Finding anything is hard when you start in the dark, never mind finding one’s satellites. In fact, judging from the Old Goat’s face he is having trouble finding his sense of humour. But hats off to him – it was meant to be his rest day. I had 40 minutes of marathon pace on the cards so he bravely did a recovery run after the 35km he’s done over the last two days. That’s the kind of vasbyt that gets a person through something like Comrades – the kind of vasbyt that I’m still looking for.
Now that I have been relegated to the rank of second for the Big C, my new season has started. In fact, my New Year’s eve is normally a private affair held on the night of Comrades. While the runners are moaning and groaning and reaching for the Myprodol, I celebrate the start of a new year and make my New Season’s Resolutions. I will get stronger, I will get faster, I will run until my eyeballs bleed and so forth and so on.
According to my Comrades-running daughters, my problem is that I always have a plan B. This gives me an “out” when the going gets tough. I do see their point of course but it’s awfully hard to break a habit.
Anyway, onwards and upwards – bring on the 10 kay races – I need to break 1:03! And bleed from the eyeballs while I’m doing it…..There will be no plan B!