The best time to go fishing (and running)

I often think of that sentiment: "Any day you're too busy too run is a day you're too busy".

Damn right.

I'm totally guilty of getting caught in the same trap even though I know that getting out for a 30 minute run won't cause the Earth to blow up nor the sky to fall down. But I have gaps in my training log because I do get in a state when I have endless lists and never enough time. And when I run less I feel worse and then everything feels like it is going to implode.

Today I stopped in at my local nursery to get some flower seeds. They have a coffee counter there. A framed poster on the wall caught my attention. It had a fish on it (looked a bit like a mounted fish).

It read:

"The best time to go fishing is when you feel like it"

an image I found online

Same goes for running eh? (the only issue here is when your tired, lazy-ass mind tells you that you don't feel like it?)

I haven't run with my husky friends for weeks and weeks. The most convenient days to get the husks are Mondays or Fridays when the domestic worker is there - the gardener takes them on Wednesdays and their dad takes them on weekends. My Mondays have been non-starters with the orienteering schools league stuff and Fridays have been equally rushed and chaotic.

Today I left home just after 11am to collect the dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed my in-the-middle-of-the-day run with them. It felt decadent and indulgent and I loved it.

Toscana (left) and Angel (right)

Me and Toscana's nose

I'd like to confidently proclaim that I'll 'sneak' off more often... but I know the reality is different. But for my sanity - and the dogs' fitness - it would be a good thing to do indeed.

I've got my annual pre-birthday running game coming up soon. I decided to start this year's '39 Days of Running' early (on 25 April) to complete my 39-consecutive days on 2 June, the day before I depart for Expedition Africa, where I'm under no illusion that running every day isn't going to happen. My game was a mess last year because of this (and a sore knee that I bashed into a rock!) so starting early should smooth things.

This annual game always serves to remind me that 30 mins a day is very, very doable. For this period I totally prioritise this game and myself and it works. The rest of the year... I am guilty of letting other things get in the way.

Now is certain. Tomorrow is not.

At races you get to meet really lovely people; and more so during small-field staged races where you spend days together. And very often it is the people that make these races more than the race, location and scenery.

In March 2013 I had the most wonderful opportunity to run in the five-day Namib Desert Challenge for a second time, having run the inaugural event a few years before.

One of the guys that I spent a lot of time with was Dave Gunner, who was out here from the UK with his brother Paul to participate. We ran all of stages 3, 4 and 5 together and as such he is pictured in many of my photographs -  a fine model to showcase the route and scenery and terrain of the race.

It it with sadness that I heard today of his passing from a few weeks ago.

Dave fell ill just after June last year and was diagnosed with leukaemia. He had a bone marrow transplant, which went ok but in January he got a lung infection. He passed away on 7 February 2015; his heart, which was under too much stress, had had enough (information on his health from a family member via a common running friend).

Dave's company and conversation on those long, long stretches at NDC made the race all the more enjoyable and memorable. Reading my daily blog posts and looking at the included photographs is a fresh reminder of the good - but tough - days we spent traversing the Soussousvlei area. We were well-suited running companions.

With 'English Dave' at the end of Stage 4 on top of Dune 45.

The passing of a fit and healthy running friend whose route through life has been cheated out of so many hundreds of kilometres is ever a reminder that for all of us that tomorrow is never a certainty.

Now is.

Stage 5 - Dead Vlei and only a few kilometres from the end. Photo by Hannisze.

Metrogaine Jo'burg on Wed 8 April 2015

With two weeks to go, event and entry info for MetrogaineJo'burg on Wednesday, 8 April 2015 is up.

  

We're starting from Fred's Mindful Runner store in Emmarentia (1 Olifants Rd).

As usual…

PAIRS at R140/pair

PRE-ENTRY only (please, please, please)

60min or 90 min course options

And before another person how asks me how far it is…

You've got a limited time (60mins or 90mins).

What you do in this time doesn't matter to me. Walk, run, crawl, sit-under-a-tree, go for coffee nearby. All that I'm concerned about is that you're back before your course cut-off. You can do what you want - whether 1km or 18km - just don't be late.

As it is school holidays, bring your children. Start 'em young.

I hope to see you there.

I still don't get Twitter

Yes, I am on Twitter. In fact, I have two accounts. One is for FEAT-related content (@AdventureFEAT) and the other is mine, which I use for adventure racing/running/event content (@AdventureLisa).

I'm not very good at using either and although I post tweets here and there, I don't 'follow' anything or anyone on Twitter with any regularity. Actually, with none at all.

It's probably because I administer a bunch of websites, Facebook pages and email group lists that Twitter is, for me, the straw that breaks this social-media camel's back.

A few years ago I followed the Red Bull X-Alps event online with live tracking, and with Twitter. There were not that many people on Twitter and the content was very constructive - like notifications by followers of the weather conditions, when competitors were taking to the air.  This meant that I didn't have to keep an eye on tracking all the time and if something what happening, we found out about it immediately on Twitter. But now, with thousands more people on Twitter now, there's just too much traffic and nonsense to make Twitter of any use (I'll stick with online tracking).

And I enjoy using and following Twitter for Expedition Africa, where all tweets relevant to this expedition adventure race are hashtagged #expafrica.

For me, Twitter is that much of too much although I do appreciate that it is the social medium of choice for many.