My big boy <3

I don't often do the mushy mom thing... but just look at these photos on the school's gallery - from today's handing out of the Grade 7 Farewell Invites!





I am loving how grown up and relaxed in himself he is looking!

Quinn the next pop idol!?

He'll kill me if I put this on FB, so I'll have to share it here... (until he sees it anyway)...

This is one of the funniest things I have heard in a long time. Breaking voice and everything.

Griffin was making a sandwich and Quinn wanted some, so he recorded himself asking about the sandwich and begging for some, and then 'songifiy'ed it.

http://khu.sh/songify_526d540c741ca&v2

It is ridiculous. But it's also so pathetic I want to get up and make the child a damned Peanut Butter Sandwich! :)

I have heard worse stuff on the radio, so this is proof that any old crap can be reworked and turned into a 'song', and also explains how Paris Hilton managed to make an album. LOL.

My Life is like a Whirlwind

My life is never quiet or particularly calm. As a full-time working single-mom with no support that's pretty much a given. Add to that that I try to run 40-60km per week, and do yoga at least once a week, and like to get to the gym too (hasn't happened recently though). And rather like socialising *grin*. And then there's the whole dating-game 'relationship' stuff... And well, there's rarely ever a dull moment. But the past 2 weeks have been particularly full-throttle! 

I have been browsing the property market casually as I wanted to buy an investment property to rent out as part of my retirement saving strategy - I have no other retirement savings yet. I made a few enquires, and looked around a little and was considering options. 

I had also decided it was high time I got around to doing some maintenance and upkeep on my own home so had replaced the dilapidated thatch lapa we had with a more modern, neat and clean flat-roofed structure. After that I had to fix up the pool which the builders had trashed which took quite some doing. Then it was time to get kitchen quotes and get the exterior cleaned up, cracks patched and painted etc.

This afternoon 2 weeks ago at around 3pm I saw a little house on-line. An hour later I left the office to go look at it. Then followed a full week-end of chores, shopping and activities and errands including a Silvermine braai.

Late on the Sunday night I did the sums, ran the numbers and decided to buy the house! I drafted my own Offer to purchase and sent it in. On Monday I met with the agent and submitted a formal offer on their forms. The rest of the week was spent wrangling that and then starting the process to look for tenants and to find a way to finance it and starting the process of releasing fund wherever I can find them (like in my current home loan) and having to pay deposits and deal with the biggest bitch of a conveyancing attorney ever. (Can I just say, that I am never dealing with STBB EVER again!)

Then my sister had an emergency op on Monday too. She went in to GP for what was an assumed minor annoyance, but was referred to specialist, and booked straight to theatre right there and then. So I had to do what I could to help as needed and keep in contact and be supportive (much less than I wish I could have!!). She had a major downswing on Thurs and thought she was dying as she couldn't stand or see and started vomiting etc! It turned out she had contracted the Staphylococcus bacteria!!  Which recently DID kill several people in Cape Town. Flippen scary stuff! Yikes.

Then I also worked a normal full 45-hour week. On top of my normal job of managing a team of 20, our UK directors were down for the week to do 2014 strat sessions. So in addition to my normal job we had to sit in 2014 planning sessions for 2-4 hours every day and provide input and report on stuff etc. I also had to prep a presentation for the monthly management meeting and look at hiring and firing a couple of people... 

In between I was still trying to juggle the usual running of my personal life, homework, shopping etc and including having a domestic, new gardener and the painter at my house most of the week. And then advertising the new house and looking for a tenant.

That was all during the day. At night I had stuff on every night:

Monday:  I had a birthday dinner with A (which I literally rushed to after a hospital visit/drop at home, car retrieval from the hospital exercise for my sister), and had to arrange a gift just before, pretty much on the way.  

Tuesday: we had a boy staying over from a Khayelitsha school exchange (same boy as last year, Sandile), so I had to do a decent dinner and entertain them and then Quinn went there on Wednesday (I had to draw the line at being able to provide lifts although I would have liked to). 

