Running my 1st half marathon. The Soweto 21km Marathon!

I relocated from Durban ( KZN) in August 2017 to Johannesburg because I needed to find myself career wise and just as a human being. I needed to connect with my body, my heart, to know the things that I love and like, to know what makes me happy, what full-fills me as a person.

Running/ jogging was always my Therapist, I used to do it just to destress, I would run because I want to think clearer, I would run because I needed a new body look for summer lol! Don’t we always do that when the session change. But in 2019 something changed, I needed to focus more on my self, I realized that I am giving too much of myself to stranger who really don’t care, it could be a boyfriend giving him too much love and too much of my time that I neglected myself.

Well, I needed to set a bucket list for myself and mind you it was already June so that means we were already in the middle of the year, that meant I needed to be very realist about my 10 goals that I needed to accomplish by the end of the year, I needed to be honest with myself as well and know that I will deliver. So taking a further step on my running was part of the journey I wrote it down that I need to run a proper marathon and I was very specific about it, I wrote that “I need to finish half marathon, thee Soweto 21km” Lol, wow, I am very ambitious I tell you.

At that time I have not even started training, I have not even entered for a 10km proper race, but I was very optimistic About my goal, so I entered my 1st proper race which was 10km race, I timed myself and I finished it in 1:08min I was very excited about.

So to train for The Soweto Marathon I started in August during weekends, I started increasing my running pace and kilometers each week, I focused more on my body, I stopped running with earphones so that it will allow me to connect with my body, to know when it want to shut down, when it want us to rest.

Some weekends I could not make it to the training and that was also fine and okay, what I have learned from my training is that don’t be too hard on your body, don’t be harsh, listen to your body it will always carry you. As long as you understand it.

So let go to the race day! What a day to be celebrated and be cherished. I was very excited in the morning when I woke up lol, my heart wanted this challenge, my body wanted this pain, my spirit was ready. I was so happy from within. You know when you are genuine happy, I realized how much I love running, I realized how much this means to me, because wow I couldn’t contain the excitement. The race was very hard that I won’t even lie about, it was uphills mostly, I won’t even be able to tell you from which kilometer because I couldn’t check my phone anymore, I couldn’t time myself, it was such a painful race yet I wanted/ I needed to finish it.

I drank water on each and every station that was there but I didn’t drink the water to finish it,no, I drank the water just to water my trough so I can be able to breath in and out, I didn’t have too much water because I didn’t want to go up and down the bathrooms because I need to peer,no!I showed my body with water so that it can contain the calmness, it was very hot,wow!

My advise is to always listen to your body, always, know when it needs to get some energy, know when it needs to relax just a bit.

I bagged my 1st 21km medal, I am so happy, I am proud of myself, I am content with myself. It was not a walk in the park but I have managed to pull it through, I manage to do it with a time frame of 2:51 minute. It just the beginning of many marathons.

Making a mark on this day the 3rd of November 2019.

Find what you love, make time for it, love yourself unconditionally. Do what makes you happy all the time. Life is a journey that needs to be experience, don’t compete, run your own race.

#doingitforthesoul

#21kmgang