Ma letters
Have YOUR SAY
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( Note that these letters may have been shortened due to space limitations .)
WINNING LETTER
MARRIED TO A NON-RUNNER
I am a runner . I love to run . I need to run ! Running is my thing , my world . It makes me happy . My husband is not a runner . He tried to be a runner … then ‘ life ’ got in the way … but I kept running . I have found a passion inside me for running . I live for ‘ race-cations ’ because I get to run in different places ! My husband does not understand why I ’ d spend so much time researching and planning a running route while on vacation . He just does not get it .
I get the runner ’ s high ; my husband thinks it ’ s just something runners say . I love to run local races ; he doesn ’ t get why I pay money to run somewhere I could run for free any other day of the week . I do my best to take care of myself by eating right most of the time , and putting in the long hours of training , so I can be a better runner . He tells me all the time , it ’ s just one meal , or you can skip this time .
If I don ’ t get in my run , I ’ m grumpy . He ’ s grumpy when I tell him I ’ ve got to first get my run in . Saturday morning I ’ m up early so I can get in my long run . He knows how much I love to sleep , and for the life of him can ’ t understand why I ’ d get out of a perfectly comfortable bed that early to go for a run . After a long race , I hurt all over , sometimes for days . I can ’ t even get up from sitting down , and don ’ t even get me started about going down stairs . He thinks I ’ m crazy when I say I ’ m doing it again the very next weekend !
I take up more than half of our closet , mostly filled with running clothes , gear , shoes and socks . I can go into every store in the mall and find nothing to wear , but give me one athletic store and I could break the bank ! This he does not understand either . ( I spend most of my extra cash on entry fees , and everything else that has to do with running . He does not know exactly how much this is , and that part I ’ d like to keep to myself .)
But … He is my biggest fan and supporter . He spends hours and hours listening to me talk about running . He may not be at every local 5km , but for all others he is right there with me at the starting line , whether that is 5am or 8am , and cheering me on as I come through the finish . He will have supper cooked when I walk in the door from an after-work run .
He does not get running . But he gets me , and he knows how much it makes me happy . And in the end , that is all that matters . – Lizette Du Plessis , Stellenbosch
Sounds like you have the perfect non-running partner , Lizette … long as you don ’ t take any more of his closet space for more running gear ! – Ed .
INSPIRING THE KIDS
I am proud to say that we are a family of runners . My husband is amazing . I admire his extreme dedication and hard work every single day . He has a very proud silver Comrades medal and a Washie medal , to name but a few . I , on the other hand , am a proud finisher ... most of the time . I didn ’ t finish my last two attempts at Comrades due to a back injury , but I have two Comrades medals and two from the Two Oceans . I have recently discovered a new love ... It ’ s called trail running , the ultimate combination of hiking and running . Double win , people !
My daughter Eminje has also discovered a love for running and this is our big joy . Every kiddy dash is like the equivalent of a Comrades finish to her ! She is so very proud of each 1km race that she finishes , and this makes our hearts so very proud . She will bolt and very proudly announce another Comrades medal ! ( The pic here is of Eminje and I at the Cowhouse Market Trail Run in January , where she came third in the kiddies dash !
To inspire our youth is what really counts . So be an example to your kids . Go out and conquer your first milestone ! Be it a 5km walk or a Comrades finish . Inspire ! Create a nation that tries , trains and attempts ! – Janeane Watt , Pretoria
I well remember the excitement of my first medals , so brilliant to hear that your daughter has taken to running thanks to the example of her parents . – Ed .
THE OLD WAYS ARE BEST
I read the article by Frankie Hunt ( Two Myths Busted , January edition ) with interest , yet still with some sorrow . The diet he recommends is fine , the cross country running is fine , yet everyone wants to work against a stopwatch . In contrast , one of the greatest athletic coaches of all times , Percy Cerutti of Australia , was showing the rest of the world in the 60 ’ s how to really condition
Images : Fotolia , Wikipedia , Courtesy Janeane Watt
6 ISSUE 92 MARCH 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za