Wednesday: I had to do a quick hardware store run and get dinner for Griff and get a baby sitter and then dashed to a Gun Run helpers planning meeting, and then I RUSHED to a business dinner with the directors, that turned into quite a shindig and a 2am drinking session.

Thursday: night was thankfully calm and quiet. Just yoga and I crashed into bed as soon as I could after that (still almost 11pm I think)... I was exhausted!

Friday: Was corresponding with about 50 prospective tenants and paying the deposit on the house and working out when I could get keys to start showing the place, than at 8pm I had to go to the school 80s disco party. Honestly I wanted to die rather than go, I was SO TIRED. But I went and ended up staying till 1:30am and had so much fun! 

Saturday: I ran 26km and then did a bunch of errands and shopping and stuff, then visited a friend, put together 3x pirate costumes and then we went over to A for dinner and a sleep-over and then 

Sunday: we were all up at 05:30 to go Marshal the Gun Run (leaping around and yelling encouragement and waving a flag from 06:30 am till the end) and then dashed home to do a quick run and shower/change and then head to a friend in Kommetjie for an awesome catch-up and braai :) We got home at 19:30 and then had to help Griffin do his oral for monday which he'd just remembered.  Then emailed a zillion tenants and made plans for viewings and then had to tell the painter I was not entirely happy with his work and he must come back to finish the job.

Got to work at 7am on Monday morning to hit the ground running. It has been quite a non-stop week again too. Including some interesting new and emotionally challenging teenage issues cropping up and 2x sleep-outs and being chastised from my internet usage being too high at work (oops).

After showing the house on Monday evening and getting quite good interest, I did another showing on Wednesday and it is taken. A tenant is signed up for a year starting on 1 Nov for a year and 1.5 month's deposit paid in cash. Boom!

A is super productive, efficient and good at juggling lots at the same time but even he has been impressed with how much I have done and how fast! If you followed that house timeline you'll notice that I went from first hearing about the house to having bought it and signed up a tenant in 12-days!

So it has been a highly busy, productive couple of weeks, and has for the most part been really successful, but there's only so much of this I can do before I crack. I am not a natural at handling so much and so much pressure with applomb. Especially on limited sleep (and too much alcohol). I am planning to keep the next week as calm and quiet as I can!

I am not bored or lonely anymore that's for sure! :) :) :)

Senti-mental

One  of the things I have sorted out recently was reviewing and updating my insurance policy and coverage. 

So the call centre guy was asking about valuable jewelry and watches and how much it needs to be covered for. I said I had none... He was disbelieving when I said I really have NO jewelry or watches of any major value at all. (And apparently I am already covered up to about R15k anyway)

Then I said, 'No wait I do have a ring my ex gave me but it's not worth a lot, maybe R5k..? And anyway it really has no sentimental value.' 

I was quick to counter that it wasn't meant to have come across as bitchy as it may have sounded, just that to be honest I'd be much more upset if my running shoes, HR Monitor or iPOD were stolen so maybe I should rather specify those?? 

He burst out laughing and thought it was really funny. He said 'I love your honesty'.  

It's funny cos it's TRUE!

 

We're all mad here!

We have a really cool bunch of people here at work. We work in one of those big corporates where it is so easy to become beige and boring, but the spirit, gees and colourful 'personality' our group has is really wonderful. We work-hard, play-hard and BRING IT! to whatever we do. Long hours are worked and because for many they spend the greater portion of their lives here they make a point of making it pleasant to be here. There is much friendship, fun and camaraderie.

During this year we had to move out of our cool corner of the building offices. Offices where we had gorgeous views of the mountain, and had set the place up to suit us and had our own rules (including our own desktop support guy to avoid the wait and frustrations of the standard corporate rules and regulations). We moved into the centre of the building and into a completely open plan and 'vanilla' area. There really was no personality or vibe there at all. But the one wall had a mountain image wall papered all over it...

