Game on!

I have quickly realized that one cannot water down Ironman training. You either are in or you are out. If you are half in you will always be anxious and you will constantly feel that you could have done more in the weeks coming and going. You will always feel unprepared. This will hang over you like a heavy burden.

I cannot believe that we have 2 months to go and then it is the race of my life. Time has flown and the weeks have just come and gone. I have had a knee problem for a year and can feel the fatigue in it at times. I haven’t been able to put in the running miles for weeks now and this concerns me. There is 2 months to go and I am not feeling ready. I know I will be able to finish and complete an Ironman tomorrow, but I know that I won’t enjoy it. I am competitive person and I don’t want to have to walk the marathon because of my knee. I want to run the thing and I want to smash it!! I want to walk to that start line and be ready, feel ready and be fit. I know I am fit but I am not fit enough and not where I should be. I know the first Ironman is a learning curve but as I said before, I am a competitive person and I want to feel ready. I pray I am ready!

This term at school is a busy one. There are lots of things coming up as the year is coming to a close. Lots of functions to attend to, activities weeks to go on (France) and reports to write. But that is life and sometime life will get in the way of your training. But you cannot keep making excuses. If you always have an excuse to not do it you will always have an excuse never to get the job done. That goes for all walks of life. I am tired of not putting it in, I am tired of making silly excuses. Now is the time to get stuck in and to step up the hours weekly from 7-8 hours to 15-18 hours per week. This is going to be a challenge but I know that it is only going to make me stronger and I know that coming out of my comfort zone and stretching myself will only be rewarded on the 31^st July 2011. I have decided to run this week, run a lot and to see how my knee holds out. I need to step out in Faith and believe that my knee is healed and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I am more than a conqueror. I will conquer this and not feel defeated!

On Tuesday and Thursday morning I went riding in Richmond Park at 5am for 2 and half hours before school. I cannot tell you how beautiful this time of the morning is. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. To my surprise, there were many riders out, riding their bikes. What a pleasure! I am all the better for it and know that this is a great way to start my day.

This week my cousin gave birth to a beautiful 2.75kg girl. Mila Michelle Robert. She had a home water birth! What an inspiration and what an experience. I am so proud of them. What really struck me was that not many women in South Africa do this and it is unheard of. But what really hit home to me was that she stepped out in Faith and trusted her body- no drugs, no tubes- el naturel!! How beautiful is that and what an experience. It made me believe and trust in my body again. I am at the stage where I am fit, but now I need to push. I have the base but now I need to push myself and push to the next level- which is HARD. I need to start going long now. I am looking forward to it as I know that I need to be like Jules (my cousin) and ‘trust my body’ and know that everything will be OK.

This week is going to be yet another week of juggling. I am just going to have to put in training time wherever I can and when I can. As I said before, you can only do what you can when you can but don’t waste precious time. I can’t afford to anymore- no more excuses.

I look forward to blogging next week and tell you all about my 16 hour week! So on that note, have an awesome one. Book that race you want to do, book that trip to climb that mountain you always have wanted to climb but never got round to doing, run that marathon you have been planning on running for years now, go and book that race or activity you always have wanted to do- as life is too short to procrastinate and to think ‘tomorrow I will go for that run, or hit the gym’ do it today. Life is a brevity- it is short.

Love you all and enjoy this sunny week ahead J

Blessings

Lou xxx

PS: All the very best of luck to my Lady Rugga Girl- Linda Dlamini. She made top 12 and am so proud of her! I back you my sista you are doing great things! Love you my Mfwazi xx