A Personal Best(Sort Of!)

“Familiarity breeds contempt”, this was the lesson for my third two oceans half marathon. I felt pretty confident that I would get a PB(Personal Best) in my third race. I had achieved personal bests in my two practice races so that boosted my confidence.

The day before race day, I watched as Gerda Steyn smashed the course record and won the ultra marathon for the 5th consecutive time. My energy levels and excitement were on a high. If my star athlete was excelling I was pretty sure I would do the same.

I was confident Gerda Steyn would win her 5th consecutive Two Oceans Ultra

On race day, I felt good at the starting line. The weather was perfect and I was properly nourished was ready to conquer the current. The first 10km was a breeze. Everything was going according to plan. The problems started when I hit the infamous Southern Cross. My legs just wouldn’t lift up anymore. They felt so heavy and tired. Maybe this is what they call the runner’s wall. I had hit it. I really wanted to run but I couldn’t and I decided to walk it out. I ended up walking most of the uphill and eventually I felt the energy back in my legs and I took off again. I wanted to push harder but I was worried that I could end up injuring myself, I kept myself at a good tempo pace that I could manage. On the back of my mind, I also knew I was going to be catching a 16 hour straight flight a few hours after the race so didn’t want to risk too much.

Race kit

Before Race

After Race

I still managed to achieve my third best overall half marathon time. The race reminded me how awful( i mean hard) is the Two Oceans and never to take it for granted. This was definitely my best race so far, full of lessons and challenges with a victory at the end.