Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 96, July 2017 | Page 33

water! I also picked up a speed trainer to ensure my
tennis didn’t go out the window… and downs, and the road is never smooth, but you
have to trust that the highs will outweigh the lows.
A few months down the line I entered the 94.7 Cycle
Tour as a training race, and again, disaster: 30km into
the race I fell off my bike and broke my scaphoid in
my wrist! What did I do? Obviously, I got back on my
bike, carried on and finished the race, then did a 1km
swim event, and only after that I was put into plaster
for 12 weeks… which did neither my training nor my
bonkers, adventurous personality any good. I just
carried on with what I could, including some running
in the Eastern Cape and loads of spinning classes.
Then in June 2016 I did it, I completed my first Half
Iron. I was so proud of what I had overcome, and
what it had taken to get there… but now it was done…
and I needed a new, exciting challenge. I’ve had my fair share of highs and lows over the
past two years: I was on crutches three times, I had
a broken arm, I had fallings out with friends, I had
family troubles, I faced huge obstacles at work and I
had financial instability, but on the other hand I had
adventure, I learnt new skills, I learnt about myself, I
learnt to appreciate those who love and support me
unconditionally, and I learnt that you can do anything
if you put your whole heart into it.
In the Deep End
Trail running. I wanted to do trail running. So what did
I do? No, I didn’t enter a littl e starter 10km, I entered
the Three Cranes Challenge in February this year, a
three-day stage trail run with the daily distances of
28km, 41km and 22km! And why did I enter that?
Because I needed accommodation for a wedding in
that area on the middle day of the race! Crazy, I know,
but that was the weekend I got bitten by the trail
running bug.
The weekend was amazing. On the Saturday I did
63,000 steps as I completed 41km, then went to a
wedding, had two hours of sleep, and ran the next
day. Added to that, the final day was cold, wet and
miserable, and my knee was in excruciating pain, but
was I going to quit? No! Was I going to bail on the
last day? Absolutely not. I just walked day three. I
was slow, I was sore, I was grumpy, and I looked as
though I had run the entire way on my face, but I
Three Cranes Trail Run
finished. And I recovered.
The point is that had I listened to everyone telling me
what I couldn’t do, I would never had experienced
these things. I would never have learnt what it’s like
to cross the finish line of an Ironman, I would never
have known how much I love trail running, and I
would never have known what I was really capable of.
The point is that if you want something in this world,
it’s up to you to go and get it. No-one can stop you,
just as no-one can do it for you. You have to make it
happen, and while you’re doing it, you may as well “go
big or go home.”
So what makes my heart sing? Tennis is my first love,
but I am so much more than that. I love adventure,
challenges, being active and pushing my boundaries,
and I will continue to do these things, whether people
think I can or not, because at the end of the day we
have to find the things we love and we have to do
them. So who knows what else lies out there for me.
Maybe I’ll see you all at the Dusi…
In Trail Goat mode
Life Lesson Learnt
I am still looking forward to many more exciting
adventures out there, and making friends along the
way. I often sit back and think of what I would have
missed out on had I not followed my heart and done
all of these exciting things. Sure, it comes with ups
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