Running , racing and appreciating this beautiful month with fellow females all over South Africa makes August a beautiful month . I also appreciate the fact that I ’ m able to travel the country again to take part in races , spending quality ‘ sistertime ’ with Christine , and enjoying a full night ’ s sleep ( without my daughter Karli ), where not even race day nerves can wake me up at night ! My journey back to full fitness over the past year after the injury and my pregnancy , has been quite a rollercoaster ride , filled with many ups and downs and a lot of mixed emotions . What I have learnt over the past year is to really appreciate my health and mobility , and not to compare myself to the younger , fitter and faster René I used to be . I have also learnt to enjoy the small victories along this new journey of running while being a working mom , and that includes being selected to represent Central Gauteng at the SA 21km Champs in PE in July . I can ’ t even remember when last I wore the red and black CGA vest , but I was very proud and excited to represent my province again .
Friendly Rivalry
After a running career of more than two decades , I have also come to realise that running is actually not an individual sport . In the past , I would never have discussed my race goal and strategy with a fellow competitor , but that has recently changed , as I have experienced the value of working together as a team to achieve individual goals . For example , on the start line in PE I told my KPMG teammate Stella Marais ( running for Gauteng North ) what my goal was and we decided to work together . Then 1km into the race
|
we caught up with Anel Terblanche , another KPMG teammate who was running for Western Province and told her what our goal was . It was similar to her goal , so she too joined the pack .
Stride for stride we ran together , handing each other water sachets at the water tables and chasing down the girls in front of us . At the end , Stella sneaked into the top 10 , I finished 11th and Anel 12th . It was celebrations all round on the finish line , with Stella and Anel crushing their PB ’ s by more than two minutes . I was also impressed with my sub-80min , which was my best 21km time in more than two years . The KPMG team was also over the moon with Christine ’ s great podium finish , as she claimed third place in 1:15:34 .
Girls ’ Day Out
Next stop was the fourth leg of the Spar Grand Prix series in Pretoria , always a highlight on the running calendar . This time around I arranged with 20 girls
Christine on the podium
|
In the race , I finished 20th in a time of 38 minutes and was very happy to be back in the top 20 . What made the day more special , however , was the time spent at the stadium with the Vorentoe girls after the race . They really had a great time dancing to Denim , sliding down the grass embankments on cardboard boxes , and generally just having a ball . The balloons were also a big hit and we had to take LOTS of them back to Johannesburg to decorate their rooms back at the school .
We finished the day with a McDonalds burger , Coke and Ice-cream – the way Women ’ s Month should be celebrated – and both the girls and I are already looking forward to the final Spar Women ’ s Race at Marks Park in Johannesburg in October ! I am thankful once again for Spar , for inspiring and supporting women in general by getting thousands of women , young and old , to do some exercise while spending time with precious friends . # GirlPower
Hanging with the Vorentoe girls
|
Images : Roger Sedres / ImageSA & courtesy René Kalmer |