It didn't take long for the wallpaper to start being decorated. Slowly but surely there are eagles, fish, bats, lions, meerkats and monkeys appearing on the mountain.

When I came back from my Borneo Mountain expedition in May I appeared up there, and there is now even a flying pig!

It just quietly happens, there's no planning, discussion or comment. Things just appear there.

Bokkies, leaping guys, birds, hedgehogs, butterflies, hikers, 4x4s etc.

Elephant & Bat

Flying Pig!

3D soaring Eagle and me summiting Mt Kinabalu!

Most recently there have had an ongoing silent saga with a monkey (I put him up in the first place). He has been brutally bullied and victimised. At first I put him comfortably nestled in the hills. Then he was suddenly on the other side on a plain painted wall. I put him back several times over the next few days. He kept reappearing on the opposite wall again. Then one day he was on the microwave. Next day he was in the freezer. Then he was found precariously placed on the guillotine, right under the blade!!

Eventually someone gave him a banana after he cried out for help in desperation.

THIS is what we are about and this is what makes us AWESOME!

I love this kind of thing!! :)

The Satori Camel Run - Take #2

I have run the Satori Camel Run twice now. The first time was last year. I mentioned it HERE  

It is a '10 miler classic' so is 16.1km long and runs through Noordhoek on road, trail, hills and valleys.

This year it came at the end of a VERY cold and stormy week, where freezing cold, wind, rain and general mayhem had dominated the week. It was so bad that throughout the day before we'd been getting messages from the race organisers saying the field were flooded so parking areas had to be closed and shifted to the nearby streets, the beach was flooded, so the route had to be changed to bypass the beach etc. As a result when the storms were raging the day before the race I was really reluctant to have to wake up early and make the trek over the mountain to run in the elements. It just didn't sound like a fun idea AT ALL. I actually moaned about not wanting to go on FaceBook, and the inimitable Michelle Cupido told me that many people had not been able to get an entry for this race and so if I HAD one I had better damn-well pitch up and do it! Yes ma'am  And also as you should know by now, I am nothing if not dedicated to my commitments (I don't commit easily, but when  do I stick to it!). So I decided, come hell or high water, I would get up and GO.

So up I got on that dark and stormy morning (which was so called 'Spring Day' PAH!) and off I went at sparrow's fart and in the dark. Driving through low cloud and pouring rain all the way and dressed like an eskimo. When I arrived and finally found parking way up a side street, I ended up sitting my car for a good 15-20 minutes just deciding whether to actually get out and go run the damn race or not. I wasn't feeling all that well either. Meh. So not my best start to a race ever at all. 

Eventually I mustered the resolve to get going, spurred on by Beryl & Bridget banging on my window as they passed by in high spirits - as always. As luck would have it despite the chill nip in the air, and much water and mud everywhere, the weather had actually lifted and the rain seemed to be temporarily at bay.

So with pre-race routines sorted it was time to line up and get ready to go. I seeded myself near the front and soon we were off. 

I had a slow and sluggish start, but soon got into a comfortable pace and enjoyed the crisp air and festive crowd. Before we knew it we'd entered the Cape Point Vineyard and start the climb up THAT hill. It's a killer. I ran it until that very last crazy-steep section where walking actually becomes faster than running. Once up that I felt strong and was ready for a crazy fast descent down the otherside, only to find the other side pretty muddy, eroded and slippery from all the rain, so a bit of caution was needed there. But it was still a fast and fun decent. At the bottom we were waved on by a large toad - who I considered stopping to kiss, but was too focused on keeping a good pace up so I ploughed on.

I kept going. My time last year was JUST shy of 1:30 and I hoped to beat, or at least match that. This year I got to Monkey Valley still feeling good. Last year I was already taking strain at this point. I was even managing to pass some people which was nice. On I ran actually enjoying the cool weather. The detour we took in the neighbourhood instead of the beach and dunes made it a bit easier for me and avoided all the sand in the shoes which was nice. In fact I'd managed to stay pretty clean and dry...

