.
I have in my possession 2 comrades medals and the belief that where there is a will, a way surely can be found. I have been running for about 6 years now, but i do not remember putting my body through such hard training as i have between October 2013 and May 2014, the most intense months being March and April 2014 of course. I was always the last in my crew, always needing nursing, always needing to be fetched. My main aim during these training sessions was to lose weight and i knew that if i trained with the crew that is going for comrades the weight will definitely go off. In my mind during training i would tell myself, i may not get to the end first but i will eventually get there. Training is teamwork, and through the help of the training with my team i was able to achieve this unthinkable comrades finish. This medal is dedicated to my baby Zawadi Motsa who was 9 months old the day i ran the race.
Lessons Learnt
- Training is teamwork
- You do not need to be a fast runner to be an exceptional runner
- If you put your mind in it, you will achieve
- Never be discouraged by the people around u, listen to ur heart & ur support system
- Not everyone who claims to be your friend will be happy about your victories
- For the new mummies out there, where there is a will, there definitely can be a way
- You do not owe anyone any explanation for doing something you love
- Never say never
- It begins with one foot in front of the other
- The victory you will experience after completing that run will stay with u forever, noone can take that away from you
- Some people have genuinely good hearts, they go out of their way to keep you motivated
- By doing what you love, you inspire people around you without being aware of it
Very motivating my dear..to me its not just about your running but having a goal in life, and when you realise that people might destruct you, you shut then off. Well done, continue celebrating yourself..and yes we envy your well toned body.
ReplyDeleteTx my dear, anyone can do it really, the road is free for everyone to use.
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