SCOTTBURGH HALF MARATHON

Well here we were at the start of the KZN calendar, well for us anyway, and it was a beautiful day , overcast and cool total contrast to when I last did this race.

Today things would be a bit different for the most spoken about running team. Yes that is the truth, one clubs club run consisted of a discussion on our running, should we be honoured or insulted ?

Well nevertheless as I mentioned today was different as today was a race walk day, yup we were going to attempt a half marathon walk so that

1. Anna could see what a race walk over 21.1 km is like

2. Just what is needed to walk under 3 hours

3. What parts of her body would scream help

4. Cross training.

So what do runners do when warming up for a walk, hee hee they run, we got caught on the run with our walker tags.......lol



So off to the start after the warm up and bang off we head towards Umkomaas. The route is undulating but not as bad as the Illovo Christmas Run.


Standing at the start I was reminded of the time I took Stuart and Yvette for a little walk, the fear of the unknown was quite evident on these two runners, the look Stuart had at the start resembled the look Anna had at the start , nervous tension with a dash of fear. Anna is filled with confidence as we head out, keeping her "friend" Corrie, a seasoned ultra walker, just in front the whole way on this route.

The hills were of course the biggest challenge and she mentioned to me that she could actually feel the difference since our hill training sessions had started. How anyone could not use this training tool is beyond me, it is there for the taking and makes you such a better runner and in this case a walker.

In the end no hill was too tough, no breaks were asked for or done and smiles were the order of the day, I really think Anna had the best time out on a race today. For myself it was strange to race walk a half marathon again but it also reminded me of how much I enjoy running a half marathon. Of course I walked so when that happens I get a blister which is center of the left foot. Curses !!


So in we come for a good finish after a great time out on the road. Looking forward to next weeks 25 km run along the comrades route, from Hillcrest to Pinetown. This will the second time Anna tackles this event and my 6th time.