And then we had to run the loop through the farmlands section which is in the last 3-4 kms. Well despite my best efforts to avoid the mud and water puddles eventually I came to what can only be described as a mini-dam and there was no way around it. I thought what the hell and just ran straight through the middle. Getting wet right up to the middle of my calves! After that with soggy shoes I just ploughed through whatever was in front of me. There was no point in trying to be delicate about it anymore! I was still feeling pretty strong and pressed on to complete those last couple of kilometers and managed to finish in a very respectable 1:26 and few seconds and in 89th place (second finisher from my club). Results are HERE.

Those 'Camel Droppings' (Date balls) at the end are divine and I love the Buffs instead of medals idea too. So useful. Great bragging rights and good advertising for the club.

The end was a cold, wet and muddy but festive affair where I discovered everyone was there: Lorien, Michelle, David, Beryl, Bridget, El, Adele, Morne, Will, Zaheed, Ellie, Moira, Andy etc etc. In the end I loved it and was really glad I'd gone.

It is a lovely race and one I am sure I will be back for again next year! :)

Spring Series: Win or Dye trying!

I have been going on about the Merrell Spring Night Series for the past 2  weeks now.

I may have mentioned how much I have enjoyed myself..? ;) So although the final race this week was sold out, and I had not entered (as I was meant to be away), I just had to go back and finish what I started.

I was hell bent on getting an entry and going back to chase that damned 'podium finish' which I thought was in my reach. I was told there would possibly be entries going on the day - IF there were no-shows. I'd also heard that there was a dress-up theme for the final race of 'colourful'. And a prize for the best dressed.

Well that sealed it! I would either win by being fast, or by being idiotic and dressing like a fool, one of the 2. I think we all know where this is going...?

So this is what I wore on Wednesday night to the Spring Night Series Final Race.... I had coloured lights on my fingers and a flashing multi-coloured fibre-optic light around my neck too and long stripy coloured socks and was generally just a mess of colour and bad taste!

 (Photos by Mark Sampson of Thribe Media)

They had a crowd participation voting round to decide who should win. Starting with about 10-15 entries, then the top 6 of us having to stand on tables and then the top 3 had to perform for the crowd. I was desperate enough, and had enough friends in the crowd (who had other friends) to rile up a bit of a noise and fan-fare and I managed to elbow my garish way to a win! I do think Tatum had decided my enthusiasm was funny (or annoying?) and I really was desperate to get my paws on some trail shoes! (I may have mentioned that a few times too..?) and so to placate me I think she threw the voting slightly... and I WON!
Earning me a R1200 Merrell Shoe voucher! WORTH IT!! YAY! :)

I also managed to grab a rather sought after entry to the race after anxiously  waiting to see if I'd get one - there was a waiting list.

Ryan Sandes was there too. No pressure! he didn't dress up, so at least I didn't have to compete with him on that score. LOL.

Then without further adieu it was time for the race. Most of us stayed in our dress-up gear and it was a merry and chirpy bunch verbally sparring and giggling on the start line. I barely listened to the race briefing, and next thing it was was iPOD on, headlamp on. 40-12 coloured lights ON. Stopwatch ready and off we went!

I followed my dress-up top-3 contender team-mates 'Princess' and 'Mr South Africa' the whole way, with Princesses' neon pink lit-up tutu being a great beacon to follow up ahead.

The competition was fierce and strong and the route turned out to be pretty much the reverse route from last week. It was not easy but comfortingly familiar, even if backwards. So I kind knew what would be coming. Again, I was slipping and yelping quite a lot (I really do look forward to comparing the grip on trail shoes soon!).

