Karabo Jhamba

If you have been following my blog then you know that this year I am advocating for self care and taking care you first before you take care of anyone else.  I mean, if you are tired, worn out and not recharged how are you going to be able to help anyone else? Like the instructions on the plane, in case of emergencies you get put your mask on first before helping anyone else.

Well, sometimes the road does get very lonely.

I haven’t been running as much as I was at the beginning of the year. Mainly because winter is upon us and it is now colder and the mornings are darker and the evenings are darker as well which means I cannot be out running when I want to for safety reasons. By the time the sun is up my kids are up and life has started to happen and the running is sacrificed for life.

Not only am I getting back to my unfitness levels, but I miss running. So when a colleague offered me the chance to run with her and others, I grabbed it gladly. Why?

1. Because I need the company of others for safety reasons
2. So that I can measure myself and my progress and fitness levels against other runners.

The first run was last week and boy was it hard. I had not run in over 2 months and a km into the run I was struggling, regretting why I had not come up with an excuse to get out of running. I wanted to go back, to quit. But having someone there encouraged me to keep going on and I made it all through the 7.8km run. There was a lot of stopping and walking, but I kept on. I promised myself a run at home, but the weekend has come and gone with it’s challenges.

My take home:

• Never quit, even when the road seems tough
• Practice, practice, practice
• Get a team of cheerleaders around you to cheer you along the way
• Get a team of encouragers and like minded individuals to walk or run your race with you
• The race is still yours, set your own goals and crash them!!!!

Am I going to quit?

Hell NO! I am going to keep at it until I get better. I have a support team now, I am not on my own.

When the road seems tough and lonely, get a team of encouragers around you. People who will lift you up and keep shouting ‘You can do this!’ either from the sides or as they do it with you.