The team woke up at 3 am and promptly began to get ready (shower, eat etc.) for our races scheduled to start between 5:00 and 6:30 am. We were on the road 45 minutes later and on our way to the FNB Stadium where the race would start but we didn’t anticipate what we would find on the road…TRAFFIC! It was so bad my dad & I had to abandon the vehicle with my wife & mother in it to start running towards the start of the race. It was 2+ kilometers but we made it on time. This served as a forced warm-up!
The race begins: I started off feeling good, feeling strong and decided to pay attention to my environment because I mean, WE WERE RUNNING THROUGH SOWETO! It was so exciting to be running the ‘people’s race’! Barely 5kms into the race we had our first encounter with the people – they were holding out beer and ciders and offering it to runners! They were bizarrely marketing them as energy drinks! LOL! Some runners grabbed the alcoholic beverages and consumed them, while others laughed and ran past but all in all it was an entertaining introduction to the race. These offerings were a constant feature throughout the race. 10+ kilometers into the race and the unforgiving sun started to dish out some serious punishment on all runners. We endured the heat with the help of residents who were outside with hose pipes ready to help you cool down from the brutal temperatures. Others had potato chips and plain old salt to help you hydrate and replenish sodium, while the rest offered various fruit and foods from their personal homes. It all culminated into amazing support that was freely provided out of the goodness of people’s hearts. 20+ kilometers into the race they had speakers blasting South African music with people merrily dancing along at various checkpoints. It was fun to witness and the music (and dance off) gave runners a bit of a push; some boostele! It reminded me of times when I’d be on a training run with my favorite earphones plugged in and the activity started to feel challenging but enjoyable and bearable because of the music. Music keeps you in motion. 30+ kilometers into the race and things started to get real. All marathon runners had name tags pinned on the front of their jersey and when my struggles became apparent bystanders began to encourage me by name – “C’mon Nicholas! You can do it. The finish line is just around the corner.” The part about the finish line being close was mostly a lie but it gave me hope of eventually making it there if I just kept moving forward. I really appreciated the support and the well-meaning lies. I can’t really explain how grateful I felt towards the people and now I know what it feels like to be cheered on and encouraged by strangers when you need it the most. 42.2 kilometers later I was at the finish line exhausted and proud. The Roadrunner Zambia concept was conceived at that very moment and now we’re here. This is what I learnt from this experience:
Beautiful people of Soweto, I hope to see you again soon.
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On this day, last year, I ran my very first full marathon; The Soweto Marathon. I didn't realize it at the time but in retrospect it turned out to be perfect timing and one of the best decisions I ever made. I can't take all the credit though, because I was given more than a little nudge before I got there. After running a handful of shorter distances my father convinced me to go all the way this time around and honestly, I was intimidated by the distance but he encouraged me and convinced me that it was possible. I signed up, trained for it and completed the distance in conditions akin to hell's kitchen! That accomplishment, to this day, remains my proudest moment.
This is my tribute: Dad, you're a role model, marathon veteran and running legend with OG status in my eyes. I want to keep pushing the pace with my running and life like you do. To be better than yesterday. To run harder, run farther than yesterday. You taught me that the marathon was simply a metaphor for life. If you can overcome the hardships presented in a marathon and endure the pain & suffering, then you can overcome anything life throws at you. You're conditioned to keep moving forward no matter how hard it gets because running develops perseverance and character. Thank you for running with me. Now I strive to become to others what you are to me through Roadrunner Zambia. I'm a different beast today because of you...I'm built to endure. Here's how you can learn from those that came before you and help those that will come after you:
Go the distance. I recently ran a poll on my Facebook page asking runners if they struggled for motivation to run in the morning and the results of this poll revealed that 100% of the participants struggle for motivation to run in the morning! I'm hoping this blog can help with that.
The truth is that motivation fades for everyone. You should not depend on it but rather, create a system of habits that incorporate running as part of your every day schedule. This is how I stay consistent with my running: Every night before bed, I lay out all my running gear, accessories and gadgets on a table. I preset an alarm with a label that's typically something like - "No excuses! Get your butt out of bed!" or "Sleep is for broke people. Start running." Once that's done, and I'm settled I start to visualize my run the next morning. I imagine how good it feels to be alive, to be able to run comfortably in the cool, morning breeze. This nightly ritual keeps me locked in and focused and it generates excitement for my next run. Nowadays, what previously required motivation and willpower is now standard operating procedure. I don't feel like running sometimes, but I go out and run regardless. Don’t sit around waiting for the moment when you feel like going for a run, because that moment may never come. The trick is to just go, even when you don’t feel like running. Some of you reading this are employed and some (maybe most) days you don't feel like going for work but you show up anyway. It's the same system you need to employ for your running -- Get up, lace up and show up! All in all, it's not about motivation; it's about the discipline of getting things done by building a system of habits. Here are some tips that you can use to get your runs completed consistently:
Motivation is temporary, discipline is permanent. It's simple really: I run because I really like food and alcohol. Running is my way of detoxification and keeping excess fat off my body. Well, that's the half of it. The other half is I take pride in being a recreational athlete, chasing fitness targets, developing mental resilience and molding my body into something that's visually pleasing.
With that said, every other motivation and benefit obtained from running doesn't hold a candle to the advancements made in mental resilience through running. Fitness and physical appearance are pretty standard motives but it's deeper than that if you dig a little. No other sport tests your perseverance and determination like running. When you run and things get hard there's that little voice in your head that plays tricks on you. It tells you to slow down, to quit, that it hurts and why bother with the pain and burning sensations; no one should volunteer to suffer. However, If you can overcome the desire to quit, the urge to stop, and find the determination to finish what you've started I guarantee that you can and will overcome any other obstacle in life. You won't quit. You won't slow down. Until you get what you want. That's what running can do. That's why I run...so I can finish strong in life. Anyway, I really feel good about myself when I run...especially when I don't feel like it but get it done regardless, I'm sure you do too. There's a feeling of accomplishment there. Take it. And later you can reward yourself with a slice of pizza...or two..and a beer..or more. Run. Eat. Drink. Repeat. Did you win? How fast can you run (insert distance)? How far do you run? You don't look like a runner! I initially struggled to identify as a runner because I didn't look like one, you know, skin-on-bone looking type of runner nor did I run as fast as one. I am naturally built like a tank. I embrace my genetic make-up and strive to be the best athlete I can be in my chosen sport. I get up very early in the morning and I run. Consistently. When people think of runners, they're often bench-marking against the elites. The vast majority of runners aka middle of the pack runners are largely overlooked. We're considered 'flowers' by non-runners; they think we're there for display purposes! Marathons wouldn't be the same without these people, without runners like me (and most likely you who is reading this), to pad the attendance numbers and make it a fun, social experience. Anyway, after a substantial amount of time spent running I still don’t resemble the fitness magazine cover guys or the elite marathon runners, but I’ve managed to stay in good shape, enough to continue showing up to races better than the last time and beating the athlete I was yesterday. If you lace up, show up and run; that makes you a runner. Own it - “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” - (Prov. 23:7) Pro tip: If you run long enough, you’ll come across really inspiring people. Sometimes you’ll even discover that you’re one of them for someone else– especially if you’re struggling. So don’t let the fear of struggling through a run keep you from doing it. You may be just the inspiration someone else needs. |
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