There was a lot of steep climbing and a fair amount of walking happening, and yes even I relented and walked a bit - my heart rate was pushing 180 bpm at times so I didn't really have a choice in the matter.

I ran and ran and ran and gave it my all. Again not actually knowing how well I was doing because they mix the 5.5km and 8km fields half-way. I finished knowing I had tried my best. So I was kinda bummed to find out later I'd 'only' placed as 9th lady to finish. Damn. Oh well I'd won the dress-up so I was not really upset and decided to get on with the merriment of wine drinking and socialising! I was chatting and laughing through the prize giving and didn't even hear when my name was called out... I was completely taken by surprise to hear that I had placed 2nd lady overall in the whole series! Really!? Wow!! I was so stoked.

All I can say is that everything about this series was awesome and I am so glad I took part. I am just sad that it's over now.

Thanks to all involved for a fabulous intro into in the trail running scene... and stay tuned for my new trail shoes, which I hope to get soon!

------

My Results below:

I ran all 3 of the 8km event races in the series, and this is how I did.

Final Series results were calculated using a formula:

"Points are calculated based on winning time. Time of the winner is divided by the participant's time and then multiplied by 1000. So the maximum points per race is 1000. The person with the most points after three events will win the series."

There is an awesome gallery of pics HERE

My Awesome TMC Lite Escapade

On Saturday I took part in the Crazy Store Table Mountain Challenge Lite. It was the 9th time the TMC event was being held - and it seems like it gets progressively more difficult and challenging each year. From the very start it was a good challenge with the route broken into 3 legs circumnavigating the whole of Table Mountain. 

Original Route:

Leg 1 starts at the Kloof Nek Tafelberg Road intersection by Lion's Head and travels along Tafelberg Road around to the King's Block House on Devil's Peak. 

Leg 2 goes from the King's Block House along the contour paths above Kirstenbosch to Constantia Nek. 

Leg 3 goes from Constantia Nek through Orange Kloof above Hout Bay to Suikerbossie, up Llandudno Ravine, along the top of the mountain, down Kasteelpoort, and back to Tafelberg Road along the pipe track and along the 'Twelve Apostles'. 

The original 35km route:

It is by no means an easy event. Previously there were options to do the full TMC, or form a team of 3 each doing a single leg.

Each year or so the route has got progressively longer and tougher and instead of taking the direct route (on jeep tracks) for each leg they now make it as technical and challenging as they can finding every hill, step and rock they can find and making that part of the route. They have in the process added and extra 3km to the route and made it much more grueling and hard-core!

Last year's tougher 38km route... and this year they added to that and 'toughened up' leg 1 significantly too.

New Route:

Leg 1 now veers off Tafelberg Road almost immediately and runs up and down the paths of Deer Park, some so steep that all but the elite athletes end up having to walk sections.

Leg 2 now instead of being 'just' a lovely scenic contour path, this leg now includes the brutal climb up and down the beastly Rooikat Kloof! OUCH!!!

Leg 3 is unchanged as far as I know..?

I have known seasoned runners, runners who have completed the Comrades successfully, who have been broken by the TMC! So it was always something I observed from afar with a healthy dose of respect, doubt and fear. For the first 5 years or so it was not even within my realm of capability. Then in the past few years I have thought it sounded like a lot of fun and have been semi-keen on doing one of the first 2 legs, preferably the 2nd (most scenic & popular) leg. But entries to this race go like hot cakes and getting your hands on one is like trying to find hen's teeth. Also there is no way I wanted to tackle the FULL TMC and the mission of finding and forming and then performing in a team just seemed too much. So I just haven't had a real opportunity yet. Also I am really not a trail runner. I have done the odd social and casual foray on the mountains but never competitively and I don't even have trail shoes yet (as previously mentioned)...

