Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 101, December 2017 | Page 25

the volunteer coordinator for the next two years. During that time we hit the
biggest field ever assembled at a South African parkrun, with over 1800 people
participating!”
STEPPING UP
As with all training, the girls eventually hit a plateau in their running, but help
was at hand. The Modderfontein parkrun is close to the Bedfordview Running
Club, and many club members regularly take part in the parkruns. With time
spent together at the parkrun, it was natural that friendships were formed.
“They were so helpful and had good advice on how to improve our running, so
we ended up training more. Instead of only doing twice a week gym sessions
and the weekly parkrun, we now did more runs in the week, too,” says Zoe.
“We started going to the Bedfordview Time Trial and ran the 4km loop every
week. This led to our first 10km race, the Sarens 10km in March 2015,” says
Audrey. “But we really wanted to do a half marathon,” adds Zoe, “and we
wanted it to be a different kind of half, so we decided on Knynsa in July of
2015. We loved the fresh air, the run through the forest, the whole atmosphere,
and we finished in 2:41. That’s when we decided to look for half marathons
that were different to the ones that lie on our doorstep, especially after doing
the Dis-Chem Half in January 2016. Dis-Chem was great fun, but it was litera lly
on our doorstep, and we wanted something different out of our races, so we
decided to do the Peninsula Half Marathon in Cape Town that March.”
PJ’S PIECE
By PJ Moses
CATCH A BUS!
The Peninsula Half includes the scenic coast road from Muizenburg to the finish
at the Naval Grounds in Simonstown, but if the south-easterly wind is blowing,
it can be a tough run into a strong headwind. “Running along that beachfront
was simply amazing, but the wind was something to behold!” recalls Zoe. “That
was tough, really tough, but we still enjoyed it. We were hoping to break our
PB’s there, as the route is almost flat, but with that wind, it was not to be.”
I
was a bit confused the first time I was asked, “Did you catch a bus during the
race?” A bus? Why would I get on a bus in a race? So I felt really stupid when
a friend told me bussing was just groups of runners, often led by one or more
experienced pacesetters, helping each other along to finish a race. (Insert palm
to face moment here, if you please.)
GOOD TIMES
In sticking with their philosophy of running out of town half marathons, Zoe and
Audrey gave the 2017 Kaapsehoop Half Marathon a go this past November,
and there they did succeed in smashing those PBs, taking 12 minutes off their
previous best. “The last 4km were tough and we had to ‘talk nicely’ to ourselves
to get there,” says Audrey. “When we set out on this journey, all we wanted to
do was break 2:30 for the half marathon, so when we ran in at 2:24, we were
ecstatic! We have no ambitions to run anything beyond 21 kays, but would
dearly love to run an international race, and Berlin looks to be the one we will
look at first. And hopefully we will keep inspiring others to join us for a run.”
Forming a bus is natural in running. The lone runner has to do all the work,
whereas a bus works as a collective, with a common goal. They share the
workload and make the kilometres go by much easier, taking your mind off the
pain and fatigue. That’s why buses are a common sight on race day. Even up
at the front, where the elites hang out without much friendly chatting, you’ll
still find groups of runners running together, trying to share the burden of the
run. From a local 10km to the legendary Comrades, the sight of those buses
working hard for each other can bring a tear to the eye.
“Running has a way of getting into the heart
and soul, because not only is it healthy and
good for you, but it’s also great fun”
Unfortunately, there are some runners who feel that buses slow the rest of the
field by taking up too much space on the road, making it hard to pass them,
especially when they slow for a walk break, or that the buses make too much
noise. Others have joined busses and still didn’t reach their time goals, while
some have joined busses where the pace of the bus actually broke them. Blame
the bus? No way, because it’s still your race and your pace. Own it. Harsh, you
say? Like my Ouma used to say, “Tough bananas.”
My advice is to take responsibility for your own race and don’t be too
dependent on a bus. Set your plans for race day and stick to them, but be
flexible, too. You’re free to join any bus, or leave the bus at any time. Enjoy the
banter and share the load, but if that’s not for you, don’t stress, just move past
when you spot a gap. Most importantly, run for the joy, nothing else matters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: PJ is a former Cape Flats gangster who took up
running, and writing about it, when he turned his back on that dangerous
lifestyle in order to set a better example for his two young sons.
25