Soweto Marathon Journey

I’m so grateful for all the love and support I’ve received #OnMyWayTo10K with Future Life. It only makes sense for me to share more about the highs and lows and most importantly the COMPLETTION of the 10km Soweto Marathon! Of course it didn’t come easy, here’s the story…

 

In the beginning…

It seemed impossible to get 10K ready within 8 weeks. It may sound like a lot of time for some, but this challenge came at a time when I was super unfit and insanely busy, but that’s the whole point of a challenge right?! As promised by the Run Walk For Life (RW4L) team, a realistic training programme was put together to ensure that I would be ready in the given time.

 

What I loved most about my 8-week journey…

Seeing the  knock-on effect that my journey has had on others. I’ve loved the stories of people telling me how they have started with their own fitness goals, eating healthier, having Future Life for breakfast and asking me about the various RW4L Clubs. This path has been much bigger than me and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Over and above this, I’ve loved seeing the progress I was making each week by meeting my nutritional and fitness goals. I would do a weigh-in and measurements on Wednesdays. Just like most things, I need to see the little pieces of the bigger vision coming together gradually.

 

Habits I’m taking forward…

• Having breakfast every day. With Future Life it was honestly so much simpler because the Smartfood is easy to prep. All I had to do was warm up my low fat milk and mix together.
• Making smart-swops, like having a burger with one bun, instead of two;  a salad with my meals instead of chips; Low GI/Health Bread instead of brown bread. It’s really that basic; I just had to break the small bad habits I had become accustomed to.
• Working out 3 times a week, even if its at home. A bad workout is better than no workout!
• Having a protein snack in and around training to speed up recovery and build muscle .

The moment I got discouraged…

Losing weight was never part of the bigger goal but I felt so good and motivated once I had dropped 1,4kg; so I couldn’t help but feel disheartened when I saw myself regaining 1kg the following week. My dietician was quick to remind me that the weight gain could have been the result of several factors like water retention or bloating and she encouraged me to remain consistent with my goals; indeed the following week I had lost it again.

Midway…

 

What I found the most challenging…

Having to change the whole family’s schedule for me to make my training sessions. I would leave work earlier 3 times a week to get to my training, then get home and help with homework, cook, play, put the kiddies to bed and then catch up on the work that I missed out on. Then there were the Friday’s when my nanny had the weekend off – the kids became regulars at Run Walk for Life and were fortunately, well accommodated.

The night before Soweto Marathon…

I couldn’t sleep. I got into bed at 10pm, but I just could not settle my mind.

 

The morning of the marathon, I was most excited about…

Seeing Angie and DJ Capital who have been run-walking this very same journey with me over the last 8 weeks. It was not only good to see them again, but comforting to know that we were in this together. Their energy rubbed off positively on me and took away the anxiety I had the previous night.

 

 

 

Most challenging part of Soweto Marathon…

That steep on Soweto Highway was unforgiving, combined with the heat. No words for it. Which leads me to…

What I would have done better…

When I was training by myself in my neighbourhood, I strategically chose the route with the flattest roads. It was good for me to build the muscle memory for longer distances, but when I think back, I think I did myself a bit of a disservice.

Best moment during the marathon…

Seeing the Future Life Team cheering for me just before the 6km mark (and just before that notorious steep). The timing was brilliant!

What is different…

My views on nutrition. Eating healthy is not punishment and salads can be exciting if you add your favourite ingredients!

 

The great lesson I’ve learnt along the way…

Is that I do not have to feel guilty about taking some time out to do something that’s good for me. The 3 hours I spent on training each week were so good for me – I got to clear my mind from frustrations during the day and got home much more cheerful.

 

21kms next year…

I’ll answer this once my muscles stop aching!

 

 

Thank you again to everyone that supported me.

I’m super grateful to all the parties that made this happen: Future Life, Mr Price Sport, Tom Tom Sport, and Planet Fitness