However you look at it, this is a crazy event! However after having entered and then having so much fun at the recent Merrell Night Series Races when a friend told me that a batch of late entries were opening for the TMC and it was for a special 'Lite' version. Without thinking I snapped one up as fast as I could! YAY! I was so excited to finally be part of the crazy action, and with the word 'Lite' in the title it totally felt doable. Easy even! Right? Until I looked at the details properly and saw that what I had done was enter Leg 1 AND 2 together combined as a solo end-to-end race event. Hang on 1 & 2 together is now about 22km! Holy crap had I really just signed up for an off-road hard-core terrain Half Marathon distance race on a mountain!? ERMAGAD!?

Clearly I had lost my mind, and deciding I might as well embrace the spirit of it all I went all out. There was the most horrendous weather forecast for the big day and the day before was pretty bad too. I had already decided it would be a rest day, but it turned into a complete binge day too. Starting with the work 'Bake & Donate' day where Team Awesome put together a spectacular 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' cos 'We are all Mad here!' where FAR too much cake, sweets, chocolate and and and was consumed until we all wanted to die... but did I stop there..? No of course not, I then went on a fantastic Brewery Tour, Beer Tasting and beer drinking session. Until I was actually quite rat-arsed to be honest. *Oops*

I had to pull myself together to get my race stuff together and was finally sort of ready and got myself to bed around 11pm. I then tossed and turned with racing heart and sweating (due to over-indulgence not nerves I think) listening to the raging storm outside. At 2am I eventually fired up my laptop to watch an episode of a series I am watching... so when I woke up at 06:30am to hear the wind and rain I was not super enthused to get up. I even started bleating about it on Facebook - where my 'helpful' friends told me to go back to bed. Since I am rather otherwise that actually spurred me on to get up and just do it, come hell, or high water. So up I got and got ready and set off. In the pouring rain.

Miracle or miracles though as I drove around the mountain the cloud started lifting and the rain cleared and by the time our race started there was even a bit of sunshine. It was meant to be! :)

After chatting to a few people at the start and being interviewed and mocked senseless by Trevor Ball about wearing devil horns we set off.

Clearly trail running in general, and this race in particular attracts a rather fit and athletic bunch as a sizable bunch of people zoomed off well ahead of me in the initial ascent. Much as I wanted to race I knew I had a long and grueling journey ahead of me and I had to focus on finished and not killing myself before the end! So I got into a slow and stead rhythm and plodded up as the seasoned runner filed past me. However soon there was a nice gravelly descent, where I was met by my favourite running friend GRAVITY. Embracing my friend I went careening down the hill passing loads of people and gaining momentum, speed and confidence with each pounding step. Soon though the lovely down hill was over and another steep climb faced me. I plodded up and all those people passed me again. This went on over several up and downhill sections. Eventually we had a serious stair climb section where everyone seemed to just walk it. Then a really muddy and slippery section where I decided trail shoes are a MUST for those conditions, you really do not have enough grip or stability with the 'marshmallow' road shoes I wear.

I had managed to pass and keep ahead of 2 women and decided my goal was to stay ahead of them. A blondie had run off into the distance at the start, she was nowhere to be seen. As I pounded down a hill a crazy guy on a mountain bike whizzed passed me, really close, he could easily have hit me actually. I kind of shook my head and left it at that. But I'll be damned he roared up the next hill and stopped next to none other than blondie.. he gave her some stuff, took her jacket etc. Yoh I was cross. Here I was lugging all my 'compulsory kit' on my back and this chick has here own private (and not allowed) second!? Ahem. My competitive nature was riled and I though damn here I WILL catch her. And I did I managed to pass her while she was still doing her exchanges with the guy. As soon as she saw me pass though she set off and charged ahead again. DAMN!

