That's why I run....

The challenge was accepted for the Spar Ladies 10 km race by my intrepid running sisters, Cath, Cand and Karen..  What fun we had!  But can I tell you my favourite part of the whole thing??  I ran it all alone....  We each did....  Now that might sound strange, "why was running all by yourself the best part?"...  The answer is because I got to spend an 1hour 11mins on that chilly Sunday morning with just myself, only me!  I got to encourage myself up the hills, tell myself I could do it and then prove myself right...  I got to breathe the cool morning air deep into my lungs on each breath and be so grateful for it...  I got to celebrate all the training I had done and realise that it had paid off because I didn't feel tired once during the race.. And most importantly, I got to witness wonderfully amazing strangers doing exactly what I was doing, without saying a word..

That's why I run...  To celebrate myself - to know that if I put the effort in, it will pay off...  To celebrate others - to wait at the finish line for my sisters, who cross it with the same red face, weary legs and BEEEG smile and know that they feel exactly the same way I do in that moment...

That's why I run...  That's why I will keep on putting one foot in front of the other...

Are you up for the challenge?

Today marked the 4th week since saying bye-bye to my appendix... It also marked the 1st week of saying hello to training again... With slight trepidation, and a real urge to rather have a glass of wine on the patio, I went for a jog and was so super excited to enjoy it!  Starting off slow my chest burned, my knees ached, my boobs bounced (well they always bloody do that actually!) but despite all this uncomfortableness, I found myself grinning from ear to ear the whole way.  It felt so good to exercise again, sun on my face, wind in my hair etc etc - the normal clichés blah blah blah, but seriously I really enjoyed it.  I really do count myself lucky to enjoy running!

So, putting syrupy sweet cliches aside, armed with a training programme from Runner's World online (fabulous site, all the info you can think of www.runnersworld.co.za) my first goal is to get 5km fit in 5 weeks..  And then a 10km in October! My running soul sister, Catherine Momberg, and I are going to enter the Spar Ladies Race at Wanderers we think...  And so I thought of challenging you my lovely readers (all three of you hehehehe)... Who will pledge to do it with me and Cath on the 12th of October? Let's celebrate the fact that we CAN run, and have some fun together doing it??  It can be the 5km race or the 10km... Any takers??

The lining around my appendix has been silver..

Only a week after starting up my lil'ol blog again, I have experienced a little snag in the running, and thus writing, works...  The snag being a silly little organ called an appendix - which has no use to us now but which my google-loving husband tells me was once used to help us digest tree bark we ate many many millennia ago. It reared its tiny head and decided to get a bit agitated! Long story short, it had to come out!  So, one appedisectomy later, I am now a little immobile and unable to run for approximately three whole weeks, yikes!

This weeks blog was going to be about how deeply grateful I am that I love to run - I might not be good at it, or fast at it, or graceful at it AT ALL but man I do enjoy it!  Take for example last week, before the weekend appendix episode, I did a couple of late afternoon runs. I remember smelling the Jasmine that's blooming which means spring is around the corner, I said hello to people in their gardens and out walking which means the winter hibernation is nearly over, and I felt the sun against my skin because my arms and legs weren't hidden under layers of winter clothes... This is what running means to me, its about getting out into the fresh air and using all the senses at one time. And now that I have been told I cannot do that for three weeks, I am even more grateful because I know how much I am going to miss it - it's been the silver lining around my eina operation!

Its all coming out a bit mushy and sickeningly Hollywood like - I'll blame the Stilpane tablets for that...  But seriously I think some other runners might agree with me yes?  Anyway,  watch this space in a few weeks time, because I'll have to start from scratch again fitness wise and I might need all of your support to do it.. And it might not be all jasmine and spring-time then when I'm just trying to make it round the block hey!

Hi, I'm Imogen and it's been three years since my last Blog...

With blushing cheeks and tail between legs, I sheepishly am starting up my beloved blog once again.. A lot has happened since we last saw each other  - I married the kindest, most amazing man I could ever have imagined and thankfully he is an exercise-fan.  Life is generally excellent with many ups and downs just to keep it interesting.

Running has remained a constant albeit frustrating friend throughout the last three years..  Kind of like that running buddy who doesn't stop talking the whole run, they friggin irritate the life out of you but you love them so much that you make a plan to go for a jog with them the next day! I seriously injured my hip this time last year but through rest and a lot of frustratingly poor advice and then some fantastically great help, I am now finally back to running 4 times a week with no pain!  Goal set for 2015 - my first half marathon!

So here goes the blog again... I hope to make it a blog that will make you laugh, think, cry and maybe want to be like me and try and find some balance, meditation, and answer to some of my worries by simply putting one foot in front of the other..

Toodles,
Imogen