I kept her in my sights though and doggedly pushed myself forward. It's a looooong uphill slog to the Block House and I watched her up ahead stopping to walk several times (as were a lot of the men). I refused to let myself walk - telling myself 'real runners don't walk'. So even though I was running oh so slowly I made sure I KEPT running. Think Dory 'Just keep running, running, running'. It was pure willpower, dog-headedness and sexism (Yes I will admit I have no issue with men passing me and beating me and competing with me, but for some reason I get much more riled by other women on the course and get a bit of a 'killer instinct' with them and want to 'take them down'. I am not sure if that's normal or if there is something wrong with me. But when it comes to other women I WANT TO WIN! The same thing happened when I used to do fencing at Varsity...) that got me to the top of that hill.

I finally reached the Block House and Check Point 1 at the end of Leg 1 in a time of 1h04m - being 6th lady and in 25th place overall. I think I even said 'Oh thank-god I can stop for a second now!'. I grabbed a quick cup of Coke and decided there was no time to lose, since blondie was already through the style and on her way into Leg 2.

So I pressed on. Although I'd pushed hard and was a bit tired, and wasn't even half-way through yet. I know Leg 2 (or so I THOUGHT!) and felt confident that I would be fine. The weather was good, and despite the ground being very wet there was hardly any wind and the rain had given way to some sunshine, so everything was going great and looking good.

I proceeded onto the boardwalk enjoying the scenery, the view, the music on my iPOD, the relatively easy section we were on and realised I was LOVING IT!  I still had a long way to go but I was really feeling happy and enjoying myself. I was soaked in mud, sweat and water (we'd already had to run through several mud and water crossings) and my nose was running but I was feeling great and I think I had a huge smile on my face too. I soon reached the boardwalks which can get quite slippery and treacherous in the wet season. Thinking I'd have to take it easy I started gingerly but soon found my trust road shoes were handling them fine and I changed up a gear and went for it. I was flying along those boardwalks and blow me down if I didn't catch up to miss blondie! Whoop. I pressed and pressed until I was right behind her and tapped her shoulder and asked if I could pass. I was disproportionately THRILLED.

After that the race was on and I could feel her speeding up and running hard behind me. So I surged on and threw caution to the wind running as fast as my legs could carry me barely giving a thought to safety or caution. I couldn't seem to shake her though and this presence stayed right behind me. We got to the rocky section and I just kept going running and stumbling but going as fast as I could. Bashing my leg on a rock and not even caring.

In the next section of board walks a guy fell, thanks to some other guy going for a run in the opposite direction (not the right day and time for that buddy!) who caused him to veer, slip, pirouette and crash right off the path dramatically right in front of me. I stopped to check if he was ok and to help him up, and with that a guy passed me. It was not blondie who'd been on my heels but HIM. She was still behind me! So making sure guy who'd fallen was ostensibly ok I high-tailed it outta there. I did have a slight pang that I should have stayed, but the other guy who'd sort of caused it was there was with him. and I was on a mission to stay ahead!

I ran and ran and ran and realised this path was long and really not easy. The rivers and waterfalls were raging and the crossing were treacherous, tho exciting, and some even had marshalls stationed at them to aid runners across so they didn't end up washed down-stream. My shoes and legs were soaked through and in one crossing I ended up quite literally waist deep in the water. I have never run that kind of terrain or those kind of conditions before. It was insane and exhilarating and exhausting and liberating and challenging!

I think this was soon before...

Eventually the inevitable happened I was running to fast, and slightly recklessly, and getting tired and not quite lifting my feet high enough. My left foot must have caught a root and I tripped. I didn't just stumble I came down like an imploded building. I 'klapped out', thankfully in a soft clayish area and not on the boardwalks as I landed hard on my hand and knees, jolted my spine and my legs just cramped and seized up in unison. OUCH!

The guy behind me stopped and helped me up and I had to stretch my egs out a bit before I could go on... but I was still focused on staying ahead, but now my legs were complaining, and quite loudly. Dammit! I just couldn't get back to the pace I'd been going at before.

Eventually in the climb out of the Kirstenbosch valley blondie caught up with me and I graciously let her past with a big smile and we exchanged a few quick friendly (really) words and off she went. I did try to chase her down but from that point instead of it being the 'easy' jeep track on to Constantia Nek, the path took every difficult and challenging turn it cool. Up this stairway, down that one and then Rooikat Kloof. OMG. Kill me. That was so tough. It was just up up up forever with large stairs. It was basically like climbing Mt Kinabalu. I was not even trying to run at that point and realised I was actually starting to bonk a little bit.

I realised that I had not had breakfast and had been out there for quite some time and had not eaten nor drunk anything en route either. In a 10km or even 20km road run you can get away with this. When you push beyond 2-hours not so much. Also I was pushing my heart rate quite hard and keeping it pretty much over 160 the whole time. I HAD food in my running pack, but didn't want to stop to retrieve it. I kept telling myself 'just a bit further first'. I was still hell bent on racing. but I did have a couple of glucose sweets in reach so I grabbed 2 of those and drank from the next 2 streams I crossed - that water tasted like nectar! It gave me enough of a psychological and physical boost to perk up and keep going, although I was feeling slightly dizzy and was a bit worried I might push myself into dreaded migraine-zone-of-no-return if I wasn't careful. So I focused on breathing and paced myself and was beyond pleased to finally reach the jeep track leading to Constantia nek and the now much anticipated end at Check-Point 2.

However once my legs hit the jeep track they were SO tired I couldn't speed up and found I was just plodding slowly and painfully. My sacrum was aching, mostly due to the fall I think, and also just pain tired and my glutes and hip flexors starting to get stiff.

That section of Jeep track seemed never ending. I passed a young guy who also looked like he wanted to give up and I spurred him on saying 'let's finish this damned thing!'. Which encouraged him and he came to jog along side me. While proved very useful because when I stumbled and my sunglasses fell off and I was thinking 'oh to hell with them picking them up will be too hard now', he stooped down and got them for me. :)

He eventually dropped back though and I said I'd see him at the end and I decided I would finish in glory and race to the end. I think my running style got a bit peculiar then though as I was not feeling comfortable. I really was ready to be done!

FINALLY the end was in sight and thankfully it's nice downhill to the end, so I let my friend gravity jump on my back and off we went careening down the hill barely in control and just aiming for the end. I rounded the corner into the Constantia Nek parking and when I saw the mud bath I had to run through I very nearly just dived into it, thinking it would be a fitting way to end that epic amazing escapade. Letting sanity prevail though I simply stumbled to the end point and uttered 'Kill me!'.

What a race!

I finished in 2:48:45. I was 29th in the TMC Lite and 7th lady to finish.

All results can be found here. I am actually very pleased with my results. I ran and pushed as much as I could and coped a lot better than I thought I would ad had much more fun than expected. It was awesome.

I saw blondie at the end and shook her hand, telling her she is really good. She high fived me and said I'd given her a real run for her money. :)

They had organised luxury shuttles to take us back to the start/end of the main race and prize giving. So after socialising with some friends briefly I hopped in my taxi and off we went. Chatting and sms'ing up a storm. Soon the cold, stiffness and then nausea set i though and I really felt grim and was sure I was going to throw up. Again a symptom of pushing hard and not enough nutrition.  Once we were back at the start I felt vile. I got into my car ate a banana and some nuts had a warm blissful shower got some clean dry clothes on and felt so much better. I went up to socialise and enjoy the fun and games of the proze giving and even got a free massage which really helped to loosen up my aching hips.

All in all it was a fabulous race and really fun day out which I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely like to do again!

Thanks to everyone involved!

There are more photos where you can see what it looked like and how hectic those water crossing were:   -> HERE <- b="">

Ryan Sandes won the Full TMC very convincingly and about 20 mins ahead of #2 who was about 15 mins ahead of #3. WOW. 

And Tatum Prins who arranges those Merrell Night Series Races won the Ladies race very convincingly too (and 14th overall nogal!) - and she has a 6-month old baby. HUGE RESPECT Tatum!!!!